Chapter Twelve – Edible Panties #2
“And still is, apparently. I almost talked myself out of it, but I gave in. And like I said, it wasn’t long after getting into her room before she pushed up on me. I allowed it at first, but then I realized I was using her as a stand-in for Likosa, and I bounced.”
“Just like that?” Cadence frowned.
“Yeah, she just pushed up on you? I thought you said you almost banged,” Tayvion added.
“If you must have the detail, I went into the bathroom to splash some water on my face and then get out of there. When I came out, she made her move. Next thing I know, we’re on the bed, and she's naked, and my head is in between her legs.” I was going to say more, but I had to dodge the pillow that came flying at my face.
“What did I tell you about leaving out details!” Tayvion fussed. “Do it again, and I won’t miss next time.”
“There’s not much more to tell. The guilt got to me, especially when I realized I was imagining Likosa and not Jenna. After that, I pulled back, made her fall asleep, tucked her into bed, and then got the hell out of there.”
“You didn’t even tell her?” Cadence frowned. “She’s just going to wake up alone and confused?”
“What was I supposed to say? You know Jenna doesn’t know about me and my abilities.” I sighed. “The best I could do was make her comfortable and hope she wouldn’t feel rejected in the morning.”
“You could have told her that coming there was a mistake. Shontae, you could have apologized to her.”
“Yeah, but this way was…” I bit my lip.
“Easier?” Cadence completed the thought.
“Yes.” I looked down. “This is fucked.”
“Shon,” Tayvion said my name. “I’m not the biggest fan of the girl, but that’s not cool.”
“I know. I’ll apologize later, but all I could think about was getting out of there so I didn’t take things too far. Wouldn’t it be worse if I had had sex with her while imagining she was someone else? I didn’t want to risk hurting her like that.”
“Well, at least you didn’t let it go any further. That would have been really fucked up.”
“I’m still tripping about what happened. I looked up and saw Likosa staring back at me, and I keep saying I imagined it, but did I? No matter what I did, I couldn’t get the image out of my head, but it was still her.”
“Do you think Likosa did that?” Cadence asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe? You think she knows what I was up to?” It hadn’t occurred to me that Likosa could have actually done it on purpose.
“That’s creepy as fuck if she did. I mean, she’s the one who ran off. What kind of mess is that to get you worked up, run, and then play with your head?” Tayvion pursed her lips. “Bold is one thing, but that’s teetering into crazy stalker territory.”
“Right now, I’m choosing to believe it was a hallucination brought on by a mix of intoxication and guilt.
I didn’t want to hurt Jenna or lead her on.
I don’t want to spin the block with her.
You know me, always moving forward, never looking back.
That shit didn’t work out for very specific reasons, and there is no sense in trying to turn back the clock and hope the outcome is better. ”
“So you’re saying that’s what she wants?” Cadence asked. “Did she say that?”
“She’s moving back here because her mom is sick. I think she is looking for anything that will comfort her. I don’t mind being a friend, but I think tonight just kind of proved a regular friendship between us isn’t possible.”
“How do you think she’ll take it when you tell her you can’t be friends?” Cadence asked as she went back to fluffing Sire’s feathers.
“Do I have to?” I reached for the emergency bag, but Tayvion pulled it out of my reach.
“We are healed, mature women.” Tayvion pointed at me. “That woman wants you. Tell her you can’t be with her. Make it clear, cut and dry, and wish her a happy life. Tell her to spend that time with her mom, not worrying about you.”
“I’m with Tay on this one.” Cadence nodded. “After you tell her where you stand, it’s best you stay as far away from Jenna as possible. She clearly wants more than you’re willing to give her. You two were drinking, right? How much do you want to bet she will blame her actions on the alcohol?”
“Best way to avoid rejection.” Tayvion clapped her hands. “Then, she can just say that’s not really what she wanted and that you shouldn’t look too deep into it when you definitely should. Trust me.”
I couldn’t even reject what she said, because it had already happened. The moment Jenna recognized my hesitation in her hotel room, she told me not to think too much about it.
“Yeah, I say cut it off and then make sure you never see her again. I’m serious.” Cadence took a stern tone as she almost scolded me. “Don’t even have her on your phone. No calls, no texts, and definitely no more meetups. Let her get the picture clearly.”
I was just about to swear an oath to do as I was told when the doorbell rang.
“That must be my pizza,” Tayvion chirped. “I got enough for all of us, and don’t worry, there’s a healthy option for our fitness pal.”
“You should also be eating the healthy option, remember?” I laughed at her as I hopped up. “I’ll get it. You two work on your next line of questioning for me.”
“Oh, don’t you worry. I have plenty already in mind,” Tayvion said. “Like for one, what did you eat?”
“Always food with you!” Cadence laughed. “But I want to know too. I hear the food there is delicious, and I still haven’t been able to get in. I’m not happy about that.”
