Friends With Benefits (15 page)

“Put on something else,” Mitch said. “I am not putting that tux back on.”

They both found their bags and pulled out the clothes they’d brought for Sunday morning. To their amusement, they were dressed similarly—Mitch in baggy olive green cargo pants and a black T-shirt that stretched across his broad chest and biceps, Kerri also in cargo pants that hung low on her hips and a skinny ribbed white tank top.

As they approached the entrance to the gazebo, Kerri paused and gripped Mitch’s hand with both of hers. “People are going to know what we were doing.”

They walked in, hand in hand. The crowd had thinned, most of the remaining guests friends and younger relatives of the bride and groom still partying hard, Miguel and Hailey in the thick of things on the crowded dance floor.

Acutely aware of the looks they got as they made their way to a table where their friends were sitting, Kerri caught Hailey’s eye and gave a little wave. Hailey immediately deserted her new husband on the dance floor and caught up to Kerri, pulled her back from Mitch. With a smile, Kerri let go of his hand and he pulled out two chairs at the table while she hung back to speak to Hailey.

“What the hell?” Hailey asked. “Where’d you two disappear to?”

“Do you really need to ask?” Kerri replied with some amusement.

Hailey rolled her eyes. “Kerri…remember what we talked about.”

Kerri shook her head, excitement and laughter bubbling up inside her. “It’s okay, Hailey. We talked. Oh God, Hailey.” She was so happy she couldn’t speak for a moment. “Neither of us wants to be friends with benefits. We just want each other.”

“Oh.” Hailey appeared nonplussed, then grinned broadly. “Oh! So you two are…what? A couple? Exclusive?”

Kerri nodded, her smile matching Hailey’s. “Yeah.” She sighed. “Oh, yeah.”

Hailey smiled even wider, approvingly. “That’s so good.”

“Yeah. It is.”

Kerri went to the table where Mitch sat slouched back in his chair, long legs stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed. He was talking to Jason, and as she took the seat beside him, he absently reached for her hand and pulled her close to him.

She couldn’t help but smile, knowing she was grinning like an idiot, probably glowing in the dark room like a white shirt under a black light.

Kerri nodded as she scooped yogurt from the bowl to her mouth. They were sitting in the hotel bed, Mitch cross-legged in his boxer briefs, her naked with the sheet pulled up over her breasts. Mitch had insisted on ordering room service so they could have breakfast in bed.

“She’s actually being reasonable about most things,” Mitch continued, holding a bagel in one hand. “But she’s adamant that they have to keep the dog because the kids love the dog so much.”

Kerri nodded. “I guess I can see both points. The kids want the dog and she wants what’s best for the kids. But he wants the dog because she’s got everything else.”

“Yeah. I see both sides too. I told him to get another dog, but that didn’t go over very well.” He shook his head, and bit into the bagel. “He’s almost ready to let her have the dog because ‘he loves her’.” His fingers made air quotes.

Kerri smiled sympathetically. “Is there a chance that they might get back together? If he loves her that much…”

Mitch snorted. “He’d be crazy to get back together with her. They’ll just end up in the same place down the road.”

Kerri sighed. “It is possible for people to work things out sometimes.”

“You’re a romantic.”

“You’re cynical.”

“I’m realistic.”

Kerri shook her head, smiling. They’d had this conversation before. “So how do you help this guy? You don’t tell him he’d be crazy to try again, do you?”

He shrugged. “No, I don’t tell him that, despite what I think. I just try to represent his interests. The poor bastard.”

She reached for the other half of the bagel on Mitch’s plate. “Hey.” He grabbed her hand and held her away from his food. “Mine.”

She laughed, and fought him. He grinned, trying to keep her away, but when he had to choose between hurting her or losing his food…well, the bagel fell onto the bed and he fell onto her, both of them laughing. His kissed her, hot, wet, with tongue, and he tasted like coffee and cream cheese and sin.

“Okay, never mind the bagels.” She gasped as his mouth moved to her throat. He sucked there and she laughed again. “Don’t! I don’t want love bites all over my neck! What will my students think?”

