I can’t remember the last time I felt excited about a date. Okay, it’s a cyber date, but I showered and got dressed up so it still counts, right?

Looking at my watch I realize it’s a quarter to ten in the morning. That means I have time to grab a coffee and settle down before logging in and chatting with Kaitlyn.

After getting comfortable on my couch, I sip on my coffee while my laptop powers on. Is the loading taking for ever or is it just me?

Kaitlyn’s not online yet so I scroll and check my notifications. I forgot to mute the ones from the BDSM group where I first saw her comments and chuckle as I remember the night I met her.

I smile when I see Kaitlyn’s chat box appear a few minutes after ten.

Kaitlyn: Hey.

Leo: Hey there, how are you?

Kaitlyn: I’m good, you?

Leo: All good, how was work?

Kaitlyn: It was okay.

Why do I feel like I’m pulling teeth? Noticing she’s being a little short worded I debate between asking her if everything is really alright.

Leo: Hey, is everything okay? You sound a little off.

Kaitlyn: Yeah, sorry. It’s just that…

I see the dots jumping and then they stop, so I encourage her.

Leo: You know, if you’re busy we can always do this another time.

The dots begin to jump again.

Kaitlyn: No, it’s not that. I’m just a little nervous.

Leo: Nervous? Why?

Kaitlyn: Don’t laugh, but this is the first time I’ve done this.

Leo: What? Chat with a hot guy?

Kaitlyn: OMG! Sometimes you’re so full of yourself, you arse! No, I meant having a cyber date. It’s silly, I know.

I laugh as she gives as good as she gets. She’s a little spitfire and I fucking love it.

Leo: It’s not silly, if it makes you feel better, I was nervous too.

Kaitlyn: Really?

Leo: Yeah, for a minute I thought I was gonna get cyber stood up.

Kaitlyn: Shite, I’m so sorry I was feeding Mr, Willy Shakespaw and I dropped my phone in his water bowl. I screamed my head off, rushing to dry it off but it wouldn’t turn on so I had to use my computer and it took forever to load.

Ha! Almost cockblocked by technology.

Leo: It’s all good. Is your pussy okay? Did it get...Wet?

She doesn’t reply and I’m starting to think I might have crossed a line and start to type an apology when I see her dots again.

Kaitlyn: Wouldn’t you like to know…

Leo: I had to try, can you blame me?

Kaitlyn: My pussy is just fine, dry and not a single sign of...wetness...on it.

Leo: I could take care of that for you.

What the fuck am I doing? Am I really turning this cyber date into cyber sex? Can you blame me though? I’m a hot-blooded guy, and I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought of Kaitlyn’s hot body more times that I’d like to admit.

Deciding to be a little more bold, I don’t waste time and type a message before I can second guess myself.

Leo: Have you ever thought of me?

Kaitlyn: Of course I think of you. I like our chats.

Leo: That’s not exactly what I meant.

Kaitlyn: Oh? What did you mean then?

Leo: Well, have you ever thought of me...Sexually?

Kaitlyn: Oh... Uhm…

Leo: You don’t have to answer that. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.

Kaitlyn: No, it’s okay. It’s just that I haven’t exactly gotten that far.

Leo: Well, I’ve thought of you.

Kaitlyn: Really? How much?

Leo: A lot. But it wouldn’t be fair to share this if it’s one sided, don’t you think?

Kaitlyn: You have to tell me!

Leo: I’ll make you a deal.

Kaitlyn: Okay, I’m listening.

Leo: If you promise to think of me and tell me all about it the next time we chat, I’ll tell you about my fantasy, at a pool hall...with you.

Kaitlyn: Well, Mr. DeLuca, you got yourself a deal. I’m all eyes.

Well, fuck. Here goes nothing.

Leo: The game is tied and it’s your turn. You circle the pool table trying to figure out the right angle to take your shot. I’m leaning against the wall, watching your every move. Stopping on the pool table’s side just in front of me, you bend over, causing your skirt to rise up, tempting me with your perfect rounded ass. I walk over toward you until my front hits your back. “Do you need help?” I ask and you nod. Turning your head to meet my hungry gaze you say,“It’s a tricky one. I need a very firm and hard shot.”

I yank the cue out of your hands, throw it away and hold them behind your back with one of mine. “Is that so?” I shove you forward until you’re completely bent over and I press my hard cock against your ass. My other hand travels from your inner thigh up toward your already hot, wet pussy. “It looks like you’re ready for that shot.” I get rid of my pants and drive my cock into you, hard. “Yes,” you whimper and I push your face against the soft green material of the table. I pump harder and faster, I can hear you panting, wanting more of my cock. I let go of your hands, “Hold on tight, baby. This has gotta be quick.”

I grab your shoulder and pull you down as I push deeper, and deeper in you. “I’m so close, Leo. Please don’t stop.” Your words are barely audible and I know I’m about to blow.

With my free hand I start to circle your clit, your loud moans letting me know I’m hitting the right spot. I rub it faster as I lose the little control I had and thrust faster into you. “Oh, God, yes...right there. I’m coming.” you scream. And with one last hard pump, I follow you.

