Would you like to meet me for drinks?

I hit send on the text before I lost my nerve.

Janelle was a friend, a very attractive friend, who I’d spent time with before, but never anything more than someone to hang out with.

Hang out, never hook up.

I needed to open myself up to other people, I had to accept the fact that I was a single guy, who wasn’t getting any younger, and that the object of my affections had been missing in action for months now. I texted Kaylie on the regular, so I had an idea that she was doing okay.

I also knew that she was dating a ‘nice’ guy.

Kaylie refused to tell me Mr. Nice Guy’s name, but she didn’t think that it was enough of a deal that I should worry about it too much.

Because he was ‘nice’.

What the fuck was it with women and the use and abuse of the word ‘nice’? Why did it have to be the kiss of death for some poor sap who was just trying to do the right thing and be a halfway decent guy?

Sure, usual place?

Yeah, see you there around eight.

I smiled, looking forward to spending the evening with Janelle. She was a blast, had a biting sense of humor and could always leave me with my sides splitting from laughter. The fact that she was gorgeous and a phenomenal human being was a total bonus.

“You look happy today, hot date?”

Aspen walked into my office at McCallum with a stack of papers and collapsed in the seat across from me.

Hmmmm. Hot date. Well…

“Yeah, I guess you could say I do.”

I felt oddly proud of myself, as if I’d turned some sort of important corner by allowing the boys to fall out of the mangina they’d created and swing free once again.

“Mari?”

And there it was. The one word that could put a dark cloud over my sunshine.

My mouth lifted in a half smile.

“No, haven’t heard from her, so I’m giving her the space everyone in the universe seems to be intent on letting me know she needs.”

She kind of narrowed her eyes while looking at me.

“So, you’re moving on?”

Was I?

“I don’t know. I mean, I guess? Maybe?”

She rolled her eyes at me.

“What are you, fifteen? Jesus Christ, Dane, this is not a trick question. Are you or are you not over her?”

She stood up and paced the small office a little bit, like a caged animal ready to pounce at me and tear my throat out, which I thought was an oddly intense reaction considering the fact that my love life was really of no consequence to her.

Rather, my lack of a love life.

“Damn, Aspen, want to tone back the bitchiness a few levels? It’s my first attempt at being interested in someone female since my heart was sliced open with blood pouring out everywhere, okay? Is that moving on? I don’t know. I think maybe it’s called ‘I’m trying’. Can you deal with that?”

She glared at me when I mentioned ‘bitchiness’, but for real. I had enough life experience to know better than mention the fact that a lethal dose of Midol might be necessary, but I had a distinct feeling that there was a red river that had her paddle boat ready to ride.

“I wish I could find someone who loved me the way that you loved Mari. Even if it sort of blew up in your face on an epic scale.”

Ah. My sister was having romantic issues.

Fuck.

I had somehow backed myself into a very uncomfortable corner of having to discuss my sister’s romantic life. I could deal with hearing about Phoenix, only because he was my brother. You know, we discussed stuff like a couple of guys in a locker room. It was easier having a brother because I had never had the urge to break some chick’s nose for using him as a one-night stand. One: I would never, ever hit a woman. Two: my brother was the asshole who did the using, so I usually had a greater risk of running interception against pissed off big brothers who wanted to kill him.

“Shit, Aspen.”

I sat on the edge of the desk and opened my arms.

She flung herself in for the hug, and I did my brotherly duties and just held her while she sniffled her way through her problems.

“I thought he liked me, Dane. We’d gone out a few times, and I really thought he was into me. When it came time to get nake… um… serious, he was more than willing to be a very serious participant. But the next day, I couldn’t get him to respond to a text or anything. Suddenly, he’s letting me know that he wanted to back off, that it was moving way too fast for him. Two days later, he’s with some blonde tramp with his tongue shoved down her throat at the restaurant we usually went to together. It was like he wanted me to find him. When I confronted him, he called me a crazy-ass bitch who was a lousy lay. Like, what the fuck? Who says shit like that?”

