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“We keep our friendship the primary focus, but when either one of us feels like we need a little…something, if the other person is willing and able, we get to have sex.”

My heart lifted at her words even while a little twist of disappointment flashed through my gut. It wasn’t words of love, but I told myself that roommates with benefits was something I could work with. For now. I’d just give her so many orgasms that she’d get addicted to me and have no choice but to fall in love with me.

“That sounds good,” I said carefully. “As long as it’s not going to ruin our friendship.”

“Great.” She sounded cheerful. “We can negotiate anything that comes up as we go along. I think we have enough trust for that.”

“I’m glad we’ll have more time. I have about a hundred positions I want to try with you, but I don’t think I’ll have the stamina for that tonight,” I said lightly. “We’re getting older you know.”

“A hundred?” she raised one eyebrow. “Really?”

“Really. Believe me, I’ve fantasized about every single one of them.”

“I guess we’d better get our rest then, so at least we have some energy for round two.”

Olga

Iwoke up surrounded by man, with something poking at my butt cheek. Waking up in Michael’s arms was better than I imagined, and if I was being totally honest, I’d imagined it more than once, especially after he got into bed with me to warm me up when I was sick.

I was probably an idiot. Definitely an idiot. Suggesting a roommates with benefits arrangement would do absolutely nothing to help me get over my inconvenient crush on my friend. If anything, it would probably make it worse. I was in so deep already I’d never be able to get out of this.

What came over the two of us last night, I couldn’t say. Sure, we’d had a few martinis, but neither of us was drunk. We’d had plenty of time on the way home from Sweet Cocktails to reconsider whether it was a good idea to have sex. And yet, we’d gone through with it.

Maybe it was because we’d been dancing around our attraction for each other since the day we’d first run into each other at Sweet Cocktails. Or maybe it was because once we knew the other person was sexually attracted to the other, there was no way to put that cat back in the bag.

Or whatever the American phrase was for once it was out there, it was out there. It was too late to take it back, and I was glad of it because last night I’d had the best sex of my life. Twice. Three times if you counted Michael eating me out. And I definitely counted that.

Three orgasms in one night was a new personal record for me. If I’d known how good Michael was at sex, I would have jumped him the first night I was here and never looked back.

“I can hear you thinking,” Michael grumbled from behind me.

I turned in his arms so I could look at him. “I’m just worried that we messed up our friendship by sleeping together.”

“Does it feel that way to you?” he asked.

“No.”

“It doesn’t feel that way to me either. Look Olga, we were already good friends, we’re just adding a physical component to our relationship. We don’t have to figure everything out right now, we can just relax and enjoy each other. See what happens, you know?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I said, giving him a smile. “I need to ask you a serious question though.”

“What?” He looked slightly nervous.

“How do you feel about morning sex?”

A huge smile lit up his face. “I’m a big fan. Especially if you’re involved.”

***

The next six weeks passed in a haze. I went to work. Michael went to work. With our differing schedules and how busy we both were with our jobs, sometimes we were like two ships that passed in the night. We texted. We coordinated on groceries. We shared housekeeping chores that we did while the other person was at work.

But from the time I got home Friday until Sunday night, it was our time. Michael had scheduled himself off for Sundays so now we had all weekend together. Two days and three nights to do whatever we wanted.

“I need to start moving back and see that the staff can keep things going without me there every day,” he told me. “I can’t keep working at Sweet Cocktails forever. I’m looking to acquire another business investment soon.”

I knew that was true, but I also was absolutely certain he’d made that move so we could spend more time together, and I was ridiculously happy about it. On Friday nights we would get takeout and watch movies or sometimes play a board game. Then we’d spend the whole weekend making love in pretty much every room in the house.

To my amazement, Nutella had stopped trying to kill Michael once we started sleeping with each other. I didn’t know if it was because he understood what it meant when we shared a bed, or if he somehow smelled my scent on Michael, but he’d definitely calmed down around my roommate with benefits. They weren’t buddies by any means, but at least my cat had stopped trying to attack Michael every time they got close to each other. A few times I’d even discovered Nutella sleeping at the foot of the bed with me and Michael, although as soon as he saw that I noticed, he’d skulked off. Nutella, not Michael.