Friendship's Edge - Part 1 (Patreon)

Thursday 7:00 AM - Chase

Melody was late. That wasn’t something that was out of character for her, but it still made me slightly anxious. The idea that she might not show up. Not like my best friend would stand me up of course, but more like something bad might have happened. Like the night my parents had their car accident. It wasn’t something I liked to think about, but it was always there nagging me.

I took a few steadying breaths, letting the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the soft rumble of conversations and clinking cups wash over me. Grind N’ Go was busier than usual for a Thursday morning. Luckily I was able to snag Mel and I’s usual table near the back. I turned my coffee cup in a slow circle, watching the steam drift up in elegant, swirling patterns that were blown about by the air conditioning. A rap at the window made me jump, breaking my mesmerized gaze. Melody was standing outside the window laughing at making me jump. She waved, big smile plastered across her face, and headed towards the front door.

The bell over the door ran and Mel bustled inside, gym bag over her shoulder bouncing against her thighs. She waved at me again from across the cafe and went to the bar to order something before making her way to the table. Her purple yoga pants hugged her narrow hips and the oversized TMNT t-shirt she wore was cut along her midriff, showing a sliver of pale skin, her belly button peeking out above her waistband.

Seeing just that flash of skin always made my mouth run dry. I’d seen more of her over the years, but it was the little flashes and glimpses that always seemed to send shivers and goosebumps along my spine.

She slipped into the chair across from me, dropping her bag to the floor and brushing back her dirty blonde hair with an overly dramatic sigh. Then, she slumped forward and banged her head lightly against the table.

“Morning.” I did my best to suppress a smile as I stopped the endless spinning of my coffee mug and took a sip. “You’re late.”

Melody gave me the finger before sitting up and pulling her hair into a ponytail, tying it off with one of the man hairbands she kept around her wrist. “It was a late night.”

My stomach sank. I knew what that meant. Melody’s ‘late nights’ were another point of anxiety for me. But of a different sort. Part of it was the relentless description and free expression about what she was up to on these ‘late nights’. The other part was that… I loved hearing about it for some twisted reason. And I also hated it. I couldn’t reconcile the two feelings. It twisted my heart and my brain into infinite loops of pleasure and torture.

The best thing I could do was stay silent when she talked, and hoped she wouldn’t notice my discomfort or arousal.

“So, I met this guy last night. I was out at that local bookstore downtown…”

“Bookstore?” I interrupted, against my better judgement. “Really?” I stared at her incredulously.

She stuck out her tongue. “Fuck you. I read.”

I snorted. “Sure. Teen Magazine and Maxim or whatever. Gotta get some glimpses of all those hunky men on the covers…”

“Maxim has women on the covers.” Her eyes rolled even as she grinned.

I waved a hand.“Whatever. I don’t know anything about magazines.”

“Aren’t you in publishing, Chase? Shouldn’t you be aware of these things?” She leaned forward onto her elbows on the table, staring at me with sparkling emerald eyes.

“Editing novels is very different from the magazine industry.” I answered.

She sat back with a quiet chuckle and took a slow even breath. A barista came by with her drink, a rough looking man with dark hair and a sleeve tattoo that depicted some sort of Japanese art. “Here you go, miss.” He put her cup down on the table and gave her a wink before leaving.

Melody’s eyes followed him with a flirty grin, watching his backside in his dark washed jeans before turning back to me. Picking up her cup, she hummed thoughtfully to herself before taking a sip and then continuing with her story. “Aaaaanyway. As I was saying. I had a late night. Met this guy at the bookstore. We hit it off. Talked about…” She hesitated, as if realizing she was going to say something she didn’t think she should before shaking it off and continuing. “About books, obviously. We took a walk after and ended up at his place. He lived just a couple blocks away from the store.”

“Convenient.” I muttered, spinning my cup on the table again. It was hard to keep my eyes on Mel as she recounted the evening's activities. This was the part I dreaded and anticipated. The details that made my emotions war with each other. Like that scene from Seinfeld when Jerry’s brain was warring with his penis in a game of chess. I should have told her to stop. But this had been our routine for years. Ever since prom. I should have told her how it made me feel, but I just kept my mouth shut and listened.

“This guy had stamina. I mean, he wasn’t a bodybuilder or anything like that. Maybe he bench presses books or something, he had a ton in his apartment. But he must have some incredible core strength because he picked me up. Like, holding me in the air and just, ramming me down on his cock. Like I weighed nothing.” She shook her head and laughed, holding her coffee close as if she were talking about some casual thing, not intense sex.

I tried to keep my facial expression even. But my stomach was clenching in a twist of arousal and disgust. Keeping my eyes away from her was difficult. I wanted to look at her, to see her reminiscing about what she’d experienced. My imagination was too vivid to do anything but conjure up images of her face contorted in pleasure, pain, ecstasy. I wanted to imagine it. To fantasize and take the words she was speaking, spinning them into a dream that I could tuck away for later when I was alone. It was so wrong, but I never could stop myself. Gripping my coffee mug was the only thing I could do to stave off the day dreams.

“Not many guys can do that sort of thing. I mean, not because they don’t have the muscles for it. I’m sure you’re able to carry a girl around.” Melody winked at me with a playful, sly grin and reached over shoving my shoulder.

I just nodded. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I hadn’t lifted any girls up. In fact, I hadn’t been with a girl ever. I was a virgin. Our relationship had always been open and honest, but this was the one lingering lie between us. A lie of omission mostly, but one that had started fifteen years ago on Prom night. The night that had set off this whole open discussion about Melody’s sexual adventures. It was a door that had opened and never closed.

The whole thing was honestly stupid looking back on it.

It was an agreement between friends. Hormones running high and brains still not fully developed and very low on common sense. We’d promised to lose our virginity on prom night. Like some sort of archaic, cliche rite of passage. Or a plot device for a raunchy movie. It was a pinky promise, literally. In some ways, I looked back on that and laughed. Other times, I wished I’d never done it. 

That night, Melody had kept her part of the bargain. She’d gone to prom with Noah Townsend. A player if ever there was one. Popular and charismatic. The morning after was how Melody and I’s friendship had taken on the shape that it had now.

Melody had come strutting into the diner we’d agreed to meet at the next morning. She was a disheveled mess with jeans and a t-shirt, most of her makeup still on and her hair frizzy and in disarray. But even in this crazy state, she was all bright smiles as she slid into the booth opposite me and leaned across the table conspiratorially. “I did it.” It was a harsh, excited whisper.

A waitress came to take our order and Melody eagerly requested a full breakfast “I’m ravenous.” She chuckled when the waitress left. “After last night, I mean, I never knew sex made you hungry. Ya know?” Her nose crinkled in amusement at her own statement. Before I could say anything, Mel charged into her story. “We did it in the back of the limo. I know! I know, so cliche, but when in Rome, right?” She took a sip of her water and continued. “Thank God for those black dividers, ya know the ones that close off the driver from the back? I’m pretty sure it was soundproof. I guess if it wasn’t the driver got a bit of an earful.”

