Stress Relief Ch. 11

As Nia and Ari climbed the charts of internet popularity, so too did the slight pain in Ari's heart intensify. All in all, she enjoyed the fake dates she and Nia were heading on, but she couldn't deny that she wished they could explore something deeper. Of course, every time she even wondered about that, she quickly reminded herself of the harsh facts. Nia was still her boss and there was no indication that she felt the same way.

And, as a matter of fact, if she did feel the same way there was a possibility that would only make things worse for both of them. So, Ari kept her feelings locked up in her mind.

Noon had arrived a week after the massage Ari had given Nia, as the woman's groggy self yawned, rising from her bed. She rubbed her eyes and blinked, feeling the sun coming in through the curtains.

"Shit, what time is it?" She wondered. She looked over at her phone and found that it read 11:39 a.m. "Damn." Ari stood and clumsily walked over to her bathroom without seeing the messages on her phone (a decision she would regret in just a moment).

She could vaguely remember responding to someone's message last night, something important, but she was so tired she forgot.

She was wearing an oversized shirt and no pants, walking around her home with her lower half covered in nothing but panties.

It didn't matter, of course. It wasn't like she would be seeing anyone soon.

She made herself breakfast quickly, a simple grilled cheese sandwich and some coffee, and went to sit at her couch flipping through tv channels to see what was on. She was just about finishing up when the doorbell rang.

"Huh?" She asked aloud, setting aside her food to walk over to the front door without a thought. When she saw who was there, she gasped audibly.

There was a slightly chubbier version of herself standing there with a patient smile, an uptight man with her same hair color, and her best friend saying something she couldn't quite catch.

Taylor, her mother, and her father were just standing there.

"What... The... Fuck?"

She stayed frozen for a second, internalizing that they had somehow appeared here before she shook her head, yelped, and sprinted to her bedroom. She put on the most presentable shorts she could find and jogged back to her living room.

She opened the door and her mother was walking in before she even said "hi".

"Oh, thank goodness it's so hot out here." She said, fanning herself with her hand as Ari watched her father and her friend walk in one after another.

"You cleaned up right? If you're not determined enough to sweep the floor you won't be determined enough to get a job." Her father said.

"Yooo, I brought some ice cream. I'll put it on your counter." Taylor said.

...

Ari was too stunned to move.

"Uh... What the fuck?" Ari said.

"Could you get me some water, honey?" Her mother said, plopping down onto her couch.

"I'll get it, I'm going to the kitchen anyway," Taylor stated and Ari's mom nodded.

"You didn't clean up? You know that if you don't have the determination to sweep your floor you won't have the determination to get a job, right?" Her dad stated and Ari rolled her eyes.

"You haven't heard?" Taylor said from the kitchen. Ari was stunned by the fact that this whole time she'd been allowed to say a grand total of one sentence. "Ari's hot shit now. She's dating a super-rich stud."

"You're what?" Her father asked.

"Oh? Do you know him?" Her mother turned on the couch and directed the question at Taylor.

"Not a 'he'. A woman." Taylor replied setting her ice cream down and serving up the water.

"Oh my!" Ari's mom looked scandalized. "Is this true?"

"... Now I can talk?" Ari asked.

"Of course."

"Mom, dad, Tay. What the hell are you guys doing here?" Ari asked.

"Taylor?" Her mom asked. "Did you tell Ari we were coming?"

"Sure did," Taylor replied. "Ari, did you forget or something? I asked you last night if it was okay."

Oh. Oh shit.

"I..."

"You forgot, didn't you?" Taylor asked.

"Fuck." Ari muttered. "So, you guys are in town?" She asked her parents.

"For the weekend, yes." Her mother replied. "We booked the nicest little hotel, it's so quaint!"

"Nice and humble." Her father agreed as Ari could see him getting lost in what was happening on TV in real-time.

"The service was so pleasant, ah! The youths these days are so kind!" Ari found a cup of water being extended her way and saw Taylor holding one up to her. She grabbed it with a "thanks" and sat on a stool nearby.

"Wait, wait, wait." Her mom paused. "So, what's this about you dating a rich persona?"

"She's a businesswoman. Nia Stone." Ari said, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh!" Her mom sounded excited but less so than Ari would have expected. "I think I saw her on TV once."

"Wait, wait." Her father shook out of his trance and turned towards her. "What about that Jake fella?"

"Oh, right." Her mom's eyebrows raised. "You were fairly head over heels for him. Where's he?"