He grinned evilly and lowered his head again to her. She pushed at him and they rolled together across the bed, over the bagels, the empty yogurt bowl thudding to the carpeted floor. He let her put up a fight, but really it was so easy for him to pin her down, holding her hands over her head so he could kiss her mouth, her throat, her breasts, and then she wasn’t fighting him anymore, she was moaning and begging for more.

She couldn’t believe how many times they’d made love. It was like they couldn’t get enough of each other, or were making up for lost time. Even looking at him now made her weak and wet.

When she stopped struggling, he let down his guard, and with a quick hard push she was able to toss him to his back and climb onto him, straddling him, grinning.

“Ha,” she said. “Now I’m on top.”

He grinned back. “Oh no. Please be gentle with me.”

She paused, gazed at him below her, all sleek muscles and bronze skin, mussed hair and faint shadowy beard darkening his face. Molten pleasure slid through her, and she closed her eyes briefly. She leaned down to kiss his nipples, flicking her tongue over them, making him groan. Daringly, she took a tight nipple between her teeth, scraped it gently, and he shuddered beneath her.

She nibbled her way down his abs to the top of his briefs, then buried her face between his legs, inhaling deeply. “God you smell good.” She breathed in his male and musky scent. She kissed his erection through the cotton, stretched tautly across his thick length.

She used her hands to push his thighs apart so she could slip her hands inside the leg opening of the briefs and cup him, her face still pressed there, feeling his heat, breathing in his scent.

“Kerri,” he said weakly. “You’re killing me.”

“No, I’m not.” She sat up, pulling her hands out of his underwear. He groaned again. “Oh, you
didn’t
want me to stop?”

He muttered something unintelligible. She loved,
loved
how she could affect him like this. He was so hard, leaking a little bit, dampening his briefs, and she touched him there, right on the head of his cock. She looked at his face, his eyes squeezed closed, jaw locked.

She ran her fingers over and around the head, through the cotton, gauging his reaction. His tongue came out to lick his lips and he swelled even bigger and harder in her hand.

“What do you want, Mitch?” she asked, her voice husky. “Do you want to come inside me again? Or do you want to come in my mouth?”

“Jesus,” he croaked. “Kerri…”

“Mmm? Tell me what you want.” Her fingers continued to tease him.

He apparently could not answer. “Okay, I’ll decide for you,” she said. “You smell so good, I want to taste you. I want to suck on you.”

“Jesus,” he muttered again, his face flushed.

She yanked his underwear off and he lifted his legs to help her get rid of them. His erection rose up, dark and hard and oozing, and her breath caught at how beautiful he was. She took him in her hands and bent her head to him to lick the drops there, savoring his taste.

His hands came to her head, fisted in her hair, and it almost hurt, but she loved it. As she closed her mouth around his cock, he pulled harder and she almost disintegrated into a puddle of hungry lust. She sucked on him, swirled her tongue around him, eliciting more curses and groans.

God, she loved doing this to him, loved the taste of him, the smell of him, the way she could make him shudder and twitch. After, his arms went around her and held her tightly to him as he recovered. A while later he said, “I really don’t want to know how you got to be so good at that.”

She smiled against his chest.

“About what? The wedding?” Sela didn’t look up from her computer monitor.

“No, not the wedding. Me and Mitch.” Kerri sighed happily.

Sela’s gaze snapped up to Kerri’s face. “What about you and Mitch?”

“We’re…well, what are we? Um…we’re seeing each other.”

“Well. It’s about time.”

Kerri laughed, a little disappointed in the reaction. She’d expected more surprise. She put her hands to her cheeks.

“I’ve been so stupid. He’s the guy I’ve been looking for and all along he was right there in front of me.”

Sela smiled. “I’m so happy for you two. I’m glad you finally figured it out.”

“Me too.”

Not only had the sex been mind-blowing, it had been fun. She’d never had so much fun and laughed so much in bed. In fact she wasn’t sure if she’d ever laughed in bed with a man. Well, that time Grant Bedford had removed the condom too fast and snapped a very sensitive area had been funny. Although, to him, not so much.

