Convenience and Compatibility (36 page)

Tara looks up from the pile of boxes she’s
brought in. “Hi,” she says happily.

“Hi.” I sit down on the sofa and sleepily
smile at her.

Tara frowns, “Did you sleep here last
night?”

“I did.”

“Is something wrong between you and
Greg?”

I hesitate, I had thought that she would know
what happened. “Remember the dinner we all had together last
Saturday and Greg wouldn’t talk about what happened with Dean?”
Tara nods and I continue. “Well Greg told me later that he hit
him.”

Tara’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “He
did?”

I’m surprised that Tara doesn’t know this. I
thought Adam and Greg told each other everything, but maybe they
don’t. “I just have a problem with him doing that. I want Dean to
go away too, but I do not condone hitting him.”

“Did he say why he did it?”

“Not really. Something Dean said bothered
Greg. He wouldn’t say what.”

“Oh wow. I’m sorry Mallory. Greg is madly in
love with you, you know.”

Deep down I know this but I don’t want to
admit it. “Have you heard from him?” As much as I’m mad at him,
I’ve been worried about him all week.

“No, but we’ve been really busy. If Adam
knows anything he is not saying. How did you leave things?”

“Not good Tara.”

Tara grimaces. “I’m so sorry.”

“Will you email me how he’s doing while I’m
gone?”

“Of course.”

That’s all we talk about it. Tara puts her
iPhone on the dock and turns on some upbeat dance music. We’re done
packing, but are cleaning the apartment when Greg and Adam
arrive.

I’m cleaning the refrigerator while Tara
directs the boys what to take out to the Greg’s SUV first. Greg and
I don’t talk, or even look at each other until after Tara’s
belongings are gone. They come back after the last of her loads and
I’m all done cleaning. I’m stinky and sweaty as I load my stuff
into his vehicle. Everything is packed and we stand at the side of
the car, awkwardly staring anywhere but at each other.

“Are you going to take that to your Mom’s?”
Adam asks me and I can tell he is oblivious to the status of Greg’s
and my relationship.

“Um, yea.”

“You guys want to clean up and go out after?
Let’s do something low-key like pizza.” Adam looks from Greg to me,
expectantly, as neither one of us answers. His jovial smile fades
to confusion. “Are you guys fighting again?”

“I’ll call you later Adam.” Greg walks around
and gets in the SUV. I follow his lead, getting in the passenger
seat and putting my seatbelt on. The tension in the car is thick
and I feel guilty that he is doing this for me. Let me break your
heart, but will you help me move? I know I should say something,
thank him for taking time off from work to do this. By the time we
reach the Edmonds exit, I finally muster up the courage.

“Thank you for helping me move.”

“Sure.”

I can tell Greg is pissed - he doesn’t even
look my way when he says this. I can’t imagine how he’s justified
in his behavior. It seems like I always end up being the bitch at
the end of relationships.

We pull up to my parent’s house and Greg
parks in the driveway. Mom and Dad are gone, spending the afternoon
at a luncheon. I leave Greg waiting in the car as I go inside the
house and open the garage door. I start unpacking and he follows
me, putting my things in a corner in the garage. It takes us no
more than ten minutes to get everything unloaded.

Greg waits in the car as I lock up the house.
We drive back to my apartment and neither of us has said anything.
Greg pulls up next to my car and I look over to him for the first
time. He has his head turned to the side so I can’t see his face –
he must be really pissed at me.

“Thank you again for helping me….”

Greg says nothing and makes no indication
that he will turn to look at me.

“Okay, um… I guess this is goodbye then.
Greg, will you look at me at least while I’m trying to say
goodbye?”

Greg says nothing and I stare at the side of
his head, frustrated. I would at least like to end things amicably,
but at this point I don’t see how that is possible.

“Please look at me. I’m sorry.” I love this
man, in spite of all he has done to disappoint me.

“What are you sorry for?” Greg still doesn’t
look at me.

“Leaving.” I explain to the side of his
face.

Greg’s head goes into his hands and his body
falls forward, shaking with sobs.

I take my seatbelt off and move over to him,
putting my hand around his back and hugging him awkwardly. Greg
doesn’t hug me back, and the moment feels uncomfortable.

