The Bedtime Tales of Be287m

Friends and Benefits, Chapter Thirty-five

“Hi, beautiful,” I said, recognizing Tina’s voice.

“Joe!”

“It’s me.”

“How are you doing?  You got my letter?”

I grinned at her infectious tone.  “Yes, I did, and I’m doing fine.  Better than fine, actually.”

“Really?”

I chuckled.  “So much has happened,” I said.  “I know I’ve tried to capture it in the letters, but they really can’t do everything justice.”

“You sound happy.”

“I am.  Especially talking to you.”

“Aww.”

I blushed.  This was a little too syrupy, but who was I to second guess it?  “So, you’re coming to D.C.”

“Well,” she hedged, “I haven’t gotten in  to Georgetown  yet.  I might not be able to come.”

“I’m sure you’ll get in.”

“Well, I’m not. It’s pretty tough.”

“I’m confident.”

“Thanks.”

“So,” I said, “what else is going on?”

We talked for about twenty minutes, with her sharing her life and then me telling her about mine.  She asked more questions about Sherri’s center, which I decided to be forthright about, answering her questions.

“Huh,” she said.  “Was she planning on this Center when you met her?”

“No,” I said, “but I encouraged her.  She really needs to do this.”

“She sounds like an interesting person.”

“She is.  She’s a good friend.”

“A friend like Sharon?”

My chest seized.  What did I want to admit?  What should I admit?

“Yes and no,” I finally said.  “Is she someone I can talk about sex with?  Yes.  Is she someone I’m going to obsess about, like I did with Sharon?  No.  Sherri’s real clear that this is only a friendship and that I’m madly in love with you.  She won’t do anything to jeopardize that.  She won’t let me do anything to jeopardize that.  And I won’t either.”

“Wow.”

The phone went silent for four heartbeats.

“Tina,” I said, “you said you know what you want.  I know what I want too, and it’s the same thing as when I saw you in Tucson nine months ago.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Another two heartbeats went by.

“Look,” I said, “this is getting a little heavy.  We can change the subject.  How’s Marcy?”

“She’s good.  She’s got a job lined up for after graduation already….”  The conversation slid into discussions of friends and quickly returned to a merry, lighter tone.  Then it slowly shifted back to school and medical schools.

“I wish I’d asked different questions when we visited last year,” she said.  “I’ve learned so much more about what’s important in a med school.”

“So come out again.”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

“Come out again,” I said.  “In fact, I really owe you a better visit than your last one.  So come out and let me show you more of the city.  Just you and me.”

“Well….”

“Tell you what,” I said.  “Talk about it with your dad.  If he’s okay with your coming out, say in January, just before spring semester starts up again, I’ll pay for the ticket.”

“You want me to talk to my dad?  You know what he’ll say.”

“No, I don’t,” I said, my heart starting to pound.  “But I do know what he’ll say if we don’t ask.”  I took a deep breath.  “I have to admit, he still intimidates me, but we’ll need his blessing.  Or at least, life will be easier with his blessing.”

“I’ll… I’ll talk to him.”

“Good.”

We paused again, and no words seemed to flow for me.

“I want to come,” she said finally.

“Well, then let me know what he says.  Speaking of which, when are you seeing your family again?  Are they doing well?”

We talked for another twenty minutes, but then Tina had to go.  We said our goodbyes, more than once, and finally got off the phone. I sank onto the couch, a little tired, but happy.

The next call was to Allen.

“Hey,” I said, “how’s life?”

“Pretty good.  Jenna sold two paintings last week.”

“Cool.  So everything’s all right with you two?”

“Yeah… why?”

“I heard a rumor you guys were having problems.”

“Where’d you hear that?”

“Uh….”  I decided to be honest.  “Sharon mentioned it in a letter.”

“Why are you still talking to her?”

“I’m not, really.  The letter was the first contact since January.”

“Huh.  Well, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“I figured, but I thought I’d check, because it’s not like her to make things up.”

“Yeah.”  He paused for a bit.  “I bet she heard that I’ll be in Colorado alone for New Year’s.  We’re coming up because Jenna wants to visit some people, but then she has to head back for a discussion with a gallery owner.  I was going to stick around a few more days.”

