He's Not My Boyfriend

by Jackie Lau

  “Use me,” she said. “I know that’s what you want.”

  He didn’t need any encouragement.

  He thrust into her frantically until he came, growling, his mouth pressed to the crook of her neck, and it was the best he’d felt in a long, long time.

  * * *

  “I hate to trouble you.” Iris stood up on shaky legs and pulled up the straps on her dress. She didn’t bother with her bra, not now. “But I haven’t eaten since the wedding reception, and I need some sustenance if we’re going to do that again.”

  And she definitely wanted to do it again.

  The sex on the couch had taken the edge off, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted—needed—more of Alex.

  He disposed of the condom and buttoned up his pants, but fortunately, did not bother putting on a shirt.

  He was gorgeous without a shirt.

  “What would you like?” he asked. “My dad stopped by with a big box of food earlier.” He lifted up a package of rice crackers in one hand and a pomelo in the other.

  She sauntered over to him and dragged her fingernails over his chest before plucking the rice crackers out of his hand and opening the package. She stuffed one into her mouth, like the sophisticated girl she was, and he helped himself to a couple, with slightly less enthusiasm than her, before leading her back to the couch.

  When she had a one-night stand, sometimes the moments when they weren’t fucking were weird, but even though she barely knew Alex, it felt comfortable to eat rice crackers on the couch where they’d just had sex. She glanced around the room for some evidence of who he was, and her gaze landed on a family picture on an end table. Alex with his parents and brother, presumably. She could see the resemblance between him and his brother in the shapes of their faces.

  She looked away and helped herself to some more rice crackers.

  It was weird to think of Alex having an ordinary life, when in her life, he was just a sex partner for the night. She’d let him do intimate things to her, let him inside her body, but it was all physical.

  Yet he had a job and a family and things she would never know about.

  Iris Chin did not have boyfriends, much to the disappointment of certain members of her family, but for a moment, she wondered what it would be like to have more than a short-lived physical relationship with a man. With Alex. To know more about him.

  She shook her head. She didn’t want that. Her life was great as it was. Certainly better than what her mother and grandmother had had at her age, and she had no plans to change it.

  She climbed onto Alex’s lap and rubbed herself against his growing arousal.

  Good. He would be ready to go again soon.

  “This time,” he growled, standing up with her in his arms, “we’re going to the bedroom, and I’m going to see you naked.”

  As soon as he set her down on the bed, she pulled her dress over her head and tossed it on a chair. Next, she slipped off her heels, followed by her red underwear, and lay down on her back.

  Alex stood at the end of the bed, his arms crossed over his naked chest, and raked his gaze over her body. Her skin prickled and her nipples tightened. She propped herself up on her elbows and spread her legs.

  “You like?” she said. She wasn’t shy.

  He climbed on the bed and crawled toward her, looking predatory.

  “I do,” he said before claiming her mouth.

  His hand slipped between her legs, and he groaned when he found she was wet for him.

  How could she not be? He was so damn hot.

  He circled his finger around her entrance before plunging inside. He added another finger and thrust in and out of her, setting a steady pace. She continued to kiss him back, but her kisses were sloppy and slow because she was distracted by what he was doing between her legs.

  When he pressed his thumb to her clit, she practically jumped.

  “Can you come for me like this?” he asked.

  She nodded helplessly, and a moment later, she was shattering in his arms, shaking beneath him.

  He rolled away from her. She missed his warmth, but he was removing his jeans and boxers, and soon he was lying naked beside her, lazily pumping his cock in his hand. She couldn’t look away. He was perhaps average length—she’d seen many dicks in her time—but a little thicker than average, and God, it was fucking hot when he touched himself.

  She wanted to put her mouth on him.

  She bent over and wrapped her lips around the head of his cock, then sucked him in further. That elicited a groan. She kept on sucking him, swirling her tongue around the head. Later this week, when he jerked himself off, she knew he’d think of her giving him a blowjob.

