The day was quickly coming to a close, darkening skies
giving possible signs of rain. Somehow it didn't make much of a difference
to Jeff since he didn't have any plans. Rain would do just fine. He
looked up from the blueprints at his desk, staring out the window. Although
his job didn't require him to work long hours on a regular basis, he
did so because of the need to have something to occupy his time. There
was only one person that could manage to drag him away from the monotony
of measurements and architectural complications.
Melanie. Yeah, he could use a good dose of his best friend
just then.
It had been nearly two weeks since he'd last seen her.
She was visiting her mother and expecting sister in New York. Strangely
enough, without her there, his time was suddenly consumed by loads of
work that appeared out of nowhere. Jeff couldn't wait for her to get
back. Lately he'd been thinking about her as something much different
than just his best friend, something he knew he shouldn't even touch,
but his mind refused to leave it alone.
His mind brought up a vivid picture of Melanie, her lithe
figure leaning against his whenever she grew tired, short cropped chestnut
hair clinging to her damp brow when they went rollerblading, the scent
of freshness and some indefinable yet genuine floral scent surrounding
her… There was so much more he could think of her, but they all
slowly but surely inflamed his desire. Why didn't he ask Melanie out?
It was a question he'd asked himself a thousand times, always coming
to the same conclusion. She'd already had her share of jerks in her
life and according to her words; Melanie didn't want to get involved
seriously with anyone. And besides, their arrangement was ideal. They
could have companionship without the awkwardness of relationship semantics
and sentimentality. Jeff knew the reasons were all sound, yet something
nagged at his brain.
Deciding to call it a night, he rolled up the prints and
on his way out the door, he dropped them on his boss' desk. Jeff ran
a hand across his practically bare scalp in frustration. He couldn't
keep engrossing himself and damn it all it was the end of the week.
Friday! Determined to have a little bit of fun, he drove home to change
and drop off his briefcase.
After taking a quick shower, Jeff dressed casually in
a pair of snug fitting jeans and t-shirt. It was when he rounded the
corner of his bedroom and strode into the living room that he noticed
the blinking red light on his answering machine.
He pressed the button. "Jeff? Are you home?"
It was Melanie. Sweet sounding Melanie, he thought with a smile. Enough
already. "Maybe you're still at work. You really shouldn't work
such long hours, but you know that already. Anyway, I just wanted to
let you know I got back this afternoon." She's back? His eyes opened
wide with surprise. "Give me a ring if you want to do something
tonight, okay? Later."
Jeff didn't wait a second longer to pick up the phone
and call Melanie back. On the first ring, the phone picked up.
"Hello?" a sleepy voice asked.
"Mel, it's me," Jeff responded, leaning against
the wall. "Did I wake you up?"
"Well, sort of," Melanie said, chuckling. With
a yawn, she continued, "You obviously got my message, so what's
the deal? Wanna do something?"
Do something? Jeff had a terribly dirty thought when she
said those words. He was just about to repeat what his mind was already
echoing in his head: 'I want to do you, Mel." His better judgment
won out. "Sure, that sounds like a great idea. It feels like I
haven't seen you in ages, Mel. Don't you dare leave like that again!"
Jeff said the words in a teasing tone, but he surprised
himself with the sincerity in his voice. He didn't want her to be gone
from him that long. That level of possession was beyond the scope of
their current relationship. There was a moment of silence on the other
end of the line, promptly followed by a playful laugh.
"You are too much, Jeff!" Jeff thought her voice
trembled with her response, but perhaps he was mistaken. "How about
I make it up to you? I'll cook something at my place for us to eat tonight.
Okay?"
Where did that suggestion come from? Tonight, anywhere
but her house would keep him out of trouble, out of touching and smelling
reach of her, at least while they were in the public. Her house was
a private domain and any number of things could go wrong.
"Uh, that sounds okay." What the hell are you
doing, Jeff?, he asked himself. You ass, you don't know what you just
got yourself into. "You shouldn't have to do all the cooking. Let
me help out."
"That's a great idea. I'll expect you over here in
half an hour," she instructed mischievously. Melanie didn't wait
for an affirmative response and hung up.
Good Lord, just what the heck was going on?
What the heck was going on?
Melanie plopped back, lying spread eagle across her queen-sized
bed. For some reason she was intensely nervous about Jeff coming over
to her house. Ever since she'd left for New York to see her family,
all she could think about was Jeff and what he was doing at that moment.
