3. Benji
I’m honestly not sure what possessed me to insist on staying with Jack of all people. I probably should have begged Kristie to let me crash on her couch. Shit, even a hotel would have made more sense than begging the person who hates me most for a place to sleep…especially right after telling him I’m sure I saw the ghost of his sister.
Jack’s apartment is small but tidy. I immediately notice he has a strange fascination with gnomes and there are quite a few that are clearly meant for outside hanging out in potted plants.
His place isn’t what I expected from a grouchy dive bar owner. It’s green and lush in here, with plants filling every window. A giant plant with heart shaped leaves has vines going all around the ceiling of the main living area. It hangs off hooks clearly installed for that purpose. The lack of curtains is a bit shocking given there’s a street light just outside the main window that blankets the room in a soft glow.
I can’t help but try to absorb all of the details in the room but it’s a challenge with the lights off and only that lone street lamp outside casting shadows across the floor. Jack’s always been very private with his personal space and I’ve always been tenaciously obsessed with trying to invade that space undetected.
In high school, I had a terrible habit of sneaking into Jack’s room when he was gone. I would lay on his bed and imagine all of the things we could do in it. Jessica caught me one time and the shame she instilled in me for being such a creepy loser makes my cheeks burn at the memory. Jessica never minded my little crush on her big bro but smelling his pillow was a step too far for even her.
Now, I’m smelling his pillow with none of the guilt but all of the guilty pleasure. The scent of shampoo and musky sweat should not be enticing but my my cock is half hard as I think about Jack laying on this very same pillow. Or, more specifically, of Jack jacking himself while laying against this very pillow.
When I told him I couldn’t go home I honestly expected he would say too damn bad and kick me out. Instead, he had waved to the couch and pulled a pillow from his bed. The blanket he offered was already on the couch and the blue and black patterned knit feels both scratchy and soothing against my skin.
I should be focused on Jessica and the whole ghost thing but the truth is I want to believe Jack. I want to believe that she’s totally fine and we’ll all have a laugh about how I was dreaming about ghosts while she was off climbing a hot lumberjack’s tree. Jack was so confident when he called the whole thing nonsense and in many ways I want him to be right. I want this whole thing to be a silly misunderstanding on my part. I’d rather feel the shame of embarrassment than the sorrow of losing my person.
I take a deep breath and push thoughts of ghosts and Jessica far away. I try doing a few breathing exercises to help me fall sleep but all that does is fill my nose with the smell of Jack.
My cock starts to thicken on its own accord and I let out a small groan. Fuck, this is really not the time to be sporting a boner. But Jack’s pillow is doing god awful things to me and I have the urge to literally dry hump it until I replace his smell with the smell of my come. If there is a hell, I feel like I might go to it for being so turned on despite the turn of events tonight.
I try to ignore the blood rushing south but eventually I can’t help but cup myself through my boxer briefs, trying to release some of the pressure. All that does is make me harder and what started as a quick grab slowly turns into a few slow strokes.
“Fuck it.” I murmur and push my boxer briefs down just below my balls. I pull my shirt up for good measure so that when I make a mess it won’t be so hard to get put back together.
I lick my palm and start stroking. I need to make this quick because there’s a distinct possibility that Jack will come out to use the bathroom or get a glass of water and there is no way in hell I’ll be able to explain being caught fucking my hand on his couch.
I turn my head to the side and breathe in Jack’s smell again, imagining what it would feel like if his big hand replaced mine. Jack towers over me and I’ve always imagined all of the ways he could pin me down and take what he wanted.
Well, what I wish he wanted. At this point, if Jack wanted me he would have already had me. I’m pretty sure he’s straight as a can be and even if he wasn’t I’m the last person he’d consider. I don’t really understand why Jack hates me but it’s palpable anytime we share a space.
I’m fucking my fist in earnest when a small groan spills from my throat and I try to swallow it down. It only takes another moment of stroking before another sound slips through and I cringe. It’s impossible to be quiet when I’m practically feral from being in Jack’s space.
I assume Jack is out cold because I don’t hear any noises coming from his bedroom. My hand is practically flying in quick jerks, my thumb occasionally catching just under the glans and causing my whole body to shiver with pleasure.
I’m so close that I can practically imagine what Jack’s pleasure would sound like and I’m so lost in the fantasy that at first I think I’ve imagined the sound. I don’t pause my hand but I do perk up and listen. There a small groan that most definitely isn’t mine, its deeper and coming from Jack’s room.
There is a distinct sound of skin on skin and at first I assumed it was all coming from me but now that I’m really listening I can hear another groan. I feel like time has stopped as I realize that Jack might actually be watching me. His noises don’t sound like they’re just coming from his room, surely I wouldn’t be able to hear the wet sound of skin on skin with his door shut.
The thought of Jack actually getting off on seeing me do this is enough to have my toes curling and a small ‘uhh’ type sound leaving my lips. Just like that, I’m coming hard as waves of pleasure wash over my entire body, my dick is pulsing as load after load of come streaks up my chest.
