by K. B. Webb
“You’re stroking my ego, Ryan Davis.” I push him slightly until he’s flat on his back. I sit up right running my hands down his body, “I guess I need to stroke something of yours now to make us even.”
Hours later, when we’re both exhausted and agree we need to shower and eat, I have stroked Ryan’s ‘ego’ and he has shown me how special I am with his hands, his mouth, and his dick.
We shower and I am proved right that we can get sinfully dirty together and then clean each other off. Afterwards Ryan cooks chicken alfredo and we eat on his couch while watching Wedding Crashers. It’s comfortable, maybe too comfortable, but I refuse to let myself over think this. I may not know where this is going between us, but like Ryan said, it is going to be a hell of a lot of fun finding out.
My phone rings as I put my sweat drenched clothes in my gym bag after my first day of work. I expect it to be Jasmine, but am surprised when I see “Birdie” pop up on the screen so I know it’s Molly.
“Hey Birdie,” I hold the phone to my ear with one shoulder while I slip my boots on before making sure everything I need is in my bag. I’ve been calling Molly Birdie for as long as I can remember. She used to always sing so my mom started calling her the little song bird and somewhere along the line Colt and I started calling her Birdie and it just stuck.
“Hey Ry. How was your first day of work?” I start to answer her but she cuts me off, “I’m making spaghetti tonight. Wanna come eat? I made strawberry cake too.” Molly’s strawberry cake is my mother’s recipe and she knows I can’t say no to it.
“Well hell yea I do. I’m leaving work now.” I swing my bag over my shoulder and walk out of the locker room. Smiling and waving goodbye to the other trainers on my way out.
“K. See you in a few. Love you.”
“Love you too.” I hang up the phone and slip it in my back pocket. Right before I reach the door I hear someone call my name. I turn around to see one of the female trainers, Casey running towards me. Casey is the kind of girl any man would find attractive. She’s short but fit and has very large, very obvious fake tits. She is also the kind of girl who knows she looks good and uses it to her advantage.
“So, how was your first day?” She’s purposely sticks her chest out while she talks to me and I catch myself laughing under my breath. A week ago I would have been all over her, but now, I catch myself comparing her to Jasmine, and well, she falls short in all areas.
“Great. Jason and I had a great meeting this morning and we have a lot of ideas to take the training here to the next level. I think it’s going to bring in a lot of business.” Jason and I had sat down this morning when I got here. He has an office right next to mine, but he doesn’t spent a lot of time at the gym. The main corporate office for Slade Industires, which owns Slade Fitness, is downtown in one of the few high rise buildings in the city, and his main office is there. I assumed meeting with him would be awkward and quite possibly deadly for me, but Jason is a business man. He doesn’t let his personal feelings for me affect the way he handles business. I think he knows I have lots of potentially great ideas for Slade Fitness so he is willing to let the fact I fucked his little sister go. However, if he knew I was still fucking her, he would probably fire me on the spot then kick my ass.
“Well we are so excited to have you as part of the team.” The way she annunciates the word team lets me know she is more excited for herself that I am here than for the team as a whole.
“K. Well I gotta get going. See you tomorrow.”
“Right. Hey, the next time you see Molly tell her I said hey.” Her comment catches me off guard. Molly has never mentioned knowing Casey.
“Actually, I’m headed there now, so I’ll tell her. How do you know Molly?”
“Well, I hang out at Ricky’s so I’ve gotten to know her and Wynee, and Dani too. Even though I don’t know if Dani really likes me that much.” She takes a step closer to me like she’s about to tell me some huge secret. “Honestly, Dani can be a bit of a bitch.”
I lean in close to her, “Honestly, Dani’s boyfriend is one of my oldest friends.” She’s shocked and I can tell she wants to say something to cover her ass, but I don’t give her the chance. “Dani isn’t a bitch either, she just has no tolerance for bullshit.”