They had been through so much together and the fact that Jeff was still
there looking out for her truly struck a chord in her heart on a daily
basis. While she was away, she'd had time to consider all of that information
and then it occurred to her. Why hadn't they ever gone out? It wasn't
as if they weren't compatible with each other, but they'd always put
up this invisible line, a line of friendship that had been upheld religiously.
In the same turn, Melanie wasn't sure that she was willing to go beyond
friendship and venture into the intimate unknown. Was she willing to
risk a wonderful friendship for something more?
She put aside the thought to get their impending dinner
ready, disappearing from her brightly lit bedroom and down the stairs
into the chef's kitchen. As a renowned chef, her own house reflected
her eclectic tastes in world culture and cooking. It was something Jeff
had always commented on as being an 'unusual but welcome difference'.
All her other male interests called it different, in that condescending
tone saying the exact opposite. Melanie looked into a few of her cabinets,
realizing she was lacking some items for the meal she had in mind. Jeff
wouldn't mind having something a little less than a first class meal.
God only knew she'd cooked enough of those during her workday.
Timely as ever, Jeff's car gave the silent purr that he'd
arrived, his curt knock on the front door confirming his arrival. She
gave a full-toothed grin at his silliness, knocking on a door when there
was a perfectly good bell right there for the same purpose. She lowered
the heat on a skillet filled with searing chicken and walked over to
let him in. Her heart was giving a strange tattoo and when he looked
down at her, Melanie's body began to get a tad warmer.
"Welcome back, Mel," said Jeff, presenting her
with a bouquet of tulips, her favorite. Her eyes glimmered with expectation,
something he hadn't anticipated.
"Thanks, Jeff." The moment was unexpectedly
silent between the two, an abnormality in itself considering they were
always talking about something. Melanie took a quick sniff of the bouquet,
putting them in a vase on her living room table while Jeff closed the
door behind him. "These look great."
More silence. They both could feel the tension and hesitation,
but neither understood what was at the root of it. Jeff took the initiative
and started a line of conversation.
"So," he said hesitantly, "you've got to
tell me how New York was. What did your sister have?"
A heavy breath escaped from her lips, to which she was
surprised that she was holding her breath all this time. "She had
a little boy, the cutest little thing, you know! Lelani was all smiles
when they let her hold him for the first time," Melanie replied,
leading him into the kitchen where the chicken was begging to be turned
over. She happily obliged. "I was there for the whole delivery.
Was I ever grateful that I don't have to go through that agony!"
"That bad, huh?"
"Bad isn't the half of it. There were some minor
complications, but she was somehow able to give birth the 'old-fashioned
way'. It seemed to be important to her," she said with a shrug,
not quite understanding her sister's fervent desire. "Hey, if it
was me, pass the knock-out juice."
Jeff chuckled at Melanie's world-famous intolerance of
pain. "But you know, Mel, sooner or later you'll have to go down
that road yourself. You do want kids, don't you?"
Melanie gave him a surprisingly wistful look. "To
tell you the truth, Jeff," she started, putting down her spatula,
a deeply pensive gaze penetrating her face, "watching my sister
go through that, pain and all, it just… heightened something I
didn't even know was there." Jeff watched her closely, patiently
waiting for her to continue. "I'm twenty-nine and still haven't
found someone that understands the kind of person I am. I know I'm complex
and sometimes a burden with the amount of traveling that I do, but at
the base level of it, I just want to spend my time with someone I can
call my own."
Jeff sat down on a stool in front of the island in the
kitchen. Melanie turned around to look at her friend, as usual, patiently
listening and understanding. Why couldn't more guys be like him?, she
thought wryly. "To answer your question, I would like to have a
couple of children. But at the rate I'm going, I don't know if I'm going
to be able to pull it off."
"Well," he sauntered over to the stove where
she stood and reached beneath to turn off the burners. "I don't
think you'll have that hard a time with it, Mel. It's just a matter
of," he paused to think of the right phrase without giving away
too much of his thoughts, "opening your eyes to things you haven't
considered before. Maybe, just maybe, you've been looking in all the
wrong places."
"God, how many times have you told me that? All those
jerks that I seem to have a penchant for attracting…" she
shook her head at the truth of the matter. "I need a change. What
do you think?"
What do I think, Mel?, he questioned silently, looking
down into her eyes. Be honest, Jeff. For once, listen to your heart.
"Well, let me ask you this. What would you want in a father for
your child?"
