Ben was girthy, big dick energy personified. even better, tonight it was mine.

I approached his cock delicately, like it was a cagey animal, letting his coarse pubes brush my face. Ben helped me slip the condom on, slowly getting the hang of it. “Is this okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “You let me know if you need me to stop, okay?”

Ben looked like I just suggested that we take a break and kill a puppy. “No, don’t stop.”

I slowly started to lick, dragging my tongue up the shaft until I got to the tip, sucking greedily, completely unhinged, smacking and sucking, but still being careful of my teeth, trying not to slice the latex.

Ben groaned. I gently cupped his balls, pushing upward with the slightest pressure as I sucked. Ben groaned even harder, gripping the throw pillow. I opened up the back of my throat and slowly took the entirety of his cock in my mouth, momentarily proud of my skills. That sent Ben over the edge, he came. I peeled off the condom with a seasoned grace, and licked. I lifted my head and stroked his dick, then smiling as I turned around and cupped his face in my hand, giving him a deep, salty, kiss.

“Is that how I taste?” he asked, grimacing a bit.

“You’re delicious. Here.” I laid down so I was facing Ben’s cock, but he still had access to my ass. When I glanced at Ben, he looked a little apprehensive, so I quickly turned to face him. “We don’t have to do anything that you’re not comfortable with,” I looped my arms around his neck, pulling him close.

“Are you sure? I mean, I can try,” he glanced around the room anxiously.

“Yeah, it’s no big deal. We can take things slow,” you can be as slutty as you want, but you have to prioritize your partner’s comfort.

Ben relaxed, pulling me closer. We kissed, deeply. His lips migrated to my neck, where he left a series of small love bites.

I laughed, “That’s gonna bruise, and you’re gonna owe me concealer,” I said. I returned the favor kissing him back, slipping my tongue into his mouth and tangling my fingers in his hair. For a moment, Ben pulled away, grinning. “God Micah, you’re such an exhibitionist. Who knew you’d be bothered by a little hickey?” he joked.

“Cool it, Benson. There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me,” I kissed him again, this time biting his lip, as he laughed. Eventually, we both sobered up but we stayed tangled in each other’s arms. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel the need to immediately bail after I’d hooked up with someone. It was terrifying.

I woke up early the next morning, curled up next to Ben on the couch. He was snoring like a freight train. I quickly disentangled myself from his arms and got up, grabbing my workout clothes from my room. Last night was amazing, but I needed to go on a run to clear my head. I left Ben a note, saying that he needed to pick up Ross at eleven because I had a meeting with Antoni. I left the ingredients for oatmeal out on the counter, hoping that Ben wouldn’t take offense by my quick exit. But after 48 hours of literally being closer to Ben than I had ever been before, I needed my space.

I ran for miles along the path next to the beach, passing several other joggers along the way. I wondered why they were running, and if the reason included mind-blowing sex with your sort of co-parent to your sort of son.

I called an Uber from the beach and met up with Antoni, still slightly sweaty from my workout. I just didn’t feel like awkwardly seeing Ben while I ran into my apartment to grab a change of clothes, it was better this way. I’m sure he’d rather that I be silent from a distance than silent in my very tiny apartment where you couldn’t avoid anyone if you tried.

Antoni had gotten us a table at a small outdoor cafe, and he had already ordered me a smoothie bowl.

“You’re a lifesaver,” I said.

“I figured you would need it after your big night out,” Antoni said. “By the way, Amelia loved having Ross around last night, but you didn’t need to pay her $200 for one night of babysitting. You’re gonna make my brother look like a cheap bastard the next time he asks her to watch his kids.”

I shrugged, what college kid didn’t want free money? “I’m glad she had fun. He didn’t cause any trouble, did he? Sometimes he gets iffy about new places.”

“Honestly Micah, he’s much more agreeable than you are.”

I rolled my eyes, “I’m glad.”

“Anyway, tell me about your night, did you and Ben have fun?”

I balked, Antoni almost never inquired into my personal life. “Yeah, we had a pretty good time.”

“Really? Because according to In Touch you and ‘unnamed hunk took to the dance floor sharing a passionate kiss at the Verified Vodka-Rose launch party last night in Calabasas,” Antoni said, passing his ancient blackberry over to me. There was a pixelated photo of me and Ben making out on the dance floor followed by a slideshow of us making out outside the club.

“Oh God,” I groaned, shoving my face into my hands.

“Well, now Amelia owes me $20. I told her you two were playing tonsil hockey but she said Ben didn’t ‘seem gay’ proves how much college has taught her.”

“What should we do? Should we try and get in touch with the press and put a stop to this?” The press had never had much of an interest in my personal life until I got cast in Hot Law. This was all new to me.

“Actually, Micah, I don’t think this is a bad thing. Ben is relatable, he’s a guy’s guy, he’s a working-class dude. He balances you out, makes you seem down to earth instead of like some Hollywood big shot. Plus these photos of all three of you at the zoo make you seem so domesticated and gentle.” He passed his phone to me again and sure enough there was a photo of the three of us looking at spider monkeys.

“What does Lawrence think?” I asked. My big meeting with him was tomorrow, and it was the first time we were meeting face-to-face. I had called this meeting with Antoni to go over all of the details.

“He hasn’t said anything, but if he does bring up Ben or your kid, don’t try to deny anything, it makes you seem irresponsible. Your meeting is at three today, he’s bringing the head of the network. I have a change of clothes for you in my car. If they like you, they’ll send you the final contract next week and then I’ll arrange for a meeting so you can sign everything in person. Listen, I know this thing with Ben is new and exciting.”

“It’s not a thing,” I said curtly. Seeing photos of myself and Ben was surreal, mostly because of just how much we looked like a couple.

“Well, whatever it is, don’t let it get in the way of nailing down this contract, okay? This will make your career, Micah. I’m sure of it.”

For once in my life I knew Antoni wasn’t being hyperbolic.