Pieces of Rhys Read online

  "Where shall we go first?" She asked, pulling out of my driveway.

  "I don't care. Pick a place," I grumbled from behind a pair of large sunglasses.

  "Give me a direction to go in."

  "I don't know," I threw my hands up. "Go to the party store first."

  "Drink your coffee," she said, irritated with my attitude.

  "Yeah."

  "Bitch."

  "Whatev."

  In the party store, we picked up toothpicks with umbrellas, colorful table cloths and a few other random items. Kit rambled on about her night out with other friends and other mundane things I barely paid attention to.

  By the time we reached Costco, our third stop, she had enough of my "attitude problem."

  "What is wrong with you anyway?" She demanded.

  "I haven't been laid in over a year!" I yelled at her. "Excuse me if I'm a little bitchy about it."

  "Well, why is it a problem all of a sudden?" She snapped back. "You're the one that wants to wait until you've dragged some poor loser to the alter before you let him touch you."

  "What? I've never said that!"

  "You all but implied it when I tried to hook you up when your divorce was final."

  "I was traumatized, you moron!"

  "Well, yeah," she shrugged, feeling a little bad. "So, are you not traumatized now?"

  "No, not really," I sighed, throwing an enormous bag of tortilla chips into the cart. "I'm frustrated. I need a penis - a real one."

  "Is there someone you have in mind?" She gasped before I could respond and then slapped herself in the forehead. "There is, right? Oh wow, of course there is! Who is it?"

  "No one," I said and looked away to hide the redness in my cheeks.

  "You've been keeping secrets, Lindsey! Who is he? Some guy has you frustrated, who is it?"

  She wasn't going to let up, and she knew me too well to believe me if I lied. I sighed deeply and looked around to make sure no one was looking. I told her everything that had happened, even our conversation from the night before.

  "Are you fucking kidding me?" She said, gaping at me.

  "No," I said, pulling the cart towards the checkout lanes.

  "I don't know what to say."

  "Me either," I said.

  "I think you should try to get him in bed."

  I gave her a look that said "you're stupid" as I loaded up the conveyer belt.

  "I'm serious," she insisted. "He's the one you really want, having sex with someone else isn't going to be fulfilling at all."

  "So, I'm just supposed to throw myself at him like a fool?"

  "Like stalking him from your car didn't make you look like a fool?" She snorted.

  "Point taken, but he made it clear how he feels."

  "Yeah, he doesn't want to hurt you, but he does want to bed you. What if you did it with him and then went on your way? I mean, he does it all of the time, he's not going to mind. His main concern is that you're okay with it. Could you be?"

  I shrugged and let the question hang in the air unanswered while I paid for the food and we packed up Kit's SUV. I suggested we make a drop at my house before continuing on to the last store.

  "Well?" She asked when we were on the road again. "Are you okay with casual sex?"

  "Yes, I think so."

  "Then you should casually sex him up. At least you'll release some very obvious tension."

  "Maybe you're right. I mean my attraction to him has mostly been sexual in nature anyway," I said, although I was sure it was more than that.

  We went to pick up alcohol and then I let Kit drag me to the mall to find a new outfit for the night. I felt pressed for time as we sped back to my house a couple of hours later. I still had a lot to set up before the food arrived, and guests would start popping up soon after that.

  When we got back to my house, we idled in front of it for a moment, jaws on our chests. Rhys's car was parked in my driveway. I was first to shut my mouth.

  "I should really stop being surprised," I said, opening my door. "He's so random."

  "I've never known the man to be random," Kit said, shaking her head.

  Rhys met us outside and helped carry everything in. Kit was remarkably silent as he explained that he wanted to help with the set up and finish up some of the yard work I had neglected to do. He was dirty and browning from the sun and I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.

  "We don't have all day," Kit announced, forcing me to look away from Rhys's perfect body. "Let's get this shit done."

