227

The double date with Billy wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We met them at a restaurant in Centralia and I was mildly surprised. The décor was comfortable, the menu a feast for my eyes and the setting was perfect.

We looked out over the park and ordered drinks as we waited for Billy’s date and her friend to arrive. Billy had a huge grin on his face and I couldn’t help but smile as the door chimed open and I looked up at the two women that scanned the restaurant.

One had a wild mane of red hair and she wore a skin tight dress that revealed every curve on her body. The other woman had light brown hair and she was dressed more conservatively than the redhead. Billy stood up and the redhead smiled and kissed him with tongue.

I stood up and faced the other woman that tried not to look at them. “Hi, I’m Ethan.”

“Hi, Margot.” We shook hands and I pulled out the empty chair next to mine for her. “Thank you.”

They ordered their drinks and I felt slightly nervous. Margot wasn’t at all what I expected and I couldn’t fathom how they were friends. They were polar opposites but then again Billy and I didn’t come across as the same either.

“You’re not what I expected.” I turned to look at Margot and she smiled nervously.

“To be honest, neither are you.” She laughed lightly and we ordered the first course.

Margot was nice to talk to and I learned that she was a graphic designer and worked from home. She asked a lot of questions of which I deflected the most. There wasn’t much to tell and I wasn’t keen on talking about my past.

She liked fishing and hiking and her favourite colour was yellow. She liked to read and bake and she was surprised to learn that I could cook. We got along well and Billy spent most of his time lip locked with the redhead.

It was still early by the time we finished dinner and Margot asked if I wanted to go for a walk. I paid the bill as we left the restaurant since Billy and the redhead hadn’t noticed us leaving. We walked towards the park and crossed the street.

I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets and her eyes followed the movement. “Nervous?”

I smiled as I looked at her. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this.”

“I’m normally not so nervous.”

“Why are you nervous?” I stopped walking as I waited for her to answer me.

“My last relationship didn’t end so well and I have baggage, permanent baggage in the form of a son at home.” She smiled again as she looked at me. “Men usually find an excuse to run right about now.”

I chuckled as I leaned against the tree and exhaled the breath in my lungs. “I have a daughter at home.”

“Divorced?”

“No, she died.”

“I’m sorry I asked, Ethan.”

“You?”

“Caught him cheating two weeks before the wedding. I was already pregnant then.”

The wind picked up slightly and she rubbed her hands over her arms. “Let’s head back, you’ll be warmer at least.”

“Ethan … one second.”

She was right behind me when I turned around and her mouth found mine. It took me a few seconds to kiss her back. She smiled against my mouth and took a breath before kissing me again. Her hands were against my chest and my arms were around her as we stood in the park and kissed like people that didn’t care who saw them.

“Will you give me a ride back to my house?”

I could only nod my head as we walked back to where I’d parked my SUV and I opened the passenger door for her. She gave me directions to her house and it almost seemed awkward when I parked on the street and she turned in her seat to look at me.

“Walk me to my door?”

She took my hand as we walked up the little cobbled path that led from the wooden gate to her front door. She unlocked it and pushed it open as I stood there like an idiot, not knowing what she wanted me to do.

Our lips met again and this time she pulled me flush against her body. I lifted her slightly and stepped through her front door and kicked it closed with the heel of my boot. We somehow made it to her couch as she tugged at the hem of my shirt, pulling it from my jeans and undoing my belt buckle.

I pulled away and leaned backwards as I looked down at her. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t have a condom.”

She smiled again as we both breathed hard. “I have ten.”

She grabbed my hand and led me to her bedroom where she opened her bedside drawer and pulled a box of condoms out. She placed it on the nightstand and started unbuttoning her shirt. I didn’t waste time and mimicked her actions.

We stood naked in front of each other and she made the first move, her hand trailing up my chest. I picked her up and lowered us to the bed as we kissed again, our hands exploring and our bodies grinding against each other.

We lay in bed afterwards, taking our time coming down from our individual high’s. I turned my head towards Margot and touched her hand. “Are you okay?”

“That was … something else.”

“Like I said, it’s been a while.”

“No shit, Ethan, I think there’s going to be marks on my hips tomorrow morning.”

