by Heidi Champa
My eyes flew open, the revelation running through me like a shock. For a moment, I was more than distracted. My brain registered the unlikely thought, but instead of letting it go, it got stuck for a few seconds too long and I started to lose my focus. Luckily for me, Sam did the perfect thing to steal my attention away from my lust-addled thoughts.
“God damn, you feel amazing,” he said, his breathless words letting the here and now take over.
Leaning over him, I thrust into him faster, our slick bodies sticking together as we moved.
“You’re pretty fucking amazing yourself, Sam,” I replied.
Sam let out a deep moan as his name came out of my mouth, and I could feel him tremble. I eased away again and ran my hands up his back until I reached his shoulders, clasping my fingers tight to his flesh. My whole body was tingling, but I willed myself to stay away from the edge for just a little while longer. Sam reached underneath himself and started jerking his cock, our tempo frantic by this point.
“Oh, God. I’m gonna, oh fuck…,” Sam sputtered, trailing off before another real word could come out.
He was coming, his body writhing in front of me, his voice breaking as he groaned out his pleasure. Pinching my eyes closed, I couldn’t stand it for another minute, my body reacting before I could utter a coherent thought. I came, the orgasm wracking my body with a violent shudder, my mind seemingly in a million places at once. I leaned on his muscled back, my lungs unable to get enough air. Sam was gasping right along with me, and for a moment, I relished the contact of our bodies, the heat and the sweat mixing together. But all too soon, my rational brain started running again, and I knew we’d been touching for too long.
I tried not to be awkward as I extricated myself from the moment, my eyes blinking in the dim light. Before I could form the question, Sam seemed to read my mind.
“The door behind us is a bathroom,” he said, his voice normal, as if it was any other phrase.
“Thanks.” I suddenly felt self-conscious.
I shuffled to the door and closed it quickly behind me, switching the light on. The brightness forced me to squint, my eyes slow to adjust. I got cleaned up and prepared to face Sam. This time, there was little chance he would have fallen asleep on his desk. As I reentered the room, my eyes couldn’t make much out in the dark, but I knew I was alone. Everything was quiet, and I had no idea where Sam had gone. After a long moment, I decided to take his hint and I started to get dressed. One of my socks had ended up across the room, and as I retrieved it, Sam appeared in the doorway. I didn’t look directly at him, just slipped on my underwear and sat on the overstuffed love seat to put on the found sock. He didn’t speak at first, but as I was about to slip my shirt over my head, he cleared his throat.
“I don’t know about you, but after that, I’m starving,” he said, making me turn my head.
There he was, wearing only his boxers and holding two sodas and a bag of chips. He was smiling, and I suddenly felt completely stupid. I stood up, not knowing what else to do.
“Uh, yeah. You know, I could eat,” I said, in an attempt to sound cool.
He plunked down on the couch and set the snacks on the coffee table. Patting the cushion, I returned to my seat, keeping a bit of distance between us. I reached for the chip bag, if for no other reason than to keep my hands busy. Before I could sip from my cola, Sam leaned in and kissed me, a quick peck on the lips.
“Hey, thanks for tonight. It really was great,” he said, reaching into the open bag of chips and stealing a few.
“Yeah, it was,” I replied, digging into the bag myself. Sam was right. I suddenly was starving.
“Perfect end to my night, in fact,” he said, shoving a bunch of chips in his mouth. My mind went to the hottie at the bar and I nodded. I took everything I had not to ask, but I refused to give in to my curiosity.
“Is that a fact?” I asked, hoping against hope he’d fill in some details.
Sam smiled before sipping from his soda.
“Yup. I landed a big client tonight, who happened to drive the coolest car I’d ever seen in my life. Which I got to ride in. This guy means big money for me, so that’s good news. Then… well, let’s just say things got much better from there,” he said, easing closer to me on the couch.
I let out the air from my lungs that I didn’t even know I’d been holding in. So the guy was a client. I shouldn’t have cared either way—it should have made no difference to me—but I couldn’t help but be a bit relieved. If for no other reason than to know that the other guy was still on the market.
“Glad I could help, Sam.”
We ate in silence for a while, until I caught Sam staring at me. I smiled and waited for him to speak, his face telling me there was something on his mind.
“Can I ask you something, Wes?”
I nodded, my mouth too full to speak.
“How many guys have you been with?”
Trying not to cough, I put my soda can to my lips and took a long drink.
“Why do you ask, Sam?”
He looked away, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.
“I’m just curious. If you don’t want to tell me, it’s cool,” he said, his voice suddenly tentative.
I ate a few more chips and tried to think of the best way to answer his question. After mulling over a few face-saving lies, I decided to go with the truth.
“Um, well, honestly, I’ve stopped counting, really, but maybe somewhere between forty and fifty,” I said as matter-of-factly as I could.
His eyebrows rose, which didn’t shock me, but to his credit, he tried to recover quickly.
“Oh, wow. Okay, I don’t know what I was expecting you to say, but….” I felt my face grow hot.
“Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?” I asked, hearing what those numbers sounded like now that I’d said them.