I don’t say another word after that, just turn and leave. The balls on that chick to talk shit about Dani to me. She may not have known that, but still, who the fuck talks shit about someone to a total stranger. I plan to avoid Casey like the plague.
I reach the house Molly shares with her boyfriend Logan and walk in without knocking. She’s standing in her kitchen wearing an apron and looking every bit the part of a stepford wife.
“What the fuck are you wearing?”
“It’s an apron jackass. Shut it or you don’t get cake.” She raises and eyebrow and points a wooden spoon at me.
“Where’s Lyric at?” Lyric is Molly’s daughter who just turned one. I love Molly, she’s family, but Lyric, well she’s my life. That little girl stole my heart the day I met her and never gave it back and that’s OK with me.
Lyric’s dad, Molly’s ex-boyfriend Brian, was never a good guy. He and Molly had a very violent relationship and it wasn’t until after Lyric was born that she had the strength to finally kick his ass to the curb. A few months after their initial breakup, he showed up at Ricky’s Bar, when Molly was working, with a gun and attacked her. During their fight, the gun went off. Brian was killed almost instantly, but luckily Molly made it out with only minimal physical injuries. The mental shit she went through though had a serious effect on her. It caused her to break up with her boyfriend Logan, and kind of give up on life in general for a while. She eventually got some help and found her way back to Logan, which was good for not just her, but for Lyric. To her, he’s the only dad she’s ever known.
“In the living room with Logan.” I kiss her on the cheek as I pass her and grab two beers out of the fridge before I head to the living room.
I find Molly’s boyfriend, Logan, sitting on the couch with a very tired looking Lyric watching some show about a blue dog and a dude in a creepy sweater.
“What’s up man?” At the sound of my voice, Lyric and Logan turn their heads towards me. Lyric begins to squirm her way off the couch and waddle towards me.
I hand Logan his beer and reach down and pick her up before sitting in the recliner across from Logan.
“How’s Uncle Ryan’s girl?” She answers me by covering me in sloppy kisses and pulling my hat off my head to play with.
“So, heard you banged Dani’s best friend.” Logan never takes his eyes off the TV, but I see the hint of a smile on his face. I should have known he would find out. Logan’s older brother is Lucas, Dani’s boyfriend, and Dani is Jasmine’s best friend. Damn small town small talk.
Molly walks in the room at that time and scoops Lyric up. “It’s her bed time, but while we eat, we’re talking about that. You can’t sleep with your boss, Ryan.”
“I didn’t know she was my boss. Does that make it better?”
From the expression on her face, I can tell that does not make it better.
After I give Lyric a kiss, Molly walks her to her room to put her in bed.
Lucas gets up to grab us another beer but stops before he walks into the kitchen, “Don’t let her give you too much shit man. She’s just being Molly, ya know.”
I do know what he means. Molly feels this need to be protective over me, which I can understand because I am protective over her. The difference is, I am a grown ass man, I don’t need to be protected.
Molly and I have a complicated relationship. We have always been best friends and I have always seen her as my little sister, but after Colt died, our relationship changed. I bailed on her when she needed me most and joined the ARMY. I didn’t come home for four years and only wrote and called her a handful of times. I dropped the ball when it came to Molly and I have been trying to make up for it every day since I came back.
“Dinner
’s ready guys.” I walk into the kitchen and see Molly reaching into the cabinet to get plates with Logan wrapped around her. After all the shit she has been through it’s nice to see her smiling and finally happy.
After the table is set, I see that there are two extra settings. Before I can ask why there are two extra plates, Wynee Williams’ barges through the front door with her boyfriend Justin Laney right behind her.
“Where’s my food at bitches?” Wynee sits down at the table and starts taking ridiculously large scoops of spaghetti from the bowl in the middle.
Wynee is me and Molly’s other best friend. I have known her just as long as I have known Molly and see her the exact same way. She’s my best friend and my little sister. With her foul mouth and full tattoo sleeves, she and Molly don’t look like they would get along, but those two are closer than most siblings.
