Chronicles of a Serial Dater - Book 3: A New Adult Romantic Comedy (4 page)

I can’t tell you how many times that weekend Zach and I tried to sneak away. It got to the point I thought Anette must’ve known something was going on and was just messing with us. I’d hung out alone with him before without an issue, but the moment we wanted to be covert about it, she suddenly got all clingy. She also inconveniently had both Saturday and Sunday off, so we didn’t even have our normally scheduled few hours of peace.

The secretive comments, accidental touches, and lingering looks from across the room really set my nerves on fire. I’d find myself studying his movements from the corner of my eye, the way he’d idly toy with his shoelace or rub his neck. I can’t be sure he was watching me as intently, but I played into the seduction myself. The heat helped explain away my skimpy outfits. I’d stroke a bottle of beer absentmindedly. I even made a show of nibbling on my pen while pretending to edit. I’m pretty sure I was successful with that one because he had to put a throw pillow over his lap for ten minutes.

By Monday morning, I was so worked up and frustrated with the situation, I nearly orgasmed the moment I read Zach’s text. I’d been at work, hardly working, for three hours when it came through.

I won an award in high school for perfect attendance. I’d never called in sick to work let alone left early with a fake illness. But there’s always a first time.

It’s amazing how fast your brain works when you’re whipping together a devious plot. I knew Lisa wouldn’t really care if I told her I was going home sick. It was Abi I had to worry about. She’d be snooping around for weeks trying to uncover the truth of it unless I was convincing.
God, what am I gonna do?

A plan fell into place, helped in part by the countless hours of movies and television I’d watched in my lifetime. After running through it a couple times, I realized it was foolproof, or at least Abi-proof. But first, I had to set the scene.

With a practiced sick face, I ducked my head into her office and said I was going on a lunch run. “I’m not feeling very well. Maybe chicken soup will settle my stomach,” I said before asking if she wanted any. Of course she didn’t. I went down to the deli and got a small cup of the chunkiest Minestrone soup they had.

Once upstairs, it just turned into a waiting game. Minutes ticked by until Abi finally walked past my door to get to the bathroom. I gave her a weak smile as she passed, making sure she saw me slowly eating. I counted to thirty in my head, grabbed the container, and rushed into the only other stall.

After a few convincing retching sounds, I tipped some of the soup into the toilet from nearly chin-high. I heard her gag in the stall beside me, so I hammed it up a bit more, an evil grin spreading across my face. I flushed the toilet, basking in the glow of my performance, when I realized I had no idea what I was going to do with the container. As I stared at the empty cardboard trying to figure out where to hide it, she was already washing her hands.
Shit, shit! She has to know it was me!
I tucked it behind the toilet seat and carefully closed the stall behind me.

“Sorry about that. I’m gonna have to call maintenance to come up here and help clean up.” I cupped my hands under the cold water and took a sip.

“Oh God, you went and got yourself knocked up, haven’t you?” she sneered. “White trash always breeds more than the educated.”

“No, nothing like that. Have to actually have sex to get pregnant,” I said with a dramatic eye roll. Lying 101. Admitting to something embarrassing makes the lie more convincing. “My roommate has had this horrible stomach thing. I guess I finally caught it.”

Abi physically recoiled from me. “Yeah, okay. It’s time you go home.”

“No, I have so much work to do,” I insisted, faking another dry heave, hand flat on my stomach. “I’m mostly empty now. As long as it doesn’t start coming out the other end, I should be fine.”

“I swear, if you get me sick, I will make your life a living hell,” she warned as she backed out of the bathroom.

After a quick conversation with Lisa, I waited on a surprisingly empty platform for the train back up to my apartment building. I was shocked at how quickly and perfectly I’d executed the plan.
I’m getting good at this kind of stuff!
The wetness in my panties betrayed how excited I was.

My heart was racing a hundred beats a minute as I climbed the stairs of our building. I lingered outside my apartment door, briefly wondering if I should freshen up or change into something sexy before going up to Zach’s.
No, come on. That’s what you do for boyfriends. Establish boundaries.

I jogged up the flight of stairs so quickly I was a little out of breath when I knocked. The whole thing felt like a dream. I couldn’t believe this was actually about to happen… with Zach!

He opened the door with a sly smile on his face. He was shirtless, his gray sweatpants slung low on his hips. Ever since our conversation about a friends-with-benefits arrangement, it was like an illusion had been lifted from my eyes. Zach was sexy,
really
sexy. I don’t know how his sporty, muscular physique hadn’t caught my attention until now.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” I replied, knowing my face was bright red and shiny with sweat.

He nodded into the room and moved out of the way so I could come in. I almost made a comment when I realized he’d tidied up, but before I could, his hands were all over me.

