Zoe squeezed her knees together, as images of them filled her head. He was offering her a piece of what she’d wanted for so long. Only it didn’t come with all the trimmings that she’d imagined in her fantasies of them. Should she take what he was offering and hope that they were so hot together in bed that he’d want more? Or would continuing on with Dana’s plan be a better option? It had certainly gotten Dylan’s attention in a short amount of time. But what if he washed his hands of the whole thing when she turned him down? Plus, she hadn’t consciously saved herself for Dylan, but was there really not anyone else she’d rather experience sex with for the first time? He must be attracted to her at the very least to be suggesting such a thing. He had to get his flag up the pole, after all. Okay, so maybe some men were machines and could perform regardless, but she didn’t think that was true of Dylan. Unless . . . What if this is a mercy fuck? How do I ask him that, or do I even want to know? “Dylan—this isn’t . . . You don’t pity me or anything like that, do you? That isn’t what this is about, is it?”
His stunned look told her all she needed to know. There wasn’t a hint of discomfort or guilt in it. There was simply astonishment at her question, as if he’d never entertained such a notion. “Zoe . . . no. Hell no. I’m not some kind of charity sexual worker. You’re special to me, but you’re also a beautiful, desirable woman. Admittedly, I’ve been a little blind until recently, but I’m not suggesting this because I feel sorry for you. That thought never entered into the equation.”
“Forget I said that,” she tossed in hurriedly. She was embarrassed she’d even brought it up, but it was good to know that he hadn’t been thinking such a thing.
Dylan glanced down at his watch, then rose to his feet. “I’ve got to get home and change for work. Think about what I’ve said today and we’ll talk tonight. Want to order a pizza and watch a movie? We haven’t spent much time together lately.” When Zoe raised her brow, he added, “Well, other than the eight hours you were passed out on top of me last night. And even though that was memorable, it’s not the same.”
“That sounds good,” Zoe agreed. She was ready to take a night off from play-dating anyway. Dana probably had her new ex, Mike, all set up to escort Zoe—the pretend lesbian—to another movie. Sadly, she couldn’t even count on scoring a free meal from these outings. “I’ll see you around seven.” She followed Dylan to the door and stood silently as he opened it. He paused on the threshold and for a moment she was certain that he thought about kissing her. His eyes had gone to her mouth and there had been indecision along with something that resembled desire before he abruptly turned and took off down the hallway.
“See you later on,” he tossed over his shoulder before entering the stairwell. Apparently he was in too much of a hurry to wait for the elevator. Zoe stepped back into her apartment, closing the door behind her. What a crazy morning it had been. Not only had she attacked Dylan on the sofa, but he’d also offered to have sex with her. When she’d agreed to this crazy plan with Dana, she never imagined this would happen within the first week. Sure, she’d hoped that he would finally see her as a woman and not one of the guys. Then maybe at some point, fall in love with her and suggest that they go shopping for a minivan. Nowhere in her fantasies had he offered to give her just one night of sex. She knew that she had an important, possibly life-altering choice to make. She’d talk to Dana and see what her opinion was as well. But at the end of the day, when all was said and done, she was pretty sure that her decision had already been made before Dylan finished asking the question.
• • •
Dylan couldn’t believe that he’d propositioned his best friend over breakfast. Okay, maybe he’d called it making love, but wasn’t that splitting hairs? The idea had taken root in his head last night and then again this morning while he was gone for breakfast. But he’d planned to wait until she’d recovered sufficiently from the previous evening before talking to her. He didn’t exactly regret mentioning it now, but certainly he could have approached the whole thing a bit more delicately. Zoe was a virgin and he’d said something like, “Hey baby, how ’bout I do you one night after McDonald’s and a box of wine.” Smooth, Dylan, really smooth. Fuck, you’re usually better than that.
