Second Chances Read online

  After weeks of turning him down and telling him that his sexual antics with anyone with a vagina made me feel like I needed a shower, we finally eased into a platonic friendship, the only one he’s ever had and probably ever will with a woman. Phoenix loves women for their bodies and not much else. His sister and I seem to be the only exceptions to that and I can’t wait until he finally falls in love. When he does, it’s going to hit him so hard he’s not going to have any idea how to handle it. I just hope I can be there to see it all happen so I can give him shit over it. He deserves it.

  December 2013

  Pete

  We arrive at Chris and Tracey’s beach house by mid-afternoon, the one that Chris’ parents gave to him and his brothers to share throughout the colder months when his parents vacation around the world. Raina came with Todd and I in my truck, remaining quiet and distant. I fight the urge to spank her silly, make her stop this nonsense. But I know it’s only a matter of time before I feel the warm burn of her ass under my hand. And I can make myself wait…I have no other choice. Having her is no longer my right, my privilege. I gave that up years ago and I’ve regretted it ever since.

  I haven’t seen Todd in a few months and when I pull up in front of his parent’s house, where he’s been staying recovering from surgery, he looks like the old Todd with a crew cut, his head having been shaved for surgery. I trick myself into thinking there’s nothing wrong, that we’re going to the beach house to hang out like we used to do years ago. I trick myself until Todd opens the car door. “What’s wrong? You two fighting again? What did you do this time dickhead, she looks pissed off” he says.

  Raina looks at me and starts to say something then remembers the symptoms, the memory loss and the confusion. In Todd’s mind, right this moment, we’re as we were before we left, at a happier time in his life. In Todd’s mind, Raina and I are still best friends with benefits. The cool to hang out with couple that’s fun to party with. The couple that, at the end of the night, gravitates to each other and ends up in bed together leaving everyone else behind, unable to deny themselves the pleasure. Because that’s how it always was. Even if we weren’t at the same party, we’d end up together, hiding in her room or fucking in my bed. Sometimes not even making it to a private place. Sometimes I couldn’t wait; I’d take her wherever we were even if the threat of exposure existed. I feel the same way about her now.

  “Hey, man. What’s up? We’re fine, just fighting over the radio station again. Ready to go?” I smile at Todd as best as I can while my heart breaks. I look at Raina out of the corner of my eye and she nods, understanding that we need to keep up the façade for Todd’s sake. Like me, she’s willing to do anything for him; even pretend we’re together, which I assume is the last thing she wants to do.

  We drive to the beach house, only a short distance away. Raina and Todd talk the whole way like old times with me fighting the overwhelming urge to touch her. I’d love to take her over my knee and spank her right here, right now, until her ass is red and she’s willing to talk to me, to look me in the eyes and discuss what happened four years ago.

  I picture it, her naked, toned body, soft under my hands. Her skin, bronzed after being in the sun all day. She would willingly come to me without my asking and lay across my lap. I’d feel her pussy, warm and wet through my pants and I’d rub her taunt ass, preparing it for the first smack. My arm would rise, then slowly lower to rub her gently, letting the anticipation grow, making her ache for it. Admit it was what she needed, what she’d earned. I’d wait another second; maybe two until she made that sound that drives me wild with need. Then I’d spank her hard. Once, twice, three more times while she wiggled, trying to stay still, always trying her best to please me. Her head would lift to gaze into my eyes when I stopped, in them she’d see the heat, the passion only we shared. She’d moan then slightly raise her ass, asking for more. And I’d gladly give it to her, making her cheeks pink and hot.

  “Pete, did you hear me?” Todd asks snapping me out of my head.

  “What? No. I’m sorry. Just trying to remember the way” I lie as I shift in my pants.

  “I asked if Amanda is coming,” he repeats himself. “When I talked to you the other day, you hadn’t talked to her yet. I didn’t want to call her and cause any problems. I mean, if I were her husband…” he trails off, apparently lucid once again.

  “Yeah, she’s coming. She’ll be there later tonight. Her flight gets in around 5pm; Tracey’s going to pick her up.”

