Friends With Benefits

by Carver, Rhonda Lee

  Padding into her bedroom, she lit the row of vanilla candles on her dresser and assumed her place in the middle of the four-poster, queen-sized bed, keeping the gown on although it was against the rules. If he wanted to see her nude, he’d have to work toward that goal. She didn’t want to make it too easy for him.

  Her body eased into the thick, soft comforter. The seductive thoughts whirling in her mind, and her prior orgasms, were enough to set her mood to ready and willing.

  She checked the clock. Five minutes to go. Eagerness exploded inside her stomach.

  A chuckle escaped her throat. Shouldn’t she have some sense of fright, or anxiety? Serenity made her ooze deeper into the bed. She’d never met this man, yet, she trusted him. Something about his words, his letters, had always wrapped her in peace.

  A few minutes passed. Then she heard the downstairs door chime. He had arrived.

  She made haste in pulling on the red silk scarf, a makeshift mask, and tied the soft material securely at the back of her head. The urge to fix a peephole in the fabric consumed her, but as she heard the scuffle of shoes on the wooden stairs, she lost her courage. She fixed it so everything went dark.

  Situating her body in what she thought was the sexiest position, one knee bent and the other leg stretched, her chest thrust forward to accentuate her small breasts, she waited.

  She no longer heard his footsteps. Her breath caught. The presence of her lover changed the aura of her bedroom. The warmth of the room skyrocketed and a faint scent of cologne reached her nostrils. She frantically searched her mind for the fragrance. She knew the smell, but had no time to process the thought. All logical thinking faded when a deep, raspy growl penetrated the air. A lover’s sound of appreciation.

  Knowing he was turned on charged her every nerve. Her breasts became tight. Her insides shuddered. She resisted the overwhelming urge to tear off her mask. Would he run away if she did?

  A sliver of vulnerability targeted her senses. Yet, she was excited.

  Cassie couldn’t be referred to as innocent. She’d had lovers in the past, but nothing like this. All experience floated out the window as she pondered what she should say, if she said anything at all.

  The soft thumping of his shoes echoed off the walls as he moved across her hardwood floor. Sounded like he wore boots. Not cowboy boots, but work boots with rubber soles. Was he a construction worker? Her mind conjured up images of tight T-shirt clinging to a sweaty, toned upper body. Worn jeans cradling tight ass and muscular legs.

  The apex of her thighs moistened. She had it bad. How could one man, a stranger at that, fan her thoughts into flaming desire?

  With use of her sight off limits, her hearing became overly sensitive. She listened to every sound. The rustling of his clothes and a long, drawn-out sigh, then scuffling as he moved to the side of the bed. She pushed herself higher against the headboard, anticipation growing heavy.

  He didn’t touch her. She tucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “Hello?” She wished she could have hidden the eagerness in her voice. She didn’t want to come off as desperate; however, her body throbbed in yearning.

  Silence.

  She started to speak again, but the mattress lowered under his weight. Her body slid a few inches toward him across the slick material of the cover. She pushed herself back up, regaining her pose on the bed. Her breathing grew heavy in her ears. Her heart raced. Could he hear it?

  Although she knew it was coming, she jerked when his fingers touched her ankle. She laughed at her involuntary reaction, but it fizzled. His touch seemed like a laser, sending rivulets of heated awareness up her leg and exploding like shards of glass into her loins.

  A sigh fell from her lips before she could snatch it back. “Yes.” She clenched her hands at her sides.

  Slowly, deftly, his palm trailed a frenzied path upward past her knee, and settled against her inner thigh. A shiver of need gripped her muscles.

  The tip of her tongue slid out and moistened her lips on its own accord. She didn’t care that desire plagued her with physical signs of longing. All she knew was she wanted this man. Apprehension disappeared.

  “Please,” she pleaded.

  His hand, warm and large, relaxed against her stomach.

  She squirmed, started to reach out to touch him, but he clutched her wrists with one hand and held them securely. She moaned. “I want to touch you.”

