Dani's Risky Foursome Ch. 01

"We have to celebrate!" Dani grinned, pulling back from Jake. "We have to... let's go out, tomorrow! Let's-"

"Dani." Jake said the single word with such solemnity that Dani immediately quietened down, her smile vanishing and her animated movements slowing to a stop.

"What... what is it? This is a good thing." Dani swallowed heavily, an intense sense of apprehension rising up within her. "...isn't it?"

Jake placed both his hands firmly on Dani's bare shoulders, holding her in place as he regarded her with silent dismay. A knot of discomfort was steadily growing in Dani's stomach, making her wince as Jake's silence dragged on and on. At last, he spoke.

"It's a big promotion, Dani. And a huge opportunity for me. That's why I took it. It's just..." Jake took a deep, shuddering breath and locked his eyes to Dani's. "Well, it also means that... that I'll be getting transferred."

Dani paused for a few seconds as she considered this. She wasn't sure what she had expected. The knot in her belly had stopped growing. But it hadn't gone away either.

"Transferred?" she asked quietly.

"That's right."

"What, like... out of town, or something? Down the coast? Am I... am I gonna see you less?"

Jake opened his mouth to reply. Then he shut it again, shaking his head. Gulping down a growing sense of dread, Dani leaned in and took his hands in her own.

"Baby, you're worrying me. Where is it they're taking you?"

Jake looked at Dani again, his eyes laced with sadness and regret. She flinched as he tightened his grip on her hands. And then he said it.

"London."

It took Dani several seconds to register his words.

"London?" The knot had resumed its growth, and Dani's breathing began to pick up pace. "Did... did you just say you're going to London?"

"Dani-"

"You can't go to London," Dani stammered, as if it were the most obvious fact in existence. "It's halfway across the world."

"I... yes. It is."

"But... how are we gonna speak? Or see each other? Or go on dates?"

"Listen, about that. Dani... I..."

"Are you gonna talk to your bosses about it?" Dani cut Jake off before he could finish. Whatever he had been about to say, she didn't want to hear it. She had suddenly found herself staring into an abyss, heavy with uncertainty, bewilderment, and dread.

And yet, there was a light there too. It was dim, but it flickered at the bottom. They would find a way around this, her and Jake. They would find a way to keep him here and keep things going as they were. How could they not?

"You don't think I didn't question it?" Jake asked, sounding a little affronted. "They won't budge on their position."

"But... surely you can work remote?" Dani said, her voice rising in pitch and volume. "You don't have to go... all the way there..."

"I suggested that too. It's... it's not happening. I'm... I'm sorry, Dani. The time difference is too great, and I need to be present for the team."

Dani stared numbly at Jake, her chest rising and falling with quick, rapid breaths. Her lips were parted ever so slightly, her eyes creased with worry. This was really happening, wasn't it? It really, really was.

Suddenly, the lump in her throat was back. Dani tried to gulp it down, but it stubbornly clung to her like a parasite. Was it her fault? Had she done something to shift Jake towards this decision?

Jake's hands tightened around Dani's again, enveloping them entirely. He gazed deeply into her eyes with stalwart effort, despite the clear wall of guilt that shimmered just behind the surface of his own.

"Dani... I've always said I wanted the best for you, haven't I?"

"I... yes..." Dani barely managed to respond. Her mouth had gone dry, her face heating up. What the hell was he getting at?

"Well... I really think it would be best if we..."

Dani's nostrils flared. The knot in her stomach started to twist inside her. Don't say it. Don't you fucking dare say it.

"...if we didn't try to continue things long distance-"

"Stop it," Dani gasped, shaking her head and yanking her hands free of Jake's. "Stop it Jake, just stop talking right now-"

"Dani-"

"Did you even try and stop this from happening?" Dani cried. "Did you even try and fight for us?"

"Of course I did!" Jake retorted, raising his voice for the first time. "What kind of question is that? Do you think I want to break up with you?"

Dani froze, staring at Jake with wide and terrified eyes. A chill started to creep down her spine, before sliding icily across her whole body, and she pulled the loose towel close around her naked body with trembling hands and a hammering heart as the truth hit her like an avalanche.

This was a breakup. It was really a breakup. This really, really was happening.

"You can't do this," Dani said quietly, her bottom lip trembling. Her eyes were starting to glisten and she hastily blinked back her emotion, her thick lashes fluttering like fans keeping the tears at bay. "Jakey... please..."

