The Do-Over (17 page)

“You’re going to think I’m a nut if I tell you.”

“I won’t. No judgment, Lanie, I promise.”

Her voice grew quiet. “I’ve always had trouble sleeping, especially when I was a kid. Back then the only things on at two in the morning were infomercials or reruns of
Star Trek
.” He smiled, imagining Lanie as a cute little girl, eating her ice cream and watching TV.

“And now? Don’t tell me you’re a closet shopaholic, and you have every useless device known to man.”

“No, I never buy anything. It just comforts me. When you’re watching regular television, you’re just observing scenes as an outsider, but when you’re watching this, it’s like they’re talking to you. You’re not alone.” She put her hands against her face. “Oh God, I’m a total nut bag.”

He moved her hand away and peered down at her, shaking his head. “No, Lanie, you’re not. I think you’re lonely. I get lonely too.”

“Yeah? What do you do when you’re lonely? Oh wait, I can guess.” He flinched, knowing what she was thinking, and it was true. He did use sex to alleviate the isolation as a temporary measure. It was a drug for him, and like all drugs, he found himself increasing the dosage to get the same results.

“Yes, I do that, but mostly I go for walks. It helps me think too, sort out my problems. That’s what I did the other night after I left you.”

“Did you need to sort me out?”

“I needed to sort myself out.”

“Any conclusions?”

“Not much. No great inferences. Only this; I like being with you. I have fun with you. I love forking you. I want to know if you feel the same way.” He held his breath, waiting for her answer. He felt so at ease with her that he wondered if she was becoming his new drug of choice.

“Oh, Captain Kyle, yes, forking you…it was great. I guess we’re two nut bag friends that like to fork and turn each other on with pseudosexual
Star Trek
references.”

“You know, I had a crush on Lieutenant Uhura,” he said and placed a gentle kiss on her temple.

“Hmmm…I bought a pair of thigh-high boots the other day,” she replied sleepily.

“Damn!”

“What?”

“I’m hard again,” he said, banging his head against the arm of the couch.

Chapter Sixteen

They fell asleep on the couch watching something about a pot that could boil pasta in five minutes. Kyle remembered thinking it was dumb since it only took seven minutes to boil pasta anyway. He stared at her, feeling each of her slow breaths against his chest. Her lips made the most magnificent movements in her sleep. He crawled over her, careful not to wake her up. He set up the coffeepot and wrote her a note. He needed to go out for a run to clear his head.

He put on a pair of sweatpants and his Syracuse T-shirt and headed out. It was fall, and the city felt cool and fresh to him. It didn’t just look enticing with the foliage beginning to peak on the trees, but it smelled inviting, crisp and clean. He rounded the corner thinking about the pretty girl sleeping on his couch. He had figured sleeping with Lanie would make him get over her, like it was a hurdle for him to jump. In fact, it did just the opposite. She was more appealing to him, not less. She was crazy in the bedroom, and he knew it would only get better. He wasn’t capable of more than sex and friendship, though, and she was still in love with another man. So in a way, their relationship was quite perfect. There were no expectations, no prolonged plans, no heartbreak. It was a dream relationship in fact, so Kyle was having trouble figuring out why he was so anxious.

When he came home, he was disappointed to find Lanie freshly showered and dressed.
Why didn’t she wait for me?
She sat on his barstool sipping coffee with her overnight bag by her side.

“Hi there,” she greeted him with a chipper smile.

“Good morning, beautiful. You’re dressed already?”

“I figured you’d want to take me home,” she replied.

He looked from her to her bag and back. His unease grew exponentially at the prospect of her leaving. He needed more time with her. The exact reason he didn’t let women spend the night was to avoid this scene in the morning. He always dreaded the thought of kicking them out and knew the longer they stayed, the more difficult it would be. Now, looking at Lanie, the last thing he wanted was for her to leave.

“Stay for the weekend.”

“Kyle, I only brought one set of clothes, and besides, I need to work.”

He ran his hands through his hair, hoping he didn’t sound desperate. “We’ll go to your place and pick up clothes and your laptop. You can work here, right?”

She considered it for a moment and shrugged. “I guess.”

He broke out into a huge grin. “Great, then, it’s settled. Let’s have some fun too.”

“What did you have in mind, Captain Kyle?” Lanie asked, arching her eyebrows.

“You’re a naughty girl. We’ll definitely fork, but what do you want to do? We’ll go wherever you want today.”