Her tears started fresh and I found myself clenching and unclenching my left hand. I threw right in football, so I’d learned a long time ago how to punch left handed. My hand was itching to make contact with that asshat’s face, to leave it bloodied and battered as he’d left my sister’s self-esteem.

“No, Dane. He’s not worth it.”

I hadn’t said a word, so I looked at her with a question in my eyes. She silently pointed at my left hand, clenched tightly in a fist that would have easily broken a nose and possibly knocked out a tooth or two.

“To protect you and defend you, it would absolutely be worth it.”

“You’re too pretty to end up in jail, Dane, and trust me, this dickwad would totally claim assault and battery. You’d be taking it up the ass in no time by some big guy calling you his bitch. It’s just best that we drop it.”

Inwardly I seethed. Mostly because I hated that fucker for using my sister like she was worthless. Partially because she thought I’d be the one playing bitch in prison. Why was it never me making other inmates my bitch in my family’s ‘Dane in jail’ scenarios?

“Enough about me and my issues. Who are you taking out tonight?”

“Janelle.”

“Wait, Janelle Janelle?”

“Uh, yeah. Why? What’s wrong with that? I thought you liked her.”

She had crinkled up her nose at the thought of my going out with my friend.

“Of course, I like her. But you guys have been friends for, like, forever. That’s really creepy and weird, like dating a sister or something. Ew, dude, it’s like you’re an incestuous freak getting it on with your cousin or something.”

I gagged a little at the thought.

“Well, I think you’ve just managed to ensure that we will not be having sex tonight, thanks for that. Nothing like a mental image to turn the mighty oak into a limp noodle.”

I laughed as she swung her hand at me.

“You nasty fucker, do not make me picture your baby maker.”

I was bent over laughing so hard I almost started to choke.

“Baby maker?”

“I can’t call it anything other than that, you’re my brother.”

She sat back with her arms crossed, looking more than a little annoyed at me. Good God, trying to keep up with my sister’s emotions was going to be the death of me. Hell, it was bad enough when we were growing up, but now that I had to work with her as an adult… torture.

“Whatever. I’m going on this date, and I’m going to have a great time. Janelle is a really nice girl, fun to be around and not too horrific to look at. If it goes anywhere, fine. If it doesn’t, at least I know I won’t lose her friendship.”

She shrugged and walked out the door.

“Just be careful, Dane. Some crazy hoes think you’re irresistible. Would hate to have you go and breaking your friend’s heart.”

I shook my head at her retreating back, not putting much thought into her concerns. Janelle was a cool chick, fun to hang out. She wasn’t the type to put too much into a night out for drinks.

Oh. Shit.

I was in trouble.

Janelle walked into the bar wearing a tiny dress that must have been painted on her body, it was so tight. Her tits were almost indecently exposed, pressed so closely together that they looked ready to explode out of their confines to proudly announce their arrival. I had to keep reminding myself to not look at them, to look her in the eyes, but my eyes refused to listen.

As soon as she spotted me, her face broke into an open smile, ear to ear, and she waved enthusiastically before walking over. A mile-long expanse of leg was exposed, and every man in the bar watched her walk by with goofy smiles on their faces, inevitably wondering how those gorgeous legs would look wrapped tightly around their waists.

“Dane, it’s great to see you.”

I reached my hand out and she shimmied past it, going in for a hug.

A full body hug.

With her body pressed tightly against me, there was no way to hide the way she had ‘inspired’ me when she walked across the room. Don’t judge me, I wasn’t the only man trying to discreetly readjust.

Maybe she didn’t notice the bulge that was becoming harder by the second.

Judging by the sharp inhale of breath and lift of her eyebrow, she was aware. Very well aware.

“I was really happy to get your text, I’ve been wanting to catch up with you for a while.”

