A Degree of C Ch. 02

Cara gripped Marco's forearms as he skillfully pummeled pleasure into her pussy. Sex with this man kept getting better and better. Her moans were becoming breathy, a sign that she was close. He leaned in and trailed a kiss from her lips to the sweet spot on the right side of her neck, sucking gently. In response, Cara's orgasm overtook her. The wanton look on her face and the constriction of her walls on his shaft, initiated his release. The sensation of being filled with Marco's seed always left a satisfied smile on her face.

Finding himself only partially sated, naughty words were whispered in Cara's ear as Marco reached for something sticky and sweet on the table beside her head.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Wait, hold the elevator, please!" Elise pleaded to a well-dressed older man who had just entered the elevator a second after it arrived. Still a few feet away, she ran a little faster, hoping he would comply with her request.

"Of course," he said when she walked into the elevator and thanked him, "Anything for a gorgeous woman like you."

Elise blushed after noticing him wink at her as they made eye contact. The two rode down to the lobby in silence, but she could feel his eyes on her. Hopefully black leather isn't too much for a wedding rehearsal.

As a lover of fashion, Elise had chosen a very stylish outfit for Cara and Marco's wedding rehearsal. A rehearsal dinner and late bachelorette party were also scheduled for that evening. The focus of her outfit was a black leather A-line skirt. Today being a rather warm day, she softened her outfit with a sleeveless dusty rose blouse and strappy taupe heels.

Exiting the elevator, Elise made her way to the meeting room that would house today's rehearsal. Most of the wedding party had already gathered and were mingling when Elise entered the room. She made her way over to Cara, who was fixing Marco's tie. Overjoyed that she was one day away from her wedding, Cara greeted Elise by grinning like a fool and hugging her tightly.

"So this is really happening, huh? Congratulations Marco." Elise gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

Elise had only met Marco once before, but instantly felt that he was an exceptional fit for her best friend. There was something about the way he looked at her. Gazing at them now, the intensity and care behind that look had only grown stronger with time.

"Thank you, Elle- for celebrating with us and putting an endless smile on this woman's face. I'm not sure if you know how much she's missed you." He put an arm around Cara's waist and pulled her close.

"Oh, I know because I've missed her more."

Elise understood wholeheartedly because she felt the same way about being in Cara's presence. She would take this physicality over a video chat any day.

"I don't think it's endless because of me though. I saw the skimpy dress she changed into before leaving my room last night. I think it's safe to say you two didn't get any sleep." She winked at Cara, who was now making sure her parents had not overheard her friend's suggestive response.

"I have no idea why you would think that," Cara replied, trying to sound convincing.

"Mmm...hmm... okay. I'll drop it," Elise conceded. It was always fun to tease Cara.

Marco spotted his groomsmen entering the room. He excused himself and made his way over to them.

"I really am glad you're here, Elle. The bachelorette party you're throwing..." Cara finished her sentence, but Elise had not heard a word she said. Her eyes had just settled on Marco, halfway across the room, when she spotted him. She couldn't believe that Ben was having an animated conversation with Cara's groom.

"I have to go to the restroom." Elise needed some air. Now.

"Okay, I'll go with you," Cara offered, already in motion.

"No! I'll only be a second. Stay. You're the guest of honor." With that said, Elise left her friend standing alone.

Elise headed for the door. She tried to leave without garnering any attention. Her sexy outfit, and a body that seemed to be a magnet for the men in room, solicited the gawking she wanted to avoid.

- - - - - - - - - -

Ben had just made it downstairs for Marco's wedding rehearsal. He, as Best Man for the weekend, and the other groomsmen were having too much fun badgering Marco about being with one woman for the rest of his life.

Ben was in the middle of asking, "Where's my..." when he honed in on what Luis and Tony were saying. More like, who they were describing.

"I know who I'm hooking up with tomorrow night," Tony said, not joking at all.

"That's wishful thinking. A black woman, as fine as that, has to go home with the only dark-skinned male in the wedding party. Sorry, T." Luis was already getting some of his special "pickup jokes" together. He knew how much women loved a funny man.

"I don't know, that wild curly hair, brown skin, and bubble butt would look better waking up next to this Italian." Tony countered.

Intrigued by the subject of Luis and Tony's sparring match, Ben scanned the room for the woman they were yapping about. He almost choked on the water he was drinking when he saw Elise, the woman he had been desperately waiting to hear from, walking out the door. The bewildered look she had given him when they made eye contact didn't go unnoticed.

- - - - - - - - - -

Elise reached the women's restroom in what she thought was record time. The response to her withdrawal meant that it was not fast enough. She came to the conclusion that she was the subject of Ben's friends' conversation. That fact made her nervous. Seeing Ben's face light up when they made eye contact for the first time since their introductions in the air, made her feel something entirely different- something that made her panties moist.