He shrugged, but it did little to hide what he was most likely thinking. I didn’t know why, but something made me want to defend my seemingly questionable morals.
“Well, I started hooking up with guys when I was sixteen. I’m twenty-eight now, so if you average it out, that’s only about four guys a year,” I said before shoving more chips in my mouth.
“You were sixteen when you first had sex?” he said, his voice tinged with shock.
“Yup. I mean, if you count oral. Which I do.”
“Wow…,” he said, the word holding just a bit of disdain. “How many boyfriends have you had, Wes?”
That one I had to think about a little longer. I was pretty sure my answer would only make me look worse, but I decided to go with it.
“Um, three. Wait, four.”
“That’s it? So, out of the fifty guys you’ve had sex with, you only seriously dated four?”
I looked at Sam for a long moment, trying to ignore the implications of his words.
“What can I say? I started my slut phase early. And, well, I guess I really stuck with it. It’s the one thing in my life I’ve been able to commit to. I’m so much better at promiscuity than I am at relationships,” I said, trying to keep my voice light, but my humor seemed to be falling flat with Sam.
I could see him considering my words as I chewed, his face softening a bit.
“Wes, I… look, I’m sorry if you thought I was judging you. I’m really not. And I wasn’t trying to say you were a slut,” he replied, his thought clearly not finished. I stayed silent for a long moment to let him finish, but he stayed quiet. So I decided to push him a bit.
“But?” I asked, forcing a smile to my face.
He smiled, both his hands clutching his soda can.
“But nothing. It’s not a judgment of you, I swear. If anything, it’s that I’m jealous. I’ve been with six people in my life and one of them was Maya’s mother, which I guess counts. And you’re number six.”
I put my hand on his knee, to help make both of us feel better.
“It’s not a contest, you know. And Maya’s mom counts. I mean, how could she not?” I said
with a smile.
He shook his head and set down his can, a smile crossing his lips.
“Once again, you always know the right thing to say,” he said, barely above a whisper.
“It’s the truth.”
We were quiet for a while, but I could tell there was more Sam wanted to say on the matter.
“It’s just hard not to feel like I’ve missed out on a lot of life,” he said, his voice wistful.
“There’s more to life than sex, Sam. So I’m told anyway,” I said.
This time, I got a laugh out of him, which was exactly what I wanted.
“Yeah, well, I can confirm that’s true. There is more to life than sex, but it’s a lot of stuff that really isn’t all that fun. Hence my jealousy.”
No one had ever been jealous of me in my whole life. The thought of someone like Sam, someone so together and so settled wanting my shitty life, was laughable. So I laughed.
“Well, lucky for you, there’s plenty of time for you to see for yourself, if that’s what you want.”
He put his hand on mine, giving it a squeeze.
“That’s true,” he said, his voice tinged with smugness.
“But, seriously, your number is only low if you think it is. What other people think doesn’t really matter,” I said.
He drank a bit of his soda, chuckling before he spoke.
“You know that goes for yours too, right?” he asked.
“I’ll try and remember that. You know, the next time someone asks,” I said with a smile.
He laughed, the tension leaving the room for the moment.
“God, you’re adorable, you know that?”
I looked at the wall in front of me, trying not to smile at his words.
“I have heard that a few times, yes.”
He leaned in close, our faces inches apart.
“I’m sure you have. But it’s true.”
Our lips touched, barely grazing, before he kissed me hard, his hand coming to rest on the back of my neck.
“Well, thanks,” I said, our lips still far too close.
As he eased back, I reached for my drink, to give myself some space.
“So, is that what this is about, Sam? You and me, I mean. Making up for lost time?” I asked as gently as I could.
Sam paused for a long moment before answering.
“A bit, maybe. But it’s also about having fun with a guy I’m attracted to and for the first time ever, not questioning it. Well, not too much anyway.”
His words came through loud and clear. He didn’t want to dwell on the why.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I said.
“See, I knew you of all people would understand.”
He gave me another quick kiss. We both reached for the chip bag at the same moment, our hands touching like something out of a corny television show. I meant to pull away, but I didn’t. Neither did he. It felt intimate, sweet. And like a little too much. I sat back and drank the rest of my soda, putting the empty can gently on the table. The silence got longer, and things started to feel awkward. I knew what I had to do, so I did it.
“I should probably go,” I said, trying to keep my voice neutral.
He paused for a moment, his face changing for a split second before he recovered.
“Okay. Sure. Yeah, it is late.”
He watched me as I finished getting dressed, which I did as quickly as I could. When I was done tying my shoes, I stood up and headed to the door.
“I guess I’ll see you soon. You know, for the basement,” I said with a grin.
He stood up from the couch and walked slowly toward me. He kissed me again, another quick peck on the lips.
“Sounds like a plan. Thanks again for tonight, Wes.”
I grabbed a handful of his shirt and gave him a real kiss.
“No problem.”
CHAPTER 10
“UGH, GOD! Where the hell is it?”
