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“You will never guess what happened!” Ah Ma said.
Amber held the phone closer to her ear as she reclined on her couch. “What?”
“Guess!”
“No, I’m not playing this game.”
“Fine, be no fun,” Ah Ma said. “Zach’s relationship was fake. Jo wasn’t his girlfriend.”
Amber sighed. “I already knew that.” Her mother had called her the other day.
She’d been surprised. Zach and Jo had seemed like a real couple at Chinese New Year. However, she could understand Zach’s desire to avoid further matchmaking.
“You already knew?” Ah Ma shouted. “Aiyah. I thought I had big exciting news! But did you hear the rest of the story? They are now together for real. It is like a novel! Maybe you should get a fake relationship and turn it into a real one.”
Zach and Jo’s story did sound sweet, yes. However, Amber was not interested in doing that herself.
“Guess what I am doing now?” This time, Ah Ma didn’t give Amber a chance to respond. “I am having orange juice in a glass with a little umbrella. I use the umbrellas every time I have water or juice.”
“You mean the cocktail umbrellas from the time we had piña coladas?
“Yes! That was a great day, wasn’t it?”
“To be honest,” Amber said, “I’m surprised you remember any of it.”
“Silly girl! Of course I remember. I had a piña colada, and it was delicious! Then I went home and had a long nap.”
“Do you remember going to the mall?”
“We didn’t go to the mall.”
“Yes, we went to Masonville. You don’t remember because you were drunk. You were trying to get me to wear clothes that would make me look like a hot piece of ass.”
“Wah, don’t use those naughty words.”
“I’m just repeating what you said.”
“Hmm,” Ah Ma said. “I guess it sounds like something I might say if I was drunk. So, did it work? Do you have a boyfriend now?”
“No boyfriend.”
Why did that feel like a lie? It wasn’t a lie. Amber had a fuck buddy, not a boyfriend.
“You hesitate!” Ah Ma said.
“No, I did not hesitate.”
“Yes, you did. You have a boyfriend! Amber has a boyfriend! This is so exciting! All grandchildren have partners now!”
There was a kerfuffle at the other end of the phone, then Amber’s mother said, “You have a boyfriend?”
Amber sighed. “No, I do not.”
“Why does your grandmother think you do?”
“I paused for a split second, and she misinterpreted that pause.”
“What’s his name?”
“Se—I mean, I have no boyfriend!”
Amber was used to lying to her family about her dating life. She carefully controlled the information she gave her parents, grandparents, and three older brothers. No sense making things harder for herself.
But despite all her practice, she’d nearly screwed up just now.
What was wrong with her?
“What did you say?” Mom asked.
“I said I have no boyfriend.”
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it,” Mom said in a completely unconvincing tone.
There was some more banging on the other end of the phone, then Ah Ma was back. “Where did you meet him? At the grocery store? Did you wear sexy clothes?”
God, this was spinning out of control.
Yep, when this conversation was over—Amber had no idea how long it would be—she could use some sex to help her forget.
* * *
As it turned out, Sebastian wanted to go out for lunch first. He’d named a wood-oven pizza place downtown that he wanted to try, and Amber’s mouth had started watering, even though all her instincts had screamed, “No!”
She loved this restaurant. For half of the year, during the theater festival, it was busy and you needed reservations. It wasn’t far from the theaters, and it was popular with the out-of-towners who came to Stratford for a weekend of Shakespeare and other plays.
But at this time of year, they were able to walk right in and get a cozy booth.
It felt like a date. True, lunch was somehow less romantic than dinner, and Sebastian didn’t hold her hand under the table, but still. He was wearing a button-down shirt with pale blue stripes, open at the throat, and she couldn’t help wanting to climb onto his lap, right here in the booth.
If they had this place all to themselves...
“And for you?”
Oh, shit. The server was here and wanted to know her order. She’d barely looked at the menu, distracted by Sebastian’s good looks.
Thankfully, she was familiar with the selections. She ordered the pizza with asiago cheese, three types of mushrooms, and sausage—it was her favorite.
The server left them alone and Amber returned to looking at Sebastian, studying his facial features. He had dark eyes and a slightly wide nose. His jaw was not as square and angular as what she traditionally thought of as ideal masculine features, but somehow, when you put every part of him together, it was perfect.
When she’d seen him at the grocery store, she’d been caught off-guard by his good looks, but now she found him even better looking than she had then.
She nearly reached out to touch his hand, then held herself back.
No, she wouldn’t.
This was getting dangerous. It was too much like a relationship. They shouldn’t see each other again.
Her heart sank. She’d enjoyed their time together, the bubble tea and the homemade breakfast...
Wait. Why was she focusing on those things? She should be focusing on the sex.