  He pulled her up. “I’m not going to last much longer, and I need to be inside you again.”

  And then she was on her back, and he was above her, and his sheathed cock pushed inside her once more, making her gasp.

  “You like the way I fuck, don’t you?” he said with a little half-smirk as he pumped himself inside her.

  “I do,” she said on another gasp.

  “I knew you would.”

  “Cocky.”

  His hard chest pressed against hers, squashing her breasts, and she loved being under him, filled by him. When he pulled out, she moaned in frustration, but then he positioned her on her hands and knees, and he was inside her again. One hand grabbed her ass, and the other slipped between her legs and fingered her clit. The sensations were overwhelming.

  So overwhelming.

  She was flying higher and higher, then tipping over the edge. He thrust furiously and came at the same time, collapsing on top of her.

  * * *

  When Iris woke up at six the next morning, there was an arm wrapped around her.

  Huh?

  She and Alex had been on opposite sides of the bed when they’d gone to sleep last night, no physical contact. Cuddling wasn’t her thing. But now, a strong male arm—God she really did love his arms—was draped over her hip.

  She couldn’t say she minded. It felt nice. Solid. Comforting.

  Iris immediately jumped out of bed.

  She did not need a man to give her any of those things. She was an independent woman, and she did not depend on anyone.

  Didn’t depend on men to give her orgasms—she could do that herself. Although it was always nicer when she came from a man’s cock and fingers and tongue. Particularly Alex’s.

  Last night had been exactly what she needed.

  But she didn’t want to wait around until he woke up—who knew when that would be, and the morning after was always awkward. If she woke up early, she usually just left, and this morning would be no exception.

  Even if another round of sex sounded awfully appealing.

  Yeah, she could admit that it had been a better-than-average one-night stand, but she wouldn’t let herself dwell on it now that it was over.

  She pulled on her underwear and bra, which she found near the front door, and the dress she’d worn to Natalie’s wedding. Her shoes seemed too high and glittery for six o’clock in the morning, but whatever. She put them on. Then she took one last look at Alex. He lay in bed with his arm curled behind his head. The sheet was pushed down to his hips and she admired him for a moment before quietly closing the door and leaving.

  She’d never see him again, and she ignored the slight pang in her chest at the thought.

  This was the life she wanted, wasn’t it?

  * * *

  When Alex woke up, he was alone, which was a normal occurrence.

  Except he hadn’t been alone when he’d gone to sleep last night. There had been a woman curled up on the other side of the bed.

  Iris.

  He jumped up and hurried through the apartment looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Her clothes and her purse were gone.

  She’d left without saying goodbye.

  Women never did that to him.

  Dammit, he’d been looking forward to having one last round with he
r before she headed into the sunshine. Maybe even asking for her number so they could meet up again next weekend.

  Not for a date. Just for another night in bed.

  He went into the washroom to see if she’d written her phone number in lipstick on the mirror, but of course she hadn’t. That was a silly thought.

  She had his number, though he had a feeling she wouldn’t use it.

  He showered to wash the scent of her off his skin, and then he got dressed and started peeling a pomelo for breakfast. The skin of the citrus fruit was thick, and the bitter membranes on the individual pieces had to come off, too. He ate half the pomelo and a bowl of cereal, and to his frustration, he thought of Iris the whole time. The curve of her ass, the curve of her breast. Her slick heat as he slid his fingers inside her. Her mouth on his cock—that had nearly undone him.

  Fuck. Why had she left?

  He shouldn’t be angry. It had been all about sex; it didn’t mean anything, and she’d made no promises to stick around the next morning. Yes, it had felt amazing to be inside her, but he hardly knew her, even if he knew the sounds she made when she came.

  His phone vibrated. A text message from Jamie.

  How was your night?

  Strange that Jamie was texting him first thing in the morning. His friend usually slept until ten or eleven.

  Alex looked at the time on his phone. Holy shit. It was after ten. He never slept this late. He had to wake up early for work, and he rarely slept in past seven or eight on the weekend.

