Page 39

"So, you see where I'm going with this? Who doesn't love food? Right?"

The phone rings. "Excuse me, one sec." I don't recognize the number, so I don't answer it.

I set the phone down and continue. "Where was I?

Oh. So, I thought to create a line of T-shirts with snarky, selfish, food-inspired slogans.

You know, like Food Over Dudes, Tacos Over Paco, Corn Bread & Greens Over Steve, Lobster Over Robert.

Take a look here, Troy." I pass him my iPad.

He swipes through the designs. "Yeah. I can see our customers loving these.

We have a fun-loving base. They'll eat this up.

I like the font on this one. Let's print a test run, I'll create a buzz on our social media channels.

Advertise them a few weeks before they're available.

Offer a promo for the first wave. I think these will perform well. "

"Good." My phone rings again, same number. "Let me take this?" I step out of my living room and into my bedroom.

I look back to see Troy still swiping through designs.

"Hello?"

"Ari, it's Phoenix, don't hang up! I've been calling you like crazy for the last week. You know I bought a new phone just to talk to you? You've been on my mind."

"Funny, I wasn't thinking of you."

"You're mad at me, I get it. Look, I should've called as soon as we got back. I got focused on a project and let everything go. I was acting like a bachelor. I can't do that to you. Please, let me make it up to you."

"Really? You think you can just come and go as you please, huh? A simple explanation and a slap on the wrist and you're back in? Everything is all peachy?" I close the bedroom door. Troy doesn't need to hear this.

"I didn't mean to hurt you. I just had business to take care of."

"Business? Business, right? Almost two weeks and two dead fish later, no word from you and here you are trying to get back in all warm and cozy with me like nothing ever happened.

Classic asshole move. You know, I think my girls were right about what they said when they first met you.

Look, I'm not falling for your games. What kind of business keeps you from answering your phone when I call?

I sat there the whole vacation, patient as hell, as you answered every single time your phone rang.

Now we get back and you don't have the time of day for me?

Not even a few minutes to let me know you're alright?

" I'm pacing in the tiny room. It feels good to let all my frustration out.

"Wait, the fish died?"

"Yes! Dead! Both of them!"

"You killed them?"

"Are you serious right now? You think I'd kill the fish? Really? We're stooping that low now?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. What happened?"

I take in a deep breath and let out a sigh.

A little calmer, my tone softens. "I came home from Miami and there was Axel, floating upside down in the tank.

It was so weird. Alana kept swimming around his body, bumping him again and again.

It was like she was trying to wake him. It broke my heart and just this morning, Alana died too.

I tried calling you when she first started showing signs.

" It brings relief to share this burden with someone that cares and understands.

"I'm so sorry, babe. I know how much you loved Axel and Alana. Damn. I wonder what went wrong."

"I have no idea."

There's a long pause between us. I sink down on the bed, staring at the carpet.

"I should've been there. It's just that I've been working on this project and it's been taking a lot of my free time. I should've let you know. I don't know what I was thinking." He sighs. "I guess I wasn't."

"What kind of project takes up your nights like that? That doesn't sound right."

"I don't want to go into too much detail. I usually don't talk about my projects until they're complete. I try not to jinx them. Please just trust me. Have I ever given you a reason not to?"

I roll my eyes. "You like me and you want this to work, right?"

"I do. More than anything."

"Well, you can't just disappear on me like that. You've got to keep me in the loop, OK? I'm not trying to run your life or anything, but you're ruining mine. Can't we meet in the middle somewhere on this?"

"When you're right, you're right."

"Thank you and I know I am." I swallow a small smile.

"I miss you. I miss being near you. I miss smelling you, touching you, kissing you . . . ."

Instant panty-soaking words.

The doorbell rings.

I walk past Troy in the living room and open the door. Phoenix is standing there with coffee and breakfast pastries. Two things he knows I absolutely love.

I glance back at Troy and turn to Phoenix. "A little warning would've been nice. I was having a meeting."

"A meeting?"

"Yes. A meeting. I was just showing Troy my new designs for our T-shirt line."

"Your T-shirt line?"

"It's a business we started in college. Things are really starting to take off."

"You never mentioned this before."

"It's not like it's a big secret. It's one of the reasons Ally hired me. She loved my drive and the fact that I go after what I want. I assumed you knew."

Phoenix looks irritated as he glances behind me and sees Troy.

"Um, this is Troy, one of my best friends from college. We own Sassy Savvy Tees together. Come in." I take the coffee and pastries into the kitchen, setting them on the counter.