“I’m so sorry.” I say into his hair. I’m not
cut out to breaking up with boyfriends. My empathetic nature causes
me to feel for them, and we end up being together longer than we
should. At this point, I would do just about anything for Greg to
stop crying and give me a hug.

“Please talk to me. Greg?”

Greg sniffles and grabs some napkins from the
glove box, wiping his eyes. I sit kneeling on the passenger seat,
waiting for him to address me.

He looks at me now, his eyes red, sadness
covering his face. “Spend the night with me?” He pleads. I nod yes
and we stare at each other for a moment before Greg grabs me by the
neck and kisses me. His kiss is not sweet or romantic. Instead it
begs, searching and hungry for more than I can give right now. I
pull away.

“I’ll follow you in my car.”

Chapter 23

We get to the condo and, in spite of our
kiss, are not comfortable like we once were with each other. We
both know this this is the end, our goodbye, and that it will last
all night. I love this man even though I know we are not right for
each other right now. We hurt each other too much and I don’t know
if we can ever truly be happy together. Maybe the affinity I
thought we had was nothing more than lust.

I take a shower to wash off the stink of the
day, knowing that we will most likely be fucking all night and I’d
like to start off a little clean. I dry off and hear Greg on the
phone, telling someone that tonight is not a good night to get
together. My towel is wrapped around me as I walk into the living
room just as he hangs up. He’s sitting on the sofa, a drink in his
hand and I’m reminded how most of our nights start out like this. I
stand in front of him and wait for him to make the first move.

“You have a hot date tonight?”

Greg frowns, and I see my joke was not funny
to him. “No, I was talking to Adam.”

“Oh. What’s up?”

“I was just telling him we aren’t going to
make it tonight. I hope that’s okay.” Greg takes me by the hips and
pulls me towards him. He loosens the fold on my towel and it drops
to the floor. I watch his face as his eyes take me in.

“You’re so beautiful.” Greg says, his eyes
still on my body.

Greg stands and takes my hand, leading me to
the bedroom. I lie on the bed, propped up on my elbows, as he
starts getting undressed. My gaze turns to his task; slowly his
shirt opens to his white undershirt. His dark chest hair peeks
through the top of the shirt and then he pulls it over his head and
only his jeans are left. My eyes follow his chest hair down the
dark trail that ends at his waistband. They linger there until his
words break my focus.

“Touch yourself.”

My eyes dart to his, a little shocked that he
asked me this, something I’ve never done in front of him for
foreplay. I lay down on the bed and slowly I comply. I watch his
face as he watches me put my hand between my legs and gently rub my
sex. I put my finger in and feel my wetness, so ready for him.

Greg’s eyes dart to mine and I subtlety nod.
This is his cue and he knows it. I watch Greg unbuckle his pants
and pull them off with his underwear. His erection springs up, the
sight of it making me want him more desperately. I move my hand
faster as Greg positions himself between my legs and has no
hesitation in putting his length in me. My hands instinctively move
to his upper thighs, pulling him into me deeper. He leans down and
the gold chain at his neck gently laps back and forth as he moves
inside me. I feel it’s coolness graze my body, tickling.

I close my eyes and feel his cock massage me,
groaning, wanting him to move faster. I want him to use me, to fuck
my pussy like it’s more of an object than part of my body. I want
him to punish me for being a horrible friend, girlfriend, lover,
whatever.

“Fuck it, fuck it!” I cry out and Greg
responds, knowing what I need him to do.

He pumps ravenously above me, no longer
making love to me. I am being fucked and I love it.

In one swift motion my feet are above my
head, my legs resting on his shoulders and he continues. His cock
is deeper now and almost painful, but I love being used like this.
I feel myself getting close and my body stiffens uncomfortably with
my legs in the air. Greg responds, his pace increasing, and I have
a fleeting thought that we’re going to come at the same time.

My orgasm rips through me as I scream,
throwing my head back and pulling on Greg’s massive shoulders. He
comes a moment later, calling out my name, and slows as I have the
last effects of my orgasm. I move my legs and arms around his torso
and hug him, kissing his neck as his body is pressed to mine. I
shut my eyes tightly and never want to let go.

Greg tries to pull away and I hold him
tighter. He relents and lies on me, his body supported on his
elbows as he kisses my neck. His familiar soft wet kisses, which
used to bother me, now make me smile and love him even more.

