On His Knees by Tabatha Kiss

Chapter 43

Jenna

Damn, girl.

I stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Looking good, as usual, but…

Something’s different.

It’s my standard date-night style. Perfect smokey eyes. Soft red matte lips. Hair lightly curled and twisting just past my collarbone. Nothing out of the ordinary there…

I continue downward along the neckline of my halter top dress. Little. Black. Casual and simple. My favorite little black dress, actually. Full of good memories. Perfect for occasions just like this.

But what is this, exactly?

A conversation with Seth Newbury. Alone. On a Friday night. Alone.

I bend over to search the bathroom cabinet, finding the condom box in its usual place. It’s a habit to grab two before leaving for the night, but something about this feels…

Different.

Two knocks tap the door. “Jenna?” Heidi asks from the other side.

I rip two condoms off the roll and shove them into my dress pocket. “Yeah?”

“Hurry up, I gotta pee.”

I chuckle. “Be out in a sec.”

I give myself one last look before opening the door.

“Damn!” Heidi checks me up and down. “The dress, huh?”

“Thedress,” I repeat.

“Hot date tonight?”

“I’m meeting up with a guy I matched with,” I say. I lie. “Just for dinner. And light conversation.”

She eyes my dress again. “I won’t wait up.”

The way she says it tilts my stomach a little. “Okay, well, I’ll see you later tonight.”

“Bye-bye!”

She bolts into the bathroom and closes the door.

As I walk down the hall, I spot Drew sitting on the couch in the living room. He’s here. Meaning Seth is in their apartment. Alone. Waiting for me.

“Have a good night, Drew,” I say as I reach the front door.

He bows his head, respecting my dress. “You, too.”

I step outside, fishing my keys out of my handbag as I walk to my car. As I climb inside, my gut quivers with a feeling I haven’t felt since… Oh.

I know what’s different.

This isn’t something I’ve felt in a long time, but it’s hard to forget the signs.

That rumble in the stomach. The tingle of every lie. This thrill deep inside of me.

This is the beginning of a secret fling.

Something’s different about this one, though.

I’ve never lied to Heidi about it before.

* * *

I stride into their apartment. I don’t bother knocking.

He knows I’m coming. Why else would he leave the door unlocked?

Instantly, I hear Seth chuckle in the kitchen across the entryway.

“Sure,” he says over the sound of running water. “Come on in.”

I close the door. I lock it.

With a fresh quip on my tongue, I walk across the room and into the kitchen, but my tongue dissolves the closer I get to him. He stands with his back to me, leaned slightly forward over the sink. My eyes wander downward, gliding along the back of his shirt and black pants.

Seth turns the water off. I remain silent as he turns to face me, his damp hands and forearms on full display as he pats them dry with a dish towel.

“Sorry,” he says. “Just clearing away a few dishes.”

I swallow. “It’s fine.”

He checks me from head-to-toe as he adjusts his rolled-up sleeves. No annoying smirk. No remark on my appearance. Just... happy to see me.

I set my handbag on the counter. “So, what did you want to talk about?” I ask.

Seth tilts his head at my impatience. “Vanilla or chocolate?” he asks.

“What?”

He twists toward the refrigerator. “Well, I was joking before about ice cream, but the more I thought about it, the more I really wanted it.” He pops open the freezer and reaches inside. “Wasn’t sure what your preference was, so I bought both.”

I smile as he sets the containers on the counter. “You really asked me to dinner and served me ice cream?”

He shrugs. “Well, I would have gone for something a little more complex, but I didn’t think you’d actually show.”

“Yes, you did.”

Seth laughs. “You’re right. I knew I had you, but I figured we’d keep this light and fun. And a little sexy. Describes ice cream to a T.”

I nod. Point granted. “Vanilla.”

His brow piques as he turns to face the counter. “Unexpected.”

“I like simple things.”

