Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice

I listen as she talks and contemplates all anal play.

More than once I have to block the word and especially the images that want to conjure up in my head. But I sit back and listen. I only give her my input when she asks for it and then ignore her when she asks me how many girls I've demolished with my dick.

She sure has a way with words.

>>>

The dings on my phone wake me up Sunday morning.

I expect them from my mother, seeing as I should have been over there an hour ago but they're from Clare.

'Good morning! :) '

'Excellent Morning, actually ;) '

'Please tell me you're awake!' My phone dings again.

'Can we do a quick video chat?' She texts again

I groan and then curse when I see her calling me.

"What?" I lean back on one arm and stare at the screen.

"Whoa," Clare sits up straighter and stops squirming around.

"What?" I ask again, looking at her out of one eye. I rub my face.

"Your voice, it just sounds so deep. Did you just wake up?" She has her hair up in a messy bun and her thin shirt barely covers her upper body.

"Yes, thanks to you." I stare at her through my screen and give her an expectant look.

"Well, now that you're up, I should tell you about my night!" She does a little dance.

She puts the phone down on her desk. Her eyebrows are animated as she uses her hands to tell her story. She must be alone in her room with the number of details she's giving about jerking some random guy off.

"Before you ask, yes, he was clean. I verified." She waits for a response.

"Good." I nod.

"It does take a lot of guys out of the running though. Not many of them have a recent exam on them." Her tone is concerned.

"It is up to you if you want to risk it." My free hand travels down to adjust my morning wood. I really need to pee.

She goes back to talking about how she selected the guy, screened him, and then jerked him off in his car. "I feel like he was too easy."

I chuckle. "A girl that is willing to jerk you off and not expect anything in return sounds like any college boy's dream."

"True." She nods. "But I had so many moves planned. I even practiced some dirty talk. Do you want to hear it?" She leans in closer.

Fuck no.

"Uh, I actually have to get ready." I push my boner further away from my stomach. It is painful now.

"Where are you going?" She is intrigued.

"Lunch at my parent's. Sunday tradition." I roll out of bed. "Talk to you later."

"Okay, say hi to your mom for me!" She hangs up.

Hi to my mom?

I haven't had a friend ask me to do that since I was in high school. She wasn't snarky about it either. Most people my age don't eat with their family every Sunday. And does she know what she will get if I say hi to my mom from a new girl that has made herself comfortable in my life? I will never hear the end of it.

I hold my dick down to pee. And wait.

I'm very tempted to grab my lotion and rub one out. With Clare's words fresh in my head it would be too easy to cum in a matter of moments. I groan and force myself to pee instead.

This is getting ridiculous.

>>>

Want to know what is even more ridiculous?

My gaze follows Clare, across the gym, as she stands in front of her spotter and brushes her ass against him before going under the bar. I snap back to the guy I'm training and adjust his stance. I give him some pointers and continue to watch him to make sure he does exactly as I tell him. Clare's laugh travels across the building and I try very hard to tone it out. It doesn't bother me that she's here with another guy. That isn't the issue. At least it shouldn't be.

No, it isn't.

It is the fact that she hasn't texted all week and suddenly shows up with this tool, flirting her ass off, as if I'm not trying to work for a living. Okay, so maybe it is bothering me. But who am I to tell her what to do? I'm nobody to her. I'm just a person she calls when she wants to go over the finer details of hooking up with someone. A listening ear

A friend.

A pal.

I finish my session and make my way to the back room.

Before I can make it, Clare comes around the corner.

"Okay, the guy that I showed up with. Super cute, very hot. Not very smart but I can overlook it. He is clean and he has been a gentleman all day." She stares up at me in excitement.

"Hello, Clare." My tone is brisk.

"Sorry! Hi, Warren!" She wraps her arms around me. I keep my hands at my side. "Do you have some time today to maybe go over another technique I want to try?"

This arrangement is a lot less enjoyable than what I had in mind. I thought having a friend would mean more than just talking about meaningless sex. But here I am. And there she is, pouting up at me.

"Can't, I have plans with a friend." It took a lot of convincing but I got Tucker to agree to come out and grab some dinner.