I never understood exactly why she was being so detailed. So explicit. Sure we had agreed to tell each other what happened. But I’d figured it would just be surface level. Where. When. How long. Good or bad. But Mel seemed to feel the need to shove it all in my face and watch me squirm. Maybe that was putting it harshly, but after fifteen years of it, it was hard not to feel that way.

While she talked, she pulled a napkin from the dispenser and began folding it, making an intricate origami figure as if it were nothing. “So, Noah had the driver do, like, a loop around town. Once he did that, he hiked up my dress and got on the floor in front of me. It was pretty spacious in the limo, you saw it right? But when you’re trying to have sex, everything seems to get smaller. Plus, pushing up that dress wasn’t easy, all those frills. That’s the last time I let mom pick out my dress.”

She placed a tiny elephant on the table between us and pulled out another napkin. Her hands always needed to be busy, as well as her mouth and mind. “And, guess what? Noah, the jerk, laughed when he saw my panties!” She glared over the table at me, as if she expected me to be sympathetic.

“Did they say something funny? Like, Tunnel Entrance?” I raised an eyebrow and dodged the napkin she’d been folding when she balled it up and threw it at me laughing.

“Chase! Geez! You’re worse than me.” Her smile was a million watts. So bright and blinding I had to glance away.

The waitress returned, setting down several plates of food in front of us. Eggs, bacon, pancakes, toast, hash browns. She also placed a large glass of orange juice in front of Melody before she told us to enjoy, and left them to our conversation.

Melody dug in, slathering her pancakes with syrup, cutting furiously into them and taking a large bite. She hadn’t even finished chewing before diving back into her story. “So, the jerk laughs at my panties. You remember right, the ones I wore at that overnight at the Rec Center last year? The lock-in. The satin pink ones.”

My cheeks were on fire. I remembered the panties very well. I wasn’t supposed to have seen her in them, but Mel hardly seemed to mind. I wasn’t sure if that was good, or if it was horribly, terribly awful. I was leaning towards the latter.

“I was going for comfort over sexy for the night. But I thought they were nice. Guess Noah thinks only thongs or some little itty bitty g-strings are sexy.” Mel rolled her eye as she took a bite of toast. “Whatever. So, after that little laughing fit, he pulled them down and started eating me.”

Every fiber of my being was on fire. I wanted her to stop. To ask her why she was talking this way, so openly and bluntly. It wasn’t that I thought sex should be talked about with those stupid code words parents used with their children. Hooha. Weenie. Kitty. All those words that just made things more awkward. But it felt like she was deliberately trying to make me… what, aroused? Upset? Uncomfortable? All the above?

But, as much as I wanted her to stop, I also found myself wanting to hear more. I wanted to hear all about what happened to her. What her body was like. How she felt. To my utter embarrassment, I thought about sitting in the limo and watching.

I shifted my eggs around my plate, unable to eat as I listened. Why didn’t it bother her to tell me these things? Did she really trust me that much? Or did she just not see me as a man. It was like she was talking about getting her driver’s license. Everyone does it, and once it’s done you have a card to show the proof. Was this story her proof? Was she just so excited she wanted to wave it in my face?

She took another bite of dripping pancakes, continuing, oblivious to my discomfort.

“It was weird. I mean, like, in a good way. Ya know?” She said it like I was supposed to understand what it was like to eat a girl’s pussy. And, to be fair, she would have been right if I’d been brave enough to keep my end of our bargain.

“Noah’s tongue was like a tornado. I mean, he was all over my pussy. I’m glad I shaved.” She took a drink of orange juice.

I tried to keep my eyes on her face, meeting her blue-green gaze. I didn’t want to imagine my best friend’s freshly shaved vagina. I mean, I did want to think about it, but… it wasn’t right. Right?

“I don’t think Noah would have cared either way if I still had hair or not, but it felt better. Well, I don’t really know, actually. Guess maybe I should try doing it when I haven’t shaved.” She mused, waving her fork around, the eggs on it slipping back to her plate. “So, he did that for a while, then got up onto the seat and undid his slacks. He wanted me to suck his cock.” She rolled her eyes. “What’s with you guys and wanting that? I mean, I guess I get the whole… stimulation and whatnot. But seriously, is it really that good?” She scooped up more eggs, looking at me for an answer.

“Uh, I mean, yeah I guess.” I shrugged. How would I know? God this was embarrassing.

Melody leaned in. I could smell the syrup on her breath and it was as sweet as her personality. “Don’t tell anyone…” She covered her mouth like it was a conspiracy. “But Noah isn’t very big. I mean, he’s maybe five inches? I know that’s not small, but the way all the girls gossip and stuff, you’d have thought the guy had an elephant trunk in his pants. It was more like…” She thought for a moment as she leaned back, tapping her lip with her fork, “I don’t know, something with a smaller nose. Sorry, I know. TMI. I’m sure you don’t care how big Noah’s dong is.”

This I could agree with.

“So he basically shoves my head down to give him a blowjob. Or what passed for one. Wasn’t sensual or anything, not even like in porn. He just let me move up and down and I swirled my tongue a bit.” She twirled her fork in the air with a bite of dripping pancake for emphasis. “It wasn’t that great. He got tired of that after a minute, so he helped me sit back up and I straddled his lap. It’s not easy getting a guy's penis inside you when it’s dark and your skirts are in the way. It was a logistical nightmare. Oh, but that was after getting the condom on, which was super awkward. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket like a magician. It was neon freaking yellow! Like the ones they handed out in Sex Ed last year. I really hope it wasn’t expired or something.” Her head was shaking, hair flying around her beautiful face even as she was shoveling in some eggs.

I continued to sit and listen, uncomfortably. The table thankfully hid the erection that was pressing against my jeans. I don’t think I’d ever been that hard before. But hearing Mel talk about her sexual escapade, it had my head and my dick warring against each other. She was so casual and flippant about the whole thing, but it was making my chest ache. My eyes were hot and my mouth tasted like week-old toothpaste.

Listening to my best friend, someone I’d known since kindergarten, talk about giving herself to another boy so easily was almost heartbreaking. As absurd as it seemed, I had thought that maybe, just maybe, I’d have been the one she chose. Maybe prom would come and her date would be a jerk and to fulfill our promise we’d… do it with each other. 

“I think the bumps in the road helped because when I was on his lap, like, my head was bumping against the ceiling.” She rubbed at the back of her head. “Probably have a bruise. It’s hard to ride someone when you don't really have the room. Like I said, the world just seems to get smaller when you’re trying to do it. Anyway, so I rode him…” Melody paused, elbows on the table and her face taking on a faraway look. “It was… good. Like, really good. I mean, I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but the way it rubbed against me and the stretching feeling, it was way different then when I masturbate.” That last part seemed to strike Melody because she bit her lip, her eyes darted to me for a second and then down to her plate with a tint of pink in her cheeks.

As awkward and lackluster as Melody was making the whole encounter out to be, she had still liked it. That was probably what made my stomach drop the most.

“I think Noah bruised my ass by how hard he was holding on to it. And he didn’t last long. Maybe a few minutes. That’s pretty average though, according to the internet. And of course we can always trust everything we read there.” She chuckled, taking a large gulp of orange juice.

“I’m sorry. I’m being such a motor mouth. I’ve just been dying to tell you.” She sat back, her plate now empty except for a few crumbs and grease. The smile on her face was genuine and curious. “Enough about me. What happened with Tiffany?”

