Chapter 31

O ur late-night call triggers a need for more, and we now spend a lot of time texting each other. This odd situation, the relationship we don't want to label, is slowly shifting into something different. Clearly, it isn't just about the sex anymore. We genuinely enjoy each other's company and seek the meaningful, nerdy, or personal conversations we share.

I never had a lovey-dovey phase, so I never felt the need to keep in touch with someone as much as this. I feel like a teenager with a crush, jumping on my phone every time it makes a sound, giggling at Lex's texts, eagerly answering… At first, I try not to respond too fast so I won't seem too clingy, but since Lex is always quick to text back, I quickly dismiss my worries.

I learn a lot about him from those texts. Not being physically together rids us of the insane sexual tension, which always ends with us naked and panting. So, for once, we're able to talk without being interrupted.

On Saturday, I accompany Tami to the mall, where she's getting her hair cut in the only salon she trusts to handle her hair type. After I help interpret everything to the hairdresser, I leave her at it and wander through the crowded mall. When I see the SALE signs in the Victoria's Secret windows, I casually step in. I have a good reason to invest in some finer underwear now.

I'm strolling through the pricey items when my phone vibrates in my back pocket. It's a text from Lex.

Lex

How are you surviving your imposed day of shopping?

Me

It's not as bad as I thought. Victoria's Secret is having a sale.

He calls seconds after I send it. I pick it up with a grin from ear to ear.

"I'm calling to see if you need a consultant," he says with amusement. I can't help but laugh.

"I think I've got this covered, thanks. But just to be sure, how do you feel about teddies?"

"What on earth is that?"

"It's like a sexy, one-piece swimsuit."

His voice is a little hoarse when he says, "I rather enjoy those."

"Noted. What about crotchless panties?" This time, he mumbles something inaudible.

"I find them practical."

"Last question. What's your favorite color?"

"At this point, I'd even find lime green appealing on you, so surprise me."

"Alright, surprised you shall be." My eyes catch something pretty and teal. "Oh, that's beautiful… But I'm not sure I can figure out all the strappy things."

"Andrea, if it takes more than five seconds to get you out of it, I'll end up ripping it off."

"Aren't you supposed to be an actual genius? It can't be that complicated. Maybe I should just try it on."

There's another moment of silence, and Lex clears his throat. "Sending a picture to your consultant would be wise."

"Sorry, I don't trust the internet," I humor. He chuckles, and my heart flutters with contentment.

"Then send one where you're not in it."

"Oh, smart! Give me a second." Looking around, I find a mannequin wearing it and send him a picture. "Done."

There's a moment of nothing, and Lex groans.

"What's the point of it going all the way to the shoulders if it doesn't even cover the chest?" he asks, confused and audibly turned on.

"Well, the only perk of having barely any boobs is I don't have to wear bras, so I can afford some creativity."

"I like your breasts." His blunt honesty touches me, and my chest swells further.

"Thank you, but there isn't much to like."

"There's enough. And I'm discovering myself to be an ass man."

"Ah, then you got lucky."

"Seve ral times already, yes." God, I love his quick and witty humor. "By the way, I like the pink one in the top left corner of the picture."

We talk for a little longer, and I'm the one who ends up cutting the call, arguing he can't know in advance everything I'm getting. He deserves to have a few surprises. Which he certainly will, as I nearly spend a thousand dollars there. But I'm kind of rich from selling my app, so I rationalize the spending by telling myself it's a rare treat and it'll make two people very, very happy.

Later that day, Tami and I are curled up on the couch, watching a romantic comedy, when I receive another text. I eagerly grab my phone, expecting it to be Lex, but my heart drops when I see Oli's ID.

Shit, with everything going on, I almost forgot that he tried to kiss me during the party. With a sense of dread clutching my throat, I open his text.

Oli

Hey, Hulkette. I wanted to apologize for the way I behaved yesterday. I've been feeling like an ass because I know you're not into me that way and should have respected it.

I'm not trying to make excuses for myself, but I was in a weird place because my sister had just told me our grandma passed away.

I don't even think twice before sending him a reply.

Me

Oh, my God. Oli, you should have let me know. I'm so sorry for your loss. Your grandma from Ireland or the one in Idaho?

Oli

Ireland. We weren't very close to her since we barely ever saw her. But it was still a shock.

Me

Yes, I imagine :(

Oli

Anyway, I'm so sorry that happened. I was looking for comfort, and it got the best of me.

Me

You really should have told me. We're friends. We talk about those things.

There's a pause there as he takes a couple of minutes to answer.

Oli

Thank you for being such a good friend, Andy.