No wonder she hadn’t been in a hurry to give him an answer. She was probably calling Paul right now and begging him to do her after Dana left for work. At the thought of the other man, Dylan’s fists clenched. Mine, he thought. Shit, things were already getting confused in his head. He wasn’t possessive of the women who came and went from his life. He wasn’t with them long enough for that to be an issue. He couldn’t care less if they were screwing someone else the next night. It was a few hours of pleasure, maybe more if he really needed to blow off some steam. He made it known up front that he wasn’t looking for anything more than that. If that was a deal breaker, then he moved on—no big deal.
But for all of his bravado earlier, he couldn’t imagine just one night with Zoe. Sure, he could be wrong and the sex might be horrible and the whole situation unbearably awkward. After all, a week ago he wouldn’t have imagined this scenario ever coming up. That was before his sensible Zoe had turned into hot Zoe. If she’d stayed in those damn khaki shorts and that polo shirt, he wouldn’t be so confused. She’d gone and changed the game, though, and he’d been struggling to adjust ever since.
It wasn’t that he was a man obsessed with appearances. Zoe had always been pretty to him, but in a safe kind of fashion. She dressed in a way that downplayed her physical attributes and made it easy for him to keep her firmly in the friend category. Sure, there had been cracks in his armor a few times through the years. Even her conservative one-piece swimsuit made him swallow uncomfortably, but then she’d pull a long, shapeless T-shirt over it and all would be right in his world again. He had a bad feeling that she didn’t plan to return to the Zoe he’d always known. Which meant more dating, revealing clothes, and driving him insane.
Once he started thinking about being her first, though, he hadn’t been able to get it out of his head. Maybe it was warped, but it seemed almost like a natural progression of their relationship. They’d been there for so many of each other’s firsts. How was this any different? He knew that he could make it an amazing experience for her.
Tonight he’d talk to her again and try to smooth over the mess he’d made of things this morning. She was probably nervous about finally having sex, and he needed to set her at ease. A part of him couldn’t believe he was thinking of going there with Zoe. What if it forever messed up their relationship? Could they go back to being buddies afterward? They had to; he couldn’t live with anything less. A world where she wasn’t a prominent part of his life wasn’t acceptable.
Zoe would agree to his offer and he’d help her overcome any fears she might have before they enjoyed one night together. Then things would return to normal and he’d be able to focus on something other than her. A feeling of peace settled over him. He was in control and everything would fall right into line as it always did for him. No problem.
Seven
“Pardon?” Dana asked, blinking rapidly. “I thought you just said that Dylan wanted to punch your V-card for you. Please don’t tell me I have that wrong.”
“Nope, that’s about it.” Zoe smiled at the other woman’s stunned expression. She’d felt that way herself earlier, but some of the shock had worn off over the last few hours and she could actually talk about it now without squealing like a teenager who just got asked to the prom.
“Holy shit,” Dana hissed. “Apparently I missed some good stuff when I left last night. I didn’t even think he knew you hadn’t had sex. Man, you two really do tell each other everything, don’t you?”
Zoe took a drink of her iced tea before saying, “Oh no, he wasn’t aware of it until I blurted it out at some point during the evening while I was sprawled on his chest in a drunken heap. I’m pretty sure it was before I stuck my tongue down his throat
and tried to run my hands down his pants.” They had walked next door to the Olive Garden for lunch and Zoe took a bite of her spaghetti while her friend struggled to process her words. Obviously the thought of her doing those brazen things to Dylan was boggling Dana’s mind.
“You slut,” she finally said, and laughed. An older couple at the next table gave them a glare of disapproval, but Dana just waved them off. “Whatever you did, it must have worked big time for him to make that offer. I didn’t expect anything like this when we set out to get his attention. Heck, if that was all it took, you could have confessed your virginal status years ago—damn.”
“I know, right?” Zoe mumbled around a breadstick. “Although it was kinda mortifying. I’m afraid he just feels sorry for me and is willing to take one for the friendship team.”