Bracing herself against a long row of sinks in a public restroom, Elise analyzed what she was feeling. At least she did for mere seconds, until she heard someone clear their throat. She whipped her head to the right. Her mouth dropped when she saw Ben standing near the door.

This moment was when she realized her mind could not do this man justice. Ben was a lot taller and more handsome than she remembered. The navy sport coat, chambray shirt, and dark wash jeans he wore might have also had something to do with it.

"What are you doing in here?" came out harsher than she wanted it to.

"I had to catch up with you. You've been a ghost since we landed." Ben's voice was also deeper than she remembered, unmistakably sensual.

She eyed him cautiously as he walked toward her. Elise was not scared, just unsure of what might happen between them.

"I was going to call you after the wedding was over. When I got home on Sunday, maybe," she offered as her heart raced with every step he took.

"So you found my note?" Ben smiled, stopping in front of her.

"Uh huh," was all she could say to him. His stance and stare was laden with lust.

"Did you like my note?" Ben took a step forward. His eyes were now blazing, a tell-tale sign that he desired her.

"Uh huh..." Responding to him was getting increasingly harder as he stepped between her legs.

Neither of them said anything, as if weighing who would, or should, make the first move. While Ben would have loved to have her lunge at him, lips first, he knew the reserved woman he had fallen for would never do that. Not yet, at least. Ben vowed to lead her to that point- just before he rested his strong hands on her hips and reclaimed her lips with an unlimited amount of passion. Countless happy thoughts swirled through his brain.

Elise could not think straight. She had opened her mouth to welcome his tongue and was delighted when he took full advantage of the invite. Their tongues dueled as each one feverishly explored the others' mouth. Ben's hands were just as busy. His left hand palmed Elise's ass while the right one cradled the face that, minutes ago, he was not sure he would ever see again. She whimpered into his mouth when he squeezed her cheeks and pulled her up into his rock hard length.

It was no secret that Elise wanted Ben more than she had ever wanted a man in her life. Knowing that, it was important that the time and place to be right when they took the next step. That was the moment she remembered they were in a public restroom.

"Stop...Ben." Breathlessly, Elise attempted to regain her composure. His affection ceased as he respected her wishes.

Once again, the room was silent. A specific question was plaguing Elise, so she sought Ben's answer.

"So, you're one of Marco's groomsmen?" She looked down and adjusted her clothing.

"His Best Man, actually. How do you know him?"

"He's marrying my best friend, Cara." Eyes still focused on her outfit, she missed the immediate change in his expression.

"Cara is your best friend?"

"Yes. We've known each other for eight years."

Oh, shit. Ben now knew exactly who she was.

"The two of you met in college, right? I take it, Elle, is a nickname."

"We were roommates, and yeah, that's what she's always called me. How did you know that?"

Having been told years ago that Elle despised him, Ben hesitated, but continued anyway.

"Elise, Cara is my sister." He tried to gauge her expression, but she remained stone-faced.

His revelations registered as a joke of some kind. Elise laughed, waiting for him to join in. He did not. She thought hard about Ben's bombshell.

"That's impossible. Cara only has one brother- and his name is James."

He ran a hand down his face, not knowing how she would take this upcoming information.

"James is my middle name," Ben said slowly, letting it sink in. "My parents adopted me when I was two. I was Ben until Cara came along and changed that. She called me James relentlessly, so much so that my parents and grandparents decided to call me by the name as well."

He exhaled audibly and handed Elise his driver's license, hoping it would help her grasp the mix-up. Benjamin James Mueller was written on the card. She nodded in acknowledgment of what she had just read and handed it back to him.

"To this day, my entire family calls me James. That name is who I am when I'm around them."

Elise was shocked, but she knew firsthand that Cara had an affinity for nicknames. She had only used Elise's real name once in the eight years they had known each other. Elle was the name Cara preferred to call her. Elise had not minded her new moniker, so she could understand how Ben would come to be known by his middle name.

"So you're Ben out in the real world?"

"Yes, I am." He winked at her, relieved that the mood in the room had lightened significantly.

She grinned widely... until she realized that while she was captivated by Ben and didn't care what anyone called him, the type of person she knew Cara's brother to be, and the possibility of his underlying demons sneaking to the surface again, might be too much for her to handle.

You have reached the end of A Degree of C, Ch. 2- thanks for reading this story. As you have discovered, Ben is Cara's brother (by adoption). The title, A Degree of C, stems from the fact that Elise and Ben share a connection with Cara (the "C" in the title). The "degree" part comes from the "six degrees of separation" theory. I knew, early on, that I wanted the main characters to be connected in some way- but not related, of course (that would be a different category). Elise's backstory will be revealed in future chapters, which will explain her struggles with Ben's alcoholic past. -LSE