“Fair enough.” He peels the lid off the vanilla carton and sets it aside. “But here’s where it gets fun.” He peeks over his shoulder with a smile. “Chocolate... or caramel?”

I bite my cheek in thought. “Caramel.”

“Sprinkles?”

“Of course.”

“Bowl or cone?” he asks, clearly hoping for the more phallic answer.

“Bowl,” I say with a glare.

He chuckles. “Damn. Bowl it is.”

I take a seat at the table. I’ve been to this apartment dozens of times before, but it feels different tonight. New, somehow. Almost naughty.

I shouldn’t be here.

I shouldn’t be here behind my best friend’s back. Behind his sister’s back. A lie is a lie, no matter how justified it is, but dammit...

This girl just can’t say no to a secret fling. Never has.

My spine tingles as Seth approaches the table with a white bowl in each hand. He sets one down in front of me, and I instantly smile. Caramel and sprinkles.

“Thank you,” I say.

He holds out a spoon. I take it. “You’re very welcome,” he says, then spins on his heel and sits down in the chair across from mine.

I peek into his bowl. Chocolate and sprinkles. “So, what did you want to talk about?” I ask again.

Seth grins as he scraps a bit of ice cream with his spoon. “Hold on. I’ve been cooking all day. Let me enjoy this first.”

I chuckle as he takes a bite. Even I can’t help but coat my spoon in sugary heaven and give it a taste. A cool rush fills my cheeks only to quickly be overpowered by heat again.

“Delicious,” I say.

Seth nods. “It really is.” He licks his lips as he stares across the table at me. “So, you were right,” he finally says.

I lean forward, amused. “Come again?”

“You were right,” he repeats. “Or, at least, I think you might have made an interesting observation.”

“Which was?”

He sets his spoon down. “You said before that this was just... temporary insanity.”

“I recall you taking offense to that.”

“I did, yeah. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought that maybe... you were right.”

I lower my spoon as that cool rush tingles my cheeks again, but the pounding blood doesn’t return as quickly this time. “So, you want to end this, then?” I ask.

His head tilts. “I didn’t say that.”

“Then, what do you want?”

“I want us to have sex.”

“We’ve already had sex, Seth.”

“No, we haven’t.”

I squint. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, we’ve fucked,” he says. “We’ve definitely fucked. What I’m proposing is that we — you and I — have sex to get whatever the hell this is out of our system so we can move on with our lives.”

“So...” I sit back, still very confused. “You want to… make love?”

“Ew,no.” He recoils. “No. God, no.”

I exhale, relieved. “Good.”

“No. I just want to have sex,” he says. “You know, foreplay. Oral. Multiple positions. Forehead kiss in the morning. I’ll call you, but not really. Sex.”

He pats the table, emphasizing the full stop at the end of his spiel.

“And you think this will get... whatever the hell this is out of our system?” I ask.

“Yes, I do.”

“Why?”

“Always does.”

I cock my head. “Really?”

“Hey. I don’t make the rules. Having sex with a girl immediately makes her less interesting. Everyone knows this.”

I scoff. “You’re a douche.”

“So, stick me up there and let’s get this over with.”

“You don’t douche a vagina, you idiot.”

He smiles. “Oh, I know.”

His eyes poke downward. I roll mine.

Why did I even come here?

What exactly did I expect?

“Okay, look...” Seth gazes at me with those damned golden eyes. “Maybe I’m pitching this wrong.”

“Ya think?”

“Jenna, we are cut from a very similar cloth. Not the same cloth. But a similar one.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, doubtful.

“Well, let me ask you this: do you want a relationship? With me?”

“Ew, no.” I recoil. “No. God, no.”

“See? I don’t either, but I am very into the idea of ravaging you and that killer rump of yours all night long. This is a happy middle.”

I exhale slowly, pushing every molecule of air from my lungs. Maybe he has a point. Maybe he’s dead wrong. Maybe I’m just stupid and horny... but he’s making some sense.