She and Mitch knew each other so well. They could talk about anything and laugh at everything. They’d eaten in bed, laughed in bed, made love in bed. She got that warm, squishy feeling deep inside again. God, she was pathetic. She grinned.

“I guess you won’t be getting much work done today,” Sela said with a laugh.

Kerri wandered into her office still smiling. What to do, what to do. She shuffled some papers, then worked on the website. Neta’s photographs made the spa look awesome, as well as her beautiful new yoga studio. This
had
to increase business, with all the services clearly displayed—prices, hours of operation, her class schedule. It would be interesting to see the hits on it once it was up and running.

To her surprise, the day passed quickly and she actually accomplished a lot. More than she had the last few weeks when she’d been so confused and miserable.

Her mother phoned that night to invite her for dinner on the weekend and she happily accepted. “Can I bring Mitch?”

“Of course,” her mother said. “Why do you sound funny? What’s going on?”

“Mitch and I are…um…together.”

There was stunned silence, then, “Oh my God! Kerri, that’s wonderful!”

Kerri laughed. “Yeah. It is.”

“How did this happen? You know, I was watching you two at your party, and I said to your dad, Scott, something is wrong between those two, they’re not acting like they usually do.”

“I guess we’ve been kind of fighting our feelings for each other for a while, and ended up fighting with each other.” Kerri sighed. “But things are good now.”

“He’s such an amazing young man,” Angela said. “I am so happy for both of you, and I can’t wait to see you.”

When Mitch called, just to talk, she told him about the conversation with her mother and he laughed. “She likes me,” he said smugly.

“The last time we were there she was making comments about us. And then at the grand opening party I overheard Sela and Hailey talking about us and how we were crazy about each other and didn’t know it.”

“
I
knew it,” he protested softly.

“Oh.” She melted all over again. “I’m sorry I was such an idiot. Apparently everybody else knew we should be together.”

“You’re not an idiot. Tell me about your day.”

“You look like you’re in love,” her mother said to her in the kitchen in a private moment.

“I think I am.” Kerri’s heart gave an extra beat. Oh lord. “I just can’t believe it took me this long to realize it.”

“And does Mitch feel the same?”

“I…think so.”

Angela smiled at her fondly. “You seem so happy, I love to see that.” She gave Kerri a quick hug before they took dessert outside to the others.

“That’s nice. Isn’t it?”

He shook his head violently. They sat in her living room, the DVD they were about to watch in Mitch’s hand. “He just split up with his last wife. Honestly, the ink probably isn’t even dry on the divorce papers. And now he has someone new.”

“He doesn’t like to be alone, does he?”

He looked at Kerri. “You think that’s what it is?”

“I have no idea.” She shrugged, crossing her legs into the lotus position on the couch. “I don’t even know him. It just sounds like it.”

“I guess I can understand that, but why can’t his relationships last? And knowing he doesn’t have a good track record, why would he bother to keep getting married over and over again? Just live together or something, for God’s sake.”

“Marriage must mean something to him.”

“It means another alimony payment. Thank God he’s never had more kids. That would get really expensive.” He looked at her. “He wants to meet you, too. But you don’t have to, if you don’t want. Believe me, he’s no treat.”

“Mitch! He’s your father.”

“I know, but I just…I don’t exactly
hate
him…”

“Mitch! You can’t hate your father.”

“Kerri, Kerri, you’ve led such a sheltered life.” He put his arm around her and pulled her close, tugging her off balance in her cross-legged position. With a giggle she righted herself and snuggled into him. “I said I don’t hate him. I just have no respect for him. It’s such a loser way to keep living your life.”

“Of course I’ll meet him,” she said softly. “Maybe I won’t like him either, but he is your dad.”

Two days later, when Jeff MacAulay introduced Mitch and Kerri to a visibly pregnant young woman with short curly brown hair, Mitch cringed as his words came back to smack him in the face. “This is Carmen,” Jeff said, and Mitch studiously avoided looking at Kerri as they shook hands and murmured greetings. When they took their seats, Kerri put her hand on Mitch’s leg under the table and dug her fingers in to his rigid muscles.

