The Conception Deception Ch. 04

But that only got me feeling guilty again. I was hurting her, and she didn't even know it.

That night, I stayed with another college friend, Kenny. We had been roommates for two years, and not just roommates but friends, wingmen, emotional support. It was good to see him, and we stayed up late drinking and commiserating. He was fresh off a broken engagement, though in his case, he had been the one to pull the plug.

"I came to the point where I realized that I was only marrying her because I was afraid to be alone," he told me, before the alcohol had made such conversation impossible. "It's crazy how that fear made me compromise so much- she was all wrong for me, and we both knew it. But neither of us wanted to face an empty bed at night and no one to have coffee with in the morning." I wondered how much of my tenacity with Morgan had been driven by that same fear.

But was that so bad? Was that fear all wrong? Being alone didn't seem natural, and I'd never met anyone who still felt like their spouse was the ideal person for them once they got five or ten years into their marriage. Maybe life- and marriage- was about learning to compromise. And maybe the best couples are the ones who have learned to compromise on the right things.

Kenny didn't need to work until the afternoon, so we were able to sleep off our hangovers and take time getting me fresh enough to be back on the road. I left his place a little after lunch and drove the last two hours to the hotel I would be sharing with Claire. During those two hours, I kept the music off. The only sound was the occasional suggestion coming from my GPS. I used those two hours to think. By the time I reached the end of my drive, I had decided that it was time to do the right thing. I couldn't keep stringing Claire along. I was using her for sex. When it started, she was a virtual stranger, so I didn't feel too bad about it. But now, in our third month, I realized I would be pissed off if someone else was treating her the way I was now treating her. I would be angry on my friend's behalf.

But how to go about it? If I told her why it had to stop, there was no question it would be the end of our friendship. And it would probably do some serious damage to her ability to trust anyone again. But if I didn't give a reason...I didn't think that could work, unless I lied and said I was worried I was developing romantic feelings for her.

Maybe Mona was my way out. If Claire was right, there was a chance of something there. And I couldn't deny that I found her attractive- as a musician, as a (slightly intimidating but only when threatened) person, and as a woman. It was still too soon to say, but I might not mind exploring the possibilities, which would give me a clear reason to end it with Claire. The only trick was, I would need to tread lightly- Mona did not seem to be the kind of woman you could approach flippantly.

But there was a little time to figure all that out. I was at the hotel, about to check in, and I wasn't going to be calling things off until after our stay there, anyway. I got to our room, chose a bed, and settled in. Claire probably wasn't going to be back until late- no earlier than 9pm- so I had time to burn. I took a walk through the touristy part of the city, visited a candy shop to get souvenirs for Marco's kids, took some mental notes on the landscaping at the hotel, swam a few dozen laps at the pool, then went back out for a late dinner at a place with local flavor.

It was less than ideal, doing all those things by myself. I'm not a chatty person, but it's nice to have someone to share your thoughts with, especially in a new place. I tried to imagine being in Claire's shoes, expecting to often be ordering a table for one. Then I thought of Kenny and remembered how the fear of that very thing can sometimes push us towards an uncomfortable table for two. Shit. I thought all of this would just make sense once I was in my late twenties. Maybe things would be clearer in my thirties...yeah, right.

*******

Almost at the lobby, come meet me there, was the text I got from Claire at almost 9:30. I was two minutes away from the hotel, walking back from dinner. I actually met Claire at the entrance, and we walked through the lobby to the elevators together. She needed some help with her bags, even though it was only a two night stay. I hadn't realized she was a bridesmaid, but the big, tacky flamingo-pink dress she had wrapped in plastic made that obvious. The dress itself took two arms to handle, so I pulled her suitcase and slung her backpack over my shoulder.

Claire didn't say anything other than, "Hi," and "carry something," the whole way up to the room. But even in those few words, I could hear and smell the effect of some alcohol. Once in the room, she walked about, opening bags, putting things in the bathroom, and muttering angrily to herself. I had no intention of interrupting her, and I just waited on my bed, flipping through channels after I hung her dress up in the closet.

Claire finished settling in and flopped onto the other queen-sized bed. Since the bathroom was available, I went in and brushed my teeth. I walked back to the bed, noticing that Claire was rubbing her eyes and still looking unhappy. I got back onto my bed, having stripped down to just my boxers and a t-shirt. but I felt like I should say something like, "Didn't go well, huh?" to invite conversation, but I still didn't know what land mines I might be stepping on. After a few minutes, Claire spoke up.

"I know I'm supposed to bring you up to speed on the family drama you're stepping into, but not tonight. We'll have time in the morning." It was a late-afternoon wedding, followed by dinner, so that sounded like it could work. "I need to be at the church at 1pm to get ready, so no need to set the alarm."

