Avery and Jenna Pt. 11: Contrived

"What?" Janelle asked, still holding onto Jenna as lovingly as before.

"You're my friend, J. You're not my lover," Jenna confessed. Janelle released her and straightened her red sweatshirt.

"I'm sorry," she replied, clearing her throat. Completely dejected, Janelle turned around and grabbed a paper towel to wipe away the water around the sink. Jenna lowered her hands a few moments later, giving up on the conversation and letting the moment pass on its own.

The drive home felt longer than normal to Jenna. After the short but emotionally charged words with Janelle, followed by the awkward kiss, she did not stay much longer and the air remained unclear. Avery was lying to her. Janelle was trying to sleep with Avery again. No one was asking Jenna what she wanted. Which was probably a good thing, for Jenna did not know herself. She was too afraid to simply abandon the life she had built with Avery. They worked so hard, after their infidelities, to start over and create something that was stronger than before. They both had shining careers. They were healthy. They were without debt. Life was, for better or worse, great for them. What could Avery possibly be doing, that was so important, he felt as though he had to lie? Moreover, she knew that the threesome could have an adverse effect on her friendship with Janelle, but she was hopeful that the two women could be mature adults about the situation. Instead, it seemed like Janelle just wanted another round with Avery, and to get that, she had to go through Jenna.

As she pulled into their parking lot, she saw Avery's car towards the end of the lot with an empty space next to it. She chose to park her car on the opposite end. She walked to the building as though she were walking through quicksand. She took the elevator, in lieu of the stairs, to burn more time. Perhaps Avery was sleeping. Her watch read 10:12 PM. Oftentimes, Avery went to bed around this time. After unlocking the door and opening it, she found her wishes were denied. Avery was seated on the long, blue couch, playing some violent shooting game on his Playstation 4. She sighed deeply and walked into the apartment. She hung her keys on a rack near the door and placed her purse onto the table. Avery paused the game and jumped up to greet her.

"Hey! How was your day?" He asked, seemingly jovial that she was home.

"It was fine. I had dinner with Janelle," she answered as Avery's strong arms enveloped her. As they hugged, she kept her eyes open and her guard raised high. She did not want to fall for anything Avery may be planning.

"How was work?"

"It was long and stressful, and I don't want to talk about it, if that's all right with you," he replied, moving his arms around Jenna's small waist.

"Okay," she said quietly. Avery leaned down and kissed her lips softly. Jenna responded naturally, as though nothing were wrong, but she kept her hands on his arms rather than securing them around his neck. Slowly, Avery pushed her backwards as they kissed, pinning her against the wall of the dining room. He broke the kiss and gently guided the tip of his tongue to her ear, sliding it up the lobe. Jenna kept her eyes open, trying to reject the obvious mood in which Avery was. His big hands snuck their way up her stomach to her breasts. He gave them each a playful squeeze before moving down her body once again to her ass. As he gripped it tightly, he moved back to her lips to kiss them again. Jenna, further shoring up her defenses, resisted the urge to kiss him back. She stood there, trapped between him and the wall, making no sounds or movements. Not a single indication that Avery's advances were welcome or disallowed. Avery, in his heat, hoisted Jenna's arms above her head, pinioning them against the wall. Eventually noticing that she was not kissing him back, he stopped and leaned back to look her in the eyes. They appeared so distant and disinterested.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not in the mood," Jenna answered, maintaining her position against the wall and her arms above her head.

"Do you want me to stop?" He inquired. Jenna shrugged her shoulders neglectfully.

"I don't care. Even if I ask you to stop, you're still going to do whatever you want," she said defensively, firing lightning at Avery from her eyes.

"What the hell does that mean?" Avery asked, releasing Jenna's arms. She lowered them and fixed her dress. When Avery moved to touch her breasts, he raised her dress. Her black bra and white panties were on full display until she readjusted her outfit.

"It means, sometimes, Avery, I'm just not in the mood to fuck you. Whenever you're horny, you just come up to me, whip it out, and expect me to do something about it!"

"That's what you told me to do. Isn't that what rule three is for?" He shouted back.

"Yes. And no. Rule number three is there, so neither of us works or studies for ten straight hours, and then is still expected to satisfy the other person's needs," she said back, still against the wall.