“You can’t get in?” Tayvion scoffed. “Oh, this spot is exclusive! Likosa must have some real pull.”
I left them in the room, joking about Cadence’s dying ability to get into any spot she desired. It was her secret weapon when we were younger. She never had to stand in line for anything. Maybe that was wearing off.
Without even checking who was outside my door, I swung it open, ready to accept the food. But instead of a delivery man with a hand out for an extra tip, Lyra stood there, a small box in her hand and a suggestive smirk on her face.
“Oh, hey,” I choked out. “What’s up?”
“I’m sorry for bothering you. I tried to swing by before, but you weren’t home, so I figured I would try my luck now.
” Lyra held the box out to me, and the long jacket she wore fell open, revealing a thin little dress that barely covered her body.
I could see the bold impression and the darkened color of her nipples through the sheer fabric.
“I just wanted to give you this as a thank you for saving my cat.”
“Oh.” I waved the offer off. “Thanks, but you really didn’t have to do that.”
“Oh, but I insist. I want to show my gratitude. If not for you, my baby might not have made it.”
I thought about what she said. The cat was burned, yes, but it was a superficial wound at best and would have healed just fine…unless Sire got a hold of him again.
After I’d paused for a beat too long, she continued.
“Please, Shontae, take the gifts,” he insisted.
“Okay.” I accepted the box from her. “Thanks, I—”
“Open it.” She said, eyes wider and her lust stronger.
“Now?” I glanced over my shoulder.
“I think you’ll like what’s inside,” she said in a softer voice then bit her bottom lip.
Red flag, girl! It’s a setup! Shut the door and let her go home!
“Is it the pizza?” Tay called out as she skipped up behind me. “What’s taking so long? I gave them a tip in the app if that’s the problem.”
As soon as she saw Tay over my shoulder, Lyra pulled the coat closed around her body.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize you had company.” Her face turned red as Cadence joined Tay behind me.
“I hate to admit it, but I’m also eager to get my hands on that pizza,” Cadence said. “What’s the holdup?”
“Um, I should get going,” Lyra blurted out and then ran from the door.
“Who was that?” Cadence asked.
“My new neighbor. She wanted to give me a gift. I saved her cat the other day.” I shrugged and held up the box. “Pretty sweet of her, I guess.”
“So she just came over to thank you?” Tayvion waggled her eyebrows. “Is that right?”
“Don’t say it like that.” I shook my head, but the way she said it was actually just right, because I had the same thought in my head. Lyra wanted to do a lot more than simply thank me for helping.
“You saw how that woman was dressed!” Tayvion pointed at the closed door. “I mean, I gotta give it to her. She went with a classic trench coat with a skimpy dress underneath. I could see her nipples from down the hall. Oh yeah. She was going to give you a real good show of appreciation.”
“Damn, three women in one night?” Cadence laughed. “You’re on a roll! I guess Tay doesn’t have to worry about that dry spell anymore.”
“What’s in the box?” Tayvion peered at the gift in my hand. “I want to know how much she appreciated your efforts!”
“I don’t know.” I lifted the box with the little bow on it. “You interrupted us before I could look inside.”
“Well, get over the suspense already and open it!” Tayvion shook Cadence's arm until she pulled away from her, rubbing the spot where Tayvion’s hands had clutched her.
“Okay…” I opened it, and inside was the last thing I would have expected. My eyes felt like they would fall out of my head as I lifted the gift for the girls to see. The thin blue material hung between us like a flag. “Edible panties.”
“Oh, shit!” Tayvion cackled. “Damn! She said…you saved my cat, now eat this cat!”
“What did you do to your neighbor?” Cadence cackled. “What the hell, Shontae? Are you sure you’re not using her powers to drive these women batty?”
“Why do you always assume I did something?” I shook my head. “I told you, all I did was save her damn cat from being burned to a crisp!”
“Well?” Tay’s grin spread wide across her face.
“Well, what?” I shrugged.
“What flavor are they?” Tay asked, and Cadence fell over laughing. “Go ahead and taste them. That’s a pretty blue, but it’s probably like, blackberry or something.”
Tay and Cadence reached the peak of their laughter just as Sire flew into the room, singing in a way that echoed their joyous sound.
“Oh, shut up. This is all your fault.” I flung the panties at Sire, who skillfully dodged the assault letting the panties smack the wall behind her.
“How could it be her fault?” Cadence fussed at me. “You'd better stop blaming her for your chaotic love life.”
“Love life is a stretch, Caddy. I’ll give you one guess who set fire to the cat, making it so I had to save him to begin with.” I shook my head as my friends laughed at my pain. “What the hell is going on in my life? I mean, this is getting out of control.”
“I don’t know, but I got my popcorn ready!” Tayvion said as she caught her breath from laughing. “My side hurts, but I’m front and center for the show.”
The doorbell rang, and Tayvion checked the app on her phone.
“Pizza’s here!”