Off Limits (10 page)

When everyone was finished eating, Trisha gave Jeff a knowing look before standing up and tapping her spoon against the glass.

"Hello everyone, and thank you so much for coming to my birthday dinner. And Ruby's birthday dinner. We are so happy to have you here and we've had an amazing night, full of incredible friends and family as well as beautiful presents. I'm sure I speak for Ruby too when I tell you that we are so grateful for your friendships," she grinned at me, “anyway, now we're gonna do some speeches.

Ruby, would you like to go first?"

I shook my head but people already had started to chant "Speech, speech speech!" demandingly, so it wasn't like I had much of a choice. It hated public speaking so much but I told myself that I was among friends, that I would be OK I stood up and cleared my throat.

"Uh yeah, I would also like to thank everyone for being here and for the amazing presents. This is really an amazing time in both Trisha and my life so we're really happy that we could share this moment with you. Uh, oh yeah, I hope the next year is as amazing for you as I'm hoping it will be for me. You deserve all the happiness in the world and to find fulfillment, whatever that may mean to you," I said it all in one gabbled rush so I paused to take a deep breath, "Thanks for listening and have a great night."

They all applauded me and I gave a little curtsy before sitting down.

"That was great, Rubes," said Trisha, winking at me, "Now, is there anyone else here who has something to say? I'm sure we would both love to hear it."

I looked around. A few people volunteered to speak but Trisha was looking directly at Jeff. Fucking hell, what kind of nonsense would he spew? Whatever it was would be the last thing I wanted to hear on my birthday. It had already been a shitty evening. I just wanted to go home and curl up with a tub of ice cream and some leftover birthday cake. Even so, I listened politely.

Jeff didn't stand up. Instead, he turned to face me. There were a few chuckles of anticipation among Trisha's friends and I could see that Jeff was now incredibly nervous. What in god's name was going on?

He fished a piece of paper out of his pocket and began to read from it. It was crumpled and covered with a lot of his tiny handwriting, as well as a few scribbles where he had crossed out his mistakes. He began to read from it as I looked around, bewildered.

"Ruby, this speech is for you on your birthday. I can't believe that you've been on the planet for twenty five years already. I remember when I met you in college and how shy and nervous you were. Since then you've grown into a confident and sexy woman," someone gave a wolf whistle. I wanted the ground to swallow me up so I wouldn't have to listen to any more of this shit. I glanced at Nate and saw that he was laughing, "I realize now that I am so lucky to know you. Of course we have had our differences, our ups and downs and many arguments over the years. No couple is perfect."

"We're not a couple," I said, but it came out as a whisper that no one seemed to hear.

"I don't know where the future will take us. Fuck, I don't know where tomorrow will take us. But I do know this. I may not be a perfect man, but I know that I am without a doubt the perfect man for you. That's why," too my horror, Jeff got down on one knee and pulled out a ring, "I'm asking for your hand in marriage. Ruby Heron, will you marry me?"

I looked around. Everyone was sitting forward in their seats as if they were witnessing something wildly exciting. Trisha was mouthing 'say yes' over and over again. Nate was the only one who wasn't smiling, or even listening. He was sitting back in his seat, messing around with his smart phone. I looked back down at Jeff, who was staring up at me so earnestly. He really wanted this. My mouth was so dry that when I tried to get a word out a small croaking sound escaped my lips.

"What was that?" Jeff asked, sounding faintly irritated now, "Was that a yes?"

"What did she say?" asked Trisha.

A chorus of 'what did she say' erupted among my dinner guests. I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed my handbag and got up. "I'm sorry Jeff!" I said, before running out of the restaurant. I could hear the shocked sounds behind me, the new gossip mill opened for business. I didn't even care. I just had to get away.

I found myself hyperventilating against a wall in the parking lot, in the shadows where I hoped no one would see me. I heard Trisha's voice calling out for me but she soon gave up and returned to her party.

She'd planned this all along, I realized. She knew that Jeff was going to propose. That's why she said tonight would be my night. That's why she forced me to sit next to him. It all made sense now. I felt horrible for what I had just done but the idea of marrying Jeff made my stomach turn. It was better to humiliate him in front of a few dinner guests than at our wedding in front of a hundred or so wedding guests.

