Page 39 of Only Lovers in the Building

The Icon was lit and lively when they made it back around midnight. They crossed the lobby, rode the elevator, and walked

the length of the hallway. The only question was the classic: Your place or mine?

Ben asked for her keys, unlocked her door, and followed her inside. That answered the question.

“Phones go here,” he said, stopping at her coffee table. “We’re not taking any chances.”

To demonstrate, he pulled his out and dropped it there. Lily lowered hers, and all her other stuff, onto the table next to

his. Then, slowly, cautiously, she raised her hands to show him that she wasn’t armed or dangerous.

“Come here, you,” he said, drawing her to him. He removed the silk flower pinned to her hair and brought her curls down around

her shoulders. “Tell me how this ends.”

What a question! “I don’t know. Shouldn’t we get started first?”

Lily would not get dragged into a philosophical debate. Not now, anyway.

He looked at her with soft eyes. “Please. I have to know. This can’t end in bitterness or resentment or indifference.”

“How could it?” she asked. “It’s too perfect.”

“Anything can go wrong,” he said. “You’re too smart not to know that.”

“This is different.”

He weaved his fingers through her hair. “This doesn’t feel like a small thing. It feels big. I’d rather do nothing than ruin

it, but I have to have you.”

“I have to have you, too,” she said. “I don’t even care if this is a mistake.”

“Promise me it won’t be.”

“Take my clothes off,” she demanded.

It took no effort at all. He slid the dress over her arms and tossed it aside. It drifted onto the wood plank floor. She stood

before him in her seamless underwear and cinnamon-colored nipple pasties. It was worth the slight pinch of humiliation because

his playfulness was back.

He smiled. “We can’t have this.”

Ben peeled off the silicone patches, freeing her nipples. He then hungrily lowered his mouth over one then the other, sucking

them back to life. His hands found their way into her underwear, cupped her ass, and drew her into him, with only his clothes

in the way.

“Take this off,” she ordered, pushing his jacket off his shoulders. Didn’t he know how badly she’d wanted to feel his skin,

down to the fine hairs on his arms?

“So impatient,” he said.

She demonstrated her impatience by helping him with the buttons of his dress shirt. Once free to discover the map of his body,

she traced the outline of the tattoos inked into his golden-brown skin. “How did you pick this floral pattern?” she asked,

breathless with admiration. “It suits you.”

“We’ll get into that later.”

He drew her back to him, only this time, her skin met his and the heat from his body scorched hers.

Their kisses were deeper, but also looser, messier, just excuses to grab each other.

They broke away, panting. Then he was out of his clothes, the pants and everything else just gone.

Lily wrapped a hand around his impressive cock and felt it pulsing. “All this for me?”

“Funny girl.” He walked her backward toward her bed, his hands low on her hips. “Do you remember that time we went swimming,

and your swimsuit came undone, and you lost the bikini top?”

“I’m pretty sure that never happened,” Lily replied. Before falling into bed, she swiped aside the bra that did not make the

day’s final cut, reducing her options to the pair of seamless panties and nipple pasties.

“Must’ve been in my dreams,” he said.

With a hand on the flat of her chest, he eased her onto her back. Her breath labored and slow, she asked, “How often do you

dream about me?”

“Often,” he muttered into her skin.

Ben was kissing her everywhere. She gripped the sheets and twisted to meet his mouth.

“Bikini wardrobe malfunctions aside,” she pressed on, “what are we up to in your dreams? Any chance we’re reading a book?”

“Not a chance,” he said, laughter rolling in his throat.

“What, then?” she asked.

“We bake cookies from scratch.”

“You’ve got such a sweet tooth!”

“You have no idea.” He flipped her onto her stomach and moved to bite into her cheeks before stopping short. “Oh good God!”

Lily squeezed her eyes shut. He’d found her last secret. They were going to have that philosophical discussion, after all.

“What do we have here?”

“A tramp stamp,” she said humorlessly. “In my defense, I was in a sorority for a hot minute. The cool thing to do on a holiday

weekend was to go into the city and get tatted.”

“A tramp stamp is a specific thing,” Ben said thoughtfully. “A heart or a butterfly. An infinity sign doesn’t fit the bill.” He traced the figure with the tip of a finger. “Tell me one of your sorority sisters got one of those.”

Lily cackled. “Bethany did!”

“Oh, Bethany,” he sighed. “You don’t disappoint.”

“I’m pretty sure she’s had it lasered off by now.”