She wasn’t mad at me, she had given as I good as I gave to her, pushing her ass back into my groin as I pounded into her from behind, her loud moans urging me to go harder and deeper. We’d gone two rounds back to back and in another few minutes I’d be ready to go again.

My breathing normalized before hers and my heart was beating normally again. She sat up straight and when I turned around from where I was sitting at the edge of the bed she had pulled a robe on. “I need water, do you want some too?”

“Yeah.”

She disappeared down the hall for a few minutes and when she returned she handed me a bottle of water. The cold water felt soothing against the back of my throat and I emptied it in one go. I put the empty bottle down on the bedside table and leaned back against the headboard.

She looked at me with a smile and then her smile disappeared as her gaze travelled lower. “Again?”

“Again.”

She squealed as I grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards me. She was out of breath by the time I finished my exploration of her inner thighs and pulled her ass flush against me and her legs against my chest.

By the time four am rolled on we’d gone through half of her box of condoms and when we’d caught our breaths she threatened to stab me with a knife if I touched her again as I laughed. We lay side by side in her bed and just looked at each other.

We talked too, inbetween our marathon sessions, and she knew I lived in Chehalis and that Riley was three. Her son was two and we shared horror stories of our kids and what they did. We laughed a lot too.

“I have to get home.”

“Was this a one-night stand?” Her eyes were serious as I stood up from the bed and pulled my jeans on.

“I don’t know, was it?”

“I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship again.”

“I know I’m not.” I wasn’t going to lie to her, she was nice and we got along but I was nowhere near ready for anything permanent in my life.

“We could try being friends, having play dates and such.”

I smiled as I looked at her. “And grab a quickie in the pantry while the kids watch tv?”

“Hmm friends with benefits. It does solve the relationship problem.”

I laughed as she stood up too and pulled her robe on. “Lucky for you I enjoy your company as well as the sex.”

We exchanged numbers in the living room and I kissed her goodbye, the kind of kiss that made me not want to leave. By the time we pulled apart I had one hand on her thigh and her leg lifted towards my waist and my thigh in between her legs, my erection hard and ready for more.

“If you don’t leave now I’m not sure we’ll make it back to the bedroom.”

“If only I could. I have to be at the golf course at seven. You could always phone me later and tell me what you’re wearing.” Margot laughed as she pushed me out of the front door and stood there watching me until I drove away.

Centralia and Chehalis weren’t far away from each other and the trip back to the house barely took me twenty minutes. I parked the SUV and headed into the house, getting undressed in the kitchen and putting my clothes in the laundry room.

I stood at the kitchen counter in my underwear and made coffee for myself when the front door opened and closed softly. I turned around as Chandra walked into the kitchen and stopped in her tracks when she saw me.

“When did you get back?” She narrowed her eyes at me when she saw my attire.

“A few minutes ago.”

“That was one hell of a double date.” I laughed at the look on her face as she stepped closer to me and sniffed. “And someone got laid … finally.”

“I was just about to go shower.”

“I’m glad you finally got over your fantasy about me and Lauren.”

“Who says I have? I keep that one for the shower.” I ducked as she threw her keys at me and laughed.

“You’re such an asshole, Ethan.”

“Any problems with Riley?”

Chandra rolled her eyes at me and sighed. “No, she was the perfect little angel that she always is.”

“I’ll probably be back at ten.” I placed the empty cup of coffee on the counter and walked past her towards the stairs.

“Do you really think Billy’s going to go play golf today?”

“He sent me a text just before I got home to confirm.”

Chandra walked towards the front door and turned before opening it. “Men and their ball … sports.”

I showered and drove to the golf course that was just behind our houses and got my golf clubs from the boot. Billy parked next to me and gave me a grin when he joined me. “What time did you go home?”

“I don’t kiss and tell Billy.”

“Trix blew me off right after you guys left the restaurant. She was all hot and heavy and then told me she had a headache. I was in bed, alone, by eleven.”

I laughed and patted him on the back as we headed inside and scanned our membership cards at reception before chugging down a beer each and heading to the first hole. I was back at the house at exactly ten am and laughed when I opened a text from Margot with a photo of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

I had told her to tell me what she would be wearing later. I liked her sense of humour and thought that maybe friends with benefits wouldn’t be such a bad thing.