Her boobies were going out with a bang. Lucky birds.
Once her breasts were exposed, Nikhil immediately leaned forward to lick her nipples. Marley moaned, every nerve ending in her skin going haywire. He continued to stroke, lick, and fondle her, lavishing attention on her until Marley couldn’t hold herself up anymore. She lay back onto the bed and he immediately climbed on top to continue worshiping her body. His lips, teeth, and tongue seemed to know exactly how to make her nerves sing louder than anyone else had ever been able to get them to do. He almost brought her to orgasm with just his mouth on her breasts. Marley absently wondered if he somehow knew that these were the body parts that deserved the most attention tonight. She wondered if she should mourn the fact that she would never feel this exact sensation again. But it felt too good to do anything but enjoy it now.
Finally, she couldn’t wait anymore. She clutched on to his neck and whispered in his ear, “Clothes. Off. Now.”
He lifted his head and smiled. “Yes, I agree.”
He climbed off her and finally started removing his clothes. After taking off her skirt, she lifted herself to her elbows to watch him. He was… a god. Perfectly sculpted chest. A real-life six-pack. A narrow waist. And when his pants lowered, she was gifted with the sight of firm, solid thighs and toned calves. A superhero. She was a little overwhelmed at the perfection of his body now.
But he was also Nikhil. Not a stranger. Not a god. Just her friend who was giving her an unforgettable gift without even knowing he was doing it. She scooted to the edge of the bed and ran her fingers over his waist, loving watching his brown skin pebble under her touch. He shuddered. “That feels amazing,” he said. “You good? You still want to do this?”
Marley smiled. “Yeah… I’m perfect.” She gathered her hair above her head since she preferred not to have it in her face if things got rowdy later. Which she hoped they would. “Crap. I don’t have an elastic. Do you have an extra one in your bag?” Considering his long hair, he should.
Nikhil cringed, then smiled sheepishly. “Um… before we go further, I should probably tell you something. I… I have a confession.”
Marley looked at him, blinking. Her mind raced… Was he married? In a committed relationship? She took a deep breath. She was alone in a hotel room. No one knew she was here. She was wearing nothing but a pair of expensive lace underpants, and her pricey La Perla bra was probably wedged between the wall and headboard. And he… Nikhil Shamdasani, the class clown who currently had the body of Adonis, was in nothing but Hanes boxer briefs.
Why had she trusted him? She closed her eyes, bracing herself. “What is it?”
She felt him sit next to her on the bed. “Okay. I probably should have been honest with you… but… I…”
She finally looked at him. Whatever confession he was about to make seemed to be upsetting him as much as her. He exhaled. “I don’t have a bag here. I was lying when I said I was staying at this hotel.”
Marley looked around the room, panicked. “Whose room are we in, then?”
“Oh, the studio has it all night… I just wasn’t planning on staying here since I’m living somewhere else in town. I called Lydia while you were at the drugstore to ask if I could use the room.”
Marley frowned. Why was this a secret? Was there areason she couldn’t see his actual home? “Is your place being renovated or something? Or is it in a bad area?” She realized that he’d been a working actor—astrugglingactor—until recently. He possibly didn’t have a lot of money for Toronto homeownership.
“No. I… I’m in Markham. With… my parents.”
Marley blinked. He waslivingin the suburb where they both grew up? With hisparents?
“I mean, I’m only here for nine months or so, and I could get a place in the city closer to rehearsals, but my family’s had a rough year and—”
Marley put her hand on his chest, stopping him. And she let her fingers trail over the firm muscles while she was there anyway. “Shhh… It doesn’t matter. This is just one night. I don’t know why you’d think I’d care.”
He shrugged. “Because you’re sophisticated and cool… I live with Mom and Dad. Dad wakes me to make me an omelet and rotli every morning, and tomorrow I need to help him check the gutters before spring. It’s not very sexy.” He smiled, still looking a little sheepish, and took the hair tie from his own hair and held it out to Marley.
She eyed it before taking it. “You clean? I have a friend who got lice this way.”
He laughed, then almost tackled her, but she stopped him to put her hair up in a bun on the top of her head. She hadn’t had this much fun in bed since, well, a long time ago. She gently pushed him so he was lying down on the bed and straddled his waist, then leaned down to lickhisnipples this time. “I’ll have you know that this sophisticated person is finding you incredibly sexy right now.”
He groaned, pulling her down for another bruising kissbefore they broke apart to open the box of condoms. She was on top when they finally joined, and his hands were on her breasts the whole time, which she was incredibly grateful for. She was also grateful for the toe-curling orgasm he gave her. She’d had no idea how much she needed that.
All in all, Marley was so glad Nikhil Shamdasani had come back into her life to give her old body the send-off it deserved.
Marley ended up staying the night with Nikhil in the King Street hotel room. They put a healthy dent in the box of condoms before passing out on opposite sides of the bed. In the morning, Nikhil was still sleeping when Marley snuck out of bed, found her clothes, and went into the bathroom to shower and get dressed. Thank goodness she always had a small deodorant and toothbrush in her bag, and this fancy hotel provided a decent facial cleanser. Also, thank goodness for Nikhil’s hair tie, because all she needed was a shake of the head to get her hair presentable.
Nikhil was awake and sitting up in the bed with the sheet over his lower half when she came back. He smiled when he saw her. “You heading out?”
She nodded. “I have to work at twelve.” She sat on the edge of the bed. She’d thought that seeing him this morning might be a little awkward, but he was so relaxed that she was at ease, too.
“I can get my car service—”
She shook her head. “It’s fine. I’ll call an Uber.” She hesitated before getting up. She wondered if she should say something—they were supposed to communicate this time. But they’dhad the conversation before even coming up to this room. No strings attached. One night only. Friends with a benefit.Singular. (Marley was still calling it singular even though she’d had plenty ofbenefitslast night.)
“Okay,” he said.