“That’s probably it,” I said.

“Yeah.  So are you going to be in Colorado?”

We compared calendars and realized we’d overlap, and so made plans to get together for drinks.  We caught up on the rest of the news and he was happy to hear about my discussions with Tina.

“You are one lucky bastard for having her forgive you.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“So let me know if ya need me to stand up with you.”

I smiled.  “Cart before the horse, I’m afraid.”

“Yeah, right.  It’ll happen.”

I chuckled.  “I hope you’re right.”

“Well, we’ll talk more in December.  Later, bud.”

We hung up and I couldn’t help smiling at Allen’s offer to ‘stand up’ with me.  But then I took a deep breath.  I had another call to make.

I didn’t quite know what I was going to say to Sharon, but it didn’t matter much, because I got her machine.

“Hi,” I said, “this is Joe.  I got your letter.  I’ll be back in Colorado on the 22^nd, and I’m only staying a week, so the 23^rd is probably the best time to get together.  I’m not sure about the Greenbriar, though.”  I took a deep breath.  “It sounds a little fancy for just friends.”  Anything else?  “So call me.”

I hung up, my pulse racing.  While I was supposed to go to a movie with Lisa and Robert the next afternoon, I had nothing scheduled this evening.  Rather than just waiting for the phone to ring, I decided I’d take a walk to the 7-Eleven and then delve into a good book.  I grabbed my coat and headed for the door.

When I got back from the movie Saturday afternoon, there was a message from Sharon.  “The 23^rd at the Greenbriar sounds great! I’ll make the reservations.  Bye.”

I grimaced.  While I certainly enjoyed the food at the Greenbriar, particularly their Caesar Salad prepared tableside, I didn’t want this to feel like a date if it wasn’t.

But what if it was?

The images of Sharon in her stockings, posing for the camera, and nude, under the shower, floated into my brain.  My cock twitched in response.

Could we be friends with benefits?  At least once?

My pulse began to race as my mind whirled.  Tina and I wouldn’t be back together yet, so there was no problem there.  Besides, Tina wanted me to be over my obsession with Sharon anyway.  Wouldn’t actually taking Sharon to bed accomplish that?

Hold on.  Sharon hasn’t given you any hint that she wants sex with you.

I let out a frustrated sigh.  It didn’t matter if I wanted to sleep with her or not if she was going to say no.  And I wasn’t ready to ask.

I spent a bit more time that evening running scenarios through my mind before I caught myself.  I really didn’t need to slide into scheming, and I just didn’t have enough information to decide what to do anyway.

The next evening I called Sharon back.  This time, she picked up.

“Hey,” I said, “How are you doing?”

“Pretty well.  It’s good to talk with you again.”

“It is.”  I paused.  “So, do we need to go back over….”

“It’s all in the past,” she said.  “And we’ve got things to look forward to in the future.  I made the reservations at the Greenbriar today.”

“Uh,” I said, “are you sure?  That seems a little fancy for just friends.”

“We’ve done it before,” she said.  “And I haven’t gone out nice in a long time.  I want to get dressed up.”

“Well, what does that mean?”

“Dressed up?  You know.  Nice dress, jewelry.  I’ll even wear my garter belt and stockings, if you want.”

I blinked hard.  I’d been asking what ‘in a long time’ meant, but I’d phrased my question poorly and gotten a completely different answer.

“You will?” I asked.

“Sure. If you’ll buy dinner, of course.”

I snorted.  “You’ll have to prove you’re wearing them, then.”

“Okay.”

My mind reeled.  She was making this easy!  But was it what I really wanted?  Yes!  On second thought, maybe not.

“I’ll have to get some new ones, though,” she said.  “I’ve got a run in one.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I snagged it at Trish’s engagement party.”

“You dressed up for an engagement party?”

“It was at one of the restaurants downtown,” she said, “and she invited a lot of people from out of town.  I wanted to look nice.”

“I’m sure you did.”

“I did.  And it was fun.”

