by T. A. Roth
“Damn, that was good. I’m stuffed. I don’t know if we can hang out anymore. I’m going to be three hundred pounds if we keep eating like this. You’ve been cutting into my gym time.” She winks.
I stalk over and straddle her pinning her to my mattress. She smiles up at me, and I lean down and lick the seam of her mouth.
“I know a few different ways we can work off these calories.”
ARI
THE LAST FEW WEEKS HAVE flown by. I’ve steered clear of the fraternity house since the run-in with Maria. Ben hasn’t said anything, but I’m sure he understands. We saw each other every day while he was on vacation, but once that ended, it was back to our hectic schedules. He’s been busy with school and prepping for graduation. I’ve been busy with my firm’s ten-year anniversary party and this huge murder trial. I’m up to my eyeballs in work and have been staying late every night just to keep up. We haven’t seen each other in four days, and I’m suffering major withdrawal.
I grab the pile of invitations I’m supposed to be addressing and stuff them in my bag. I’m done. I’ll finish these at home. I send Ben a text letting him know that I’m escaping early and ask him to meet me at my apartment.
I’m sitting at the dining room table addressing a huge pile of envelopes. We finished the dinner he brought over, and he’s lying comfortably across my couch with a book on his lap. He has a test to study for, and since I have work to do, we decided we were better off on opposite sides of the room. The steamy kiss he gave me when he walked in is playing on a loop in my mind, and I’m not sure how productive I’m being.
I sneak another look at him and notice that his brows knit tight when he concentrates. It’s giving him a cute little crease on his forehead. Damn, he’s hot. He has on his black rimmed reading glasses making him look like a Latin Clark Kent. I laugh at myself for shamelessly ogling him.
“See something you like?” he says with his eyes still on his book. Oh shit. I’m totally busted.
“What?” I ask trying to play it off.
“Uh-uh,” he says with a laugh. “Don’t try to play dumb, get over here.” His voice is clearly a command, not a request. I make my way over to the couch. I step in front of him, and he pulls me onto his lap.
“I’m trying to study and you giving me those fuck-me eyes is making it real hard to concentrate, babe.” He’s mumbling in my ear while his nose is rubbing small circles on my neck. It’s taking all the strength I have not to pounce on him.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ve missed you.” He kisses that sweet spot behind my ear that makes me melt.
“I thought we had work to do,” I pant. My body is humming.
“We do. This is just a snack break.” He starts nibbling on my neck. “Mmm . . . tasty.” The vibration of that word against my skin is making me needy. I work my hand into his hair and pull him away.
“Fifteen minutes,” I say meeting his eyes.
“Twenty,” he counters.
“Done,” I whisper across his lips before he finally gives me what I’ve been craving all night.
BEN
The ding of an incoming text startles us out of our “twenty” minute break. Fuck. We sigh and stare at each other for a few seconds.
“Saved by the bell. We really should get back to work,” she says adjusting her shirt. I groan, not wanting to let her go, and silently curse the person texting me. She gives me one more peck on the lips and slides off my lap. She leans over the coffee table to grab my phone, and while I’m enjoying the view, I notice her shoulders stiffen.
“You should probably answer that,” she says tossing the phone at me. She stalks back to the dining room table. She’s pissed, and I’m scared to look at my phone to find out why. Everyone knows I’m seeing someone. I’ve made it clear to anyone who asks.
I blocked any girl who might call my phone and erased them from my contacts. Ari didn’t ask me to, but I want to earn her trust. I also disabled my passwords. I want her to know that I have nothing to hide. I grab the phone from my lap and tap the screen.
“What the fuck?” I hiss. I can feel her burning a hole into the side of my head. It’s a selfie of Maria in her underwear lying across my bed. The caption underneath the picture reads “Keeping your bed warm until you get home.” I close out the screen and look over at her.
“Ari-”
“You should probably get going. You don’t want to keep her waiting,” she says angrily continuing to stuff envelopes. I walk over and pull out the empty chair beside her and sit. She refuses to look at me.
