The Second Door

"There he is." I thought, as I walked into the room where an informal reception was being held. "Damn, Damn, Damn..." kept running through my mind as I saw him standing in the center. "You are not attracted to him, he is your friend, you have a boyfriend." I repeated the mantra to myself as he abruptly ended his conversation and started walking towards me and I found myself taking the steps to meet him halfway.

I've known Tom for a few weeks, we had become good friends on this trip and had clearly established the boundaries of our friendship; we had taken a road trip and hung out without any problems, what the hell had changed? I hadn't seen him the entire weekend, and yet I hadn't been able to stop thinking about him and seeing him standing there had made my stomach drop. I knew the feeling was mutual, I could see it in his eyes as he walked forward and reached down to hug me hello. I could feel his muscles tense as I put my arms around his waist and he pressed me closer to him so that my head was pressed against his chest. This was not our first hug, but it was unlike any that had passed between us. For the first time I was aware of his swimmer's body and found myself wanting to trace all the contours of his muscles.

We were in the middle of a crowded room, we had to separate quickly, but as we ended the hug he let his hands slide across my shoulders in a subtle caress. We stepped back and tried to pretend that nothing had happened, that neither of us had felt the spark and the reluctance to let go. We were friends and simply hadn't seen each other in a while. That was it. We exchanged stories and caught up on the latest gossip. I don't even remember what was said, I couldn't really think straight. We stood there talking and it was undeniable that there was electricity between us, it felt like the whole room was watching us and just waiting for the sparks to fly. Neither of us knew how to handle it, the things we were saying didn't matter and we couldn't say what was really on our minds, so we both found a way to extract ourselves from the conversation and hastily moved away from the center of the room.

I found myself in a conversation with a group of other women, and the topic was safe clothes and shoes. I'd worn one of my favorite casual outfits, a black tube top with a short denim skirt and a new five inch pair of heels. How I could walk in those shoes was a favorite topic of conversation amongst this group and we'd been down this road many times, I gave the same responses I always did and wondered why it was such a big deal; I was simply more comfortable in heels because I'd worn them so long. As the conversation drifted around shoes I found myself looking around the room pretending I was just studying the crowd when Tom suddenly appeared by my side and put his hand around my small waist leaning down to whisper in my ear, "You look amazing, those heels make your legs look miles long."

I must've blushed as I thanked him, we'd never exchanged serious compliments, we were buddies damn it! I didn't know what to say next but I was spared as someone called me from across the room and I got engaged in another conversation. He let his hand linger on my waist as I pulled away to join the others and I could feel him watching me walk across the room.

The reception was winding down and I was grateful for the opportunity to get out of the room, someone shouted the name of a nearby bar and we all agreed to walk there. The one problem with heels, however, is that I rarely can keep pace with the group and it's common for me to lag behind everyone. I don't mind, and my friends usually slow down and walk with me. Today was no different, except that it was Tom who slowed down and kept me company. We walked companionably in silence for a block until the rest of the group was far enough ahead to not hear us.

"I missed you this weekend, what are we going to do about this?" Tom asked, clearly referring to the dilemma of our attraction.

"I don't know, I've been trying to deny it." Was my brilliant reply as I stumbled across some cobblestones forcing Tom to grab my arm. So much for always being able to walk in heels, I thought.

"I'm really attracted to you." Tom stated.

"You know how I feel about you, Tom, but I don't know what I'm supposed to do." I hedged as we got to the bar.

This was our normal hang out so it was not surprising to see everybody at the bar, even those who hadn't made the reception. What was surprising was how crowded the bar was and how stifling it was inside. I found my girls and made my way over to sit next to them, I needed to escape Tom and my feelings for him. I sat down and ordered a Long Island and tried to join the conversation, but my heart wasn't into it... I kept scanning the bar to see where he was and whether he was looking for me. We kept making eye contact but both of us knew it was better not to approach the other. I was grateful when the girls decided to go smoke, I went with them to get fresh air and found the object of my evasion standing outside with the boys. I stayed in conversation with the girls and he stayed talking with the boys, both of us were completely aware of the other; knowing each other's exact relative position. One by one, our friends started streaming inside, I couldn't face the atmosphere inside and I lingered outside with the smokers, as did Tom even though neither of us smoked. Finally the inevitable happened, we were left outside by ourselves.

