Page 41 of Center of Gravity

“I figured as much when I couldn’t find you to, you know, take me back to your apartment where I was supposed to sleep.”

“Shit! I’m sorry, I totally blanked. Did you cab it back home?”

“Noooo…” I considered whether or not to tell him about Rob. It was brimming inside me. Work and family took up most of my time, so I texted back and forth with a few friends, but my gossip circle was limited these days and Tom was about the best I could do even if he wasn’t into the same team.

“Sad dude?” His eyes widened. “No you didn’t.”

Oh, fuck it. I cracked a grin. “Don’t call him sad dude. It’s not like he’s Eeyore. His dad died. Practically right after his mom.”

“You keep reminding me. I stand by my statement.” Tom narrowed his eyes at me. “You let him stick it to you.”

“No!” I flicked him off. I would have, though. I definitely would have let Rob stick me anywhere he wanted that night.

“And?”

I blinked. This was usually where Tom cut me off, citing gay/straight boundaries, so I wasn’t sure why he was prompting me this time.

“Uh. Well, he came charging into the room while I had my dick in my hands and I thought he might kick me out because—”

“Jesus, dude, you were going to jack it in his dead parents’ house?”

“No! God, let me finish—” It was nice to see him grinning, though.

“That’s whathesaid.” Tom snickered.

“Actually, he didn’t, because he was too busy giving me the most phenomenal blowjob ever. I mean his mouth…his hands—and I know maybe he doesn’t look like it and acts kind of uptight and all, but he’s not. Well, he is a little, but…nnnnnnn.” I groaned. That was a professional classification for really fucking good.

“Nice dick?”

I eyed Tom dubiously. This was new territory for us, too. “Yes, definitely. Not a club or anything, but a solid piece.” One I really, really wanted to get my hands or mouth on. Again.

“You been humping him ever since?”

“No. Sadly, he cut me off the next day.” I said it with a lightness I didn’t feel.

Tom chuckled. “Aww, man. That’s harsh. Cold showered and kicked to the curb by Eeyore. Twice. That’s a great story. Maybe he wasn’t impressed by round two.”

I flared my nostrils and puffed out my chest. “He was impressed, trust me.” He’d at least been very interested at the time and in spite of all that talk in the kitchen, I thought he might still be, but something was getting in his way.

“Uh-huh.”

I threw a wad of panties at him. “Here, sniff these or something, caveman.”

Tom twirled a panty by its string and kept laughing at my expense until the girls popped their heads in the bedroom. He flushed bright red and made a show of folding the thong delicately, his big hands fumbling as they tried to navigate frilly lacework.

“Great taste,” he said, pointing to the orange lace. The girls seemed a cross between amused and creeped out. I was dying, covering my mouth with my fist.

When he realized what he’d said, he started backpedaling. “Shit, I didn’t mean it that way. Fuck!”

The girls started to giggle and he shot a glare at me. “If we get written up, it’s all your fucking fault.”

Later, after we pushed the last box into their storage unit and got paid—with a nice bonus that I’d have to attribute to Tom’s heavy-handed use of his dimpled smile—we got back in the truck and headed back to the office.

Tom cracked the window to let the heat out.

“You think dudes really do it best?” He seemed serious, brows slashed down in a furrow, his jaw set.

“I’m a pretty biased source. But like I’ve said before, if you’re getting a little bi-curious, I’ll gladly lend you a hand. I know you’re packing something fierce.” I shot a pointed look at his crotch and he grinned before waving me off.