“Ari . . .”
She’s biting the inside of her cheek, and I can feel the anger rolling off her as she continues her task. “You can let yourself out.” I reach out and cup her cheek rubbing my thumb across it gently.
She closes her eyes and sighs. ”Ben. . . . please,” she pleads. A stray tear makes its way down her cheek, and she still won’t look up. It’s killing me. I scoop her up and bring her onto my lap. She buries her face into my neck.
“Hey . . . hey . . . Look at me.” I gently pull her face away so she’ll meet my eyes.
“She wants us to fight. This is what she was hoping would happen.” She lets out an exasperated sigh.
“How did she get into your room?” she asks swatting at stray tears.
“I was in a hurry to see you after you texted. I closed the door behind me, but I must have forgotten to lock it.”
She’s looking into my eyes, and I see her fighting to keep that wall down.
“This is hard.” She waves her hand between us. I grab her hand, kiss the inside of her palm, and place it over my heart.
“It doesn’t have to be. I’m exactly where I want to be, and you’re the only person I want to be with. I just need you to trust me.”
ARI
That text plays into every insecurity I’ve had about this whole relationship. She’s beautiful; why would he choose me? I look into his honey-colored eyes, and I know he’s telling the truth. I want to let go of all my insecurities for once and just completely trust.
“Will you stay with me tonight?” I ask.
He crashes his lips onto mine in a desperate kiss. He pulls back after what seems like forever and leaves me feeling dizzy.
“Whatever you want . . . I’ll do whatever you want,” he pants against my lips.
“Give me your phone,” I ask with my palm out.
He doesn’t hesitate and places it in my hand. I open the camera and point it at us.
“Do that again.” He gives me a sexy grin, fists the back of my hair and slowly pulls me in. He takes his time making this kiss even better. I let out a soft moan. I feel this one all the way to my toes. My hand is shaking as I hold the phone above us, but I manage to get in a few shots. I place the phone on the table and rake my fingers through his hair kissing him till we’re both breathless.
“Feel better?” he asks through a soft pant.
“Give me a minute.” I grab the phone, review the pics, find the best one, and respond back to her with the caption “He’s gonna be a while . . .” I hit send and hand him his phone back.
“Much better.” He shakes his head with a smile and gives me a soft kiss. He opens the original text, deletes the picture she sent, and blocks her.
Okay, I’ll admit what I did was immature. Did it make me feel better? Yes. If nothing else, this situation is finally giving me some backbone. I’ve never been very assertive. I’m a turn the other cheek type of person. This girl just brings out the ugly in me. I’ve never wanted to hit someone as bad as I want to hit her.
“Hey. I lost you again. Are we good?”
I snap out of it and nod. “Yeah. Give me another hour with this, and I should be done.”
He kisses the top of my head. “Sounds good.”
MARIA
I hit send. I press my face into his pillow and inhale the faint scent of his woodsy cologne left behind. I lay like this for a beat letting his smell envelop me. Remembering a t
ime I would wake up and still have it on my skin.
I don’t expect a response or for him to come running back to me tonight.
I just don’t want her to get my happily ever after. Who is she? She’s no one. Just some bitch that waltzed into our life. A life I spent two years working toward and, in the blink of an eye, came in and obliterated it.
I need her to feel a fraction of the pain I’m feeling. To feel the unease of knowing there’s another woman. Always waiting. Always wanting.
I’ve lived that life. It’s been my life. I lie still and stare at the ceiling having only a few more minutes before Jake comes back. I got lucky tonight. I saw him run out of here in a hurry. I tried his door on the off chance he was too distracted to lock it behind him. Bingo! It was just too easy.
I get up from the bed. Hoping my plan worked. I slide on my jeans and my shirt. As I grab my shoes and walk out the door, the vibration from an incoming text stops me.
