Chapter 12
This Time, I Don’t Want to Share
Sheila held her breath as she stared at Derek.
“I didn’t mean… this wasn’t… Gah!” he said, flustered. “This was supposed to be for you to relax. This isn’t about me or sex.”
“I, um, thank you.”
Sheila was embarrassed. She wasn’t good at this. Worse than that, Derek was the one who rejected her.
Stop it!
She wasn’t falling into those habits anymore where she made assumptions based on her old insecurities. Their friendship was still relatively new, but he had never given her the impression he was merely putting up with her.
“I’d like you to join me, anyway,” she said.
She maintained eye contact, even though it was difficult. Her small bravery was rewarded when he gifted her with a brilliant smile.
“Really?” he asked as if he couldn’t believe she wanted him there.
“Of course. I’d love to relax with you in this giant tub. And if we get up to some more fun times, well, that wouldn’t be so terrible, would it?”
“No, no,” he teased. “This is just for relaxing. Your body needs more time to recover. It’s only been a few hours and very little sleep since our fuckathlon.”
Sheila burst out laughing at his colorful description.
“Fuckathlon?”
“Yeah, you know, like a triathlon, only for fucking. Instead of swimming, we had sucking and screwing. Running was replaced by reaming, and cycling became, uh… I don’t know.”
“Cunnilingus and cock-sucking, obviously,” Sheila giggled. “Stop trying to distract me. Get your butt over here, take off your pants, and climb in this tub!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Derek sank into the water. Once situated, he made room for her to sit between his legs with her back against his chest.
Sheila was grateful she hadn’t let her doubts win. She cuddled into him, and he snuggled her right back. His arms caged her in, and she felt lighter and freer. The warm water, bath salts, and gentle man worked their magic.
There was no telling if they would ever have a chance like this again. She wanted to preserve this memory to take it out when loneliness threatened her in the future.
No matter what happened between them, this wasn’t just sex, not for her anyway. As much as she tried to tell herself otherwise, she had already developed feelings for him. She would keep them to herself since that wasn’t their deal, but she wanted this moment.
Tomorrow, she’d work to put some distance between them. That way, he wouldn’t crush her heart if she got too attached, yet he still thought of her as a fuck buddy. Now that she thought about it more, it might be time to take a break from Derek and the magical spell he wove over her.
Maybe she’d see if Chuck was able to get together soon or call Pete.
Better yet, perhaps she’d hook up with someone at her upcoming library conference. She knew many people who had casual flings at conferences. While women outnumbered men three-to-one, she would try to find someone to act as a buffer for her heart.
“What are you thinking about so hard over there?” Derek asked as he trailed his fingers over her arms. “I can almost hear your thoughts.”
“Uh, I was just thinking about how much fun this weekend has been. This coming week is going to be very full for me, so I’m glad I had this.”
“Oh, yeah? How so?”
“I’ve got that conference I mentioned a while back.” He grunted his assent, and she continued. “It’s three days in New Orleans. I leave Wednesday on a red-eye flight and come back Saturday afternoon. Monday and Tuesday will be crazy busy as I prepare everything for others to take over.”
“I didn’t realize it was in New Orleans. That’s a fun city. Are you going with anyone?”
“No one else from my branch is going, but I have friends from other libraries who’ll be there. I’ve worked on several committees over the years, so I know quite a few people.”
Derek kissed her shoulders as she spoke.
“This year, I didn’t have the energy to volunteer, so that means I’ll have more free time while I’m there. Oh, that’s amazing,” she said when he caressed her tits under the water.
“Keep going. Tell me more about the conference. What will you do there?”
“Um, there are conference sessions, presentations, and networking events.”
“Like what?”
“Cocktail parties or big dinners. There’s an off-site event at a famous, historical restaurant whose name I can’t remember. You’re making it hard to think.”
“Good.”
Her head fell back onto his chest. Derek used one hand to pluck at her sensitive nipples while the other hand disappeared under the water. She gasped when his clever fingers touched her throbbing clit.
“What else?” he asked.
He rubbed her clitoris while he played with her nipple, sending shockwaves through her body.
“What are you talking about?”
He bit down on her shoulder. “Your conference. What else do you do? Do you go out for drinks? Catch up with friends? Do you hook up with anybody? If so, is it someone you know, or do you pick a stranger?”
Sheila groaned as his questions heightened the sensations that coursed through her body.
“In the past, I usually just went to dinner with friends and then returned to my hotel. Alone.”
“Are you planning something different this time?”
