Fantasy Man Pt. 02

"Unnnh, unnnh," she gasped.

Corbin cupped one of her breasts and tweaked her nipple. Her own hand shot to grip his and hold it right there as he fucked up at her, their mirror selves lost to their incoming orgasms. Her mouth widened even further and her eyes squeezed shut.

"Ohhhhh!" she cried out.

She came. Her body jerked up once, twice, three times and then she seemed to melt, panting, her fingernails digging into his hand on her breast. Corbin kept pumping into her, his own climax close, and thought about Jessica coming in there. It would be too tight a fit, but he fantasized about her sinking between Sandra's legs and licking her pussy while he hammered into the clerk. That did it for him even more than the stunning visual of Sandra coming down off her orgasm. He drove deep into her one last time, grunting as he filled his condom.

Slowly he pulled out of Sandra and she whirled, wrapping her arms around him and planting a kiss on him he'd never forget. He dropped a hand to her spectacular ass and squeezed before she dropped to help them both with their clothes.

Outside, Jessica sat on a plastic chair, playing on her phone and smiling to herself. She had even more clothes for Corbin ready, but it didn't escape him that her own cheeks were bright cherry red.

"You two have fun?" she asked.

Sandra looked around and leaned in to murmur, "Best sex of my life."

Corbin gaped at her. "Wait, what?"

Sandra turned and winked. "Now, um, what else can I help you two with today?"

* * *

"Should I have got her number?" Corbin asked Jessica. They stood at the cologne and perfume counters in the middle of the department store. Sandra disappeared to clean up and presumably go back to work, though the store was almost dead.

"Why? Do you want it?"

"No, I mean, I just thanked her and we... you know, walked away."

Jessica picked up a sample bottle of cologne from the department store's glass countertop and popped off the cap. A whiff later and she was hastily putting the cap back on. To Corbin, she said, "Sex doesn't always have to mean commitment. You didn't take her on a date, or promise her anything, and more importantly, she definitely wasn't expecting anything. It was just casual, Corbin. That's okay."

"Like what you and I have?"

"Kind of? I'd like to think you and I are friends, too."

"Friends with benefits," he said, smiling.

She poked his shoulder. "Yep."

They both picked up another sample bottle and sniffed. Corbin held his out. "That's not bad."

"Yeah, I don't mind that one. That'd be good for the day-to-day cologne. Add it to the maybe side."

He did, and asked, "What do you mean, day-to-day cologne?"

"Weekend cologne," she said. "Don't wear any during class. You'll come across like a douche and if it's too strong, you'll probably leave someone sneezing for an hour. A dab of aftershave when you shave, always. Day-to-day cologne on the weekends first thing in the morning after you've dried off. And then there's date night cologne."

"What's the difference? Between day-to-day and date night, I mean."

"Mm, I like sportier colognes on guys day-to-day. Or something lighter, anyways. Something that says you're upping your game, but it's not just necessarily for me. But date night, I want to be drunk on you. And that means something darker, richer. Something with... flair. You know what I mean?"

"No," Corbin said, laughing. "But I'm figuring it out."

"That's all I want from you," Jessica said serenely. "Aftershave, go with whatever you like. You want to leave your own mark there. Or at least go with the same as your day-to-day cologne."

"Got it," Corbin said. They both took a deep whiff of the coffee beans provided as a scent cleanser, and started in on the next round of colognes.

When they finished and paid for all their purchases, they walked past rows of children's clothing on their way out the store. Jessica stopped at one rack, going silent, studying the shirts there.

"Hey," Corbin said. "You okay?"

"Oh. Yes." Jessica sucked her teeth. "No. I... I don't know."

"Talk to me."

"I need to find a gift for someone. A boy, about ten or eleven or so. That's what I was doing this morning when I got the call about you being in the hospital."

"And you're looking at maybe a shirt or something?"

Jessica shook her head. "I don't know what to get him. It's a see you later present, I guess. I was his babysitter for a long time. That's what I do for work."

"Oh. Well, what does he like?"

"Books and Fortnite," Jessica said, and chuckled. "Fortnite, Fortnite, and more Fortnite. Action figures too. Cars, I think. Or at least he had some in his window? I don't really know about that one."

"Okay. So pretty typical kids' stuff," Corbin said.

"Yeah, but I'd like it to be... I don't know, something special. Maybe he'll forget about me in a month or two, but I'd like..." The tears came on her hard and fast, slipping down her face like gleaming jewels. Corbin settled his bags down and wrapped her in his arms. She tucked her head against his chest, and they rocked together a while.

"It's okay," he said. "I don't think anyone could ever forget you."