"So, not gonna be Mrs Jeff then?" said a voice that I instantly recognized I turned around and saw Nate behind me, lighting a cigarette and smirking at me.

"Oh god, this is just what I need now," I said, "Besides, I thought you were quitting."

Nate shrugged and stubbed out the cigarette on the wall.

"I am. I just like having an excuse to leave awkward situations. And boy, that party you just left.," Nate gave an impressed whistle, "It is the most awkward of awkward situations. That Jeff guy is actually crying. Like, full on sobbing. It's kind of funny, actually."

I frowned, feeling the guilt weighing heavily on my chest.

"You're so mean. I didn't want to hurt him. I just couldn't say yes when I know he's not the one for me," I said. Nate shrugged again, smirking mischievously.

"Why feel bad? Isn't this the guy who screwed your best friend? No wait, excuse me. Isn't this the guy who had an emotional affair, which may or may not have involved screwing your best friend?" he asked. I hated when Nate was right. He always knew it too.

"Yeah it is. But no one deserves that."

The two of us stood against the wall, both reluctant to go back inside. Nate lit another cigarette but didn't smoke it. He just held it in his hand and watched the smoke rise from the end for a while.

"Why didn't you call me?" I said softly. I regretted it as soon as the words came out but it had to be asked.

"Because the last time we slept together you freaked out after. I figured that you don't want to be put through all that stress every time we have sex, so I thought it would be best to cut things off," he said, "Was I wrong?"

I sighed and kicked a small rock away. That questioned seemed impossible to answer right now.

"I don't know."

Nate sighed now.

"I'm guessing you don't know what you want either," he said.

"I never do," I replied. There was a long silence before Nate began to chuckle. I nudged him. "What's so funny?" I insisted, annoyed that he would laugh at a time like this.

"Nothing, really," he said, stifling his laughter with his hand, "Anyway, why don't I give you a ride home?"

Nate

Ruby only argued a little bit about getting on the bike in her pretty dress and sky high heels. In my opinion, she liked the bike, she just didn't want to admit it. She got on behind me and wrapped her arms tightly around my waist. That was one thing I loved about riding with that girl. The speed frightened her so much that she would hold me so tightly that it felt like she would never let go. I couldn't say that I didn't enjoy it.

"This is so rude. Trisha is gonna kill me for leaving the party without saying goodbye," she said. I laughed at her logic.

"Ruby, Trisha's probably gonna kill you for breaking Jeff's heart in front of a room of spectators. I mean, that was probably worse. She might let leaving without saying goodbye slip," I said. Ruby gave me a playful slap on the back.

"Hey! You know I feel horrible about that! Don't make it worse," she said, "Now come on, let's get away from this shit hole."

She didn't need to ask me twice. I revved up the engine and we made our way across town to her apartment block. I parked right outside in the same space I had the last time I dropped her off.

Just like last time, she got off the bike first and looked at me expectantly.

"Uh Nate," she said, swallowing nervously, "I hope this doesn't sound weird, but would you like to come up for coffee or a cup of tea or something? I'm kind of wired right now and I could use someone to talk to."

I only needed to think for a split second before I agreed. I put down my helmet, got off of the bike and allowed Ruby to lead me up the steps that lead to her apartment. As we made her way up she seemed to be pretty embarrassed by the hallway, which was dirty and covered in graffiti. She was treating me as if I was far too good for a crappy place like this. Of course, now that I had money I wouldn't rent in a shitty apartment complex but just a few years back this place was like a palace to me.

Ruby opened her apartment door and a small cat greeted us. I was never that interested in animals but this one was cute so I dutifully petted her as Ruby heated up the water for my coffee.

"So, let's not talk about tonight. What have you been up to since I last saw you?" she asked, handing me a pink dotty mug of instant coffee that smelled like tar. I drank it anyway, to be polite.

"Oh you know. I've been everywhere. We had a few stops in Asia. Then there was Paris and Berlin. And now I'm back here. How about you?" I asked. Ruby frowned, sitting down next to me on the couch.

