Claire LaZebnik - Knitting Under the Influence

“It's okay,” he said. “I’m glad it turned out to be for nothing. Here he is, safe as can be. No one's going to be experimenting on this little kitten tonight.”

“Or ever.” She stood up as he moved toward the door. “Hold on,” she said.

He turned back, questioningly.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I was a total idiot about everything. Panicking about the cat when he was fine the whole time.”

“You're not an idiot,” he said.

“I totally overreacted. I was a hysterical girl.”

“It's okay to react to things,” he said. “Not everything has to be a thought-out position in life with a defensible argument, Lucy. Sometimes it's okay to just react.”

“Even if it makes you look like an idiot?”

“Especially.”

They were both quiet for a moment. Then, “Thank you,” Lucy said, moving forward. “For coming today and caring about David.”

“You don't have to thank me for either.”

“Thank you, anyway,” she said, and hugged him. He hugged her back. They stood like that a moment, their bodies pressed together in friendship.

And then Lucy felt something move against her leg. For one ridiculous moment, she thought of the cat. And then she realized it wasn't an animal.

David had a hard-on.

So maybe it wasn't just friendship.

The polite thing to do was to ignore it, she thought.

And then she deliberately pressed her hip against him.

“Excuse me?” he said startled and taking a step back.

“I didn't say anything.” She moved up against him again and pushed her thigh right where his dick was jutting up inside the light fabric of the scrub pants he was wearing.

There was a pause. Then: “Yeah, about that,” he said, twisting away from her. His face had turned red, and he wouldn't look at her. “I’m sorry. I can't always-you know-control it-and we were kind of… shoved up together there. And all men are pigs. Did I mention that before? That all men are pigs? Because that pretty much sums it up. And these scrubs don't hold you back at all. Or the boxers, either. Anyway… I should probably go. I already stayed too long.”

“No,” Lucy said. “Don't go.” And, pressing the length of her body against his-making sure her hip was right up against his erection-she lifted up her face and offered him her mouth. Which he accepted, at first uncertainly and then with growing enthusiasm.

The kiss didn't do anything to subdue or calm the hot dick against her leg. It bobbed about even more enthusiastically than before.

When they finally came up for air, Lucy hid her head in his shoulder and said, “I can't believe we're doing this.”

“We can stop now,” David said. He cleared his throat. “I could still go.”

“You sure you can walk?”

“I could probably limp out of here.” He took a deep breath. “Seriously, Lucy, if you want me to go, I’m gone. We still have to work together. I’m not saying I haven't dreamed about this- okay, fantasized about this-from day one, because I have. But you made it clear a long time ago that it was never going to happen and I’ve accepted that.”

“Have you?” Lucy said, looking down at the tent in his pants.

“Yeah,” he said. “Intellectually I have. Maybe not so much physically. But I can still walk out of here and never say another word about any of it.”

“Really?” she said, gently bouncing her leg right where his dick was straining hard against the thin fabric. “Just walk right out of here?”

He closed his eyes with a little moan and said, “I think I can.”

“You sound like the little engine.”

“Are you just torturing me or is there a point to what you're doing?”

She answered his question by taking him by the hand and leading him into her bedroom.

There was a pause after she rolled off of him. They lay side by side on their backs, eyes closed, breathing hard. And then he said, “I thought I could, I thought I could,” and they both cracked up. “Uh-oh,” David said suddenly. “We're not alone.”

Lucy opened her eyes. David the kitten was crouched on the end of the bed watching them. “Here, David,” Lucy cooed. “Here, kitty. Don't be afraid.” He came walking toward her, picking his way carefully among the folds and lumps of the quilt. Lucy held her hand out to him and he came closer and cautiously sniffed at her fingers. “Now that he's seen some very grown-up things, I think we'd better explain the facts of life to him, don't you?”

“Definitely. Let me.” He scritched behind the kitten's ear and said, “Kid, stay away from girls. They'll only break your heart.”

“Hey!” Lucy propped herself up on her elbow. “That's so not true.”

“Been true in my experience.”

“I’d say you were the one with some explaining to do. Didn't you leave some cute little undergrad back at Starbucks, sobbing into her extra-foamy decaf latte?”

“I have to assume she's gone home by now.”

“Seriously,” Lucy said.

“I can't help it if I like you better. And I didn't actually leave her there, you know. I dropped her off at her place.”

“You like me better?” she said.

“Always have,” he said. “But you were never available or interested.”

“I’m both now,” she said.

“I can't believe it,” he said. “I should have given you a cat a long time ago.”

She reached down for the quilt and pulled it up over both of them. “You want to stay the night?”

“You really want me to?”

“Yeah. That way, in the morning- Oh, my God! The morning!” She sat up. “I’m going to Hawaii in the morning!”

“You're kidding.”

She shook her head.

“Jesus, Luce, when were you going to tell me? You can't just take off on a vacation-we have a ton of work this week.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I swear I was going to call you as soon as I got home, and then the whole thing with David happened and I totally forgot.” She told him about Kevin's call.

“All right,” he said. “I guess you kind of have to go if your friend's getting married. But you can't stay any longer than that, no matter how beautiful it is there.”

“I won't. I promise.”

“Wish I could go with you.”

“Well, you can't,” she said. “Which is a good thing.”

“Thanks a lot.”

“No, I mean, it would be nice to have you there-but if you're here, you can take care of David for me.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said. He scooped David up in his hand. “Looks like it's going to be just me and you for the next few days, buddy. Let's have some fun. Let's go find us some pussy.”

“I knew that sooner or later you were going to make that joke,” Lucy said. “You are so predictable.”

“He thinks I’m funny.” He held up the kitten. “I mean, he's trying to keep a straight face, but you can tell that on the inside he is totally losing his shit.”

“You're a nut,” Lucy said. She flung back the quilt and swung her legs off of the bed. “I’m going to pack as quickly as I can, and then I’m coming back to bed, and you both better still be here. Understand?”

“Understood,” David said. “Do we have to be awake?”

“Nah,” she said with a grin. “I think I can figure out a way to wake you up.”

He wasn't asleep when she came back, but he pretended he was.

You know,” Lucy said, craning her neck to get a better view, “I don't think we need to bother trying to go see a volcano. The most impressive rock formation in Hawaii is right here in front of us.”

“It's not bad, is it?” Kathleen said, moving her hand so the diamond caught the light and released its hidden rainbow of hues. “A little heavy on the finger-”