It was the all-important question and he knew it wasn't
something Melanie had asked herself, if ever. Giving serious thought
to his question, he could feel the wheels turning in her head.
"Well, he'd have to be supportive and caring, loving
and always putting his children before his own desires," she started,
stepping back from the stove to lean against the island's edge. Jeff
followed, standing next to her. "It doesn't matter so much with
regard to me, I don't think. In this day and age, having children and
not having two parents there isn't so uncommon."
"But wouldn't you like that? If you could have that,
what would you want in a husband?"
"H-Husband?" she stuttered over the word, eyes
growing wide. "I don't know! It's not something I've given any
serious thought to before."
Jeff placed an encouraging hand on her shoulder. "Maybe
it's time you did think about it." His smile filled her with hope
and warmth, even encouraging an agreeing smile from Melanie, to both
of their surprise. "This might be a conversation best suited to
after dinner though. It could take a while."
The two agreed with a nod and returned to talking about
the New York trip while cooking their meal simultaneously. She was very
animated about her new nephew, particularly about when she held him
against her chest. Jeff thought she was going to burst with emotion
when she described her feelings. When she began to talk about her mother,
she was all smiles and laughs. It amazed him how expressive she was,
how open she was about her feelings and the goings-on in her life. He
knew firsthand that she was only this way with people she knew and trusted.
Something about that comforted him.
Meal preparation and presentation went by in a flash and
soon they were sitting at the table partaking of their food.
"As always, a wonderful spread."
Melanie blushed at the comment, thinking of something
extremely different and dirty. He was a man with a hearty appetite,
so she certainly couldn't disappoint with the meal. "Glad you like
it." Her eyes captured his with a surprising shyness Jeff suspected
she didn't realize was making itself evident.
They ate in relative silence, every few minutes commenting
on the seasoning in the food or talking about how the day was. They
began to play a game of eye tag, Melanie glancing up from her meal to
watch him closely while Jeff continued to eat and vice versa. The game
was quickly over then Jeff looked up, catching her gaze with his and
the longer they stared at each other, the desire for food waned and
some indescribable yearning grew.
"Melanie," said Jeff hoarsely. The way her name
came out almost sounded like a caress. Her breath caught in her throat,
unable to immediately respond to his one-word comment.
"Jeff," she said softly, putting down her fork
and pushing her plate to the left of her. "I have to be honest
with you…"
"So do I, Melanie."
Was it possible they were thinking the same thing? No
way, she pondered wryly. There was no way her best friend could think
of her in this way, even though she was feeling this special something
inside her, growing, incessantly nagging at her mind and heart.
"I want to know if you think I'm crazy, okay?"
she started with a tentative smile. Jeff deeply quaffed what remained
of his glass of wine and listened intently. "I've been thinking
about us a lot lately and for some reason I've been wondering why we've
never gone out together."
Jeff smiled at the revelation. So she'd been thinking
the same thing too? It would make moving forward something easier to
approach, but… would it be the right thing to do for their relationship?
He wasn't too sure.
"You know Mel, I've been thinking about exactly the
same thing," he admitted, standing from the table and approaching
the other side. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about what
it would be like if we were together ever since you went to New York."
"You too?" she said, shocked. "I…"
He put a fingertip to her lips, pressing them to keep
her silent. For far too long, his body had been calling to hers and
for the first time, it was responding. Her face flushed with excitement,
her lips pursing against his finger. Jeff leaned down to her face, approaching
slowly to take in her unique fragrance. Before she could utter another
word, Jeff's lips were covering hers, lightly grazing the surface, teasing
and promising something more. The electricity, the fire… it was
all there. Her eyes drifted shut, enjoying the sensations coursing through
her veins. Jeff tasted like the meal she'd prepared, something she'd
always daydreamed about. His scent was like sin, some magical blend
of masculinity and the earth.
She rose to her feet, refusing to break the sensuous contact.
Melanie sighed contentedly, wrapping her arms around his neck as if
she'd done it many times before. Their lips pressed tighter together,
tentative tongues touching and basking in an innocent play with each
other. Jeff broke off the kiss abruptly, looking down into Melanie's
eyes. She was so beautiful, he thought.
"You taste exactly like I've daydreamed about,"
he whispered, a smile tugging at his eyes. Melanie smiled shyly, her
eyes lowering seductively. Jeff began to pull back a little bit to give
her some room to think; he didn't want to overwhelm her all at once.
Melanie knew what he was doing but she couldn't sift through
the feelings that were filling her. All she knew is that she wanted
to feel his lips on hers again, his arms enveloping her body and pressing
his hardness against her warm body.