“Geez Wynee save some food for everyone else.” Justin, Wynee’s boyfriend, chimes in. He and Wynee are polar opposites. He is a good ole southern boy whose family owns one of the largest farms in the area. Where Wynee is brash and a little rough around the edges, Justin is quiet and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.
“So, Ryan, heard you fucked your boss.” Leave it to Wynee to find a way to not just break the ice on a subject, but fucking shatter it.
“Yes I did. We have already covered this, I don’t think we need to go into detail about it.”
“Oh, but we do.” Damn it. Molly is on her protective sister bit. I’m about to have my ass served to me along with spaghetti.
“Ryan, you’re smarter than that. First off she’s your boss. Second, you don’t even know her.”
“Neither do you.” I speak without thinking, but I feel like I need to defend Jasmine right now since she’s not here to defend herself.
“Oh, I know all about Jasmine Slade, and I don’t like her. I can guarantee you aren’t the first guy she fucked after just meeting. You don’t need a girl like that.”
“Molls, come on. She’s Dani’s best friend and Lucas says she’s good people.” Logan grabs Molly’s hand across the table as he speaks. I’m glad he’s saying something because if I said what was on my mind right now, it wouldn’t be good for anyone.
“Whatever. I still don’t like her.” There is a heavy silence in the air and I can tell no one knows what to say next.
“So Ryan, how’s work?” Justin’s question gives me an opportunity to change the subject and talk about my day. I feel like a kid talking about the new toy I got when I speak about work. I fucking love my job. Anyone who knows me knows that training is a personal dream of mine. After training my buddies in the ARMY when we were stationed overseas, I got my personal trainer certification and decided I would try to make a career out of my passion. With a little luck and one fateful interview with Jason Slade, I was able to do that.
After dinner we all go in Molly’s living room to eat the kick ass strawberry cake.
“Ryan,” Molly speaks and glances at Wynee before looking back at me, “I want to set you up on a date.”
“Hell fucking no.”
“Come on Ry!” Wynee gives me the big puppy dogs eyes that always used to convince me to give her my piece of cake when we were younger.
“You’re in on this shit too? I don’t need y’all to try to set me up. If I want a date, I’ll go on one.” With Jasmine. I leave that part out though. No point in starting that shit storm tonight.
“You know her though. Does that help?” Now Molly is giving me the eyes. Damn her, she knows that shit always works on me, but not tonight.
“Nope.”
“Are you even going to ask who it is?”
“Nope.”
“It’s Casey. She works with you at the gym. She’s kind of become one of our regulars. She’s super cute and I think you’d really like her if you got to know her. Y’all have a lot in common.”
“Oh hell no. She told me today that she knew y’all.” Molly looks like she has some gleam of hope for the situation when I say that Casey told me she knew her, but I quickly shut that down. “She also called Dani a bitch, and that shit is not cool with me at all. I just don’t get how you could like her.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You know exactly what that means, Molly ‘I don’t like people’ Scott likes a girl she barely knows. Did hell freeze over and no one tell me about it?” Molly is kind of known for being the kind of girl who keeps her friends close and makes it almost impossible for new people to come into her life. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a friendly girl, but doesn’t make actual friends easy. It took me by total surprise when I came home from my years in the ARMY and she was dating Logan. He told me he had to work for it though. She was dating Lyric’s dad, Brian, when they met so he became her friend first and built up to the relationship part.
“I don’t dislike people, I’m just… selective. But, we’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you and your nonexistent dating life. With the exception of screwing your she boss, you haven’t been on a date of any kind in months.” Molly and Wynee both look at me with pleading eyes and full blown pouts.
“No, hell no. I will not let you two guilt me in to going out with her. I’m sorry.”
“Ugh, fucker.”
“Love you too Wynee.”
“Yea, yea. Whatever. Molly come smoke with me. Ryan’s blatant doucheness has put me in the need for nicotine.”
