by Nyora René
“Mmmmmmm,” she moaned, squirming in the water. Running her hands down her body, she tweaked her nipples before allowing one hand to plunge beneath the water and land on the silken treasure between her thighs. She strummed her clit, drawing out her orgasm, until she finally gave in and crested over, her body jerking and spasming as she called out, “Brendon!”
She relaxed back into the water as she hummed and sighed in fulfillment. Once her body stopped buzzing, she reached for her loofah and poured her honey vanilla bath wash on it and washed herself, flinching slightly when she rubbed against her swollen pearl. After she washed the soap off, she pulled the plug and stepped out of the tub, reaching for the large towel on the heating rack.
Once she patted herself dry, she reached for her phone and grabbed her shea and cocoa butter lotion mix and went into her bedroom where she moisturized her skin. Done, she put the lotion up in her bathroom, and returned to bed, sliding naked in between the sheets. She glanced at the clock, which read six in the evening, and decided to set an alarm to wake her up in two hours. Then she could check her social media, create her new work schedule, and grab something to eat.
“Just a little nap,” she murmured, eyes closing, body sinking into the plush mattress. She wrapped her arms around her pillow, pretending it was Brendon, and drifted off to sleep.
Brendon sank onto his black leather recliner in his game room and ran a hand down his face. Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes and relaxed into the chair, letting the softness envelop him. Blindly, he reached for the handle to recline the chair, giving a hum of satisfaction as his legs elevated and his body aligned. He’d had the chair specially made to fit his height and body size.
After spending almost twenty years playing football, four of those years professionally, his body had all kinds of aches and pains, especially his knees and back. Crystal was the person who convinced him to have all of his furniture specially made for optimal body comfort. Had it not been for her, he’d have bought furniture from the local furniture store since his only priority had been getting his home furnished. Now, there wasn’t a day that went by when he wasn’t appreciative of her insisting on customized pieces.
Brendon’s reverie was interrupted by the phone ringing Crystal’s special ringtone. Smiling, he opened his eyes and reached for the phone.
“What’s up, Crys?” he asked, leaning back.
“Hey, I need to cancel my workouts for the next week. In fact, I need to cancel our hangout night and our meeting for the tiny home community,” she said breathlessly.
Brendon popped up in his seat, frowning. “Everything okay? What’s going on and why are you out of breath?” He stood up, looking for his shoes to put on. He could make it to her house in under fifteen minutes if he sped. She should’ve moved into my subdivision like I suggested.
“I’m okay, nothing is wrong, so chill. One of my line sisters invited our line to go to Costa Rica with her, and since our five-year sorority anniversary is coming up we all decided to go. I’m leaving tomorrow and will be gone for a week.”
He could hear rustling in the background and assumed she must be packing.
“Just like that? No planning? Last-minute trips can be expensive. You need anything?” he asked.
She huffed in his ear. “No, daddy, I’m good. Besides, it’s Maya who invited everyone. You remember Maya, the one who married the CEO.”
Brendon frowned, remembering who Maya was. Maya married a man twenty-five years older than her. Her husband was the CEO of a resort chain and stayed on the Forbes lists of rich and powerful men. She stayed trying to convince Crystal to marry a sugar daddy.
“Yeah, I remember Maya,” he said sourly, crossing his arms. Toeing off the shoes he’d put on when he thought something was wrong, he flopped back into his recliner, the relaxing mood from earlier gone.
Crystal’s light chuckle set his nerves on edge and made him grit his teeth. “Calm down, Papa Bear. I know you don’t care for Maya, but she really is cool people. Her husband is flying us on his private jet and we’re staying at one of his all-inclusive resorts. We’ll have security the whole time.”
While he was relieved that she would be safe, he didn’t like her going out with Maya. That woman was okay being a trophy wife and felt like all of her friends should aspire to be trophy wives, too. He didn’t need her trying to hook Crystal up with one of her husband’s AARP cronies.
“I’m glad you’ll be safe, just don’t let her convince you to marry some old dude while you’re out there. I wouldn’t put it past her to make this into some surprise couples trip,” he grumbled.
“I won’t get married in Costa Rica…I’ll wait until I’m back home before marrying one of Maya’s uber-rich old friends, okay?” she joked.
“Hey, that shit isn’t funny, Crys,” he growled, pissed off that she was joking…and leaving him for a week. He was used to her going on vacations, but they were usually with her sisters or him, rarely ever did she go out of town for pleasure by herself. Brendon was used to having her around all the time.
“Aww, poor baby, you going to miss me?” she asked.
Brendon sighed and slouched in his recliner. “Hell yeah I’m going to miss you. I always miss you when you go out of town, you know this.”
“Ditto, but if I successfully put up with it for the entirety of our college years and your football career, you can deal for a week. Think of this as a working trip for me. I’ll get a lot of good photos and articles out of this free trip to post on my social media accounts and blog. Besides, there is an upside to this for you,” she told him.
His brow puckered as he tried to figure out what the upside could possibly be. “What?” he asked.
“You won’t have me bugging you every time I see or talk to you about the blind date, but I expect you to have a decision by the time I come back. A yes decision.” She stressed that last part and he groaned, having forgotten about her request.