My cock’s painfully hard after I finish typing the fantasy I play in my mind everytime I think of Kaitlyn

Kaytlin: oh, wow. I need a cold shower.

Leo: that makes two of us.

I know I don’t have enough time to keep teasing her so I decide to make some small talk.

Leo: so, do you know how to play pool?

She goes offline. Knowing her laptop is probably giving her trouble I decide to get off my ass and go to the restaurant to check on things before heading over to Chrissy’s to drop off the things she’ll need for the weekend.

Before I head out, I type one last message to Kaitlyn just in case she comes back on tonight.

Me: Remember to think of me. Because I’m sure as fuck going to be thinking of you...a lot.

* * *

“C’mon Muffin, I promise she doesn’t bite.” I say while trying to get my dog out of the car. The moment Chrissy saw him she started screaming how her house would end up trashed.

“Trust me, if I could take you with me, I would buddy, but I can’t.” As if he understands what I just said, he stops fighting and gets out of my jeep. He looks like a pup walking to his death.

“I swear to God Leo, if he eats my shoes or my furniture, you’re getting them replaced,” Chrissy says. “And he’s sleeping outside.”

“We’ll see about that.” I mutter.

“What?”

“Thank you for letting him stay too, you know if it weren’t for... If it were my choice, I would’ve take him to a doggy day-care.”

Chrissy gives me a sympathetic look and for a moment, I think she’ll lay off my back. “He better not have fleas.”

Aaaand I was wrong. “He’s clean,” I state.

After saying goodbye to a sad looking Muffin, I decide to get some takeout on my way home. It's Sunday night and I don't feel like cooking.

Pulling into a drive-in, I’m about to order, when I see a familiar face. Tink, the blonde’s friend. She kicks and punches a car and when she pulls at her hair I can’t help but to laugh at the comical way her face turns. Deciding to see what’s wrong, I pull out of the drive-in and park my car a few spaces away from where she’s standing, I get out and walk toward her.

“Yo, Tink,” I call out.

She screams, “Get away from me, I have pepper spray.”

I chuckle when I see the tiny black can of pepper spray she’s holding, “Well, good luck hitting me with that tiny thing.”

“Try me,” she challenges.

“Whoa, calm down, it’s me, Leo.” I put my hands up in surrender.

“Leo?” She doesn’t seem to remember me. I’m kind of hurt by this.

“Ryder’s friend? I taught you how to play pool, sorta.” I explain hoping she’ll remember me.

“Oh, Leo,” she blushes, “Hi, uhm... Sorry about that. I’m... I’m a little jumpy right now.”

“I can see that,” I smile and point at the car besides her. “I saw you fighting against the car, what’s the problem?”

She hesitates and looks down at her feet, when her eyes meet mine again they’re full of tears. Oh fuck, I can’t stand when a woman cries.

“My ex…” she starts to sob. “He told me to meet him here and like the stupid girl that I am, I came.”

I had to decipher the next part because she covered her face while talking and sniffling. “He, nver showp.”

I try to guess, “He didn’t show up?”

“No,” she confirms. “And I luckmekeys insde mcar.” More sniffles.

Gently grabbing her hands and taking them away from her face, I try to guess again. “You locked your keys inside your car, Tink?” She nods.

“Please, stop crying. We’ll call Triple A and they’ll sort it out, everything will be ok.”

She stares at me but now she smiles and nods while wiping her face.

“Did you eat?” I ask her.

“No,” her shoulders fall. “My purse and phone are also inside.”

“But not your pepper spray?” I shove at her shoulder.

“My mom told me to never walk around at night without it in my pocket.”

“Good advice, you can never be too careful these days,” pointing at the burger joint I say, “C’mon, let’s go grab something to eat while you make the call, I’m starving.”

After we get our food we go back to the parking lot and wait for Triple A to arrive.

“I think this one’s yours,” I say to her while taking out a burger the size of my hand, and I have big hands, out of the bag.

“Thank you,” she takes the burger and starts unwrapping it.

“You know, I like when a girl isn’t a picky eater, I hate when they order a small salad.”

Tink laughs and points at her burger. “This is definitely better than a salad.”

I nod and take a bite of my burger.

“And don’t you dare try to steal my fries,” she says before taking a bite of her own burger.

I almost choke at her threat. “Christ, Tink...You are something alright.”

“Why do you call me that?” She asks with an amuse look.

“Because you remind me of that little fairy, Tinkerbell,” I pause to get the rest of the burger down before continuing. “Her name is a mouthful though, so I shorten it to Tink.”

She laughs, pulling a French fry out from the grease stained brown bag.

“And I have something to confess.” I know it’s better to let it out now and be done with it.

“What?” She asks.

“I can’t remember your name.” She laughs harder and her laughter is so contagious that I join her.

“I’m Tanya,” she finally says after her laughing fit.

“Ah, see? I knew it was something with a T, but I like Tink better, do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

After a few silent minutes while we devoured our meal, I ask. “So, this ex of yours, what’s the story with him?”

