Just Friends (3 page)

“They’ll increase security.”

“You two need to stop worrying
about everything. Now, what films do you want me to pick up tonight?” she
asked, pouring the sauce over the bowl of chicken, pasta, and vegetables. “I,
unlike some of us, won’t be forgetting my chores this evening.”

“I know I forgot the groceries
yesterday. I’ll make it up to you with an extra tub of ice-cream.” Mitch gave
her his sorry face, which made her chuckle.

“You forgot the woman’s ice-cream?
How do you still walk?” Chase asked.

“I like him walking,” Leah said,
winking at Mitch. “His butt looks good when he’s walking to get me some.”

“I can show you my butt anytime,
baby.”

She laughed and tossed their lunch.
“Shit.” She cursed when some of the sauce landed on her shirt. Leah finished
preparing the salad, placing it into the three bowls. She made sure Chase and
Mitch got the most servings.

After placing the stuff she used in
the sink, she looked down at her shirt. “Crap, this is my last white blouse.
I’ve got nothing suitable for work.”

Both men looked down on her red
covered breasts. “Why don’t you use mine,” Chase said, disappearing into his
room. He came out with a large, white men’s dress shirt.

“It will be too long.”

He shook his head while moving
toward her. “Not when I’m done.” She was startled when he began to unbutton her
blouse. Leah stared at his hands as they stroked her breasts. She gasped and
wanted to curse. He hadn’t intentionally felt her breasts. Her desire for these
men would put her into an early grave. First from her erotic dream and now with
his gentle touching, she felt like she was going to explode. Her shirt was
unbuttoned all the way. Chase threw the shirt at Mitch, who was also staring at
her chest.

She wore a white lace bra. If they
looked properly they’d see her nipples. Leah went to fold her arms over her
chest to cover the evidence of her arousal. Chase stopped her, helping her put
his shirt on. He buttoned up the shirt then tucked the edges into her skirt.

Chase bent down in front of her. He
looked into her eyes as he eased his hands under her skirt and pulled the shirt
further down so that it wasn’t bunched around her.

Leah couldn’t speak. There were no
words for the way she was feeling. Her heart hammered inside her chest as he
stood up. His scent invaded her senses, and then Mitch was behind her pulling
her hair out from the back of the shirt. Chase rolled one sleeve up while Mitch
did the other. When they were finished, their touches lingered on her.

Was she imagining their looks?

“There, you look all better.”

She nodded her head, pulling away
from their touch. Leah sealed their boxes then cleaned up her mess.

“I think a mixture would be good,”
Chase said. He was sat at the counter drinking some coffee.

“A
mixture?”

“Get a horror, action, comedy, and your
usual chick flick with the
lovey
dovey
ending.”

Chase laughed at the horror on
Mitch’s face.

Leah tapped his shoulder, kissing
Mitch’s cheek. “You’ll love it. Your lunches are on the counter. I’ll see you
tonight.”

She walked out of the apartment and
into the fresh air.

****

“I don’t like her riding the bus to
work,” Mitch said.

“She won’t accept a ride, and it’s
out of our way. Trying to force her would be a nightmare.” Chase finished his
coffee then stood up. “I’ve got to get going.”

“What is on the agenda for you
today?” Mitch asked.

“I’ve got to install some security
units for Michael and then give a quote on a job for Lucy. She wants you in the
office to give some speech,” Chase said.

“The
joy.”

“At least we have a job,” Chase said.
Mitch grabbed his lunch then headed out the door following behind Chase as they
walked out of their apartment block. They worked in construction, and it was
their job to install top of the range security units. The work was good, but
they both wanted to own their own business. Mitch hated working for someone
else. His father had been a lawyer and was partner for his own firm. Mitch
hated the law and never found it interesting.

“Word of advice, don’t forget her
ice-cream. I think it is close to being that time of the month for her,” Chase
said, moving towards his own car.

“Don’t you think it is creepy you
know when her woman time is?” Mitch asked.

“Nope, I call it being prepared.”

Mitch frowned. “Being prepared for
what?”

“The foul
mood, the temper, and her increased hunger.
I see
the signs and accept it. You, on the other hand, are always in the dog house.”

He gave Chase the finger then
climbed in his car. Lucy wasn’t a bad boss to work for. She demanded excellence,
and she knew how good they were. Mitch made it into work as she was seating
everyone around the office table. He didn’t recognise anyone.

“I’ll need you in fifteen, Mitch,”
Lucy said.

“I’ll be ready.” He smiled at the
older woman then went back behind his desk. At twenty-five he knew he shouldn’t
be feeling trapped. He did, though, and there was nothing he could do to stop
it.

Mitch watched a couple of his
colleagues walking into the office. They were all top security specialists, and
several of them were older than he.

“Hey, Mitch, how is it going?”
David asked.

“Okay. I’ve got to give some talk
about our latest security equipment. I don’t know why she doesn’t pick someone
else.”

“You’re the pretty boy. Young,
ambitious, and clients like that,” Liam said. Liam was one of the older
workers.

The construction business had been
hit by the economic crisis. There were not a lot of jobs for brick-layers or
construction workers. Mitch and Chase had excelled in engineering and
computers. Their security was tight, and he was thankful for the work. He just
wished the markets were better so they could start up their own business.

“How was Leah’s date last night?”
John asked.

“How did you know about that?”