"I'm sorry, baby. I really am."

"But... but what about Lucas?" Dani asked. Surely Jake wasn't just going to leave his son behind like that?

Jake sheepishly glanced down at his clasped hands. "Well, that's the thing. He's coming with me."

Dani's stomach twisted even more. She had been certain of that trump card. "But... but Ava? She's okay with all of this?"

Jake took a deep breath. "She's coming too."

Dani's mouth dropped open. She felt like a bomb had gone off inside her, blowing apart everything she thought she knew. "Wh-what? You mean, you two... are you two..."

"We are not getting back together," Jake said firmly, reaching out and gripping Dani's shaking hands again. "I promise you. But, well... her course has this overseas work placement thing going on. One of the locations is London. She had wanted to do it anyway and, well... it just seemed like it all lined up perfectly. Like it was meant to happen this way."

Dani's mouth was drier than the Sahara. The coil in her belly was twisting so hard it was starting to hurt, and she fought back the expanding lump in her throat with desperate determination. "But... but it wasn't meant to happen this way," she sniffed.

"Dani, I'm so sorry. I really, truly am."

"No!" Dani stood up suddenly, pulling her hands free from Jake again, and before she knew it tears were tumbling down her face. "No! Jake, it's not supposed to be like this. It's not supposed to end this way!"

"Dani." Jake's voice broke as he also stood up. He took a step closer. Dani took a clumsy step back, nearly tripping over her own feet. She pulled the towel tighter around her frame and brushed away her tears but it was no use -- they just kept coming.

"Oh God." No longer able to hold herself back, Dani collapsed into a heap on the floor, her hands covering her face as she howled into them. How could this happen? This had been just the beginning for them. There was so much else for them to do. Their story had barely started.

It wasn't supposed to end this way. It just wasn't.

"Dani..." Jake said weakly. Dani felt the heat of his body as he knelt down next to her, lingering, unsure what to do. She continued gasping into her hands and then, suddenly, his arms were around her, pulling her in tightly, rubbing her back.

Dani was livid. How dare he do this to her and then try and comfort her? Who the hell did he think he was?

But then, almost involuntarily, she reached up and wrapped her own arms around him, gripping him harder than she ever had before. She breathed in deeply, her breath shuddering violently, pulling in as much of his warming, wonderful scent as she could. While she could.

"Don't go," she whispered, her words torn up by her sniffs and cries. "Please, Jake... don't go."

"I'm so sorry, Dani. I'm so, so fucking sorry." Jake's own voice wavered -- he sounded on the verge of tears himself, and this only made Dani cry even harder.

"Tell me this is a joke. Tell me this is a sick, sick fucking joke," she gulped, shaking in his arms.

Jake didn't reply. He didn't need to.

They both huddled together for what felt like an eternity, trying so hard to comfort each other, and yet succeeding only in making each of them feel worse. Dani's entire body shuddered as if her soul was crumbling from the inside out, a glass that had been dashed against rock and split into a thousand pieces.

Pep Talk

"Dani?" Martine knocked gently at her best friend's bedroom door, pressing her ear against it. She could hear no sound from within. "It's me. Can I come in?"

Several seconds ticked by with no response.

"Yeah. Of course." Dani's soft voice was muffled, and the door creaked as Martine cautiously opened it and stuck her head in, her long blonde curls cascading down the side of the door frame. The curtains were almost drawn, but a small gap allowed the afternoon sun to stream through, illuminating a corridor of light through the centre of the room.

"Are you okay? I just wanted to check on you before I went out."

Dani was lying face down on her bed. Wearing nothing but a white cropped tank top and silky black panties, she sighed audibly as she rolled onto her back. Her own lengthy brown tresses flowed out across her pillow as she made eye contact with Martine, her slow, lethargic movements standing in stark contrast to her taut, athletic body.

"Thanks Marti. That's real sweet of you."

"Have you left the house today?"

"...no. But I went to the gym yesterday."

"That's great, babes!" Martine smiled, a small trickle of relief running across her face. "You haven't been in so long! I was worried you might get fat."

Dani couldn't help but smile slightly. "I've only missed a few weeks. I've been doing home workouts too."

"Heh. I did wonder why you were blasting Pendulum so loudly. Thought the walls were gonna shatter."

"Sorry. Just wanted to take my mind off things a little."