That’s when the lie was born. How could I tell her I hadn’t fulfilled my end of our promise?

Tiffany Taylor was a very cute, bookish girl whom I’d been flirting with on and off all year. She had long brown hair, green eyes, a nice slim figure. I’d describe her as mousy. But as pretty as Tiff was… there just wasn’t any spark. It wasn’t like I didn’t find her attractive, I definitely got aroused around her. And when I picked her up, she was wearing an amazing sleek, white satin dress that clung so nicely to her budding figure I’d had to adjust myself in my slacks. Her butt was fantastic! Even so, I just couldn’t bring myself to try anything.

Our night was lovely. We talked and danced and laughed. Afterwards we went out for ice cream. Then, I took her home. She gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek and thanked me for a great time. And that was it. No longing looks or subtle hints that she wanted me to make a move. It was just a nice evening, with a beginning and and end.

How could I tell Melody that? Especially after she’d just gushed to me, all the gritty details. How she’d sealed the deal with Noah so easily and casually. Wasn’t it supposed to be the guy that did this sort of thing? Maybe I’d been watching too many rom-coms.

“Um… well, she uh…” I looked down at my plate. I hadn’t eaten more than a single bite of my food. “It was… sort of the same. No limo of course, but…”

“So did you guys do it in the back of your Prius?” She was leaning forward, eyes bright and eager for details.

My cheeks were on fire. I was not nearly as sexually liberal as my friend. “Um, yeah basically. Passenger seat, not the back. Um, we reclined it. She did what you did.” Did I sound convincing at all? Or did I have a girlfriend in Canada that was totally real?

She leaned forward, elbows on the table, chin in her hands, listening eagerly. “So? What was it like? I gotta have a guy’s perspective. I know what it’s like to have someone inside you, but not what it’s like to be inside someone.”

Fuck, why was she making this so difficult? Why couldn’t I just tell her the truth?

“Uh…” I tried to think of all the stories I’d read. Books. Movies. Trying to think of a way to describe something I’d never experienced. “Tight?” Duh. Of course, Tiff’s vagina would have been tight. Idiot. “I mean, ya know, it was her first time too, kinda awkward. But, with the condom and everything, it was, um, easier, ya know, because of the lube… or whatever.” Did condoms come pre-lubed?

Mel was nodding. “Well, go you! Sounds like you might have a girlfriend after tonight…” She was giving me a sly smile and a wink, her cheeks that strange delicate pink again.

“What? Oh, no, um, no, it’s not… not like that. I mean, we had a good time, but no real chemistry.” That, at least, was true.

She sat back and looked slightly disappointed, then bit her lips, eyes darting away for a second before looking back. “I’m sure you rocked her world, Chase. Unless… did you have trouble performing?” There wasn’t a shy fucking bone in Melody’s body. It was both endearing and completely mortifying. “There’s no shame in that, ya know. Don’t sugarcoat things for me. You know you can tell me anything. I’m not gonna judge you just because you couldn’t… uh, rise to the occasion.” The sincerity in her eyes made things all the worse.

“No! No, we uh, no, I definitely rose to the occasion. It was great. We just agreed it was fun, but didn’t want to go any further than that.” I shrugged, hoping that would be the end of it.

The lie had come out so easily. And Melody believed it.

She never stopped believing it.

So now here we were again, years later, and she was recounting another night with another man. All the juicy details and I was just sitting, listening and lamenting that I didn’t have any stories to tell her. Not that I wanted any. At least, not any that didn’t involve her. There’d been opportunities over the years, but I just hadn’t wanted to. Beyond the physical draw of having sex, the idea of doing it with anyone but Melody seemed… wrong. And yes, I knew that was somewhat obsessive and stupid, but I couldn’t rewire my brain to realize that.

Melody continued on with her story. “It’s like, not really about strength, holding a girl up and doing that sort of thing‌. It’s length. This guy had a good eight inches, I’d say. And thick. Really brought me back to those times in highschool when I experimented with my mom’s cucumbers before she’d cut them up for her salads.” She snorted with laughter.

“So we fucked like that for a good solid ten minutes. Can you believe that? Holding my ass up in the air and just letting me fall down over and over on his cock.” She ran a hand through her hair and then rested her chin on her hand, elbow on the table. “It left me pretty sore this morning. Pussy is still all pink. Probably wouldn’t have been as irritated had it not been for the condom. But I’m not gonna let some rando stick it in me raw.” Her nose scrunched up in thought. “Actually. You know what? I don’t think I’ve ever done it without a condom. Huh. Never thought of that.” She shook her head and took a slow sip of her coffee, her story told and a satisfied look washing over her like getting out all the details was better than the experience itself. Her eyes fell on me for a moment, a weighing look that she always gave me after she told a story.

I shifted in my seat, trying to subtly adjust my erection. How fucked up was it that when I heard my best friend talk about her sex life, I was all at once sick to my stomach and turned on beyond belief? Nearly fifteen years of this and I still couldn’t untangle my feelings and my libido.

“Guess it was a good night, then.” I muttered, drinking my coffee and only tasting bitterness.

Melody sighed, her chest rising and falling in the oversized shirt. She smelled her coffee, like some sort of deep meditative ritual with her eyes closed and lips curved in a smile. “It was nice. So, what’s up with you?” Her eyes opened, and she sat her drink down, giving me her full attention.

A buzz distracted me, allowing me to look away from those beautiful eyes and stop the heat from rising in my cheeks. It was a text from Angela, the senior editor at my office. She was asking about the recent edits I’d made to my current manuscript. They were due this morning. I’d finished the edits late last night while I was sitting alone in front of my television, watching Seinfeld for the millionth time, surrounded by glass bottles of Dr. Pepper and Cup-O-Ramen. Dinner of champions.

I shot Angela a quick text, letting her know I’d send over the edits as soon as I got to the office. When I looked back up, Melody was waiting patiently and watching me curiously. “Work?” She asked. “Or maybe it’s a lady friend you haven’t told me about?” There was a slyness to her words.

“You’re my only lady friend, Mel.” I answered, turning my coffee cup again. “Nothing new. Just work. Finishing up a new manuscript. Then I gotta jump to the next one. A new YA dystopia or something like that. Same old.”

Melody shook her head and sighed. “You work too much, you know that? You really need to get out and have a little fun.” Her lips touched her coffee mug, a luscious light pink that I tried to look away from, but sometimes you just can’t help but look at the sun.

I pushed my drink away, the taste of it more like coffee grounds.

“Hey.” Melody’s voice had changed. Her cheery, cheeky mood had shifted to concern and the look on her face was like someone realizing the person in front of them was about to throw up. “I was just teasing. I know you have fun.”

I gave an empty chuckle. “Oh, I’m the life of the party.” I deadpanned.

The concern on her face deepened. “Chase. What’s up?” She set her coffee aside and put her hand on mine across the table. That touch alone sent my pulse racing. “Are you okay? Is something going on at work?” Melody was never one that could let someone stew in their own bad mood. The second she saw someone being gloomy, she had to be the bright ray of sunshine that chased the clouds away. But ironically, she wasn’t all that emotionally mature. She could see things in other people, but not how she affected them. It was a strange disconnect.

