Better Than Chance (17 page)

“No one.”

“I’m sorry. That was rude. I didn’t mean to infer—”

“Quiet, Jay. Yes you did. And yes, you are a little… I don’t think rude is the right word… impetuous, reckless, bold….”

“Okay, okay, I get it. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I like it. I don’t know why, but I do.”

“Since we’ve already established that I’m a little bold, do you mind if I ask why we aren’t back at one of our places having wild monkey sex? I was hungry, true, but….”

Peter laughed out loud, a joyful, happy sound that had me grinning back at him like a fool. He took a sip of his cabernet and composed his features as though pondering a serious question.

“I don’t think it would be wise for us to—”

“Are you kidding me? Have we not been communicating this whole time?” I was definitely irritated. Was he just playing with me?

“Hold on. You’re jumping to conclusions.”

“You’re not speaking clearly! What is it you think it would be wise for us to do… or not do?”

“I’ll tell you. Will you let me talk without interrupting me and drawing conclusions?” Peter eyed me sternly over his wineglass, looking very authoritative. There was only one answer he expected me to give.

“Sure. Talk away.” I sat back in my chair, crossed my arms, and waited for him to resume his speech.

Peter gave me a dark, almost warning stare before he spoke.

“I was going to say it would be wise for us to set some guidelines here. We aren’t working on a project right now, but it doesn’t change the fact that we work for the same firm. Work is work. This is something different. Agreed so far?”

I uncrossed my arms and leaned forward in my chair.

“Yes, I agree.”

“Good. Also… look, this is the tricky part for me, Jay. I don’t know what you expect here. I mean, I’m not looking for….” He paused and licked his lips. I doubt he meant it as a seductive gesture, but my gaze was suddenly fixed on his full mouth.

“Me either!” I exclaimed. “See? Easy enough! No drama! How fabulous.”

Peter cocked his head at me thoughtfully, as though I were a puzzle he was trying to work out.

“So, you’re saying you want us to be what exactly? I’ll remind you that you rejected the notion that we could be friends. So… just sex partners?”

“That sounds a little sleazy,” I conceded, making a face.

“It does. I propose we try friends, then. What do you say? Maybe something like friends with benefits.” He said the last part with a shrug as though the idea suddenly came to him. I suspected, however, that he’d put some thought into what he was suggesting.

“Friends with bennies, eh?” My tone was nonchalant but my heart was beating faster than normal.

“Hmmm.” He looked as though he were considering carefully. “Still too sleazy?”

“Yeah, there’s an aura of sleaze there too.”

“Then let’s not put a label on this at all. Better?”

I nodded, silently agreeing that might be the best idea so far.

We stared at one another over the elegantly set table. Rainbow prisms from the light reflected off the crystal glasses and chandelier above us. I decided to take that as a good sign. However, I figured that if I were going to have even a casual sort of “relationship” with the guy, then I needed to know a couple more things.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Are you just coming out of a bad relationship or did you have a bad experience? I understand it’s not my business, but in a way, I feel compelled to know where you’re at… you know… mentally.”

I don’t think it’s accurate to say Peter flinched, but he certainly looked uncomfortable suddenly. I was right. There was definitely a story of some sort.

“I haven’t been in a relationship in a long time. And I’m not….” He paused as though searching for the right words. “I’m not boyfriend material.”

“Hmm. I want to let it go, but….”

“You can’t, can you?” Peter chuckled at my tenacious streak.

He looked as though he wanted to say something but picked up his wineglass instead. I waited quietly. It was a little like a standoff: one of us would crack before the other, and this time it wouldn’t be me. Peter sighed heavily and leaned his elbows on the table.

“I was with someone for years. I….”

“How many?”

“Five. Give or take. But we weren’t… traditional, I guess is a good word. And then one day, he wanted that. He wanted things I couldn’t give him.”

He shrugged as if there really wasn’t anything more to say. I had about a million questions, though. There had to be more.

“Jay, before you ask. That really is all there is to say. Jack and I are friends now. Good friends even. It was a long time ago. The point is that I’m not ‘that guy.’ Do you understand?”

