Lexi was playing some game on her phone while Chuck stared off into space. Both their heads snapped around when I came out.
“She saw my dick and said it was too big. She wants to know if you’re interested.” I told Chuck.
“What the heck are you talking about?” Chuck asked.
“Do you want to bang a pop star? Yes or no. It’s a simple question,” I said.
Chuck turned to Lexi.
“He’s serious?”
She shrugged but made no comment. Chuck’s confused look turned to a smile.
“I’m so getting fired,” he said as he went in.
After he left, Lexi turned to me.
“I’m impressed. Why did you really not go through with it?”
I pointed down at Mr. Happy.
“Yeah, right,” Lexi said.
I sighed. My oversized-equipment story obviously wasn’t selling.
“I had a talk with my dad. He pointed out that I need to start growing up. Banging a singer in her dressing room probably doesn’t rise to any reasonable level of maturity.”
“I heard she’s a little free with the goods,” Lexi said.
“That’s why you said to double-wrap it,” I said, suddenly understanding her warning.
Lexi had never said anything like that before, and I’d found it odd at the time. Suddenly, I had a thought.
“Next time, do me a favor and stop me.”
“Stop you from sleeping around?”
“Maybe not that, but if you think it’s a bad idea, give me a heads-up.”
“I thought telling you that you should double-wrap it was a pretty big clue,” Lexi said.
“You forget that I’m a guy, and we’re clueless. We need some kind of signal.”
“Like ‘pineapple’?”
“No. That wouldn’t work because that means it’s ‘go time,’” I said, looking sideways at her. “Why don’t you just give me that look you always give me and say the word ‘no.’”
“So, if it’s okay, I should say ‘pineapple’?”
“You’re no help,” I decided.
“Why don’t we go back to my place for some nice pineapple?” Lexi asked.
“Now you’re talking.”
◊◊◊
I won’t even comment on Chuck and Billie. All I’ll say is ten minutes later, Chuck looked like a new man.
I had Chuck take us to a grocery store so I could make Lexi dinner. I noticed that she picked up a pineapple. When we got to her condo, I let Chuck go for the day. I assured him we were staying in, and if I needed to, I would call an Uber.
◊◊◊
I’d told Lexi I wanted burgers for dinner. She convinced me to make something healthier, so we compromised. Melanie had taught me how to make them with ground turkey. I added apple and onion to the patties before I fried them.
Instead of French fries, I made green bean sticks. I charred them on the stovetop and then tossed the green beans in olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder before finishing them off in the oven. When I first saw what Melanie had made, it grossed me out a little. They weren’t bad, so I decided to prepare them for Lexi.
When I put the plate in front of her, she just picked at them.
“My dad’s heart condition has caused some changes to our menu at home. You’ll like them,” I promised.
Lexi took a bite.
“They’re not French fries,” she complained.
“No. But you said you wanted something good for you,” I reminded her.
“They’re not terrible,” she finally admitted.
I agreed. Given a choice, I would eat French fries over green bean sticks every time.
After dinner, I found out that at Lexi’s house, the rules were different. If you cooked, you also cleaned up. I figured she just didn’t feel like it. In a way, it made sense because my brother had been known to make a giant mess, knowing I had to clean up after him.
It was sort of like our rule about sharing something. If it needed to be split, such as a slice of cake, one of us cut it, and the other got to pick which piece they wanted.
When I came out of the kitchen, I found my PA sitting on the couch, reading an e-book.
Lexi shifted her gaze over toward me, like a cat looking up mid-slumber to see a mouse frolicking across its path. I worried she might want to lick the sweat off my neck. When I was almost to her, she stood up and gave me a deep, meaningful look.
I had to admit, this was much better than hooking up with Billie. While the Alpha Male was all about new and shiny, Lexi was no consolation prize.
I stepped closer, and both of my hands gently slid around the back of her neck. One hand raked through her hair and held her head while my other hand brushed a few strands out of her face. Our lips were close to coming together. I hesitated, allowing the anticipation to build.
As our lips had started to come together, Lexi closed her eyes. So I waited until she opened them again, and mine bored into hers. I didn’t wait any longer. I wanted to kiss her, taste her, feel her in my arms. Our lips lightly brushed in a gentle little peck to get the proceedings started.
I was pleased when she gasped in surprise that I hadn’t kissed her authoritatively, as I would usually do. I always enjoyed my time with Lexi. We both approached sex in the same manner: maximize pleasure. For some reason, this time was different; I needed something more profound, something soft and warm with more passion.
I kissed her again, and our tongues met. We began to do a little dance of building desire. I used my fingertips to caress her neck down to the soft skin of her shoulder. Then I returned my hand to the back of her neck where I could hold her in place.
Our longing began to erode my desire for gentle and loving. The sparks of passion took over in a dizzying rush of anticipation of what was to come.
In my mind, something clicked. With Lexi, I didn’t have to be a good boyfriend or considerate lover. That was why she’d been surprised at my gentleness in the beginning. I recalled her saying that she looked at us as merely a hookup. I remembered that Lexi said she liked to be with me because I gave her good orgasms.
Then I mentally slapped myself for my near-pathological need for more. Why couldn’t our relationship just be about what it was … sex? The sad part was I was the one trying to make it more. Even Brook had pushed back when I tried to make our relationship more than it was.
Realizing that was not the case with Lexi was freeing. She and I would only be friends with benefits. And if I had to pick someone for that role, she was near perfect.
I came back to the moment and decided to just have fun. Our kisses intensified as I amped up the passion. This brought Lexi to a whole new level of want. She moaned into my mouth as our kissing became almost frantic, and we tried to devour each other’s face.
The sexual beast inside of me demanded to be released, and for once, I let him off his leash. My hands released her head and slid down her neck to the front of her blouse. Even I was startled when the beast grasped her blouse and ripped it open. Buttons went flying all over her hardwood floor, making a distinctive sound as they clattered and rolled away.
Lexi huffed in surprise as the cool air touched her breasts. I didn’t give her a chance to protest my ruining her blouse as I began to kiss a trail down to her white meat. Her nips were starting to get aroused. I decided they needed to be all the way there, so I sucked each into my mouth in turn.
Lexi got with the program and lost what remained of her blouse, and I teased life into her succulent melons.
“What’s gotten into you?” Lexi wondered.
I didn’t answer as she tangled her fingers in my hair.
I dropped to my knees as I gave Lexi a peck between her breasts, then reached down and undid her slacks. Lexi wiggled out of them, and her panties followed. She was a good girl and parted her thighs to give me access. I cupped her bottom, and Lexi found the back of my head again. With a gentle push, she guided me to her secret garden.
I buried my nose between her thighs. Lexi sighed when my tongue made a tentative expeditionary mission. She gasped when I found her nubbin peeking out of its hidey-hole.