“So what else have you been up to?” I asked.  She told me about her job, and about her decision to go back to school.  We talked for a little while longer, catching each other up on our lives.  Then she told me how some of our former classmates were doing.  I smiled.  While it was interesting, I realized that I didn’t really consider them friends anymore.  Not now that I knew how deep a friendship could really be.

“So,” she asked.  “What about you?  Any extended news?”

I silently sighed.  I knew what she was asking.  “Allen’s doing fine.”

“Fine?”

“Yeah.  We made plans to get together in Colorado during my visit.”

“Oh.”

“And Tina’s well.  We spoke for quite a while the other night.”

“Really?  What’s she up to?”

I mentioned Tina’s med school plans, and Sharon said she hoped that she did get into Georgetown.

“I like her,” she said.  “I enjoyed hanging out with her.”

“Well, maybe we can do that again sometime.”

“Maybe.”

We talked a little more, and then hung up.  Afterward, I spent way too long running the conversation through my brain.  When I caught myself, I just chuckled and switched to planning the week’s meals and grocery list.

The next weekend, I told Sherri about the phone calls over breakfast.

“That’s great news about Tina,” she said.

I nodded.  “She might not get in, though.”

“And if she doesn’t, are you willing to move?”

I grimaced.  “I could, because I could program anywhere.  But this is one of the few places where I can do astronomy, even if it is second hand.”

She smiled.  “So which is more important?”

I sighed.  I’d dreamed about astronomy for so long, and it looked like this was as good as it was going to get.  Could I walk away?

Except… did I want to fall short in love too?

“Tina is more important,” I said, firmly.  “Now that I understand what love—eros—is, I’m not going to let it go.”

That brought a wide grin.

“But,” I said, “if I have to move, I’ll also miss you and Lisa.  Other than Allen, I haven’t had such good friends before.”

“And we’ll miss you,” she said.  “But we’ll be happy for you too.”

I grinned.  “That’s always good to hear.”

Sherri smiled back, before becoming a bit serious.  “Have you figured out what to tell her about how we met?”

I shook my head.  “Nor that we’ve been sleeping together.  Which is something that will have to stop, of course.”

“Of course.”  

Since she’d been having sex with me largely out of agape anyway, I knew Sherri wouldn’t be upset, and her tone confirmed it.

“So what about Sharon?” she asked.

I sighed.  “I’ve spent so long fantasizing about fucking her, it’s hard to give it up.”

Sherri frowned.

“I know, I know.  You’ve done a lot to help.  And I think if she hadn’t been the one to bring up wearing her garter belt, I’d be fine.  But….”

“You’re still hooked.”

I grimaced, but then nodded.  “At least I know I’m hooked.”

“True.”

“And besides, it might happen this time.”

“Why do you think that?”

“I’ve learned,” I said.  “I won’t overthink things or screw it up this time.”

“That might not be enough.”

“True.”

There wasn’t much else to say, and so we returned to our food, and then to other topics.

The next week went by quickly.  I spent Thanksgiving Day at the Center, where we had a small pot luck community meal.  That night, when I got home, there was a message from Tina asking me to call her at her parents.  I only needed a single deep breath before I began punching the buttons.

Mr. Delgado answered.

“This is Joe,” I said.  “I’m returning Tina’s call.”

“Yes,” he said.  “I asked her to call you.  You want her to come visit.”

“I do.  I’ve given her space, just as you asked, and she’s made her choice as to what she wants.  I don’t see any point in waiting.”

He harrumphed.  “She might not get accepted.”

I took a deep breath.  “Then I go where she does get accepted.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

“You’ll do fine,” Mr. Delgado finally said.  “I’ll get Tina.”

When she got on the phone, she was excited and laughing.  Her sisters had started teasing her as soon as it was clear that her father was talking to me.  She was also bubbling over because her father had said she could go, as he handed her the phone.  We discussed when and how and picked the dates, soon after the New Year.  I said I’d make the rest of the arrangements.  Tina joked about now having to get me a suitable Christmas present and I told her that her presence was enough.  We chatted a while longer until the background noise from her siblings made it clear she needed to go.