Zach groped my waist, pulling me against his half-naked frame. He buried his face in my neck and hair, kissing my skin. I pressed my hands on his chest and giggled.

“What?” he mumbled into my hair.

“It’s just…” I pushed him away, the giggle threatening to become a full-blown fit. “It’s a little weird, don’t you think? Just diving in like this?” I clenched my jaw tightly to keep from laughing.

Zach nodded, his gaze full of lust. “You’re absolutely right. I should start at the start.” With a hand on my hip and another snaking up behind my head, he walked me two steps backward and pressed me against the wall. He held my eye as he drew closer. My lips fell apart, my breath hitched. And when his lips finally met mine, our tongues dancing in growing heat, I didn’t find it so funny anymore. It was delicious.

He kissed me with a hunger I had never felt in a partner before. Kevin had always been lukewarm at the best of times, almost like kissing me was like an obligation he had to get through before he was allowed near the good stuff. But Zach… by the time he pulled away, I was left panting and dizzy, my lips puffy from little nips and nibbles.

“Come here,” he said in a husky voice. He grabbed my hand and led me into his bedroom, which didn’t smell like a locker room for once. The air was thick with humidity, but it didn’t bother me. It matched my growing desire.

Just at the edge of his bed, he turned and told me to stay still. Piece by piece, he stripped the clothes from my body, kissing my skin as he exposed it to the air. A warm shiver crept across my flesh as he focused on each and every spot with an almost reverent desire. He paused when I was standing only in my mismatched bra and panties.

“Are you okay? Are sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to back out.” Not that I had any reservations, the fact that he stopped right at the brink to make sure I was still comfortable meant the world.

“I’m good. Are you?” I breathed, very aware Zach’s hands were on my naked waist.

“I’m great,” he grinned.

“It’s a little weird, right? It’s not just me?” I nervously laughed.

He gave me a little shrug as he deliberately took my form in with one sweeping gaze. “A little. But it’s all about pleasure, right? Just pure sex, no strings.”

“Right.”

His finger traced a swift line down my torso, across my hip, and into the crease of my thigh. “Right,” he whispered. His expression shifted as the tip grazed the wet fabric between my legs.

I still couldn’t shake the awkwardness of the whole encounter, so I resolved to take matters into my own hands. I grabbed him by both shoulders, pushed him back a step, and looked him square in the eye. “Strip. It won’t be right until we’re both naked.”

Zach gave me a secret smile, arched an eyebrow, and hooked both thumbs into the waistband of his sweatpants. I didn’t even attempt to pretend I wasn’t interested in seeing what he was working with down there. With a practiced move, he teasingly pulled the elastic down, his thick shaft appearing in the middle of a patch of dark trimmed hair. His cock sprang free, pointing straight up and out, as he kicked off the sweats. He gave himself a little stroke and seemed to enjoy my reaction.

“Well? Your turn.”

I wasn’t nearly as practiced at seductively undressing, so instead, I did it quickly. Bra unclasped, thrown to the floor. Panties dropped and kicked away. After our conversation on Saturday, I was thankful I’d had enough warning I could to do a little tidying up myself.

“Jesus Christ,” he breathed, taking me in with a ravenous gaze. Within seconds, he closed the distance between us and pushed me back onto the bed.

I groaned at the sweet weight of his body on top of me, his firm frame slotting in perfectly with mine. I wrapped my legs around his waist as we kissed, his hands roaming all over my body. There was a voice in the back of my head that was stuck on repeat.
This is Zach. This is Zach!
I was focusing so hard on silencing it, I barely noticed him kissing a path down my stomach to between my legs. It was only when his breath touched my sensitive skin did I sit up with a start.

“I should warn you, I’ve never been able to get off like that,” I said with a little panic. “I just don’t want you to feel bad if you…”

His mouth was tantalizingly close to my pussy. “Okay. Well, does it still feel good if I do this?” He teased my wet folds with the tip of his finger, circling around my skin with a delicate touch.

“Uh huh,” I breathed.

Zach nodded with mock seriousness. “Good, good. And how about this?” He slid a single digit inside, my muscles tightening in response.

“That’s good, too,” I smirked.

“Right, okay,” he replied as if taking mental notes. “And finally, how does this feel?” He dipped his chin and gave my pussy a long lingering lick with the flat of his tongue. Just as he swirled around my most sensitive spot, I slammed my head back on the pillow and moaned.

“Fucking amazing.”

It was muffled but I could hear the grin in his voice. “Good. Then I want you to relax and let me make you feel good.”

And holy shit did he. Maybe I’d always searched a little too hard to reach my orgasm, focused on finding it like a light through a fog. More likely, Kevin sucked at it and never took the time to properly warm me up. It could even be that it’d been so long since I’d gotten laid, it was a simple job. But in the moment, I couldn’t have cared less about the whys.