“Is the person you’re dead set on hooking me up with going on this trip?” he asked her.
“Maybe, maybe not,” she said, coyly.
Brendon massaged his temples, a headache forming. “Look, I’ll think about this blind date. You make sure you’re careful. Call when you get there to let me know that you made it safely,” he told her.
“Damn, yes, daddy,” she quipped.
His stomach muscles tensed and he growled. “That’s the third time you’ve referred to me as daddy or papa…I’m not your daddy, but I can be if you keep trying me.”
Her purr reached him clearly through the phone. He sat up and glanced at the phone, wondering what was going on with her. Her purring and provocative words reached deep inside him, turning his thoughts to lustful ones.
“You promise to put me over your knee and spank me?” she asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “If you’ve been a bad girl. Tell me, have you been bad?” he asked, adjusting his shorts to accommodate his erection.
“Hmm…maybe, what’s your definition of bad, daddy?”
He pressed his thumbs into his eyes, willing his body to stop reacting to her words. They usually joked around, but never in a sexual way, until recently. As much as he wanted her, he couldn’t handle the teasing.
“Chill out, Crys, you play too much sometimes. Just promise to be careful and let me know when you get there. I gotta go,” he told her, waiting until she bid him goodbye before he hung up and tossed his phone on the side table.
“I have got to get a grip. When she comes back, I’m going to tell her how I feel,” he mumbled, feeling peace settle around him at his resolve to be honest with his best friend about his feelings. “I hope she drops that blind date idea. She knows I can’t tell her no, so if she insists, I’ll go and be polite, but after that, we’re going to have a little talk.”
Standing, he grabbed his phone and walked into his bedroom, heading for the bathroom. He pulled out some ibuprofen from the medicine kit he kept in the linen closet. He went to the mini fridge in his bedroom
and pulled out a bottle of water to wash the pills down.
Since Crystal would be out of town for the next week, he may as well get some extra work done on their project, he thought, jogging down the carpeted wooden stairs towards his home office. Once inside, he powered on his computer and went to his bank’s website.
Logging in, he transferred enough money to cover an emergency flight, spending money, and Crystal’s resort stay into Crystal’s bank account. He knew that she could afford to take care of herself, but he wanted to make sure that should anything go down in Costa Rica, she was able to get home with no problems.
He picked up his phone and sent her a quick text.
Brendon: I transferred some emergency money into your account. Don’t send it back. Be safe and have fun.
Tossing the phone on his desk, he pulled up the documents Crystal had sent him about the tiny home community. He was researching the builders when she texted back.
Crys: Thank you, but you know I don’t need your money.
Shaking his head, he responded.
Brendon: I know, but I just want to make sure you’re taken care of. Humor me?
Her response didn’t take long.
Crys: I will…this time, but we’re going to eventually talk about you giving me money every time I leave town. Try not to be too bored without me. I’ll text when I leave and when I arrive.
Brendon placed the phone down and submerged himself in research, anything to keep his mind off the fact that he didn’t know what he was going to do with all of his free time with Crystal gone. Ever since he’d left the league, they’d been inseparable, spending a good bit of their free time together or on the phone with each other. He looked forward to hanging out with her and talking to her.
Shaking his head, he thought to himself, I need to get a life outside of Crystal.
8
“Home sweet home!” Crystal exclaimed as she lugged her luggage into her house after being gone for a week.
She’d enjoyed hanging out with her friends, but she’d missed Brendon. She had to force herself not to text him every day. She wasn’t used to not speaking to him. Even when she went on vacation with her sisters or out of town by herself, she called or texted him every day.
This trip was different because her sorority sisters had made a pact to not answer phones and hang out with each other the entire trip. With the exception of Maya, none of them were married or had significant others, a fact Maya tried to rectify. The first three days of the trip, all Maya did was talk about her husband’s friends and how they were looking to get married to younger women. She’d bragged about living in a multi-million-dollar home, not having to work, and having whatever her heart desired. She tried to sell them on marrying rich, but no one was biting.
Leah was a doctor who came from old money, so she didn’t need to marry rich, she was rich. Meghan was a social worker who rejected the premise that women should marry for money. That left Crystal and Zalika. Zalika was Egyptian and whoever she considered marrying had to be Egyptian too. When Maya failed to convince the other ladies, she’d turned to Crystal.
“Come on, Crystal! You wouldn’t have to work, you could vacation with me any time you wanted to. We could go on shopping sprees and get new wardrobes for every season, go to fashion weeks all over the world. Think about it,” she’d cajoled.
“I’m good. The trade-off for all of that is letting a man old enough to be my daddy sex me down. Just the thought of old wrinkly peen has me wanting to gag, and not in a sexual way. If you like that, good for you, but I want a man who can keep up with me without having to resort to little blue pills,” she’d told her.
“Don’t knock it until you try it. You can’t convince me that you’d rather sell pills and get-skinny potions than marry someone with means. You wouldn’t ever have to worry about money,” Maya said.
“I don’t worry about money now.” She’d shrugged.