The girls get up to leave the room and Logan grabs more beers, but I turn mine down when he offers. I’ve got to drive home and when I know I’m driving, I won’t drink more than 2.
“Alright Ryan, now that the girls are gone, we have to talk to you about something.” Logan shifts uncomfortably in his chair while Justin does the same thing on the couch.
“I’m gonna tell you both now, if you mother fuckers have hurt either of those girls in anyway, I will break every bone in your fucking bodies.”
“No, dude. Nothing like that at all!” Justin sits up straighter and holds a hand up letting me know I am obviously off my track of thinking. “We want to propose to both of them… together.”
They both look at me like they are looking for approval.
“Are y’all asking me or telling me?”
“Both, I guess.” Logan answers. “I know that neither of them would want to get married unless they knew you were supportive.”
“Well of course I’m supportive!” I stand up and take a step towards the side of the room they are sitting on. “Congrats guys.” They both stand up and we embrace each other in a typical bro type hug. I really am happy for both of them. Molly and Wynee deserve the best and I know Logan and Justin are what’s best for them.
We break apart when we hear the girls come back in the house. They still try to convince me to go on a date with Casey, and I still say no.
We talk for another hour about nothing in particular before I announce I have to head home. I haven’t heard from Jasmine today, and I’m really hoping she’s just been busy and isn’t blowing me off. Whatever the reason, I need to leave so I can find out.
After hugs from the girls and handshakes from the guys, I sneak in Lyric’s room and give her a kiss while she’s sleeping. Molly promises to drop her off with me this weekend so she can spend some time with Uncle Ryan.
I drive home in silence just chain smoking and thinking about my day. I am loving everything about my new job, and I can honestly see myself making this into a stable career. I also can’t help but think about the date Wynee and Molly were trying to set me up on. If I know those two, me saying no won’t stop them from trying to set me up anyway.
I pull up to my building and see that Jasmine’s car is there. Now I’m really wondering why I haven’t heard from her all day.
I know Jasmine is home when I make it to her door because I can hear her crying inside. Oh shit.
I don’t knock and since the door is unlocked¸ it opens instantly. Jasmine is sitting on her couch crying while watching TV
and stuffing her face with ice cream.
“Jasmine, what the fuck is wrong?”
She’s inhaling and exhaling deep breaths and pointing at the TV.
“What is this?” On the screen is what looks like some kind of plane crash. Some chick is caught under a part of the plane while some guy holds her hand. They’re talking and both crying.
“It’s just not fair! Mark loved Lexi so much and they were supposed to be together and now he’s watching her die.” I see a DVD case on her table labeled Grey’s Anatomy. I also see an empty bottle of red wine sitting next to it.
“It’s OK. Come here.” I sit down next to her and pull her into my chest and let her continue to cry while we watch a few more episodes where the dude who just watched his girlfriend die, dies. I gotta admit, this is some depressing shit. Why girls watch these shows knowing they are going to cry their eyes out, I’ll never know.
“Jasmine, maybe you should go to bed? You’re drunk and probably worn out from crying so much.”
She starts crying again. “I want you to stay, but I don’t think you’ll want to.”
“Jasmine, if you want me to stay, I’ll stay.”
“I’m on my period.”
Well there it is, that explains the sappy TV show, ice cream, and wine. “And?”
“And, I don’t do period sex. It creeps me out.”
“You think I’ll only stay with you if we can fuck?”
She doesn’t answer with words, instead she cries harder and nods into my chest.
“Is that why you didn’t call me all day?”
Once again, she cries and nods.
“Hey, look at me.” She lifts her head up from my shirt, which is now drenched with tears, and looks at me. I wipe the tears that have run down her face and rest a hand on her cheek.
“I know that we don’t know what we’re doing right now, but I promise you, at least on my end, it’s more than sex. The only way we’re going to work out whatever this is, is to be honest with each other, and not run away when shit gets hard. Or, in your case, when you make up imaginary scenarios in your head that make shit hard.”