Chapter 5
I was sprawled out on the couch, kicking back, thinking about the luck I’d been having and how I could keep from screwing it all up. Joanna had left my apartment about half an hour ago; her scent still hung heavy in the living room, and her perfume lingered on my clothes, and what she’d said had me going crazy and totally confused: “If you don’t come until tomorrow, I’ll swing by in the afternoon.” What the hell did that mean? No clue. Just when I was about to blow, she stopped and dropped that line. Had to be that edging game to build it up, something tantric maybe?
Only explanation.
The intercom buzzed in the kitchen and snapped me out of it. I jumped up quick. Realized I was still hard because of Joanna. The cold tile bit into my soles.
“Who the hell was supposed to come over? Did Joanna forget something?”
My heart raced. I picked up the pace. Grabbed the intercom. The greasy plastic stuck to my sweaty hand. On the other end, the doorman’s bored voice.
“Look, a lady’s coming up to see you, sir.”
“What lady?”
“Don’t know. She’s been here before.”
“You should ask for her name, right? I might not want to see anybody,” I griped.
“She’s a friend of yours.”
I rolled my eyes. Now the doorman knew who my friends were, ridiculous.
“Okay, but what does she look like?”
“Short hair, honey-colored. Skinny.”
“Oh… it’s Claire. Alright.”
I wasn’t expecting her; she usually called first. No big deal. I opened the door and stood watch in the hallway, waiting for the elevator “ding.” When it opened, she came out loaded with shopping bags, hair tied back, sweaty, looking beat, but with a huge smile.
“Damn, girl, did you buy out the whole mall?” I headed toward her. “Here, give me those.”
“Oh, thanks. Holy shit, I was dead on my feet. Walked all day.”
I took the bags right there. The plastic handles dug into my fingers a bit. We went inside, and the cooler air from the living room hit our faces.
“Kid, you won’t believe it, but I lost a ton of bedding to mold? Had to go out and buy towels, sheets, a comforter. That stuff takes up so much space.”
Claire barely made it in and flopped onto the couch, feet up on the coffee table, breathing heavy. The fan spun slow, pushing the mall smell around.
“You could’ve said something. I’d have gone with you to carry stuff, Claire.”
“No need. I didn’t even know I’d buy so much,” she pulled out her phone, swiped the screen. “You seen Joanna? She’s not picking up.”
“She was here. Left about forty minutes ago. Why?”
Claire tossed the phone on the couch.
“I’m grabbing some water,” she said, fixing her hair before standing. “Nothing big. I was gonna ask her to help me finish the closet at my place. That’s it.”
I yelled from the living room as I leaned the bags against a wall.
“You wanna take a shower? You look like you need it.”
“Fuck, you saying I stink?” she shot back from the kitchen. “Toss me a towel.”
I laughed. Claire was one of a kind. Simple vibe, sharp mind. Skinny, but when she smiled, she lit up.
“Take a shower, cool off. I’ll order some beers. Then I’ll help you get this stuff to your place,” I said, walking into the kitchen.
She was leaning against the sink, glass of water in hand. She looked at me with a wicked glint that was too much for just a friend.
“Cool off, have a beer…” she paused. “You wanna fuck me, you naughty boy.”
“Me? Never.”
“Yeah, right. I do need it, I’m beat. Call Joanna. See if she picks up for you and tell her to come back here.”
Claire was right at home. She brushed past me playfully and headed straight for the bathroom. I went back to the living room and grabbed my phone. I was torn: Joanna had left, Claire showed up after. Was I gonna hook up with both today? That’d be too good to be true. Safer to stick with Claire. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Still, I gave Joanna two rings, no answer. I texted: “Claire showed up here. Come over.”
Sent.
No reply.
From the living room, I heard the shower turn on. Claire was already in there. I checked myself for hygiene and went to the bedroom to straighten up the messed-up bed.
She called out.
“Hey, grab me a towel?”
I rummaged through drawers, found a decent one, and took it to the bathroom. I stopped at the door, leaned my forehead against the wood.
“I’ll leave it on the knob, you grab it?” I said low; the door was just ajar, enough to see the gap at the frame.
“Fuck, come in. Put it here on the shower shelf,” her voice came out wet, mixed with the shower noise.
I didn’t want to push things, needed to take it slow if I wanted what I was after. I pushed the unlocked door and went in. Steam hit my face. Mirror fogged over. Wet tiles dripping condensed water down the walls.
Through the shower glass, I could make out her slim outline under the water. When she heard my step, she cracked the door open a couple inches.
“Put it here on the shelf,” she said, opening it a bit more. “You scared to see me naked?”
Her face showed through the gap, wet. Her nudity peeked in the outlines. She didn’t seem to care. I held out the towel, trying not to look like a creep, and forced a short laugh to hide the awkwardness.
“My back’s killing me from carrying bags and walking. You could give me a massage,” her voice rose over the hot spray.
“If you want, I’ll do it. Finish up, get dressed, and I’ll rub your back,” I said joking, not fully getting the full naughty intent yet.
The water kept running. A short silence. Her face reappeared in the steamy glass gap. Hair plastered to her face. Predatory smile.
“You don’t wanna strip down and do it in here?”
I opened the shower door.
I laughed. That was it. I felt lucky. I yanked off my shirt and tossed it in the open hamper. My shorts dragged my boxers down to my ankles. I stepped out of them and left them on the floor. When I opened the shower door, the steam hit my face.
I laughed and got into it. Yanked off my shirt into the hamper, shorts dragged the boxers to my ankles, and I left it all on the floor as the steam hit my face when I opened the door. She was there waiting for me, arms pressed to her slim body, small tits squished against her forearm, short honey-colored hair darkened and stuck to her head. Water ran from her forehead, over her chin, streaked her chest and vanished into her navel; flat belly with a faint line, narrow hips, hot V of her pelvis in the steam. Below, sparse pubes outlined it, long lips peeking past the edges, slick and tucked, thin thighs and knees with water droplets clinging, feet crossed on the tile; the scent of coconut mixed with hot skin rose up, and when she smiled without looking away, I stepped closer, felt the water hit my back, and braced my hand on the glass to steady.
She pulled me by the neck and kissed me, hot mouth tasting of coconut and water, and I kissed back just as quick, tongue finding hers easy while the spray hit my shoulder, ran down my chest, and splashed her chin. Her slippery skin stuck to mine; I slid my hand down her side to her hip and felt her nod into the kiss, rise on her toes, brush her knee against my thigh. The glass shook behind me, water ran between her tits, crossed my chest, pooled at my navel; she nipped my lip lightly, I pulled her closer, the shower noise drowned out any words, leaving just bodies, heat, and short breaths.