Tyler: You look fine (& sexy as fuck) for a sick person.
I immediately looked up and saw him walking toward my table.
Without an invitation, he pulled out a chair and sat between Sarah and me.
Sarah blushed at the sight of him, and I crossed my legs.
“I’m sorry for whatever miscommunication there’s been today, Miss Sanchez.” He extended his hand to her. “There’s a town car outside that will take you to the firm, and a team member is waiting to work on your statement whenever you arrive.”
“Oh my god, thank you!” She stood up from her chair. “I was looking forward to coming into the office all week. I love the custom coffee bar there.”
She stole one last glance of him before walking away.
“Look, Chassie,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with you trying—and failing to avoid me for as long as you like.”
“If that’s the case, then why are you here?”
“I want to talk about something that’s been bothering me.”
“New York traffic?” I asked. “It can be hard to adjust to that so soon.”
“I’m talking about us.” He didn’t banter with me at all. “I think we should at least be friends, and since you blocked me on Facebook years ago, I haven’t been able to reach out and tell you that.”
“You could’ve tried Instagram or Twitter.”
“You blocked me there, too.” He looked into my eyes. “I never felt like you were a real enemy to me.”
“Well, that’s definitely one-sided.”
“You’ve never wanted to be friends with me?”
“Not really.”
“What’s the reason?”
“Nothing,” I said. “I don’t need one.”
“Hmmm.” He placed his hand on my exposed thigh—right above where my dress stopped, and every nerve in my body suddenly buzzed in anticipation. The banter that was waiting to drop from my lips disappeared.
“What are you doing, Tyler?” I whispered.
“Nothing.” His eyes locked on mine, and I stared at him as he slowly moved his hand up my thigh, as he pretended as if the two of us were the only people in this room. As if there weren’t other customers on both sides of us.
His hand reached the crotch of my panties, and he slid his fingers past the lace.
“You sure you don’t want to be friends?” he asked, his voice low.
“Yes.” I gripped the edge of the table as he slipped two fingers deep inside of me. “Yes, I…” My voice trailed off as he pushed them in a bit deeper, as he used his thumb to tease my swelling clit.
My breathing slowed as he leaned forward and kissed my lips, all while keeping his slow, torturous rhythm on pace under the table.
His eyes remained on mine as he started a new game of pleasure, as he pulled and pushed his fingers in and out of me in between my staggered breaths.
“Use your hips to ride my hand,” he whispered. “Now.”
I obliged, not caring who might ever see.
Pushing my hips forward, I sucked in a breath as his fingers hit the right spot, as he kissed me to prevent me from moaning in public.
Within moments, I came on his fingertips, gripping the table even harder as waves of pleasure wracked through my body.
Smiling, he moved his hand from under my dress and stood to his feet.
“I’ll see you whenever you get home,” he said, licking his fingers. “I’m looking forward to finishing this conversation and finally talking about us, whenever you decide to get over whatever incidents in the past are still bothering you.”
Tyler
Present Day
Manhattan, New York
I waited outside her apartment door all night.
She never came home.
Tyler
Present Day
Manhattan, New York
* * *
Two days later
Chassie: Senior year, the first of many incidents that you pulled that year. That’s the one still bothers me, soooo guess we won’t be talking anytime soon.
Me: I beg to differ.
Me: You should try to finally come home this week so I can help you get over it.
Chassie: No, I think I need time to get over it alone.
Me: I think you’re being overly dramatic. There’s only one thing you need, and it started with a “D.”
Me: In the meantime, I’ve listened to ten more of your audiobooks—in particular, the fucking scenes… I don’t think your orgasms with me will ever sound like any of the ones you’ve done, though. Are you coming home tonight?
She didn’t answer me.
She just re-sent me her nonsense about “the first incident you pulled senior year.”
Chassie
Senior Year Incident #1
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Tyler: Can you meet me at Houghton Library? It’s about our group project in Ethics. We need a better defense.
I immediately jump up from my desk and wrap a scarf around my neck.
Our project in Ethics is the biggest of my college career thus far.
It’s sure to be published in The Harvard Law Review, and it has utterly consumed the past six weeks of our lives. So much so that we’ve scheduled a set block of hours every night to work on it.