"You said that if I was horny, I was supposed to come to you and show you that I'm horny. That's what I'm doing. Rule number three is that we respect each other's sexual desires," he said, moving to the side as Jenna walked from the dining room wall and into the kitchen.

"Rule number three is also that we respect each other's limits. It's supposed to be a rule of compromise, Avery. You used to be so good at that. You would always meet me halfway. Now, all you do is get drunk and fuck me in my ass without lube," she shouted, reaching up into the cabinet to get a glass.

"Okay. How do you propose we compromise in this situation?"

"You've got pictures of me, right? Use those," Jenna said, filling up her glass with water from the Brita filter.

"I'm sorry, Jenna. I didn't mean to upset you," he said, raising his hands into the air to seem non-offensive. Jenna drank the glass of water quickly. She slammed the glass on the counter and exhaled to bring herself down from the rise she was feeling.

"I'm just overwhelmed. School is back on, the office is crazy, and things are a little complicated with Janelle. It's a lot for me handle at once. So, no. I don't want to fuck right now. I want to get undressed, and I want to crawl in bed," she said, brushing her fingers through her hair. When she opened her eyes, she caught a glimpse of Avery. There was a look of genuine concern on his face. She could see the love he had for her. And her inner conflict continued. She wanted, so strongly, to yell at Avery, yet when she opened her mouth to ask him why he was being dishonest with her, she found herself asking something else.

"Would you please cuddle with me?" She submitted.

"Sure sweetheart," he said. He walked into the living room to turn off the electronics. When he left the view of the kitchen, Jenna put her hand over her eyes. A few tears slipped from them into her hand. She wiped them away and cleared her throat, desperately trying to keep herself steady. Though, she knew that she was weary of pretending to be fine.

"YOU'LL DO WHAT IS NECESSARY"

It was a dump; that was what Erin thought of her hotel room. For such an influential company like Warren & Hines, she did not understand why her hotel room, in a four-star hotel, had a leaking faucet, broken bathroom tiles, and cigarette burns on the walls. She unbuttoned the maroon jacket to her outfit, tossed her heeled shoes across the room, and dropped back onto the bedspread. She did not want to be there. It was an unfair punishment for acting on the truest parts of her personality. Jenna discounted, who cared if she fucked Avery?

She was, surprisingly, not very sore from the anal sex. Part of her even entertained the possibility of doing it again. This time, in a different position, perhaps with her on top or on her side. There was not a single shred of regret in her body. Nothing could make her feel like what she was doing was wrong. Wanting to hear Avery's voice, she reached for her phone. She knew he was on vacation this week. She found his number in her contacts list and dialed it. A few seconds passed before Avery accepted the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey stud," she responded sexily.

"Hey beautiful. How are you?"

"My life is hell right now. I'm in the shittiest room, in an otherwise, decent hotel. What are you up to?"

"I'm at the mall right now. I was just looking for some new clothes."

"You don't need clothes."

"Around you, I probably don't," he joked.

"If you want me to suck that big cock of yours, you'll keep them off."

"Well, when you and I are together, I'll keep them off. Anywhere else is fair game," he said. Through the phone, Erin could hear the sounds of fellow shoppers and lousy mall muzak.

"I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you," she professed, sliding her gorgeous body towards the head of the bed where the pillows rested. She grabbed one in her small hand and positioned it underneath her head.

"Well, you're only going to be gone until Friday, right?"

"Yeah."

"Only two more days. You'll be back home, and we can see each other again," he said. The dinging sound coming through her speaker indicated that he walked into a store of some kind. Perhaps a department store.

"You mean, we can fuck again," she teased. She reached into her white dress shirt and gave one of her nipples a gentle pinch.

"Among other things, but yes, we can do that as well," he answered back.

"I really look forward to feeling you inside me again."

"Me too."

"Speaking of that, have you given any thought to what we talked about Saturday night?"

"You mean, trying to put a name to what's happening between us?"

"Yes."

"I don't know. What would you call it?"

"Well, I know what it is, and I know what I want it to be," she responded, moving her hand to her other nipple.

"Tell me."