I stopped in my tracks and turned my attention up the stairs. Kelsey’s voice had managed to make it over the music, which she’d been blaring since Maya had gone home earlier that morning. Something about her words made me wonder, so I bounded up the stairs and gave her slightly open door a knock.
“Hey, what’s up?”
Pushing open the door, I found Kelsey in the middle of the room, surrounded by so much junk, it was almost laughable. A shirt flew from her hand over her head, landing near the window.
“I’m trying to find my favorite top, but it’s like, totally gone. I can’t believe it.”
Stifling a giggle at her dramatics, I crossed my arms over my chest.
“It’s not gone. I’m sure it’s in here. Somewhere.”
She shot me a look, one I’d seen her deliver a million times before. Usually at Daniel and Tina.
“Very funny, U Dub. But I’m being serious. It’s just gone.”
I took a step into the room, bypassing a teddy bear and a faded green frog stuffed animal on the floor.
“I thought your dad said they just fixed this room up. That’s why I’m sleeping on that tiny bed downstairs.”
“We did.”
“How long ago was that?” I asked, surveying the damage.
“I don’t know. A couple of months.”
This time, the laugh came out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“Jesus, Kelsey. You did all this in a few months? You have a gift.”
“Bite me,” she shot back, but there was no venom behind her words.
I sat on the edge of the bed, shoving aside some papers that crunched under my leg.
“Girl, you do know I can help you with all this, right? It’s kinda my thing,” I said, crossing my legs and tossing my nonexistent long hair, imitating my niece to the best of my ability.
Tossing her hair right back, she smiled for a minute before letting out another frustrated sigh.
“It’s hopeless.”
I glanced around again and saw her point. But, as I did with my real clients, I tried to paint things in a positive light.
“I’ve seen worse. Trust me, we can handle this. We can start right now,” I said.
She raised her eyebrows at me, the disbelief all over her face.
“You wanna waste a nice Saturday helping me clean my room?”
I stood up, smiling down at her.
“Sure. Why not?”
“Because it’s lame,” she replied.
“Maybe. But what can I say? You happened to catch me in a good mood. Savor it, my dear. Don’t question it.”
Unable to resist, I reached down and messed up her hair, causing her to pop up and head right for the mirror on her wall.
“What have I told you about the hair, U Dub?” she squealed.
“Hey, if you want my help, sometimes you have to get a little messy,” I said, with much dramatic effect.
Our eyes met in the mirror, and before I had the chance, she made a silly face and sent me reeling with laughter.
“I’ll be right back. This job is going to require some snacks. And some much better music,” I said.
“Hey, my music is good,” she said, turning up the volume on the dreck she loved so much.
I shot her a withering look, which only made her laugh.
“Child, it’s time you had an education.”
THE MUSIC came to a stop, and Kelsey and I looked at each other, our hands still in the air. She started laughing before recovering and shooting me a very serious look.
“And that, my dear, is how you dance to Ariana Grande,” I said with a flourish.
Kelsey and I collapsed onto the floor, which was still messy, but we’d made enough progress to see the new carpet Daniel and Tina had put in.
“Okay, I’ll admit you have some moves, U Dub.”
“Some moves? Girl, I have all the moves,” I said with fake disdain.
She rolled her eyes, but her face quickly broke into a smile.
“Fine, fine. You are pretty good,” she relented, picking up a furry, brightly
colored hippo and throwing it up into the air.
Kelsey tried to appear so grown up, but watching her toss the toy reminded me of the little girl she used to be, all skinned knees and missing teeth.
“What can I say. You find yourself in a stranger’s house, all alone with nothing but junk and a great stereo, sometimes you need to find a way to entertain yourself. Things happen,” I said with a chuckle.
Kelsey laughed, the hippo momentarily forgotten.
“Wow, even when you’re at work, you still manage to goof off. I need a job like yours one day,” she said, standing up and sipping from her soda.
“That’s right, Kels. Aim high. Your mom and dad would be so proud.”
I sifted through a few things around me on the floor before I realized that Kelsey was staring at me. Meeting her gaze, I narrowed my eyes.
“What, do I have Doritos crumbs on my face or something?”
“It’s been kinda cool having you around, you know,” she said, looking to the window instead of at me.
I took in the moment, my heart swelling a bit at her words. Kelsey might have been the only person on the planet I ever cared about who had no reason to hate me. I hoped I could keep it that way.
“You know what, Kels? Even though living in your dad’s basement is, possibly, the saddest thing that has ever happened to me, it has been nice hanging out.”
She handed me my cola and made a face.
“And I’m kinda glad you’ll never grow up and be mature. Mature people are so boring.”
I knew they were Daniel’s words but hearing them come out of her mouth made me cringe a bit. Not that he was wrong, but hearing it out loud somehow made it more real. As I tried to think of something to say back, I heard Daniel’s footsteps on the stairs. Raising my voice just a bit, I decided to have some fun.
“Hey, don’t call your parents boring. I mean, they are, but there’s no need to rub it in,” I finished, just as Daniel made it to the door.
He smirked, his arm resting on the doorjamb.
“So I’m boring, huh?” he asked, looking back and forth between us both.