An Unlikely Encounter Ch. 03

An Unlikely Encounter 03.

The next day:

Eric awoke late in the morning and rolled out of bed. Placing his olive-green slippers on his feet, he began to go through his wake-up ritual of stretching his neck, back and shoulders. His breathing deepened and he thought back to his recent intimate experiences. Flashes of his time with Amira danced in his mind, her soaping him up in the shower and the unexpected passion of Farida. With unexpected relish, he wondered if he would see them again. His conflicting feelings of desire and guilt toward Farida bothered him, lusting after his friend's mom felt wrong, despite her intensity.

Banishing the thoughts from his mind he thought to his evening, he was finally going to meet Joanna tonight. She had travelled from Dallas to his college town to finally meet their other friends. It had been a long time coming and he was excited to see where the night went. But before he could see them, he had a lecture with Professor Waingrove, his psychology professor. He expected to see Josh and Mo today, and wondered how he would face Mo.

Taking a deep breath, he finished his stretching routine and stood upright, shoulders back, neck straight and eyes closed. Exhaling slowly, he let go of his thoughts. Opening his eyes, he stepped out of his bedroom and toward the shower. Leaving his slippers outside the door, he stepped through and turned on the hot water.

****

An hour later, Eric walked through the sliding doors of his lecture hall. He caught sight of Professor Waingrove power walking to the bottom of the hall. "Alright everyone, phones away it's time to start the day. It's a great day everyone, don't you think?" He bent down to plug his laptop into the screen and placed his hands on both sides of the lectern, "Remember everyone, your exam is next week."

Eric sighed and looked for Mo and Josh. Scanning the crowded lecture hall he found them, Josh with a wireless earbud in and Mo looking like he was still recovering from his drinking the day before. The row was entirely full, without a seat for him to sit in. He scanned for a seat anywhere in the large hall and finally caught sight of a girl with vibrant orange hair, bangs, multiple ear piercings and long black eyelashes. He walked toward her, nodding to Waingrove as he began setting up his lecture slides.

"Hey is this seat taken?" He whispered quietly.

Bright blue eyes turned to look at him, and the whitest, cleanest smile he had ever seen said, "No, please sit down." It was without a doubt the finest Southern accent he had ever heard, a perfect mix of warmth and friendliness with just a hint of a laugh. "I'm Melissa." She introduced herself.

"I'm Eric, it's nice to sit with you." He grinned back.

"How're you feelin' about the exam?" She asked him, opening her Macbook and powering it on. Her laptop background was a Metallica logo, "I'm feelin' fine about it." She opened her notes and Eric looked at her in disbelief.

"Wow." Was all he could say, Melissa had color coded her notes according to the lecture, even bolding particular notes for relevance. "I was feeling okay about it until I saw your notes."

Melissa giggled, "Thank you, I haven't had much of a social life this year since my boyfriend moved interstate. All I really do is study and exercise."

"Excuse me! I know that this is just so interesting that you need to talk about it right now but please pay attention!" Waingrove called up to them, "I'd hate for you to miss these very important slides!"

Eric threw a thumbs up into the air and Waingrove continued his lecture, Melissa had blushed cutely, but Eric wouldn't push it much further. He felt that it wouldn't be right to flirt with a girl that was already taken.

But....

Eric wrote on his notebook: I'm meeting up with a few friends tonight, would you like to come out with us?

Melissa beamed and nodded enthusiastically; her eyes shone. Eric wrote his number on the sheet and gave her the bars address. Eric wasn't interested in flirting with this girl, but if the poor thing had been stuck inside for so long, she needed a break. The lecture continued in silence but for Waingrove discussing what would be on the exam.

****

Melissa and Eric walked out of the lecture hall together, "Would you like to get a coffee?" he offered, "I'll tell you about some of the guys coming tonight."

Melissa smiled at him, "Sure, I'd love to, there's a great coffee place just off campus." As they walked, Eric caught sight of Mo throwing up into a trash can again, while Josh stood beside him rubbing his back.

"Hey let me just say hi to my friends first?" Eric walked over to Josh and Mo with Melissa in tow, "How're you feeling today Mo?"

Mo straightened up and wiped his mouth, "My body feels like a meat grinder." He reached into his bag and took out his water bottle, downing the entire bottle he continued, "I am sorry for my behavior yesterday. I wish you could have stayed for dinner."

Eric shook his head, "Don't worry about it Mo, it's no problem. I was just glad to help you bud."