Having Clare as a friend has shown me that maybe I should try to befriend Tucker outside of The Black Cat all together. It is nice to have someone to joke around with or reach out to and talk about other things that have nothing to do with our lifestyle.

"Oh, you have friends?" Her tone does nothing to hide her surprise. "Okay, I think I can swing this one alone and just give you the details. But can you pretty please promise me we will go out soon? I feel like I would be less nervous with you around."

The admission makes my ears perk. "Why? Is anyone giving you any trouble?"

Her face heats up but she shakes her head. "Some guys are just really persistent. It can become draining sometimes."

My gut twists. Although Clare is doing well on her own and exploring at her pace, there is always the danger of some asshole wanting more or trying to push her into doing something she doesn't want to. And even though I would rather eat screws for breakfast than watch her looking for the next guy to sleep with, I can't have her out there alone anymore. Because at this point in our friendship, I can't imagine anything bad happening to Clare. She's too sweet and innocent to be in a shark tank full of hungry monsters. Why didn't I think of that sooner?

"I'll be there." I assure her. "And if anyone ever gives you a hard time, just call me. Okay?"

The intensity in my eyes frightens her speechless.

"Promise me, you will call me if you ever run into any problems, Clare."

She nods, wordlessly.

"Hey, babe." The dumbass she came in with earlier comes up behind her and pulls her close to his side.

I don't bother acknowledging him and give her a final look before opening the backroom door.

>>>

Tucker rubs his jaw as he stares at me.

"There's something off about you." His eyes narrow.

I brush his comment away and lean back. We're both done with our food and have been sitting in silence for a better part of drinking our beer. I don't feel like I'm acting any different. Aside from checking my phone every few minutes, I am perfectly normal. Her words keep ringing in the back of my mind. The word persistence means something else in my world. How many guys have tried something with her? How many scary situations has she found herself in?

The more I think about it, the sicker I feel.

I haven't been a friend to her at all. Listening and texting her once in a while is not enough. She has probably needed more but I've been too caught up in my own head to even grasp that. Maybe it's time that I allow myself to really make a friend out of this. Not keep her at arm's length. Especially with everything that she is going through at the moment. I can be there for her for all of it.

What is the worst that can happen?

"You haven't been to The Black Cat in weeks, what's going on?" He leans in further. "You know, even Macy is worried."

That does nothing for me, which surprises me.

She probably wants a truce but I don't care enough to hash anything out with her anymore. And I haven't been to The Black Cat because I haven't felt the urge to go. In the past that would be one of the quickest ways to have my needs met. To scratch that itch that I can't otherwise get. But now I don't feel that urge looming over me.

"You found a new sub, didn't you?" His face brightens up. That is enough for his concern to be over. "That explains it."

"No." I say with more force than intended. "I don't have a new sub."

He frowns. "Then what is it? I could have sworn you have that new glow about you."

"I don't." I finish my beer and throw some money on the table. "Let's do this again soon."

Maybe leave all talk of new subs out of it while I'm around Clare.

He doesn't hide his surprise but nods.

>>>

Before I know it, I'm being dragged by the arm into an adult store.

Why are these even a thing anymore? With the internet and online shopping, they should be obsolete. She should just order what she needs from a discrete site like any responsible adult. The guy behind the counter has some head buds in and doesn't acknowledge us as we walk by.

Again, just shut it down.

Clare goes straight to the far side of the room, with a wall full of costumes.

Role play? Fucking role play.

She said she needed my honest opinion when she called this morning. Can I manage being impartial? Role play is so great when it's done right. But I can't sit here and watch her try on skimping things without getting ideas. Why couldn't she just call me and show me what she wanted? It is just as effective to give virtual thumbs up and thumbs down as it is in person.

"I've always wanted to try this!" Her eyebrows wiggle as she walks along the wall.

Her fingers hover over different wardrobes, reading and flipping them over to see what certain ones bring.

An older lady comes out of the back room and makes her way over to us.

"Finding everything okay?" She gives up a professional smile.

Nothing like a couple walking in and letting the whole world know they want to spice up their life by role playing.

"What do you recommend for beginners?" Clare looks back at the wall, uncertainty etched on her eyebrows.