“Chase was cursing all over the
place when he got back from a job. Some bloke by the name of Guy,” Liam said.

“Not good. She didn’t look happy
when she got home last night.”

“I like Leah. She’s a good woman,”
Liam said. “She reminds me a little of my wife, Sandra.”

Mitch smiled at him. Sandra was a
lovely woman and brought Liam his lunch whenever he forgot. Mitch looked down
at his own prepared lunch, and his heart was once again filled with yearning.
He was unhappy with his job and his future with Leah. Being friends was not
what he wanted to be in the next five years. He wanted her to be his woman and
Chase’s. The more he thought about sharing her, the more he liked it.

Lucy called him through to give his
speech. He talked about the latest equipment and how each unit suited individual
needs. By the time the meeting was finished, Lucy had several more clients, and
he had more houses and businesses to install.

Chase made visits to the office
throughout the day, grabbing supplies and filling in paperwork. Neither got
chance to talk about that morning. Mitch sat outside eating his lunch on one of
the tables provided for the staff. Mitch watched the people going by as he ate the
delicious food.

He played the morning over inside
his head, seeing her pale, creamy skin exposed for him and Chase to look at.

Her red nipples had been visible
against the white lace of her bra. Mitch had reached out several times ready to
pull the bra from her body. The glimpse he’d gotten of her tit that morning was
not enough to keep him sane. He finished his lunch,
then
got back to work.

When the day was over, he made his
way to the grocery store. He wouldn’t forget her ice-cream if it was nearing
her time of the month.

****

Chase found it hard to concentrate
at work. All he saw was Leah’s naked breast in his mind. It was like an
obsessive picture playing over and over. He had to rewire several systems
before he’d finished. After apologising to each client for the time he took, he
made his way back to the office to complete the day’s paper.

Mitch had already left. Several of
the men were still lingering about. He finished and left the office with enough
time to spare to pick Leah up. With the rise in crime in the area, he didn’t
want her walking the streets alone.

He pulled up outside of her office
building as she was coming out of the doors. She was alone, and the women who’d
exited with her stood off to the side. Some of them were sniggering at Leah.
His defensiveness went through the roof. She hadn’t seen him yet.

Chase climbed out of the car and
walked over to her.

“Hey, baby,” he said, pulling her
close.

“Chase, what are you doing here?”
She hugged him close and was smiling.

The other women were watching them.
He turned so his back was to them. “Were they giving you a hard time?”

“They do every Friday,” she said.

“Then let’s give them something to
talk about.” He didn’t know why he did it, but he was never going to regret it.
Chase leaned down and claimed her lips. He plunged his tongue inside and tasted
her for the first time. They’d never kissed at all. The few pecks on the cheek
and friendly kisses did not count in his book.

When he pulled away, her eyes were
glazed over with desire. Chase knew that Leah wanted him as much as he did her.

“Come on, baby. Let’s get you
home.”

They walked to his car.

“Well, if that is what she gets to
go home to every night, I see why she bails on us.” He heard one of the women
mutter.

He helped her inside his car and
then moved round to his side. Giving the lonely women a wave, he pulled away
from the curb.

“Don’t forget we need to grab some
movies.”

“I won’t.”

“What made you come for me
tonight?” she asked.

His grip tightened on the steering
wheel thinking about her safety. “The streets are no longer safe. I don’t like
the thought of you being on your own.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Not while I’m around.”

Leah didn’t argue with him.

“Why were those women giving you a
hard time?” he asked.

She sighed. “Did you see someone
you like?”

Not
with you in my arms.

“Not a chance. I want to know why
they’re giving my girl a hard time. I care about you, Leah.”

Actually,
I fucking love you and worship the ground you walk on, but you’re so not ready
to hear that just yet.

“They’re not mean. Every Friday
they ask me to go for drinks, and I refuse. In fact, I refuse most of their
social offers. I’m not interested in forming friendships.”

“Why
not?”

“I don’t want to be a receptionist
in the same building all my life, Chase. Surely you understand that.”

He nodded his head in agreement. He
and Mitch had a dream of setting up their own business and being their own
bosses. Their dream included Leah. At the moment they couldn’t afford to start
up a business, let alone employ Leah. They had too much at stake.
Their reputations.
The apartment.
And Leah counted on Mitch and Chase to bring in the extra money. They would
never risk the apartment. Leah was their first priority.

“Besides, I like spending time with
you guys. Work is work, and fun is fun. I don’t like to mix the two.”

Chase pulled into the parking lot
of the video store.

“Will you wait here?” she asked.

He glanced toward the door and saw
the place was crowded with men. “Not a chance. We can go together.”

Pulling his keys out of the
ignition, he climbed out of the car.

“You’re being very difficult.”

“Are you finally ashamed of me,
baby?” he asked, flickering his eyelashes at her. Chase offered his hand, which
she took.

“You’re a crazy guy, you know
that?”

“Always.”

Chapter Three

Leah was thrilled at Chase coming
to collect her from work. She saw the look on the other girls’ faces, and it
had been a dream come true to see. They understood why she turned them down
every chance she got. Mitch and Chase were worth the teasing she got at work.
At least they wouldn’t think she was some repressed virgin who was afraid of
alcohol. She held his hand as they walked into the video store. Willy was
serving at the counter and gave her a wave, which she reciprocated.

“How many should we take out?” she
asked.