Chapter 4 – Roomie With a View
It was surprisingly easy seeing Matt over the next few days and our drunken night remained our secret. There was no awkwardness to our misunderstanding and we fell into a mutual admiration of each other. This was something new for me, uncharted territory. I didn’t have the upper hand, and while not completely comfortable with it, I loosened the reigns a little and relinquished a tiny bit of control.
Kate had eyed me suspiciously when I had walked in the day after looking a little worse for wear but didn’t question me further. Matt fared a lot better than I had, he was already sitting at his desk looking amused when I stumbled in a few minutes late.
“Rough night?” he smirked.
“Not rough enough.” I had mused back, a hint of a smile stealing across my lips.
Anna had eventually mellowed toward me too. Her irritation had subsided when I assured her that nothing had happened. Of course in the retelling of the story I left out the bits about me throwing myself at him and him unceremoniously rejecting me. I also omitted the part where the tension had thrown us into a night of drunken honesty and acceptance culminating in us spending the night intertwined fully clothed on my bed. My reasoning had been two fold. Firstly, she wouldn’t have believed me and secondly (and most importantly) I didn’t want her or anyone else to see my vulnerability. No, I kept it simple - he had eaten dinner, we went through his work schedule, we made small talk and he went home. I explained how I had decided to keep it platonic and was honouring Kate’s request in not fraternizing within the office. I even suggested setting up a lunch date for the two of them. Anna‘s face beamed at the possibilities. “Seriously, Lex? You wouldn’t mind?” hope shone in her eyes.
“Not at all,” I lied, secretly hoping the offer would be forgotten but smart enough to know Anna had stored it away in her vault and would be cashing it in any day.
Matt fitted into the office surprisingly well. He was a hard worker, extremely polite and oozed sex appeal - The girls all LOVED him, the sideways glances they speared him with when he moved around the office were poorly veiled attempts to check out his amazingly toned ass. The fluttering of eye lashes, the over enthusiastic giggling whenever he spoke - they were like a gaggle of wild hens. Ughhhhh didn’t we leave high school years ago? To the men, he was like a new toy and they alternated between probing him about his knowledge of sports trivia and wanting to take him out on the town - I believed this had more to do with the guys hoping to get some of Matt’s residual pussy spill over rather than actually wanting to show him the town. They were all so transparent; it made me smile with a silent feeling of superiority.
I was wading through inane emails when his smooth voice brought me back to the present. “Lexi,” he purred, standing in the doorway while loosening his dark blue tie slightly “I have a proposition for you.”
“Does it involve me getting you naked?” I purred back. Our friendship had evolved so much in the last few days and I took great pleasure in our open and honest banter. I loved watching him squirm with my sexual innuendo and undertones. He often volleyed back a few of his own.
“Well... kind of.” he paused, the brightness of his smile touching his glistening blue eyes. “I’ve been house hunting for days and it’s a futile exercise. Nothing checks all the boxes... Sooooo... I was thinking... seeing as you have a spare room and all...” his voice sweetening with each syllable.
“So you thought you’d check my box?” My mouth twisted and I bit my lip at the double entendre.
“Lexi,” he edged closer “I know how you feel about the whole room mate thing, but I think we can make it work. I’ll cover half the expenses and we can share the chores. We spend so much time together hanging out anyway. It seems like a win-win. I’ll even let you steal a look at my naked ass every once and while.” He grinned as he added the last bit. I laughed as I contemplated his tantalizing offer.
“There would have to be some ground rules Matt,” I warned.
“I thought you didn’t like rules,” he teased.
“Yeah, well, let’s call them guidelines then. As in, you break them, I guide your hot ass to the door,” I teased back.
“Fine,” he replied and held his hands up in mock surrender. “Your place, your rules. Draft up a copy and I’ll sign my unwavering obedience”
I reached into my handbag and tossed him my keys. “I have to finish this function brief before I can head home, grab your stuff from the hotel and move yourself in.”
“Can I take your car?” he asked, his voice hopeful.
“Do you know which side of the road to stay on?” I asked, wincing.
“I’m good. We can go through your guidelines tonight, I’ll pick up a pizza on my way home.” He grinned jingling the keys excitedly.
Ahhhhhhhhh.....I took a long audible breath. Roommate?! What was I thinking? I had pushed myself further in the last few days than I had in a long time. My phone buzzed silently on the desk.
You want some beer? I think you are out of Vodka :)
I smiled at my “roomie’s” observation.
- I don’t drink beer, so more for you I guess. Hope your virtue is under wraps.
- Tequila it is then, I would have assumed “guideline” number 1 was I had to leave my virtue at the door LMAO
- Get Lemons, firm ones! No, “guideline” number 1 was leaving your pants at the door. You promised me ass! :-P
I smiled as I slipped my phone into my drawer. I needed to get this done if I was ever going to leave tonight. I imagined his response would play on the firmness of the lemons; internally I laughed at how easy our conversations were. Maybe this would work out?
I had actually half expected Matt to be “pant less” when I eventually got home but was disappointed to find him clothed in a fitted white t-shirt and a pair of worn jeans. The fabric was distressed and faded and clung to his hips, low, like a sullen ex lover.
He got up from the couch and smiled, “Pizza is on its way.” I dropped my bag on the coffee table and walked into the living room.
“You! Are wearing pants!” I mused as I pointed to the delicious layer of denim encasing his long, muscular thighs.
He caught my eye. “Here’s a down payment.” He slid off his shirt, revealing his rippling toned and tanned torso. Every inch was defined and cut perfectly. I had guessed he was ripped but the reality was so much more breathtaking than I had imagined.
“You sure we can’t fuck?” I teased only half joking.
“And ruin what we have?” he quizzed genuinely concerned. He was right, GOD DAMN IT!! I hated it but I knew that while I could imagine the satisfaction I would have gotten from mounting him and riding him hard, this was so much better in the long term. We were friends, real friends. Mark it on your calendars people, Lexi has met an amazing, intelligent, kind and extremely sexy man and she IS NOT going to have sex with him. Guess there was a first time for everything.