Letting Go

Chapter 4

Lori

Awkward. I curse my sister and her puffy eyes for causing the chain of events that led to me awkwardly sharing a hallway with Ben and the trashy waitress. I just needed to get some ice, and instead I got an eyeful of Ben and the sleazy server from the bar. She sounded so pissed, and clearly he'd done something to cause her to call him an asshole. Still, all I could focus on was the way his broad chest tapered down into a toned V before slipping into his unbuttoned pants.

I toss the bucket of ice onto the table a little harder than necessary; my anger at myself has gotten the best of me. I'd thought he liked me--that I had experienced a spark with him that was unique to the two of us. Before my sister pulled me out of the bar to help Olivia, the ache that had developed in my body was more intense than I've ever felt before. I haven't stopped thinking of Ben since.

I've been fantasizing about what would've happened if I didn't have to leave. The thought of going back to his room with him caused heat to flush my skin and need to grow inside me. I imagined him finding me and keeping his promise to have me soon. Now I know I was just an itch the waitress could scratch if I wasn't available.

The sound of the door stopping before clicking closed causes me to whirl around in panic, just in time to see Ben standing in the doorway. He's wearing only his pants. A sheen of sweat lay across his chest and I want so badly to feel his skin against mine. I'm pathetic. He clearly just screwed the waitress and here I am, desperately wishing it'd been me. Anger takes root in my stomach and I march back to the door with my shoulders back and my head held high.

"Move your fucking foot, Ben," I whisper loudly, so my passed-out sister won't wake up and begin round four of puking.

"Lori, it's not what it looked like."

I laugh at how absurd that sounds and then raise my eyebrows in question.

"It doesn't matter, Ben. Now, can you please move your foot so I can close the door?" I look down to his foot to enforce my message.

"I need to explain. You had me wound so tight, Lori. I needed someone to help fix that problem. She was there. This is my life; I don't have time for girlfriends or dating. I have a need, I get it taken care of."

I wonder for a minute if he thought that would make it better. He was honest; I'd give him that.

"Got it. Now move your foot." I look past him when I hear voices approaching. Two drunk college kids make their way down the hallway behind Ben. When I realize I'm standing in the doorway in a pair of boy shorts and a tank top with no bra, I quickly cross my arms over my chest and whisper, "Please let me close the door, Ben. I'm almost naked here."

"I noticed," he says, his gaze starting at my bare feet and drifting up my body until his eyes meet mine. "I imagined she was you." I'm confused at that comment, and he must read it on my face because he chuckles softly and then says it slower. "I imagined she was you. When she was on her knees, I closed my eyes and imagined she was you." The heat rises up my flesh again and reddens my cheeks.

I decide to play a little, hoping it will distract him long enough for me to close the door. I uncross my arms and put my palm flat against his chest. His muscles jump beneath my hand and I know I have the same effect on him as he's having on me. I slowly trace my hand down his chest and to the V where his tan skin dips into his unbuttoned pants. "Was it good?" I whisper in my sexiest voice. When I reach the waist of his pants, I bite my bottom lip and look into his eyes.

"What?" he whispers back, clearly too flustered by my touch to follow the conversation.

"Was it good, Ben? When she took you into her mouth and you imagined it was my warmth around you. Was it good?" I run my fingers along the waistband of his pants and watch, as his eyes get heavy with need. When he doesn't answer I allow my hand to wander lower and grip his length though his pants.

"Fuck," he hisses and pushes his hips forward, pressing himself into my palm and shifting his foot so I can have more access. Both feet stand outside the doorframe. It was too easy really, and I congratulate myself quickly when I slam the door shut, leaving him standing in a lust haze.

"Night, Ben!" I yell through the door. I cover my mouth to trap in the laugh that bubbles up when I hear him curse in the hallway.