Phoenix steps inside and closes the door behind him.

I return to the living room.

"Troy, this is Phoenix. My ah —"

"Boyfriend," Phoenix declares boldly.

"Boyfriend?" Troy asks with a frown. "Oh, this is the guy you were seeing, Ari?" He gets up off the couch and walks over to Phoenix. Their eyes meet. They stand there in awkward silence, sizing each other up. I sense serious tension in the air.

All cocky and confident, Phoenix reaches out and shakes Troy's hand. "How you doing, man?"

"Good." Troy gives him a once over. "You?"

"Couldn't be better, now that I'm here with Ari." Phoenix wraps his arm around my waist.

It feels like Phoenix is rubbing it in. Did he just throw shade?

Troy laughs at the gesture. "I've known Ari for a long time. She's sweet, a good girl. Scratch that." Troy turns to look me lovingly in the eyes." She's a good woman. Deserves the best."

Not understanding why, I blush. "Thanks, Troy."

"Funny you should say that, cause the best is what I provide. Partner." Phoenix closes in on Troy.

Before things get out of control, I grab Phoenix by the hand and lead him to the front door. "Troy, can you excuse us for a moment?" We step out onto the porch.

"Listen, Phoenix, I need to finish my meeting with Troy. You can't barge back into my life turning things upside down like that. Can you come back in an hour? I mean you did show up unannounced." I raise my eyebrow at him.

"Oh, so you want me to leave you alone with him? In there?" Phoenix looks taken aback.

"Yes. I do."

He looks off as he thinks for a moment. "OK. I'll come back."

"Thank you."

I watch as Phoenix gets in his car and leaves, then I go back inside.

"Sorry about that," I tell Troy as I close the front door.

"It's cool. So, I want to print one hundred of each design and see which ones have the strongest sales and go from there."

"Works for me."

"Good." Troy gathers his things. "So, that's your new guy?"

I smirk. "It is."

"You happy?"

"He was great at first, then he . . . never mind."

"Well, I'm always here if you need to talk. Come here. Give me a hug." Troy wraps his strong arms around me.

I embrace him, my face falls on his chest. I look up at him. "You're the best friend a girl could ask for, Troy."

He looks down at me. "I know." He smiles, then kisses me on my forehead. "Touch base with you later?"

"Sure thing."

Troy lets himself out and closes the front door. I drop down on the couch, glad that a confrontation was avoided. I take my iPad and turn on my favorite playlist to soothe my frazzled nerves.

https://youtu.be/Ly7uj0JwgKg

Half an hour later, Phoenix returns.

"Hmm. This Troy dude?" he asks, standing in the doorway.

"What about him? Come in."

He steps in. I close the door.

"He wants more from you."

I raise my eyebrow. "We're friends and business partners, that's it."

"Whatever that situation, you belong to me."

"Do I?" I walk backwards towards the kitchen.

He follows. "You know you do. You're mine."

"Am I?"

"Yep."

"If I am, then I own you too," I challenge.

He stops and thinks for a second. "That's fair. I'm your property. You own my ass too." He smirks.

I let the victory sink in.

"But that is mine too." His eyes zero in on what's between my thighs.

My heart quickens, awakening from a deep slumber. I say nothing in return. He has me.

Recognizing his win, he drops his seriousness and slaps a silly grin on his face.

"I brought you a peace offering." He goes to the island in the kitchen and grabs one of the coffee cups.

He lifts the lid and wafts the aroma towards my nose.

"100 percent organic Arabica bean." He opens the box, "Breakfast pastries, huh?

You like that?" He nods his head. "Chocolate almond croissants, spinach and cheese quiche, caramel pecan muffins, an apple Danish.

" He looks at me out the side of his eye and smiles.

"Don't you want to try one with me?" He sounds like a cheesy radio announcer.

"Come on, try one." He takes a slice of quiche and stuffs the whole thing into his mouth. "Come on! Try one!"

"You're making a mess!" I bust out laughing. I grab a napkin to wipe his face.

Speaking with a mouth full of food, he garbles, "What? I just wanted to have breakfast together."

Standing so close to him as I wipe his face, a sense of nostalgia sweeps over me.

I miss him. It feels so good to be this close to him.

I feel like I'm myself again. I can't believe how empty I felt before.

I never want to feel that way again. I want him to stay with me like this.

In this moment. Fun and sexy and silly and open and kind and loving.