Josh cleared his throat, "I can look after Mo for now Eric, I'll text you if I need any more help. But I won't be coming along tonight and he definitely won't be." Mo nodded his assent.

"That's alright, and this is Melissa." He smiled, Mo and Josh nodded politely at her.

"We're going to go have a coffee, would you like to join us?" Melissa smiled.

"I need to go home, I am not well." Mo said, I am sorry that you are not meeting me at my best."

Josh nodded, "I'm going to make sure his mom gets him and then I'm going to go study. I've been slack lately."

Eric felt a pang in his stomach at the mention of Farida. The feeling of lust had faded and it felt far more like just guilt now. "Sounds good, I'll see you guys later." He finally said, and turned away.

The pair made it to the coffee shop in what felt like no time at all. He had never been to this particular coffee shop, a sign identified it as Demon Coffee, and a logo of a skull with two diamonds for eyes with steam blowing out of the top.

They walked through the door and Eric was confronted with the most divine smell he had ever experienced. Demon Coffee was a well-lit, beautiful coffee space with fine wooden benches and a diverse amount of art including Nordic pagan symbolism and pictures of people from well-known bands like Metallica and Five Finger Death Punch.

Melissa walked toward the counter and smiled sweetly at the barista, a tall, dark haired gentleman with jet black hair and tattoos covering every inch of his exposed skin, "Good morning Sunshine!" She trilled in a syrupy, sing song voice.

"Melissa, how's it hangin'?" Sunshine leaned on the counter to give her a nearly shark-like grin, "It's so good to see you again, how's studying going?"

"Just fine, I've brought a new friend along today, we're in the same psych course." She indicated to Eric with an immaculately, pink manicured fingernail.

Sunshine's face hardened a little, but he went right back to smiling at Melissa, "Good to meetcha bro, your usual today, Melissa?"

Melissa nodded and stepped forward to pay. Eric quickly ordered and went to sit beside Melissa, who had perched on one of the stools facing outside.

"So who'll be coming out tonight?" Melissa asked.

Eric smiled and said, "My friend Joanna, we've been chatting online for years and we just haven't been able to line up our schedules to meet up before. She's Vietnamese and one of the loveliest girls you'll ever meet." He continued, "David, he's a Polish guy with a big appetite for booze, a glorious beard too." He grinned, "He'll be great if he gets drunk, he gets shirtless and dances." He looked at Melissa and said, "And my friend Joel will be there, he has long silver hair, he kind of looks like that Geralt of Rivea guy from the Witcher if you've ever seen him before."

Melissa blushed, "I have a figurine of Geralt in a bathtub actually, my boyfriend gave it to me."

Eric laughed, "That's awesome, I love that!" the ding of a bell indicated their coffees were made, and he slid off his stool to grab them.

"So what time is it all happening tonight?" Melissa asked, "I'd hate to get there too late or early."

Eric told her the time and they continued chatting about psychology. "Thank you for inviting me out tonight but I do need to call my boyfriend!" She said brightly, Eric had hardly noticed the time flying by.

"Sure, it was lovely meeting you." Eric returned, he waved goodbye as she left and continued to sip his coffee.

His phone buzzed, a notification from Joanna read: Be witchu soon b, Imma be drinking at the meetup while I wait! See you in an hour!

Eric grinned and responded with, "All good! See you soon!" He quickly finished his coffee and begun his walk home. As he neared Amiras' home he looked out for her, but saw nothing to suggest where she was. The only indication somebody was home was a lime green Mercedes Benz SUV in the driveway. Eric knew that checking in on her would only lead to problems, so he took solace in knowing that she had his number if she wanted to talk to him.

Once he entered his home he made a beeline for his shower. Taking a moment to lather himself in bodywash, he indulged in the scent of sandalwood and vanilla. In his head, Eric planned to put on some fresh cologne once he left. He had recently been gifted an exceptionally expensive bottle of Tom Ford cologne and thought tonight would be the perfect night to test it.

His watch pinged a five minute warning and he quickly exited the shower and dressed, a plain black T-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans with brown leather boots. He sprayed cologne onto his neck and wrists, and grabbed his phone to call an Uber.

****

Twenty minutes later:

Eric stepped out of the Uber and walked purposefully toward the bar. It was the quintessential college bar, with happy hour lasting all day, the faint smell of vomit and it was dimly lit. The stools hadn't been replaced in years and were in dire need of replacement. The bar was stained with spilled beer and despite the early hour business was already picking up. As he made his way through the bar he caught sight of Joanna, and with a sigh of relief he thought she looked even better than in her pictures. The little black dress she was wearing showed off a spectacular figure clearly the result of many hours of hard work at the gym. She had a tiny waist and an ass which he was satisfied lived up to her description of being "proportionally phat."