I looked into her eyes and a voice inside me screamed. The problem is, I’m fucking in love with you! I’ve been in love with you since the third grade! Why won’t you look at me like I’m a man? I’m not your girlfriend that you can spill all your dirty deeds to! But you know what, I actually like when you do that because then I can go home and jerk off to it! I’d lost count of how many times I’d done that, gone home after Melody confessed about a night of passion and then lay in bed jerking to the memory. It was practically the only sexual relief I got anymore. 

I slid my hand away from Melody’s and sat back, putting my hands in my pockets. “Yeah. Just stressed with this new book is all. Been a killer. Pulled an all nighter, so I guess I’m still in dreamland.” I tried to put on a sincere grin. Maybe I could fool my best friend so that she wouldn’t see that inside I was a crumbling building, barely hanging on. It was just the facade that looked solid and nice. Inside, I was condemned. 

“I should probably get going.” I stole a look at my phone again, needing somewhere to look besides into Melody’s eyes. “I’ve got to turn in my edits and then there are some other meetings…” I waved my hand as I stood up, grabbing my messenger bag from the back of my chair. “I won’t bore you with the details.”

Mel watched me, concern still plastered all over her face. “Well, how about we go out tonight? Let off some steam.” Her eyes brightened at the idea. “There’s this new karaoke bar that opened on 5th. We should check it out.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Karaoke? Seriously?”

She kicked my leg playfully. “Yeah. What better way to let loose than to sing loud, proud and poorly.”

I scrubbed a hand through my dark hair. It was getting shaggy. I really needed to get it cut. Melody was nearly impossible to say no to. That was probably why every guy she ever met wanted to sleep with her and when she gave them the opportunity, jumped at the chance. Of course it helped that she was a slim beauty that was practically all muscle thanks to the nearly thirty years of ballet and gymnastics. I doubt there was an ounce of fat on her. It’d be nice to think that guys were attracted to her personality, but she never stayed with anyone long enough for them to get to know her. Not like I knew her.

“Yeah, sure.” I acquiesced. “Text me the address. I’ll meet you there after work.”

Melody leaned back in her chair, looking up at me. “Cool. Don’t work yourself to death, okay? It’s just a book. Are we still on for tomorrow night too?”

Great. Another time to meet. Another time to pine after my best friend. Why can’t I just let this go? Why can’t I just enjoy being with her? Why does my stupid heart have to have stupid feelings?

I gave her a crooked smile. “Sure. But you choose the movie this time. I don’t want to put you to sleep again with one of my period dramas.”

Melody rolled her eyes. “Not my fault. All that flowery language is like a lullaby to me. Maybe choose something more exciting next time.”

I smiled at her genuinely this time. “I’ll try. What about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?”

Melody snorted as she was taking a drink of her coffee, nearly spitting it out. Everyone in the cafe looked over at her as she gasped and laughed and wheezed, grabbing napkins to wipe off her chin and glared up at me with a playful anger. She threw one of the dirty napkins at me.

“Guess I’ll see you tonight.” I said, picking up the napkin and tossing it onto the table.

“I’ll text you. Be there at seven.” She waved as I walked away.

The barista, from before, passed by me, headed to Melody’s table. I caught part of the conversation as he stepped up next to her. “Do you need another…” “No, thanks…” I watched from the door for a moment as the two talked and words drifted through the hum of machinery and dishes and conversation. “But what you could give me is your number…” Melody was putting her hand on the man’s tattooed arm and giving him that flirty look that was always reserved for others, never for me.

I held in a sigh and pushed out into the milling traffic of people. Crisp air blew through the streets. I shoved my hands into my coat and trudged to the side of the road and hailed a taxi, getting in and heading to work.

— —

Thursday 5:30 PM - Melody

The windows of the car were fogging up quickly. The old two-door coupe was rocking with Melody’s movements. Thankfully, it was at the far end of the parking garage so it was highly unlikely anyone was going to see the car a-rockin’. Her muscles were sore from a long day teaching ballet, but she always had the stamina for sex. The activity lit a fire inside her and she couldn’t resist it, even if she was utterly exhausted.

Matt had adjusted his passenger seat to lie all the way back and was watching Melody, her shirt and bra pulled up and over her head while still keeping the sleeves on. Her ample b cups with quarter sized dark nipples jumped rapidly as she bounced on Matt’s cock. Hair tousled and sweaty and tangled, framing her face as her eyes were closed, Melody panted and groaned, sweat dripping down her temple. She’d pulled off her yoga pants, but they were still hanging on her left ankle, tangled with her panties. One hand was on Matt’s chest, nails screeching into his firm muscle with her feet planted on either side of him, squatting up and down with vigor.

“Shit!” He groaned, hands coming up to play with Melody’s tits. Holding them and rolling her nipples in his calloused fingers.

Melody moaned against the friction and sat hard on his cock, the condom rubbing against him and inside her. Thankfully, it was decently lubricated, and so was she. Matt’s cock was thick and her manicured lips were dragging along him like a suction cup. Her hands went to Matt’s shoulders for better stability and rode harder, gasping with each deep penetration. 

After the long day she’d had, especially having to teach three classes of young girls that hardly wanted to listen, let alone follow directions, she needed a good fuck. Matt had been sweet enough to give her his number after Chase had left the coffee shop, so now she was being sweet enough to fuck him.

As she rose up on Matt’s cock again, the morning’s conversation with Chase came back. The part where she’d realized she’d never had sex without a condom. It really wasn’t a surprise. She just hadn’t thought about it. There seemed to be something significant about that. Obviously, as much sex as she had with as many men as she did, condoms were just a simple and responsible precaution. No one would find it strange that she hadn’t ever gone into a situation without making sure the goods were bagged first. But it itched at her.

It itched because when she’d admitted it to Chase, she couldn’t think of a reason to have sex without a condom. Never. Not with any of the men she’d been with. Not even when she’d had a boyfriend back in college for a few months. Never once had it occurred to her… no, it had occurred to her, but when she considered it, something in her chest clenched. Like being unprotected with someone in that way was far too intimate. It meant she was completely exposed.

Ugh! Stupid thoughts. Get the fuck out. I’m busy! She scolded herself. An orgasm was approaching, and she desperately wanted to feel it without some existential thoughts dampening it.

“Ughhh Fuck me!” She grunted, placing a hand on the low ceiling of the car and the other on Matt’s shoulder. “Fuck me!” It was an order. She glared down at him, clenching her jaw.

“Yeah? You fucking want it?” Matt grabbed her hips and started thrusting hard and fast.

Melody’s pussy burned, and she gasped at the sudden onslaught. Her lips gripping and dragging. Inside, he was grazing her g-spot repeatedly. Gasping with pleasure as her orgasm finally rose over the wall and crashed down through her, Melody cried out. “Yes! Yes, fuck yes, I’m cumming. Shit, just like that, don’t fucking stop!” Her nails were digging into the roof and Matt’s shoulder as she grit her teeth against the feral orgasm rushing through her nerves.