I let my breathing even out for a second before I begin licking my hand clean. There’s no way I’m sneaking into the bathroom right now and the idea of Jack watching my lick up my own come has my cock twitching in a half-hearted effort to get hard again.
I want to believe I imagined the sounds and just had an intensely realistic fantasy but a few moments after I’ve come I hear the distinct sound of Jack’s door closing.
The sun streaming in through the window and the smell of strong coffee pull me from a deep, dreamless sleep. For a moment, I can almost pretend that last night didn’t happen and just lay here enjoying the sun warming my skin and the promise of caffeine. Reality always has other ideas though and the need to move eventually wins out.
I spot Jack sipping coffee in the kitchen and decide to prolong the inevitable by slipping into the bathroom to relieve myself. I run toothpaste over my teeth using a finger and steal some of Jack’s mouthwash before finally accepting that I can’t hide forever.
Jack is still in the kitchen when I step out and based on how quickly his eyes flick down to the countertop he is definitely avoiding eye contact. Instead of heading to the kitchen I fumble around and fold up the blanket and stack the pillow on top.
My phone has enough charge to check and see if Jessica has responded. All of my texts are left on delivered and she hasn’t returned my calls. There is a message from Kristie saying Jess didn’t come home this morning but that it’s not unusual for her to carry a change of clothes so she can head straight to the office.
Jessica is a known workaholic and working in real estate has meant that the more hours she puts in the higher her chances of closing on a house. She’s really started making a name for herself around town and specializes in the multi-million dollar houses on the butte overlooking the mountains. Recently, I’ve started doing real estate photography and using drone videos to capture the views. Jessica suggested I get into it because winter can be really slow for family photographers like myself.
“I tried calling my sister again but she didn’t answer. Her phone is still ringing though so it must be on.” Jack doesn’t look at me when he speaks and the words are practically mumbled into his coffee.
Any remaining doubts about what happened last night vanish. Jack definitely watched me come and I’m not entirely sure how to process the information now that it’s the light of day. There’s no easy way to reconcile the constant looks of disdain with the sound of Jack falling apart while watching me stroke my dick like my life depends on it.
“I uh I’m going to go to her office in a bit. Jess has a big calendar on her desk and she keeps it updated with her appointments. She wouldn’t miss a meeting with a client.” Jack nods in agreement and seems lost in thought for a moment. “Do you mind if I have some coffee?”
“Shit, yeah go ahead. Sorry.” Jack and I both move at the same time to grab a cup from the small small mug tree and I end up walking into his firm chest, my face practically motor-boating his pecks. “Fuck.”
I jump back like I’ve been tased and in some ways it feels like I have. Even that small contact with Jack has my heart racing. A blush is creeping from my cheeks down my chest and I watch as Jack’s eyes seem to follow the flush as it disappears beneath my t-shirt.
The sudden intimacy feels so at odds with our entire dynamic that I’m rooted in place, unable to escape Jack’s heated gaze. And then, just like that, his eyes flick away and a familiar coldness washes over his features, replacing whatever heat I might have imagined.
“Here.” He thrusts a mug against my chest with enough pressure that it stings and I try to avoid wincing.
“Thanks.” I awkwardly move around him and begin prepping my coffee with the milk and sugar still sitting on the counter.
“I’m going to come with you to her office. I want to check in on her.”
“Jack, I have to tell you…I honestly don’t think she’s going to be there.” Jack’s eyes flick up to meet mine and a look of concern flashes across his features before he shakes it off.
“Look, if she’s not there and she’s missing appointments with clients then we’ll contact the police. But…to be honest, I think we need to leave out your weird ghost dream and just stick to the facts. Jess wouldn’t miss a meeting with a client and I think between that and her not coming home last night we’ll be able to get them to listen.”
“Sure.”
I don’t exactly feel like being interrogated and I vividly remember the hours of grilling that happened after it turned out there really was a dead body under that tree. Thank fuck I wasn’t even born yet when she was murdered because I would have been prime suspect number one. I don’t want to risk the police thinking I have something to do with my best friend going missing so leaving that part out is ideal for me too.
Silence washes over the room, broken only occasionally by the soft sound of one of us sipping our coffee. When we finally finish our coffee, the torture ends and Jack vaguely gestures to my body.
“I don’t think Jessica will appreciate you showing up wearing pajama pants. I would offer you something of mine but I’m pretty sure even my basketball shorts would be falling off of you.”
The thought of wearing Jack’s clothes does terrible things to me and I feel my cock twitch and start to fill at the thought. These loose pants aren’t going to do me any favors when it comes to hiding a bulge so I turn towards the door and start to make a beeline for the front door.
“Yeah, she probably won’t. I’ll just run home and we can meet at her office.”
“Wait, we should just go together, right? If she’s not there we’ll need to swing by her place again and then go to the police together.”
Hell has frozen over, I’m sure of it.
Jack has never volunteered to spend time with me, especially in an enclosed space like the car. We’re going to spend most of the morning driving from place to place and usually Jack would take the opportunity to spend as little time together as possible.
“Yeah, that makes sense. I’ll drive.”