I hung up, happy and somewhat surprised.  Mr. Delgado hadn’t given my the grilling I’d expected, and Tina was coming—actually coming!—to D.C.

I floated on that reverie for quite a while, daydreaming about her visit.  I wanted to wine and dine her.  I wanted to show her the town.  Yeah, I wanted to sleep with her, but I’d let that be her choice.  Most of all, I just wanted her visit to be better than the last time.

That’s when my reverie skidded to a halt.  Tina’s dad hadn’t asked about Sharon, but I knew she’d come up during Tina’s visit.  I needed to be able to say where things stood, unambiguously and clearly.  And that wasn’t the only relationship I needed to be clear about, I realized:  I still hadn’t told Tina how I’d met Sherri.  Would she still want to be with me when she knew?

I let out a deep breath.  I still had some bridges to cross.  But there was not much I could do before I reached them.

The first bridge was Christmas presents.  Since Sharon had said she was going back to school to become a restaurant critic, I bought a couple of my favorite books about food, along with a book on writing criticism.  Tina was a little harder.  In the end, I found a simple ruby necklace that I was confident she’d like.  It was a bit expensive, but also elegant instead of ostentatious.  I hoped it wasn’t too much, but not as much as I hoped she’d like it.  In both cases, I completed my shopping, along with presents for my family, with plenty of time to spare.

What I didn’t allow enough time for was getting to Sharon’s for our dinner at the Greenbriar.  It had snowed that day, but stopped a couple of hours before I needed to leave.  I thought the roads would be thoroughly plowed by the time I went out.  I thought wrong.  I pulled into the parking lot at Sharon’s complex five minutes before our reservation time, which meant we’d be at least twenty minutes late.

“What happened?” Sharon asked, immediately after opening the door to admit me.

“Bad roads.”

She grimaced.  “The Greenbriar’s number is on the counter.  Why don’t you call them and tell them when we’ll be there while I get my purse and coat?”

I nodded and tried to avoid tracking snow into the kitchen.  As I dialed, I watched Sharon.  She wore a dress I’d never seen before—black with a plunging neckline and tight around the hips and thighs.  It stopped just above her knees, revealing black hose beneath.  When we settled into the car I asked if it was new.

“Yeah, you like?”

“I do.”

“I thought I needed something sexier.  I’m tired of being home alone.”

“No dates?”

She shook her head.  “Not with any guys worth dressing sexy for.”

“Well then I’m honored.”

She laughed.  “I guess you are.”

Sharon certainly did look sexy walking into the dining room, after leaving our coats in the cloakroom.  I noticed a few heads turning as we were seated near the middle of the room.  She ordered a martini while we were still perusing the menu, but let me pick the bottle of wine once we’d decided on our food.

“So,” I said when the waiter had withdrawn, “no dates with guys worth getting dressed up for.”

“Nope.  It’s been a dry year.  I haven’t…” she gestured with her hand, “since Justin.”

“He’s the guy from Boston, right?”

“Yeah.  He only comes to Colorado for the holidays.”

I raised my eyebrows.  Then I decided to fill in the conversational gap.  “So you’ve been celibate for over a year?”

“Yeah, and I really miss your stories.”

I chuckled.  “They’re only stories.  Why not get the real thing?”

She blushed.  “I hope to, soon.  That’s why I bought this dress.”

I bit back the witty retorts that formed in my brain and just grinned.

“So tell me more about Tina,” she said.

“Well, we’re not back together yet, but it looks promising.”  I filled her in on Tina’s upcoming visit and her Georgetown hopes.  Sharon was delighted, exclaiming more than once that she was thrilled we might be getting back together, and that the breakup hadn’t been too much to overcome.”

“So,” she said, grinning conspiratorially at me, “you must be looking forward to her visit. You’ve been celibate nearly as long as me.”

I couldn’t help my small snort. “Actually, I have a ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement.  We’re not monogamous, and it’ll end when either of us gets into something serious, which will probably be me with Tina.”

“Huh.  And you’ll still be friends?”