I simply said, "OK." I didn't think it would be a good idea to mention our scheduled insemination. Let her deal with that when she was ready.

"Was your trip OK?" she asked, rubbing her temples.

"Yeah...it was good to see friends last night, and I saw a little of the city this afternoon. And...I don't have to deal with anything stressful while we're here, so..." That last line was risky, I knew, but I had to try to make the situation lighter.

"HA!" Claire said sarcastically. "Just wait until the reception, you'll get enough second-hand stress to make you wish you were back at work."

"Noted. But since they're out there and we're in here, you wanna pull out your laptop and watch a show to help you unwind?"

Claire didn't answer at first. Then she hopped out of bed, turned off the light and said, "Strip."

It never occurred to me to object. By the time she reached my bed, I was naked and hard, ready for whatever she had planned. In the pale light that leaked through our window from the city surrounding us, I could see that Claire was pulling off her bra as she got on the bed. Pushing me onto my back, she said, "I'm angry and on edge and ready to cry. I need a good old-fashioned angry fuck. That's what'll help me unwind...I hope. Let me know if that's a problem- moving sex from tomorrow to tonight."

By that point, she was straddling me and had my dick lodged between her folds. What was I going to say? A small upward push of my hips was all the consent she needed. Claire pushed down, getting my tip just inside her the entrance to her passage. She wasn't wet...well, a little bit, thanks to the timing of her cycle. But it wasn't the wetness of arousal. Consequently, it was rough going at first. Claire made little motions, pushing down hard every third or fourth time. She was wincing in obvious discomfort, and I wondered if it was herself that she was angry at, herself that she wanted to punish.

Once I was in and Claire's mound was meshed against my crotch, I could feel that there was moisture deeper inside, but her entrance was still dry. Though I knew it was uncomfortable for her, the tightness it caused and the friction I felt as she started to move up and down was exciting. When she started bouncing hard on me, I worried I wouldn't last long enough for her. I kept my hands stationary, lightly gripping her hips, lest I overstimulate myself. I didn't thrust or push or even move my lower body at all. I feared that one small movement on my part might throw off her rhythm or aim and result in a very painful collision of our lower bodies. Claire's hands were on my shoulders and her elbows were locked, putting all her upper body weight onto those two spots where her palms pushed down on me. It was uncomfortable but tolerable.

Mercifully, her bouncing, which had been accompanied by some indecipherable profanities and maybe some tears, gave way to slow sliding after a few minutes. That was when she started working towards release. The sliding was pleasant, especially when she moved her hands off my shoulders, stretched herself out on top of me, and wrapped her arms around me. I hissed in pleasure at the feel of her chest on mine- her skin along my skin.

She gradually sped up, her breathing turning into soft moans. When she started pushing harder against me, she also propped herself up, putting her breasts right into my view. Wordlessly, she cupped a hand behind my head and pulled me towards her. I didn't need to be told- my mouth latched onto a nipple and played with it. My tongue, my lips, and even my teeth pulled on the brown nub, then switched to its twin. Claire put her hand back on the bed, letting me continue the rewarding job of stimulating her breasts.

Suddenly, both her arms wrapped around my head and held me close to her. The lack of arms propping her up meant that her body dropped onto mine, pushing my head down to the pillow. Claire didn't notice any of this, because she had just started cumming, emitting a long, soft cry as her tunnel squeezed me and her legs shook. I rubbed her back and shoulders as she came, deciding that I really liked the soft and subdued orgasms Claire experienced over the loud and dubious ones I'd witnessed in other women.

I was pretty sure she was finished cumming, but I remained still as she started to control her breathing again. Out of the blue, she mumbled into my shoulder, "You have about a minute before I fall asleep. Make it count."

I didn't need a minute. Trusting her inebriation to let me get away with finishing in a different position, I gripped her small ass with both hands and started pushing her up and down along my cock. I pushed up at a quickening pace, finally holding one of those upstrokes an extra second. A few more of those long holds and I was over my peak and racing back down. I pulled Claire towards me a bit, finding a different kind of pressure as I started cumming. Claire groaned a little as I pumped into her, though it was probably sleepiness.

As soon as I stopped thrusting, Claire lifted a leg and rolled onto her back. She kept rolling, however, until she was on her side with her back to me. I was breathing deep and slow to calm my body down when I felt her hand reaching behind her. It finally landed on my hand, which she then pulled over her body and placed on her chest. I scooted forward to spoon her, listening as she very quickly drifted off. It couldn't have been much longer after that when I joined her in a contented but slightly confused slumber.

*******