She was thoughtful for a moment. “Anywhere I want?”

“I’ll go anywhere with you.” Kyle hadn’t meant the statement to come out so intensely, but Lanie didn’t seem to notice.

“Umm…there’s someone I’d like you to meet,” she said, biting her lower lip.

“Another guy?”

“Yep, he’s very handsome.”

“Handsome, eh?”

“Yeah, but he has some intimacy issues,” she said, displaying her playful smile.

“That can be a bear. Some guys just can’t get over stuff.” Kyle chuckled.

“Actually, he’s a gorilla…a five-hundred-pound gorilla.”

Kyle cocked his eyebrow.

An hour later, he was holding Lanie’s hand at the zoo and staring at a five-hundred-pound gorilla. So Lanie had been completely literal.

“Kyle, this is my friend, Mr. Coco.”

“You’ll excuse me if I don’t shake his hand.”

“Yes, like I said, he has intimacy issues.”

The gorilla actually moved toward them. Kyle thought he was looking at Lanie pretty intensely. Was it possible he recognized her? “Do you come to see him often?”

“Usually once a week. He’s lonely too since he doesn’t have a mate.”

“Because he’s such a player?”

She laughed. “Because it’s difficult to find mates.”

“Lanie, I think Mr. Coco is giving me a dirty look.” Kyle moved closer to Lanie. Sure enough, the gorilla pushed his head toward the steel bars that separated them.

“Don’t be silly.”

“I think he’s jealous.”

“No, he doesn’t have a jealous bone in his body,” she replied.

“Oh, I think he does. Let’s try something.” He pulled Lanie close to him and kissed her, actually dipping her in front of the cage. Lanie pushed him off her, uncomfortable with the public display of affection.

“Jeez, Kyle, there are kids here, for God’s sake.” Then she stopped talking. In fact, everyone stopped in their tracks because Mr. Coco was swinging wildly, beating his large hands against the ground and running about like a crazy…well, gorilla.

Lanie’s mouth dropped open. “He’s never done this.”

“Come on, sweetheart. Mr. Coco and I aren’t going to be friends anytime soon. I’m afraid this King Kong might kidnap you, and that’s a thought I just can’t handle.”

Lanie let Kyle lead her away, waving good-bye to Mr. Coco. They spent the afternoon at the zoo, going to each exhibit, holding hands, eating hot dogs, and generally enjoying each other’s company. On the way to her apartment, Kyle stopped at the grocery store. He picked up items for dinner. He wanted to grill out for Lanie, and he also needed to buy ice cream

That night she worked on her laptop while he stood on the balcony grilling burgers. They both looked up at each other casually, finding the other already staring back. Kyle set down a plate in front of her. “Enough work. We have to eat now. You’ll need your strength for later.”

They ate and chatted until they were both stuffed. Lanie was wearing his shirt again and a pair of shorts. It was a simple outfit, but it turned him on like she was wearing expensive lingerie.

“What would you rate me?” she asked.

He almost choked on his beer. “What?”

“Well, you’ve been with so many girls. I know I’m not great, but since we’re friends first, I feel you’ll give me an honest opinion.”

“Lanie, I’m not going to grade you.”

“Come on, Kyle. I want to know, and you can be totally truthful with me. I know you guys do it in your locker-room talk.”

“You must have watched a lot of teen angst movies,” Kyle said, picking up her plate.

“I’m partial to John Hughes’s films, I guess.”

“
The Breakfast Club
. Let me guess. You identified with Ally Sheedy’s character, didn’t you?”

“Yep, and you…you were definitely Judd Nelson.”

“Oh hell no. I was Emilio Estevez, for sure.”

“Why? Because you were the jock?”

“Well, I definitely wasn’t the druggie.”

“You’re Judd Nelson, but not because I think you were a druggie. You represent the bad boy.” Kyle wasn’t sure how to take her assessment. It was true, but he didn’t like that she thought it so much. “Now stop avoiding my question, Captain Kyle. Rate me. How will I improve if I don’t know?”

“Baby, there’s no rating you.”

She pouted, crossing her arms. “Okay fine. Then at least tell me where I can improve.”

He shook his head. “This conversation’s trouble. I know how girls think.”

“But you said so yourself. I’m not like other girls.”

“Yeah, I’m not about to test that.” He brought out a double Popsicle, broke it in half, and handed one side to Lanie.

