Page 10 of FWB

Tiegan

T he remainder of the week passes in a blur of mail, legal documents, and restocking office supplies.

I can’t help but think back to my night out with Kenny.

Had I really opened up about my home life to him?

I barely know him. If he was shaken by my revelations, he didn’t show it.

It sounds like he’s been through plenty in his life as well.

Maybe we’re just two broken souls looking to get put back together?

As I get ready to leave on Friday, Jerome stops me. “Hey, Tiegan! I’ve barely seen you this week. Everything okay?”

“Hey, Jerome. Yeah, I’ve been crazy busy with work. How are you adjusting to life at Kroger?”

“Things are going really well, actually. Just rowing the boat. Are you still coming to our game night tomorrow?”

“I’m planning on it. I probably can’t stay for the entirety, though. Is that okay?”

“Of course. I don’t expect you to go for the whole marathon on your first go. It’s something you have to train for,” he says as he gives me a big, toothy grin. “Most people come around four and stay till nine or ten. You’re more than welcome to do that.”

I laugh. “Sounds good. Do I need to bring anything?”

“Just yourself, a game if you want to play something in particular, and your drink of choice. Gotta stay hydrated,” he says, giving me a wink.

“Okay! Just text me your address, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I sleep in on Saturday, which is unusual. My internal alarm usually wakes me up by 7:00 a.m. at the latest. However, my eyes don’t open until after 10:00 a.m. This week must have worn me out more than I realized.

I get out of bed and do my usual routine of medicating Berlioz and Marie, and cleaning out the cats’ litter boxes before making my way to the bathroom.

Once inside the steaming shower, I let the water rush over me and wake up my bones.

The scorching water feels good against my skin and makes gooseflesh pop up on my arms. I run water over them to make them go away.

As I continue washing my body, I can’t help but let my mind wander to Kenny.

I imagine him in here with me, lathering my skin with my favorite body wash, running conditioner through my hair, and kissing my shoulders as he does so.

The next thing I know, my hand is making its way down my body to my warm, wet center.

I make circles around my clit with my middle finger.

It feels good, but I need more. I prop one leg up on the side of the tub and remove the shower head from its holder.

I change the setting to jet blast and position it at my clit.

All of a sudden, a burst of sensation hits me.

The warm water pressure massages my core, making it pulse.

Reaching down with my other hand, I insert two fingers into myself, and begin to work my way in and out.

The slick heat coats my fingers. In my fantasy, Kenny bends me over and takes me deep from behind with his large, hard cock.

I can almost feel his hands gripping my hips as he thrusts.

That vision is enough to send me right over the edge, my orgasm crashing through me.

Well, I guess I’m awake now.

I turn off the shower, hop out onto the bathmat, and grab the towel hanging from the door to dry off.

As I wipe the steam from the mirror, I catch my reflection.

I study my blue-green eyes and my nose I feel is too big for my face.

My lips are a nice, full size without needing fillers.

I’ve got the start of some crows feet around my eyes, and smile lines around my lips, but otherwise my skin is smooth.

Overall, I have a pretty face, or so I’ve been told.

It’s my body I’m not fully comfortable with.

I’ve gotten better over the years at accepting myself for who I am.

Still, I have moments of insecurity when I think back to my mother telling me, as a child, that no one would ever love me unless I lost weight.

I’ve learned to love and accept my body, but every now and then, those insecurities rear their ugly heads.

I turn away from my reflection and finish drying off.

With a towel wrapped around me, I head to my adjoining bedroom and rummage through my drawers until I find what I’m looking for—a black crop top with a skull on the front, and my favorite pair of shorts that show off my tattoos.

I pair them with black Converse, and make my way over to the main house to say good morning to my family.

Once I enter the house, the smell of coffee hits my nostrils. Aunt Tweetie stands in the kitchen in one of her many mumus, spreading cream cheese over her bagel. “Hey, kiddo. How’d you sleep?” she asks when I enter to grab myself a cup of black coffee.

“I guess I was more tired than I thought. I slept till ten.” I blow on my coffee before taking a sip.

“I was wondering why you weren’t up yet. I guess you needed the rest.”

“Yeah. My new coworker invited me over to his house for a big game night. I think I’m gonna go. It would be good for me to get out and socialize a little bit.”

“That sounds like a great idea. Maybe you could bake some cookies to take over?” she suggests as she takes a large bite of her cinnamon bagel.

“I didn’t even think of that. Good idea.” I start looking around for the ingredients I’ll need to make my special red velvet cookies.

An hour or so later, the aroma of freshly-baked cookies fills the house.

I sample one fresh out of the oven to make sure they are baked properly.

The richness of the red velvet explodes on my tongue as the white chocolate chips melt in my mouth.

They’re perfect. I let them cool before transferring them to a plastic container to take over to Jerome’s.

Four-thirty rolls around and I’m just pulling up to Jerome’s house. There are already a few cars in the driveway; one I recognize as being Rex’s Blazer. I exit Salem with the cookies, beer, and Quelf, my favorite board game, in tow.

Before I can even ring the doorbell, the door swings open and I’m greeted by the cutest little boy I’ve ever seen. His almond-colored skin is a stark contrast to his green eyes. He gives me a big smile, and I notice he’s missing one of his front teeth.