“Maybe. I don’t know. I feel like throwing out a disclaimer of some sort to let you know I’m not speaking specifically about us and this situation.” I waved my hand meaningfully between us over the table. “But I think it’s a matter of meeting the right person. You know?”

Peter shrugged.

“I have no idea. I just know it was easy with Jack and fun for a long time. And then it wasn’t. Nothing intrinsic had changed between us, but he wanted more.” He shrugged again. “That’s all. There isn’t anything else to say about it. We were over five years ago. It’s old news. Your turn. What’s your story?”

I struggled to shift gears now that I knew the ball was back in my court. Peter was a mystery to me. I wanted to know so much more than he was willing to share at any given time. Patience wasn’t my strong suit, but I sensed my luck would run out if I pushed him. So… back to me.

“Nothing exciting, that’s for sure. My last boyfriend moved to West Hollywood last summer to find himself.” I shook my head at the memory.

“I’m assuming we aren’t talking about Justin here?” Peter’s eyes twinkled in amusement.

“Uh… no,” I sputtered. How embarrassing.

“Poor guy. Seems like you forgot about him pretty quick.” He was teasing me and really enjoying himself. I shot him a dirty look.

“I suppose it will come as no surprise that Justin was never my boyfriend. I lied. I slept with him once. That’s it. Truth is I barely know him.”

“I figured.”

“Oh. How? I mean, I’m a bad liar, and it’s a pretty well-known fact, but you seem awfully….”

“Because the night you told me off for being a judgmental asshole, Justin was actually waiting for me.”

My mouth was wide open in shock. Peter reached over and tipped my chin gently with his forefinger, clearly amused at my surprise.

“O-kay… well, um….”

“In answer to your unspoken questions… a couple of times. He works at a restaurant in the financial dist—oh. I guess that’s where you met him too.”

“Yeah. Hmm. The boy gets around.” This was odd. To say the least.

“He’s young. Too young for me really.”

“How old is he? And actually, how old are you?” I figured we should just get all the weirdness out of the way.

“Justin is twenty-three. I’m thirty-two. You?”

“Twenty-eight. Just turned.”

“Happy birthday.”

I gulped, not really sure what we were talking about anymore. Birthdays, old boyfriends, new perimeters?

“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Peter’s voice was low and seductive. I could only nod and follow where he led.

7

T
HE
FIRST
few weeks of our new “arrangement” went fairly as expected. Peter traveled a lot so we saw each other maybe once a week outside of the office. It was sex only, just as we said it would be. Amazing, crazy, wild, passionate sex. But just sex. We usually communicated day and time via voice message, and we met at my place. It was closer to the office than Peter’s, and it was a known quantity. Peter hadn’t asked me over to his house yet, and I didn’t want to rock the boat. We were both taking what we wanted from the other, no strings attached. And no overnighters.

“I’m flying in tonight, but it looks like my flight is scheduled to arrive around nine. Uh… I want to see you, Jay, um….” I stared at my phone amused at the idea of him rubbing his neck thoughtfully while he spoke. “I know it’s Friday and it’s late, but if you don’t have any plans, just let me know if… call me.”

I returned his call and left a message for him.

“Come on over. I’ll be home.”

I sat back in my office chair and swiveled to look out of my window. I felt my cock twitch in anticipation at the very thought of a night with Peter. A Friday night rendezvous was a new one. We didn’t usually spend weekend evenings together. It hadn’t come up so far. I had been busy with family obligations, hanging out with my friends, or catching up on work I wasn’t able to get to during the week. I honestly hadn’t thought to suggest we get together on a Friday or Saturday night. I had wondered on occasion what Peter was up to, but so far, I’d gone with the flow. It wasn’t my natural proclivity to not have a plan, but I didn’t want to mess with… whatever this was… by making any demands on his time unless he offered first.

I was home by eight that night. Aaron met me for a quick drink after work. He was going dancing with Katie and some other friends, and he looked a little concerned when I told him I wouldn’t be joining them. I hadn’t told him what was going on between Peter and me. I wasn’t ashamed, but I didn’t know how to explain it. No matter how I turned the words in my head, it still sounded a tad sleazy. Aaron would worry, and I was enjoying myself too much to stop and analyze. However, the look he gave me told me a confrontation was imminent.