Something about the way she said ‘catch up’ made me believe she meant in a way that was more than just two friends talking over beers.

“Yeah, it has been a while. How have you been? Are you still seeing Chris?”

I threw in a name of someone I knew she wasn’t dating anymore, but I was desperate to tone down the promise of a good time that her eyes were yelling across the table.

She laughed and waved her hand in the air, as if brushing the very thought of him away.

“Good lord, Dane, where have you been? That’s been over and done with forever. I’m completely single. Very. Single.”

Her fingers brushed the top of my hand while she pronounced how single she was, as if making very clear that she would be open to some new possibilities in her romantic life.

Very open.

My mind immediately conjured up the image of her lying on her back with her legs wide open for me, that weak excuse for a dress riding high on her hips. My cock was in complete agreement with my mind, cheering on the mental image until it was more than a little uncomfortable pressing against the zipper of my jeans.

I could do it. Give up on being the nice guy who tried to be a friend before a lover. I could take what she was freely offering, bury myself to the hilt in her warmth and just enjoy myself.

Nice guys always finished last. In more ways than one.

I looked at her, trying to decide if she just wanted a good time or something that lasted a little bit longer. If she wanted longer, was I interested?

At the moment, all of the blood that would normally run my brain and all rational thought was not situated in my brain where it needed to be. It was having a fucking fiesta down in my pants, which means a one night stand up sounded like the best damn idea I’d had in a very long time.

At least several months of a long time.

“What’s on your mind, Dane? The amount of emotions that just ran across your face were hard to read, but if you’re thinking what I’m thinking, this is going to be one hell of a ride.”

I looked at our two half-finished drinks and slapped thirty dollars on the table. That was more than enough for the alcohol and the bartender’s trouble.

“Buckle up, sweetheart.”

I held my hand out to her and she slipped under my arm, plastering herself to my side. I slid my arm down her back to rest on her hip, my fingers splaying out towards the apex of her thighs. My breath caught, and my cock thickened when I realized that she wasn’t wearing any panties. Janelle had come this evening with one thing in mind, and any doubts of where this evening might lead quickly evaporated.

I opened the door to my car for her, thrilled as her barely-there dress rose a little more when she sat down. She didn’t even bother to pull it down her legs, she let it sit there, one bump in the road away from being a glorious wardrobe malfunction.

I slid behind the wheel carefully, because I was hard enough to steer the car without my hands at this point. I looked over and saw her wiggle in the seat a little bit, staring at my crotch openly with the heat of desire in her eyes. She wanted me, and she wanted me bad.

For a half of a second, I wondered if this was a good idea. I mean, she was a long-time family friend. Someone I’d known nearly my entire life. Sex could screw up friendships, especially if both participants weren’t on the same page as to expectations.

“Could you please shut your mind off for a minute?”

I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Seriously, Dane. I’ve known you long enough to know what is racing through your head. You’re probably freaking out about my virtue or some dumb shit, and ruining our friendship and our families finding out. Learn to live in the moment, okay?”

I smiled to myself. Damn, she was good.

I pulled away from the curb, my eyes never leaving the road, but my hand traveled the short distance between us and rested on a smooth expanse of leg. I slowly moved my hand up until I touched the hem of her dress, and stayed there a few moments, lightly moving my fingers underneath the hem, just barely touching her.

Her breath was coming out in soft pants, just barely audible. I still didn’t look at her, but allowed my fingers to move to the right, and I came in contact with the soft, damp lips of her pussy. I leaned over slightly to give myself better access, and after circling her wetness a couple of times to get my fingers wet, slid two fingers into her heat quickly.

Her hips bucked in my seat, pressing into my hand, riding my fingers as they fucked her in the car. The heel of my hand pressed against her clit, so when she gyrated her hips she had friction both inside and outside.

“Jesus Christ, Dane.”