“Hello! Are you here for game night?” he asks, bouncing up and down.

“I am! I’m Tiegan. What’s your name?”

“Thatcher,” he says, suddenly shy.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Thatcher. Is your daddy home?”

“Follow me!” And he bounds in the opposite direction, farther into the house.

I deposit my shoes at the entry and follow him deeper into their home.

Upon entering, I hear raucous laughter and chatting coming from somewhere deeper in the house.

In front of me, a staircase leads up to the bedrooms, I presume.

Family pictures line the hall. I follow Thatcher through the hallway that enters into an expansive kitchen, where Jerome gets a Dr. Pepper from the fridge.

He turns and sees me. “Hey! You made it.” He sets his drink on the counter to give me a hug.

“I wouldn’t miss this,” I say as I embrace him. When we part, I hold up the plastic container. “I brought cookies. They’re red velvet with white chocolate chips.”

“How did you know red velvet was my favorite?”

“Lucky guess and these are my specialty.”

He takes my cookies and places them with the other food set out for perusing. “Feel free to put your drinks in the fridge, and help yourself to anything you want.”

I set my Bearwalker in the fridge, and turn to grab a plate to start loading it up with food. There’s pigs-in-a-blanket, layered dip, sausage queso, pizza, chips, and so much more. Damn, they really go all-out for these game nights.

As I’m adding some tortilla chips onto my plate, a little girl with the most beautiful curly hair bounds into the kitchen. “Hello,” I say as I turn to her. “You must be Jerome’s daughter. What’s your name?”

She looks at me with her big hazel eyes and nods her head, before running back the way she came. I shake my head. Kids.

I follow her down the hallway with my hands loaded with food and beer, the laughter from the game room growing louder with each step.

I finally round the corner and come to a room with a dozen other people huddled around a long table.

A chorus of “Tiegan!” “Hey!” and “You made it!” erupts as I enter.

“Hey, everybody. Looks like I’m missing out on some fun.”

Rex is at the head of the table, shuffling a deck of cards. “Hey, we’re just about to play Cards Against Humanity. You’re just in time. Want in?”

“Oh, absolutely. I don’t miss out on the chance to play that game.”

As Rex deals the cards to those of us who are playing, I take my seat and look around the room, noticing a few familiar faces.

I recognize the two girls from Collections I met on my first day, Elizabeth and Alyssa.

I wave at them as I meet their eyes. I also recognize the woman I’m sitting next to as Jerome’s wife from his phone’s lock screen photo.

She’s even more beautiful in person with piercing green eyes that complement her ivory skin and strawberry-blonde hair.

I smile at her and introduce myself. “I’m Tiegan.

You must be Jerome’s wife. Thank you so much for having me. ”

“I’m Michelle. It’s nice to meet you,” she says, swallowing a bite of something, and brushing crumbs from her hands before giving mine a shake.

“You have a beautiful home.”

“Oh, thank you. It’s been in my family for years. We inherited it when my parents passed away a few years ago. Jerome got a job at Vanderbilt here in Nashville, and we decided it was fate. We packed up the kids and moved about two years ago now. It’s been great,” she says, taking a sip of her wine.

Conversation flows freely throughout the next hour, with laughter and jokes shared by all. Tanner, Rex’s partner, won the last round of Cards Against Humanity, and we decided it was time for a new game.

“Have you guys ever played Quelf?” I ask.

Most people shake their heads.

“Oh, man! You guys are in for a real treat,” I say as I run back into the kitchen to grab the board game.

While I’m in the kitchen, the doorbell rings. I suppose Jerome has more guests arriving. Deciding to get another beer from the fridge, I’m bent over when someone approaches me.

“Hey, Tiegan.”

I whirl around to find Kenny with a bottle of Jameson in his hand. He’s wearing a tighter-fitting T-shirt than I’m used to him wearing. It hugs his chest and soft belly. I almost drop my beer. “Jesus, you can’t keep sneaking up on me like that!” I scold.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, giving me a sly smile that says he’s not actually sorry at all.

His eyes roam over me, appraisingly, and rest on my bare stomach where the tail of my dragon tattoo pokes out from underneath my crop top, moving down to my exposed legs.

Normally, I’m more covered up than this, so this is the first time he’s seeing most of my ink.

“You’re gonna make my heart stop one of these days.”

“Guess I’ll just have to give you mouth-to-mouth then.”

I have no words. Did he really just say that? “I better get back to the party. Cups are over there if you want to pour yourself a drink,” I say, gesturing to the stack of red Solo cups on the counter as I make my way past him and back to the game room, Quelf in tow.

“So how do you play this game?” Jerome asks when I’ve reentered the room.

I explain the premise and rules of the game while setting up the board. Kenny walks in carrying a plate of food and a red Solo cup. There’s an empty seat across from me and he takes it. “We’re playing Quelf? I love this game. I haven’t played it since college,” he says, surprising me.

“You know how to play Quelf? You don’t strike me as the type to enjoy such a ridiculous game.” I glare at him with skepticism.

“Oh, yeah. I’m a total dork on the inside. I love this type of stuff.”

“Well, it looks like I might have some competition.”

“Game on.”