"What are you drinking?" He asked.

"Long Island." I replied, as he raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"That sounds good; I think I'll get one." He said and went inside while I stayed outside; I knew he'd come back out. Long Island Iced Tea was our drink of choice on the road trip. We had gone on the trip with two other guys, and all pitched in for the car, the room, the gas, etc. We'd stayed out all night drinking and dancing coming back to our communal room at 6am. That night was one of the most amazing I'd had, I don't normally drink that much, or dance for that matter; but Tom had me on the dance floor until I thought I would drop! I don't know what made me order it, I don't usually drink it but he chose to read all kinds of things into it, and maybe I wanted him to.

He came back out holding his drink and still smirking, "It's really hot in there, wanna go closer to the river?"

The river was just across the street and I agreed thinking it may not be a great idea to tempt fate but I figured what's the harm, and we definitely needed to talk. We strolled across the street and sat down on the railing of the bridge, just sipping our drinks and watching the water. He was a ball of unleashed energy, standing up in front of me, and I felt the butterflies flutter in my stomach.

"I like you. You are the most amazing woman I've met. When you stood up the first day at orientation, I knew you were a woman. Every guy in that room was talking about you and how good you looked; we took a vote." Tom said and gently put his hand on my naked knee.

I avoided his gaze but picked his hand up and held it. It felt wrong to let him touch me, but I couldn't let him go. "You know I'm attracted to you, but I have a boyfriend and I won't do anything to compromise that relationship and lose his trust. I love him and even though I don't know what's going on here with us, I won't be that girl. I won't cheat on him, I can't." I said and finally looked up at him.

"Stop analyzing, just enjoy the moment. There's nobody here, nobody has to know. Just relax, don't think about the future. Live in the moment. I like you, you like me; there is nothing else in this moment." Tom said to me and put his hands on my shoulders.

I leaned my head towards him so that it was resting on his chest, the pull towards him and between us was magnetic but it was a sign of contrition as I told him, "I can't think about just this moment. It will be over and the universe will come back, and I'll have to face the consequences of whatever happens. I want to be able to look my boyfriend in the eye when I see him, and I want to be able to look in the mirror at myself without feeling guilt."

"Why are you out here?" He asked me. "If you're not interested, why are you out here with me? Why am I out here with you? There are other girls out there who are interested, why am I still out here with you? Why am I still attracted to you?" He continued while pressing me closer and rubbing my back, as if to soften his words and tell me they were said in frustration, not in an attempt to hurt.

I knew if I raised my head he would kiss me, and I could say that it didn't count because he initiated it. But I chose not to raise my head; instead I turned it to the side as I felt his arms around me and his abs were pressed against my cheek. I could feel him lower his head to kiss and smell my hair.

"I don't know. I don't know why I'm here." I said and put my arms on his sides as if to push him away. I could feel his muscles and ribs, and I didn't want to stop touching them and put my hands down. "Maybe I shouldn't be here, in fact I probably shouldn't, but I can't help it. I really like you and I thought we were friends, and I thought we could stay friends. We were fine, what happened, where did we go wrong? I thought the boundaries were all set, you knew I had a boyfriend, and I thought you wanted to get back with your ex. We weren't supposed to be attracted to each other! I won't sleep with you. Maybe it's better if we weren't friends, pretend that the other doesn't exist?"

He pressed me closer and held on to me tightly. "Look nothing really matters, you're over-thinking everything. Nothing has to happen, let's just enjoy the night and have fun, can we do that?"

"Just have fun?" I asked, not certain of what he meant but hopeful that we could salvage our friendship, "Do you want to go back to the bar?"

He agreed and we headed back, only to find the bar was closed and all our friends gone. "How long were we out there?" I asked rhetorically as we automatically headed back to our homes. We lived off the same square, and Tom was a great guy always making sure that there was someone to walk me home; on the few nights that our groups had separated he'd called to make sure I'd gotten in safely. Our walk was quiet, there was not much to say, we'd agreed to just have fun, but what that meant to each of us was something that remained unexplored, until we got to my door.