  “No.” His voice came as a gruff whisper.

  She didn’t pursue her desire and wouldn’t have been able to. His breath swept across her cheek. The heat radiating from his body heated her to the core. The tip of his finger flicked her clit as she felt his knuckle brush her sensitive skin. She arched her body, allowing the sharp prickles to dart upward into her stomach. Not able to move her hands, she stretched her fingers, needing a release.

  Cassie felt movement next to her hip, like he’d shifted his weight. Then it came. The warmth of his tongue touched the curve of her collarbone before swirling downward. His lips were soft as he kissed the tops of her breasts. She whimpered. He blew lightly on her nipples before closing his mouth over one erect bud. She writhed as a delicious chill raced across her body. She’d never experienced something so glorious.

  Her own breath sounded loud in her ears. She breathed in deeply, filling her lungs with his scent. What came next, she wondered in delight? Her breath came out on a moan when his finger slipped inside her. In uninhibited enjoyment, she gyrated her hips. She lifted enough to allow further access, welcoming his sweet torment.

  Floating on a cloud, she lost herself in the sensual moment. Nothing mattered but finding relief. She needed it like she needed her next heartbeat.

  He whirled his finger inside her. He found her g-spot and gently massaged the button. Her insides quivered. She bit back a cry. When a second finger joined the first, she could no longer control the deep, ragged moan that grazed her lips. He pumped in and out. The scent of sex filled her nostrils. Urgency spiraled through her tense muscles. Abandonment thrust her into rapture.

  The powerful orgasm wracked her body with waves of bliss. Her lover continued impaling her to his knuckles in a rhythmic pace that matched the beat of a heavy metal song. The heel of his hand rubbed her clit. She arched up from the bed, mesmerized in the feeling. Reduced to a ball of nerves, she squirmed against his hand and reached out to grab him. She dug her nails deep into the cotton of his shirt.

  He tugged away. Her nails dragging across the material seemed to penetrate the silence like a jackhammer through concrete. She waited. Had he undressed? The prospect of having him inside her sent wicked tingles through her veins. Her eagerness amplified. Longing increased within her, a symphony of utter ecstasy.

  Thump!

  She jerked.

  His boots scuffled on the floor, and then the heavy pounding moved away down the hall, fading on the stairs.

  He was gone.

  Her stomach twisted. Springing from the bed, she tore off the scarf, and found nothing but emptiness.

  She hurried for the hallway, scuttled halfway down the stairs when she came to a sudden halt. Stillness engulfed her.

  “Damn.” Her expletive echoed off the walls, a harsh reminder of what had just happened. Or what didn’t happen.

  She rushed back up the stairs two at a time and raced across her bedroom. In her haste, she tripped over the corner of the rug. She caught her balance on the corner of the dresser. “I knew I should never have bought that rug.”

  At the window, she pulled back the lacy curtain to peer below onto the rain-soaked streets. Her stomach danced. There! Was that him? In the bluish pale light of the street lamps, she saw a dark figure fade.

  She stood staring for the longest time.

  Her heart sank. She stepped back and leaned against the wall, arms tight around her bare waist. She’d just experienced the best orgasm of her life, and yet a void had wormed its way inside her soul. She couldn’t deny the disappointment barbed-wiring its way through her nerve endings. She’d
wanted to feel her lover. She’d wanted to consummate their relationship.

  Her feelings tumbled into anger.

  After blowing out the partially melted candles, she dressed in a white T-shirt and buried herself in the blankets on the bed. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream, but what good would it do?

  Why had her lover brought her to a wonderful plateau only to disappear like a thief into the night? A thief of seduction.

  The question streamed through her mind as she lay there. She’d thought the blindfold had only been an overture, meant for excitement and eroticism, and then he would remove it while they made love so she could meet the man behind the romantic letters.

  She was no closer in knowing who he was than she’d been when she woke that morning.

  She had a good mental image of his physical characteristics. She made a quick list in her mind. She didn’t want to forget any detail that could help in the question, “Who was he?”