“I like it.” He pressed his lips to the base of her spine. “How did you manage to hide it from me?”

“High-waisted bikini bottoms,” she confessed. “I won’t wear any other kind.”

“What else are you hiding?” he asked.

She twisted around to meet his dark eyes swirling with curiosity. “I’m a virgin.”

“Not in my dreams, you’re not.”

“I’ll be one again if you don’t get inside me.”

“Don’t rush me. I’ve been dreaming about this a long time,” he said. “I’m going to discover all there is to discover. I don’t

care how long it takes.” He ran his thumb over the spot he’d just kissed. “Look what I might’ve missed.”

Lily sat up and crossed her legs. She would not let this stand. “I’ve been waiting far longer than you. I made the first move, remember? Meanwhile, you took your time, weighing your options. Therefore, I have

the superior claim.”

He kissed her. “You’re going to have to wait, whether you like it or not.”

“Why?” she complained.

He kissed her again. “Because the condoms are at my place. Either we head over there, like this, and risk running into Jeremy

in the hall, or you wait patiently here for me to get back.”

“There’s a third option.”

He cocked his head. “Let’s hear it.”

Lily reached around him and yanked open the top drawer of her nightstand. From it, she produced two packets of condoms in stark black foil. “We’re all set.”

Ben recognized the monogram of the French design house. “Are you kidding me?”

“They’re not mine.”

“Whose are they?”

“I stole them from Noah’s place,” Lily confessed. “He’s got a whole collection.”

“Sorority girls live such wild lives,” he said in a low voice that made her shiver.

“You have no idea.”

“I’ve never used a luxury condom. Is it ribbed for your pleasure by French artisans, or what?”

“Actually,” she said, “it tastes like champagne.”

“It’s time we put that smart mouth to use.”

“Let me show you what sorority girls can do.”

Lily moved to the edge of the bed and curled her legs around his sturdy ones. Her nails digging into the back of his thighs,

she mouthed his beautiful, erect penis, teasing the tip with her tongue, scraping the length with her teeth. Ben’s body tightened,

and he withdrew from her. Pointing to the condoms, he said, “Hand one over.” She did as instructed. He ripped open the foil

packet with adept fingers, his growing impatience showing. She spilled onto the bed and watched him work.

Once done, he said, “Give me your foot.”

“Excuse me?” Had they unlocked a new kink?

“Now is not the time to be testy.”

“Don’t you know I’m testy even on my best days?”

“Your foot,” he repeated.

She raised a leg and pressed the flat of her foot onto his hard chest. He slid his palms along her shin, down her thigh. “This

is what I dream about, touching you, freely, whenever I want.”

“Your wildest dreams are about to come true,” she teased.

“You have such beautiful skin,” he said. “I couldn’t stop staring at your legs. I stole every chance I got to touch you.”

“Oh, I know...” she whispered, smiling.

“Now you know everything.”

“I don’t know how you feel inside me.”

With this man, she had to take her fate in her hands. There was no way around it. She got up, pushed him onto his back, straddled

him, pinned him down. “Your dreams are tame, Professor Romero,” she whispered.

“Tell me yours.”

His eyes were soft, but his grip on her hips was tight. With his taut body between her thighs, she felt beautiful, powerful,

and very much in control. “To ride you to the ground.”

“I hope you’re not waiting for a written invitation.”

Lily was done waiting. She couldn’t take a drop more of anticipation. But in the blink of an eye, she lost the upper hand.

Ben raised her by the hips and buried himself inside her, bringing her vapid dreams to vivid life. She made space for him,

breathed him in like air. He murmured something, except the ocean was raging in her ears and she couldn’t hear it. She was

sure the world had stopped spinning. Then, a bolt of clarity. This was their first time. There would be other times, but never

a first. She couldn’t afford to zone out and miss it.

Lily caught his face between her hands. “What did you say?”

“Those eyes.”

She collapsed into his arms. There was nothing but heat and the sweat of their bodies between them. His teeth grazed her skin.

Her nails dug into taut muscles. With her leg locked around his waist and his hand wrapped around the nape of her neck, a

frenzied determination took hold. To dive deep into each other. To discover the undiscoverable, the sunken treasure. When

they found that rare pearl, held it in their hands, cries of pleasure but also triumph.

Ben Romero was no longer Lily’s neighbor from across the hall, her book buddy, fellow coffee lover, or summer crush. From now until the end of time, he was her lover no matter how this story ended.

