Best Friends Forever (2 page)

Just then, the waitress brought
our drinks and food to the table. 
 
I
smiled at the beautiful woman across from me. 
 
“Can we discuss this tonight?” 
 
She smiled shyly, looking up at me
through beautiful lashes. 
 
“Yeah,
I think that would be a…
wonderful
idea.” 
 My heart beat just a little
faster at her sweet smile.
 
Damn, how I love this woman.
 
Tonight, I start to put my plan in
action.
 
The plan that will make my sweet
Meri…my very best friend…mine in every way possible.
 
I planned to show her just how much she
meant to me and how special a relationship we could have not just as best
friends but as lovers, soul mates, and…when she was ready…husband and
wife.
 

We spent the rest of our
meal talking about inconsequential things. 
 
She told me about the frat boys she
was forced to evict from her library for playing football. 
 “At first they thought I was joking around
and refused to leave.”
 
“You didn’t call
security?”
 
“No, I just told them that if
they didn’t take it outside, I’d kick their butts personally and let the entire
campus know that they’d been bested by a mere girl.”
 
“Meri!
 
What the heck were you thinking?
 
They could have hurt you.”
 
She
shrugged.
 
“Nah, it wouldn’t have gone
that far.”
 
“How do you know that?
 
Meri,” I reached across the table and took
her hand.
 
“I don’t know what I’d do if I
lost my other half.
 
Please...
promise
me you’ll call security next
time something like this happens.
 
Please
?”
 
She gave me the biggest, sweetest smile and my heart swelled.
 
Squeezing my hand, she answered, “You’re
right, I should have handled it differently.
 
I promise I’ll call security next time if they don’t leave when I tell
them to.
 
Okay?”
 
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her big,
innocent looking eyes and pouty mouth.
 
“Okay.”

Meredith

Grant is so sweet
.
 
First he brought me my very favorite breakfast
and then bought a cute hat so I wouldn’t sunburn.
 
After hours wandering the Market, we stopped
for lunch at a homey little Mexican café.
 
When he brought up the subject of last night, I thought I would die of
embarrassment.
 
We agreed to talk about
it that evening.
 
What’s to talk about?
 
Is he
going to try to talk me out of it?
 
Will
he offer to spank me?
 
Ooh, my panties
get wet just thinking about Grant paddling my bottom.
 
Our meal came and we spent the rest of the
time talking about inconsequential things.
 
Grant, for some reason, seemed angry when I told him I stood up to a
group of frat boys playing football in my library.
 
He’s always been protective but suddenly it
was almost like he was afraid someone would take me away from him.
 
Like
that will ever happen
.
 
I loved this
man with all my heart and the only way I’d ever leave him would be if he pushed
me away.
 
Even then, I wouldn’t go
without a fight.
 
This delicious, sexy man
was my soul mate and I decided it was time I made my move and convinced him of
it.

Changing the subject from
frat boys and football, I asked him how his classes went that week.
   
His face flushed a dusky pink when he asked
my advice about how to handle a freshman who appeared to have developed a crush
on her art history professor.
 
I wasn’t
surprised.
 
Grant was one of the smartest
people I knew and was a natural born teacher, not to mention totally
hot
.
 
I knew most of his students loved and respected him.
 
“What’s the matter?
 
Can’t you handle a little teenage crush?” I
teased.
 
Usually, he loved it when I
teased him but, this time, he gave me a dark frown.
 
“This one’s a bit more complicated.”
 
“Complicated how?
 
Oh.
 
My.
 
God.
 
You slept with her, didn’t you?”
 
My taco sat like a lead ball in my stomach
and my heart ached.
 
The thought of Grant
sleeping with one of his students…or any other woman…hurt so much.
 
He quickly soothed my worry when he frowned.
 
“Good lord, no.
 
Meri, you know me better than that!”
 

I reached for his hand,
squeezing it tight.
 
“I’m sorry,
baby.
 
I shouldn’t have said that.
 
Of course you wouldn’t sleep with one of your
students.
 
