Lissa's mouth on my ear sent a shiver down my neck. I wanted to believe it was from a visceral arousal in anticipation of what would come. Lissa had become bolder with her affection throughout the night. She was half sitting on my lap with my arm keeping her centered. Since the table was crowded with people squashed together, it didn't feel too intimate. However, there was nothing innocent about what she was doing under the table."Save it for later,"I would murmur to her in a promising tone whenever her hands wandered too high up.
A brush against my crotch had me grasping Lissa's fingers. She looked up with a hooded gaze, licking her lips slowly.
There was no reason to stay. Half the table had gone home, and I was about an hour and a half past my social tolerance.
"Back to yours, yeah?" I didn't think I could wrangle a motel room this late.
Nodding eagerly, she grabbed me by the arm and dragged me up. She lifted on her toes and brushed her mouth against mine. A waft of alcohol greeted my lips, and I pulled back. "C'mon, let's get outta here."
I called a cab, and Lissa directed the driver to her apartment above a mechanic's shop. As I climbed out and held a hand out to Lissa, my stomach started to roil with some foreign emotion. Maybe I was coming down with something. Or perhaps I was drunker than I thought.
My legs felt like lead as Lissa pulled me through her front door. Something foreboding was niggling at the back of my neck. It started as soon as we exited The Homestead and only worsened.
Lissa's mouth landed on mine, and I pushed that irritating feeling out of my mind. Her lips moved with rough urgency, and I enthusiastically returned her kiss. I gripped her waist and shuffled forward into her apartment.
I pulled back when I heard her front door slam. Breathing harshly, she stroked my chest before swaying to a small table by her couch. The room lit with a warm glow from her lounge lamp. My focus stayed on Lissa as she shoved her dress down, revealing a minuscule bra and panties.
"Come here." I was eager to get the night started.
She sauntered toward me; her movements practiced and deliberate as she played with the edges of her bra. I snagged her wrist and pulled her closer, determined to get to the portion of the night I came for.
She placed hot kisses against my jaw as her hand smoothed down my chest. She stroked my flat stomach before moving further down until she landed on the front of my jeans, cupping me. Her hands stilled, and she pulled back with a puzzled expression.
I quickly cupped the back of her neck and kissed her again, closing my eyes as my tongue stroked hers until my dick gave a little sign of life. Lissa pulled back and dropped to her knees. Her hands went to my belt buckle as she stared up at me, licking her wet, swollen lips.
"I know what will get you there," she purred, her eyes determined.
I gave her a hollow smile as she started to unbuckle my belt. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on the feeling of her actions, hoping it'll wake my whiskey dick up.
The metal of my belt gave way before her hands worked on my jeans. I opened my eyes and glanced around the sparse room. I took in the lamp, TV, TV stand, and picture of a sunset hanging above the mantel. The mantelpiece held a few figurines, centered around a couple of framed photos. The photo frames had words underneath; one said "Family"and the other read"Best Frie-
I pulled away abruptly. Lissa grunted as she fell forward onto her hands.
"Shit, sorry," I absently said, but I was already striding to her photo frames.
Who the hell was that?
"What is it?" Lissa huffed as she shifted around the floor to watch me.
I buttoned my jeans, leaving my belt hanging. With a hand that wasn't quite steady, I picked up the white frame with the words "Best Friends Forever"written on the bottom in block letters.
Two teen girls in cheerleader outfits stood posing on a football field. The blonde was kissing the cheek of her dark-haired friend as the latter smiled widely at the camera.
A smile I knew a mile away. Or two feet. A smile that hadn't changed in the interim years.
"Brian, what the fuck?"
I turned around, no longer caring how I looked. "What's this?"
Lissa placed her hands on her hips as her gaze narrowed on the frame in my hand. Her mouth twisted. "A photo."
I shoved the photo at her again, feeling like a crazed man. "Maria. You know Maria."
"What, you fucking her? Typical." She gave a derisive sigh as she rolled her eyes.
"Isshe your friend?" It sure didn't sound like a friendship, but why else would Lissa have a frame with Maria's picture—and with those words on it—displayed front and center in her lounge?
Lissa rolled her lips in as she considered her answer. The prolonged silence told me everything. The Guinness I’d been drinking all night sat heavy in my throat, threatening to come up.
