Break Up with Him, for Me: A ‘Friends to Lovers’ Romance

by G. , Whitney

  “You still can’t find the time of day to see me in person.”

  “So much for it not bothering you.”

  “I never said that it didn’t.” He closed the gap between us. “I said it shouldn’t.”

  Silence.

  “This is the part where you leave my place, Penelope.” He lifted his hand and tucked a few errant strands of hair behind my ear. “Otherwise … ”

  “Otherwise, what?”

  He didn’t answer.

  He crashed his lips against mine, sliding his other arm around my waist and pulling me flush against him within seconds.

  I lost my balance as he dominated my mouth with his—taming my tongue in between breaths. I struggled to keep up with his tempo, clawing my fingers into his sides for some sense of control, but he didn’t give an inch.

  My back hit the wall as he steadied me, and his cock hardened against my thighs.

  Oh my god…

  “Open your mouth a bit wider for me …” he whispered. “We both know that all of me won’t fit this way.”

  Lost in a trance, I willingly obliged, and he trapped my bottom lip between his teeth, biting down on it so hard that I couldn’t help but cry out.

  Keeping his eyes locked on mine, he freed my lip and slid two fingers inside of my mouth, slowly pushing them in and out.

  I moaned as he gently grazed the back of my throat, feeling my pussy get wetter with each teasing stroke.

  He used his hips to tease me with another rhythm, showing me just how good we could be.

  Smiling, he slowly pulled his hand from my mouth—trailing the pad of his wet fingertips against my lips.

  “Does your boyfriend make you this wet?” He slid a hand under my dress and pushed my panties to the side—strumming his fingers against my soaking wet clit. His fingers found their way deep inside of me, and I grinned against his hand.

  He muffled my moans with his mouth again, pleasuring me all over at once with ease.

  No man in my life had ever kissed me like this. No man in my life had ever—

  I suddenly realized what the hell I was doing. Who the hell I was kissing and riding.

  Oh my god! I tore away from him, and he stepped back.

  We stared at each other and panted heavily, letting the remaining tension suffocate any chance at conversation.

  “I should go now,” was all I could say.

  He didn’t say anything in return. He just stared at me.

  Swallowing, I moved past him and headed to the door.

  I took the elevator downstairs and signaled for one of his town cars.

  When I was halfway home, with the taste of his mouth still on my lips, I sent him a text.

  * * *

  Me: That kiss never happened, right?

  Just Hayden: Delete this part of our thread before your boyfriend sees it.

  Me: Can you agree that the kiss never happened first?

  He never answered.

  Twenty-One

  Present Day

  Hayden

  I didn’t text or call her for an entire week.

  I couldn’t.

  Twenty-Two

  Present Day

  Penelope

  The leather seats in Simon’s Ferrari blew heat against my thighs as we coasted along the Brooklyn Bridge. Raindrops attacked the windshield with a vengeance, and he clasped my hand behind the gear shift.

  For the second night in a row, I was taking him on a pastry tour—showing him some of my favorite bagel cafes in the city.

  This man was honestly everything I’d ever wanted in a boyfriend, but that kiss from Hayden’s lips was still infiltrating my thoughts at every turn. It was showing up in places of my mind whenever I thought I’d forgotten it.

  It was also far hotter than any of the latest “Disney-kisses” and dry-hump sessions that Simon was giving to me.

  It’s a good thing that we haven’t spoken to each other this week.

  “Hey.” Simon waved his hand in front of my face. “Are you there, Penelope?”

  I snapped out of my thoughts, realizing that we were parked in front of TJ’s Bagels. “Sorry. I was daydreaming.”

  “Hope it was about me.” He smiled, brushing a few strands of hair off my face. “I really like you a lot.”

  “I like you, too.”

  “I can’t believe they close so early,” he said, reaching back to get his jacket. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Take your headphones.” I pointed to the dashboard. “Trust me.”

  He pressed a light kiss against my lips and grabbed them. “I’ll take your word for it.”

  I watched him walk into the rain and hold the door open for a couple before stepping inside.

  He blew me a kiss from the window, and I blew one right back.

  “La-da-da-da-da-daaaa…”

  My phone suddenly sounded with Hayden’s ringtone, and I put in my airpods before answering.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Hey.” His deep voice came over the line. “Am I catching you at a bad time?”

  “I’m out with Simon.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “No.” I wasn’t sure why my heart was skipping a beat. “This isn’t a bad time. He’s inside TJ’s getting us some bagels.”

  “Did you warn him that the bakers are typically super slow because they’re perfectionists?”

  “I think he’ll realize that pretty soon.” I held back a laugh. “That’s part of the first-timer’s experience, though.”

  “I agree. While he’s in there, I need your help with a letter to someone you know personally. Well, someone you used to know.”

  “Okay.” I unbuckled my seatbelt. “I’m listening.”

