“Nothing to be worried about, it will go by fast. It came up quite suddenly and I will try to get back sooner. Will you stay in my bedroom while I am gone?” Jared asked.
Quiet for a moment, Suzie finally said, “Why would I stay at your house with your brother while you are gone?”
“I like you in my bed. Never mind. I forget you guys don’t know each other as well as I know you. Will you spend some time with him while I am gone? He does not know anyone here and I know he came partly to spend some time with me. I kind of feel bad.”
“Quit trying to fix everyone. He will be fine,” Suzie said to reassure Jared.
“You’re right. He will probably bring home a different girl each night I am gone,” Jared said with a laugh. “Jeff is never alone for long.”
“Yeah he seems to have his sights on Laura,” Suzie said and she let herself relax.
“He told me,” Jared said. “I would prefer not though because we work with Laura. Jeff always leaves things messy.”
“Why?” Suzie asked.
“He doesn’t do long term and women can’t seem to get enough of him,” Jared replied with a laugh.
“Typical guy can’t handle commitment. Maybe you have been around him too much lately, you are always off somewhere. Starting to crave a similar life?” Suzie asked. Yawning she shook her head. “That came out wrong. Go get going, call me when you get there.”
“Yeah ok. Keep an eye on Jeff for me, please. And I will call you later,” Jared said. “Love you.”
Suzie agreed and said goodbye before getting back to work. If she avoided Jeff it would be an easy few days but Jared wanted them together. So after work, she picked Jeff up from work and they went out to eat. Afterwards, she went home expecting to shower and spend the evening watching re-run television. She had to meet with the committee in two days to give an update to the project and unwinding in a hot shower was exactly what she planned.
Letting the hot water drip all over her body, Suzie was relishing the long shower with no obligations. The water dulled the Jared/Jeff battle going on within her and she simply stood under the hot steamy water for what seemed a long while. When she finally got out, the bathroom was full of fog. She must have been in there for longer than she thought. She wrapped herself in a towel and opened the door. Strangely it seemed like the fog had leaked out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Upon taking a breath though, Suzie realized it was smoke, not fog. She choked. The thick smoke was coming from her kitchen. Choking, she felt with her hands until she could find the fire extinguisher. She began spraying down the flames in the kitchen. (She hadn’t remembered turning on the tea kettle and had no idea how that dish cloth had gotten there. She was never this confused.) The smoke first increased and then decreased substantially. Suzie opened a window and slumped down onto the floor.
Sitting in her towel, unsure what to do, Suzie answered the phone when it rang. It was Jared and she absentmindedly spoke of her accident and the fire. Immediately he called Jeff and sent him over. He begged Jeff to take care of Suzie for him until he could get there. Jared reassured Suzie and she encouraged him to stay where he was and get the job done. Of course she did not remember any of it, she was still in a daze. Jeff arrived to a smoky apartment and Suzie wrapped in a towel, in a daze on the floor.
He walked over to her, touching her bare shoulders. “Are you okay?”
No response.
“Let’s get you out of here then,” Jeff said. “What the hell happened?” he asked as he picked her up in his arms.
The towel she was wearing loosened as he held her and her breasts almost burst out of the top of her towel. Jeff slowly eyed her toweled body in his arms especially her breasts, smooth and inviting. She smelled like smoke but still looked amazing. And the trick she could do where her touch ignited his every sense and drove him wild, yeah that. She could still do that just fine. Jeff shook his head reminding himself he was being inappropriate. This was his brother’s girlfriend.
Finally, he decided he would pack her in the car as is and bring her to Jared’s. It was what Jared wanted anyway. Suzie fell asleep on the way to Jared’s house, the towel slipping further as she slumped over. Before he drove away, Jeff stared. It would be a small tug and she would be completely naked, and he wanted to see her breasts, those teasingly full creamy breasts. This temptation was getting ridiculous. Slapping himself he started the vehicle and drove away, forcing himself to look at the road. Trying to take command of his self-control, he focused his mind on getting her back to Jared’s and into bed without ravishing her. When they got across town to Jared’s apartment, Jeff nudged Suzie awake. He did not trust himself to carry her up the elevator and into the apartment. It was too much touching and Jeff might not be able to stop himself.