She groaned out the words as she grabbed my hand, held it tighter and rode it hard. Her muscles started clenching erratically and I knew she was near when she let out a guttural moan and her entire body froze. Her walls were squeezing my fingers so tightly, I wondered for a moment if they would end up sprained. Thank god my football days were over, it would have been a hell of a reason to tell the coach that I had to sit out a game.

I quickly glanced at her, taking in the glorious vision of her body’s reaction to her orgasm. Her head was thrown back, her hand still rested on mine as she coated my hand and the seat of my car with her juices.

Fuck, that was better than any porno that I could run to pound one out. I took a mental video, knowing that I would want to play that memory on repeat at some point.

“How much further?”

Her voice cracked, slightly breathless from her release, yet still thick with passion.

“We’re almost there.”

Shit, did I have condoms? I did a mental check and realized that I had a spare box in the back of my nightstand. That would have sucked. I would have to be more careful, because if I was going to start getting my feet and my dick wet, I was going to have to be better about having supplies on hand. I did not need to catch anything, like an unexpected pregnancy.

The image of Mari, round with my child, popped into my mind quickly. I smacked that memory down like an old-school game of whack a mole, not needing the cock block that she presented.

“Thank fuck.”

Damn. She just came, and she needed more. Something told me I might have to call out sick tomorrow. Good thing I had an ‘in’ with the boss. I put a little more pressure on the gas pedal, pushing the imaginary boundary between the posted speed limit and what the cops would actually pull a person over for in Massachusetts. I was successful, because in less than five minutes we were at the door to my apartment.

I unlocked the door and opened it up for her, my hand on the lower part of her back as I ushered her in. I pressed a quick kiss on her forehead, then turned to lock the door. I used the deadbolt, too, because my mom had a bad habit of coming on over whenever she wanted without much notice. I was stupid enough to give her the keys to the doorknob but was smart enough to withhold the deadbolt key from her.

When I turned back around, I was met with the spectacular vision of Janelle standing naked in front of me, a black pool of material at her feet. My mind went blank. Absolutely blank.

All my head could process was tits, naked, tattoo, small patch of hair, lips, legs. It was like there were words shouting in my brain, naming body parts in a cheer.

“You’re naked.”

Fuck.

Smooth, Dane.

She gave a throaty laugh.

“You’re not. We need to fix that.”

I pulled my t-shirt up and over my head and felt a pull at the waistband of my pants. Apparently, she was impatient, because she made quick work of my jeans.

I was grateful that she was careful in her hurry, because nothing would have been a buzzkill quite like zipper burn on a rock-hard cock. She didn’t even slightly nick it, but the slow vibration of the zipper as it opened was almost enough to have me blow my load like a fucking hair trigger.

I was wearing boxers, and they were roomy enough that they left nothing to her imagination once I stepped out of the jeans that were around my ankles. There was a circle of wetness where the thin material had captured the bead of pre-cum that was proudly announcing the start of the evening’s festivities.

She stared at me, unconsciously licking her lips like she was about to devour a five-course meal. I couldn’t help the heady feeling of pride that rushed through my body knowing I’d be the one to make her lose her mind tonight.

I felt cool air followed by hot warmth as she slid off my undergarments and replaced them with her soft mouth. The contrast in temperatures created such an intense reaction that I had to brace my hand on the wall to keep upright.

She gently cupped my balls and gave a quick little squeeze which I felt at the base of my back, a warning buzz collecting there, letting me know that this first act was dangerously close to coming to a quick and somewhat violent end.

I let my mind travel away from where it was in an effort to ward off my orgasm. It wasn’t like I couldn’t go more than one round a night, but I had to show some restraint. Male ego and all that.

Her hands worked together, rotating on my shaft while that sweet mouth increased the suction as it moved up and down in tandem. Every few moments I would feel the light grazing of her teeth, as if a gentle reminder that she could make things rough if she wanted to. Her tongue lightly circled the head of my dick, gently investigating the opening before swallowing me whole, straight down to my balls.