It was nearly a minute, Matt still thrusting, as the endorphins rushed through her, making every exhausted and worn muscle tense. Her pussy clenched hard and cream dripped down his shaft, over his balls. That warm liquid feeling was what finally pushed Matt over the edge. He pulled her down on him, grunting as he filled the condom, shaking and arching his back with a low guttural grunt. They both held still in their pleasure, the moment hanging in the air. A thick heat settling around them, thick with the smell of sex.

“Shitshitshit.” Melody muttered as the orgasm receded, breaths evening out. Her hand moved from the ceiling, brushing back her hair just as her phone blared an alarm.

“Oh, fuck!” Her eyes went wide as she reached down into the floorboards to grab her phone. It’d fallen out of her yoga pants when she’d been pulling them down to mount Matt. The alarm declared it was 5:40 PM. “I gotta go!” She was scrambling off Matt, the condom pulling and popping out. There was only a second to be impressed by the bulb at the end, thick with cum, before she was untangling her panties and pulling them up along with her pants.

Matt was panting, wiping a hand across his face. “Wh…what? Already?” He glanced at his watch. “I thought you were done with work?”

“I am. Gotta meet someone.” She pulled her sports bra and shirt back over her head, and took a quick look in the rearview mirror to make sure she didn’t look like she’d just been fucked. “Good enough.” She said, running fingers through her tangles, before reaching into the backseat and grabbing her gym bag.

“Well… do you wanna maybe go to dinner sometime?” Matt was pulling his pants up, the condom already off and tied, and she assumed in the bag of trash he had pushed up under his glove compartment.

Melody had the driver’s door open and was slipping out. “Uh, maybe. Not really looking to date or anything right now. But this was fun. We should do it again.” She wasn’t even looking at him, slinging her bag across her chest and looking around for the closest exit that would lead her back to the street.

“I mean, sure, anytime. You sure this is…” Matt was scooting over into the driver's seat when Melody cut him off with a wave of her hand.

“It’s fine. It’s just sex Matt. Don’t look so much into it, okay? I’m not one of those girls that’s gonna feel jilted if you don’t text me or anything.” She gave him a quick smile, nothing showy or intimate, just something to placate him before locking her eyes on the exit. “I’ll see ya around!” She was already jogging to the stairs that lead to the street.

She hailed a cab quickly and had them rush to Chase’s office building. It was one of the larger buildings in town with Chase’s agency, InkWell Publishing, taking up several of the higher floors. It was baffling to her sometimes why they’d chosen Grind N’ Go Coffee to meet in the mornings. She’d offered to meet somewhere more in the middle, between her studio and his office. But Chase was always considering others' needs and what might inconvenience them over what might be beneficial to both parties. Melody would have happily taken a cab every morning, or even the bus or whatever, to meet Chase at a Starbucks or some other place. But Chase really couldn’t be argued with. Once his mind was made up, Melody had to follow along.

On the ride, she texted Chase, “You headed out yet?”

“It’s not even six.” The reply came back almost instantly.

Melody rolled her eyes. Of course, Chase wouldn’t be done yet. And that’s why she wasn’t going to meet him at the karaoke bar. She couldn’t really trust that Chase would show up. He wasn’t a flake. In fact, if he said he was going to be somewhere, he was there on the dot. But this morning, something had bothered her. She couldn’t put her finger on it.

Watching the people and buildings slip by as the cab made its way to Chase’s office, she thought back to the cafe and how Chase had looked… what was even the word? She wasn’t the literary type like he was. She didn’t have the fancy dictionary and thesaurus brain he always had that landed him his sweet publishing job. But, if she really dove deep, she thought the word she was looking for was, forlorn. 

She gripped her phone tight and looked down at it, quickly thumbing to her photos app and scrolling through them. There were several of her and her ballet students, some with friends when they’d gone out drinking or to some new restaurant they wanted to try. But the bulk of her pictures were with Chase. They stretched back all the way through college. She’d had to buy extra cloud storage just to keep everything. She was a photo fiend. Constantly snapping selfies and candid shots, even if it really wasn’t the most appropriate time. Most of the photos were when she was snapping selfies and his facial expression was surprised or playfully annoyed. The photos ran the gamut of emotion: annoyed, happy, laughing, frustrated, confused. But she didn’t have any of him looking sad.

She’d seen him sad. When his parents had passed away from a car accident when he was a junior in college. That was the first time she’d really seen him cry, and it nearly broke her.

Chase wasn’t meant to cry. That boy should never have to cry. Even just remembering it made everything inside her burn, knowing that the drunk driver got away without a scratch and only a few years in prison for taking Chase’s family. But she quickly pushed that aside and continued scrolling through the pictures. Not once could she recall or find any picture that mirrored the look Chase had had that morning. Was something going on at work? He seemed to be doing really well. Could he be lying, though?

No, he’d never lie to her about that. Chase wouldn’t lie to her at all. They’d known each other their entire lives and lived through so much together. They knew each other inside and out. But now it felt like there was something under the surface that she was missing. Maybe it had always been there and she’d never noticed. It wouldn’t have been the first time she didn’t pick up on things.

She shoved her phone into her pocket as the cab came to a stop in front of Chase’s building. She paid with her phone and hopped out, strolling into the lobby and to the elevators. It was a modern building, most everything made of raw steel, glass and dark marble. The elevators had an old art déco sort of design that always made her feel like she was in an M. C. Escher painting.

She pressed the button for the seventh floor, where Chase had his office, and rode up quietly, hands clasped in front of her, lost in meandering thoughts, still feeling a slight throb in her pussy from the rough fucking Matt had given her. He wasn’t half bad. Definitely fun. Though he seemed a little clingy when she was heading out. She might not want to encourage that sort of thing. She’d ask Chase about it when she told him the details. He always had the best perspective on things. An insight she admired and valued when it came to all of her shenanigans. Plus, it was fun to watch him shift and squirm a little. She knew it was doing something to him when she talked about sex and she just couldn’t resist the tease.

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened onto a very wide open floor that looked much more like a library than an office. Cubicles were set at intervals behind a long reception desk. The front of the desk was shelves. Two walls of every cubicle were shelves. And every shelf had books stuffed on them, stacked and lined up and piled. The entire floor had the smell of paper and ink, coffee and tea. It swirled around her in a heady mixture that she always associated with Chase. That and the smell of freshly printed paper.

She walked into the lobby confidently and waved to the receptionist. Her name was Raven, and she was a small Indian woman with a dark braid of hair, large green rimmed glasses and the most sugar sweet smile Melody had ever encountered. “Hey Rave!” she said, walking past the desk.

Raven grinned and waved. “He’s back in his office.” She said, not needing to be told whom Melody was there to see.

“Ooooof course.” Melody rolled her eyes playfully and gave Raven a wink as she continued down the winding path between the cubicles to a row of offices at the back. The front of the offices were all glass, which apparently could be transitioned to opaque with a switch, though Melody had never seen anyone do it. Chase’s office was in the corner on the far side of the floor from the elevators.

Her friend was sitting at his desk, dark-rimmed glasses on and head leaning against his upturned hand as he was reading over a manuscript, red pen in his hand and making slow deliberate marks and notes as he went. The light in his office was dim, the windows looking out on the city behind him covered by dark shades and the lamp next to his desk the only other light besides what was coming through the front windows to his office.