It’s from Ben. My shaky finger hovers over his highlighted name. My stomach tightens when I notice it’s a picture image. I tap down and close my eyes. It’s a few seconds before I get the courage to open them. Without thought, my phone goes flying across the room crashing against the wall.
Game on, bitch.
BEN
I’m glad she asked me to stay. God knows I didn’t want to go home and deal with that crazy bitch.
“Okay. I’m done. You?” I slam my book shut and look over at her.
“Yup. I’m really beat. Do you mind if we just go to bed?”
“Is that a serious question? I would love to take you to bed.”
She laughs. “I meant to sleep.”
“That’s what I meant,” I say feigning innocence. “You’re the one with the dirty mind.”
“Okay . . . whatever you say,” she says with an eye roll.
I get off the couch and put my books away. We work our way around the living room, turning off lights and double checking the locks. I grab her hand and lead her down the hallway. We get into her bedroom, and she grabs her pajamas.
“I’m just gonna change and wash up. Do you need anything?”
“No. I’m good.”
“Okay. I’ll just be a few minutes.” Why she’s even bothering with pajamas is beyond me. I plan to have them on the floor in about 2.5 seconds.
I strip down to my boxers. I fold up my clothes and stack them neatly on the nightstand. I crawl into her bed and make myself comfortable. She walks back into the room a few minutes later and I’m immediately pitching a tent.
She’s wearing what I think are supposed to be shorts and a matching tank top. I take her in hungrily as she walks to her side of the bed.
“What?” she asks trying to hide her mischievous grin.
“Come here.” She knows what she’s doing to me. She crawls under the covers trying to act unaffected, but the hardening of her nipples through her tank is giving her away.
I stretch out onto my back and rest one hand behind my head. I use my free hand and wrap it around her waist bringing her into me. She quickly makes herself comfortable resting her head in the crook of my neck and tangling her leg around one of mine. This seems to be her new favorite spot, and she lets out a contented sigh.
“Thanks for staying tonight.”
I run my fingers slowly up and down her arm. ”Thanks for asking.”
ARI
THE PARTY PLANNING AND MURDER trial are in full swing. We’re representing Timothy Lemon, one of the biggest real estate developers in Los Angeles. He’s accused of murdering his wife, but he was in San Francisco with his business partner scouting a piece of land for a new hotel chain. There are receipts with time stamps placing him at dinner at the time of the murder. The problem is that she was cheating on him, and neither he nor the boyfriend knew about each other. The prosecution is trying to prove that he found out and had her murdered. Winning this case can mean everything for our small firm.
Ben and I have been working our asses off the last few weeks, and the only time we’ve seen each other is when he’s been able to meet me for lunch and when I’m crawling into bed at night. He’s been spending the night here the last couple of weeks. I’m not complaining; we’ve been in a perfect little bubble.
Vonne called while I was at work today. I’ve missed her. She’s graduating with Ben and has been busy with school, too. We could all use a break and made plans to meet at Matador tonight.
We decide to meet around eight. Before we hung up, she mentioned inviting Eli. I asked what was going on with that situation¸ but she said they were just friends. Not likely, she’s never had a guy friend who didn’t come with benefits. My other line had started ringing before I had the chance to push for more information. She’s not very good at hiding her feelings, so I’ll find out soon enough.
It’s Friday and traffic is horrible, as usual. It’s almost seven by the time I walk in the door. Ben will be here any minute, and I have maybe fifteen minutes to get ready. I run down the hall stripping off my clothes in the process.
I’m standing in my closet trying to figure out what to wear when I hear the front door open. I gave Ben a key a few days ago. He was complaining that studying at the frat house had been hard lately. I told him he was welcome to come here if he needed somewhere quiet.
“Babe,” he yells from the front room.
“In here,” I yell back.
I’m pulling on my jeans when I hear him clear his throat. I look up and stare at him in shock. He’s standing in the doorway with a huge bouquet of roses.
“What . . . what are those for?” I ask.
