The Things No One Else Sees

She couldn't believe she did that--sent him a picture of herself like that. It was totally unlike her, but he was so damn tempting with his gorgeous body and his sweet ways, practically begging her to give in and let him share her bed. The fact that it was more than just lust for his body made him so much harder to resist.

The picture she got back from him a minute later almost made her swallow her tongue. It was angled down his body, showing off his muscular chest, flat stomach, and white boxer briefs that transitioned into thick thighs that were all muscle. The outline of his cock was clearly visible. Shit. Why had she ever stopped his advances? The sex might be worth the heartbreak.

Lucy edged her hand down her body, slipping it underneath the waistband of her panties. He'd already made her wet and she hadn't even seen the goods. Just as her index finger skimmed over her nub, her phone rang. With her free hand she grabbed it and looked at the screen. Him. Why was he calling her?

"You," she said when she accepted he call. Her hand was still wedged inside her panties, but she wasn't touching herself.

"How'd you like my picture, Lucy?" His voice was deep and sexy.

She opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “I’m tempted to run a line,” she told him. “Like, do you have a permit for a concealed weapon?”

Lupul chuckled. “I shoved a pair of socks in there so you’d like me.”

“Bullshit. Socks don’t have that shape.”

“I didn’t have that shape before you sent me that picture.”

She moved her hand down her slit and then back up, dipping the tip of her middle finger between her folds. He’d made her wet in record time. Joffery Lupul didn’t need foreplay; he just had to take off his clothes. Hell, she didn’t even need to to remove his underwear to get her primed.

“I forgot why I’m resisting you,” she admitted.

“Because you think I’m a whore.”

“Oh yeah. that’s right.”

“Except, I’m not,” he said. “I’ve seen the error of my ways.”

She snorted. “Oh, yeah. Sure you have. You’re sending me half naked pictures of yourself.”

“Mmmm,” he replied, his voice a rumble in her ear. “But you’re different. You’re the only one who gets pictures like that. Special for you.”

“Lucky me,” Lucy replied. “They’re going to make me late for work.”

“Did I get you hot, Lucy?”

She bent her knees and let them fall apart. “Yes.”

“Want me to come over and make it better?”

“Yes.” Her eyes went wide. What? What did she just say? “No! No, I have to go to work.”

Lupul chuckled again before his soft voice carried over the line. “Maybe I can help you over the phone. I already know what you’re wearing, now you just have to tell me what you’re doing.”

“Oh, no. No, no, no. Friends don’t have phone sex.” Her face was flushed and her middle finger was rubbing circles around her clit.

“We can be really weird friends that do. Want to know what I’m doing?”

“Playing Scrabble?” she said between clenched teeth. Her body was throbbing for him. One word and she knew he’d be over at her place. If he hurried, she might not be late for class.

“You better hang up now because if you don’t, you’re going to hear me moaning your name while I...”

She jerked the phone away from her ear and ended the call. Fuck. It took two minutes to get herself off. No toys, no aids, just her hands, the mental picture of the way his cock looked beneath the fabric of his underwear, and her memory of how good his body had felt against hers that night at the beach. When she got out of the shower and threw on some clothes, she noticed she had a text message from him.

JOFF: Chicken.

He was right. She was too afraid to stay on the phone with him.

************************************

“How was work?” Jacob asked, sitting a bottle of beer in front of Lucy.

She shifted in her chair at the table they’d grabbed. The bar was just a mile from her house and she met with Jacob once a week to catch up. Wednesdays were usually their nights because the place wasn’t busy like it was on Thursdays. Thursdays were, apparently, the new Friday.

“I think it’s totally weird for an eleven-year-old to have a cell phone. I didn’t have a phone until I was nineteen. These kids won’t even look at me because they’re too busy checking their text messages. So fucking obnoxious.”

“Didn’t the school ban them?”

“They say the kids can bring them, but can’t use them in class. So I have a desk drawer reserved for cell phones that I confiscate during the day and have to give back before they leave.”