I nodded firmly.  “I don’t think what we have now would work if we weren’t really good friends.  We care for each other, though it’s philios and not eros, and that makes it work.”

She furrowed her brow, so I explained a bit more about philios, eros, and agape and how all three could be present or only one, and how sex could be mixed in with any of them.  She didn’t ask any questions and so, after a little bit, I ended my monologue.

Our Caesar salad arrived and we watched as it was prepared tableside.  It was, as expected, delicious.  Sharon asked about my New Year’s plans.  They weren’t much—Sherri had a client and Robert planned a romantic date with Lisa, so I was on my own.  But the next day I was cooking a huge brunch for the gang.  Sharon was going to Kim’s annual New Year’s party, of course.

“I plan to have a really good time,” she said with a leer.

I chuckled.  “I’ll bet.”

“Well, it won’t be as good as the New Year’s that Allen and I came here,” she said, finishing her wine and gesturing for me to pour more.

I raised an eyebrow and leaned forward.  In a stage whisper, I asked, “What’d you do?”

She leaned forward and glanced around to make sure the other tables weren’t listening.

“Took my panties off in the ladies room and slid them in his coat pocket.”  She nodded her head toward the cloakroom.  “He couldn’t keep his hands off me the whole drive home!”

I raised my eyebrows.  I’d spent a forgettable night with Alicia at a forgettable party that year and never heard this story.  But then I had an idea.

I waggled my eyebrows.  “I dare you.”

“What?”

“Take ‘em off.”

Sharon’s eyes went wide.  Then she shook her head.

“C’mon.”

“No.”

I leaned back, smiled, and waved it off.  Sharon leaned back herself.  When she smiled, I knew my suggestion hadn’t made her mad.

We reminisced about old times, back in the dorm, through the rest of the meal and dessert.  We dawdled over port, but it was finally time to leave when it was all gone.  Sharon had a very good buzz going, but I’d drunk sparingly, and was okay to drive.  When we arrived at her apartment and shed our coats, she slid onto the couch.  I settled into the chair across from her and waited expectantly.

“What?” she asked.

“I believe you have something to show me,” I said, flicking a finger toward her legs.

“Ah, yes.”  She started tugging at the hem of her dress, edging it up.  The dress was too tight to slide easily, though, and so with a grunt of frustration, she pushed it back down and stood up.

“Unzip me,” she said, turning around.

“With pleasure.”

I stood and, once she’d pulled her hair out of the way, tugged the metal tab.  When the teeth were all undone, I sank back onto the chair while Sharon wiggled out of her dress.

That’s when she took my breath away.  Instead of the black lingerie I’d come to know, she was in a deep blue g-string and bra with white lace trimming, and a matching garterbelt, attached to the black stockings.  She looked fantastic and, from the grin on her face when she turned around, she knew it.

“When did you get this?”

“Last week,” she said with a smirk.  “I told you I wanted to look sexy this New Year’s.”

“You’ve certainly managed that,” I said, once again letting my eyes drift from head to toe.

“Which reminds me—your present.  It’s in my bedroom.”

I waved toward the hall and nodded and then strode out.  My mind was racing.  This was going well!

Sharon came back, still in her lingerie, with a larger rectangular box.  I removed the wrapping paper to discover a photo album.  I thumbed through it, seeing photos from all of our sessions, including the last one with Tina.

“I picked only the good ones,” she said, leaning over as I slowly studied the ones of Tina and Sharon together.  “And there are blank pages at the end.”

I quickly looked up, and she pulled back.

“For the future.”

“So… not tonight?”

She shook her head.  “I forgot to buy film.”

I raised my eyebrows, but she just sat back on the couch, knees together.  “Maybe before you leave?  The last day….”

“That could work,” I said.  “I’m seeing Allen for lunch, but my evening’s free.”

She beamed.  “That would be great.”

Sharon then looked at me expectantly, so I hopped up and retrieve her presents from where I’d set them by the door.

“Books,” she mused, hefting them and noting their weight.  She tilted her head and grinned.  “Stories?”

I shook my head.  “Nah.  I wasn’t sure how well those would go over.”