The woman looks over each small bag. "Hmmm, it is really up to you." She pulls out three different outfits, staring at Clare's body to guess sizes first. "There's a little bit of everything that your mind can conjure up. Any specific desires?" She looks at both of us.

Clare smiles mockingly up at me, waiting for an answer. She removes her black sweater and hands it to me, ready to try some of the outfits on.

Does she think I'm a green teenager with no sexual experience whatsoever?

I do want to ask what they have in stock in the bondage realm, to really get a reaction out of her, but that would be too close to home. Instead, I turn my gaze back to Clare, allowing her to answer.

She rolls her eyes, annoyed that I don't take the bait, and turns back to the sales rep. "Can I see what you picked out?" She pulls out a skimpy policy top and bottom, if they can be called that. It covers nothing.

"You can try it on over your clothing." She bends down so that Clare can sneak her legs through the short skirt. The top is a little loose around the breasts but it is enough to get through a scene. It's cute. Thankfully not too exciting for me.

She does a half turn and asks for my opinion. She pushes her hair back, behind her ears to get a better look at the top.

"Does it feel comfortable?" My eyes linger on the space between the skirt's edge and her perky ass.

She stares up in the sky out of despair. "It doesn't matter how it feels, how does it look? Will it make a guy want to jump my bones?"

The older lady looks between us in confusion then she nods in understanding. In her head she is establishing that we must have an open relationship if we're not exclusively together. Otherwise, why would my partner ask how other guys would feel when she wears the outfit? If only she knew the real reason I'm here.

"Who cares about the guy, just make sure you're comfortable." Maybe Clare needs more guidance than I thought.

The lady hands her a maid outfit to try on next.

That one, I know I won't be able to hide my interest so much. I walk away instead. She doesn't seem to mind, realizing that I am hopeless anyways. The lady gives her some pointers and then shows her another outfit, going over the pros and cons. I see a line of ropes and handcuffs hanging on display. The prices are ridiculous compared to the local hardware store. Do people really pay this? And the quality isn't even great.

Clare sneaks up behind me. "Ohhh this is fun." She runs her hands along one of the thinner ropes hanging.

Her small arms would be so easy to wrap up together.

The thin rope wouldn't be my initial choice but maybe for a quick warm up it would be enough.

"Should we give it a try?" She's still staring at it.

I know that she is talking in a general sense. She is asking if she should buy it for herself. The thought of her using this rope with an idiot who can't even find her g spot angers me to a comical level. Why should I care? She takes the rope off the rack, but I stop her. She is sure to do some real damage if she uses it with someone who has no experience with it. I'll be damned if I have to take her to the hospital in the middle of the night over dumb and dumber fumbling around with rope and causing some damage to her nerves.

"Baby steps." I put the rope back, expecting some argument to ensue.

She turns around instead and shrugs. "Help me find a nice vibrator then."

>>>

As soon as my shift is over, I walk a few blocks to the salad place Clare is going to meet me at.

She grumbled about it only serving salads, since she has the diet of a picky toddler, but she chose it thinking of me. Don't get me wrong, I like burgers, hotdogs, and pizza as much as the next person but Clare will rarely eat anything else. One wonders how she stays so small but she eats small portions and always has left overs. A bad habit, really.

She hugs me hello when I walk up to her. Something she has been doing more and more of when we see each other.

Her hair is wet and she's wearing a matching set of purple sweats and sweatshirt. Thankfully she's also wearing a pink knit hat. The weather has been cold all week.

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to need a nice steak after this, but whatever." She pushes me towards the counter so I can give her some options.

How would I get her to eat some greens if she was my sub? Would I be nice and promise her a reward at the end of her meals? Or would I punish her until she promised to eat every little thing on her plate? I watch her pick her salad apart as soon as we sit down. She takes out the red onions, purple cabbage, and a few walnuts. A quick little punishment would definitely get her to eat every last bite.

I shift in my seat, aware that I will get a full hard on if I keep up this line of thinking.

"How was work?" She dumps all of the ranch dressing over the perfectly healthy bowl of greens.

"Long." I use half the amount of Cesar dressing on mine. "How was school?"

She gives me the same generic answer she always does. "Good."