So what’s so complicated about
this woman’s crush?”
 
“She’s eighteen…just
a child really…and barely out of high school.
 
And, here’s the kicker, her daddy is a big benefactor for the
college.”
 
“Oh, now I see.
 
You don’t think her father would cause
problems for you, do you?”
 
I asked
worriedly.
 
“I mean, you just got tenure
a few months ago so they can’t fire you, can they?”
 
“You’re right, they can’t fire me as long as
I don’t break any of the college’s rules.
 
For now, though, I’ve decided that my office hours will be by
appointment only, at least until the end of the semester.
 
And my teaching assistant will be in every
meeting with a student.”
 
He took a
swallow of his beer.
 
“I’ve even begun
keeping my office door locked when I’m the only one there.
 
That way, she can’t just pop in and try to
get me alone.”
 

“Have you tried talking to
the girl?”
 
“Not yet.
 
I’m just not sure how to approach the
subject.
 
I don’t want to embarrass her
or hurt her feelings but I can’t let this get out of hand.”
 
He shuddered slightly and I could tell that
this girl really bothered him.
 
“What
about the Dean or the girl’s parents?” I asked.
 
“Can you talk to them?”
 
He nodded
and gave me a slight smile as if attempting to lighten the mood that was
threatening to destroy an otherwise fun day.
 
“Yes, I have an appointment to speak with the Dean Monday morning.
 
I’ve already explained what’s going on and
he’s agreed to bring her parents in for the meeting.
 
And...
if
I have to…I
will withdraw her from my class.
 
I don’t
want it to come to that because she’s a good student and I’d hate to be
responsible for any setbacks academically.”
 
My Grant is such a
sweetheart.
 
He can’t stand hurting an
impressionable girl’s feelings.

I took his hand
again.
 
“Well, I’m sure you’ll do what’s
best for this girl and everything will work out fine.”
 
Suddenly, I had an idea.
 
“Have you thought about discouraging her
interest by telling her you’re gay?”
 
He
burst out laughing, drawing the attention of the other diners.
 
“Seriously, Meri?
 
Do you really think I could pull
that
off?”
 
I pretended to think.
 
“Nah, you’re right.
 
There’s no way you could convince her you’re
gay.
 
How about telling her you’re
celibate, you’re training to be a monk?”
 
Snickering, he shook his head.
 
“I’ve got one,” he said as he leaned forward.
 
“What’s that?” I asked suspiciously.
 
“How about…” his voice got deeper and my
heart began to race.
 
“I tell her that I
have a beautiful, intelligent, and very
...sexy...
girlfriend
who I love very much?”
 
I leaned back;
his intense gaze making me a little nervous.
 
He’s up to something,
I thought
to myself.
 
“And what will you do when
she finds out you
don’t
have such a
girlfriend?”

“I’ll introduce her to
you.”
 
“Me?” Surprised, my voice squeaked.
 
“Why…why me?”
 
“Seriously, Meri?”
 
He raised one
finger.
 
“One, you are one of the most
beautiful women I’ve ever met.”
 
A second
finger went up.
 
“Two, you are
very
intelligent.
 
You’ve got degrees coming out your ears,
practically.
 
And three,” up went a third
finger.
 
“Half the college thinks we’re
dating.”
 
My eyes wide, I didn’t know
what to say.
 
Anyone who knows me would find that by itself amazing.
 
“They do?”
 
Again with the squeaky voice.
 
Grant
chuckled and nodded.
 
“Yeah, babe, they
do.
 
I mean, honestly, we’re together
more often than apart.
 
So, what do you
think?
 
Want to be my
pretend
girlfriend?”
 
He waggled his eyebrows comically and I couldn’t
help but laugh.
 
“Oh, alright.
 
I guess I can sacrifice my non-existent
social life and be your
pretend
girlfriend,” I tried to sound put upon but couldn’t help but laugh, ruining the
effect.
 
His chuckle made my panties
dampen again.
 
Oh, how I wish it was more than pretend.

He pointed at my now empty
plate. 
 