  By the time we finished and Kit and Rhys left, I had a very small window to shower and get ready. I didn't have time to blow dry my hair, so I put some products in it to keep it from frizzing out into an afro and ran into my room to put on the dress Kit picked out for me. It was a black and white polka dot halter dress that stopped just above my knees and plunged low enough to leave a little less to the imagination. I slid into a pair of red sandals with a scandalously high heel and took a look in the mirror. I looked like a pinup girl. Great.

  I didn't have time to really think about it. My doorbell rang and organized chaos ensued.

  Chapter Eleven

  The party was well under way when Rhys finally made his appearance. The women who knew him called out to him, and the women who didn't know him gawked at him. I didn't blame them. I knew him and I was gawking at him.

  When our eyes met from across the yard, I gave a small wave. His eyes quickly surveyed me from the neck down before meeting my eyes again. I winked at him before turning my attention back to the group I was chatting with.

  "You look edible," Rhys whispered in my ear a few minutes later.

  I looked over at him and smiled. "I sure hope so," I whispered back. "I would love to be eaten."

  He grinned and shook his head as if to clear it.

  "But I don't know," I said. "Maybe I'm not your flavor."

  I sauntered away from him without looking back.

  The party was awesome. There was good food, good drinks and good music. I didn't have to hop around making sure everyone had what they needed or stand behind a bar making drinks. One of my friends served drinks from behind the tiki bar and all of the food was out and accessible.

  Rhys hung around me most of the night and I flirted with him shamelessly. Nicole was there, too, vying for his attention. Sometimes he gave it to her, smiling at her and flirting a little. It didn't bother me. My confidence was on an unnatural high. Maybe it was the dress, maybe it was the drinks and atmosphere. Who cares what was behind it? I had it, and I was going to have him.

  So, I let Nicole steal all of the time Rhys was willing to give her. I often turned my attention to Adrian, one of Phil's friends that he brought along. Adrian was tall, dark, and sexy. He had a body that should never be covered up, his pecks were threatening to explode out of his shirt, and his biceps looked yummo. He looked yummo, like a milk chocolate candy bar on steroids. And his voice was deep, yet soft and seductive. Oh my.

  "Your yard looks amazing," he said, smiling at me with perfectly straight, pearly white teeth and kissable lips that he occasionally licked. "Who is your landscaper?"

  "Me," I touched my chest and smiled. "I did it."

  "Get out."

  "No, it's true. I did it all."

  "You're really talented."

  "You don't know the half of it," I flirted.

  "Maybe you can come over sometime, help me with my landscaping."

  "Sure, but you should know..." I leaned in conspiringly and he did, too. "It’s a dirty job. You'll get sweaty and dirty. You may have to take your shirt off."

  He laughed and then whispered back "I will if you will."

  We both laughed, even though it wasn't really all that funny. He didn't make me feel quite the same way Rhys did, but I was definitely feeling some heat between us.

  "So what color are you wearing under that dress?" Suddenly Rhys's lips were extremely close to my ear.

  "You'll have to find out for yourself," I whispered back and t
hen took a long drag on my straw, sipping up too much alcohol at once. "But if you go that far, you'll have to go all the way."

  When the guests started to disperse a few hours later, and after exchanging numbers with Adrian, I trapped Rhys in a corner of the yard.

  "You're not leaving, are you?" I asked.

  "I told Nicole and Muriel I'd take them home."

  I took a step closer to him, rested my hand on his chest.

  "Take them home and come right back," I said, my voice husky.

  He looked at me carefully for a moment, before covering my hand with his. "Are you sure you want to go there? I'm still that guy. Nothing's changed."

  "I know," I said and moved away to go say goodbye to a few people. "See you in a little bit," I called over my shoulder.

  Kit and a few others helped me put away the food that didn't walk out the door with other guests and clean up some of the trash.

  "Where's the stud?" Kit asked me when we were alone in the kitchen.

  "Which one?" I teased.

  "Yeah, I saw you talking to that hottie that came with Phil. You're becoming a little hussie."

  "Rhys will be back," I said, rolling my eyes at Kit. "He had to drop off Fred and Ethel."