Melody stopped next to a cubical, a dozen feet shy of Chase’s door, and watched him. He sat his pen down and absently picked up a can of Dr. Pepper, taking a sip without taking his eyes off the manuscript. Then he set the can down, turned the page, and picked his pen back up. It was clear he was not getting ready to leave, and probably wouldn’t be for a while. 

She nibbled her lip as she watched Chase in his element. Some people would watch men or women charging onto a field, onto a court, ready to perform feats of athletic prowess, but Chase’s arena was a desk and a stack of paper with countless words and a red pen. As much as Melody wasn’t really a reader, she had read every single book Chase had been a part of editing. She was convinced they were good, not just because of the writer's talent, but because Chase had brought out that special sparkle and bite to the story the author was trying to tell.

Chase was focused. The whole world around him was invisible. Nothing, short of an earthquake, would rouse him from his work. Melody was gonna be that earthquake.

Straightening up and adjusting her gym bag across her chest, the strap resting between her breasts, she marched forward but only made it a few steps before someone’s voice made her stop.

“Melody?” The voice was gravely and low, but pleasant. It sent a chill down her spine and between her legs, her sore pussy tightened up with a memory from last night's encounter.

She turned, cheeks a little red because she didn’t expect to run into Kurt again. That was his name, right? Kurt. Yes. Kurt. But there he was, standing behind her, dressed in a nice blue button down with the sleeves rolled up, showing off his nicely toned arms. His wavy black hair was brushed to the side and his dark green eyes were looking at Melody with nothing but surprise and unexpected delight. He was slightly taller than Melody, though not as tall as Chase was. Chase was slim and lanky and stood almost a foot taller than Mel. Kurt was more stocky, which lent to that strength he had when he’d been holding her up in the air.

That memory, still fresh, came rushing back as she met Kurt's gaze…

— —

Wednesday 8:30 PM [Yesterday] - Melody

It’d barely been twenty minutes since they’d gotten to Kurt’s apartment. Melody had dropped her shopping bag with the books she’d bought next to his door. The apartment was a studio, wide open, with several windows along the far wall. Her low rider jeans were thrown on the floor somewhere along the way to the bed, as well as her Hello Kitty t-shirt and black bra. They’d only had one drink when they arrived. That spun into a make-out session, then pulling off each other’s clothes, tumbling towards the bed.

“Fuck! Fuck!” Melody gasped with each firm thrust from Kurt’s cock. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, her little black thong pulled to the side as his dick plunged deep and rhythmically. The condom rubbed, lubed and ribbed to make the friction more intense inside of Melody. Her breasts were jumping as she laid back Kurt on his hands, propping himself up to watch her face as he was fucking her.

She had her eyes closed, hair splayed out around her head as he grunted, thrusting and bottoming out inside her. Lips gripping tightly and pulling at him when he pulled out and then slid back inside. “Fuckingshit yes yes.” She matched his grunt with her own gasps and words. 

Melody never liked to look the men in the eyes, at least not often. She liked experiencing the sensations, as if vision weren’t a part of it. She wanted the smells and the feelings and the sounds. It was intense, experiencing the thick rod sliding in and out of her tight tunnel, making her mewl.

They moaned together as he pounded, making her ass bounce on his mattress before he pulled her towards the edge of the bed, planting his feet on the floor and grabbing her around the waist.

“Wh…what are you…?” Melody gasped, eyes opening when he pulled her off the mattress.

“Hold on!” Kurt grunted with a laugh, then lifted Melody up into the air. Hands grasping her firm ass cheeks, he squeezed hard and pulled them apart, even as he stayed balls deep inside her pussy.

“Holyshit!” Melody screamed as Kurt steadied his stand, thighs bulging against the weight, and started thrusting her down hard and fast, with no regard to any sort of technique. The sounds of her wet cunt splashing and slapping his thighs filled the room, along with her screams. “Shitfuckingshit oh god! I’m cumming. I’m fucking cumming, holy god!” She arched back, tits out in Kurt's face.

Jaw clenched, breathing labored, Kurt kept up the pace of pounding Melody. He held her ass tight, nails digging in and slamming her up and down over and over, roaring with the pleasure and pure animal desire that was rushing through them both. The smell of raw sex. Sweat dripping down their backs and chests.

“Fucking take it. Take my cock. That’s right. Feel it in your fucking womb, cunt. Take it!” Kurt growled. Every muscle was on fire in both of them as Melody experienced the force of gravity, and Kurt’s firm thrusts, driving his cock deep inside. Her legs shook and her heart was pounding like she was skydiving.

“Oh goooooood!” She screamed, her juices dripping and pouring down Kurt’s balls. A puddle formed on the floor as she kept her head back, eyes rolling and riding the never ending orgasm that Kurt was giving her.

“Fuck. Fuck I’m gonna cum!” Kurt grunted, still holding onto Melody for another few moments.

“Ahhhhghhhahahhah” was all that Melody could answer with as her orgasm raged through her, making her pussy clamp down on Kurt’s cock.

A few more rapid thrusts and Kurt nearly threw Melody onto the bed. She lay back panting, legs open, pussy pink and puffy from the pounding she’d just gotten. Kurt pulled the condom off and threw it aside and started jerking rapidly just as his own orgasm began. He moved forward and began a twisted groan and grunt as he shot his load directly onto Melody’s pale, tight stomach and tits. The thick, warm, sticky cum dripped down her breasts and glazed her nipples like it was warm frosting.

She groaned, looking at him through half lids, her pleasure still coursing through her as the thick shots covered her. There were at least four large, thick ropes of semen coating her before Kurt took a deep breath, slowing his pumping hand and finally stopping. He was breathing hard, running a hand through his sweaty hair. 

They both let their breath, deep and raspy, fill the quiet of the apartment before Kurt started chuckling.

“Damn, that was intense.” He stepped back from the bed, cock lowering and dripping from his intense ejaculation. “Need some water?”

Melody stared up at the exposed concrete ceiling and silver ducts that ran along it. Her tits moved gently as she took slow breaths, the cum dripping along her sides and pooling near her neck. “Yeah.” She sighed. “Definitely.”

Kurt was still chuckling as he went to the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out a couple bottles of water. He held one out to her and she took it, staying on the bed. Her legs felt like jello after that intense workout and she needed a few minutes to regain her wits. She downed the water quickly, which perked her up so she could lean up onto her elbows as Kurt sat down in a nearby armchair, still naked, with his legs fully apart, sporting his softened cock.

“Where did you fucking learn that?” Melody asked with a grin.

Kurt laughed, and Melody joined him. She fell back on the bed, relaxing after the intense wash of pleasure she’d just experienced. The bottle of water crinkled in her hand as she squeezed it absently, closing her eyes and just relishing the feel of the soft black sheets of Kurt's bed. They stayed like that for a while in silence before Melody sat up and brushed her hair back. “What time is it?”

Kurt looked over at the clock on his stove. “Ten after ten,” He said, taking a drink from his water bottle and slouching down into his chair. “Wanna stay the night?” The grin he gave was polite, if a little sly.