“So Mitch, how’s work going? That big-shot law career still going well?”

Kerri could hear the pride in Jeff’s voice despite the casually worded question. She studied Mitch’s dad. In looks, they were very similar, tall, broad, handsome. Jeff had the same casual charm and easy smile. It was hard not to like him.

They made small talk, Mitch talking very briefly about his move into collaborative law, then Mitch started asking Carmen about herself. Kerri could feel the waves of hostility and tension coming off him and wondered if the others sensed it too. Carmen seemed very friendly, almost naïve, and oblivious to any undercurrents. She also seemed very young, younger than both Kerri and Mitch. Holy smokes.

“So, guess what,” Jeff said, smiling broadly. “Carmen and I are getting married.”

“No shit,” Mitch muttered. Kerri grabbed his hand and squeezed.

Jeff frowned. “Hey. Congratulate us. You should be happy for us.”

“Congratulations,” Mitch said shortly. “When is the wedding?”

“Actually we’re thinking of this weekend.”

Mitch choked on his drink.

“Well, maybe you didn’t notice, but Carmen is expecting,” Jeff continued happily. “You’re going to have a brother or sister, Mitch.”

“Congratulations,” he managed to sputter again. “Wow.”

“When are you due?” Kerri asked Carmen softly.

“Right around Christmas.” She smiled gently. “It’s going to be awesome.” She paused. “We would love for you two to be at the wedding.”

Mitch was clearly struggling for words. “Um…”

“Mitch is a busy guy,” his father said quietly. “And he doesn’t much like weddings.”

“I don’t like
his
weddings,” Mitch snorted later, sitting in his SUV in front of Kerri’s condo.

“I’m sorry.”

“Hey, don’t be sorry. That’s just the way he is. I can’t believe he’s going to do it again.”

“It’s his life, Mitch.”

“Ha. It
was
his life. Now he’s having another kid. Jesus Christ.” He thrust a hand through his hair. “I wonder if my mom knows about this. She must be killing herself laughing.”

Mitch’s family was certainly unique. Which was why he’d been so determined to remain single. Was he worried he was going to end up like his father, with multiple divorces yet pathetically afraid to be alone? It wasn’t surprising that he had some odd ideas about marriage.

“My stepmother is younger than I am,” he said. “And I’m going to have a brother or sister young enough to be my own kid. That’s just sick.”

Kerri put a hand on his back and rubbed it up and down. “Well, it’s unusual.” She gently rubbed him, felt some tension release. “You need to spend more time with my family. So you can see what a real marriage is like.” He gave her a look and she smiled at him. “Seriously. My mom and dad will adopt you. They love you.”

He laughed. “Hey, I love them too. And I’ve seen their marriage, and believe me, it’s not like my family.” He smiled at her, and she could tell he was calmer and more accepting of his father’s choices. “You got a class tomorrow?”

“Yes. My kids’ class. At ten o’clock.”

He hesitated. “You want sleep? Or can I come in?”

Sleep? Who needed sleep? “Come in.”

Later, they lay in bed, her head on his chest, hands stroking him, his fingers tracing little patterns on her shoulder. “What happened with all that oil you made?” he asked idly. “Did Sela find out about it?”

“God no. But Amanda loves it. She’s been using it on her clients. She tried the ginger oil on a couple of guys who’d just run a triathlon and they swore it helped. She says the lavender one almost puts people to sleep, it’s so relaxing. She wants more.”

“Jesus. You’ll have to open a factory.”

She laughed
.
“That’s a good idea. Then I could try all the other ideas I have for skin care—cleansers, scrubs—all natural stuff that makes you feel good and look good.”

“You sound like an entrepreneur.”

She lifted her shoulder a little. “I
am
a businesswoman. Nobody ever seems to recognize that.”

“Hey.” He sounded surprised. “What are you talking about?”

She concentrated on his chest. “My parents think Sela is the businesswoman in the family. She’s so successful, making mega bucks, plus she has a husband and kids. She’s superwoman. She can do it all. On the other hand, I have some little yoga thing that I play around with. They don’t take me seriously at all.” She tried not to sound too bitter.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” he said. “I know your parents are proud of you.”