  Kit shrieked in laughter. "Nice. Well, let me collect my man and get out of here so you can get laid."

  "You make it sound so dirty."

  "I hope it's super dirty and super nasty," she said and slapped me on the ass.

  When everyone was gone, I didn't know what to do with myself. Should I lounge on the couch with come hither eyes, or should I go upstairs and get naked? Maybe I could lay myself out on the kitchen table with an apple in my mouth. Would it be sexy for him to find me in a bubble bath? What if the bubbles were dirty from my sweaty, dirty body? Oh no. I was sweaty and dirty.

  I had one foot on the stairs when the front door swung open.

  "Where are you going?" Rhys asked, locking the door behind him.

  "To take a shower," I answered, frozen in place. "I feel a little dirty and sweaty."

  "Come here."

  I didn't move an inch. I don't know why I seized up, but I couldn't make my body move.

  "Did you change your mind?"

  "No," I said immediately, firmly.

  "I think you did," he smiled. "That's alright, I understand. We're still friends."

  "I did not change my mind."

  "No, I get it. You stay there on your step and I'll go."

  I found that my feet were carrying me across the room where Rhys had his hand on the doorknob. I hooked a finger in his shorts and put my other hand on his chest.

  "I said I didn't change my mind."

  He took my hand and spun me around. I felt his lips on my neck and his hands cupped my breasts.

  "Are you sure you haven't changed your mind?" He murmured into my neck.

  "Positive," I breathed.

  One hand stayed on a hardened nipple and the other hand slid down my thigh and under my dress. I gasped when I felt his hand caress me. My orgasm was almost instantaneous.

  "Upstairs," Rhys commanded after nearly bringing me to my knees. "Now."

  He nudged me toward the landing and I obediently marched up the steps. In my bedroom, he pulled off his shirt and unbuckled his belt, but kept his eyes on mine. He stood me in front of the bed and left a trail of kisses down my neck and onto my shoulder.

  "I really like this dress," he said, slipping the strap off. More kisses down my other side and that strap was released.

  He pulled me against him and planted his mouth on mine. His fingers slowly unzipped my dress and a moment later it fell to the floor in a polka-dot puddle at my feet. I wasn't wearing a bra, only the red transparent thong. His hands wandered up my naked back and he moaned lightly in my mouth before pulling away.

  This was going too slowly for me. I was enjoying myself, and I like foreplay, but it had been over a year. Something animalistic reared its horny head from deep inside of me. I dropped to my knees and started tugging at Rhys's shorts.

  "Whoa," he said, surprised by my tenacity. In seconds, I had freed his gorgeous erection and inhaled it into my mouth. Rhys gasped and put his hands on my head.

  "Lindsey...damn. Wow." He moaned and then said "You don't have to...shit." He stopped resisting and allowed the fellatio.

  Wow! I'm sucking Rhys's cock!

  After a few minutes, I gave him one good last lick and stood upright again. I threw him down on the bed.

  "Wow," he said with genuine surprise as he watched me remove his shoes, shorts, and boxers.

  I crawled onto the bed and straddled him.

  "Umm...this isn't turning out quite how I imagined," he grinned up at me.

  "I haven't had sex for a really long time."

  "I know, but I thought maybe you could use some foreplay."

  "You thought wrong," I said, grinding slightly on him. "Maybe we can do the foreplay thing some other time."

  "Sure," he said, caressing my arms. "But let's get this straight, I'm in charge." He easily flipped me off of him and in a matter of two seconds, he was on top of me, pressing his hardness against me as he kissed me deeply.

  "Condoms?" He asked, pulling my panties off.

  "In the drawer. I bought them today when I knew I was going to take advantage of you," I said.

  He stared at me for a moment, seemingly lost in my eyes. I could dig it, because I was lost in his. Then the moment passed, and he was reaching into the table next to my bed and pulling out a condom. Expertly, he rolled it on with speed and without warning plunged inside of me.

