She wasn’t falling into those habits anymore where she made assumptions based on her old insecurities. Their friendship was still relatively new, but he had never given her the impression he was merely putting up with her.
“I’d like you to join me, anyway,” she said.
She maintained eye contact, even though it was difficult. Her small bravery was rewarded when he gifted her with a brilliant smile.
“Really?” he asked as if he couldn’t believe she wanted him there.
“Of course. I’d love to relax with you in this giant tub. And if we get up to some more fun times, well, that wouldn’t be so terrible, would it?”
“No, no,” he teased. “This is just for relaxing. Your body needs more time to recover. It’s only been a few hours and very little sleep since our fuckathlon.”
Sheila burst out laughing at his colorful description.
“Fuckathlon?”
“Yeah, you know, like a triathlon, only for fucking. Instead of swimming, we had sucking and screwing. Running was replaced by reaming, and cycling became, uh… I don’t know.”
“Cunnilingus and cock-sucking, obviously,” Sheila giggled. “Stop trying to distract me. Get your butt over here, take off your pants, and climb in this tub!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Derek sank into the water. Once situated, he made room for her to sit between his legs with her back against his chest.
Sheila was grateful she hadn’t let her doubts win. She cuddled into him, and he snuggled her right back. His arms caged her in, and she felt lighter and freer. The warm water, bath salts, and gentle man worked their magic.
There was no telling if they would ever have a chance like this again. She wanted to preserve this memory to take it out when loneliness threatened her in the future.
No matter what happened between them, this wasn’t just sex, not for her anyway. As much as she tried to tell herself otherwise, she had already developed feelings for him. Shewould keep them to herself since that wasn’t their deal, but she wanted this moment.
Tomorrow, she’d work to put some distance between them. That way, he wouldn’t crush her heart if she got too attached, yet he still thought of her as a fuck buddy. Now that she thought about it more, it might be time to take a break from Derek and the magical spell he wove over her.
Maybe she’d see if Chuck was able to get together soon or call Pete.
Better yet, perhaps she’d hook up with someone at her upcoming library conference. She knew many people who had casual flings at conferences. While women outnumbered men three-to-one, she would try to find someone to act as a buffer for her heart.
“What are you thinking about so hard over there?” Derek asked as he trailed his fingers over her arms. “I can almost hear your thoughts.”
“Uh, I was just thinking about how much fun this weekend has been. This coming week is going to be very full for me, so I’m glad I had this.”
“Oh, yeah? How so?”
“I’ve got that conference I mentioned a while back.” He grunted his assent, and she continued. “It’s three days in New Orleans. I leave Wednesday on a red-eye flight and come back Saturday afternoon. Monday and Tuesday will be crazy busy as I prepare everything for others to take over.”
“I didn’t realize it was in New Orleans. That’s a fun city. Are you going with anyone?”
“No one else from my branch is going, but I have friends from other libraries who’ll be there. I’ve worked on several committees over the years, so I know quite a few people.”
Derek kissed her shoulders as she spoke.
“This year, I didn’t have the energy to volunteer, so that means I’ll have more free time while I’m there. Oh, that’s amazing,” she said when he caressed her tits under the water.
“Keep going. Tell me more about the conference. What will you do there?”
“Um, there are conference sessions, presentations, and networking events.”
“Like what?”
“Cocktail parties or big dinners. There’s an off-site event at a famous, historical restaurant whose name I can’t remember. You’re making it hard to think.”