"He cheated on her," Taylor said before Ari could respond. Ari scowled over at her.

"You're kidding!" Her mother gasped.

"Yup, kind of a scumbag honestly. I never liked him." Taylor said. Ari gave up on being a part of this conversation and crossed one leg over the other.

"Wow. Who could have seen that coming?" Her mother made an "oh" face and Ari could tell she was already about to change the topic. "Hey, honey, we wanted to visit a restaurant a few blocks from here. Come with us."

"No question? No, 'if you aren't busy'?" Ari asked.

"You aren't exactly dressed like you're busy, sweetie." Her mom laughed and Ari sighed.

"Fine." She started to walk in the direction of her room to get dressed, but then, again, the doorbell sounded. "Fuck, who is it now." She spun in place as Taylor snorted and she walked to the front.

When she opened the door, her breath caught in her throat.

"Hello, darling."

Nia. The very subject of their talk was standing there with a minute smile and kindness in her red eyes. Her black hair was in a ponytail and she wore a business suit that hugged her body in all the right ways.

Ari froze.

"Honey? Who is it?" Her mom asked and Ari suddenly remembered she had company. Nia raised a brow and smirked.

"Are you busy?" Nia asked and Ari breathed before she stepped aside.

"N-No."

"Not a very confident answer but I'll take it," Nia replied and when she stepped in, Ari watched confusion form on her face as she found three people there she'd never seen before.

"Uh, Nia," Ari quickly said, "this, uh, these, are my parents. Mom, dad and Taylor."

"Is Taylor one of your parents?" Nia asked with a small laugh.

"No, no, she's a friend."

"Ah, I see." Nia took a step forward and gave a slight bow. "It's nice to meet you all, I'm Nia."

"Wow." Ari could basically see glints in her mother's eyes. "She's quite the looker!"

Her father stood from the couch and walked over to her, extending a hand. Nia took it with confidence and the man nodded, apparently liking what he sensed.

"Good to meet you." He said. "So, you're a businesswoman?"

"Yep." Nia didn't appear the least bit surprised that they'd heard of her. "CEO of Stone Industries."

"Oh. Impressive. How long have you and Ari been together?" He asked.

"A little over a month or two."

"Hm... Alright. Listen, I don't care if you're famous or whatever, treat her well or else."

Ari rolled her eyes, but Nia simply smiled and nodded.

"Of course." She sauntered over to her (fake) girlfriend and kissed her on the cheek, leaving Ari blushing. "You don't have to worry about that."

"Good."

With that, Ari told Nia to take a seat and the others started to interview her properly (because, of course, they did).

"So, how'd you two meet?" Her mom asked.

"Eh, I was feeling fairly tense after a few business meetings and I spoke to some friends. They recommended me to seek out a massage therapist. I've always liked giving smaller business owners a spot to shine, so I decided to contact someone with a little bit of a lower profile. That led me to your daughter." Nia smiled at Ari.

Ari smiled back.

"Oh? So you were a client?"

"Yes, we, well, we hit it off and we became friends. From there on we saw each other quite often," Nia winked at Ari when she said that, "and well, things progressed naturally from there."

"That's sweet."

Indeed. Nia left out the part about how Ari basically turned into a prostitute for the sake of keeping her new job. But, well, Ari wasn't complaining. Still, Nia's ability to say things like that, holding back the full truth, was interesting. It felt like Ari was getting a glimpse of her inner businesswoman.

Taylor raised a brow though. She knew a little bit more than Ari's parents, after all. Ari hoped nothing seemed out of place.

"Excuse me," Nia suddenly said to Ari, "are you going to be busy later?"

"I don't think so." Ari replied.

"Good. I was wondering if you wanted to go out again."

"Oh. Well, sure." Ari shrugged and nodded.

"Perfect. I'll see you later then."

"Wait, you just got here." Ari's mom stated.

"Far be it from me to interrupt some family time. It was nice to meet you all."

With that, Nia made a fairly quick exit. Everyone inside was left a little bit shocked.

As she heard a car starting outside and driving off, Ari sighed and went to her bedroom to dress up. Her family was here, she figured she may as well make something out of it.

**A few hours later**

"It was nice to see you, sweetie! We'll come back tomorrow for some lunch!" Ari's mother said as the sun lowered behind the clouds on the horizon.

"Sure."

"Oh, and buy yourself some vegetables, sweetie!" Her mother added. Her father wordlessly went in and started the car. Taylor sat behind them and rolled the window down.