“Are you done or do
you want dessert?” 
 
I patted
my not quite flat tummy and shook my head. 
 
“No, I’m full. 
 
I need to do some more walking to keep
all these calories from gravitating to my fa...” He narrowed his eyes and
growled. 
 
“I mean my
 
ample
 
bottom.” 
 
I smiled sweetly and batted my lashes
at him until he grinned. Throwing cash on the table to pay for lunch, he took
my hand, lacing our fingers together as we headed back out into the Market.

Grant

Pretend girlfriend?
 
I realized how lame and juvenile it sounded
as soon as the words left my mouth.
 
But,
if it made Meri smile and laugh, I’d make a fool of myself any day of the
week.
 
We finished lunch and headed back
out into the Market, her small hand laced with mine.
 
Grinning down at her, I asked, “Do you want
to wander some more or are you tired?”
 
Shaking her head, her grin matched mine.
 
“Let’s wander some more.
 
You
never know what treasures we might find.”
 
I teasingly groaned as if the idea of carrying her
treasures
wore me out.
 
I let
her lead me down a row of stalls full of colorful merchandise.
 

After several minutes of
wandering, Meri suddenly stopped at a stall where the tables were piled high
with colorful folds of fabric.
 
At first,
I hesitated but then I saw the look of near rapture on her face.
 
Meri has always loved brightly colored
clothing.
 
When we were teenagers, I used
to tease her by saying she was like a colorful little bird.
 
But, if I were honest with myself, I
absolutely loved to see my little Meri in bright, gauzy layers that fluttered
all around her.
 
I stepped closer to the
table, my eyes on her excited face.
 
“Oh,
Grant, aren’t they beautiful?”
 
Following
her gaze, I suddenly froze and my mouth went dry.

There on the table, in every bright
color imaginable, were small scraps of silk, satin, and lace.
 
Bikini panties, tiny little boy-style shorts,
and thongs lay along aside matching bras in every style and size.
 
My knees went weak when Meri picked up a tiny
pair of little boy-style shorts in hot pink lace.
 
“Ooh, I hope they have my size.
 
Help me, Grant.”
 
My jeans were suddenly way too tight in the
crotch as I held up my hands in surrender.
 
“Oh, no.
 
You’re all on your own,
babe.
 
I’ll just stand here and watch, if
it’s all right with you.”
 
The
dark-haired woman manning the stall looked at me with a smirk on her face.
 
She leaned over the table and spoke to Meri,
not bothering to lower her voice.
 
“Your
man seems a little nervous around all this lingerie.”
 
Meri’s eyes grew big.
 
“He’s not…”
 
Unable to stop myself, I reached over and tucked my hand into her back
pocket.
 
I could feel her warmth through
the denim and my erection stretched another inch.

Meri made the cutest little squeak
before cutting her eyes over at me.
 
A
sly little smile came over her face as she turned back to the other woman.
 
Leaning closer, she said in a stage whisper,
“He has a thing for all the bright colors.”
 
The woman’s smile grew bigger as she looked over at me.
 
“Oh, really?” she drawled.
 
By then, I could feel my face growing
pink.
 
“Meri,” I tried to tug her away
from the stall but she was having nothing of it.
 
Chattering away like they’d known one another
for years, Meri and the other woman began discussing the pros and cons of boy
shorts versus thongs before moving on to underwire versus padded bras.
 
Thirty minutes later, Meri was paying for an
assortment of miniscule scraps of nothing and my head was about to
explode.
 
One more minute and I would be
forced to toss her down on top of all those colors and slide deep inside her
whether she was ready or not.

I took the bag holding Meri’s purchases from
the saleswoman who winked at me.
 
Grabbing my hand, Meri said goodbye to her new friend and led me away
from the stall.
 
“I just love all my new
lingerie and I can’t believe the great deals I got.”
 
She stopped and grinned at me, “You are such
a good sport, baby.
 
Letting that woman
think you…that you and I…”
 
Her face turned
pink and I wondered,
is she embarrassed
that the woman thought we were a couple?
 