She mock-pouted, but tore the paper open anyway.  Then she oohed at the books.

“Good ones?” she asked.

I nodded.  “Nothing but the best.  Though I’m not sure about the book on writing.”

“Hmm.”  She hadn’t gotten to it yet, but when she opened it, she smiled.  She flipped it over and read the back jacket before thumbing through it.

“Thank you,” she said.

“And thank you,” I said, holding up the photo album.

“You’re welcome.  And I’m sorry I don’t have any film.”

I shrugged.  “I’m sure we can think of something to do.”

Her eyes lit up.  “Will you tell me a story?”

I paused.  Something’s wrong.  This is too easy.

“I’ve already got an idea for you.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Wearing this outfit, I meet a hot guy at Kim’s New Year’s party and he can’t keep his eyes off me.”

I chuckled. “That’s certainly realistic.  Particularly the way you’re dressed now.”

A wide grin spread across her lips and her eyes danced, but she didn’t move to cover up or put her dress back on.

“Well, let me think for a bit,” I said.

She nodded.

The back of my mind was yammering at me.  This is way way too easy!  I started racing through all the reasons that Sharon could have gone from completely uncommunicative a few months ago to sitting in lingerie in front of me now.  Except… except I didn’t want to overthink it either.  After all, this was what I wanted!

“So…?” she asked.

“Okay,” I said, shutting down the mental spinning.

“I’ll get a blanket.”  She started to stand.

“No.”

She looked at me, wide eyed.

“No blanket.  Or no story.”

She sank back down onto the couch, reappraising me.  Then she curtly nodded.

“Okay.”

She then swung her feet up and lay back onto the couch.  With only her side facing me, I couldn’t see as much as I had before.  I silently chuckled.  She’s keeping the agreement, at least.

“Well,” I began, “the story starts when you arrive at the party.  You’re wearing your new dress and your new lingerie, of course.  It’s slow at first, mostly couples.  You’re standing around talking in the living room when he walks in.”

“Mmm.”

“He immediately sees you, and you take his breath away.  He’s never seen a woman so sexy before.  He can’t believe this unknown woman is so hot.”

“Actually, he knows me.  It’s just been a long time.”

I raised my eyebrows.  The guy from Boston was, what, a year ago?  Two years?

“He can’t believe this woman he hasn’t seen in a long time is so hot,” I amended.  “Anyway, he sees you and his chin drops.  You notice, of course, but you just smile behind your glass.”

“Mmm.”

“It takes him almost an hour to work the room before coming over to you.  Of course, he can’t help looking at you all evening—those side glances, trying not to get caught.  The smolder stares when he thinks you’re looking the other way.  Finally, he slowly saunters over, when the people you’ve been talking to decide to go get more drinks.”

Sharon kicked off her shoes and then crooked her leg closest to me.  She slid one hand down her stomach to the top of her panties where she ran her fingertips over her skin.  I rolled my eyes.  While her raised thigh prominently showed off her stockings, it also hid all of her panties except the top.

“‘It’s been a long time,’ he says.  ‘You look great.’  You smile and say thanks.  He asks how you’ve been doing and you talk for a while.  He’s doing well.”

“Well, all things considered.”

“All things considered,” I added.  “But he still seems happy to see you.”

She smiled and closed her eyes.

“So you talk,” I said, “and you flirt.  He gazes into your eyes, but of course he can’t keep his eyes from wandering lower.”

Sharon laughed softly.

“Eventually, he suggests a drink, and the two of you wander into the kitchen.  While you’re pouring on the counter, he comes up behind you, but unfortunately too close.  You turn and bump him, spilling your drink over both of you.  He is, of course, incredibly apologetic.”

“Of course.”

“So you do the best you can to clean it up in the kitchen, but while you’re able to get most of it off of you, his shirt is a mess.  ‘I’m going to have to take this off,’ he says.”