"Thanks for walking me home, Tom, I'll see you tomorrow OK? I'm really glad we talked and tried to sort this out." I said as I started unlocking the first of two doors to get into my building. At the same moment a group of noisy people started walking by and decided to pause right outside my building.

"Let's step inside." Tom suggested, and I let him in through the first door. We stood in the vestibule and hugged good night. It was the kind of hug that just lingers and has no end. My arms were around his sides and his were around my shoulders.

He felt so good at that moment; I couldn't resist raising my head to look at him. His eyes were full of lust as he whispered, "You're so beautiful; you're killing me." I was looking at him, trapped in his gaze, wanting to feel him, to kiss him as he lowered his head and made contact with my lips. I was lost, I didn't want to pull back and I didn't have the willpower to try. I'd been denying this for weeks, and I was tired, this was what I wanted. To feel him, to feel his hands on me, to feel his lips brush against mine.

He moved his right hand to the nape of my neck and angled my head so that our lips met more fully. He used his left hand to press my waist closer to him, and my arms tightened around him. His kisses were becoming more urgent, and insistent, as his hand left my waist to caress my back. He was so gentle, and yet so persuasive my mouth opened to him of its own volition. He groaned as my mouth invited his tongue inside and my arms started to explore the planes of his back.

He pushed me against the second door, and continued his onslaught of my mouth. We fell through the door together and he picked me up to carry me inside the elevator. Soon we were inside my efficiency standing there just kissing, as fevered as we were, he seemed in no rush to go further and I realized that he was waiting for my to take the initiative. Ever the gentleman, I understood that he wanted me to make the decision and not be a passive participant.

I took his hands in mine and gently tugged at him to walk towards the center of my room. There was no mistaking my decisiveness, as the only place to go was the bed. I slid my hands back to his sides as we continued exploring each other's mouths and bodies.

He slid his hands across my bare shoulders causing me to purr my response in his mouth, and suck on his tongue in appreciation. I wanted to feel his chest, his shoulders; explore them, kiss them and finally feel them pressing against my naked body. I reached for the top button of his shirt and confidently undid all the buttons, finally tugging the sleeves off. I brushed my hands lightly across his chest, and tore my mouth off his to taste his naked skin. He was tanned, and toned, and I pressed my lips to his collarbone, flicking my tongue out to trace the muscled indentations. Suddenly I heard a growl and found myself lying on my back in bed.

He had my clothes off in seconds with my arms pinned to my sides as he started exploring my body. He was back to kissing my neck, sucking on an especially sensitive spot behind my ear and causing me to moan. I wanted to press his chest closer, and kiss him back, but he was having none of it. He let me make the decision to go further and now he was in charge. He kept kissing my neck and started to trail his kisses down to the valley between my breasts. My eyes were closed and my head was tilted back in delight, when he stopped. He took my arms and brought them above my head, holding them with his left hand and cupping my face with his right.

"Look at me." He demanded, as he brought his face level to mine.

I opened my eyes and looked at him. His eyes were looking deep into mine as he pressed our lips together then moved his face back an inch. He maintained eye contact as he moved his right hand lower to caress my breast, watching my face as I struggled to focus on him and not close my eyes again. He let his thumb graze over my nipple, causing it to stand up higher. Slowly he moved his head down to my breast, still never letting his eyes leave mine, as his lips closed around my nipple causing my body to arch and meet his hand and mouth.

He brought his other hand down and started playing with both my breasts as he alternated sucking on each. I couldn't take it anymore and struggled to reach him to kiss him back. I still wanted my chance to explore his body, and this time he didn't stop me as I rubbed and caressed him. Allowing my hands, lips, and tongue to learn the texture of him; the taste of his skin; and the smell of his cologne.

He was still wearing his pants, so I reached out and undid his belt. He watched my hands as I unclasped the button and pulled down the zipper and then his pants; leaving him only in his boxers. He was clearly erect and I couldn't resist running my hand lightly over his hardness. I looked up at him as I reached my hand inside his waistband to feel his length, skimming my fingers down his shaft to caress his balls before wrapping them around his dick.