I caught her looking at me sideways and nibbling lightly at her lower
lip.
 
No,
not embarrassed…turned on?
 
Oh yes, my
Meri is turned on.
 
If I were honest,
I was
very
turned on myself.
 
All that sexy lace and satin and Meri.
 
Oh yeah, I was definitely turned on and I couldn’t
wait to put my plan into action.
 
Operation Meri would begin that night.

Walking through the Market on our way
back to my car, Meri found another booth filled with colorful scraps of
fabric.
 
Not lingerie but I had no idea
what they were.
 
But, like always, I went
along with whatever Meri wanted.
 
She
picked up one piece of cloth that looked like a flock of exotic birds printed
in greens and blues on a large piece of silk.
 
“Isn’t it beautiful, Grant?”
 
I
grinned.
 
“Gorgeous but…what’s it
for?”
 
She giggled.
 
“It’s a sarong, silly.”
 
“I thought a sarong was a dress?” I teased.
 
“Of course, it’s a dress.”
 
She playfully slapped me on the chest.
 
“It looks like this until you put it
on.”
 
“Huh?
 
Okay, now I’m confused.”
 
“It’s all in how you fold and drape it.
 
I’m going to get this one.
 
What do you think?”
 
I pretended to give it serious consideration
before nodding.
 
“I think you look good
in anything, babe.”

I looked
over the other swatches of fabric and suddenly one struck my eye. 
 
Made of soft black raw silk, it was
covered with large, bright red tropical flowers. 
 
I imagined how it would look draped
over Meri’s lush body and my hard-on was back with a vengeance. 
 
I picked it up to show her. 
 
“I like this one.
 
I want to buy it for you.” 
 
“Really? 
 
You want to buy that for
me?”  “Of course.
 
I think it
will look beautiful on you.” 
 
At
my nod, her grin lit up.
 
Standing on
tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to my cheek. 
 
“You are so sweet.” 
 
I could feel my heart swell, right
along with my erection, as she smiled up at me.
 
She picked out a third sarong of various shades of green that remind me
of her eyes when she’s happy.
 
Paying for
our purchases, we added them to the bags I was already carrying and continued
to wend our way through the stalls.

After a
few more stops to pick up a couple of nice shirts for me and some fresh
produce, we made our way to my car.
 
I
popped the trunk and we placed our purchases inside.
 
Opening the passenger door for Meri, I waited
for her to step inside the vehicle.
 
She
stopped and turned to look up at me, her eyes sparkling.
 
“I really had fun today, Grant.
 
Thank you.”
 
“Me too, babe,” I smiled down at her, happy that she enjoyed spending
time with me.
 
She placed one small hand
on my shoulder, with one on the car door, and stood on tiptoe to kiss me on the
cheek.
 
At the split second before her
soft lips touched my cheek, I turned my head and, instead of a kiss on the
cheek, her lips gently brushed mine.
 
I felt
a jolt of electricity go straight to my groin and from the look in her
beautiful eyes, Meri felt it, too.
 
Her
face pinked as she quickly turned and sat in the car.
 
Hiding a grin, I closed her door and jogged
around the front of the car to the driver’s door.
 
Oh,
yeah.
 
She felt it, too.
 
Starting the vehicle, I put it in gear
and pulled out of the parking lot.

Meredith

I felt my face flush a bright pink as I quickly
got in the car and Grant closed my door.
 
The jolt of electricity I felt when my lips brushed his made my nipples
peak and my panties damp.
 
Watching him trying
to hide a grin while he jogged around the front of the car, I hid a smile.
 
He felt
that, too.
 
Grant started the car and
pulled out of the parking lot.
 
Suddenly,
I remembered, “We need to stop at the grocery store.”
 
Pulling into traffic, Grant barely glanced at
me.
 
“What do you need?
 
Whatever it is, I might have it at my
apartment.”
 
I grinned at him.
 
“You spewed my last beer all over my living
room.”
 
“I’ll have you know that it
wasn’t all over the living room.
 