  I cried out and clung to him. He held my head between his hands and looked into my face with an expression that sent my heart tumbling. His lips touched mine and we fell into a passionate kiss. Without taking his lips from mine, he gave a hard thrust that made me accidentally bite down on his lip. I tasted blood, but he didn't stop kissing me, or thrusting. My cries were muffled by his mouth and he groaned into mine.

  When he finally took his lips from mine, he fucked me hard, with an animalistic power that made my head slam into the headboard over and over.

  "Come with me," he growled in my ear before nipping at it with his teeth.

  My orgasm built up quickly as Rhys plowed into me faster and harder than ever. Suddenly I was screaming into his shoulder and he yelled out expletives into my neck.

  His arms encircled me and I held him close, both of us trying to catch our breaths. After a moment, he pulled out of me, but didn't immediately release me. I let go first, and he did so reluctantly and then rolled off of me.

  When he got up and disappeared into the bathroom, I fully expected him to emerge, get dressed and high tail it out of here. To my surprise, though, he returned a moment later and climbed back into bed with me. He pulled me into his arms and kissed the top of my head.

  "This is unexpected," I said sleepily. "I thought you would have been out the door by now."

  "Ordinarily I would have been," he said after a half a minute of hesitation. "Do you want me to leave?"

  "No," I admitted.

  "Good. I'm not ready to leave."

  Interesting.

  "Who's going to get up and turn off the light?" He asked a little while later.

  "Don't laugh," I said, freeing my hands. "I mean it."

  He looked at me quizzically, and then I clapped twice. The lights went off and we were in darkness, but I could feel his body shake.

  "I said not to laugh!" I punched his arm.

  "Wait, wait," he said, catching his breath. He clapped twice and the lights came on. The amusement in his face was that of a child's. He clapped again and darkness fell again. This went on a few more times before I had enough.

  "Stop!" I pinched his arm.

  "Ow! Okay, okay," he laughed. "If I clap three times, will I get music?"

  "Shut up."

  He clapped three times and seconds later, music filled the room. We laughed for a long time before sleep overtook us.

 
Chapter Twelve

  Monday morning I was stuck in a board room with fifteen other people, sitting between Rhys and Nicole. I was only half paying attention to what was going on in the meeting. I was lost in my wonderings.

  Rhys had slept with three women in the room, including myself. Nicole was the serious relationship, Julianne was just a one nighter, and then there's me. What am I? What of the other three women I knew about? Heather from accounting, Trina from the Boston office, and one of Kit's cousins, Gale. Did he show up at their homes at unsuspecting times to woo them?

  Rhys seemed to have established himself into my life, but was it temporary? Maybe he told all of the girls that he thought they were "cool" and he didn't want to hurt their feelings. Maybe that was his way. I couldn't blame him though. I did throw him on the bed.

  The memory of that night and the ride of my life the following morning made me instantly wet. I squirmed in my seat a little, and felt my mouth curve into a barely visible stupid smile.

  "Lindsey?" Phil called my name from the front of the table.

  "What?"

  "I asked you what you thought about Liz's idea. Will it work for you and Rhys?"

  I looked around the room. All eyes were on me.

  "Honestly," I started. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm bored stupid. My brain checked out about an hour ago."

  There were a few chuckles and I heard a couple people agree.

  "Phil, we've been at this for almost three hours," Rhys said. "Why don't we break for lunch?"

  Phil looked like someone stepped on his toes and then took his ice-cream. "I was going to call out for pizza and wings."

  "I'll die if I have to sit here another hour," I said, standing up. "Can't we do this in increments? Like a couple of hours a day? It's not like you're saying anything critical."

  A few people looked at me and back to Phil. He was an easy guy, but he was still the boss. I was feeling unusually brazen today though.

  "I'm sorry, Phil," I winced.

  "Yeah," Rhys stood up with me and made for the door. "But we'll still take the pizza and wings, your treat."

  I followed Rhys out the door just as Phil glumly announced the meeting was over.