Although I don't feel like a good friend a t all, given everything I'm hiding from him, I reply with:

Me

Well, we get the friends we deserve, don't we?

We talk about it for a little longer, and by the time the movie ends, I feel as though our friendship is stronger. It seems he finally accepted we'll never be more than friends now. No matter what some people think, men and women can be friends. I'll prove it with Oliver.

Satisfied with my discussion with Oli, I get ready for the night. When I return to my room, wearing my towel, I open my wardrobe to grab a T-shirt, and my eyes drop to the pink and black striped shopping bags. Tami, of course, recognized them, and the knowing smile she gave me had my cheeks burning with embarrassment.

After I lock my door, I take it all out. One by one, I admire the fine quality of my new things. Delighted with my investment, I lay it all on my bed. I can't wait to see Lex's face as he discovers each item.

I'm so eager for it that an idea blooms in my mind.

Maybe now would be a great time to thank him for the pic he so generously sent me. Trying not to overthink it, I impulsively grab the pink balconette bra and retro high-waisted panties he told me he liked. I hang my towel and slip the ensemble on. The bra's cut is so clever it almost looks like I'm a solid B-cup. I glimpse at myself in the full-length mirror of my wardrobe, hesitating.

The outfit is gorgeous, but I'm not confident enough with my body to take a picture and send it to Lex. I know all too well that he's used to nudes from women with Victoria's Secret bodies rather than just the lingerie. When we first met in the elevator, that woman in the pic looked flawless, blonde, slender, with fantastic boobs, a toned stomach, and a bomb body. And he was unfazed by that nude back then. How the fuck will he react to me in my underwear? I'm nowhere near that level of perfection.

But he really likes me, doesn't he? He won't mind my flat chest and wide hips.

To give myself some courage, I take the silk kimono I also bought and put it on, leaving it open and hanging on my shoulders. I do some touch-ups on my makeup and add ruby lipstick. Once I feel ready, I fluff my hair and take a pic, holding the phone in front of me. The result doesn't suit me, so I take another, and another…

I take well over thirty pictures, trying different poses, kimono off the shoulders, off only one, without it… I try different angles, from the front, slightly to the side, completely to the sid e… I try to hide my face with the phone, hold it up, at chest level…

It's my first attempt at sexy pictures, and I never realized how complicated the ordeal is. Nudes are hard , and I have all the respect in the world for the women who do it regularly. It's so much simpler for men. Lex removed his towel, snapped his junk, sent it, and it was enough to make me weak in the knees.

I keep the best pictures as I go and delete the ones I never want to see again. After maybe twenty minutes of this laborious photoshoot, I accept I won't do better. I have five shots to go by, one of which I like a lot more than the others. I'm angled slightly to the side, the kimono falling off one of my shoulders, with my hand on my hip. The pink ensemble is very much visible, and the phone partially hides my face.

Me

Do you have a moment?

I message him, my thumbs trembling a little. With my legs crossed in the middle of the bed with all my purchases, I wait, biting my nail. What am I doing? I've seen too many stories of revenge porn to be doing this. Even for Lex.

His answer is simple and efficient.

Lex

I do.

Alright, I can do this. A little quid pro quo.

Me

No screenshot.

Before he can ask what I mean, I select the picture. My heart is beating so fast that I wonder if I can die of a heart attack at twenty-six. The moment I hit the send button, a shiver runs up my arm to die in my chest. This goes against all of my beliefs, my education, and my comfort zone.

Everything stills as I wait, and when the seen checkmark appears, all my fears become too loud. The fuck am I doing? He won't like it. I look ridiculous. I count to ten internally and then delete the picture for both of us. Shortly after, he starts typing. With each second that passes, my anxiety grows more intense.

Lex

When I picked Wednesday to bring you home, I thought it would be a nice, reasonable day in the middle of the week. I should have gone with Monday. You're stunning in that.

Relief floods me, and I let out a heavy sigh , my shoulder collapsing as the tension leaves my body.

Me

I'm still trying to decide which one I should wear for Wednesday.

I half-expect it when he calls, so I pick up, acting innocent. "Yes?"

"Maybe you should send me more pictures so I can help you choose."

"Nice try, but no. That was a teaser. I bought about half the shop, and you'll get some sweet surprises in all that, as promised." I lie back on my bed on top of some panties and bras.

"Fuck, Andrea," he groans. "You have to stop making me hard like this when you're not here to take care of it."

"You're a big boy. Take care of it yourself."

"I have been. I don't think I've ever fucked my fist so much in my life. Maybe in my teen years, but I'm not even sure."

"Have you jerked off thinking of me?" I ask, almost honored by the thought.

"Is that weird?"

