Page 11 of FWB

Kenny

I n fact, neither of us win our game of Quelf.

Alyssa from Collections ends up sweeping us all away.

It was still amazing to witness Tiegan cutting loose, acting out those crazy scenarios, and wearing those ridiculous homemade, last-minute costumes from things she found around Jerome’s house.

Her laughter is infectious. I couldn’t help but smile anytime she did.

When it is time to go, I head into the kitchen to grab the remainder of my bottle of Jameson, and I see Tiegan grabbing the rest of her beer from the fridge.

I take a second to admire the view. She has a great ass, and from this angle, I can perfectly see the massive haunted house tattoo she has on the back of her right thigh.

“Hey,” I say, when she turns around, not caring that she totally caught me checking her out.

“Hey.”

“Want me to walk you to your car?”

She shrugs. “Sure.”

We each thank Jerome and his wife for inviting us over and say our goodbyes.

I walk Tiegan across the street to where her car is parked.

“I was surprised to see you tonight. I didn’t realize you knew Jerome,” she says, turning to face me.

“I met him earlier this week during a meeting and we hit it off. He seems like a good dude.”

“Yeah, I have a feeling Jerome is one of those people who never meets a stranger.”

“I can see that. I wasn’t sure if you were going to come tonight or not. I had hoped I’d see you here.”

“Oh, yeah?”

I take a step closer to her and brush a strand of burgundy hair behind her ear. “Yeah.”

Her breath catches in her throat, and I see something in her eyes.

Longing? Does she want me to kiss her? I can’t kiss her.

I barely even know her, and I can’t get involved with someone I work with.

That would only lead to disaster. But, god, I want her.

No, I need her. I need to feel her soft body pressing against mine and feel those sultry lips on my own.

I want to feel her soft tongue caressing mine.

I go on. “Would you be interested in being friends?”

“Friends?” she asks, confused.

“Yeah, you know, friends? “ I ask.

“Isn’t that what we already are?”

Fuck it. I’m going for it. “Not exactly. I want to meet those six cats of yours.”

“Five, thank you very much.” She crosses her arms, getting adorably defensive.

“I know,” I say, giving her my most devious smile and look down at her skimpy shorts. I openly devour her legs with my gaze before making my way back up to her beautiful cerulean eyes.

She blanches. “Oh! Oh . Are you really asking me what I think you’re asking me right now?”

“I’m just gonna say it. I’m interested in you, Tiegan. Specifically, I’m interested in taking those clothes off of you and discovering the rest of your twelve tattoos.”

“Oh, wow. You don’t waste any time, do you?”

“Believe it or not, I don’t do this often. If I’m being honest, there’s just something about you that I can’t pull away from. You intrigue me, Tiegan. I want to get in that pretty little head of yours. I know this is probably a bad idea–”

“It’s definitely a bad idea.” But there’s something in her eyes that tells me she’s having a hard time saying no.

“If you’re not down, then we can forget this conversation ever happened. I just thought maybe you could use some no-strings-attached stress relief. I know I could. Think of it like friends with benefits.”

She considers this for a moment. “No strings attached? I’ve never had a friend with benefits before, so I’m not exactly sure how it would work.”

“Basically, it’s just as it sounds. We’re friends who hook up from time to time. No strings. You can still see or do whomever you want, and I can do the same,” I say knowing full well that hers is the only pussy I’m interested in.

“And where would we hook up at? I live with my family, so I don’t have a lot of privacy.”

“We can get a room for the night.”

“Tonight?” She gasps.

“No time like the present.”

She thinks another moment, contemplating. I know she’s running through all the potential consequences in her mind.

“C’mon,” I nudge.

“You barely know me.”

“I want to get to know you better. This way, I’ll get to know you inside and out.”

“I don’t know, Kenny. I mean, I’m obviously very attracted to you. But I also know myself, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to do something so casual.”

“I understand that. I just know myself right now, and I know I can’t offer you more than what I’m putting on the table at this moment.

But if you’re not comfortable with this, or you don’t think you can handle it, then we can just go on being what we are now—colleagues who occasionally hang out outside of work. No pressure.”

She chews on her bottom lip for a solid minute. I think she’s going to wear a hole in her lip before finally raising her arms in the air and saying, “Fuck it. Lead the way.”

I open the door to our room at the Red Roof Inn and turn on the light.

The room is immediately illuminated, showing the standard king-size bed, desk, mini fridge, and microwave.

There’s a large picture of the Nashville skyline behind the bed frame.

Tiegan enters the room behind me and sets down her purse on the generic paisley comforter.

“So what now?” she asks.

I unscrew the lid to the bottle of Jameson I brought in and pour myself two fingers’ worth into a plastic cup. “Want a swig?” I ask, offering her the cup.

She retrieves it from my hand and takes a large gulp, downing half of the contents. She doesn’t even make a face. Shit. If this girl takes cock as well as she takes her whiskey, I’m gonna be in trouble.

She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand before letting out a massive burp. “Oh, my god. Excuse me! I’m so sorry.”

I crack up. “Hey, it’s okay. I’ve never understood why people get so bent out of shape about basic bodily functions.”

She visibly relaxes. “Right? Like, I can’t help it that I’m gassy!

” She laughs, and it’s the most glorious sound I’ve ever heard.

“Sorry,” she continues. “I guess I’m a little nervous.

Like I said, I’ve never really done this before.

Sex, yes. But it was always with the intention the relationship was going to hopefully go somewhere. ”

“If you’re uncomfortable, we don’t have to–”

“No!” she says, cutting me off. “I want to. I just don’t know where to start.”

“We can just start by getting to know each other better. I don’t mind talking for a while. You know, ease into it.”

“Have you ever done this before?”

“Yeah, it’s mainly all I do, actually. I know that sounds bad, but after my ex cheated on me, twice, I have a hard time fully letting someone back in.

So I just have long-term FWBs that I’ll see for a while before they get bored and want something more.

That’s not to say I do this often . But I’ve had my fair share. ”

“Do you never want to settle down and have a family?”

“Eh, I don’t know. I was pretty scarred after my last relationship ended badly. The breakup caused my second downward spiral into cocaine and pills. I don’t know if I can go through that again.”

“Not all relationships end badly, you know.”

“I guess I’m just a pessimist. I’ve seen so many failed relationships from people who claim to be ‘soul mates’ that I don’t know if I believe in love anymore.”

“I get that. I’m terrified I’ll never find someone to love me for me, and I’ll end up an old spinster with fifteen cats,” she tells me, as she gets off the bed to grab one of the beers that she brought up with her.

“I think one of the reasons my mom is so depressed is because she never found her ‘great love.’ She has always needed the approval of whatever man is occupying her time at that moment. I never want to be like that—to measure my value by the opinions of others.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re pretty great.

” I move to brush a strand of hair off her lips.

My finger lingers there a moment. Her breathing has gone shallow, and her eyes move to my lips.

I move closer to her, our mouths a breath apart.

The next thing I know, her mouth is on mine, and it is pure euphoria.