He stilled completely and I used the opportunity to slide his boxers down his legs. Still looking him in the eye, I licked my lips and took him in my mouth. I slid my mouth and hand simultaneously down to his balls, while running my tongue gently around his cockhead. He threw his head back and groaned in response to my ministrations, but I was not going to ease up. I continued my movements, adding a twisting motion with my hand that added an entirely new dimension to his pleasure.

Without saying a word, he pushed my away and in one fluid movement tore my thong down my body. He pushed my thighs apart and kneeled down between my legs. I felt so open and vulnerable as he lowered his head and started kissing my thighs. He tongued and kissed his way up and down both thighs until I was writhing in anticipation of feeling his tongue on my clit. My senses were overwrought as he took his forefinger and gently slipped it between my labia just lightly enough to tease my senses. I gasped and my hips arched to get more contact from him, but he was anticipating my move and withdrew his hand completely.

"You're so wet, I can't wait to feel you around me," He whispered as he licked his finger and started tracing the path his finger had taken with his tongue. Around my clit, and back down several times, until he started focusing his attention exclusively where I wanted it most.

"Oh god, that feels so good," I half-moaned half-whispered, "You're going to make me come! I want to feel you inside me!" I managed to gasp out.

He glanced up at my to make sure I knew he was listening, but didn't stop what he was doing. Instead, he simply sucked harder on my clit letting his tongue tease it in a way that was driving me crazy. My body was arching and winding tighter as he continued his assault, I couldn't hold still and wanted him in me. He could tell I was getting close, my body was tensing and I was moaning non-stop. He pushed a finger inside of me, and when I gasped for more wanting his cock, he added another finger and stroked the flesh inside until he found my g-spot. That was more than my senses could take, and I screamed as my body bowed and arched in orgasm. My muscles were contracting and yet, he wasn't stopping, he lifted his face to watch me and let his thumb stroke my clit through the aftershocks.

As my body started calming down, I reached and pulled him to my, kissing him and holding him tight. "That was amazing, I've haven't come like that in a long time." I told him between breaths and kisses.

He grinned, and said, "We'll see what we can do about that," and continued to kiss me.

I was not one to lay back and relax, and reached down to take matters in my own hands. Wedging my hand between us, I found him still hard and ready to go. I tilted my hips and used my thighs to press him closer to me.

He lifted himself up on his elbows and watched my face as I guided his cock to the entrance of my body. I was wet and ready for him, and he slipped inside of me with only a little resistance causing us both to sigh in pleasure. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, expecting him to thrust himself all the way inside of me. He surprised me and pulled back instead, eliciting a whimper from me.

"Don't worry darling, I'm coming back." He whispered in my ear, and slowly glided back inside. Nearly entering halfway before withdrawing. I tried to pin him in place, and force him to fill me completely, but he had his own plan. He kept me guessing, and teasing both our senses for what felt like hours. Every time I thought he would finally be all the way in me, he would pull back.

"You are so tight, you feel so good around my cock." He said through clenched teeth.

My breathing was ragged, and I was gasping for breath. I was trying to hold onto him and make him join with me completely, but he was intent on his task. His breath was steady and he seemed fully in control of his senses, body, and timing. I was clawing at him, moaning, and writhing underneath him.

"God damn it, fuck me hard! I want you inside of me all the way! Please!" I almost sobbed in frustration.

He stopped what he was doing and looked down at me telling me to be patient and kissing me gently. He slid out of me almost completely then, and I whispered, "Give it to me." He gazed at me intently with a wolfish grin, and I felt him shift his weight and wrap his arms around my body. "Yessss!" I moaned in anticipation. And he entered me with a series of shallow thrusts that left me breathless and sobbing with incompletion. I was mindless with need, wanting him to fill me completely and come with him inside of me. I managed to plead with him as he kept thrusting inside of me. "I want to come, make me come, please – I can't take it anymore!" And finally, he pushed himself all the way inside, forcing my needy flesh yield to him and hitting my cervix.