We've talked about her major and what she plans on doing after college but she doesn't seem to worry about studying or graduating with the best grades. I know the one thing on her mind right now is the one topic I would prefer us to steer clear of. Yet, I chose to go along with it and I won't back out now. I'm in too deep to leave her with no one to talk to about her sexual renaissance.

And an enlightenment it is.

"I'm talking to a guy who's into feet stuff." She pushes her salad around, clearly over it after two bites.

Not my cup of tea but I will never look down on anyone's preferences.

"I personally don't get it. Feet are the least attractive part of a person's body." She waits for some input from me.

"What is the most attractive part of a person's body?" I take a sip of water.

"Lips, duh." Her eyes linger on mine, playfully.

I focus on my salad, slightly frowning. "I expected something more explicit from you."

She giggles. "Kissing, sucking, rubbing." A waft of vanilla washes over me when she leans in closer. "You have the perfect lips for pretty much all of the above."

Yup, there's my dick standing up for attention.

"Right." I quickly finish the rest of my salad, praying that my boner dies down by the end of our conversation.

"Sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. I don't have a filter a lot of the time." She takes two more bites and then pushes the bowl away. "So, what should I do about foot boy?"

"What do you think I will say?" She has to know what most of my answers will be before she even asks them by this point.

"Something along the lines of if I want to explore it I should. Consent, body positivity, blah blah blah." She scoffs. "Don't you have an actual opinion about anything?"

"Yeah, don't do anything you don't want to do."

"So straight edge." She shakes her head. "Shouldn't you be encouraging me to explore some more? Push the envelope and what not?"

"Is that what you want?" I get up to clear our tray.

"I thought that is what you would be doing." She turns her head to the side. "I mean, I like our conversations and I love that I never feel like I'm being judged when I talk to you. But I really expected you to be more active in my sexual deviancy."

I want to crack a smile. She always hits the nail on the head. Unfortunately, she's always trying to nail through a drywall.

"I will support you in whatever you want to explore." I promise her.

"Will you tell me what I should be exploring at least?" She gives me big eyes.

I shake my head. "Half the fun is stumbling into things you may end up really liking."

Am I a new man or what? Tucker would laugh his head off if he heard me talking now.

>>>

When I recommended that she go out there and explore some more, I didn't mean to come back to my gym with another guy. It is harder to ignore my displeasure this time.

I almost miss a step when I see her walk through the door. I walk over to the lifting benches with my next appointment in tow.

My eyes follow Clare around as she goes to different machines with the guy. Her neon green workout suit is hard to miss in the sea of black, gray, and dark blues. He doesn't look at her ass as she bends over or down her shirt when she stretches. That doesn't appease me though. He doesn't even look like he works out a ton, maybe it is his first time in a gym.

When I finish my session, I walk straight over to her before she can beat me to it.

"A word, Clare?" I motion to the corner of the room, near the entrance.

She smiles up brightly at me, clearly happy to see me. "Hi, Warren. This is my friend Sea-"

"No offense," I stare at the guy who is about to shake my hand. "But I don't give a shit."

I walk over to the corner of the room, hearing her apologize behind me.

She slaps my arm when she finally reaches me. Her face is livid.

I rub my own face, gathering the restraint not to toss her over my knee and slap her tight ass so hard that tears will form behind her eyes. I cool down as soon as I remember where I am. It is getting harder and harder to control my reactions around her. She is screwing with my head without even meaning to.

"That was so rude." Her lips purse.

"You can't keep bringing every guy that you want to sleep with to the same gym. They will eventually talk, you know?" Not that she should give a shit if they did, because I would break their jaws, but maybe it will give her a reason to avoid this place like the plague. Maybe she will choose a different gym to start taking them to. That is fine by me.

She rolls her eyes.

Another endearing act of rebellion that makes my blood sing.

I've been a pacifist ever since she met me. She doesn't know the wolf that is just salivating behind my mask. I pull back, not wanting to scare her in case she looks too closely. She doesn't deserve my anger. She is a grown woman and she can do whatever she wants. She can bring whoever she wants anywhere she wants. But it is getting harder and harder to walk the tightrope of friendship and hunger.