“Popsicles, the poor man’s ice cream,” she replied.

Kyle laughed. “Relax. I got ice cream too. So you really want to know?”

She nodded anxiously. Kyle sucked on his Popsicle, assessing her eagerness, wondering if he should tell her she was the best sex he’d ever had. She would never believe him anyway, so instead, he told her where to improve as she’d asked. “You can get ahead if you give better head. Got me?”

“Ah, okay. What would you suggest?”

He stared at her mouth as it moved up and down the frozen treat. “Want to practice?”

She gave him a cynical look. “I’m eating my dessert right now.”

“Okay, practice on that. See how deep you can go.”

She looked at the sweet treat in her hand and back at him. “I’ll choke.”

“I know CPR. Don’t worry. I won’t let you. Pretend it’s me. I’ll be able to direct you better if I’m not the test subject.”

She shrugged and inserted the Popsicle in her mouth.

“Wait,” he said, knocking it out of her hand.

“Why did you do that?”

He took the discarded Popsicle and ran to the kitchen. He retrieved a new one that wasn’t broken in halves. “If you’re going to pretend it’s me, we should be more realistic,” he said, unwrapping it for her. “At least in terms of girth. The length…well, you’ll have to use your imagination.”

“Um…grape,” she replied and licked the edge.

He sat down and rested his chin on his hands to watch her. She licked it a few times and then shocked him by taking a small bite off the top. She gave him an amused smile. Kyle shook his head. “You are a cruel, cruel woman.”

“So the whole thing is better?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

“Any other advice?”

“Well…it’ll aid the process if you swallow the aftermath…but that’s for the advanced course. Right now, we’re still working on prerequisites. Now hurry up before it melts.”

She licked her lips lusciously, nodding at him. She took the Popsicle in her mouth again, but deeper, letting her lips wrap around it. There was something incredibly erotic about it. She brought it in and out of her mouth, slowly, seductively, laying her head back in the chair, causing her curls to fall back. He felt himself go hard at the sight. She stared at him and responded to his expression by increasing her movements. She slurped, and Kyle had to readjust himself. Then she moaned, and Kyle shifted uncomfortably. She held the Popsicle hovering outside of her mouth, letting a small drip form. Kyle watched with rapt attention as it rolled down the length of the frozen treat, hitting the tip of her tongue. He couldn’t stand anymore. He ran around to her side of the table and pulled the Popsicle away from her before depositing it into an empty glass.

“Hey, I wasn’t done.” He ignored her, gathering her up from the chair into his arms.

“I’ll get you another. Oh, baby, please do that to me now, please, please, please, please…not the biting part, but everything else, okay?”

He was literally shaking when he set her down. He unbuckled his jeans. She helped him, lowering them for him and brushing her lips against his erection. Then she pushed him onto the bed and climbed on top of him. She peeled back his boxers, letting his erection spring forth. She held on to it as she took the tip into her mouth, tasting him. Kyle felt the heat of her breath and the coldness from the Popsicle. It was excruciating ecstasy, and like Lanie, a complete duality. He stroked her hair, watching her, completely turned on. She took him deeper and deeper until he was completely in her mouth. Kyle moaned and struggled not to thrash. “God, you’re such a fast learner,” he said, his voice choked.

She tightened her lips around him, moving up and down, picking up speed. He knew it wouldn’t take him long to come. “Lanie, come here,” he said, reaching for her shoulders.

She shrugged out of his grasp.

“Lanie, if you don’t stop, I won’t be able to stop. You need to stop…now.” It came out so garbled and breathless he wondered if she understood him.

She moved her mouth away from him. “Jeez, Kyle, will you let me finish one treat tonight?”

He widened his eyes in shock and then smiled in awe. “That’s my naughty girl.”

He lay back down, letting himself enjoy the pleasure Lanie was giving him. He didn’t mean to do it, but he found himself thrusting into her mouth. She actually moaned in response. He felt the vibrations and thought he would go crazy. She was sucking him like a porn star. He did it again, and she didn’t stop him or freak out. In fact, it made her go faster. He felt his release, hard and fast, and he prayed she wasn’t going to start gagging. She didn’t. Instead, she gulped audibly, and Kyle thought it was possibly the sexiest sound he’d ever heard. She got up on her knees, smiling at him and wiping her mouth before collapsing on his chest. He held her close, and she buried her head in his neck.