Melody giggled, her breasts jiggling as she got to her feet. “Sorry. Not really an overnight girl. You mind if I use your shower, though? I don’t wanna catch a cab all sticky, and I have an early meeting tomorrow, so probably not gonna have the time in the morning.” She was already walking towards the bathroom on the other side of the living space, opposite the kitchen.

“Sure. Go ahead.” Kurt was watching Melody’s ass bounce, her panties still on, pulled to the side over one of her lovely cheeks.

The bathroom was enormous and very modern. A large glass shower with a wood bench, all black tile and patterned marble. A warming towel rack. Large farmer basin sink and a frosted window next to the toilet. Melody slipped her panties off and tossed them next to the door, going to the shower and turning it on, letting it warm up before stepping inside to let the water cascade over her and start washing away the sweat and cum from her body.

She ran her fingers through her hair, untangling it under the heavy spray of the overhead rain spout. Hands scrubbing over her face, taking in the heat through her nose and mouth, reviving her from the furious, dehydrating sex she’d just had. A hand on her ass made her stiffen for a second, then she relaxed when she looked back, seeing Kurt had joined her in the shower. She was hardly in a position to protest since it wasn’t her shower, though she was fairly tired and didn’t wanna be out much later.

Kurt's hand slid across her wet ass and down between her thighs, fingers caressing and rubbing over her smooth labia and then pulling apart the folds to feel her inner slickness. A single finger found her entrance and pressed inside, with the other rubbing against her clit. Her hands pressed to the shower wall as she leaned forward, pushing her ass back. Kurt put a hand on her shoulder and began to slowly, deeply finger her.

Melody’s moans got lost in the sounds of the shower, the splashing water and gurgling drain. Kurt continued thrusting a finger into her warm tunnel as he knelt down behind her and pushed her legs apart. “Show me your pussy.” He ordered and Melody put her cheek against the tile wall, hands going back to spread her ass open and show her slick wet asshole and pussy to Kurt.

“Fucking perfection.” He dove in, his tongue finding her dripping slit and roughly sliding along the folds of her sex.

“Shit!” she gasped, cheek against the wall and wet hair plastered to her face and neck. “Holy shit, do you fucking have a snake tongue?” She wheezed a little laugh as Kurt just groaned into her vagina and pushed his tongue deeper, tasting her sweetness as the water ran over them.

His finger pressed in and his tongue switched out with it every few pumps or licks. Alternating as he ground his nose against her asshole. She groaned and kept her hands tightly gripped on her ass cheeks. “Fuck Kurt. Shit… ugh there…there don’t stop… curve your ohholyfuckingshitshitshit!” She was shaking under the hot water as his finger curved and found her g-spot and began rubbing fast as he licked at her sensitive lips around his finger.

“Cum for me, bad girl. Cum!” He was rubbing inside relentlessly, his tongue stopping and just letting his fingers do the magic.

“Ahhhhhggghhhhhahhhh.” She groaned out as another orgasm washed over her, making her thighs shake and ass jiggle, going up onto her toes as everything inside her tensed up.

Before her orgasm had even finished, Kurt was standing up, grabbing Melody by the hair and turning her around, pushing her to her knees and putting his thick cock to her mouth. “Open up.”

She responded instantly and slid her lips around the bulbous purple head of his penis and looked up at him through the falling water. He kept his hand on her head as she steadily went down on him, taking more and more until her nose was against his crotch, rubbing into his pubic hair. “Ohhhh fuck Mel, that’s it. Yes. Tighten your throat. Rub your tongue. Yes, there. Fucking shit, your mouth is good.”

She took hold of his hips, but he slapped her hands away. “Hands behind your back. Don’t touch. Just take my cock in your fucking throat.” Melody blushed under the heat of his words and she put her hands behind her back, clasping them tightly as he started moving her head back and forth on him, lips dragging and sucking along the shaft.

Soon he was thrusting in and out faster, harder, making her gag and choke and slobber along his cock. The shower washed all the slick saliva away as quickly as it showed up. She was sucking in breaths through her nose as he face fucked her firmly, but not too rough. It had a dominance to it that wasn’t harsh, just expectant.

They stayed like that for several minutes before Kurt began to groan and thrust his hips, meeting Melody’s downward sucking, climaxing in mere seconds, shooting his second load of the night into her throat, making her gag and cough. He held her head as he spasmed inside her mouth, shooting the thick, burning cream down her throat before finally pulling back and letting her go.

Melody leaned back, coughing as she struggled to swallow the cum. It took a moment to compose herself, wiping her lips and blinking away tears from under the onslaught of water. 

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Kurt asked, stepping back and offering her a hand so she could stand up.

She took it and got to her feet, shaking her head. “No, just didn’t realize your load was that big. Guess I should have known, considering how much you glazed my tits.” She laughed and pushed her wet hair from her face. “Okay, no more funny business. I gotta shower and get going.”

Kurt gave her a crooked smile and nodded. “Sure. I’ll grab you a towel.” He stepped out of the shower to let her finish cleaning up.

Melody grabbed a bar of soap and washed her hair with the shampoo sitting in the corner. It was Old Spice, not her first choice, but it would do. She scrubbed her chest, getting the dried cum that was still clinging to her skin, and then grabbed a loofa and scrubbed between her legs over her sensitive lips. Usually she took her time in the shower, but this time she was in a hurry. She wanted to get back to her place and crash. If she didn’t get enough sleep, she was going to be a wreck for work tomorrow. Plus, she didn’t like being groggy when she met Chase in the morning.

Sufficiently clean, Melody stepped out of the shower and found a large towel hanging from the warming rack that she quickly pulled down and relished in its warm fluffiness. She tossed the towel into a nearby hamper and grabbed her panties, slipping them on as she walked out of the bathroom. Kurt had gathered her clothes and put them on the back of the couch in the living area. He was in the kitchen grabbing another bottle of water, freshly dried and with a pair of boxers pulled on.

“You sure you don’t wanna stay? I swear, no more funny business. You’ve got work in the morning, I’m guessing?” Kurt said, leaning against his kitchen island and drinking deeply from his water bottle.

Melody was quickly slipping her clothes back on, not bothering with her bra, and going to grab her gym bag. “Yeah. Got an early class at the studio and a meeting before that so I can’t stay. And like I said, I’m not the overnight kinda girl.” She smiled and gave Kurt a wink. “We should do this again, though.”

Kurt grinned. “Oh, you’re not going to hear any protest from me.” He winked back at her. “You can hop on over here anytime. You’ve got my number, right?”

She nodded and pulled open the door. “Sure do. Thanks for the fun evening!” She gave him a last wave and was out the door, hurrying down the hall as she pulled her phone out to call an Uber.

— —

Thursday 6:00 PM - Chase

I dragged my red pen through the fifth repetition of “released a breath they didn’t know they were holding” from the manuscript and then sat back in my chair, taking off my reading glasses and rubbing the heel of my palm against my eyes. This young adult novel getting on my nerves. It wasn’t bad, the idea was solid and most of the writing was really well developed, but this author had lots of bad habits. Constant repetition of lines and phrases. Using way too many adjectives instead of keeping things simple. It was giving me a migraine.