I quickly searched my memory of Kim’s house.  “‘Kim’s got a back bedroom with its own bath,’ you say.  He nods and agrees and the two of you slip off through the crowd to that bedroom and bathroom.  People are too busy talking with each other to really notice where you’re going.  Once you get there, he heads right into the bathroom, while you shut the bedroom door behind you.  On impulse, you lock it.  He comes back out of the bathroom then, shirtless, and sees you.

“‘I was hoping you’d do that,’ he says.  He walks over to you and slides his arms around you.  ‘I’ve missed you,’ he says.  Then he bends his neck and kisses you.”

Sharon smiled, her eyes still closed.  Her fingers slid under the lace of her g-string, and then a little lower, until her wrist pushed the fabric as far from her abdomen as it was likely to stretch.  I couldn’t see her fingertips, but my cock stiffened at the thought of what they must be doing.

“He kisses you again and again.  Passionately.  Deeply.  He takes your face in his hands and holds you still while he covers you in kisses.  Meanwhile you run your hands all over his bare back, enjoying his bare skin under your hands.

“Then he pulls back for just a moment, searching your eyes.  ‘We spilled on your dress too,’ he says.  You laugh and tell him to wait for a moment, slipping under his arm to scoot into the bathroom yourself.  ‘Wait for me,’ you say, just before closing the bathroom door.

“In the bathroom,” I continued, “you slip off your dress.  The spill isn’t much, and you realize it’ll easily clean off later.  Standing there in your lingerie, you look at yourself in the mirror.  You look incredible—hot, sexy, and totally desirable.”

Sharon flushed, but grinned, her eyes still closed.

“He obviously agrees, for when you step into the room, his eyes grow wide and his chin drops open.  You pirouette as he gasps for breath.  Finally, he says, ‘you’re beautiful.’  ‘Thanks,’ you say.

“He stands and takes you into his arms, kissing you passionately and running his hands up and down your body.  You reciprocate, feeling his taut ass and the obvious bulge in his pants, pressing against you.  He’s eager for you—it’s almost urgent in the way he touches you and caresses you.  But he waits.  Waits until you tug on his belt, of course.”

The top of Sharon’s hand was moving now, making it clear that her fingers were dancing, just out of my sight.  I tried to subtly shift so I could get a better view, but it didn’t help.

“Once you start tugging on his belt,” I said, “he instantly helps you.  In a moment, he’s naked, standing before you.  Naked and hard.  His cock is throbbing, he wants you so badly.  You slide your fingers around his shaft and stoke him lightly, while still kissing.  But after a moment, he gasps and pulls back, just a bit.  You get a devilish look on your eyes and sink to your knees.  He lets out a moan as you slowly slide his cock into your mouth.”

“Mmm.”

“You can tell that he’s already on the edge,” I said.  “He’s already breathing hard with desire and want.  You know that you could make him come in seconds, if you wanted to, but you decide to tease him and prolong his delicious agony.”

Sharon’s breathing became shallower.

“Finally, when you think he can’t possibly take any more, you give him a squeeze and then stand up, kissing him passionately on the mouth.  It’s too much for him.  He wraps his arms around you and throws you onto the bed.  You scoot up toward the pillows as he crawls on top of you.  He grabs your panties and rips them off in his passion.  For a moment, you are sure he’s going to take you, right there and then, but… he decides to tease you himself.”

Sharon let out a groan of frustration.

“He lowers his head and kisses the insides of your thighs before he begins to go down on you.  You’re already wet, and so he quickly heads for your clit.  Since you have no recuperation time,” I said with a leer in my voice that causes Sharon to grin, “he quickly brings you to your first orgasm of the evening.”

Sharon’s hand began moving more quickly, her breathing joining the faster pace.

“He barely lets you recover your breath before he’s above you.  You feel his rock, hard cock pushing slightly against your opening.  Your eyes meet, and then he slowly thrusts forward, burying himself inside you.

“It’s incredible,” I said, “better than you remember, in fact.  He wants you and yet he’s clearly not lost complete control.  He’s on the edge of coming, but he’s determined to make you come first.”

Sharon’s breathing became very shallow and she bit her lip.