"You are unfairly good at saying the right things," Jessica said, sniffing hard. He chuckled and squeezed her tight one more time before letting her go. "So I guess now I'm asking for your help figuring out a present for my friend."

"Of course," Corbin said.

Jessica sniffed and chuckled again. "Weirdest day ever, right?"

"You're not wrong."

They started first at a downtown mom-and-pop toy store, but everything there felt too juvenile for Isaac. They wandered into a bookstore next, but it would be impossible to know if Isaac already owned a book without asking him.

"Are you a reader?" Jessica asked Corbin as he thumbed through a coffee table book on vintage arcade cabinets.

"Not really," he said. "I like books, but I don't really get around to it. You?"

"Kind of the same. But I read a lot with Isaac."

He put the book down and looked at her. "How so?"

"I always try to get into whatever the kid I'm babysitting is into, unless it's, say, smashing bugs or something. I knew Fortnite because of my brother, but I don't think I read a book for anything outside of class since I was a senior in high school. With Isaac, he liked crashing out on his chair and reading, so that's what I did too. Builds a bond, you know?"

"I think we're onto it," Corbin said. "Did you read books together? I mean, any books in particular stand out that would mean something to the both of you?"

"Yes. He had me read Thandi Merritt's Medusa High series." Jessica pointed at him. "Oh, you're good. So like a medusa statue, or something like that."

"Let's grab something to drinkand we'll look online. See if anybody's got anything like that."

They did, and over two iced tea bottles, they browsed their phones for medusa related merchandise. Corbin found some medusa paintings that were a touch too scary for what Jessica had in mind, but a few minutes later, she nearly dropped her phone in excitement.

"That's it. Right there." She handed the phone over. Bookends, one of them a medusa's face, the other one a coil of cartoonish snakes. Corbin grinned and she drummed her hands on the table. "The store's on the other side of the city. I'll have to go tomorrow and pick it up."

Corbin held her phone in one hand and tapped away on his with the other. A moment later, he held it up to his ear. "Hi, my friend and I were just looking online at your medusa bookends. Do you have some of those in stock?" A couple minutes passed, and he perked up. "Okay. Cool. We're over in Agramonte, and I know it's a big ask, but this is a present for a kid. Would you mind hanging around just a while longer and we'll come by and pick them up tonight?" He grinned and Jessica jumped to her feet. "Awesome, we'll be there as fast as possible."

When he stood up, Jessica hugged him again. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Hey, you're welcome. We gotta hurry, though. They said they can only wait an hour."

She looked up at him, eyes gleaming with good humor. "And after, you're coming back to my place."

* * *

Jessica bought the bookends, and despite the evening hour, Corbin asked if she wanted to drop them off that night. She hesitated, then nodded. They drove to a beautiful part of Agramonte, full of upper middle-class homes, each unique but forming sort of a cohesive unit despite that. Jessica didn't say much on the drive. Corbin might have been dense, but it didn't take a genius to figure out that this was important to Jessica in a way that went beyond a simple gift.

She slowed for a big house, hesitated, then kept going, aiming for the end of a cul-de-sac. There she slowed even further for a beautiful two-story house with a truck out front advertising an electrician business. Her hands twitched, and she sniffed, staring up into the windows. After a long pause, she turned around and headed back for the first gorgeous house she nearly stopped at.

"Men are assholes?" Corbin asked quietly.

"No," Jessica said. Her voice was flat and nasal, but she didn't cry. "Not all of them. Truth is, I was the one who was kind of an asshole. I knew going in what he wanted. Who he was. I'm the one who wanted something different."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

"And the kid is his son, I take it?"

"Yuuup." She pulled into the driveway and parked the car. "Know Dakota and London?"

"I don't."

"The twins you talked to at the party right before you left. That's them."

"Oh, sure."

"This is their house."

"Oh," Corbin said. "It's a beautiful place."

"Mm hm." Jessica fidgeted. "Any other time, anybody else, I'd ask you to come with me, but I just need one minute with them, okay?"

"Of course," Corbin said.

"Thanks." She opened her door but hesitated again. Not quite looking at him, she said, "I'm glad you were with me for this."

"Anytime," Corbin said.

Jessica hauled out the bookends from the backseat, then slumped her way up to the front door of the near-mansion. It opened before she got there and one of the beautiful blonde twins stepped out, smiling wide until she saw Jessica's expression. They both looked back at Corbin, then began to speak to each other. The twin looked heartbroken, and took the bookends from Jessica. She stepped inside with the bookends and Jessica started back down towards the car. A moment later, though, both twins were racing out the door again. Jessica turned and the three of them embraced.

Corbin looked away. This was not his story and he wasn't a part of it. He let them have whatever strange goodbye this was.