I tossed my glasses onto the top of the manuscript and checked the time on my computer. If I was going to make it to this karaoke bar, I probably needed to wrap things up. I tapped my pen against my desk, staring at the computer as if it had answers. But this wasn’t a solution for Google.

I could always just text and say you have to work late.

That wasn’t a lie. I did have a lot to do. This manuscript was going to need a lot of work and the more time I put into it up front, the better it would go in the long run. But Mel had seemed excited about tonight and she was trying to cheer me up. I couldn’t just bail. Not that she wouldn’t find company if I didn’t show up. Heck, she’d probably find some company for the night, even if I did.

I grabbed the Dr. Pepper I had sitting next to the manuscript and shook it, disappointed to hear nothing. All gone. Is there a worse sound in the world than an empty Dr. Pepper can? I tossed it into my trash can with the other dozen cans already in there. I really should recycle.

A rap came at the door and I let my gaze drift to there lazily, not in the mood for another meeting with Angela about how we still needed to work on the ending of the novel I’d submitted this morning. But it wasn’t Angela at the door. Melody was swaying in with a wide smile and her gym bag bouncing against her tight behind. “Mel?” This was a surprise.

“Figured you’d still be hunched over a desk.” She came around and sat on the edge of my desk, folding her arms under her breasts and giving me a look like she’d just found me with my hand in a cookie jar, or surfing porn on company time.

“Well, it is my job. But sometimes I stand. This is a standing desk, after all.” I pressed a button under the lip of the desktop and a second later, it began to rise. The sudden change in height threw Melody off balance and she yelped as she fell forward. For a ballerina and gymnast, she didn’t seem to have very good balance.

I pushed my chair back quickly and moved to catch her as she fell forward, landing in my lap and arms wrapping around my neck, hair in my face that smelled sweaty and like Old Spice. She was laughing, arms tight around me and lips against my shoulder.

“Warn a girl before moving the earth, dick.” She sat up in my lap and smacked my chest. It made me break out in goosebumps and I desperately tried to think of dead puppies so that my cock didn’t start poking her through my jeans.

Her cheeks flushed for a moment and her hips wiggled against me. We both stiffened. A hint of embarrassment flooding our cheeks. The way she was looking at me, there was this twinkle in her hazel eyes. Her ass was firm and soft ‌and I could feel my erection pressing against my jeans right in the crease of it. Melody gave me a crooked grin and got up, but as she did, it felt like she pressed her ass against me a little harder than necessary.

I cleared my throat, watching Melody smoothing her pants and shirt as if they were wrinkled. It seemed more like a nervous tick than something necessary. “So, what are you doing here? I thought we were meeting at the bar?” I asked.

She turned to me and reclaimed her place against my desk, folding her arms and looking at me sternly. Or at least she was trying to look stern. It was more like a child acting like an adult. “I knew you would try to get out of going by working yourself to death.”

My chair creaked as I leaned back. “Well…” I wanted to argue, but she was right. I was going to try to get out of going. I was going to work late and then… ugh, it was stupid how pathetic of a plan it was.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought. So I came to get you.” She pushed off the desk and grabbed my hand. “Come on. Up out of that chair. Put this mess away for tomorrow and come get drunk and sing crappy pop songs with us.”

“Us?” I stumbled as I got to my feet.

As if on cue, Kurt Summers walked into my office. He was a new junior editor who worked with the Non Fiction editors. A good looking guy, hard working and talented. Also a bit of a flirt. Always flashing winks and grins at the women around the office. Nothing overly offensive, though he was good looking enough, most of the women wouldn’t ever dream of contacting HR for sexual harassment. He was actually a nice guy, and as much as he might flirt, he never put any pressure on anyone. If he kept up the good work and channeled that charisma properly, he had a very bright future at Inkwell.

“Hey Kurt. What can I help you with?” I asked, Melody leading me around the desk.

“I invited him.” Melody smiled.

“Invited him to what?”

“The bar.”

“Why?”

Melody stared at me as if I was from another planet. “Because it’ll be fun? Because I’m social?” Her lips slipped into a cute smile. “I ran into Kurt when I was coming to get you. Figured the more the merrier.”

I looked back to Kurt, who was leaning against the doorframe of my office, grinning. “And I just asked Raven if she’d like to join. She’s finishing up at the front desk so she’ll meet us in the lobby.”

My eyes bounced like ping-pong balls between Melody and Kurt. “How do you two know each other?”

“We just… ran into each other before and when I saw her in the office, I had to say hi. Didn’t know you guys knew each other. Small world.” Kurt shrugged, his cheeks a little red.

Melody nodded. “Small world.” Her voice cracked a little, a hint of pink in her cheeks as well. But her smile didn’t falter as she kept hold of my hand and pulled me towards the door.

“Hang on. I gotta get my stuff.” Taking my hand from hers almost felt like a piece of me getting pulled apart. I forced myself to turn away and go back to my desk, making an appearance of organizing things. “I’ll meet you in the lobby in a minute. Okay? Just let me get this stuff sorted.” I didn’t lift my eyes to see if Melody or Kurt were listening.

“Okay. But hurry up or I’ll come back and drag you by the ear.” Mel laughed then headed to the door. When I glanced up, she was taking Kurt by the arm and walking with him towards the elevators.

Was that a friendly arm hold? Was it more? I couldn’t help thinking that when Kurt had said they’d “run into” each other… I shook my head. I didn’t want to think about it. I wanted to stop thinking about it. All of it. I wanted to stop thinking about Melody naked. About her writhing in pleasure and ecstasy. Of her screaming in orgasm for another man. Of those men getting to taste her and feel her…

“AAAAGH.” I groaned and sat down hard in my chair, throwing my pen onto my desk. I slumped into my chair, head in my hand and gripping my hair in frustration. Everything was turning to shit. Or maybe that was just an exaggeration. Matters of the heart always seemed to make everything worse.

After a minute of pitying myself, I gathered up the manuscript and my laptop and stuffed them into my bag, slung it over my shoulder and marched out of my office. To my credit, I only dragged my feet a little as I headed to the elevators. The ding when the doors opened made me cringe, but I stepped in anyway and held the door for Raven when she came hurrying over with her bag held tightly in her hands.

“Thanks!” She smiled up at me. She was a very diminutive woman, sweet and perky, with dark skin and dark eyes and sleek black hair in a braid. She wore dark washed jeans and a red silk blouse, very professional and flattering. I always thought she was cute, maybe even had a tiny work crush on her. Not something I’d follow through with, my heart was too far gone for Melody. But, she was nice. And sometimes nice was just, nice.

“So you’re going too?” I tried to sound excited, inviting, even giving her a smile that was as warm as I could make it.

Whether Raven was bad at picking up on fake excitement or I was just a good liar, whatever the reason, she was a bubble of excitement.

“Yeah! I’ve never been to karaoke. It sounded like fun, I never get to go out with people from the office so I’m excited. I’m not sure what I’ll sing though. What do you think? What’s a good song?” She was talking quickly, animated, her hands flying everywhere as she spoke.

Her chatter made the elevator ride go quickly and when the doors opened to the lobby, we stepped out to meet Kurt and Melody, who were lingering near the front doors chatting as if they’d known each other for years. She was laughing and patting him on the chest. They looked thick as thieves.

It made me want to puke.