"I've been trying to focus on work. It's gone OK. The furthest I've gone was getting the bus to the next town over to get some new oil paints. They have them here, I just wanted to feel like I was going somewhere special," she said. The sadness in her voice was palpable. Had she really been that depressed without me? It seemed crazy that a woman could miss me so much. Especially a woman who insisted so vehemently that she shouldn't be with me.

I drained the last of my terrible coffee and thanked Ruby for it. She put the mugs in the sink before returning to her spot on the couch next to me.

"This was a shit birthday," she said, "Maybe the worse I've ever had." I looked at my watch. It was only ten pm.

"It's not over yet," I said, "There's still time to make it a good one." Ruby looked up at me sadly.

"I know. But like I said before a million times. It's wrong. We can't," I put my hand on her thigh, suddenly desperate to feel that smooth skin and she gave out a tiny moan, "Please don't. I can't. Not now."

Thought I wanted so badly to touch her, to make her feel good, I knew I could only do it if she wanted me to. I removed my hand.

"OK. It's your choice. I should probably get going anyway," I said, getting up. Ruby got up too and for one amazing moment I thought that she was going to leap into my arms and kiss me. All she did was reach her hand out to me.

"No, please don't go. Not yet!" she said desperately, "I can't go another month without hearing from you. It's not fair. I know that I don't know what I want, well not yet. But I know that I want you in my life."

I took a deep breath and nodded as I let her words sink in. I wasn't sure what she meant but I knew that I wanted her in my life too.

"I promise you, I'll keep in touch this time. At the very least, we'll be friends," I forced myself to smile but the idea of being friends with Ruby as she dated idiots like Jeff infuriated me. Her eyes lit up. I had obviously said exactly what she wanted to hear.

To my surprise, Ruby gave me a big hug. It felt strange having her body pressed so closely against mine without being able to caress it the way that I so desperately wanted to. Still, I went with it and we had a brief but affectionate embrace.

"I'm gonna go now, but we'll see each other again soon," I said. I reached into the pocket and of my jacket and handed her my present, which she had obviously forgotten about, "Happy birthday, Ruby."

I couldn't stop myself from giving her a goodbye kiss. Just a little one.

Ruby

Nate had given me a beautiful, marquise cut ruby on a silver pendant for my birthday. I put it around my neck and looked at myself in the mirror, wondering if he had chosen it himself or gotten an assistant to do it for him. Either way, it was the most beautiful and expensive piece of jewelry I had ever owned in my life. I didn't want to take it off, but knowing my penchant for losing and damaging important things, I put it away and vowed to save it for very special occasions.

I was emotionally exhausted from my birthday dinner and fell asleep on the couch within a few minutes of putting the necklace away. When I woke up, my voice mail was once again crammed with messages from concerned friends and family members. Trisha left ten messages, each of them asking me if I was crazy seeing as I turned down a man as incredible as Jeff. Maybe I was, but if I was I didn't care anymore. The only person I called back was my mother, who I assured that I was fine and not emotionally damaged after being embarrassed by Jeff in front of so many people.

"I'm fine," I insisted, "I'll call you tomorrow mom, gotta go. Love ya, bye!"

I hung up before she could ask me any more questions and took a deep breath. For a moment I simply enjoyed the peace of my crappy apartment, the only sounds being my kitten's soft purrs as she rubbed against my knee and the calls of the pigeons on the street below.

I had just started to plan a relaxing pamper day when there was a knock on the door. My stomach dropped. Who could that be? Trisha come to scold me for saying no to a life of married unhappiness? Jeff to beg me to reconsider? My mother to bring me home and make sure that I never lived in a big city again?

It was none of the three. Instead it was Nate.

"Oh hi," I said, surprised to see him so soon. He was dressed more casually than he had been last night, in a nice pair of jeans and a t-shirt that showed off his broad shoulders. He smiled at me.

"Didn't think you'd be seeing me this soon, huh?" he said, pushing his way into the apartment. He politely gave Lucy a hello rub before turning to me.

"One of the chefs at my restaurants loves cats. She has like ten of them. So she said she doesn't mind looking after Lucy for the next few days. I guess once you pass five cats it's kind of a the more the merrier type of situation," he said. I narrowed my eyes, not quite sure what he was talking about.