"Jeff, don't pull away," she whispered, stepping
back into his arms. "Don't you want to see where this leads?"
He sighed, content but mostly concerned. "I do, but
I don't want to lose you if things don't work out with us… like
this."
"Jeff," she muttered, tiptoeing to kiss his
closed lips, "what's the point of life without a little risk?"
Unable to deny her reasoning, he simply muttered, "I
hate it when you're right." His arms snaked around her waist even
tighter and with a fierceness Jeff didn't think was there, he leaned
in to kiss her. Melanie groaned at the aggressive move but loved every
minute of it. They stood there locked, unable to move, merely enjoying
each other's warmth and lips. Knowingly, she pressed herself against
his growing hardness, evoking a groan from Jeff. The room grew uncomfortably
warm, so Melanie began to undress her best friend, hastily removing
his shirt, then his pants. He stood nearly nude before her, wearing
only a pair of boxers that did a poor job of concealing his arousal.
"You sure work quick, Mel," chuckled Jeff, tucking
his thumbs under her shirt collar. She smiled at him sensuously, softening
her shoulders.
"Do your worst," she taunted, referring to his
threatening hands.
They both laughed as Jeff patiently unbuttoned her shirt,
peeling it off slowly to reveal soft, pliant skin that he was just dying
to sink his teeth into. His kisses followed the trail of denuding fingertips,
until her shirt fell to the floor and his face was buried in her ample
bosom. Her moan led him deeper, pushed him further into the building
insanity inside him. Without prelude, he unbuttoned her pants and the
soft fabric fell to the floor in a puddle.
"God, you are magnificent."
Jeff's eyes worshiped her; like a moon goddess, her radiance
kept him entranced and under her spell. The only impediment now was
her bra & panties and his boxers.
"Let's take this into your bedroom, shall we?"
he suggested lightly. The moment she nodded, Melanie's body was catapulted
into his strong arms and suddenly they'd disappeared down the hallway
and into the first room on the left.
They collapsed onto the bed, bursting into peals of laughter.
The kisses and caresses continued, all the while, skin against skin,
they aroused each other beyond reason. Jeff took a moment to lay Melanie
back against the plush white blanket, helping her from her remaining
raiment. Silent breathing filled the room, her soft moans as his fingertips
flicked at her already erect nipples.
"I can't believe how beautiful you are, Melanie,"
Jeff said passionately, standing a moment to lower his boxers to the
floor. "And now you're all mine."
It was the possession that drove Jeff to say what he felt
and it was his manhood that nearly exploded when Melanie reached to
touch him. Tentatively, she ran a fingertip along the tip and circled
the groove at its base, evoking a shudder from Jeff. She sat up to feel
him better, pressing her face against his stomach to take in his utter
masculinity resting inches from her lips.
"Lay down for me, Jeff," she instructed softly,
to which he complied immediately by laying supine on the sheets before
her. Melanie returned her head to his groin, seeking to fulfill her
desire. "I've thought about this so many times…"
Her voice became muted as her mouth, moist and warm, covered
his erection with unerring precision. Melanie teased him mercilessly
with her tongue, then taking him deep into her mouth. It was all that
Jeff could do to prevent himself from exploding in her mouth like an
untried schoolboy, but somehow he held on for dear life. His fingers
splayed in her soft hair, wanting to pull her away but always keeping
her near to continue her ministrations. By her own decision, Melanie
released him from her torture after some time had passed.
"You taste so good, Jeff. I can't believe it,"
she whispered, smiling uncontrollably. Her hand rested comfortably on
his chest as she spoke. "I can't wait until you're deep inside
me. My body is throbbing for you. See?"
Melanie took one of Jeff's hands and brought it to her
moist folds. She indeed was throbbing uncontrollably, a definite sign
that she was so close to the edge, her arousal was extremely heightened.
Jeff took a deep breath, knowing he was so close to burying himself
into his best friend.
"Don't hold yourself back from me, Jeff. I can see
it in your eyes, still trying to protect me," Melanie chided, lowering
her body and enveloping his, leaving his arousal directly pressed against
her soft womanly curls. "Just take me. I'm giving you myself freely."
"Melanie…" he murmured, wrapping one hand
around her waist and using the other to caress her cheek. "I just
don't want you to hate me in the morning. And I definitely don't want
you regretting any of this."