Brendon was the only person who knew her net worth. No one, not even her sisters, knew how much money she made. Everyone assumed Brendon bought her home and her car. He’d bought her the Escalade for her birthday, but her home she’d paid for on her own.
“Brendon won’t always be able to front your current lifestyle. What happens when he gets married? His wife won’t be okay with him taking care of you,” Maya had said snidely.
The glare she’d leveled on Maya had Leah, Meghan, and Zalika jumping in between them and changing the subject quickly. To say the first couple of days had been filled with tension was an understatement. Crystal had been ready to book a flight back home by day two of Maya’s “Operation Marry a Sugar Daddy,” but she had eventually apologized and stopped parading her marriage and the benefits of geriatric peen in front of the group.
Her phone ringing brought Crystal out of her thoughts. Dropping the handles to her suitcases, she rummaged around in the black leather Hugo Boss Kristen hobo purse that was on her shoulder until she pulled out her phone.
“I literally just walked into the house,” she said by way of greeting.
“Just wanted to make sure you got in safely,” Brendon said, chuckling.
Crystal closed her eyes. She’d missed him so much. Hearing his chuckle sent shivers down her spine and puckered her nipples. Even without talking to him on her trip, he’d been in her thoughts and in her nightly dreams.
“Thanks again for checking on my house while I was gone.”
He’d texted her that first day to let her know he would check on the house while she was out. He’d also cleaned out her fridge since she had forgotten to do so before she left.
“No worries. I know you’re probably tired from travelling, even if it was on a private plane. I bought you a seafood boil in a bag from Zydeceauxs once you told me you landed. It’s in your oven. Go ahead and eat, call your sisters, and get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow evening for our workout,” he told her.
Crystal closed her eyes, her smile matching the one in her heart. This man was every woman’s dream guy. If he took care of her like this and they were just friends, what more would he do if they ever moved their friendship into a relationship?
“Thank you so much, B. I’m starving. Maya thought it would be a good idea to serve bland-ass salad on the flight back since we ate so well during our trip. Needless to say, I’m hungry as hell. See you tomorrow,” she said.
After hanging up, she dragged her luggage into her bedroom, leaving them unpacked in her closet. She stripped out of her clothes and let them fall to the floor in a trail to the bathroom. She needed a shower, food, and her bed in that order.
After showering and throwing on an oversized Chicago Vipers T-shirt and a pair of pink, lace cheekies, she went to the kitchen to eat.
Picking up her phone, she pulled up her video calling app and group-called her sisters.
“I’m back!” she told them once they picked up.
“Did you have fun?” Amethyst asked.
“What did you bring me back?” Jade demanded.
“Has Brendon agreed to the blind date yet?” Ruby inquired.
“Dang, Rubes, let me at least tell you how my trip went before you dive into Operation Get Brendon,” she said, opening the plastic bag containing her food. Inhaling deeply, she hummed and licked her lips as the smell of garlic butter and creole seasoning filled her nostrils. Her stomach growled in response.
“We already know you enjoyed yourself, we saw the myriad pictures you posted to your social media and I read your blog. I don’t know why Jade is asking what you bought her because she’s traveled more than any of us and has souvenirs from all over the world. That leaves Brendon,” Ruby said, shrugging her shoulder.
“I hate to agree with the tyrant, but she has a point,” Jade said.
Crystal pulled out a crab leg and cracked it to extract the meat. “I had fun, once I got Maya to stop trying to hook me up with some old dude. What did you all think of our photoshoot?” she asked, eating the succulent crab. She danced in her seat at how good the
food was as she listened to her sisters.
“I loved it! This was your five-year sorority celebration, right?” Amethyst asked, pushing her glasses up on her face.
“Yeah, this made five years,” Crystal answered after she swallowed. She reached for a boiled seasoned egg and bit into it, eyes rolling at how good it tasted.
“Girl, is the food that good? You’re making me hungry!” Jade exclaimed, moving in closer to the camera.
Crystal took a sip of her Jack Daniel’s Watermelon Punch wine cooler. “Whatever, I’m hungry and this food is bomb.”
“When did you find time to stop and get Zydeceauxs? That’s where the food came from, huh?” Jade asked.
“I didn’t, Brendon surprised me and had the food here when I got home.” She licked her fingers after eating one of the shrimp.
“I promise if you don’t marry this dude, I’m breaking sister code and taking him for myself. He spoils you rotten,” Jade said.
“No you won’t, you’re still hung up on—”
“Don’t say his name,” Jade said in a sad voice, her face going slack as she looked away from the camera.
Silence descended on the sisters as they gave Jade time to get herself together. Her love story had gone from fairy tale to…Crystal didn’t know what. No one knew what went wrong with Jade and her ex-fiancé.
“So, um, yeah. I’m meeting up with him tomorrow for our workout session. I plan to press him for a confirmation then,” Crystal said, cracking another snow crab leg.
“Do you have a plan in place or are you winging it?” Ruby asked, laying back against her pillows.
“When he says yes, I’m going to arrange the date for the following night at Dean’s. We haven’t gone there yet, and since it’s the next town over, we shouldn’t have to worry about running into people we know who will interrupt our date,” Crystal said, munching on a piece of sausage.