  Good, he replied, not in the mood for this conversation.

  Well, it had been good, even if he was in a pissy mood now. It had been exactly the distraction he’d needed, and now he would return to his regularly-scheduled life and try to forget about Iris...whatever-her-last-name-was. He didn’t even know.

  Maybe he’d start by cleaning out his freezer, which was packed to the gills now that his father had started bringing him food all the time. He’d go through his cupboards, too. Do a load of laundry. In the afternoon, he’d run some errands and go to the gym.

  But he was certain that no matter what he did, he wouldn’t get Iris out of his mind.

  Chapter 5

  This was the end of life as Iris Chin knew it.

  She carried her desk chair up to her new bedroom on the third floor of Ngin Ngin’s house. On the way down the creaky stairs, she encountered her father, who was carrying up a box of clothes.

  It was the Saturday before the lease on her Liberty Village apartment was up, and she was moving in with her grandmother. Her father had borrowed a friend’s van, and he and her mother were helping with the move. Ngin Ngin was supervising. Dad had tried to get his mother to stay on the main floor, but she insisted on going up and down the stairs and just generally getting in the way.

  “What’s in that box?” Ngin Ngin asked as Iris entered the house. “Why you have so much stuff?”

  “Jewelry,” Iris said. “Scarves. Purses.”

  Plus condoms and her small collection of sex toys, but she wasn’t going to tell Ngin Ngin about those.

  It had been so nice when she’d moved out of her parents’ house and no longer had to strategically hide things from her mother. Putting things in a drawer was certainly not enough to keep her mother from finding out about them—oh, no. Her mother was a master snoop.

  Iris suspected Ngin Ngin was not as dedicated a snoop as Mom. Still, she might be prone to a bit of snooping, even if Iris’s room was on the third floor and Ngin Ngin rarely went up to the third floor anymore. That might change now that Iris was living here.

  “This will be so much fun!” Ngin Ngin said as Iris paused on the main floor to have a drink of water. “We’re roommates!”

  “Yes. So much fun,” Iris said, heavy on the sarcasm.

  She couldn’t help smiling, though. It was nice to see her grandmother so excited.

  “You can teach me all the hip new things,” Ngin Ngin continued.

  “Right.”

  “We’ll listen to the hottest radio stations.”

  “Nobody listens to the radio anymore.”

  Ngin Ngin frowned. “Fine. You show me how you listen to music. You show me the latest dance moves, too.”

  “Um.”

  “I’m ninety-one but young at heart. I can learn. Who are the hottest heartthrobs these days? You have posters in your room?”

  “No, I do not have any posters in my room.”

  “I like Robert Redford. You know Robert Redford?”

  “Isn’t he, like, over eighty?” Iris pulled out her phone and looked at his Wikipedia page. “Yes. He’s eighty-two.”

  “Spring chicken! Almost a decade younger than me. I used to like older men, but once you’re over ninety, that becomes a problem. Men who are older than me are all dead!”

  Iris did not know how to respond to that.

  “I used to watch his movies,” Ngin Ngin continued. “Did not really understand them because my English was very bad, but I watched for eye candy. That’s what you call it, yes? Eye candy?”

  “Sure. Eye candy.”

  “You can find old Robert Redford movies on Netflick for me. Maybe I’ll understand them now.”

  “Okay. We can do that.”

  “I will buy popcorn for movie nights.”

  Iris was starting to worry that this move was a very, very bad idea. Would her grandmother expect her to be around every minute she wasn’t at work?

  “You know I have my own life,” she said hesitantly.

  “Of course I know! Silly girl. You must go out to meet boys. But I will cook for you during the week and we can have dinner together. On Sunday night, we can watch movies. Sunday night is Ngin Ngin and Iris time.” Ngin Ngin wrapped her arm around Iris’s waist and squeezed. “Now go finish moving.”