  He had thick hair. And silky. His hands were large. He’d held her wrists easily and his long fingers had given her deep gratification. His scent lingered on her skin. She didn’t think it was cologne, but something else. It reminded her of something, but what?

  She gave up.

  She’d guess he was tall, and built for gratification. Naughty thoughts teased her. She had rubbed her foot across his zipper, considering touching had been forbidden, checking his size through his jeans. She wouldn’t have been disappointed, not in the least.

  How could a man she’d never met feel so familiar? There’d been something she recognized in his touch, in his smell, and in his movement.

  Sebastian? Could it be possible?

  Would her best friend go to such lengths? Could he still love her?

  No way.

  Maybe?

  The idea wasn’t that ridiculous. He’d always been protective of her. He did have the tendency to flirt with her, but he never let it go beyond that. And she’d noticed he hadn’t been dating anyone for almost a year.

  Wouldn’t she know, though? He couldn’t hide something like this from her.

  If Sebastian was her lover, she had a mind to–to what? She couldn’t deny she found the thought a little exciting. However, it didn’t seem likely he could be her secret admirer. He only had to tell her how he felt.

  With that last thought, she buried her face into the pillow and moaned.

  She hoped she’d see him, whoever he was, again soon.

  * * * *

  The sun came up bright and early the next morning. After tossing and turning most of the night, Cassie wasn’t looking forward to a long day in the shop.

  She got dressed and trudged turtle-slow down the stairs into the coffee shop. Sebastian was already in the kitchen pulling pans of homemade cinnamon rolls from the Roto-Flex oven.

  “Those smell yummy,” Cassie said through a yawn.

  He looked up. She saw his narrowed expression through the steam rolling off the confection. “You’re late.”

  She rubbed her eyes with the backs of her knuckles. “I’m sorry. You’re a better baker than I am anyway.” She grabbed her apron off the hook on the wall and tugged it on.

  “But it’s your day to make the rolls.”

  She glanced at him from her position across the room, hand suspended as she reached for the coffee maker. His jaw ticked and his hair looked messy, like he’d had a sleepless night too. His agitation oozed over his expression. He’d covered for her on plenty of occasions, and vice versa. What could be the problem now? “Care to share?”

  “Share?”

  “What’s eating you?”

  He practically threw the pans of rolls onto wire racks to cool. “No.”

  She blew out a breath through tight lips. Tired, she wasn’t up to coddling anyone, especially before coffee, but being his best friend, she didn’t like it when a wall came between them. “I overslept. I’m sorry. I just don’t think your foul mood has anything to do with me sleeping in.”

  He tossed the dirty pans into the sink. The metal hitting the stainless steel made a loud, dinging sound. Wiping his hands in jerky motions, he finally turned all his attention on her. His chocolate eyes were steely but one corner of his mouth lifted into a beginning of a smile. “I’m not angry.”

  “If you say so.” She grabbed the necessary items to make coffee and placed them on the counter while breathing slowly. She felt his eyes on her. She scooped the granules into the coffee maker. The chicory smell made her salivate. She immediately got a sensory buzz. She needed a cup–now. “I’ll take my shift early tomorrow and you can sleep in,” she offered, hoping that would resolve the issue. When he didn’t answer, she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Well?”

  He shrugged a shoulder, his black T-shirt stretched across his toned chest. When they were dating, they’d never gotten past kissing and heavy petting. She’d always wondered what sex with Sebastian would have been like. But it wasn’t really the boy she wished to make love to. She wanted the man he was today. The skills he’d had eight years ago wouldn’t even compare to the capabilities he had now. He’d changed, physically, and in self-confidence. He’d become a magnet for women. He even moved liked he could bring a woman’s every sexual dream into reality. Her breathing sped and she felt–well, different somehow.

  What was wrong with her?

  She swallowed with difficulty. Her heart clenched. Her mouth fell open.

  “Late night?” His eyebrow flipped up and he smiled stiffly.