Pop Shop

A Pop Culture Podcast

Category: Arts

Rating: 4.5 stars

July 19: Around Midnight by Charlotte Mitchel

with Lily Lyon and Ben Romero

Lily: Hi, I’m Lily.

Ben: I’m Ben.

Lily: Together we’re wasting away our summer, reading books, drinking cocktails, and gossiping about our neighbors. If that sounds

like fun to you, stick around. Ben, why don’t you introduce our book selection?

Ben: Today we’re revisiting a book that we’ve both rated five stars and I very much enjoyed. Around Midnight by a talented debut author, Charlotte Mitchel.

Lily: It’s a hot one, almost too hot for Ben to handle, if you can believe it.

Ben: Who’s going to believe it? By now, our listeners know me well enough.

Lily: If that’s true, please sound off in the comments below.

Ben: This isn’t about us. This is about Liz and Austin, our main characters.

Lily: This is our podcast. Everything is about us.

Ben: Even so, we should let the people know what this book is about and why it had us in a choke hold.

Lily: It’s a tale of sexual exploration. Liz and Austin are solo travelers who meet while touring the Italian countryside. After

a series of contrived incidents, they end up in a quaint B and B with no choice but to share a room with one bed. Instead

of the usual negotiations—I’ll take the bed, you take the couch, etc.—they go a different route. They decide to make the most

of it. After a cool glass of prosecco, things get hot. They abandon the tour and spend the rest of their time in Italy tucked

away at Villa Angelina.

Ben: Honestly, that’s all you need to know.

Lily: This novel sparked conversation in our book club. One of our friends brought up a good point. It’s the question of first-time

sex with someone. In this romance, as in most, it goes divinely well. That’s not often the case in real life.

Ben: I can’t relate, but I’m listening.

Lily: [coughs] I concede that, under exceptional circumstances, first-time sex can go well.

Ben: Divinely well. That’s the standard that you’ve set.

Lily: Do you agree that it generally doesn’t shake out like that? It can be awkward, stressful, or even painful when those involved haven’t yet established how hard they like it or how fast or any number of parameters that ought to be discussed in advance or intuited over time.

Ben: I’m a quick study. It usually shakes out.

Lily: You’re so full of yourself! Has anyone told you that?

Ben: You did, just now.

Lily: I think we’ve touched on the crux of the matter.

Ben: We’ve touched upon something. Let’s hear it.

Lily: Men have a blind spot. They’re unwilling to own up to their inadequacies when it comes to sex.

Ben: Aim higher, Lily. Men are unwilling to own up to inadequacies in any area whatsoever.

Lily: So true! If only they’d stop and ask for directions. The world would be a safer place.

Ben: If only women would articulate what they truly wanted, in and out of the bedroom, clearly and unambiguously, we’d have flying

cars by now. There’d be no need for directions.

Lily: What a bunch of crap! Even if we came at you with flare guns, you wouldn’t find your way.

Ben: Are you speaking from experience?

Lily: Not recent experience. I’ll admit to that.

Ben: Good to know. Let’s get back to the tropes.

Lily: Ah, yes! The tropes. Obviously, the one-bed setup gives it away. A little overused, but a crowd pleaser, nonetheless.

Ben: What’s your favorite trope?

Lily: Me? Um... Friends-to-lovers. It’s sweet. How about you?

Ben: The one in which an uptight writer moves into a New York brownstone and falls for his enigmatic upstairs neighbor.

Lily: That’s not a trope, that’s the plot of Breakfast at Tiffany’s . Specifically, the movie.

Ben: I’m impressed.

Lily: I watched your lecture on American classics. It’s on YouTube.

Ben: No, you didn’t.

Lily: I’ll drop the link in the show notes for our listeners.

Ben: I think our time is up. Let’s wrap.

Lily: I don’t know how useful this episode will be to anyone. If you’re still listening, just know we appreciate you so, so much.

In summary, we believe that sex with a stranger can be divine, but I’m partial to getting to know someone over time.

Ben: Did you always feel that way? Because I remember the night we met—

Lily: Never mind the night we met. I’ve always felt that way. Intimacy is hot.

Ben: Not as hot as the first chapter of Around Midnight . Read it and get back to us. We’re headed to the pool. [I need to be alone with Lily to find out how hot intimacy can be.]

Lily: [Oh my God! Ben!]

Ben: [Don’t worry. Dave will edit it out.]

Lily: [How do you know that?]

“Good stuff, guys!” Dave said over the microphone, enthusiasm cranked high. “Lily, don’t worry. I got you. We’ll edit that

last part out.”