"Nia's even hotter in person." She said.

"You're not gonna make a move on her are ya?" Ari replied with a smile and a raised brow.

"Nah, but I just wanted to tell you," Taylor looked serious, but in a kind way, "you should enjoy it. This thing, I mean."

The "while it lasts" went unsaid, but Ari still felt it.

"See ya, Tay."

"Bye."

Ari waved at them. With that, Ari stood in front of her house as the car drove away.

As Nia's face appeared in Ari's mind, the woman went back in her house to get ready.

--

***Nia's POV***

"Ms. Stone, it's 7."

"Already?" Nia organized some of the papers she'd been reviewing. "Carly, can you come up here and clean my desk up a little? Sorry to bother you."

"It would be my pleasure." Her secretary answered and the radio turned off from her side. Nia stretched.

Today had been fairly busy. Well, it wasn't supposed to be. Truthfully, her original plan had been to get as much work done as she could some that she could then take a few hours off with Ari, come back, and then later go out again. Instead, since Ari's family was there, Nia decided to make a quick exit and come back. She didn't want to get in the way of Ari's family time. She knew how precious that could be.

She ended up finding more work than she'd thought there would be. Somehow, the rest of the day continued with her sitting at her chair, signing various papers, and inspecting others that were reported from Halfgreen. The expansion was going well, which was nice. Aside from helping out a small community, there was the potential of becoming the main tech company there.

She smiled to herself. All things considered, her life wasn't that bad nowadays.

Her phone buzzed and she found Ari's name lighting it up. She swiped right and held it up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"I'm getting ready now," Ari said on the other end of the line. Nia smiled. There was something about this girl that she just didn't understand. She'd never encountered something like this. Ari had a way of making her feel like a regular person. It was easy to forget that she was one sometimes.

"I'll start driving then, I should be at your house in around fifteen to twenty minutes," Nia said, rounding her desk to go to her in-office closet.

"Okay. See you soon." Ari said and she almost hung up before Nia could reply.

That was strange. Ever since this thing between them had started, the whole "fake girlfriend" business, Nia had begun to note a change inside of Ari. It was subtle enough that someone else may have missed it. She had become... Colder? Just a little bit though. Before, Ari had been a walking bundle of energy. Wherever she went, she made the room brighter. Nia wasn't sure when that changed, but at some point, Ari had become more reserved.

Oh well, it was probably not a huge deal. Maybe she was just adjusting to this new phase of their friendship. If that was the case, Nia intended to help with that as much as she could. She took off her business suit and put on a sleek grey dress, letting her hair down as she walked out of her office.

Carly was there, walking up to the door.

"Oh? Were you there the whole time?"

"No, I just came up."

"Ah, thanks again, Carly." Nia said.

"No problem." Carly walked past her but she stopped. "Are you going to see that woman again?"

"Ari? Yes." Nia nodded.

"Oh. I heard about you two on the news recently. She seems like a good person. I'm happy for you."

"Thank you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The two parted ways and Nia went on the elevator. A few minutes later she was driving out of her parking spot, no chauffeur required this time, and out onto the streets of Lowlight City. She turned on the radio and started humming along with a poppy tune, unable to keep another smile from appearing on her face when the thought of spending time with Ari came to her.

She didn't know what would happen when all was said and done, but one thing was certain. Ari had carved out a spot for herself in Nia's heart.

She came up to the woman's house and honked. In a minute, Ari walked out and Nia licked her lips as her eyes traced Ari's figure. She was painfully beautiful. That flowing blonde hair, her plump thighs, and large breasts, all caressed by a tight crop-top and leggings. Nia bit on her bottom lip trying to keep herself from getting hard.

She hoped there would be time for that kind of stuff soon.

"Hello." She said as Ari entered the car.

"Hey," Ari said softly as she shifted into the seat. "Uh, was work good?"

"Sure." Nia shrugged. "How'd your time with your family go?"

"It was nice. I, well, I hadn't seen them in a while" Ari said and Nia hummed.

"Same." She replied as Ari looked her way. There was a silence for a moment as another song played on the radio. Ari eventually said:

"So, where are we headed?"

"Just a bar. I figured tonight would be as good a night as any to go drinking."

"Oh?" Ari sounded surprised. Indeed, outside of drinking at restaurants, they hadn't really gone out with the explicit purpose of getting drunk.