Jacob laughed before knocking back half his bottle of beer in a couple chugs. “So, what’s up with you and Lupul?”

“Nothing,” she said.

“We met up for lunch on Monday and he was nonstop talking about you.”

Lucy felt herself go still. That was the day they’d come very close to phone sex. “What did he say?”

“That he was going to wear you down until you agreed to go out on a real date with him.”

She felt the color rising in her cheeks. “Nice, Jay. You just outed your friend’s nefarious plans.”

Jacob sat back in his chair. “Shit, Lucy. I don’t think it’s a secret. He’s been after you for months. I called it back when I had my housewarming party.”

What? Twirling her beer bottle around to keep from fidgeting with her hands, she said, “He was still with Destiny then.”

“Yeah, but he was watching you.”

“Why are you suddenly trying to play matchmaker?”

He leaned forward across the table, looking Lucy in the eyes. “I know you think he’s a total womanizer, and you’re right. He’s good at getting what he wants. But these past few months have been pretty strange. I’ve watched him turn down girls left and right, Lucy. He hasn’t been more than friendly and polite to anyone. Except you. People change.”

“First lesson of being a grown woman is that you can’t change a man,” she replied.

“You didn’t change him. Maybe he changed himself to get what he really wants.”

“Stop talking in fucking, riddles, Jay.”

“Oh, hey man! Over here!” Jacob yelled over her shoulder, waving someone to their table.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Lupul making his way over. He was in a pair of tailored khakis and a dark green polo, and his face was lit up with a smile when he saw her. Jesus, she was going to die. Whether cause of death would be ruled as sexual frustration or embarrassment was to be determined. They hadn’t talked since the phone call on Monday morning.

Looking down at her choice of clothing today, she almost groaned aloud. Not exactly the best choice to impress the guy who had sent you naughty pictures that were currently saved on your phone because you planned on using them for inspiration later in the evening. She was wearing a plain, black, A-line skirt that came to her knees and a white long-sleeve blouse. Schoolmarms-R-Us. Ugh. Wait, what was she thinking? She didn’t want to impress Lupul; she wanted him to leave her alone and stop tormenting her.

“Hey, Jay. Hey, Lucy.” Lupul sat down right beside her, pulling the chair closer than it had been before he arrived.

“How has training camp been?” Jacob asked before he held his hand up to catch the waitress’s attention.

“Good. Guys are falling into place. Coach is changing up the lines, seeing what yields results. How’s Lucy?” He bumped his shoulder lightly into hers.

She glanced over and gave him a nervous smile. She could feel the tables turning. Now she was the one who was yearning. Goddammit. “Good,” she said right before she took a huge swig of beer.

Jacob asked the waitress to bring them another beer while Lupul smiled at her. It was a devilish smile, like he was up to something. “So, you have to get up early for work, eh? What time do you leave in the morning?”

“Around eight.” She kept her head down, not willing to look at him.

Lupul said, “Hmm, so you wake up at like six-thirty or seven?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?” Her entire body was a knot. She knew he was just trying to draw attention to their last conversation.

“Just curious. I’m always curious about people’s morning routines. What do you like to do in the morning, Lucy?”

She looked up to meet his gaze. “The usual. Check messages on my phone, masturbate, take a shower, get dressed, eat breakfast.”

Her cousin and Lupul both choked on their beer. “What the fuck, Lucy?” Jacob said, looking at her like she’d lost her mind.

Lupul was just grinning. “Yeah, that’s my routine, too.”

Jacob shifted his eyes back and forth between them. “Obviously, this is some weird inside joke. I’m out of here. Be good, Lucy.” He stood up and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

“But, wait...” she said, looking after him as he walked off. Her buffer was gone. She didn’t need to be sitting along with Lupul and his sexy body. Suddenly this whole thing felt like a setup. Jacob had probably told Lupul where she’d be.

“So, how was school today?”

“The usual. Half the class is checking hockey news on their cell phones. You guys are a real pain in my ass.”

“Want me to stop by and tell them that they should listen to you and stop playing with their phones during class?”