  She snapped her mouth shut and sighed. His question tore her mind in a different direction. She didn’t know how much she wanted to share. She’d pretty much convinced herself last night that Sebastian wasn’t her secret lover, but the slight possibility couldn’t be ignored. She could scope him out, see if he actually was the one. “No, not too late.” She attempted to sound casual instead of vague. By his slanted eyes, it didn’t work. “Okay, okay.” She waved a hand through the air. “Maybe a little later than usual, but not because I had company.”

  He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest in a masculine stance. “So, Mr. Can-only-write-letters didn’t show?”

  Heat pricked her cheeks. Her throat became dry. “No, he came by.” She started the coffee.

  He remained silent.

  She watched the slow drip of coffee fall into the carafe. It gurgled and hissed.

  He took a step closer to her.

  She felt his body warmth, but focused her concentration on the steady flow. Her sudden shyness with Sebastian caught her off guard. It didn’t make sense when they’d talked about everything under the sun. He’d seen her at her best and at her worst. He’d been there for her when her dog had been hit. She’d cried for days. He’d supported her when she’d decided to open a coffee shop. He’d been there for her as long as she could remember.

  His chuckle glazed her senses. “Sorry, Cassie. Apparently things didn’t work out.”

  Tucking her bottom lip between her teeth, she swept her fingers nervously over her tight ponytail. “They worked out, Sebastian. He just didn’t stay long.”

  His chuckle turned into a laughter that lacked joy. “Had another hot date, did he?”

  Cassie straightened her shoulders and turned to face him. “Seb, I thought we settled this yesterday? If you have something to say, just say it. Cut the passive-aggressive attitude.”

  His amused expression faded. “I have a lot to say, but you don’t want to hear it.” He pulled his fingers through his hair, sending tufts of silk coal sticking straight up.

  Tension grew. Awkwardness between them was the last thing Cassie wanted.

  She went to him and placed a palm on his arm. “You’re a good friend, Seb. I know you’re only worried, but I’m a grown woman, capable of taking care of myself.”

  His eyes turned soft as he gazed at her. His mouth spread with a sincere smile. “I know you can.”

  Seconds seemed to pass into minutes. They stared into each other’s eyes as the world around
them faded. Uncertainty clogged her intentions. His touch? His kiss? An ache stirred in the pit of her stomach and she wasn’t sure what it meant.

  “Cass–” His husky voice intoxicated her.

  The ding of the front door made her jerk. She pulled away seconds before the door swung open. Robin glided into the kitchen.

  “There you two are. You’re just now making coffee?” Robin had worked for them for two years now while she finished up her degree at the community college.

  Neither answered.

  Robin looked from Cassie to Sebastian. Her ever-present smile paled. “Did I interrupt something?”

  Cassie shook her head and went back to her task of preparing the coffee and pouring the steamy brew into large white Thermos carafes, ready for the first morning customers. She kept aside a mug for herself.

  “We were just talking. How are you this morning, Robin?” Sebastian asked.

  “Glorious, thank you. I have a surprise.”

  “A surprise?” Cassie turned around.

  Robin held out her left hand, showcasing the brilliant diamond on her fourth finger.

  “You’re engaged?”

  “Tommy asked me last night at dinner.” Robin’s eyes twinkled. Happiness radiated in her expression.

  “I’m so happy for you.” Cassie tugged her in for a hug. “Tommy’s a lucky guy. You’ll make each other happy.”

  “We’ll either make each other happy or kill each other trying.” She held her hand out farther and admired her ring. “He does have excellent taste, doesn’t he?”

  “The best,” Cassie assured her.

  “He certainly is a lucky man. I wish you luck, kiddo,” Sebastian added.

  “Oh well, I couldn’t wait to show you both. You’ve been so good to me.” Robin brought her ring hand against her chest. “I’ll go and get the front ready for business.”

  Once she left, Cassie sipped at her coffee, eyeing Sebastian while he filled large trays with a variety of rolls.