"Lord, I hope not. I've been putting Idris through overtime since I met you."

Lex lets out another groan, and I press my knees together, feeling like a temptress. I'm enjoying all this buildup immensely, this anticipation, this tension…

"And what were you thinking of as you made yourself come with me on your mind?" he asks, the low tone of his voice somehow finding its way straight to my clit.

I bite my lip, running my fingertips over the delicate lace of my panties, then up to graze an erect nipple. For the second time this weekend, I'm tempted to try phone sex with him. Given how slex-deprived I am, I'd come in no time, panting and trembling. However, I also want Wednesday to be mind-blowing.

"This isn't happening," I firmly declare. Anticipating his protest, I add, "But I appreciate the attempt. I'll see you tomorrow, Alexander."

"Andrea—" he starts with a warning tone.

I hang up and force myself to turn off the phone. If I allow him to insist, I'll cave in.

For a moment, I lie in a pile of lace and silk, my body tingling and demanding satisfaction.

Yes, Wednesday will be epic.

A ndrea and I agree to arrive early on Monday so we can have time alone before work. The plan gets sidetracked, though, because Kevin is in my office before she is, to talk about our growing numbers and the board meeting coming soon.

We're in the midst of that when Andrea appears at the door—left open by Kev. When I see her, I can't hold back the smile that stretches my lips.

"Okay, I'll leave you two," my old friend decides. "We'll talk about the quarterly reports later." He gives me a knowing wink, and as he passes Andrea, he greets her with a nod and a smile.

Once he's gone and the door is closed, she turns to me, suspicious. "Does he… Did you—"

"He knows, yes. But I didn't tell him, he guessed. A while ago, actually."

"Oh… I see. Our Secret is slowly becoming common knowledge," she worriedly notes.

"Two people are manageable."

"Three. Kate knows, too."

"You told her?"

"She knew before I knew," she humorously explains as she walks up to me. "She basically engineered this whole thing."

"I knew I liked her." Slowly, I wrap my arms around her waist, hands caressing her through the thin material of her T-shirt.

"I can't see why. She helped me rip you off when I sold you my app."

"I helped you rip me off," I remind her, bending slowly.

She's still smiling when my lips unhurriedly meet hers. It feels like we haven't kissed in a month instead of a weekend. Little by little, our usual greed takes over, and things grow heated. She leans harder onto me, seeking support, and I grab handfuls of her ass to pull her closer.

The door flings open next to us, and we rip ourselves away from each other, flustered. Kevin stands there like a dickhead, seemingly very proud of himself.

"Just checking. You should lock the door," he says with a falsely reprimanding expression.

"Thanks for the lesson, Kev. Now, will you please get the fuck out?" I demand, irritated. Kevin laughs, not intimidated, and complies.

"Sorry about that." I p ass a nervous hand through my hair. "I've wanted to kiss you all weekend. Especially after that photo. Which reminds me…"

Stepping closer, I slip two fingers into the collar of her shirt. I tug on it and try to peek at what's underneath. She squeals with a giggle and swats my hand away before resting hers flatly over her chest.

"How dare you!" Her unshakable grin negates the way she scolds me. "This is workplace harassment. HR will hear of this."

I don't even give her time to spin around before I pull her into my chest. "You drive me fucking mad, woman," I mutter, retaking her lips with domineering hunger. Someone knocks on the door, and I rip myself away with a curse. "I can't fucking wait for Wednesday."

Instead of Kevin, it's Tamika this time. Fuck… I briefly but surely exposed myself to her on Friday. She looks at me with a prying eyebrow cocked up. The twinkle of amusement in her dark eyes only heightens my embarrassment.

"I thought you'd want to have the numbers as soon as possible," she signs once I take the folder she extends.

"Thank you." I nervously scratch my jaw. "I apologize for—"

"It's all fine. It made my weekend," Tamika interrupts. She looks over at her roommate and gives her a wink before leaving.

"What exactly did you tell her?" I ask Andrea once we're alone, a little concerned.

"Well, she understandably had questions. But I remained as vague as I could."

When someone knocks on the door again, I roll my eyes with exasperation. "For fuck's sake."

"I should just go," she mumbles, following me to the door.

She stretches up for one last peck, which I gladly give her. Then she leaves, and Bertrand comes in instead. Swapping the delicate scent of jasmine for Axe body spray isn't the best way to start the week.

Wednesday can't come soon enough.

I t turns out the numerous IQ tests my parents forced me to take were fucking wrong. I'm a fucking idiot, not a genius. Why on earth would I think Wednesday was a good idea? I should have brought Andrea home as early as Monday.