"Figured we'd want to relax a little bit after everything that's been going on, you know?"

"Yeah, agreed." Ari smiled gratefully at her and Nia couldn't help but reach over to give one of her hands a squeeze.

"We'll be there in a few, you can take a second to rest."

"Why?" Ari asked.

"You look... Tired?"

"Sure," Ari said and leaned back, closing her eyes.

Nia nodded to herself and focused on driving. She hoped the two of them wouldn't be harassed too much at the place.

--

And so, an hour later, they were driving back to Ari's home. As opposed to before, this time Ari's eyes were closed because she was absolutely gone. Nia had taken things easy, just taking a few sips at a time of a sugary mojito while Ari had ordered actual hard liquor.

"Even growing up I was always the designated driver." Nia shook her head as she drove along with the bustling nightlife. This was when Lowlight City really shone in her eyes. The neon, the people marching to their next party spot, the music on the radio. She enjoyed being out at this time. The beauty laughing to herself next to her wasn't that bad either.

"Nia, Nia!" Ari said.

"What?"

"You're hot."

Nia rolled her eyes as Ari barked out another laugh.

"And you are taking a nap and drinking some water when we get to your house."

"Ugh, okay mom!"

Nia snorted, rounding a corner that would soon take her to Ari's domain. Except, when she drew closer, she found another car there.

"Hm?" Nia raised a brow as she slowed down. There was a man standing at Ari's front door. He was wearing a tank top and some jeans. He looked like the most average man in America.

"What the hell?" Nia asked.

"What? Oh, oh fuck." Ari said next to her.

"What's going on?" Nia asked.

"That's Jake?"

"I'm sorry, who's Jake? I forgot."

"My ex."

Nia's eyes widened. What? Why was he here? Ari sobered up a little.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" She made a move to get out and Nia stopped her.

"I'll help you out. Don't want you falling or anything."

"Heh, too late." She said. Nia turned to look at her, not understanding what that meant.

"Okay, in a sec." Nia got out and walked over to the passenger side. She opened it up and Ari stumbled out. "Whoa, easy there."

"Ari!" The guy called out and he started stomping over to them. Nia had a bad feeling about all this.

"Jake, what the fuck a-" she gagged a little and continued, "what the fuck are you doing here?"

"Ari, don't you think it's time to stop?"

"Stop what?" Ari asked.

"This fucking fling."

"Fling?" Nia asked.

"Yeah," Jake briefly addressed her before turning back to Ari. "Come on, you took your fucking break, let's get back together."

"Oh, fuck off!" Ari basically screamed. "Don't you fucking get it? I'm done with you!"

"Babe, what the fuck does she have that I don't?"

"Take your pick," Nia said under her breath with a smirk and Jake glared at her.

"Jake, Nia is better than you could ever be. Just fucking go."

"Ari," he took a step closer, "come on, she's just a girl." Jake said.

"I'm sorry, what?" Nia asked.

"She's just a fucking woman, she can't do a lot in bed right? Stop pretending you're mad, it's okay, I forgive you."

Nia and Ari stood there, stunned into silence.

"Friend," Nia walked up to him, "in case she hasn't made it clear enough, you aren't welcome. So, leave now, or I will make you leave."

"Oh yeah, how are you-"

He wasn't allowed to finish. Ari punched him in the face. He recoiled, falling down as Ari went to mount him, but Nia stopped her.

"GET FUCKING LOST!" Ari yelled. Her punch cut Jake, something Nia saw as he stood up.

"You're gonna regret that you fucking whore."

"Leave," Nia said with nothing but ice in her tone. "Go away, right now."

Maybe Jake finally understood how serious she was because he finally started walking away.

"You fucking bitches..." He muttered as he clutched his head, walking back to his janky car. He sped off before Nia could even blink.

"Why the hell did I waste my time with that idiot?"

Nia didn't respond to that, instead, she wrapped an arm around her and helped her into her home.

At that point, Ari walked on her own somewhere as Nia identified a fridge and grabbed a bottle of water to give to the girl. She followed where she'd gone and found Ari lying down, breathing slowly. She wondered if she was asleep before Ari's head snapped up to look at her.

"Here." Nia passed a bottle of water in her direction. Ari took it and gulped down some of it. Hopefully, she'd be able to keep it down.

"Stay with me," Ari said and Nia nodded.

"Sure."

Ari patted the spot next to her and Nia laughed. She took off her heels, scooting into the bed and Ari raised up her sheet to cover them.