“He begins thrusting hard into you.  He’s fucking you as hard and as fast as you can handle.  Just the way you like it.  He kisses you and whispers into your ear, ‘I want you!’  Then—”

Sharon let out a small cry and shuddered.  Her face tightened up for just a moment, and then relaxed.

“… then, after an incredible time that feels like forever, you come.  He’s not far behind, exploding in a massive orgasm and then collapsing on top of you.”

Sharon nodded and then, for the first time since we’d started, cracked her eyes and looked at me.  She withdrew her hands from her panties, wiping her fingers gently across her stomach.

“And as you lie there, basking in the afterglow, he says he can’t wait until you can come to Boston.”

“Finishes his divorce and moves back to Colorado,” Sharon corrected.

“What?”

She opened her eyes wider and looked at me.  I had a sudden sickening sense of exactly what she meant.

“This story is about Allen, isn’t it?” I asked, my gut beginning to churn.

“Yeah.  So?”

“What about me?”

Sharon pulled herself up into a sitting position.  “What about you?”

“I’m here.  Why go with the fantasy when you’ve got someone ready, willing and able to help out?”

“Well… you’re just a friend.”

“We’ve hovered between friends and lovers too long.”

“We’re not going to be lovers,” she said with a dismissive shrug.

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to lose a friendship because of sex.  I’m only going to sleep with guys I’m dating.”

I snorted.  “We’ve talked about that.  There’s nothing wrong with friends with benefits.  Besides, you slept with that guy from Boston and you weren’t dating.”

She shrugged.  “He was attractive.”

I felt like my gut had been punched, but I couldn’t stop myself from asking the obvious question.

“And I’m not?”

She bit her lip for a moment.  “Well…, I didn’t want to tell you this, but no.  I don’t find you attractive at all.”

“You think I’m ugly.”

“I wouldn’t use that word.”

I bit back the angry obscenities that were forming on my tongue.  “Let me get this straight.  You don’t want to sleep with me, but you want me to tell you erotic stories about Allen.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

I put my head in my hands and shook it.  Slowly, I regained my sense of calm.  I couldn’t help snorting softly.  I had taken all the blame for our friendship’s problems, but didn’t any relationship take two?  When I finally looked up, Sharon had pulled a pillow onto her lap.

I had to say something.  “You got furious with me last January,” I said, “accusing me of manipulating you.  We didn’t speak for months, but now you’re doing the same thing.”

“It’s not the same at all!”

“No?”

“It’s not.  And you should know that.”

I shook my head again.  Then I let out a long breath.  Without thinking about it, or analyzing it, I knew what I had to do.  Surprisingly, my gut felt calm.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said.  “This isn’t a friendship if either of us are doing it.  Manipulating the other.  There’s no philios here.  Nor agape or eros, for that matter.”

“I’m not manipulating you!  I never promised you anything and I didn’t lead you on.  It’s all in your head.”

Surprisingly, my gut was calm, even as I felt her glare boring into me.  I took another deep breath, looked up and met her gaze.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said.  “There’s no philios.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

I stood.  “I need to go.”  I scooped the photo album up and headed toward the door.

“What the fuck?  It’s just a fantasy, for Chrissake.”

I stopped and turned.  She was still glaring at me.

I shook my head.  “No, it’s more than that.  It’s a symptom of this whole screwed-up relationship.  We’re not true friends.  We’re not more than friends.  Why continue this farce?”

“It wasn’t a farce until you made it one in D.C.”

“No, that’s just when it became obvious.”

“It was still your fault!”

That pissed me off.  “I never should have apologized for that.  You were the one that touched me.”  I grabbed my coat and put it on.  Fumbling with the buttons cooled me down a bit, but I was still hot under the collar.

“So,” she spat, “you’re just going to leave?”

“Yep.  Just like you did after D.C.”

She snorted.  “I never should have answered your letter.”

I paused, and faced her once again.  Mustering a weak smile, I met her eyes.

“You’re right,” I said, “but I’m glad you did.”  I hefted the package in my hands.  “Thanks for the present.”

Then I turned and walked out the door.

--Fin--

© 2007, all rights reserved.

Read the next chapter in this story: Chapter Thirty-six

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