Holy fuck I almost blew it right then and there. I’m not the biggest guy in the world, but I’m not small, so it’s always been a rare treat when a woman can take me deep throat with no gagging.

I let her go a few rounds before I noticed that telltale pulling in my balls, the one that reminded me that I was human and only had so much control. I pulled out of her mouth gently, ignoring the slight pout that she carried at the thought of not tasting me when I erupted on her tongue.

“Later.”

I meant it, too. This evening had just begun, and I had plans to thoroughly enjoy this gift Janelle had laid on my lap.

I reached for her hand and walked her down the hall to my room. My balls were throbbing, and the bouncing of my dick while I walked was damn near killing me, but the condoms were in the bedroom. That left me with two options, give in to the sensations and nut all over the walls, or man up and just make it to the bedroom.

Bedroom won.

I made quick work of rolling the condom down my cock, all under the appreciative and watchful eye of the stunning creature in front of me.

“Bend over, I want your ass high in the air when I fuck you.”

She smirked, then slowly folded forward in what must have been some sort of a yoga thing based on how she was able to do it without bending her legs. She braced herself on the bed, with her ass spread out in front of me. Her pussy was so damn wet, it glistened, the sheen of her arousal begging me to push into those swollen lips.

My dick screamed for a fast and furious entrance, but I had to taste.

I bent forward and teased her entrance with my tongue, dipping downward to nip at her clit. She yelped, and a flood of her juices coated my lips and chin.

Damn, she was primed and ready for round one.

“Janelle, this is going to be fast as fuck, because this whole evening has been nothing but foreplay and cock teasing. Next round we’ll take our time.”

“Would you please get that cock in me now? I’ve been ready forever. Fuck my cunt.”

The abrasive language from her pouting red lips damn near had me undone. I growled as I held her hips with one hand and guided my cock into her tightness with my other. I sunk all the way in slowly, before pulling back and slamming into her so hard that my balls slapped her clit.

“Fuck.”

I groaned at the sensations flooding me all at once, my brain short circuiting from the overload. I held onto her hips and continued to pound her hard, not for a second concerned that I was being too rough, because she met me thrust for thrust, screaming out in her pleasure.

I wasn’t going to be able to hold out much longer, so I reached down and gave her clit a gentle squeeze.

As in the car, her entire body tensed against me, pushing her warmth even deeper on me as I finally found my release, my hips picking up speed as I came, yelling with the effort, my head thrown back in ecstasy.

We stayed in that position for a few moments, both of us catching our breath before I pulled out to dispose of the condom.

When I came back to the bathroom, she was sitting on the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped around her midsection as if she were shielding herself from my view. Her head was tipped down, so I couldn’t read the look on her face.

“Hey, Janelle, are you okay?”

When she raised her face to meet my eyes, I saw that her cheeks were damp with tears, and the mascara she had been wearing had painted her cheeks.

“Did I hurt you? I was too rough, wasn’t I? Dammit, I should have slowed down. I’m so sorry.”

Fuck, I was such an ass, I knew I should have slowed down. Especially the first time with her.

I was pacing the room a little bit now, trying to figure out how to correct the situation.

“No, no, that was fantastic.”

“So, why are you upset?”

She took a deep breath, a look of unease on her face, like she wasn’t confident in the words she was about to say.

“Dane, who’s Mari?”

I just looked at her, stunned that she would even know Mari’s name. How did she?

Her shoulders slumped forward before she pushed herself off of the bed and walked slowly back to the living room.

“She must be amazing, because it was her name you just screamed when you emptied yourself into me.”

I sat down in shock on the bed, not knowing what to say, if there even was anything that could be said. I thought we had both gone into this casually. She wasn’t supposed to know that she was chasing a ghost.

I stayed there, lost in my thoughts, long after I heard the door to my apartment open and close as she let herself out.