  “Her husband must be one hell of a guy. If things had turned out differently, and I had married her, I sure as hell wouldn’t let her go spend a month with an old boyfriend whose dying and has nothing to lose.”

  “She cares about you, Todd. We all do. We’d all do anything for you, for any one of us” Raina says while slowly looking at me before down-casting her eyes better than any subbie girl I’ve ever seen. I wonder if she knows she does that. I also wonder if she does that with anyone else, or if it’s only my voice that gets that reaction from her.

  Todd nods and turns to look out the window as we pull up in front of the house. He has a lot on his mind and I expect nothing more than only half his attention.

  Willie and Chris are inside and when I open the front door, and we see each other, it hits me. Sometimes the stars and planets are just aligned right and they bring people who are meant to be together, together. Most friends come and go; like subways in the city, but some friends never leave your side even if they’re not physically near you anymore.

  I’ve never again had friends like the ones who are standing before me now. Damian, Sebastian, and Mac come close, but we don’t have the years of history that I have with Todd, Chris, and Willie. Willie with his cocky smirk and looks that he’s finally grown into. Chris, his muscles trying their hardest to hold on while his stomach clearly wants to win the fight, and Todd. Todd, the one who has always been the glue of our group. Even after some of us moved away, he was always the one to bring us together. He organized Chris’s bachelor party in Vegas and Willie’s in the Bahamas. He also made the arrangements when we partied with Willie after his divorce from Sofia. Little did Willie know, it was so we could be sure he wouldn’t do anything stupid like off himself. We should have continued to keep a close watch on him; if we had, maybe he wouldn’t be dating Kelsey. I’m happy for him, don’t get me wrong, and he claims the sex is great, but really a stripper is just so cliché.

  Todd also kept in touch with the girls. He and Raina remained close over the last four years. They’d talk and he’d refuse to share anything with me. When Willie called to tell us about Sofia, Todd called her and told her how disappointed he was in her. Then he gave her the cold shoulder, not returning her calls for days. But, after about a week, he called her and allowed her to explain. He said he’d never forgive her for cheating on Willie, but that he didn’t want to lose their friendship over something that really was none of his business. From then on, they talked once a week and throughout the divorce, more decisions were made with him as the middle man than either of their well-paid attorneys. Amanda was once the love of his life and letting her go was the hardest thing Todd claims to have ever done. I think staying in touch with her, watching her marry someone else, and struggle for a child while still maintaining a friendship with her, had to have been worse.

  We each embrace the others and comment about how great we look, how this one has changed, and how that one has stayed exactly the same. The guys give me shit over the goatee and ask if I have a Harley and some tats to go with it. I say no to the bike but smirk about the tats as Sofia walks through the door.

  “You have tattoos, Pete Roman? I always knew you were a dirty hot kind of guy. Show me” she says while pulling up my shirt sleeve expecting to find one around my bicep. I turn around and bend down so she can see the tattoo of The Society’s symbol on the back of my neck, under my hair that covers it. The symbol means power and is done in thick black ink and looks like a lowercase letter “h”.

/>   “Yep, sexy, dirty, hot man you are. Got any more?”

  “Yeah but…” I fumble over my words.

  “Ooo, one in your pants, huh? Now I really want to see it.”

  “It’s not in my pants, Sof” I admit, laughing at her.

  “Then let’s see it.”

  Not wanting this to go on forever and make it seem like a bigger deal than it should be, I cross my arms in front of me, pull the hem of my shirt up and over my head. I keep my eyes on Raina even when Sofia gasps. “Is that a cloud?” she asks. “A rain cloud on your chest? Over your heart?”

  “Yes, it’s a nimbus cloud.” I don’t tell her that if you look closely at the detailing in the swirls of the cloud, you’ll see Raina’s name.

  “I think we should wait until we’re nice and drunk, maybe even wait until we hit Todd over there up for some of his fancy brain drugs before we explore the meaning of that shit” Sofia tries to lighten the mood as she walks over and hugs Todd.

