Page 21 of Not My Friend
“No, why?”
“Just wondering.”
She gestured towards the couch. “Have a seat, can I get you a drink? I have root beer, water, beer, orange juice, or diet Pepsi.”
“Water’s good, thanks.”
I suddenly felt a little nervous. Maybe it was because I wasn’t one hundred percent sure why I was here or what I planned to say. Maybe it was because things seemed so different in this place now that it was throwing me. Or maybe it was because depending on the outcome of this conversation, I might be taking a really big risk.
“How have you been?” Gina asked, returning with two bottles of water.
She seemed cool and casual which made me relax a little too.
“Pretty good,” I said. “I heard yesterday that the state has closed their investigation into your agency.”
She heaved a big sigh. “Yeah, it’s a relief. I mean, I’m glad we discovered what we did before Erin stole even more money, money that we could have used to help vulnerable families. But I hate that it happened, and I hate that her actions put everyone in turmoil for three months. I know it’s trite, but our agency is like one big family and finding out that one of your own is a thief, well that was hard for all of us.”
“Do you know why she did it?” I asked.
Gina shrugged. “Allison’s theory is that it was a thrill. Erin denied being a gambler, and she didn’t seem to have a lot of debt. Maybe she just thought she deserved more money or something. It’s hard to know. But it’s good we found what we did, because Sunrise wasn’t the only program she was stealing from.”
“That sucks,” I said sympathetically, remembering David mentioning that the forensic auditors had helped evaluate the entire suite of programs. “Although I’m not at all surprised. Once people get away with something once, it’s hard to resist doing it again.”
“Yeah.”
We were both quiet for a few minutes while I worked up my nerve. “You’re probably wondering why I’m here.”
“I think I know,” she said quietly. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot too. I mean, that’s why you’re here, right? I assume you didn’t come here after three months of not talking to tell me you didn’t want to talk to me again.”
I smiled as relief rushed through me.
“I definitely want to see you again given that we’re both feeling the same way,” I said. “The thing is, when we dated before, we jumped right into the sex and the living together and we never took the time to get to know each other. You were my lover, but you were not my friend, and the thing is, friendship should be a base for any good relationship.”
“I agree. So what are you proposing? That we should be friends?”
I nodded. “Yeah, let’s get to know each other for who we are now. No dating, just friends and if the attraction is still there, we can talk about maybe being more.”
While Gina considered my words I felt the air between us become heated.
“Friends,” she said softly. “Just friends. Okay. I can do that.”
“Great.”
We exchanged another long look, this one charged with something that felt dangerous. I wasn’t sure how it happened, but suddenly we were both moving towards each other. Our lips crashed together and then, before I knew it was happening, we were kissing like our lives depended on it.
Gina
The instant my lips touched Kimberly’s my entire body seemed to relax, as if I’d been frozen in place for way too long and could finally let go. I looped my arms over her shoulders, pulling her close as our tongues tangled, fighting for control. I loved it.
I’d always tended to be passive in bed, enough so that some of my previous lovers had teased me that I was a pillow princess, but with Kimberly, I’d always felt more confident. Able to express my needs. I didn’t obsess about how I looked naked or how fresh my breath was. It was like my overwhelming need for her made everything else disappear.
With our shared history and my hard-earned self-confidence, I wasn’t afraid to take what I needed. I shoved her backwards so I could straddle her lap, my mouth fused with hers the entire time.Her hands went to my ass, grinding me against her in a way that made my heart thunder in my chest.
I was about ten seconds away from losing control when I pulled back just enough to see her face. Kimberly’s expression was almost shell-shocked, like she couldn’t figure out how we’d gone from talking about being friends to making out on the couch.
“How you feel about friends with benefits?” I panted.
Kimberly’s hand snaked up between us, palming my breast and giving it a firm squeeze that even through the fabric of my shirt and bra felt like a brand. A rush of arousal flooded my core, making my panties damp.
