CHAPTER NINE

Emery

I packed a box in my bedroom, pushing a loose strand of hair out of my eyes. I was moving in a week and a half and going to have dinner at my mom’s new house. It was her husband’s house, but I was having trouble thinking of it as mine. I knew it was temporary until I found a suitable apartment of my own and Phil was a nice man. He loved her.

I went to the kitchen to get some water, taking a break. I worked at my current job for the next two weeks and needed to get as much done as I could on the weekends. My phone rang, and I grabbed it, seeing Mollie’s face on the screen.

“Hey you.” I smiled, appreciating the call.

“Hi, Em. What are you up to?” She asked me as I sighed.

“Packing.” We talked yesterday after I got home from Sebastian’s place and she was surprised at how long the night went for us. She suggested finding Sebastian again, thinking that he was interested, but I scoffed at the idea. It was just one night, and I was moving on with my life.

“Want me to bring some lunch over and I’ll help you?” Mollie offered, and I told her that sounded great. She said that she’d be over soon, and I smiled as I killed the call. I took a moment to pull my hair back in a tighter ponytail and looked around my small apartment. I only had to pack my things since I was leaving the furniture for the next tenant. It came with it for me and I wasn’t too attached to any of it.

I walked back to the bedroom, knowing that Mollie had a key to get in. I was taping up my box when I heard her voice and smiled at the door as she entered.

“Hi you.” I went in the small hallway bathroom to wash my hands and we sat on the living room couch. Mollie unpacked the sandwiches, and I pulled out the open bottle of wine from the fridge. We poured it into solo cups and sipped as we chatted.

“So, are you thinking of putting yourself out there after this weekend?” Mollie asked as I took a long drink of wine.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to become some kind of slut because I’ve had sex now, Mol. The point was to get that out of the way, and the job is done.” I told her that he was good, and I enjoyed myself. It was more than that. I didn’t think I’d find it in the first one-night stand that I attempted. “I’ll settle into Boston and see what happens there.”

“Are you sure he was as good as you say?” Mollie asked as I laughed at her. Some things had to be kept in and that might be the case forever.

“He was fine.” We finished eating, and I felt her eyes on me as we moved to pack, wanting to know more. I thought it was probably obvious that Sebastian was skilled at everything that he did since he was so confident. He oozed sex the first time that I saw him. Mollie mused about me having his love child and I threw a stuffed animal at her. That was not what I wanted, and we were careful. I just hoped that condoms were as good as people claimed.

We finished most of the bedroom and decided to go out and take a walk. I needed some fresh air and a drink. I showered and changed into a red wrap dress with some wedges to feel dressed up. Mollie was always dressed up, and I felt like I had to put in the same effort sometimes. We walked to a small bistro that had great salads and a good wine selection.

Once we were situated at a small, round table I sipped my wine.

“Are you ready for dinner with the fam this weekend?” Mollie asked as I shrugged.

“It will be fine. I can get to know Phil better and I think his son is coming? I’m not sure.” Mollie raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know anything about the kid. My mom hasn’t met him for some reason, so this will be a first.”

“Maybe he’s hot.” Mollie suggested as I shook my head at her.

“I am not looking to recreate a smutty stepbrother novel, Mol. That’s gross.” I wrinkled my nose, and she seemed to think for a moment.

“He isn’t a blood relative.” I threw my cloth napkin at her and she laughed as she caught it.

“Stop it. Mom would hate me forever if I did that.” We moved on to what we had planned for the week. I just started a yoga class with Mollie that I was going to have to give up now. I liked it even if I was learning my balance. We would go this week and next along with doing other things together.

We went back to my apartment with a good wine buzz, sitting down to watch a movie so we’d both sober up. We worked the next day, and she needed to look as refreshed as possible. I just wanted to be present for my clients and knew that I’d be doing small things to prepare for the move after work if I was home.

Mollie went home when the movie was over, and I watched as she got into a car. I was going to miss her like crazy. I locked up and went back to my room to change into a shirt to sleep in. Dropping into the queen bed, I shut off the light and took a slow breath. Talking about Sebastian made me think of him all over again and I felt my body respond. He was amazing in bed and my body still craved him. I spread my legs apart and reached down to trace the cotton of my underwear. They were damp, and I stroked slowly, gaging the feeling with a smile. It was nowhere near the same as being with Sebastian, but it might do. I slipped my hand under the material and found my needy clit as I bit down on my lip.

It felt good, and I kept moving my hand. I closed my eyes and felt my nipples pebbling under the thin shirt as I stroked deeper. I tried pulling on it before stroking again and jerked as I felt the pressure building. I should buy a sex toy and give him a name like some of my friends did since I wasn’t looking to replace the memory of Sebastian with another man anytime soon.

Thinking further about that, I wondered if I should wait until I was in my own place. How embarrassing would it be to get caught? I dropped my head back and slipped two fingers inside of me, pressing my hand against my pussy. I moaned as I fucked myself, feeling the heat as I came hard.

When I was finished, I used the bathroom and grabbed some water for my room. I returned to bed, ready to sleep after my activity. It was going to be a long week.