There is nothing I’d like more than to get this guy out of my mind. For good.

“One time?” I ask.

“One time,” he repeats.

“And then we move on with our lives?”

“And then we move on with our lives,” he repeats. “It’ll be like it never happened.”

I pick up my spoon. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay,” I say as I dig into the melty scoop in my bowl.

I eat my ice cream, enjoying the sweet flavors washing over my tongue in silence. After a few moments, I look up to find Seth squinting at me in thought.

“Yes?” I ask.

“We say one time...” He gently folds his hands in front of him. “How are we defining one time?”

I blink. “Huh?”

“Well, is it one night?” he asks. “One orgasm each? What are your terms?”

I inhale sharply, primed and ready to spat, but promptly snap my lips closed.

My terms? As in... I can negotiate exactly what I want? Exactly how many times I want it? Potential duration? Overall intensity? And he’ll just... do it? That sounds...

Outstanding.

I set my spoon down. “Well, only one orgasm each would be pretty disappointing,” I say. “Not exactly satisfactory by my standards.”

“Agreed,” he says. “I want three. Minimum.”

“Will you need all night for that? I’ve got shit to do tomorrow.”

Seth scoffs. “Oh, don’t you worry. I’ll have you back to your fairy godmother by midnight.”

“Fine.” I nod. “Three. But I might have more than that. Is that cool with you?”

“I actively encourage it.”

“Great.”

“I want to come on your tits for at least one of them,” he adds.

My core tingles a bit. “You have my blessing to remove the condom to do that. Once.”

He raises a hand, quickly. “Condom? Now, hold on—”

“Condom,”I repeat.

“We never used condoms before.”

“And you were very concerned about potential pregnancy risks afterward, as I recall. Safety first, Seth.”

“That was before I knew you were on the pill!”

“And I still am.”

“Then, I move to strike condoms from the itinerary.”

“Condoms protect from more than just pregnancy. Have you been tested recently?”

“Yes,” he answers.

“When?” I ask.

“Start of the summer,” he says, thinking back.

“And how many sexual partners have you had since then?”

He hesitates. “Zero.”

“Zero?”

“Except you.”

“Zero?”

“I’ve been busy. How about you?”

“I...” I pause, biting my lip. “I got tested after we... the first time.”

He tilts his head. “And how did that go?”

“Negative for everything.”

“Well, there it is. Assuming you’re outside your fertile window, I see no reason we should double-up here.”

I snort. “Wow.”

“What?”

“I have never heard a man use the phrase fertile window before who wasn’t pointing a speculum at me.”

Seth taps his temple. “Knowledge is power, Fancy.”

I take a breath, thinking about it, but it doesn’t take long. “All right. No condoms.”

“Yes,”he whispers into his fist, unable to hold back the victory.

“Oral?” I ask, moving on.

He straightens up in his chair again. “Oh, of course,” he says. “Anal?”

I screw up my nose. “Fingers? Yes. Penis? No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I said so.”

Seth bows his head respectfully. “I don’t like doing all the work, so you need to spend some time on top.”

“I can usually only come on top, so that works out for me.”

He smirks. “Challenge accepted.”

“Good luck to you, sir. Any positions to avoid?”

“Not the biggest fan of standing up, but other than that, I’m down. Dirty talk?”

“Sure,” I say. “You can spank my ass all you want. Just don’t hit me anywhere else.”

“Can I choke you?” he asks, though I can tell he’s not serious.

“Not without cooking me a real dinner first.”

He laughs. “That’s fair.”

Silence softly falls on the table as we stare at each other.

I clear my throat. “Anything else?”

Seth looks up. “No. I think that about covers it.”

He rises out of his chair and extends his hand across the table to me.

I smirk.

Business majors.

I stand and take it. We squeeze each other — hard — and shake to seal our agreement.

Tonight, I will have sex with Seth Newbury.