Escape From the Friend Zone

The author thanks SlaveGirl70 for inspiring and editing this story.

This story contains straight sex between one man and one woman.

*****

Kevin was motionless as he stared at the stapler at the back of his desk. The only indication of life was the occasional blink of his eyes and the rhythmic motion of his chest. A framed picture of a young woman in a french-cut bikini was the lone reminder of his former vitality.

The woman was tall, thin and blonde, Her skin was tan and her eyes were blue. She posed on a tropical beach with one leg forward and her hands on its bent knee. An immense cylindrical rock protruding in the background formed a phallus that was substantial enough to assail her formidable beauty.

His phone rang.

He stirred only to lift the picture between his index finger and thumb and drop it in his waste bin.

He was 29. He'd been to college and now he was employed. He was fit and good-looking with a free-spirited style that many women found appealing. Life had been good up until a few hours ago, when he learned that his relationship wasn't as solid as he'd thought.

His phone rang again.

He kicked the waste bin into the farthest corner of his small cubicle.

He thought of the quaint little chapel that he had reserved for their wedding and the exotic cottage on stilts in the shallow waters of Bora Bora for their honeymoon. Yesterday he'd been excited about the future; today he had an engagement ring in his wallet and a bunch of deposits to claw back.

His phone rang yet again.

"If you don't answer that I'm going to use your phone for skeet practice," said Connie from the adjacent cube.

Kevin fished his phone out of his pocket and answered by saying, "Pull," loud enough for Connie to hear.

"Pull yourself, buddy. Are we beating off or shooting?"

"Hey Dave, what's up?"

Dave had been Kevin's wingman since he could remember. He wasn't the sit on your wingtip, cover your every move kind of wingman, he was more of a Han Solo, come whizzing in at that last moment wingman. It had been months since they had spoken, and yet here he was zooming in when he was needed most.

"I hear you finally dumped that nasty bitch."

"Yeah, something like that." Kevin wondered how Dave had heard the news. The breakup had only happened last night and he hadn't mentioned it to anyone.

"That means you can come out to play."

"Sorry, I don't feel like playing right now."

"Oh, you want to sulk alone at home. You know if you don't get right back in the saddle the terrorists win, right? Are you going to let the terrorists win?"

"Fuck you, Dave."

"Is that any way to talk to your best friend?"

"No, it's just that I don't feel like going out."

"Look, she did you a favor. She was a living, breathing terror and she would have been a full-blown terrorist once you got married."

Kevin didn't respond, so Dave knew that victory was imminent.

"Be at Flannery's at 6:30 tonight or the terrorists win."

"Okay, I'll try."

"Try not. Do."

Kevin hung up the phone and wiggled the mouse. His computer screen lit up. It was three in the afternoon and he hadn't logged in yet.

Connie poked her head into his cube. "What's going on?" She was the big beautiful woman that kept everyone in the office on their toes. She wore an oversized blouse with a plunging neckline and tight-fitting pants. The blouse was a print with bright orange flowers on a purple background. Her pants matched the purple in the blouse.

"Janet and I broke up."

"The way you were moping around, I figured something like that had happened. It was kind of sudden though, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I didn't see it coming."

"I can always make myself available." She smiled at Kevin and leaned forward to expose her ample cleavage in the deep neckline of the blouse. He could see the lace of her black bra and the little jewel that dangled from between the bra's cups.

"Does Herb know you talk to me like this?"

"Herb's not selfish, you know. He lets me have my fun." She tipped her shoulders from side to side, making her boobs bounce as the jewel swung from side to side.

"Yea, I know. You tell me almost every day." Kevin had seen her boobs bounce many times.

"Well, someday maybe you'll see what a good deal you've been missing." She stood up and swung her hips from side to side as she spoke.

"I just don't think I could forgive myself for breaking Herb's heart."

"Don't you worry about Herb. Twenty years of marriage have made his heart as hard as a stone."

Kevin laughed, "Are you sure that's the metaphor you want to go with?"

"You know what I mean."

"I do. Thank you Connie. I can always count on you." Kevin stood up and gave her a hug.