“I don’t know,” she panted.
“You don’t know? Really?”
Derek shoved two fingers into her wet pussy. Relief coursed through her veins when his other hand stimulated her bundle of nerves. Her brain melted as Derek finger-fucked her in the tub while his erection poked her in the back.
“You should pick someone up,” he said as he drove his fingers into her. “Feed this hungry pussy.”
She groaned her agreement.
“Yeah, that’s what you should do. Pick out a guy and rock his world. Then, when he’s still punch drunk from getting to fuck your amazing pussy, call me. Tell me all the details while we both fuck our hands. Ooh, I wonder if your new toy works long distance. Maybe I can fuck you by remote control.”
His dirty talk and sexy imagery heightened his manual stimulation. It was enough to send her over the edge. Sheila whimpered as her orgasm hit. He rubbed her clit harder as her channel tightened around his fingers.
“You spoil me,” she said when she caught her breath.
“You’re worth it.”
“I don’t know about that, but I know I need some food. I’ve got plans today, and I’m going to need my energy.”
“Oh?” he asked. “Do you have to go in to work early, or are you getting ready for your trip?”
“Yes, to both, but before that, I’m going to ride that dick at least one more time.”
They were both laughing when Alexander knocked on the bathroom door.
“Glad you guys are good, but I can’t wait anymore. I gotta take a leak, and this is the only bathroom. You took too damned long,” Alexander grumbled.
He pushed past Derek, who had donned a towel before he opened the door. Sheila and Derek looked at each other in surprise, and they shared matching grins.
Sheila tried to smother her laughter because it seemed rude to laugh. Then she heard Alexander’s sigh of relief a second before his pee stream hit the toilet bowl.
A giggle burst out of her, and Alexander grunted. Embarrassed, she covered her mouth with her hand. Derek’s eyes danced with mirth as he walked back to the bathtub, and she looked away to calm her silliness.
“Carry on,” Alexander said before he fled the room.
Sheila’s heart fell, and her eyes followed him until he was out of sight. She was such a jerk, laughing at a natural reaction. Her shoulders slumped. Derek tilted her chin up with his fingers until she looked at him.
“Baby, he was only teasing.” At her doubtful expression, he repeated himself. “I promise; he was teasing. He was just giving us a hard time. I can assure you he wasn’t bothered at all. I’ve seen that guy whip his dick out to pee in public probably thirty times. It must be some kind of kink.”
He winked at her. She wasn’t convinced everything was okay, but she forced a smile in appreciation for his attempt to put her at ease.
“Come on. Bath time is over, and you promised me a ride,” he said as he helped her out of the tub.
Derek dried her off with the most sumptuous towel she’d ever used. Last night, she was too caught up in the moment to appreciate the luxurious material.
Derek dried her back and shoulders before his attention turned to her torso. He rubbed each of her breasts extensively before he lowered it to her waist. Then he spent quite a bit of time and attention rubbing her ass, hips, and lower abdomen.
When he skipped the space between her legs, she was surprised, but he was devoted to drying her legs. He even dried between her toes, so the omission of her pussy was even more glaringly obvious.
He leered at her and waggled his eyebrows in an exaggerated fashion, and she laughed openly. Her anxiety lessened, though part of her worried she’d offended Alexander after all he’d done for her.
“Let’s go check on Alexander so you can get out of your head, darlin’.”
He took her by the hand and pulled her, reluctantly, into the kitchen. Alexander expressed surprise when they entered the kitchen, but Sheila was too uncomfortable to meet his eyes.
“I thought you guys were busy,” he said.
Casually, he leaned against the cabinet by the refrigerator. Alexander took a long drink from his mug as he and Derek spoke. Sheila was too embarrassed to make eye contact.
“You mad, bro?” Derek asked with a bluntness that made Sheila cringe.
“About what?”
At Alexander’s genuine surprise, she flushed.
“That’s what I thought.”
To her relief, Derek didn’t call her out on her silliness. Instead, he waved at his friend and tugged her further along the hallway. She followed without knowing why.
Alexander snorted back a laugh. He called out, “I’m starving, so I’m going to make breakfast. Is thirty minutes good?”
“Better make it forty-five,” Derek yelled back.
Alexander chuckled again. Sheila couldn’t follow the undercurrents of their conversation, but she didn’t want to embarrass herself.
“What’s going on?” she asked as they neared the bedroom.
“Tsk, tsk. Have you forgotten already? You owe me a ride, beautiful, and this time, I don’t want to share.”