"Right now, all we're doing is sneaking around behind Jenna's back, so we can fuck. At first, it was kind of hot and fun, but I don't want to be that girl anymore. I want us to be in a real relationship," she answered.

"That requires me to break up with Jenna," he said.

"It looks that way. From my point of view, I've done a lot to make you happy. I took it up the ass for you. I haven't done that for anyone else, and if you want it again, you'll do what is necessary," she spoke, moving her hand out of her shirt. There was a short silence on the phone. Erin knew Avery would be hesitant to leave Jenna, for he had dated her for years. The transition would be more intricate, or detrimental, than Erin could imagine. However, Avery would have her to help him through whatever periods of difficulty that arose.

"Erin, I can't just leave Jenna," he finally spoke.

"So, you can fuck me, but you can't date me?"

"That's not what I meant," he tried to explain.

"I know what you meant. You want to fuck me, but then go home and be with her. That's what you've been doing. It's working for you, so why change it, right?" She spoke angrily.

"May I talk please?"

"I'm sorry. Go ahead."

"What I meant was, I can't just leave Jenna. Both of our names are on the lease, and we have six months left on it. Neither of us can afford the rent solo. I don't want to move out and leave her with that kind of burden."

"Excuses! Let me tell you what I think. I think you never once considered leaving her for me, did you?"

"Not until last Saturday. Up until then, I thought it was just sex."

"Well, it's nice to finally know what you think of me."

"I'm not trying to insult you, Erin."

"I'll tell you what. I'll give you some time to think it over. Let me know what you want to do tomorrow. Okay?"

"Fine."

"Goodbye, Avery." Erin hung up the phone and tossed it onto the floor. She felt so used. The possibility was built up so high in her mind. The chance that she and Avery could have a relationship was small, but as their sexual adventures expanded, she believed their bond would do the same. Now, it appeared that she was dreaming the entire time.

Avery made sure to stay out of the apartment passed five in the early evening, trying to conceal the knowledge that he was not working. Jenna did not know that he was forced to take a week of vacation, and he hoped he would not have to tell her. He returned home around five-thirty and was not empty handed. In a medium black, plastic bag were multiple items: a small box of assorted European chocolates, a new bottle of Forever Red, and in his other hand were a dozen red and yellow roses. Avery knew that Jenna was upset. He believed her when she said that she was stressed from the growing number of responsibilities she had. Since she had snapped at him the night before, his gifts were his way to issue an apology. He walked in quietly, looking around to see if she were immediately visible. The coast was clear, and he walked into the kitchen and grabbed an old, tall, glass vase from atop the refrigerator. He placed eleven roses in it, followed by some water and a packet of plant food. Displaying them on the dining room table, he walked into their bedroom. Jenna lied in bed. Her eyes were closed, and a low snoring sound sprang from her. Avery gently ambled towards her, and placed the last rose, a red one, onto the pillow upon which her head rested. After escaping back into the living room, he turned on the television. It was on ESPN, and they were discussing the results of the most recent Super Bowl. None of the teams Avery supported managed to make it, so he did not watch much of the game.

Back in the bedroom, the noise from the television revived Jenna. As she stretched to wake her body from her nap, she saw the rose awaiting her. She smiled and grabbed it by the stem. Its smell was strong, indicating its freshness. Valentine's Day was not for another three days, yet here she was, already getting roses. Early gifts were typical of Avery. He would often do things early, for he was unable to contain his enthusiasm. She placed her hand over her mouth as a few tears slid down her cheeks. Her doubt caused by his deceits dissipated almost completely. Almost. He continued to keep secrets from her. Another possibility emerged in her mind: maybe she was thinking about the lies in the wrong manner. Maybe they were told to conceal something of a benevolent nature. Maybe. She entertained this plausibility strongly, making herself believe that she had jumped to conclusions without evidence to support them. Standing up, she sauntered into the living room. In the dining room was the vase with the other eleven roses sitting inside of it. Also present was the box of chocolates. Jenna smiled widely. It was such a small gesture, but Jenna felt her heart rejoin from its previous fracturing. It was still true that Avery lied to her, but now the elucidation of the lies became a far worry on a distant shore. When she entered the living room, her cheeks were turned upwards to her ears.