  “Dear Spencer Turner—” He cleared his throat. “I would like to formally apologize for an incident that happened several years ago. Without saying too much, the reason you never made it to dinner at The Falls on your special day was me. However, I’m only apologizing because I only meant to break your jaw, not your ribcage. My apologies, Hayden Hunter. Thoughts?”

  “I think you need to sit on that one for a while. Actually, don’t send it or bother rewriting it. Ever.”

  His deep laughter came over the line, and my stomach tightened at the sound of it.

  “That’s not the real version,” he said. “I only wanted to check and see if I could get away with what I truly want to say.”

  “So, you did beat up ‘The One That Made a Podcast’ back then?”

  “I beat him up because you spent an entire week crying over what he did to you,” he said. “There’s a difference.”

  “Anything else you care to admit to?” I smiled. “Any other apology truths you want to spill?’

  “No, but I have an apology letter that’s addressed specifically to you. Is there time for me to read it?”

  I looked ahead and saw that the line inside the shop hadn’t moved much. “Yeah.”

  “Dear Penelope—” he said, pausing. “I apologize for a highly inappropriate conversation about touching yourself that we had years ago. It happened when you were eighteen, and I was twenty-four. I should’ve known better.”

  “You really don’t need to apologize to me for that.”

  “I think I do,” he said. “I was the adult.”

  “You were a friend answering a question.” I paused. “And the advice definitely came in handy over the years. No pun intended.”

  He let out a low laugh, and my nipples hardened under my blouse.

  “I’m serious, Hayden.” I swallowed, unsure of whether he was joking about this. “I don’t need an apology for that.”

  “Let me read it anyway.”

  “Fine.”

  “As your best friend, sometimes I forget just how close we are—how much you’ve been there for me like I’ve been there for you. Over the years, I’ve started to realize that …”

  I tuned out his words, focusing on the deep sound of his voice, the way it served as a perfect c
omplement to the heat under my seat.

  Without thinking, I slid my hands between my thighs, pretending that we were in his condo all over again, that we were mid-kiss, and his hand was still under my dress.

  “We both know that all of me won’t fit this way …”

  I spread my legs as he continued to speak, biting down on my bottom lip as hard as he did to prevent myself from making a sound.

  Pushing the lace of my panties to the side, I pressed two fingers against my soaking wet clit—rubbing it in a slow, sensuous circle. Just like he’d taught me over the phone years ago.

  His voice was still playing in my ear, the unwitting conductor to the pleasurable pulsing symphony between my thighs; the heat from the seat made it all the more intense.

  “Penelope…” he said my name, and I shut my eyes as my pussy began to throb against my fingertips.

  I didn’t care what he was saying now, but with every word that dropped from his lips, my hips slid off the seat a bit more.

  Please keep talking …

  “And then…” He obliged, giving me more words for a letter than he gave to anyone else.

  I sucked in a slow, erratic breath as I neared closer and closer to the edge.

  Visions of Hayden’s blue eyes looking deep into mine collided with fantasies of his lips owning my mouth. Forbidden wishes that could never be fulfilled flooded my brain.

  Him kissing me, fucking me, wanting me.

  Fuck…

  I bit my lip and gripped the sides of Simon’s seat as I came.

  “My apologies. Sincerely, Hayden Hunter.” His words sounded clearer now.

  “Penelope?” He asked. “Penelope?”

  “Yeah?”

  “How was that?”

  “Completely unexpected.”

  “I know,” he said, a smile in his voice. “I’m still getting used to giving apologies. Do you forgive me?” he asked.

  I nodded as if he could see me. “Yes.”

  “Okay, great,” he said. “I’ll give you the real copy in person. Well, whenever I see you in person anyway.”

  Ask him about that kiss in his condo now. Ask him if he felt something like you did.

  “Wait, Hayden.” I let out a breath. “About that kiss in your condo the other night—”

  “It’s water under the bridge.” He didn’t let me finish my sentence. “I’ve already forgotten about it.”

  My heart sank. “Oh, okay. Well, Simon will be coming back to the car, soon, so…”

  “Goodnight.” He ended the call before I could say a word, and I tried my best to ignore the strange pain in my chest.

  “Ready to experience the best part of the night?” Simon returned to the car. “I can’t wait to try this with you.”

  “Me either.” I vowed to fully focus on what I was building with him from here on out; Hayden was just a friend, and a one-time, good time, nothing more. “What flavors did you buy?”

  Twenty-Two (B)

  PRESENT DAY

  Hayden

  “Simon Gaines,” “Simon G Fund,” “Simon Gaines, Forbes 500.”

  My Google searches for the day were all repeats from the day before.

  Although almost everything he’d bragged about checked out, except for one thing. I couldn’t find his name on the Forbes 500 List, even though he’d placed it on his website with the official symbol.

  The editors had left me off their list one year out of pure pettiness (I forgot to give them tickets to my gala once), but Simon was a new addition, and I doubted he’d burned any bridges at this point in his career.

  Maybe it’s an error?