Yes, the sex.
“Has a woman ever grapefruited you?” she blurted out.
His eyebrows drew together. Ooh, he was kind of adorable when he looked puzzled.
Sexy. That’s what he was. She shouldn’t be calling him adorable.
And God, what was wrong with her? Why was she bringing up the weird grapefruit technique? Damn Gloria.
“Here’s how it works.” She decided that plunging ahead with this conversation was better than any romantic thoughts. “You slice off the sides of the grapefruit and cut a hole in the middle. Big enough for a dick. So for your dick, it would be, um, kind of a big hole, because you’re thicker than average. And yes, I’ve been with lots of guys, so I know these things.”
She was trying to put him off her romantically, telling him about this bizarre grapefruit technique, plus the fact that she’d had lots of partners. But of course the latter didn’t affect him; he already knew something of her past and had been fine with it.
“Okay,” Sebastian said, still frowning. “You put a grapefruit on my dick. Then what?”
“I twist and squeeze the grapefruit around while I suck on the head of your penis.”
Sebastian stared at her in wide-eyed horror. “I assure you none of my sexual partners have ever juiced a grapefruit while giving me a blowjob.”
“Would you be willing to do it?”
He said nothing.
“I take it that’s a no. Oh well, it was worth a try.”
He continued to look at her in horror, and then the corners of his mouth twitched and he let out an enormous laugh.
“How do people come up with these things?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Apparently it’s quite messy—”
“No shit.”
“And rather noisy, too. Here, I’ll show you the video.”
“Amber, I don’t want to watch porn in a restaurant.”
“It’s not porn. She uses a zucchini or cucumber instead...or maybe it’s a dildo. Hmm, I forget. I’ll show you later. I’m told there’s also a scene in Girls Trip.”
“Well, if you like, we can watch the movie this afternoon.”
No! How was this becoming romantic? She was talking about juicing a grapefruit on his dick, and he was talking about watching a movie together. He probably imagined them cuddled up with a bowl of popcorn on her couch.
“How about donuts?” she asked, pushing ahead.
“I like donuts.”
“Have you ever used them during sex?”
“I’m not seeing how this would work. Unless you mean the hole...”
“It would go around your dick.”
“This is something you’ve done before?”
She shook her head. “Nah. But would you, if I wanted to?”
He picked up her hand and said, in dramatic fashion, “For you, darling, I’d do anything.”
He was goofing around. It was fine. It didn’t mean anything.
Though “goofing around” didn’t really fit Sebastian’s personality—he’d become more comfortable with her in the past few weeks, it seemed.
“I still don’t quite know how it works,” he said.
“And yet you agreed, without knowing the details.”
“Foolish of me, I know.”
“I’d just...eat the donut off your dick.”
“What kind of donut would you use?” he asked.
“Chocolate dip, I think.”
“You answered quickly. You put a lot of thought into it?”
“No, I just like chocolate dip. Though something with sprinkles might be nice.”
“Is that so?” He stroked his chin, as though taking this very seriously. “Might be messy.”
She imagined multi-colored sprinkles all over his navy sheets. He’d probably hate it.
“Better than Boston cream,” she said.
“How would that even work? There’s no hole in a Boston cream donut.”
“Remember the grapefruit. I could cut a hole in it. You need to be adaptable.” She patted his hand again.
“And then there would be cream all over my dick.”
“Yeah, I suspect that would be inevitable.”
“It would definitely be inevitable,” he said. “So after you ate the donut—and hopefully didn’t bite me—you’d have to lick off the cream.”
“Ooh. Sounds dirty.”
“But if you’re going to put a donut on my dick,” he continued, “you might as well go all-out. Chocolate dip? Boston cream? Those are boring. I used to go to a gourmet donut place in Vancouver, and they had pumpkin spice donuts every fall, filled with pumpkin spice custard.”
“Pumpkin spice donut dick. I like it.”
“They also had a cherry cheesecake one, with cherry jelly and cheesecake filling.”
“OMG, you’re making me hungry.”
“For donuts?” He waggled his eyebrows. “Or...?”
And even though they’d been talking about something utterly ridiculous, Amber couldn’t help clenching her thighs together.
“Both,” she said.
“I’d take you to that donut shop if it was anywhere near here.”
“There’s a donut place in London called Glazed. I went there a few weeks ago.”
“We could go together sometime.”
He was making plans for the two of them, but Amber couldn’t keep doing this. She couldn’t go out with Sebastian. Their families would drive them absolutely bonkers, and they already drove her bonkers as it was. She’d only be willing to put up with that if she was head-over-heels in love with him, and she wasn’t.