The withdrawal is rough, and I crave so much more than the few stolen kisses and amorous gropes we exchange. Especially since she looks particularly stunning on Wednesday, wearin g a pretty little dress and pink lipstick.

To minimize the risk of someone from Kelex seeing us leave together, we decide to wait half an hour after the end of the workday to meet at my car in the parking lot. I'm a little early, but she's even earlier, already leaning on my car when I arrive.

When I get to her, my hand slides over her hip, and I bend to give her the first kiss of the day. Showing some restraint for once, we keep it to a warm peck, and I gaze down at her with intensity.

"You look stunning," I say, clutching her hip. The blue shade of her sundress highlights her complexion, and the row of small white buttons that goes from her modest cleavage to her knees have my fingers itching to open them.

"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

I've noticed she likes me in a button-up shirt, especially a black one, so I decided to wear one today. The sleeves are rolled on my forearms, and a few buttons are opened at my throat.

During the entire drive to my place, my hand is on her thigh, right where the hem of her dress has risen up, skin to skin. The contact heats my palm, and by the time I'm parking, the warmth has climbed to my chest.

The elevator ride up is silent but filled with anticipation. Once the bolted door of my apartment is open, I gallantly invite her to enter first.

"Iris, I'm home," I call out.

"Welcome home, Alexander," the AI answers as the lights turn on and the curtains open.

"Hi, Iris. I'm here too," Andrea says with self-deprecation.

Ah, turns out I won't even need to tell her what I did this weekend, instead of spending it with her.

"Welcome back, Andrea," Iris greets.

Shock has Andrea stopping where she stands, eyes bewildered, and her jaw drops as she turns to me.

"What the—"

"I added your voice to her system," I explain. "You're allowed some basic commands, but you still don't have access to the core ones. We'll see if you behave before those."

"You taught your AI about me?"

"I did. I thought you'd appreciate it."

"Appreciate it? Are you kidding! Iris, dim the lights," she asks. Sure enough, the lights' intensity diminishes slightly. "Holy shit, I feel like Tony Stark with Jarvis."

It took me a few hours to implement this cha nge into Iris's code, since I never foresaw that someone other than me could have access to her commands. But it looks like the small attention delights Andrea beyond words.

Her bag drops to the floor, and she practically jumps me, pulling me down to give me a grateful kiss. She's a little too brutal in her elation, so I lose my footing for a second. I quickly regain our balance as she ravages me with gratitude, kissing, sampling, and devouring.

I reach for the back of her thighs and effortlessly lift her, pressing her soft shape onto me. Her legs wrap around my waist, her kiss deeper. My heart is in a frenzy, overwhelmed by her attention.

Since the moment doesn't seem to have an end in sight, I walk us to the couch and sit on it with her straddling my lap. With my hands free again, I explore that little body I adore, slipping under the hem of her dress to graze her thighs. She presses that spot between her legs harder onto me with a moan.

"Lex, I love—" Her words stop as abruptly as they started, and something in her eyes makes my heart clench painfully. She doubts herself for a moment, hesitant. Then she swallows hard and says, "I love it. Thank you for doing that, baby."

Was she about to say something else? It feels like she was.

Before I can think anything of it, she kisses me again. I welcome her, my chest tightening and expanding at the same time. She gets lost in our embrace, pulling, writhing, demanding… I maintain the kiss when she lifts herself just enough to access my belt. She unbuckles it, pops the button open, and slowly slides the zipper down. Taking her sweet, sweet time, her small hand grabs my thick length.

"Ah, fuck…" I moan with a short breath as she moves her hand along my erection. "I knew you'd like the gesture, but this is…" My words trail off with a hiss at the tightening of her hold.

"Imagine if you'd taught Iris how to put on music," she whispers in my ear before nibbling on the lobe.

"About that …"

She freezes and pulls away, her hand unmoving in my boxers, fingers still wrapped around me. My mischievous smirk makes her giggle with amazement.

"Iris, can you put on some Marvin Gaye?" she tries.

Within seconds, suave tunes fill the room. That, too, I knew she'd love.

Utterly stunned, she stares at me, looking overwhelmed. She doesn't say anything else as she opens the top button of her dress.

"You…" With every word that follows, another button gets undone. "… Are. In. For. The. Best. Night. Of. Your. Life."

Once she's out of buttons, she boldly pushes the blue fabric off her shoulders, revealing the scandalous lingerie she wore underneath all day, just for me.

Fuck, it's the strappy one that somehow reveals more than it hides, leaving her breasts completely exposed. Alright, I understand the concept now. This isn't underwear. This is a lure, a maddening trick meant to bring me to my knees.

And fuck, I'll be damned if I don't do exactly that .