He repeats with a cheeky grin, “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
“That’s the worst pick up line I’ve ever heard. You need some new material.” I chortle so hard it sounds like a piggy snort and Van joins my merriment.
“Come on.” Before I can say yay or nay he’s pulled off his tight-fitting shirt showing me his six pack of abs. His stomach ripples and my hand shyly touches the screen as if they’re real.
“Yeah, they’re real.”
“Oh my god!” I cover my face hoping the heated blush is also my imagination.
“I like when you blurt what’s on your mind out loud. Saves me from wondering.” Van practically preens on the other end of the screen while I struggle to regain my wits. This man.
His voice drops as he looks intently at me. “I dream of doing dark and dirty things to you.”
I cover my face completely peeking out from between fingers. Nope. He’s still on the call, but he’s leaning back in his big bed arms crossed covering his god-like looking chest. His comment should feel creepy, but it’s fired a shot of need, want, and desire straight between my legs.
Van mutters. “Now I just feel all porny.”
“Well no one said you had to take your shirt off.”
“So I should put it back on?” He reaches for the cotton.
I wave my arms in a ridiculous attempt to stop him.
“What? No! Of course not.”
Van pouts. “I feel completely objectified.”
No he doesn’t.
I know for a fact he swims daily or at least he did until his pool closed. His body hasn’t been suffering one bit from his treadmill workouts that I can tell since this whole world went to hell.
Taking a fortifying breath I adjust myself sitting cross legged on my bed and reach for the hem of my t-shirt. I say a tiny prayer that my lace bra is doing me justice and slowly lift my top. This is it, my big reveal and my heart pounds as my hands sweat. I cross my big toes where he can’t see and pray no one in my house walks in right now.
What will he think?
What will he do?
“Wait.” Van’s command halts my hands.
My eyes pop open.
“What now?” I grumble. “I thought we were doing this?” I check down the V of my shirt and my pink lace bra looks fine. Better than fine, but he won’t see it if I keep my top on.
“You don’t have to do this, you know that right? I’m just being playful. Inappropriate.”
“Is this going to be one of those I’m your boss now things, because I thought we worked that out.” I cock my head to the side trying to gauge where his sudden change of mind is coming from.
I whisper, “HR doesn’t have to know, right?” I feel a bead of sweat form between my breasts and my anxiety ramps up.
“I’d kind of like to try something, but only if you into it. No pressure.”
Pausing, I think for a moment nibbling my lip. I’m about to bite my thumbnail but think better of it and shove my hands under my butt.
“Okay?” I say it like a question. I want to see where Van is going with this.
“How do you feel about phone sex?” Van’s voice drops a notch in a way that makes my panties wet and my legs squirm. I swear this man lives to throw me off kilter with his wild open-ended questions. It’s a moment like this that I wish I had a desk chair to swirl around in to give me something to do. Instead I’m perched awkwardly on the end of my bed in my tiny room.
“Laurel?”
“Ummm.” I’m caught completely off guard by Van’s question. I know what phone sex is, but I’ve never done it let alone had the other kind, the real kind between sheets and bodies and hot…I fan myself because while it isn’t ninety degrees in here it sure feels like it.
“Laurel?”
“Van.”
“Sweetheart, talk to me.”
“You mean like right now, over video chat.” My face is hot, blushing, maybe feverish. I wonder if I’m coming down with something. I don’t think so, but one can never be too sure.
“I was thinking maybe over the phone. No video. Nothing that makes you uncomfortable and definitely not if you don’t want to do it.”
The deep breath I take must be ridiculous because Van chuckles a deep rumble that makes me antsy.
“Alright. Let’s do it.” I cringe the second I say it. It makes it sound like I want him to take me to pound town. I’ve never had anything pound me, barely a light flow tampon and my nerves never let me close enough to a boyfriend in the flesh long enough to go that far. I suddenly hate my inexperience.
“There’s no rush, Laurel. I just maybe thought since we can’t see each other this might be fun, together?”
“We haven’t even kissed.”
“I know, but maybe that’ll make the anticipation of our first real kiss all the more magical.”
“You say that like you plan on kissing me.”
Van groans out loud rolling his head around on his neck like he’s in acute pain.
“Baby, when I get my hands on you, and I will…the things I want to do to you.”
“Yeah?” I ask eager for him to explain further exactly what those things might be.
“I’m going to kiss you, lick you, taste every inch of you.”
Impulsively I whip my t-shirt off shivering from anticipation and the chill that comes over me from the wicked thoughts he’s inspired.
“Damn Laurel. You’re killing me. Pink lace?”
“Mmm.” His desire for me is palatable through the screen. I sweat with need for him. He clenches his fists and I picture him crawling through the screen to lay over me. My hands reach for my breasts and knead them once, twice until he bounces obviously adjusting the screen.
“Killing me.” He says again biting his lip.
“How do we do this?”
“First, let’s turn the video off. I’ll uh, guide you over the phone.”
“You mean like how to touch myself?” I find a new energy that has me curious and intrigued what Van will ask me to do.
He makes more audible sounds that trigger uncontrollable shivers in my body before turning off his camera view.
“Hey where did you go?” I click the screen, but he’s already gone dark.
“Sweetheart.” His voice takes a soft but pained tone. “I plan on touching myself while you’re touching yourself and uh it’ll feel like a porno if we keep the video on.”
“Oh, ah huh.” Excitement comes over me. “But maybe we could have the video on another time?”
“You have no idea how badly I’d like that.”
“I hear a but coming.” I rack my brain for internet rules and laws. If we’re both consenting it’s okay right? No laws broken?
“Call me crazy, but I don’t want the slightest chance for anyone but me to see you. Is that odd?”
“No. Sweet, I think.”
“Lay back on your bed and try to relax.”
“Wait.”
“Laurel?”
“I just wanted to turn all my lights off.”
“Good. Now unless you feel uncomfortable or want to stop do everything I say, sweetheart.” The timber of his voice carries me away. I do as he directs. Relaxing isn’t easy but his voice caresses me. He’s right, with a video on it would feel like a movie. This is sensual forcing me to focus on all of my senses except sight.