Image courtesy of imagerymajestic. at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Rating: Mature
“So, coffee?”
Jeffrey passed Amanda the red mug.
Two burning gulps later, a semblance of life entered her eyes.
“Should I just start the second cup now?” he offered, moving to take the white pod out of the coffee maker.
Resting her elbows on the sandstone-marbled countertop between them, Amanda whispered, “You are a god.”
“Not yet, but there is still time. Mocha or espresso or,” Jeffrey rubbed a hand from mid-chest to his six-pack, and hinting going lower “straight black.”
Smirking, because amusement, let alone laughing, took energy she did not have after the New Year’s party, Amanda finished the mug and pushed it back to her friend and surprise lover. “Espresso next.”
“Then, we talk.”
Amanda shook her head, leaning forward afterwards to hold the forehead. “Then mocha, then talk. Maybe.”
“How much did you drink last night?”
She waved her hand back and forth trying to erase the thought from the air. When Jeffry placed the refilled cup in front of her, she grabbed it with both hands, immediately quaffing the near boiling liquid. Jeffrey switched out the pod again for the mocha and refilled the water tank. She pushed the red mug his way a second time, and he provided the nectar of life for the third time.
This time she tasted the liquid. “Oh, god.” Miraculously, beside her hand appeared four aspirin. She tossed them back and took a snip to wash them down. “I said, you are a god, right?”
“Yep.” Jeffry poured himself a bowl of cereal and added milk, betting Amanda wasn’t up to smelling food cooking for a few more hours. This wasn’t the first time she overindulged at his New Year’s party. It was the first time they were both drunk enough to forget not to have drunk sex; she had stayed after, like she had every year since they met four years ago at a work party one Christmas and he randomly invited her over. She hated how trashed his place had been that first year, and stayed to help him pick up the debris after everyone left.
Amanda worked upper management somewhere in Europe most of the year, coming home during the holidays since the offices were closed but having no one to come back to. Her loose ends matched his pretty well for the holiday season in recent years, being an army brat and his parents and younger siblings located somewhere in Asia this deployment and his older siblings scattered throughout the world, so Amanda and he had become once-a-year friends and party crashers.
Somehow this year they started skyping outside of her holiday vacation. Why? Right, Toni had punched through a wall last year, missing her ex by a mile – but chasing the jerk off, and Amanda wondering how the remodeling and assault changes had gone.
One thing led to another and, well, here they were.
“Human yet?”
She shook her head, but it didn’t like it would fall off this time. “Troglodyte, but human may be possible by lunch. We can’t all be gods.” She pushed the red mug forward again.
“Another, or will you be vibrating?”
“Let’s do a decaf this time, something smooth, and hit your patio.”
Jeff grabbed a green pod of his favorite roast, adding a breath of his hazelnut cream when it finished perking, and passed it over.
Silently they padded barefoot to his deck. After clearing one of the mosaic tile tables of the bottles they didn’t touch the night before, because of the … distraction, they sat down to admire his mountain view, pulling their thick robes around them against the January chill. Amanda tucked her feet up onto the chair lip, stuffing the excess of the robe around them for warmth. Since the robe was Jeffrey’s, and he had about ten inches on her five foot four inches, she had plenty of cloth to work with.
He admired the snowscape, carefully not staring at his guest, though a couple other peaks called to him from where she huddled. Another dusting had fallen in the night; combined with the wind, the tracks and forts from last night’s snowball fight, everything now softly rose and fell in mounds.
“Last night,” she stated, baldly.
“Yep.”
“Great sex.”
“Yep.”
“I’ve not had anything in a year, you clean?”
“Yes.” Thinking about the last holiday season, that would mean, let’s see, Bentley from accounting. “Sorry about not using a condom.”
“I found them in your medicine cabinet this morning; they were all expired.”
“Most likely,: Jeff chuckled without amusement. “You don’t need condoms when masturbating.”
“Do that often?” She took a sip of her steaming decaf.
“Enough to keep the plumbing working.” He shrugged, settling back into the webbed chair.
“It worked well last night.”
“Yep.” He finally looked over at the brunette. “But I had some very nice inspiration.”
The blush started between the V of the robe and climbed to her ears, the joys of being white. The red path tempted him to follow it with his lips, as the plumbing reminded him it really, really liked to be used in the morning.
“Thank you.”
“So clean is good.” Jeff cleared his throat. “Leaving the next question; I am not snipped, and we didn’t use a condom.”
She made a face. “Yeah, that could be an issue. I’m normally on birth control, but forgot it would lapse during the holiday so I didn’t pick it extra before leaving for the states. I’ve been off for seven weeks now.”
“You want to get a morning-after pill, just in case?”
“Do you want me to?”
Jeff smiled at her. “Not unless you want to. I’m cool to raise a kid.”
“With me?” Her eyes, previously stilted against the snow glare opened a little.
“Or without, if you just want to carry and dump. I know you really love your career. I wouldn’t mind a kid but haven’t found anyone yet.” He turned his body to completely face her. “On the other hand, I like you and think we could be adults about it.”
She stared into the red mug for a while. “I’m getting up there in age.”
Jeff nodded, understanding. While he had technical expertise, landing him a six figure income at a young age allowing him to live his dream, she had been plodding and career climbing for a long time, and pulled in nearly fifteen years his senior.
“I’m game to play roulette.”
“Promise to keep me informed.” He pulled one of his hands out of the robe sleeves, offering her a pinky.
A laugh exploded from her, and she put down the mug. Offering her pinky in return, they crossed digits. “Promise.”
“Now about that godhood,” he growled, lowering his voice a register pseudo-seductively.
“Are you suggesting you want to double-down on the wheel?”
His smile crafted in response to the question was meant to send shivers up any heterosexual female spine. “Maybe, but also I want to taste you sober, sweet cheeks.”
She leaned forward to kiss his broad lips. Coffee and hazelnut mixed with Fruit Loops and milk; he reached a hand back to pull her closer, opening his mouth. She responded by transferring over to his chair and opening her mouth. Her hands dug into the robe and started stroking his chest.
Pulling back a little, Amanda asked, “So what do you think?”
“Delicious.” Jeffrey pushed her off his lap for a moment to stand. After opening the glass doors, he lifted her up into her arms, letting her wrap her legs around him. “But I want a meal, not a snack.”
The nibble beside his ear whispered, “I think we got time for a feast.”
“A feast,” he groaned, laying her on his bed, glad to make it that far this time.
“Gods should have feasts.” Amanda opened her robe. “I’ve got two days before the return flight.”
(Words 1,314; first published 3/17/2019)
The complete Red Mug series:
3/17/19 – Red Mug
3/24/19 – Green Cheeks
3/31/19 – Copenhagen Blue
4/7/19 – Clear Glass
4/14/19 – Gold Bands