"Excuse me? Why would Lucy need to be looked after? I'm right here?" I asked. Nate shot me that smirk that I had grown to love and hate in equal measure. He was so fucking irritating sometimes. Nate reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of airplane tickets. My eyes widened.

"Looks like I have the week off and I needed something to do. I figured that you wouldn't say no to a trip to Paris. Chicks really seem to dig Paris for some reason," he said, waving the tickets in my face. My jaw dropped. I had always wanted to see the world, or at least see some of it. I'd been

reading about Paris for years and imagining what it might be like to stroll around by the river, but it had always seemed like a dream. Now Nate was presenting my dream on a platter in front of me and I didn't know what to say.

"Um..uh..." I stuttered, staring at the tickets.

"Come on Ruby. I'm not asking you to marry me! I'm just asking you to hang out with me. No pressure, no obligations. I've booked a two bedroom apartment for four nights so you can even sleep on your own. I just want someone to keep me company."

I thought about it. Of course I wanted to go to Paris, who wouldn't? But my gut was telling me that I wouldn't be able to spend all that time with Nate without sleeping with him again.

No, I could be strong. I could resist, if only for the sake of seeing the city of lights. Besides, if we were to be friends like I supposedly wanted us to be, we should be able to spend a few days together without incident. That was what friends did, right? I gave a sigh of defeat.

"OK, I'll go."

Nate grinned, clearly pleased with himself for convincing me. I was pleased too, despite my apprehension.

"So when's our flight?" I asked. Nate's smile widened.

"That's the thing. It's tonight. So you better get packing!"

Nate

It was sweet seeing how exciting a trip to Paris was for Ruby. I had been there so many times that it had become as boring to me as my hometown, though I enjoyed the bread and the beautiful French women. It was amazing to see Ruby experience everything for the first time. She even seemed to relish every second of the long airplane ride.

"I've never sat in first class before," she giggled as the stewardess poured her a glass of champagne, "I can't believe it!"

We got a taxi from the airport to our apartment and she kept her head out of the side window for the entire journey, shrieking every time she saw a landmark that she recognized it was weirdly endearing.

It was early afternoon by the time we arrived but I could see that Ruby was starting to tire.

"Why don't you go take a nap?" I said and she nodded, making her way to her bedroom and throwing herself down on the soft mattress. I would show her everything tomorrow, I vowed. I also promised myself that I wouldn't hit on her, though today she was wearing a very short mini skirt that showed off a lot of her long legs. If we were going to do anything again, she would have to initiate. I wondered if we really could just be friends.

Ruby

When I woke up it took a moment for me to remember I was in Paris. I turned on my side and saw a wide bedroom window. What was outside it looked like an incredible photograph of the city scape at night, complete with the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the distance. How on earth could Nate ever get tired of this view? I gazed out the window for what seemed like a beautiful eternity before turning away.

I felt invigorated and full of life, like I hadn't felt in the longest time. Nate was to thank for all that. He had even been respectful enough not to make a move on me, though I had worn a tight, short skirt and a skimpy top in effort to see if he would. Maybe he just wasn't attracted to me anymore? We had kissed last night but it had been soft and gentle, more like a peck really. It could have been a habit he had picked up during his travels, meant to be completely platonic. That thought made my heart sink.

I hitched up my skirt to make sure that it just barely covered my ass and strolled into the living room. Nate was there, reading a book in the lamp light, though he looked up when he saw me.

"Ruby, you're awake," he said, and I saw his eyes run quickly up and down my body. He liked what he saw, I noted. There was nothing platonic about that look. Still, I pretended not to notice and plopped down next to him on the sofa, sitting just a little too close for comfort.

"Yup, I had an amazing nap," I stretched my arms above my head and yawned, emphasizing my breasts in a way that he could not ignore. I smiled at him, "Now I feel totally energized."

"That's great," said Nate, putting down his book, "We can go out for dinner if you want?"

I shook my head.

"No, I don't think I'm in the mood. I want a cozy night in. Just you and me," I smiled and he smiled back, though he looked puzzled.