“Oh, god. They’d wet their pants if you walked in there. I think you might be a hero to all those boys.”

Lupul smiled at her and scooted closer. As if he could get any closer. She was practically in his lap. “You look nice in your teacher clothes.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t patronize me, Lupul. I look dumpy.”

“Naw. It’s all sexy in a repressed sort of way. I bet you could recreate that album cover on your wall. Just lift your skirt up and little bit and...”

“Perv,” she said, cutting him off. “Always thinking about the cookie.”

“Cookie?”

Lucy looked at him and raised her brows in question. “Cookie. What? Your mom never called it that?”

He was grinning at her. “Called what that?”

She dropped her voice to barely above a whisper. “Lady parts.” Lucy pointed at her lap.

He glanced down at her lap and she regretted making the gesture. When he licked his lips, she knew her panties were ruined. “Cookie,” he repeated, amusement lacing the word. “Interesting. And now I’m thinking about your cookie.”

“Stop.” Or I’m going to have to make a trip to the bathroom, she thought.

“Hey, you pointed at it. What was I supposed to do?”

“Be a good friend and stop thinking about me in that way.”

Lupul chuckled. “Lucy, that’s not happening. We’re special friends who think about each other naked.”

“I don’t think about you naked.”

He tilted his head. “Don’t lie.”

“Oh, fine. Maybe once or twice. At least I don’t have to use my imagination since you put it all out there in that magazine.”

“You’re missing one important part that they didn’t show. You use your imagination with that?”

She felt the blush color her cheeks. Goddammit. Her face felt hot and she probably looked like a tomato. “On occasion.”

“You’re allowed to look, you know. I wouldn’t mind. All you have to do is ask.”

Yeah, she’d have to go take her panties off before she left the bar. They would be soaked if he kept this up. He was winding her up, frustrating her, and causing her heart to bang around in her chest. “I’m not asking for a picture of your dick, Lupul.”

“Lucy, what kind of guy do you think I am? I’d never send a picture like that. That’s something I only show in person.”

She jumped up. “I’ve got to go to the bathroom before I leave.”

“Want some help?” he asked when she turned away.

Lucy glanced over her shoulder. “What, are you taking lessons from Bissonnette?”

“I bet I could make good on his promise.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “It felt more like a threat,” she called out as she made her way to the ladies’ room.

After five minutes in the bathroom to regain composure, she excused herself and went home. It was a school night and she had to be up at seven in the morning. Plus, hanging around with Lupul was like flirting with disaster. If he got her in bed, then he’d get her heart. And then it would all be over because everyone knew he didn’t keep girlfriends more than a handful of months. If he wasn’t so ingrained in her social circle, then she might have risked it, but almost everyone she spoke to on a regular basis knew him, too.

That didn’t change the fact that when she got home the picture on the wall caught her eye. The cover to the Twilight Singers’ album She Loves You. She’d always been drawn to the artwork. It was so simple, yet so provocative and sexy. Like a delicious promise of secret desire, something to be kept hidden and not shown to the word. Just a peek when no one was looking.

She felt like that was the game she was playing with Lupul. Just a peek when no one was looking, including both of them. They’d been walking the line the past few days. A weird friendship, my ass, she thought. It was dancing close to the edge of something more.

But that didn’t stop her from standing in front of the mirror with her phone in hand. She zoomed in on her waist and thighs, looking at the black linen skirt that protected her modesty. Slowly, she reached down and gathered the middle of the hem in her fingers and lifted, revealing her pale thighs to the camera. She wasn’t wearing garters or stockings, so it wasn’t a faithful recreation, but it would would have to do. She looked at herself through the phone screen. The apex of her thighs was shrouded in shadow, which was good because she’d taken her panties off when she’d walked in the door. Thanks to him. He knew how to make a girl go through two pairs a day.

Satisfied that he couldn’t really see anything, she snapped a picture and dropped her skirt back into place. Before she could second guess herself, she hit the share button and sent it to his phone.

Notes