"Hey Joanna, it's so nice to finally meet you." He grinned, and moved in for a hug.

"Aw damn Eric, you look even better than in your pictures, you fine lookin' asshole." Joanna leaned into the hug and seemed to mold against him nearly perfectly. He felt her hand snake down his back to give his ass a squeeze and she grinned at his jump, "I knew you had a nice ass too."

Her almond shaped eyes and small button nose were features complimenting wide, full lips which Eric almost involuntarily pictured wrapped around his cock. "You're not too bad yourself, Jo." Eric grinned, running a hand down to her ass and giving it a squeeze in response. He was very satisfied to feel her muscular ass felt as good as it looked. Joanna moaned at his touch, "You asshole, you know I've been thinkin' of you doing that for too long."

Eric nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist, "Lets go find a booth, I'll buy the first round while we wait for everyone else to get here."

"Lead the way, b." She grinned and squeezed his ass again.

They managed to find a booth absent of vomit, spilled beer and half-eaten fried chicken wings. Joanna sat close to Eric, with her thigh touching his. "Whatchu gonna give me to drink, b?"

Eric thought for a moment, "I have an idea, do you trust me?"

"You're givin' me tequila ain'tcha?" Joanna looked at him with deep brown eyes and rolled her eyes, "Fine, be that way, you're draggin' me home if I get sloppy tonight."

Eric grinned and walked over to the bar which was miraculously empty. The tall, bearded barman wearing a festive Hawaiian shirt looked at him expectantly, "I'd like something special tonight. Two shots of tequila, agave syrup, apricot liqueur, crème de cacao, fresh lime and salt around the rim, two of those please."

The barman nodded and went about mixing the drink, methodically mixing it with ice. He quickly paid for his drinks and walked back to the table.

Joanna looked at the drink in surprise, "It's blue, you ain't got me drinking something nasty do ya?"

Eric smirked, "Would I do that when I'm having one? Cheers Jo." He clinked glasses with her and took a sip. The salty and sweet flavor was delicious.

"You got taste you fancy asshole." Joanna grinned at him, running her hand to his thigh appreciatively, taking a long sip from the drink, "I ain't gonna lie b, I was kinda afraid that you would look hideous in person."

Eric laughed, "I thought the same! I wasn't sure what I was going to do if you'd been catfishing me for years."

"I'd have cried and thrown a drink in your face, I even got a place next door at that jank-ass hostel, sprung for a private room too just in case you were a creeper."

Eric grinned and said, "So I shouldn't do anything we talked about on text?"

"Oh hell no you're comin' back with me, b. I wanna see them cheeks outta those pants." She squeezed his bicep appreciatively, "Still do love yo arms, asshole."

Eric leaned in closer to Joanna and licked her neck, "I'm just a big fan of everything you've got going on Jo." In response, Eric felt Joanna's hand squeeze his thigh more and a soft moan escaped her lips.

Joanna turned to look at him with wide eyes, her breathing already starting to deepen, "That's a-an asshole move, exploiting my weak spot."

"We won't be getting out of here for at least a couple of hours, I can't wait to see how we are by the time we leave." He smirked.

In retaliation, Joanna ran her hand up his thigh and started masterfully stroking his semi-hard cock through his pants. Eric gasped and squirmed, the only thing on his mind was that Joanna had magic hands. It felt incredible, it actually felt better than some sex he'd had. "Shit, holy fuck." He moaned.

"Uh-huh, I'm gonna wring you out by the time we're done b, and you're gonna thank me for it." Joanna stared into his eyes with a smoldering intensity which betrayed how long they'd been fantasizing about each other.

Eric grabbed her wrist and squeezed it, leaning in to kiss her, "Try not to make me cum before we get to the room."

She kissed him back, her lips tasted faintly of salt and cherry, "You're a good kisser too, asshole." She leant back and tilted her head back, exhaling slowly, "It's gonna be a hard night tonight, you even smell amazing."

Eric sipped his drink as a bearded, silver-haired muscular man rolled into the booth across from them, "What's up Eric, good to finally meet you in person J-girl." He looked at their drinks, "You started without me, I see how it is. Once David gets here we're getting vodka shots."