She had to put an end to this. Today would be their last time together. It was getting too intimate for her.
“So, what do you think you’d prefer?” Sebastian asked. “Pumpkin spice donut dick, or cherry cheesecake donut dick?”
“A honey cruller would be less messy, and I think it would flatter the shape of your penis. Though the cherry cheesecake would bring out the color.”
“Ahem.”
Amber whipped her head around. The server was standing at the end of their table, one pizza in each hand. She told herself not to blush. There was nothing strange about these sorts of conversations at lunch, was there?
Okay, maybe there was.
“Thank you so much,” Amber said as the server set down her pizza.
Her dining companion covered his embarrassment by drinking his water.
Unfortunately, he choked.
“You okay?” she asked when the server had walked away.
“I’m fine. But perhaps we should keep the conversation a little more PG-rated for the rest of the meal.”
“I know, I’m terrible. You can’t take me anywhere.”
He smiled at her from across the table, and that definitely did not make her heart sing.
No, it did not.
* * *
For dessert, Amber suggested they get tiramisu. To go.
Sebastian looked rather concerned.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not going to coat your penis in tiramisu.”
“After our earlier conversation, I hope you understand my fears.”
“Hmm.” She put a finger to her chin and pretended to consider it. “Intriguing idea.”
“Amber,” he said sternly, in a way that made her want to misbehave.
They did end up getting the tiramisu to go, and when they arrived at Amber’s apartment, she slid it onto a plate and placed it on her small dining room table.
“Now let me slip into something more comfortable,” she said with a wink.
She went to her bedroom and opened up her night table. She pulled out the skimpy red babydoll that she hadn’t worn in quite a while. Normally, she wouldn’t put on lingerie for a man who wasn’t her boyfriend, but she looked stunning in this, and she wanted Sebastian to see it once.
Because this would be the last time.
There would be no experimenting with grapefruit and donuts in the bedroom. No more swapping pieces of pizza at lunch and clutching the table in laughter.
A tear fell from her eye, and she swiped it away angrily.
She would not cry.
They had no future together, and she was starting to get too attached. This was the way it had to be, and she could handle it like an adult.
She strutted out of the bedroom, chin held high, one hand on her hip.
Sebastian’s mouth fell open. He stalked toward Amber, his gaze riveted on her.
“You look...wow.”
His mouth collided with hers. One hand came up to squeeze her ass; his other hand was in her hair.
When he slid his lips to her neck, she said, “Don’t you want to eat your tiramisu?”
“Later.”
“You have something else you’d rather eat?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Well, too bad for you. I want my tiramisu.” Admittedly, it would be torture for her as well, but she thought it would be worth it.
“Alright.” He led them to the table. “Let’s make this fair.”
He whipped off his shirt and placed it on the chair next to him.
She swallowed.
He looked particularly good without a shirt. Her eyes lingered on his arm muscles, then followed the light trail of hair...
“We’ll eat the tiramisu later,” she decided.
“Nope, you wanted to eat it now. So we will.”
He held a spoonful of mascarpone cream up to her lips. It was rich and delicious.
It was not the most interesting thing in the room.
“Good girl,” he murmured, then had a bite of the dessert himself. He licked his lips slowly, almost obscenely, before feeding her again.
She, in turn, fed him a bite.
“Now keep eating,” he said, pulling her into his lap so she was facing the table. As she ate the next few bites of dessert, he slid his hands up and down her bare legs and dipped his fingers inside her barely-there thong, which matched her babydoll. She pressed back against his bare chest.
He hissed out a breath when he touched her wetness.
She was supposed to keep eating, though. So she raised the spoon to her mouth, her hand shaking, and slid it between her lips.
He slipped his finger inside her, and his thumb circled her clit.
She gasped.
“I love the noises you make,” he murmured. He continued to stroke her leisurely as she swallowed. “You’re so fucking sexy.” His other hand rubbed the bottom of her babydoll. “Did you buy this just for me?”
She shook her head. “I’ve worn it for a bunch of guys.”
It was the truth, and she didn’t want him to feel special. Because this was all they’d have together.
He plunged two fingers deep inside her, and she shuddered. She rode his fingers, trying to get the right angle, but she couldn’t. She groaned in frustration.
“More tiramisu?” He held the spoon to his lips.
“Later. When I can enjoy it properly.”
“Why can’t you enjoy it properly now?”
“You can be infuriating, you know.”
He laughed.
When it was just the two of them, he had a soft, commanding presence. She didn’t know how else to describe it. She felt like it was all for her, nobody else was in on this little secret, and she loved it.
He swiped up a small amount of mascarpone cream with his finger and held it to her mouth. She sucked it off, careful to use lots of tongue to drive him wild.