"Hi, baby girl," he said as she came into view. Jenna raced to him and dropped onto his lap. She wasted no time. After grabbing the remote from his hand, she turned off the television, tossed it onto the short couch that sat adjacent to the one upon which they sat, and allowed her mouth to devour his. Her tongue pierced through Avery's lips, parting them. His big hands slid onto her back, moving them from her neck down to the cute little pink shorts in which she slept. Avery glided his fingers against the naked flesh of her legs, squeezing them playfully. As he did this, he broke the kiss and stared into her emerald eyes.

"I take it, you liked your surprises," he said. Jenna responded with a second kiss, equaling the first in passion and fervor. She separated them this time, leaning backward to return his loving gaze.

"Thank you so much. I love them. It makes me so happy when you do little things like this," she said, putting one of her hands onto his chest and the other around his neck.

"You deserve it. I'm sorry for upsetting you last night," he spoke earnestly. Jenna shook her head and kissed him lightly.

"I was frustrated with something else. It wasn't even about you," she said, kissing his cheek. "There's so much going on in my head right now, and it's just hard for me to concentrate on what I'm doing. I'm sorry for how I acted yesterday," she said, leaning back and removing her shirt. She was not wearing a bra, and her perfect D-size breasts, dotted with a few freckles, beckoned him to embrace them. She tossed the shirt onto the floor and leaned forward to kiss him again.

"Are you in the mood now?" Avery asked, moving his fingertips against her gentle skin of her abdomen as slowly as he could. She moaned affirmatively as she meshed her soft lips onto his. The fingers exploring her body made her feel virgin, as though she were being touched for the first time.

"I want you so bad right now," she admitted. Avery reached into Jenna's shorts and began to rub her pussy through her underwear. Her head fell back as Avery found her clit and flicked it with the tip of his finger. While he toyed with her, she moved her hips forward to massage her pussy against his hand. A few short minutes later, Jenna's pussy was drenched, and she was ready for him. As she reached down to undo his belt, a terrible klaxon resounded through their apartment.

*RING, RING*

Jenna's phone was sounding the ringtone to her office. She initially tried to ignore it, but despite her staunchest efforts, the weight of responsibility overtook her. She kissed him one last time and hopped off his lap to answer it. Avery understood. Interruptions were part of their jobs, and there were no restrictions on when they would be contacted throughout the day. Jenna spoke rapidly and in an agitated manner, trying whatever she could to end the call. Finally, it was over. She sighed heavily, turning back towards Avery. Her hand rubbed back and forth against her forehead.

"I have to go back to the office. Somehow, all the files from the project we're working on got deleted, even though they were saved on redundant drives. Our recovery software can't find any of them."

"It's fine. I know it's an important project," he said, adjusting himself on the couch. Jenna fixed her hair, clearly demonstrating a high amount of frustration.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. We'll continue this later," she said, running into the bedroom to get dressed. Avery sighed and put his finger in his mouth, tasting Jenna's juices. It was the closest he had come to having her all week long.

"I'LL RESIGN"

Jenna returned last night, too exhausted to continue from where they left off earlier in the day. She did, however, cuddle up as close to Avery as possible during the night, for reasons other than because she was cold. Much of the rising ire in Jenna receded when Avery gave her the gifts. She felt so loved and fortunate. In the morning, as Avery was preparing to leave the apartment to "go to work," he received a text message from Erin. It was exactly the message he expected to get from her.

[Good morning. I would like to know your answer. Is it her or me?]

Avery tapped away on his phone to write his response. As he did, Jenna walked into the bedroom, gorgeous from head to toe. She wore a pair of grey pants and an olive sweater. She wore Avery's lovely gift from her birthday around her neck. Her hair was straightened, a rarity, and let down. She also wore a touch of makeup. Altogether, she was as pretty as she had ever looked. There was a glow about her. She was without a hint of exhaustion.

"Hey dear. I'm not sure how long I'll have to stay at the office. There's a huge mess right now, but I'll be home as soon as I can," she said, putting in her earrings.

"Okay," he answered, placing his phone back into the pocket of his dress pants after responding back to Erin. She walked over to him and gave him a deep, lasting kiss.