  Everyone watches Sofia as she’s then forced to hug her ex-husband, so no one notices that Raina and I are unable to break eye contact with each other. I finally have to when I put my shirt back on, but then our eyes meet again as Todd, his lucid moments gone again, states, “Okay, same rooms as always. Willie and Sof, you guys down the hall on the right, Chris and Tracey in the master. Amanda and I will go upstairs to the yellow room with Pete and Raina in the blue.”

  August 2008

  Pete

  I hear something hitting my window and assume its Todd throwing shit to wake me up so he can tell me that he finally bagged Amanda. I don’t bother to even throw on my clothes; I go to the window in my boxers, cupping my junk, and fling open the blinds to find Raina sitting on the small ledge of my roof just outside of my window. She’s wearing a tight black wife beater and white shorts that enhance the golden hue of her suntanned legs. Those smooth, toned legs that I’ve been picturing, on my shoulders on either side of my head or wrapped around my waist pulling me into her, since the first time I laid eyes on them. I shift myself in my boxers, knowing that if my thoughts keep going in that direction, I’m going to have a problem, a very big problem. I unlock and open the window, raise the screen and watch as she climbs in.

  “Hey, what’s the matter? Is something wrong?” I ask.

  “No. Yes. I don’t know.”

  “Okay, Princess, you’re going to have to explain, you’ve confused me with your girly mind thoughts again. Remember, I told you, guys don’t think like girls do.”

  “Yeah, that’s because you idiots don’t think with your brains,” she says then looks slyly at me and continues. “Actually, I’m kind of hoping that maybe we can talk about you not thinking with your brain tonight.”

  At her words my dick twitches and instantly begins to thicken. Could she actually be thinking of asking me to hook up with her?

  Raina looks at me and walks backward toward my bed with her hand out, inviting me to join her. I follow her across the room and sit on my bed. Since she’s moved in across the street, we’ve sat on my bed together a million times, but it’s never been a sexually charge experience like it is at this moment. Sure, I’ve wanted to fuck her since the second I saw her, but now the air in my room is thick with desire.

  I pull back the covers and lay down, raise my arms up over my head, knowing full well she can tell she’s having an effect on me. “What’s this about, Raina? Not that I’m not interested, as you can obviously see, but why?” I ask, needing to hear her explanation before I jump on the chance to have her.

  “I’ve been thinking about you a lot since we met. We have fun together, you’re hot,” she shrugs. “So, I thought, why not? You know, friends with benefits and all that. What do you think? It can be just between us. No one has to know.”

  I stare at her, unable to believe my luck, and with no blood left in my brain to help me respond, I just smile. I reach out my hand and brush a dark burnt curl behind her ear. “Princess, are you sure about this? I mean, once we start fooling around, you know I’m not going to want it to end. It can really fuck up our friendship.”

  “It’s cool. I know what I’m getting into. We’re friends, you’re not looking for a girlfriend and I don’t want a boyfriend right now either. This arrangement will give us what we both want. You’ll be able to get laid by a super sexy, hot beauty queen whenever you want and I….” she jokes then trails off.

  “I agree, you’re super sexy and hot, Rain. I’d have to be out of my fucking mind to turn you down, but what are you getting out of this? I mean, other than the mind-blowing orgasms I can give you?”

  “A little cocky, aren’t you?” she teases.

  “Not cocky, Princess, just that good. And from now on, when you say ‘cock’ in the same sentence as me, little will not be a word you’ll use.”

  I can feel the bulge in my boxers growing as I put my hand on her flat stomach and start sliding it up her shirt an inch at a time. Raina’s hand comes up to slow my progress and when I feel her touch, my bicep involuntarily twitches. I start breathing harder, look her deeply into her eyes, and then very slowly lift her shirt over her head.

  “Oh God, Raina, you look amazing. Your body is so fucking sweet, I can’t stand it,” I say as I shift in my boxers again, drawing her attention to my erection straining to be let loose. The way her eyes roam over my body, like she can’t take them off my dick, is making me grow harder than I think I’ve ever been. I follow her gaze and smile at her. “I’ll take it slow. I promise we won’t do anything you don’t want. You trust me, don’t you? You know I’d never do anything to hurt you, right?”