But really. Enough with the tiramisu.
She turned in his lap so she was facing him, her legs wrapped around his waist. The juncture of her legs pressed against his erection, and she groaned again.
How did he feel so good?
How could this be the end?
She unbuttoned his pants and removed his cock through the slit in his boxers, stroking the hard length of him. His size was less intimidating than it had been the first time, but she still required lots of preparation and lube to take him.
He slid his hand into her thong again and worked her into a frenzy. His fingers were no longer enough.
“Sebastian. Please. I need...”
He rolled a condom onto his length, then pulled a small bottle of lube out of his pants—she appreciated that he was prepared.
When he was ready, she raised herself up and pushed her thong to one side. She eased herself down on him, nice and slow, gasping with each additional inch she took of him.
It felt like he was splitting her open, and she would never be able to completely put herself back together.
She didn’t care. She kept going.
Finally, his cock was fully inside her.
“Yes, Amber.” He sounded in awe of what was happening between them. “You’re amazing.” He cupped her cheeks and bestowed a single kiss on her lips before shifting his hands to her ass. “Now move.”
They thrust together, up and down, in perfect harmony, and she ached. Oh, she ached. This would be it for them.
Why couldn’t he be someone else? Someone she hadn’t known all her life, someone whose parents were strangers to hers. Someone who wasn’t friends with her brother.
What if...
No, it was impossible. She couldn’t start something real with him unless she was positive it would last. Otherwise, it wasn’t worth the risk. She didn’t love him.
But it’s already real.
Amber rode him harder to drown out her thoughts. She kissed him long and deep and held him against her. She took his hand and shoved it into her thong, and he immediately began rubbing her clit.
“Was it like this with anyone else?” he asked as he thrust particularly deep inside her.
She shook her head, unable to be anything but honest when they were together like this.
On and on she rode him. Every inch of her skin sparked with energy, and when her breaths came faster, he pounded into her even harder from below, one hand gripping her thigh, the other moving furiously on her clit.
“Sebastian, I’m going to...”
And then it happened. She shook as though she was breaking into a million pieces, and beneath her, he cried out and tightened his hold on her.
He stayed inside her for a moment, and they simply looked at each other. She felt too raw, though, too naked, and she raised herself up and straightened her clothes.
“Let’s finish the tiramisu,” she said.
If they were in a real relationship, maybe they could get tested and she could go on the pill. They could stop using condoms; she could feel him go soft inside her.
But none of that would happen.
“Friday is Valentine’s Day,” he said. “I don’t have any plans. Want to come over and spend the evening in bed?”
“Yes,” she said before she could stop herself.
She’d sworn this would be the last time, but she couldn’t seem to keep away, and she was weak after that incredible orgasm. It was too good with him. They laughed and they ate and they talked and they fucked.
But then she imagined her parents barging into her apartment while she was trying to eat a honey cruller off his dick. An embarrassing situation with any guy, but ten times worse with Sebastian, who knew her family, and it was exactly the sort of thing that would happen to her.
Okay. One more night and then she would end it.
For real this time.
* * *
It was Valentine’s Day, and Sebastian was nearly ready.
Amber was coming over at eight. As far as she knew, they were going to have sex and order pizza. Cheap pizza, not the thin-crust stuff they’d had the other day.
But he had different plans.
To start, there was a plate of fancy crackers and cheese, as well as wine.
Next, he had a mixed green salad with pear slices and nuts, which he would toss with the balsamic vinaigrette right before they ate.
Then, they would have mussels. He wouldn’t cook those until she got here, but everything was ready to go.
For dessert, there was a box of four donuts. Sebastian had driven to London to get them after work. He hadn’t known which flavors she’d like, so he’d gotten a selection. He didn’t plan on putting one on his dick; he just hoped she’d see the donuts and laugh.
He loved making her laugh.
As soon as she saw everything he’d prepared, she’d know something was up. So before they ate dinner, he planned to tell her the truth. I’m falling in love with you and I want to have a relationship.
He wasn’t sure what she’d say, to be honest. It was possible she’d walk out before they even got to dinner, but he suspected her feelings toward him had changed, too. Just from the way she’d been with him last weekend, when they went to a cozy restaurant and had sex on a chair afterward, Amber wearing that stunning red slip. It didn’t seem like the sort of sex you had with a friend with benefits, even though she hadn’t gotten that slip just for him.
There was a knock at the door.
He frowned. It was five minutes to eight, and Amber was never early.
Or maybe she was as excited to see him as he was to see her?
He walked to the door, trying to be all casual and not show his nerves, but when he turned the doorknob and saw who was standing on his porch, his mouth fell open.
It wasn’t Amber.
It was his parents.