“Yeah, right.” Dana smirked. “Dylan is doing this because he wants to get in your pants now, plain and simple. Once he noticed that you were no longer one of the guys, he lost his flipping mind. And I’m sure he damn near had a stroke when you spilled your big secret to him. I’m betting there is no way he plans to let you sleep with another guy. He might not know it yet, but he’s falling for his best friend. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say he’s felt the same way as you have, he just wasn’t smart enough to realize it. Damn, it’s amazing what some new boob-baring clothing and competition will do to a man. You so need to burn that old work uniform when you get home. That thing has kept you a virgin for entirely too long.”
“A good pair of khakis are timeless,” Zoe protested. “Lots of people wear them every day.”
Shaking her head, Dana said, “Um, sure, but those are mostly men, little old ladies, and women who’ve given up on getting laid. In case you’re wondering, you were in that last category until recently.”
“I hate to say this,” Zoe admitted grudgingly, “but you might have a small point. I haven’t exactly had an active social life these last few years. Wait”—she snapped her fingers—“I’m forgetting all about Travis. We dated for several months. He really liked my work clothes. He called them ‘charming.’”
Dana wrinkled her nose. “He was like forty and still lived with his mother. Plus, didn’t he end up marrying his cousin after you two broke up?”
“I’m not sure,” Zoe said evasively. “But I don’t think it was a super close relation. The point is, there have been a few men.”
“None you slept with, though,” Dana pointed out. “Whether you realized it or not, I think you were always saving that for Dylan.” Cringing, she added, “Geez, can you imagine old Travis being your first? He’d probably have had to call his mommy first for permission to stay out past eight o’clock.”
Zoe couldn’t contain the giggle that bubbled out. “She didn’t like for him to be out late on a work night, that’s for sure.” So Travis hadn’t been exactly manly. He’d cried during the first movie they’d seen together and it had been a chick flick. She’d gotten in the habit of taking a purse full of tissues with them, not for her, but for him. And he’d been more than content to let her call the shots where the physical aspect of their relationship was concerned. He hadn’t even kissed her until they’d been dating for a month. The fact that she hadn’t cared spoke volumes about her feelings for him. Truthfully, she’d stayed with him for so long because it was easy. There was never any pressure to take things to the next level. It was companionship and she’d been able to tell others that she had a boyfriend. God knows it got old having to hear the inevitable, “Are you seeing anyone?” or “When are you going to settle down and get married?” Um, hello . . . it wasn’t as if she was being too picky and fielding offers for her hand every day.
“So you are going to take advantage of this offer by Dylan, right? Hell, the man even tossed in dinner and booze. I’ve dropped my panties for far less.”
“Of course I am,” Zoe agreed without hesitation. “I’m just not sure how to go about it. He said we’d talk tonight, but I don’t want to talk! Is it too much to ask for a little passion? It sounds like he’s trying to schedule my car for a tune-up instead of, you know, tuning me up.”
“I see your point,” Dana mused. “But in one way, you should be grateful. At least you aren’t likely to be caught with hairy legs and an untrimmed bush. You know, if you’re not happy with what he’s proposing, then take matters into your own hands. You really hold all the cards here. Dylan wants you; he wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t. If a spontaneous night of hot sex is what you’d prefer, then make it happen. When he comes over tonight to talk, rip his clothes off instead.”
Zoe stared at the other woman, thinking she was crazy, until it hit her. She liked what she was hearing. In her fantasies, wasn’t that exactly how she dreamed it would be between them? She wanted for them both to be so turned on that nothing was scripted. They simply did what felt good. If her first time was on the living room floor or the kitchen table, then so be it. If this was the only night she’d ever have with Dylan, then she wanted it to be something neither of them would ever forget. And while making love in a bed like adults sounded terribly romantic, she’d trade it in for wild monkey sex any day. Hopefully if things went well, she’d have the opportunity to experience the other kind in the near future anyway. “You’re absolutely right,” she said, nodding. “I might not have very much experience, but I haven’t read all of those smut novels for years without picking up a few things. I’m going to do it,” she said excitedly. “Somehow I’m going to push him over the edge and show him what he’s been missing all these years.”