  Before she can answer, I lean down, but instead of kissing her, I lick her upper lip then take her bee-stung lower lip in my teeth. She tastes sweet like strawberries and a growl escapes me. My lips find hers and I’m gentle at first, savoring the smoothness of her lips, her taste, but then our kiss grows more aggressive. I plunge my hands into her hair and pull her mouth tight to mine. My right hand comes to her face while my left bunches her long curls into a tight hold and I pull her head back, just enough to allow me full access to her neck. I latch onto her skin and taste her, sugar and strawberries, and just a hint of freshly fallen rain, like her name. I lick behind her ear, by her reaction, it’s her sweet spot, so I pull the lobe with my teeth. She grimaces at my aggressiveness but becomes more pliant in my arms as I take control. She sighs and her eyes float shut as my mouth covers hers. Her lips part and she lets my tongue lick hers, swirling in a dance of seduction.

  My breathing grows rapid and her sounds are driving me wild. Raina purrs like a kitten in heat when excited and when I touch her, in her behind her ear, she whimpers. The sound is going to be the death of my restraint. I feel the heat crawling up my spine already. I gasp when I feel the tightness in my balls. I know I need to slow down for me, just as much for her.

  “You okay, baby?” I stop to ask before I unclip her bra. Raina smiles at me, runs her hands over my chest, then pulls my lips back to hers. I smile and cover her with my body as I kiss her deep and hard. My resolve is waning and I notch my dick in between her legs, the warmth alone makes me want to be inside her, but I sense her apprehension. I can tell she’s scared of moving this along too fast. I roll to the right and lay next to her and whisper in her ear. “I want to see your breasts, Princess. I want them in my mouth.”

  Raina moans, her head rolls back on the pillow and she arches her back, giving me access. I unhook her bra and slowly pull the straps down her arms to reveal the most beautiful breasts I’ve ever seen. They’re full and firm; her nipples are tiny, round and pink as bubble gum. I cup them in my hands, a perfect fit, like they were made for me. All mine.

  I can’t help but stare at her. I can tell Raina feels exposed and vulnerable under my gaze. I know I have to ease her with my words, so I speak the truth. “You’re flawless, look at you. Your breasts are amazing. You have the most perfect nipples. Ahh, I’m so fucking hard for you right now, have been since you stepped out of the ca
r in your driveway the day you moved in.”

  “Pete” she sighs.

  I put my hand on her right breast and gently massage it. My breathing sounds labored and I look at her to see if she’s okay with what I’m doing, not sure if I’d be able to stop even if someone had a gun to my head. Her body grows warm and a rosy hue forms on her chest and neck. Raina’s breathing heavy and she lifts her hips in a seductive rhythm, she’s getting close.

  I whisper into her ear. “Good?” I ask as I kiss her to catch her moan in my mouth. I roll her left nipple between my thumb and finger, watching as I send chills through her body. I feel the building of heat and sense the ache deep in her belly, one that I’m guessing feels a lot like the growing pressure in my balls. “Do you like that, Princess?” I ask, my voice hoarse with restraint.

  “Mmm” she moans as I marvel at the image of her arms above her head, helpless to my touch.

  I continue to work her nipples and feel her legs shake with the strain of her trying to hold back. I smirk as I watch her toes start to flex and her legs stiffen. I kiss her lips then pull away. Before her eyes flutter open, my lips surround her nipples, first one, then the other, sucking gently before nipping more aggressively with my teeth. I feel her heart beat quicken as I flick a nipple with my tongue then nip it again. “I know your close. Say my name when you come, Raina” I order just in time.

  Her heart feels as if it’s going to beat out of her chest, her breathing comes in fast, shallow gasps and as she moans and arches off the bed, I know I have her.

  “Pete” she moans as my mouth covers hers to stifle her cries, so we won’t wake my mother. I kiss her through her orgasm, eating her cries and moans.

  Her sounds alone could make me come if I’m not careful. She looks beautiful and smells so fucking good. I want nothing more than to bury myself deep in her warmth and pound away at her until I burst. But I hold off my caveman needs and hold her through each aftershock as I marvel at her beauty.