“Even you,” she continued accusingly. “You’re always so impressed with Sela.”

“I am not!”

“Yes, you are!”

“Well, I do admire her success, but that doesn’t take away from anything you’ve done. You’re a great businesswoman, Kerri,” he said. “Even with all that flaky woo woo new age stuff.”

She gave a little gasp of laughter. “Flaky! I am
so
not flaky.” But his compliment warmed her, surprised her.

He laughed too. “I know you’re not deep down, but sometimes you seem that way when you start talking about chakras and transfiguration and spiritual fulfillment.”

“Well. I’ll show you. I’ve been studying up on some things and you’re going to love it.”

“Hmmm. Now you’ve got me intrigued.”

“Saturday night. Be ready.”

“You have to tell me what it is. You can’t just drop that little teaser and leave me hanging.”

“Oh yes I can. The anticipation is all part of it.” She grinned. She’d had the idea for a while, but didn’t know exactly when she was going to do it. Saturday night they planned to go out for dinner and then see a movie or something after. So this would be the “or something”.

Mitch had made dinner reservations at a romantic restaurant just off Alameda Padre Serra. In a small hotel set in lush, tropical grounds, the patio overlooked the lights of the city. Glowing candles and lamps cast the foliage into shadows and created a dreamy, seductive ambience.

“This is so beautiful,” Kerri said, looking around. An attentive waiter handed them menus. Kerri studied the tantalizing selections while Mitch ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio.

“I was debating between here and Insatiable,” he said. “Have you ever been there?”

“No, but I hear it’s amazing. Super expensive, though.”

“Yeah, but one of the best restaurants in the country. But I decided here was quieter. Insatiable is a place for people watching. Apparently Oprah likes to eat there.”

Kerri grinned. “Yeah, that’s my kind of place. Oprah and me, we go way back.”

He laughed and sipped his wine, watching her across the table. The hint of a breeze stirred her glossy black hair. Her eyes sparkled in the candlelight and he couldn’t remember ever seeing her look so happy or so beautiful. Christ, he was lucky.

“So what are we going to do after dinner? You told me to be ready. I’m thinking you don’t have a movie in mind.”

She smiled slowly. “It’s nothing, really. Tell me what’s happening at work this week.”

Amused by her deflection and although intensely curious, he went along with her conversational lead.

Their food arrived, beautifully presented and delicious.

“Don’t eat too much,” Kerri warned him.

Hmm. What did she have in store for them? “Are we going swimming?” he asked, half serious, half teasing.

She shook her head and touched her napkin to her mouth.

After dinner, they shared a decadent mocha dessert and lingered over strong, smooth coffee.

Mitch glanced at his watch. “Do we need to leave?”

“Just stop trying to get me to tell you!” She laughed. “We can leave anytime. But on our way, I need to stop at the spa.”

“Oh. Okay.” Saturday night the place was closed. Did she need to pick up something?

Kerri needed to use the ladies’ room as they left the restaurant, so he pulled the car around and waited for her at the entrance. She slipped in moments later.

He drove leisurely through the dark streets, down State, turning on Chapala and parking in front of the studio. “Should I just wait here?”

“No, come in. I’ll be a few minutes.”

She opened the front door and they stepped into the salon. Just as Kerri locked the door behind them, Mitch thought he heard another door closing—at the back of the salon. Huh?

“Come with me,” she said, leading the way down the hall.

Mitch noticed lights coming from the yoga studio and the thought entered his head that Kerri must have left them on for security. But when he reached the French doors into the large room, he stopped.

Candles arranged along the front wall of the studio cast a warm, wavery glow across the dark room.

“What the…”

Kerri crossed over to the small desk where the sound system sat and dropped her little purse there. She pressed a button on the stereo and slow, soft piano music drifted across the room. She slipped out of the little cardigan she wore over her dress.

“Come in,” she invited him softly.

“What are we doing?” he asked stupidly. His jaw dropped as she reached behind her to unzip her dress and then slid it down over her shoulders, arms, hips until it floated to the floor at her feet.

“This is your fantasy.”