"Girl, don't apologise," Martine said, shaking her head. "You do whatever you need to." She pushed Dani's door open further and approached the bed, a little taken aback by how messy her friend's room was.

"Thanks Marti."

Martine tentatively seated herself on the edge of the bed, rolling her fingers through Dani's outstretched hand. She clasped it tightly and, after a second's hesitation, Dani gripped back. For almost a minute they sat there, hands held and silent. Dani exhaled softly as a small glimmer of happiness rose within her, reassured as she was by the solidarity that only her best friend could bring to her.

"You sure you're gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I guess I'll order a takeaway or something. Watch a movie. You should go and have fun."

Martine felt a pang of agitation. "I don't want to leave you here, babe."

"I mean it, Marti. I'll be fine."

Martine pressed her tongue against her cheek. A thought suddenly occurred to her and she broke into a wide grin. "Come out with us tonight!"

Dani raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Yeah, come on, it'll be fun! We're going to this cool cocktail bar downtown. They're doing a light show on the terrace outside!"

"Marti, you're too good to me. But you don't want me to third wheel tonight."

"Babes, I don't care. You're hurting, and you need to get out of the house. Besides, maybe talking to Ethan would be helpful for you? He misses Jake too."

Dani gulped, gripping Martine's hand tighter, a spurt of dismay running through her at the mention of Jake's name. "I... I really don't wanna talk about it, Marti. I don't think that would help."

"Okay, okay, we don't have to talk about Ja- uh, him," Martine said, quickly backtracking. "But please come out with us. We'll have a great time. I just... I just wanna make you feel better."

"Marti," Dani sniffed, squeezing her friend's hand. "You're so damn sweet. I really appreciate you offering. But... I'll just bring the mood down, y'know?" Martine opened her mouth to reply, and Dani quickly cut her off. "I don't wanna ruin your night. I'm just gonna be sat there feeling sorry for myself. You don't want that."

"I want you there! Act however you want, I don't care!"

Dani sighed. Martine had always been stubborn as hell. "I'm sorry, Marti, but I'd really rather have a quiet one tonight. I'll come out with you next time, okay?"

Martine huffed but, for once, she seemed to relent. "Fine. I won't push you if you don't want to."

"Thanks Marti. I really appreciate it though. Really."

"I know," Martine said, a small grin slipping onto her face again. "You're so lucky to have a friend as amazing, awesome, and beautiful as me."

"And I won't forget it," Dani replied softly, allowing herself to smile. They sat in silence for another minute, until Martine's phone buzzed on her lap.

"That's Ethan," she said, standing up and sliding her hand free of Dani's. "He'll be here soon. I need to get ready."

"I hope you have an amazing night," Dani said, sitting up and crossing her legs.

"Babe, please at least do something tonight. Please? Call up Sofia, go see her and Ruby or something. Or go hang with Alex and the girls. They're probably hitting the town. Anything. I just don't want you to be alone."

Martine's voice was laden with sincere, genuine concern, and Dani was touched again as she inhaled softly, thinking over her options. A girls' night out was far too much, but a quiet night with Sofia sounded alright...

"Or, what about work? Pandora's Box will take your mind off everything for sure!"

Dani chuckled lightly. "I don't think so. I'm definitely not in the right mood for Pandora's Box tonight."

"Why not?" Martine insisted, sitting back down opposite her friend, her phone clutched in her hand. "It's Saturday night. You guys are gonna be heaving. You'll be so busy you won't have time to think about anything else!"

Dani exhaled slowly as she thought about this. Martine had a point -- Pandora's Box was practically a world unto itself, so glitzy and glamourous that it was impossible to focus on a single thing happening outside its doors once you were in. Dani knew that as soon as she stepped into the main auditorium, wearing her skimpy little waitress uniform, she would be utterly distracted with her job until closing. A quiet night with Sofia might give her too much time to brood. But a night at Pandora's Box was potentially the perfect escape.

There was just one problem...

"It's not a bad idea, I guess. But I'm not on the rota for tonight anymore."

"Anymore?"

"Yeah, I... well, I haven't been going to work for the last few weeks. I've just been calling in sick. I was on the rota tonight, but I called and cancelled the other day."

"So? Call and un-cancel."

"They definitely would have got someone to replace me by now."

"It's worth a try, at least. Come on, babe, I know how much you enjoy it there."

"They won't say 'yes'. It's too late."

Martine sighed. "Sounds to me like you're just looking for an excuse."