Greg rolls to his side and takes me with him,
wrapping his arms around me. I burrow my face into his neck and
feel his chest hair ticking my chin. Greg, what am I to do with
you? He feels safe, comfortable, and mine – all mine. I know
tomorrow I will have to set him free, giving him a chance to have a
normal relationship with a nice girl who treats him better than I
do and doesn’t have fucked up co-dependency issues. The thought of
him with another woman makes me want to be sick. I can’t imagine
Greg loving someone the way he just loved me. I shiver and he pulls
a coverlet over us.

“What are you thinking about?” Greg asks.

“Tomorrow… you?”

“The same.”

“Tell me why you’re leaving again?” Greg
asks, caressing my ass.

“I don’t know Greg. For adventure, culture,
to get away from ex-boyfriends.” I joke, although there is more
than a hint of truth in it.

“You want to get away from me?” Greg asks,
not overly sad, just curious.

“No. I’m drawn to you. I want to lie in this
bed forever, with you inside me.”

“Did you love him that much that you need to
leave everything?”

“I thought I did. Now I don’t know. I have a
lot of feelings for you, and it’s helped forget about him. I want
you Greg, I just don’t think I’m good for you.”

Greg guffaws and I look up into his eyes,
questioning. “I feel the same about you.”

Greg tenderly kisses me and I wonder what he
meant… does he think I’m not good for him as well? He pulls away
and sits on the bed.

“Let’s eat. I’m starved.”

I clean up in the bathroom and slip on a
silky night gown that I packed for the trip, and then join Greg to
the kitchen. I sit on the barstool and Greg pours me a glass of
bubbly champagne.

“I figured we’d better eat light since we
have a long night ahead.” Greg winks at me.

“So you knew I’d be coming over?”

“A man can dream.”

Greg puts a plate of Kalamata olives, red
onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers in front of me. He heats up a
couple of pitas on the stove and joins me on the barstool. He pulls
some hummus from the fridge and scoops it up with the pita, putting
an olive and onion on top. He places it to my mouth and I take a
bite, watching him pop the rest in his mouth. I take a drink of
champagne – can this evening get anymore perfect?

“The hummus is great. Your Mom’s?”

“Yea, she made the biggest batch last week
and gave me a few containers of it.”

“It’s the best. Thank you for sharing.”

“My pleasure.”

After eating we walk out to the deck with the
rest of the champagne. Greg and I listen to the soft clang of his
chimes and the water lap against the dock. The night is dark with
clouds covering the waning moon and the air smells like rain but so
far there has been no sprinkling. Greg and I are silent, standing
next to each other to keep the cold away. He’s only wearing his
plaid pajama bottoms but I am sure his skin is toasty. Greg is
always warm. I shiver slightly and move closer. Greg stands behind
me and puts his arms around my waist as I lay my head back on his
chest and relax at the rhythm of his breathing.

Greg moves my hair from my neck and kisses
me. “See how quiet you can be.” Greg whispers in my ear and I nod.
I’m confused what he means until he moves slightly and I feel his
erection in my back. Oh, he wants me here.

Greg takes our glasses and puts them on the
small table nearby. He comes up behind me again and pulls only the
back of my nightie up, at the same time pulling his pants down just
enough for his cock to poke through. I feel it, warm and smooth
against my ass, and I wonder which place he had in mind. I hold
onto the railing and put my feet on the horizontal rung closest the
bottom to make the angle a little more user-friendly.

I lean over a little and Greg slowly enters
me as I stifle a moan and hold tight to the railing. Greg wraps his
arms around my torso and resumes kissing my neck, slowly moving
inside me. His kisses trail up to my ear and I have goosebumps
again.

He starts moving a little faster and the
kissing stops, replaced by his heavy breathing in my ear. I move a
hand down to my clit, rubbing in time with his pumping until Greg
takes over for me. Greg and I have never been voyeuristic in our
lovemaking but I’m titillated by the idea that someone could catch
us out here. There’s a privacy fence on the sides of the balcony,
but if a neighbor was out there they would have no problem seeing
us. All I hear is the sound of Greg’s breathing in my ear and mine
keeping up with him. My orgasm comes on all of a sudden and I bend
a little over the railing as my muscles contract in unison. My
cries are too loud and I don’t care, but Greg puts his hand over my
mouth and stifles them as his thrusting never skips a beat.