  Another half an hour, and Iris was finished moving in, more or less. She had some unpacking to do, but all her furniture was in the right place, and all her boxes were in the bedroom. The box with the jewelry and sex toys was under several other boxes—she’d made sure of it. Her couch and her coffee table were in the other third-floor bedroom, though she didn’t know if she’d use them much. Her dining room furniture would be stored at her parents’ house.

  Once the van was empty, she sat at Ngin Ngin’s kitchen table with her parents and grandmother, drinking tea.

  “Take her grocery shopping once a week,” Mom said to Iris. “Make sure she doesn’t run out of her meds. Your father and I usually come every two weeks to do some vacuuming and cleaning, but you can do that now.”

  “Aiyah,” Ngin Ngin said. “I can buy food myself in Chinatown. Don’t need help.”

  “You’ll need more food now that I’m living here,” Iris said. “I’ll take you every weekend. If you need to get something small during the week, you can take your cart to Chinatown.”

  “Don’t need help with meds. Easy to manage.” Ngin Ngin shooed Mom and Dad toward the door. “Now go. Iris and I need to draw up roommate agreement!”

  A roommate agreement. Seriously?

  A half hour later, Iris had written down a list on a sheet of paper.

  According to the roommate agreement, Iris would wash all the dishes, and Ngin Ngin would cook all the dinners, except on Saturday, which she proclaimed “date night” for Iris. They would go grocery shopping on Sunday mornings, but not too early, in case Iris had been out late the night before. Iris would do the vacuuming and clean the washrooms. Ngin Ngin offered to do all the laundry, but Iris felt a bit weird about that and planned to renegotiate it tomorrow. Sunday night they would watch a movie, but not too late, because Ngin Ngin got tired early. Sunday afternoons, Ngin Ngin went to Mrs. Yee’s to play mah jong.

  “I never come back before five,” Ngin Ngin said. “So, if you want to have a man over—”

  “Please don’t finish that sentence,” Iris begged.

  Alex immediately popped into her mind—he’d done that sporadically over the three weeks since they’d slept together. Iris was
starting to resent him for it, even if it wasn’t his fault.

  No, it was his fault for looking so damn hot and being really good in bed.

  What would Ngin Ngin think if she met Alex? Would she ask him inappropriate questions, like if he could take off his shirt and flex his bicep for her?

  No, that’s just what Iris would ask him to do. Not that she was going to see him again, and he was definitely never going to meet Ngin Ngin.

  Although Iris did have Alex’s number, and Ngin Ngin was out of the house between one and five every Sunday afternoon...

  Tempting, but no.

  She didn’t want anything that remotely resembled a relationship, and even if she desired more spectacular sex, she’d left his apartment early in the morning, without even saying goodbye or leaving her phone number on a napkin. She doubted he’d want to hear from her again.

  Anyway. No more thinking about Alex. She’d focus on her new living arrangement, which hopefully wouldn’t be too bad, but only time would tell.

  * * *

  “Wake up. Wake up!”

  Iris wasn’t used to someone screaming in her ear first thing in the morning. She hoped Ngin Ngin wouldn’t do this on a regular basis.

  Shit. Maybe Ngin Ngin was screaming because something really was wrong.

  Iris jolted up. “Is there a fire?”

  Ngin Ngin clucked her tongue. “No fire. But it’s nine o’clock. You should be up!”

  “It’s Sunday. I’m allowed to sleep in.”

  Ngin Ngin furrowed her brow. “You were not out late last night. No reason for you to sleep in so much. Or did you sneak a boy into your room? Is that why you’re tired?”

  “No, I did not sneak a boy into my room.”

  Her grandmother pinched the fabric of Iris’s oversized white T-shirt. It was well-worn and had holes around the neckline.

  “Why you sleep in this? I can teach you to sew. We will make a nice nightgown.”

  Iris sighed. “It doesn’t matter what I wear to bed. I don’t need to look nice for anyone.”

  “Maybe that’s why you cannot get a man. You should wear a sexy nightgown, not this.” Ngin Ngin made a face.

  “So you think I’m having men sleep over on a regular basis?”