Eric perked up and replied, "I invited a new girl here too, Melissa. You can't miss her, she has bright orange hair."

Joel grinned, "Niiice bro, thanks for bringing someone else for me to check out."

"She has a boyfriend in a long-distance relationship so good luck!" Eric said with a smirk.

Eric sipped his drink and listened as Joel and Joanna started chatting. A rotund, shuffling man in a red plaid shirt with a black checkered fedora ambled toward them, "ERIC! JOEL, JOANNA!" He thundered, his voice was broad and powerful.

"David, you're even bigger in person buddy!" Joel stood up and was abruptly engulfed in a bear hug.

Eric and Joanna stood up to hug Joel, both were dwarfed by the enormous David. Despite his size, he radiated a warmth and kindness that was unmistakable. As they hugged, Melissa approached Eric, "Hi Eric." She looked much more unhappy than she had during their coffee talk, but had undeniably brought her A-game to her first time meeting his friends. Her makeup was perfectly applied and she had a floral black and pink dress on, with black flats on her feet, black garters were just visible as she walked.

She still managed to smile and introduce herself to Joel, Joanna, and David. She sat down comfortably and fixed her bright blue eyes on Joanna, "So how long have you known Eric?" She asked.

"We got to know each other a while back, he was hot and funny so we got along just fine." Joanna shifted and ran her hand back to his thigh and began stroking it, "Been waiting to meet this asshole for too damn long."

They kept chatting for a few minutes before Joel stood up, "I'm buying shots, you're all getting one. You cool with vodka, Mel?" He pointed at them individually and strolled purposefully to the bar. While he was gone Melissa checked her phone, looking upset.

"Everything alright girl, you doin ok?" Joanna leaned across the table to ask Melissa, her hand still stroking Eric's thigh.

"My boyfriend texted me to break up just before I came out." Melissa said quietly, "He didn't even call."

Joanna took her hand off Eric and shuffled around the booth to put her arms around Melissa, "That's some bullshit, girl! You're gorgeous, you got them baby blues that make all the guys weak! Tell her, Eric!"

Eric nodded in surprise, "Yeah you're gorgeous, it's definitely your exes loss!"

Joanna grinned, "What about you David, is she gorgeous?"

"Hell yeah she is!" He said enthusiastically.

"Between you and me, girl I can guarantee that I'd take a run atchu if you were interested." She winked and gave Melissa a hug, "So let's get some drinks in you and we can rant about what an asshole your ex is." She said, "You ain't paying for no drinks tonight!"

Joel came back with a plate of shots, "Next round is on you David, don't forget that damn bet we made."

"Bet?" Melissa asked.

"We've known each other online for years, Mel, the bet was if any of us were catfishes." David replied, an easy smile on his face, "I'm glad to pay up, it just means we're all the real deal."

"Cheers!" They clinked glasses and slugged back their shots. Melissa and Eric gagged immediately, "What the fuck was that?"

Joel cackled, "That my friends was the cheapest vodka I could buy, I think it was just paint thinner."

David looked at Joel, "Go back and get real alcohol, chop chop buddy." His eyes were faintly watery.

Joel stood back up and smirked, "You'll love what I get next."

Melissa was still coughing, "I thought I could handle my liquor but that was awful." She managed to gasp out, her southern drawl significantly more pronounced.

Joanna had hardly flinched, her hand was already back stroking Eric's cock, "You're all lightweights."

"So what happened with your boyfriend?" David asked, putting an arm on Melissas' back consolingly.

"He told me that he didn't want to miss out on any experiences with a new girl and he didn't want to keep me around." She said bitterly. "I'd just sent him nudes last night and they were spectacular!"

Joanna cooed, "Show me b, lets see whatchu workin with!"

Melissa grabbed her phone, the case cutely adorned with Hello Kitty stickers and she gave it to Joanna, "Here, this is what I sent him."

Joanna's jaw dropped, "Damn b, you're packin' a nice body!"

Melissa blushed, "Thanks Joanna, I'm just upset about it." She clicked her phone off and froze, "Wait is it weird to show a near complete stranger my body like that?"

"I don't mind, I can always show you what I'm workin' with if you wanna see."

Melissa paused for a moment before nodding enthusiastically, "Absolutely!"

Eric and David shared dumbfounded looks as they pored over each other's phones, "Are they really doing this?" David said, "Do you want to see... mine? Is that weird?"

Eric shook his head emphatically and took a long pull from his drink.