  I tried to pretend like this was a noble exercise, as if I wasn’t looking for anything that would make him look less than stellar in Penelope’s eyes. Anything that would bring her back to spending more time with me.

  “You have a visitor.” Sarah stepped into my office. “A very important one.”

  “Is it Penelope?”

  “No.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s some guy from—”

  “Send him home. I’m not interested.”

  “He wants to donate two million dollars ahead of your charity gala.”

  “Ask him how he takes his coffee and send him in.”

  “I thought so.” She walked away, and I smoothed my tie.

  I was going home after this. I needed some time to think.

  The door opened seconds later, and Simon stepped inside.

  “Good afternoon, Hayden.” He smiled. “Hope you won’t mind me stopping by.”

  “Be my guest.” I motioned for him to take a seat, but he remained standing.

  “I really believe in the work that your charity is doing,” he said. “I can’t imagine what it was like to have a father walk out on you at only thirteen. For him to start another family like you never existed must’ve been really rough.”

  “Tread lightly, Simeon.”

  “And your mother …” He shook his head. “Word around business circles is that she was so distraught about him leaving the two of you that she drank herself insane, and you practically raised yourself.”

  I clenched my jaw. “I highly suggest that you change this topic of conversation if you want to remain on my good side, Simeon.”

  “It’s pronounced Simon.”

  “You won’t be able to pronounce anything if you don’t change the topic.”

  He smiled and pulled an envelope from his breast pocket. “I want to donate to your cause. I genuinely believe in helping kids who don’t grow up in the best of circumstances.”

  “Thank you.” I motioned for him to place it on my desk. “You can leave my office now.”

  “Actually, I can’t.” He was still smiling as if this was an enjoyable conversation. “I also stopped by because of Penelope.”

  “Is she alright?”

  “She’s more than alright,” he said. “She’s happy. With me. And I’d appreciate it if her best friend—who is just a friend, would refrain from calling her late at night when she’s with me.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “We’re going to be exclusive soon, so I want to let you know that I’m not the sharing type.”

  I blinked.

  “I’ve done my research on you,” he said. “You’ve never been in a real relationship before, so I can’t blame you for not knowing how they work.”

  “Do I need to open the door for you to get you out of my face, or are you capable of doing that yourself?” I

  “The boyfriend, i.e., me, gets the majority of the girlfriend’s time, and the best friend, i.e., you, fades into the background until he’s needed.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Seeing as though we’re making travel plans for the next few months around her coaching and speaking schedule, you won’t really be needed. Thought I’d give you a heads-up.”

  “So, I have to open it for you.” I walked over to the door and held it open. “Be my fucking guest.”

  He let out a laugh and followed me over, stepping into the hallway. “I’m glad that we could have this conversation, Hayden.”

  “The exit awaits you.”

  “One last thing,” he said. “I hope you won’t take any of what I said personally. You seem like a good and mature best friend that knows his place, right?”

  I slammed the door in his face.

  Twenty-Three

  Present Day

  Hayden

  * * *

  The following morning

  I couldn’t sleep.

  Simon’s unwelcome visit to my office had left me on edge, and the envy I felt before was intensifying by the second. So, like the “good and mature best friend” that he asked me to be, I decided to do some research on him.

  Via stalking.

  I pulled across the street from Penelope’s brownstone in a tinted silver Prius.

  I made sure that my baseball cap was secure, and then I waited for Mr. Prince Charming to arrive.

  From the recent unanswered texts Penelope sent me, he’d started a brand
-new morning routine: Bringing her a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee—along with a fresh flower bouquet at exactly seven forty-five.

  He was “always on time,” but unless my watch my wrong, he was about to be late.

  Five … four … Three …

  Simon’s red Ferrari suddenly roared down the center lane, right past me. As if he owned the street, he swung into the ‘No Parking’ spot right in front of Penelope’s place.

  He stepped out with a coffee cup and a bouquet of red roses in hand. Dressed down in jeans and a black blazer, he looked more like an insurance salesman than a “billionaire in the making.”

  He knocked on her door, and she opened it within seconds. Kissing her on the forehead, he said something that made her smile and handed over his gifts.

  I waited for him to kiss her on the lips—to be unable to resist her sexy mouth, but that didn’t happen. Instead, he grabbed her hand like a hero from a Disney movie and placed three soft kisses against it.

  Wow.

  I cranked my engine as he blew her an air kiss and returned to his car. When he pulled away, I trailed him from afar, keeping four cars between us at all times.

  Half an hour later, I followed him into the parking lot of a private elementary school.

  Tapping my steering wheel, I watched as he popped the trunk and grabbed a handful of bright blue balloons and a huge white box. Then he walked through the school’s front doors.

  As my mind spun with theories, I noticed the flashing billboard on the side of the building.

  Thank you to the Simon G. Fund for sponsoring the fourth-grade ballet recital!

  Love,

  Elm School for the Gifted

  Hmmm. It’s probably a tax write-off.

  Simon returned empty-handed minutes later and sped off onto the street.