It was
only on the coffee table and a small area of the rug.
 
Besides,” he teased me.
 
“It was all your fault.”
 
I couldn’t help but laugh.
 
“Yeah, but you still owe me for the
beer.
 
Besides, I need to pick up a few
other things.”
 
“Yeah, I should probably
pick up a few things, too.
 
Is that place
down the street from us okay?”
 
“Sure.”

We spent the rest of the trip chatting about
our families and what we might do for our birthdays.
 
With only one exception, we’ve spent every
single birthday together.
 
Both our
mothers wanted us to come home since this was the big three-oh for both of
us.
 
Soon, Grant pulled into the small
grocery store located halfway between campus and our apartment building.
 
Saturdays were usually busy, with all the
students shopping for food and necessities so the parking lot was nearly
full.
 
Grant found a spot not too far
from the front of the store and we got out.
 
At the front of the store, he held the door for me and I grabbed a
cart.
 
Turning to follow Grant to the
first aisle, I suddenly rammed right into his delectable rear.

He was standing in the middle of the aisle, a
look of chagrin on his handsome face.
 
“Oh
crap
,” he muttered under
his breath.
 
“Grant?”
 
Abandoning the cart, I walked around him and
stared up into his face with concern.
 
“Is everything okay?
 
What’s
wrong, babe?”
 
Shaking his head, he put
his mouth close to my ear and murmured, “Don’t react, but the student I was
telling you about is headed this way.”
 
“Oh.
 
Where is she?
 
Does she see us?”
 
I murmured back, trying not to turn around,
although I really wanted to see what she looked like.
 
“She’s coming up aisle three with another
girl.
 
I don’t think she sees us
yet.”
 
I really needed the few items I
came there for so there was no way I was going to leave just because some
brazen hussy couldn’t leave my man alone but that didn’t mean we couldn’t try
to avoid her.
 
I grabbed his arm.
 
“Come on.”
 
Pushing the cart in front of us, we headed towards aisle two.

“Hey, Ms. MacDonagh!
 
Wait up!”
 
Crap!
 
I heard the loud voice of one of the frat
boys behind us.
 
Of course, he had to
yell halfway across the store.
 
Everyone was
looking at Grant and me, including his little
stalker
.
 
The frat boy hurried
up to us, followed by his two cohorts.
 
“Listen, I really wanted to apologize for the way we acted the other day
in the library.
 
We good?”
 
I smiled coolly at the boy.
 
“Yes, as long as you don’t disrupt the
library again, we’re good.” He seemed nervous, sticking his hands in his
pockets and looking down at his shoes.
 
“So...um...Ms. Mac, we’re...um...having this party at our house tonight
and...
um
...I...I mean
we
were wondering if you’d like to come?”

Oh.
 
My.
 
God!
 
Is he asking me out on a
date?
 
I had to admit, at least to myself, I was a
little flattered.
 
I mean, after all,
this was a younger man…boy…
you get the
point
.
 
Next to me, I felt Grant go
stiff.
 
He reached out and wrapped one of
his long arms around my waist and pulled me closer, tucking me under his arm
while scowling at the three frat boys in front of us.
 
Is
Grant jealous?
 
The leader of the
trio of frat boys, looked from me to Grant.
 
“Oh…I guess you can come, too, Mr. Thomas, if you want.”
 
How could I let this poor boy down
gently?
 
“Um…Trent, right?”
 
He grinned like a kid on Christmas morning
just because I remembered his name.
 
Oh,
geez
.
 
“I…we…kind of have plans tonight but
I…we…really appreciate the invitation.”
 
I glanced around.
 
“I’m sure there
are quite a few girls who would love to come to your party.”
 
Trent shrugged and hung his head for a moment
before looking up at me.
 
“Yeah, well, if
you change your mind, we’re the yellow house in the next block over.”
 
“Okay, thanks.”
 
Grant patted me on my ample hip.
 
Meeting Trent’s eyes, he said, “Well, we really
should finish our shopping and head on home.
 
You fellows have a safe party.”