Suzie stretched and looked around. She vaguely remembered the fire and talking to Jared. How did she get here? She looked over at Jeff who was staring out the window, and would glance in her direction periodically. He seemed to be waiting for her to say something. It was a small car and she was so close she could smell him. She saw his face, his muscles tight with tension and she looked down, realizing she was in a towel. She got out of the vehicle and started walking in her bare feet, walking away from Jared’s apartment.
“Jared is not here. I have to go back to my house and make sure everything is okay. It is time to go home,” she said when Jeff followed her.
“You have to stay here,” Jeff said, but he didn’t mean it. Her staying there and acting weird was too much. He did not need extra contact with her. He wanted her and without Jared around, well he always gave into his desires. Gently he nudged her shoulders towards the apartment and she complied, following him up to Jared’s apartment.
Still in nothing but a towel, Suzie went to have a shower, again. The hot water washed the smoke and burning smell from her body and hair. Feeling it wash away, Suzie was starting to warm up and wake up out of her daze. She had no clothes to change into. She had to go back to her house for clothes and to assess the damage. That could wait until the morning but what about tonight? Jeff was in the other room and the tension between them was obvious. Ever since she had secretly admitted to herself that she wanted Jeff, and yearned for another kiss and more, she had been in a bit of a daze and now she seemed to have set herself up to be alone, with the other brother, without clothes. It seemed funny at the moment and Suzie released her anxiety with a laugh. Deciding to stay out of her head for a while, Suzie found the only towel in the bathroom and wrapped it around herself. When she returned to the living room, Jeff’s mouth dropped at the sight of her in a tiny towel.
“Now what am I supposed to do? I did not bring any clean clothes.” Suzie wiggled a little, accentuating her curves in her barely there towel. She liked flirting with Jeff especially when she caught him by surprise. She took a step closer to him and debated touching him. Jared being gone and the crazy way he carried her out of her burned apartment took away her abashment and she let herself have a proper look at him. Allowing herself release from holding back her feelings she stared into the depth of his dark eyes. Her eyes roamed down his neck, thick shoulders and tight chest. She wanted his shirt off him. Her eyes moved downward and stopped on the bulge in his jeans. She cocked her head to the side and her lips parted. She bit her tongue and moved her gaze back to his eyes. Her patience drove him wild and furious. He was almost vibrating yet stayed as still as Suzie. They wanted each other; neither could deny it any longer. And, fate, coincidence, call it what you will, kept bringing them together. At a stand-off, neither of them wanted to make the first move.
Jeff finally just walked away, stepping quickly to the fridge and grabbing a beer. He opened it and drank it down in two long swallows. Feeling less parched yet realizing that drinking was not a good solution, Jeff sighed and leaned against the counter. Twenty different outcomes were racing through his mind and none of them were good. He was in his brother’s house supposed to be taking care of his brother’s girlfriend and his mind was on one thing only. He wanted to take care of Suzie alright, he wanted to take care of her breasts, her lips, and help her out of that constricting towel. Damn he hoped she’d put some clothes on. He and his brothers had fought over girls before but never him and Jared. Usually they had a very different taste in women but Suzie was so enticing, Jeff did not know if he could resist. Against better judgement he grabbed more beer and sat down on the couch. He turned the television on as a distraction and turned it to some football game he could pretend he was watching.
A few minutes later Suzie, walked through the living room into the kitchen. She was wearing an oversized sweater that reached her knees. It was black with a stylized J on it and Jeff recognized it immediately; it was his sweater. Jared had won it in a stupid dare years ago when the two brothers had spent more time together. In fact, it was the only time they had fought over a girl. Jared got the sweater, Jeff got the girl. He would have been better off keeping the sweater. This day just got weirder and weirder. Jeff had hoped she would have changed into Jared’s clothes, thereby being a constant reminder to him that she was off limits. What was he kidding though; at this point he wanted her regardless of consequences.
Suzie walked into the living room and steered away from the couch. Instead she sat beside it on an oversized recliner. Cupping her hands around the hot mug, she sipped her coffee.
“I brought you a beer,” Jeff said.
“I will have it after I warm up. Thanks,” Suzie replied. The tip of her tongue slid through her l
ips as she spoke and she continued to stare at him with her milky blue eyes.