He stalks toward me placing the bouquet on my bed. His eyes are drinking in every inch of me. I look down and realize I only have on jeans and a bra. He places his hands on my waist and pulls me against his chest. He always smells so good. It’s a mixture of my favorite cologne and clean laundry.
I tilt my head up meeting his lips for one of my favorite panty-melting kisses.
“Happy anniversary,” he mumbles across my lips.
“You remembered?”
I thought about it today when I made plans with Vonne. It has been exactly a month since we started seeing each other.
“It’s been the best month of my life.” I look over his shoulder at the bouquet then meet his eyes. ”They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
He leans in and gives me a soft kiss. “You’re welcome. Now, is this what you’re wearing tonight?”
He tucks a finger under one of my bra straps and tugs, making it fall off my shoulder. Leaning forward he begins to trail small kisses across my bare skin. My head lulls back giving him better access as he works his way up my neck. A soft moan escapes me.
“Is that a yes?”
I’m in a lust-filled haze, and it takes a few seconds for the question to register.
“Hmm?” He pulls back abruptly, smacking my ass.
“We’re gonna be late; get dressed.” What the hell?
I narrow my eyes at him, and he starts to chuckle. He did not just work me up and leave me hanging. Two can play at this game. I unclasp the back of my bra and let it slide down my arms. His hungry gaze never leaves my body.
I put on the cowl neck tank that Vonne gave me last Christmas. I’ve never been brave enough to wear it. It’s backless, making it impossible to wear a bra. I turn to face the mirror on the back of my closet door and lean forward to adjust the girls. I can see his reflection in the mirror and notice that he’s doing some adjusting of his own. I slide on my wedges, making sure to bend in his direction while I buckle the straps.
I could hear the hitch in his breath, and I have to bite down on my lip to keep from laughing. I walk toward him when I’m done. He looks ready to pounce but refuses to lose this game of cat and mouse. I give him a sly grin and slide my open palm down his pant leg, raking my fingers against his thigh on the way up.
I lean in bringing his earlobe between my lips and suck before I ask, ”Ready?”
He grabs a fistful of my hair
and crashes his mouth onto mine. I want to continue my revenge, but it’s too good. I deepen the kiss this time sliding my hand over his hardened length. The grip at my nape tightens. We’re insane with lust. I hear the ding of a text message but ignore it and continue, then the chime of my ringtone.
“Shit, we’re late.”
I break the kiss and turn to get my phone. He grabs my wrist and brings me back into his chest.
“Well played. We’ll finish this when I get you home later.”
Why did we agree to go out? I want to finish this now. The ding of my cell phone reminds me why. Vonne will kill me if I flake.
I kiss him quickly. “Deal. Let’s go before Vonne and Eli kill us.”
BEN
An hour and a half later, we’re sitting in a booth across from our best friends. I have my arm wrapped around Ari. I can’t keep my hands off her tonight. I want to take her shirt off with my teeth. I rub my knuckles up and down her arm. She’s in deep conversation. I’m staring at her bare neck wanting to put my lips all over her.
“Ben?” I look up and see Ari’s smiling face.
“Hmm?”
“Eli was talking to you.” I look over at my friend, and he has a shit-eating grin.
“Dude, did you hear what I said?” he asks laughing.
“Yeah . . . I mean . . . What was the question?”
He shakes his head. “The waitress is taking forever. Do you want to go to the bar with me to get some drinks?”
I lean in and kiss Ari’s neck. “I’ll be back.” She smiles at me and shakes her head.
“Come on, lover boy, you’ll only be gone a few minutes.” I slide out of the booth, and he smacks me on the back guiding me toward the bar.
I look over my shoulder giving him my best scowl.
“Dude, you’re all dreamy eyed. You got it bad, bro.”
“Shut up, dick. What about you? What’s going on with you and Vonne?”
“Nunya,” he deadpans.
“What?” I asked confused.
“Nunya damn business.”
I have to laugh. “You’re an asshole.”
“Yes, I am, and that’s why we’re friends.”