My heart goes all melty.
And then, as the part about his shower registers, other parts of my body respond as well.
My core squeezes at the thought of Ace in the shower, the water sluicing down his thickly muscled body. Then he soaps himself up, rubbing a lathery washcloth across his biceps, his abs, his legs…
In my fantasy, he tosses the washcloth to the side and fists his hard length, stroking it while he thinks of me. His hand moves faster, drawing out his erection and making it thicker. Harder. Droplets of pre-cum bead at the tip, leaking steadily. And when he finally comes, he calls out my name, imagining he’s inside me.
The mental image is so vivid, so tempting, I feel myself going damp. My breath catches. Licks of fire spread through my body.
In my mind’s eye, I suddenly see myself in the shower with him. Naked, just as he is. Our hands roam each other’s bodies; exploring and caressing. My hand wraps around his thick length, taking over for him. As I urge him closer to the edge, his hand comes between my thighs, finding that little bud of nerves and stroking it. My legs wobble from the sensation flooding through me, and he wraps an arm around me, using his tremendous strength to effortlessly hold me up.
In the midst of my fantasy, my phone buzzes again.
Are you still up for me visiting this weekend? If you have other things you need to do, that’s okay.
Shoot.
I don’t want Ace thinking he’s not welcome. So I quickly text him back.
Of course I am. Whenever you get here is good. Don’t worry about picking up food on the way. We can order once you get here.
As soon as I hit send, I inwardly scold myself. That doesn’t make it sound like I’m looking forward to seeing him. It sounds like I’m chatting with a coworker about who’s ordering lunch for the next team meeting.
So I shoot off another text while the three dots on the screen are still blinking.
I’m really looking forward to seeing you, too. I can’t wait until you get here.
The dots disappear, then start blinking again. Several seconds later, Ace sends another message.
I can’t wait, either.
Friends or friends with kissing benefits or whatever we are, I can’t deny that this new dynamic between me and Ace makes me feel happier than I’ve been in a very long time.
Is it risky, what we’re doing? Absolutely. I could end up losing Ace as a friend, which I very much don’t want to do. But one good thing that came out of the incident in Tacoma is that I realized I’m tired of playing it safe. Exploring things with Ace is risky, yes. But now that I’m in it, I don’t want to go back.
Glancing between the sweats and T-shirt lying on my bed and the siren call of my closet, I hesitate for a few seconds before making a decision. Then I grab the sweats and bring them back into the closet, coming back out moments later with the new jeans and sweater instead.
Decision made, I hurry into the bathroom to take a quick shower, then do a quick blow dry of my hair to give it some extra body before turning my attention to my makeup. Or lack of makeup, more like it, since the last time I actually wore anything beyond lip gloss and mascara was at Indy and Bea’s wedding.
But what the heck. I’m already going all out with the new outfit. Why not add a little pop of color, as Annaliese likes to say, as well? Nothing too crazy—I want to look like myself and not some weird, dolled-up version of it—so I add a little blush and a light dusting of bronze eyeshadow to bring out the green in my eyes. After the addition of mascara and a slick of sheer gloss, I stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, assessing.
Not too bad, I think. But for a second opinion, I snap a photo of myself and send it off to Annaliese along with a quick message.
What do you think? Too much makeup? Does it look like I’m trying too hard?
I’m not sure if Annaliese will be able to answer right away, given that it’s the middle of the afternoon where she is, which means she’s still at work. But in under a minute, she sends her response.
You look great! What do you mean too much makeup? It barely looks like you’re wearing anything. But in the best way.Where are you going? Because I know you’re not putting on makeup for your normal Friday night of dinner in front of the TV.
Smiling at the phone, I type a quick reply.
Not my normal Friday night. Ace is coming up for the weekend. He’s supposed to be here in a few hours. So I thought I’d get ready now and give myself a little time to clean up the place before he gets here.
She texts back right away.
Ace?? Just-friends Ace? He’s coming for the weekend? To stay with you? How am I only hearing about this now? What’s going on?
I run a brush through my hair before replying.