They kissed a bit more, basking in the amazing way they
fitted each other. Her erratic movements made Jeff begin to grind against
her, rubbing her clitoris mercilessly. Melanie's groans and shouts of
pleasure echoed through the house, while Jeff gripped her buttocks in
both hands.
"Jeff," she sighed, reaching beneath her to
take his erection into her hands, "I won't regret anything I share
with you. Ever." With that, she lifted herself up and slowly lowered
herself onto his turgid mass. "Oh God…"
"But I'm not…" Jeff's voice trailed into
nothingness, all hints of a protest gone as he concentrated on holding
out for Melanie to reach her orgasm.
Melanie's movements were slow and deliberate, wanting
to feel all of Jeff deep inside her. It was amazing, that fullness that
was like a hot poker stoking up the flames that were threatening to
consume them both. Unable to control herself, she stroked every available
part of his body; his chest, covered with sparse hairs across his musculature;
achingly sensitive thighs and knees that were already trembling with
expectation. It wasn't long before she could feel her body about to
come apart at the seams.
"Jeff, I…I think I…" she started to
say, but lost her voice as Jeff took control, surging deep into her
with long thorough strokes.
"That's it, baby," encouraged Jeff, lowering
her head to his for an intense kiss, still bringing them closer and
closer to fulfillment. "Give in to it."
As if heeding a call, Jeff held her breasts in his hands
lovingly, kneading them further into sensitivity. His thumbs brushed
against the tips, a scream ripping from Melanie's throat. He could feel
the change in her movements, the erratic motions signs of her impending
climax. She was holding back for some reason though. But he couldn't
hold on forever and he was going to explode any minute.
"Mel… baby…" Jeff crooned, his eyes
rolling back with ecstasy. The constant grinding was eating away at
his control and he felt the tightening start. "I don't know how
much longer I can hold on here…"
Sweat beaded against her forehead as she looked down at
him with tears in her eyes. Melanie didn't have enough energy to wipe
them aside. "You….you don't have to," she whispered,
then released with a passionate groan. Her body convulsed for a moment,
her body tightening around his shaft.
Jeff pulled her body down to his, her breasts pressing
lusciously into his chest. He pumped into her, quick inconsistent thrusts
that kept her aroused. Without warning, he tried to lift Melanie off
his shaft, but she wouldn't let him and held her ground.
"Melanie, what are you doing? I'm going to come inside
of you if I don't…" Her eyes met his and it suddenly dawned
on him. She wanted him to come inside her, to share that part of him
that she'd denied for so long. He couldn't ask for anything more, now
that she'd given him something immeasurably precious. Feeling the release
imminent, Jeff gave one more thrust before dousing her womanhood with
his seed. His exultant cry made shivers run down her back.
It took a few minutes before both had the energy to speak,
but Melanie sat up and looked at Jeff's satiated face. He was so relaxed,
especially the way his arm wrapped possessively around her waist. In
a matter of hours, their relationship had transformed and amazingly
Melanie was okay with all of it. Jeff slowly came around, his eyes holding
hers. Their lips met, sealing their mutually decided fates.
"Jeff?"
"Hmm?" he murmured, brushing away a tendril
of hair from her forehead.
"I take it this means we're not just friends anymore,"
whispered Melanie.
"Yup."
Melanie closed her eyes and rested her head against his
shoulder. They stayed motionless for a few minutes before Jeff spoke
again.
"Why, Mel?"
She knew exactly what he was talking about. Why did she
let him come inside her like that? It was no secret, not even to him.
Melanie had a feeling that Jeff just wanted to hear it from her mouth.
"You're the only guy that I can see myself having a child with.
I trust you completely with my mind and my body."
"Who told you that I wanted to have children, Mel?"
he teased.
"Why, you did. Besides…"
Before she could continue, Jeff turned their bodies to
the side so that they faced each other, despite their legs still being
entwined.
"Melanie," Jeff whispered, his eyes completely
focused on her, "I love you. Not just as my best friend, but as
my woman."
"Jeff…" she breathed at his admission,
her heart beating uncontrollably.
Unable to deny her mischievous nature, Melanie poked him
playfully. "Don't forget possession is nine tenths of the law.
And in case you forgot," she brazenly pressed her body against
his, "I possessed you first. It would only seem fair that I should
love you first too."
Chuckling, Jeff gave her a quick peck. "Maybe so,
but we might have to rewrite some laws in the process…"
Melanie laughed, then kissed her best friend back and
thanked her lucky stars for her good fortune.