I showered, put on some lightweight striped pajama bottoms and a snug T-shirt, and settled myself in front of my big-screen television to catch up on a couple of episodes of
Scrubs
. I made it through one episode before I succumbed to sleep. I drifted off for a short time, jerking awake when my cell phone rang.

“I’m here.”

I didn’t speak. I simply got up and opened my front door. Peter was standing there with an overnight bag, looking positively delicious. And exhausted.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself. Come in.”

“It’s late. I should have….” He let the words float in the air.

“Come.” I finished for him. “I’m glad you’re here.”

And I was. It was nearly eleven, and we were both clearly tired, but I was happy to see him.

“I came straight from the airport.” He lifted his overnight bag awkwardly. “I didn’t have a chance to go home first. It was….” He looked into my eyes as though he were seeing me for the first time. “I just wanted to see you.”

I swallowed hard and nodded. There really was nothing to say. I locked the door behind him and turned to head up the stairs to my bedroom, leaving him to follow. I heard his heavy tread behind me and felt comforted by his presence, as though everything was better now that he was here with me.

I pulled back the covers of my bed and lay back on my pillow with my arms folded behind my head to watch Peter undress. I would have seriously thought I was too tired to do anything remotely physical, but my cock thought otherwise. Peter took off his suit coat and slowly unbuttoned his oxford shirt before tackling his belt and toeing off his shoes. He must have sensed my gaze because he stopped with his hand on his zipper and smiled at me meaningfully.

“Take off yours too, baby.”

I gulped at the sexy tone in his voice, too turned on to admonish him for calling me “baby.” I slipped my fingers under the elastic of my pj bottoms and swiftly lifted my ass off the bed, freeing my rock hard cock in the process. I sat up for a second to lose my T-shirt too and then quickly lay back to attend to my aching member. Precum was pooling at my slit, and I was reeling from the sensation of going from zero to sixty in seconds flat. My whole body was practically vibrating with desire for this half-dressed, sexy man. Peter rubbed his prick through his suit pants, clearly showing me that he was equally affected by the ever present electric current humming between us.

Peter made his way over to my side of the bed, unzipped his pants, and pulled out his rigid member. He wrapped his right hand hard around the base of his dick and used his left hand to guide my head where he wanted me. The push was firm but not forceful. I took my time, smelling the musky male scent of his sex, licking at the skin around his pelvis, and for the time being, ignoring the drooling cock in my face.

I stroked my own cock while I teased my lover. I was hornier than I would have thought possible so the torment was necessarily brief. I gave in and swallowed him whole, nearly choking on his girth. Peter cried out somewhere above me as I tightened my mouth around him and sucked him in earnest. I felt him lean over me and finger my entrance lightly, not penetrating, just touching. I heard myself whimper when he pulled away to shuck off his trousers and finish undressing. He chuckled lightly. Then he swung his body over mine so that we were in the perfect position to pleasure each other simultaneously. I gasped as Peter licked my balls, pulling each one into his mouth before transferring his attention to my thick cock. Peter used momentum to shift us onto our sides; then he slapped my ass once hard as if to say “get to it.” I didn’t need to be told twice. I focused all my attention back to my lover’s waiting cock, sucking, licking, and stroking. The combined sensation of having him do the same to me ensured I wouldn’t last long. I felt my balls pull up as Peter gently set his thumb on my hole creating just the right amount of pressure to throw me over the edge. My mouth was full of his cock, so I didn’t warn him like I usually would. He had never pulled away before, and he didn’t disappoint. He sucked me through wave after wave of pleasure until I felt dizzy. Somewhere in the back of my head I knew he hadn’t come yet and I needed to refocus for him. I did the first thing I could think of, the one thing that obviously gets me every time. I licked my finger and did exactly what he’d done to me. Peter moaned loudly, his reaction instantaneous. I swallowed every drop as he convulsed around me. The moment I’d released his softened cock from my lips, he turned his body around and sealed his mouth over mine. His tongue probed my mouth as we shared our essence. I could taste both of us on his tongue. It was so incredibly sexy.