“Check, please,” Dana called out to their waiter across the room. “We’re going to Victoria’s Secret. This calls for some lingerie. I swear if you even look at anything with the word ‘cotton’ on the label, I’ll smack you.” They quickly paid their check and got into Dana’s SUV.
In twenty minutes they were standing outside a store that Zoe had avoided most of her adult life. She tended to buy her underwear in packs of three, which Dana swore broke most of the commandments of being a woman. “I don’t know about this,” she whispered to her friend as they walked in the store and were given an assessing look by a nearby salesclerk. “Walmart actually has some pretty nice things.”
Dana rolled her eyes and grabbed her hand to pull her toward a display of the skimpiest panties Zoe had ever seen. “Now, this is what I’m talking about,” she said, holding up a pair.
Zoe frowned as she studied the silky scrap of fabric. “It’s nothing but a string,” she pointed out. She’d only worn a thong one time and that had been more than enough. It had felt as if something was wedged in her crack all day. She’d heard of suffering for fashion, but that had been taking it too far. Plus, it wasn’t as if anyone was looking at what she had on under her clothes. I hope that’s going to change tonight, though.
“It has some extra material in the front,” Dana pointed out. “And it has a gorgeous matching push-up bra. You’re what, a C cup?” Before Zoe could answer, Dana held the bra up to her chest. “In this baby, you’ll look like a D. Your man has already been staring at your chest, so obviously he’s into tits.”
“I’ll take it,” Zoe agreed quickly, snatching it from Dana’s hands. “Actually, I’ll get a few of them.” She inwardly winced as she added several more pairs of the uncomfortable-looking panties. In case their one night turned into more, she needed to be prepared.
She turned and was heading in the direction of the register when Dana called out, “Not so fast there. No self-respecting woman comes in Vickie’s and leaves in under five minutes. This is the first table we’ve stopped at.” Waving a hand to encompass the other displays, she added, “We have more exploring to do. While I’ve got you in here, we’re going to look at some work undies, some casual ones, and of course, naughty ones. Then we’re going back to your place to burn your old ones. If I let you keep them, you’ll fall right back into your homely habits.”
“Bu-but some of t
hem are still new,” Zoe protested. “I can donate them to charity. Someone would appreciate them.”
Dana wrinkled her nose. “I’ve seen you changing in your office before. Not even homeless people want those cast-offs, trust me.”
By the time the shopping trip was over, Zoe had spent the equivalent of a house payment on lingerie that was likely to crawl up her ass and barely cover her nipples. Dana stood next to her smiling proudly as the clerk swiped her credit card after wrapping her purchases in tissue paper. Apparently, when you sprang for the good stuff, there was a whole process to bagging it. She’d bought china before that didn’t get treated as well as a pair of twenty-five-dollar panties. She wanted to grab the bag and stuff everything inside, but was forced to wait as each piece received the same treatment. Even normally impatient Dana appeared riveted by the process. “I swear, I didn’t think she would ever get finished,” Zoe hissed when they made it back to the car. “I believe she was chanting some kind of special prayer for each set.”
“Yeah, I heard that,” Dana chuckled. “It sounded something like, ‘May this finally get you fucked, amen.’”
“Oh, shut up.” Zoe glared at her friend, then found herself laughing as well. “I better get something for the amount of money I just dropped in there.”
“Honey, you’ve got what I call a golden beaver now. Men seem to know when you’re wearing the good stuff. You’ll have them trailing you in the coffee shop like a dog in heat.”
“Thanks for that lovely mental image,” Zoe cackled. “That would be a dream come true. But I’m only interested in one man, and I hope I have a chance to show him everything I bought today.”