I want it to always be like this. Right here.

Flume's "Never Be Like You" plays softly on my iPad. I must've left it on.

The napkin drops to the floor as I grab him by the collar, pulling him close to me. "I've missed you," I tell him between a thousand kisses. "I can't stand you sometimes, but I can't stay mad at you. No matter how hard I try."

He embraces me and pulls me into the living room. "Babe, I'm only human." He looks at me with the saddest, sexiest puppy-dog eyes and breathes in deeply before tugging at my "#BossChick" T-shirt. "Like this shirt, by the way."

We stop at the couch. He proceeds to lift my T-shirt and softly kiss my bare breasts. Before I know it, he pulls my shirt over my head and tosses it across the room.

"It's one of my designs." I bring his face to mine once again. I'm addicted to his lips. I love how our tongues flirt and dance, slip and slide.

He pulls away and looks at me with searing eyes. It's so intense, it sends shudders down my spine. He runs his thumb over my lips, I take it into my mouth, sucking on it.

"Wish you had told me that before."

"Didn't know you cared."

He hones in on my breasts and leaves a tantalizing trail of wet kisses from the undersides of each breast down to my belly button. I lean back, teetering on the edge of the couch as he continues downward, pulling my sweats, then thong off. I'm standing in my living room fully naked.

"Well, I do care." He travels further south. His tongue presses until he reaches my clit.

Bingo.

He looks up at me. "Hmm. That pretty pussy." He takes me into his mouth.

I delight in watching him kneel before me. "Oh." My head dips back as I surrender to his sexy, wet, warm mouth. His hands grab my hips as he pulls me into his mouth. "Oh."

He French kisses my clit sending a ripple of shivers through my body.

He dips his middle finger, sliding right in.

He kisses and fingers me at the same time.

It causes a confusion of my senses. The coming and going, sucking and licking sensations send me reeling into the stratosphere.

I'm helpless against his constant nudging.

He's pushing me closer and closer to the edge, until I can no longer control myself.

My everything has a mind of its own. I feel the enthralling sensation of a complete and total eruption.

Then euphoria floods my body with elation.

"I want to see your face. I want to see every expression you make as I fuck you." His dark eyes pierce right through me as he flicks his tongue over my clit, sending secondary shockwaves throughout my body.

When he finally stands up, he's harder than I've ever seen. I unzip his pants and pull down his boxer briefs, his erection springs out. His hardness rubs up against my wet thighs, sending an impulse so strong I can barely hold back. I ache for him to be inside me.

He prolongs the moment. Palming me, he gathers wetness on his hand and places his erection into his wet hand, playing with it.

Running his hand up and down his shaft, all while staring me deep in my eyes, my honey glistening on his lips.

He dips his tip into my wetness, going up and down and up and down again, priming himself to enter me.

I wait in anticipation, not knowing when he'll decide to enter.

The waiting is excruciating. I could wrap my legs around him right now and ride him into oblivion.

I want him, but I have no control over it.

He teases me, dipping the tip inside for a second then pulling out. He goes in and out, again and again.

Finally, he enters me completely, satisfying that achy craving. I gasp with deep gratification as he moans with pleasure.

He picks me up slightly, off the back of the couch.

Standing in my living room, he bounces me up and down on his hardness repeatedly.

With every bounce, I grind my hips, teasing his erection, like a snake charmer.

He grips my behind. Everything speeds up and still, I can't get enough.

I bounce harder, faster. It's still not enough.

I need more. He bangs me harder. There are no words.

Our bodies do all the talking. There's an urgency beyond my control.

He needs me, I can tell by the way his hands clamor all over my body.

My breath gets shorter. I want every piece of him.

I take his tongue into my mouth and I ride his dick.

It's not enough. I want more. He wants more.

His muscles flex as his grip tightens around my hips.

He begins grinding his hips moving himself inside me in the most delicious way.

My hips grind tighter, teasing his dick like a seductress with a feather.

He hugs me, keeping my body still as his strokes get longer and much, much faster.

I feel he's about to pour himself into me.

Before he climaxes, I reach the peak again.

Specks of color fly everywhere as tension shatters like broken glass.

So, this is what they're talking about when they say multiple orgasms!

I hear myself outside of myself.

Then he moans loudly as he tenses, releases, then relaxes into me.

We collapse to the floor catching our breath.

After a while, we both get up and lie down on the couch. I rest my head on his chest and we cuddle. I pull a throw over us and we chat, catching up like old friends.

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