She sighs. “It’s stupid, really stupid actually.”

“C’mon, tell me. I won’t judge,” I encourage her.

“Well, ok. He’s a football player and he got drafted for the Rams, he came here while I stayed back in our home town. We tried the long-distance relationship but he said he missed me too much and he couldn’t bear not having me close.”

Her eyes were focused in some memory in the distance and I didn’t dare to snap her out of it, but then I saw a tear running down her cheek. Oh no, not again.

“So, I came here too. But I didn’t have as much luck with finding a job, so I had to take whatever I could find, ending in me working three jobs just to get my bills paid.”

“He didn’t help you?” I know I’m being nosey but I can’t believe this guy.

“He offered, at first,” she pauses and I know something bad’s coming, “but then he changed, we were fighting a lot because I started missing some of his games and parties, and I wasn’t always in the mood to go out with his friends. I actually got fired from one of my jobs. I was working as a hostess in a really fancy restaurant, and he showed up and made a scene there. The manager fired me on the spot, I was so embarrassed.”

I can’t believe this guy, what a douche. “Don’t get me wrong guys do make mistakes, but it sounds like you’re better off without him.”

Shaking her head, she whispers, “That’s not the worst part.”

“He cheated, didn’t he?” The sad look in her eyes tells me I’m right before she even answers.

“I was supposed to be working that night, but I was too tired so my boss, who’s a really sweet lady, let me off early. When I got home, I heard him.”

“Oh no.”

“Yeah. I opened our bedroom door and there he was, screwing a cheerleader.”

“Fuck.” In a way, I knew what she must have felt and I want to hit the fucker.

“I couldn’t go back home, so I moved out and stayed here.”

“Why not?” I ask her curiously. My phone starts to buzz but I don’t want her to feel like I’m not paying attention to her so I let it go to voicemail.

“In a way, I feel like this is my fault. That maybe if I worked harder on finding a better job, we wouldn’t have ended up fighting all the time and he wouldn’t have cheated.”

“Tink, that wasn’t your fault. Once a cheater, always a cheater.”

She giggles. “I know. But I can’t tell my parents, my dad told me I was making a mistake by leaving my home, my life. I don’t want to hear the ‘I told you so’.”

“I can understand that, nobody likes people that say ‘I told you so’.” Again, curiosity gets the better of me. “Do you still love him?”

“Yes.” she doesn’t even hesitate. “That’s why I came here tonight when he asked me to meet him. He said he knows he screwed up and that he missed me and to let him explain. I was so stupid, I believed him.”

“Well, don’t beat yourself about this, we all do stupid things when it comes to love.” I know I’ve done my fair share.

She’s about to say something when Triple A arrives.

After getting her car unlocked and exchanging numbers. We say our goodbyes, Tink is about to get into her car but then stops and turns to look at me, she approaches me and without warning she kisses me on the cheek. “Thank you, Leo, for everything. You’re one of the good ones.”

* * *

My flight to NYC isn’t as early as I first thought, but I decide to start packing now just in case I get held up at the restaurant.

The whole conversation with Tink has me feeling uneasy for some reason. I remember the night I met her. I knew she wasn’t looking for a hookup like her dry humping friend, but the fact that she didn’t even try to make a move on me tonight, speaks volumes. She might not realize it yet but she’s also one of the good ones, and I’m glad we agreed to stay in touch. I like her and I am sure we could be great friends.

Yes, don’t give me that look, men and women can be friends, just friends.

Knowing that Kaitlyn wasn’t going to be online, I log into my account and leave her a message. She’ll probably read it when I’m up in the air.

Remembering the phone call I got earlier, I decide to check who it was. Gabs. As exhausted as I feel, I know my sister’s ramblings will put a smile on my face but I can barely keep my eyes open. I know anything she had to say can wait until the morning.

Just having a few hours of sleep doesn't slow me down and I end up running around making sure everything is set for the next couple of days, I’m glad I made the arrangements ahead of time. Finally on my way to the airport, I look at my phone and I notice I have four missed calls from my sister and two new voicemails. Hmm, I wonder what’s her deal.

“Leo, call me back as soon as you hear this.” That was the first voicemail she left the night before.

“Leo, where the heck are you? Please call me.” I start to laugh thinking she probably wants to make sure I’m on my way as I promised and if I’m bringing a ‘lady friend’ with me.

But what I hear next, leaves me cold.

“Leo, why aren’t you answering your phone? I need to speak to you and no, this isn’t something I can just text to you. Ok, fine, I’ll say it now because hopefully you won’t hear this until you’re already on the plane and it will be too late for you to head back. I’m sorry, Leo, I really tried to stop her but you know Teresa, she’s as stubborn as a mad cow. She said that you need a little help on the love department and I agree but that’s not the point, the point is that she...She invited Peyton to Nonna’s party and she said she would be there. Please, don’t kill Teresa, think of her kids. I love you and can’t wait to see you, okay bye.”

I replay the message one, two, three times to make sure I heard correctly. Peyton, my ex is going to be at the party.

Fuck me…