"Do you think my nipples poke out too much in this shirt?" Nate's eyes widened. The material of my top was very thin and it was easy to see the shape of my breasts and how hard my nipples were through the flimsy fabric.

He reached forward and lifted up my top just enough to let my breasts come out. He gave one of them a gentle squeeze, before letting go much sooner than I would have liked.

"I don't know. If you're not sure, maybe you should take the shirt off?" he suggested with a smile. I took his suggestion and pulled the top fully over my head and tossed it on the floor. Nate couldn't resist me anymore. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me onto his lap, kissing me passionately on the mouth as I grinded against him. It only took him a moment or two to realize that I wasn't wearing any panties, but when he did he groaned deeply.

"You're so bad," he said, grabbing one of my ass cheeks in each hand and squeezing hard.

"You love it," I whispered. His hand moved from my ass and soon it was between my legs. I let out a soft moan as his hand brushed off my pussy, before pulling away teasingly.

"Please Nate."

"Please what?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Please touch me. Fuck me."

My words obviously pleased him as he obliged me, slipping his hand back where it belonged between my legs. He began rubbing my pussy, gently but applying the right kind of pressure for it to feel pleasurable. He knew what he was doing, playing with my clit perfectly, each movement bringing me more and more pleasure. I moaned as he bit and sucked my nipples, all the while pleasuring me with his hand.

"Aw, you're gonna cum so soon?" he asked teasingly, but I couldn't respond. He was right, my body had already begun to tense up and I could feel myself getting closer and closer to the edge. All I could do was let the sensation build and build until I couldn't take it anymore. I moaned loudly and my body began to pulse and shake as it became engulfed in the sensation of my orgasm.

Nate barely gave me time to recover, instead bending me over the arm of the sofa and pulling my skirt up.

"Yeah, bend over for me like that. Good girl," he said. I heard his pants unzipping and soon something all too familiar was pressing against the entrance to my pussy.

"Fuck, I missed your cock," I whimpered. Nate chuckled, obviously appreciating the compliment.

"It missed you too, baby."

I was about to scold him for calling me baby when he slid the entire shaft deep inside me. We hadn't fucked in so long that it actually hurt just a bit. I took a moment to get used to his girth once again before giving him the go ahead to fuck me as hard as he wanted.

"You sure you're ready," he teased. I looked back at him.

"Just fuck me already!"

Nate wasn't one to argue with such a request. He grabbed my hips and slammed his cock inside me, repeating the motion again and again. Every movement sent another wave of pleasure through my body. I couldn't help but scream at the sensation.

Nate reached around and roughly played with my breasts as he fucked me, squeezing and pulling at them with his strong hands. It all felt so good, so incredible. A small voice of doubt in my mind kept nagging me and telling me that this was wrong, but for once I couldn't care less. All I cared about now was Nate's cock and how good it felt to have it inside me.

"Fuck, you're still so tight," he groaned, thrusting harder inside me.

"You're so big," I moaned. My knees began to tremble beneath me.

“Fuck, I think I'm gonna cum!" Nate let his hand slip between my thighs as he fucked me. He began to rub my clit again, speeding up the process. I was feeling so many incredible sensations at once that I knew I couldn't hold on much longer. Nate knew it too.

"Cum for me baby, I like it when you cum," he said, his tongue grazing my ear. I shook my head and dug my nails hard into the arm of the sofa.

"I'm waiting for you," I moaned. He seemed to like this idea. I did too, though I was so close to orgasm now that I didn't know if I could hold on. Nevertheless, I persevered as best I could. Nate gave a few more thrusts before letting out a loud groan.

"Fuck," he said, and I knew I could let go now. I felt my pussy tighten around his cock as another wave of pleasure flowed through my every nerve. He came inside me, hard, and pulled out.

After the two of us had finished panting and come down from the high of our orgasms he looked at me quizzically.

"I thought that you wanted things to be platonic?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Don't ask questions, OK? Not while we're in Paris."

Nate looked like he was considering what I had to say for a minute, before he agreed.

"OK, no questions. What happens in Paris stays in Paris."

Nate