Page 64 of Return on Love
“Oh baby! You’re gonna kill me.”
It’s nice to watch him being so out of control with pleasure. I’m still licking and sucking when he pulls me up. “My turn,” he whispers in a half-trembling voice.
He pulls my skirt down my legs and then with his mouth working its magic on my lips, he unbuttons my bra. He cups my breasts in his hands and then his lips are all over them, sucking them so hard that a loud moan escapes my lips and my back lurches up, uncontrollably.
My heart is galloping like a race horse. Could I get a heart attack from sex? I don’t have time to think, because he is already between my legs, fondling me with his tongue, my legs wrapped around his shoulders. Never, even in my wildest dreams, had I imagined that my body was capable of feeling such pleasure. Wasn’t this the stuff they write in books, that I had so far thought was fantasy?
He worked me mercilessly, licking and sucking the opening, the warm tongue going inside and rubbing the sides. My brain goes blank with pleasure as he inserts his fingers inside me and continues to play around with his mouth.
“You better stop now,” I whisper, my voice coming in gasps.
He looks up and smiles, picks up a condom and opens it with his teeth. Every act of his is a turn-on. He slips it on and within seconds he is on the bed and I’m straddling him. Slowly, I adjust myself over him, taking him in, inch by inch till I’m flattened out. He grunts and moans as I ride him, slowly and as I get used to him, faster. Our bodies are in perfect synchrony. His palms fondling my breasts. His pupils dilated, his face contorted in pleasure as I work him, faster. I let out a loud moan as I feel my body fill up with indescribable pleasure and right after I feel him convulsing under me.
“Oh baby! Oh my God!” is all he can whisper in hoarse voice.
As I lie beside him, my head on his shoulder, his arm around me, utterly spent and happier than I’ve been in a long time, I reflect on the transitory nature of this… whatever we have between us. But for now, I just want to relish the moment.
Chapter 19
“Named must your fear be before banish it you can.”—Yoda
The next morning I wake up being spooned by Ryan. His face is right behind mine. I turn my head slowly, so as not to disturb him. Even in his sleep, he looks so damn hot. I plant a kiss on his cheek. His lips curl into a smile. He grabs me in his arms and pulls me closer to himself.
“Mornin’,” he mumbles into my ear.
“Morning,” I reply, stroking his hair gently and kissing his forehead.
He opens his eyes a little, smiles and then rolls me over himself. “This is what I call my perfect morning. Waking up with you in my arms. I could do this every day for the rest of my life and still consider myself one lucky man.”
I like it too. But nothing takes away the fact that Ryan is also a man. Returning to LA has reignited all the memories. Bob had promised to marry me, be by my side till we got old, and at the first chance at a prettier girl, he dumped me for her. That’s what men are. I must remember not to let emotions cloud my judgment. Not anymore. Plus, there’s the living on opposite sides of the continent thing.
“Yeah, till you go back to Boston to your life and I remain here. But enjoy it while it lasts.”
The sex with Ryan is good. Okay, it’s great. But that's the limit of our relationship. Friends with benefits. Isn’t that a thing nowadays? Who says I’m not modern or adventurous? In your face, Bob! I have a friend with benefits, that’s how adventurous I am.
I roll away from Ryan. “There’s a lot to do today,” I say. “We only have today and tomorrow and so far we really have nothing to prove Bernard’s innocence.”
On top of that, I also have to go to Bob’s house to pick up my stuff. I have half a mind to just let my things be there. Let him throw them out if he wishes. I don’t care for most of the things I’ve left in his house, but for one. It’s a photo of my mom, holding me the day I was born. She died soon after and that’s the only photo I have of her and me together. Guess I’ll have to summon the courage to face that man again.
After breakfast, we set up ourselves in the hotel room. Ryan scans through Priscilla’s emails and I go through CashCross financials. A few hours into it, I rub my tired eyes.
“I need a break. I can’t find anything untoward. They have a small bit of debt, that’s it. Mark had mentioned an insane amount of debt. I’ve no idea where all that has disappeared. I’ve combed their website. Nothing that should raise eyebrows. Maybe I should compare their previous financials with the current ones. But how do I get those?” I turn to Ryan. “What about you? Find anything?”
Ryan shakes his head. “I’ve gone through her emails, but there are so many. It seems like a never-ending abyss of platitudes, incorrect grammar and half sentences separated by ellipses. My God, someone should take her to a fifth grade English class to study grammar.”
“Well, I’m taking a break. I’ll be back shortly. I’m going to Bob’s to pick up my stuff.”
“I can come along to help. Is there a lot?”
“Not really. One box, tops. I can manage. Plus, Bob is not exactly the kind of guy you’d enjoy meeting. The further away you are from him, the better. Trust me. I’ll see you in sometime. I’ll go home and change and then go on to Bob’s.”
“I’ll tag along. I think my eyes and brain need a break from Priscilla’s emails. We can have coffee someplace on our way back. I remember you were telling me about some cozy café near Bob’s house.”
“The one he hated?”
“The one you loved. Though from what you told me, they’re the same,” he winks at me. “Enjoying at a place he hated, and you loved, would be the best way to say a last goodbye to him, don’t you think?”
We leave the hotel, make a quick stop at my apartment for me to change into a fresh set of clothes, and then drive to meet Bob. I feel uneasy meeting him again after so long. It dredges up a lot of bad memories. I’d left in a hurry after he’d dumped me. A few weeks later, I’d brought back my stuff. I still remember Priscilla and Bob sitting on the couch while I packed in the bedroom.