"An excuse?!" A flash of anger tore through Dani. "An excuse? Like I need an excuse for why I don't feel like working tonight?"

"No, no, no, no, that's not what I meant!" Martine gasped, going bright red. "I didn't mean it like that, I only-"

"Save it," Dani groaned, regretting her outburst but still feeling a little miffed. "Let's be real. I'm not gonna be doing anything tonight except chewing through that tub of ice cream in the freezer."

"Dani, babe-"

"Marti, please, just go. Have a great night. You deserve it. But it's been almost a month, and I still feel like Jake and I broke up yesterday. I'm a miserable fucking wreck. I'll just make everyone else depressed too if I show up anywhere. Let's be honest, if I was worth spending time with, he would still be here."

"Dani!" Martine, quick as a cat, dove forwards and wrapped her arms tightly around her best friend. Dani was taken aback, still tense after her outburst. However, as Martine's warmth spread through her, she couldn't help but melt into the hug, clutching back as hard as she could. For close to half a minute the two girls remained enveloped, not a sound between them aside from Dani's occasional sniffing.

"Don't say that shit," Martine said quietly as they broke apart, rubbing Dani's shoulder reassuringly. "You're, like, the coolest person I know. You're the hottest, baddest bitch I know. Maybe I'll regret saying this, but I mean every word: Jake's a fucking moron for ditching you like this."

Dani was blinking back tears, but her lips curled into a smile as Martine spoke, before she finally let out a gasp of laughter.

"Thanks, Marti. Really, thank you."

"I'm just spitting the truth, babe. And I know that I would be really, really happy if you came out with Ethan and me tonight."

Dani sucked air between her teeth, pressing her tongue into her cheek as she thought about it again.

"Okay. Fine. You got me. Third wheeling it is."

"YES!" Dani's bed creaked dangerously as Martine bounded with joy atop it, giving her friend another hug. "We'll have an absolute blast, I know it!" She glanced at her phone to check the time. "Look, Ethan's gonna be here in a second and we're going to his. But we'll swing back here around 8ish to pick you up, okay?"

"Okay. Sounds good."

"Great!" Martine beamed, giving Dani a light squeeze before hopping off her bed and backing towards the door. "I mean it. 8pm! No backtracking!"

"I promise."

"Good girl." With a final grin, Martine disappeared around the corner to grab her things.

Single And Ready To Mingle

It was nearly 7:30pm, and Dani had almost finished getting dolled up for the night out. Her hair was glossy, wavy, and luxurious, her makeup perfectly layered and accentuating the natural beauty of her face. It had been far too long since she had dressed up, and she had to admit she was enjoying her return to form. All she needed to pick was her outfit.

Presently, Dani was wearing nothing but a sheer bra and panties set, bright red and eye-catching. Her plump, round breasts strained against the large cups, swelling outwards from her chest with their buxom proportions and divided by the enticing prominence of her deep and inviting cleavage.

Dani's full and firm ass was held back equally less successfully by the panties. Her delicious, bulbous cheeks were barely covered, spilling out from the racy garment as if desperate to escape its lace grasp.

Dani turned in front of her bedroom mirror, admiring her assets as well as her lean, flat stomach. Her abs, sculpted and tight as ever, popped out clearly in the light of the room, and a burst of flushed arousal coursed through Dani as she saw the way both her bubble butt and her huge tits vaulted outwards from her hourglass frame.

She wouldn't need much to get the heads turning. A tube top and a mini skirt, perhaps? Or a tiny black dress that clung to her body? As Dani flicked through her wardrobe, she smiled softly as she realised she was actually looking forward to tonight. She had missed this. There was always something so intensely thrilling about getting herself looking perfect for all the dozens of men who would surely be laying eyes on her tonight.

Dani's phone began to buzz on her bed. She turned away from the wardrobe, a long chestnut lock falling in front of her eye. She brushed it back and pranced forwards, fully expecting to see Martine's caller ID.

But when she saw who it actually was, she let out a small gasp. Until this very moment, it had been the absolute last person she had expected to hear from tonight. And yet now, in hindsight, she realised how ridiculous it was that she had thought that. Of course he would be calling her. Tonight of all nights. How could she have forgotten?

The phone was still vibrating relentlessly, urging Dani to pick it up and answer. She watched it for several more seconds with her stomach twisting in apprehension. As a hot flush rose upon her face, Dani finally reached down and shakily picked up her phone, lightly tapping the 'answer' button.