She grabbed his tie and said, "You go out with your friend, understand?"

"I will."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

-----

Flannery's had been the trendy bar a couple of years ago. Now it was popular without being crowded. It was decorated in the heavy, dark wood of an English pub. The food and drink were good and the atmosphere was lively. Kevin took a seat at the bar and scanned the surrounding faces to make sure he hadn't missed Dave. His eyes unexpectedly landed on a familiar face that he hadn't seen in a long time. "Mary?"

"Hey Kevin. I was hoping I'd see you tonight."

Mary's radiant smile jolted Kevin from his funk. Mary, Dave and Kevin had been inseparable as kids. They played Kick the Can, Dodgeball and Red Rover. They swam in the creek, climbed trees and built forts. In high school they were each other's confidants and steadfast supporters. They shared rides and intimate secrets. It wasn't until college that they began to drift apart. Jobs and significant others had reduced their contact to occasional phone calls and long-planned get togethers.

He asked, "Are you here to meet Dave?"

"Yes. He called this morning and said he had something important to discuss."

"Did he say that he would meet you here, or just tell you to be here?"

Mary looked through the texts on her phone. "He said, 'Be at Flannery's at 6:30'."

"Then I think it's just me and you."

"That works for me." Her smile was irresistible.

Kevin ordered a drink, then he followed her to a quiet table in a corner. She wore a little black dress and heels that combined to make her body look spectacular. She swung her hips like she meant business. It was almost like they hadn't been friends for twenty years; it was almost like she wanted to score.

He wished that he'd worn something more interesting than a blue shirt with tan khakis. How much more boring could he possibly be? Even his tie was dull. But Mary had known him long enough to overlook how he dressed. She was obviously here to help keep his mind off Janet. That must have been Dave's plan all along.

"The last I heard you were getting married," she said as she scooted her chair in.

"Yeah, we were engaged for nine months. Everything was going well until a couple of months ago when she started working at a new law firm. Last night, she told me that one of the partners had more than a professional interest in her, and she moved out."

"Ouch, I bet that hurt."

"It did up until about five minutes ago." Kevin gave her an encouraging smile. Mary was in good form, so why dwell on Janet?

"Enough of my shattered love life, how's yours?"

Mary was a petite brunette with freckles. She was smart without making him feel dumb and witty without making him feel dull. Her conversations effortlessly included everyone around her. She stirred her drink with her straw. Her green eyes sparkled and her entire face lit up as she smiled. She looked up over the rim of her glass and regarded him with a look that meant trouble. "What's it worth to you?"

There was something devious and erotic about her response. Aparently compassionate consolation was not on the menu. "What, you're charging for answers to simple questions now?"

"Well, you know, knowledge is power." She gave an enticing smile. "Are you going to make me an offer?"

Kevin was confused. If he hadn't spent the last twenty years in the friend zone he would have sworn she was flirting with him. His pulse accelerated and his face flushed. He had spent years longing for more than her friendship, so he wasn't sure he was reading her correctly. "Are you thinking money?"

"Maybe, but it would have to be a lot of money. This is very privileged information." She played with her drink as she spoke.

"Ah, so you want an exchange of information."

"That might work too."

"I've already told you my situation. Isn't that worth something?"

Mary enjoyed keeping him off balance. "It might have been worth something before you told me, but now it's common knowledge." She shrugged her shoulders.

Kevin tried a different approach, "What happened to the guy you were with at Dave's party last year?"

Mary tapped a finger to her lip as she thought, "Oh, Bobby. We just dated a few times, but that was two years ago. I haven't seen you in a while." She took his hands in hers and engaged his eyes. "Why don't you give the inquisition a rest while you think about what I want. I'm sure you can figure it out if you give it a little thought."

Her hands were soft and her expression was warm. It was obvious she was available and the whole pay for information thing was just a game. Despite that, she wanted something, and he had no idea what it was.

Mary studied his hands. She lightly traced the veins in one with her fingertips. Her touch was calm and self assured. It was sensual without being overtly sexy.

She asked, "What are you going to do now that you're free of The Janitor."

"The Janitor?"

"That's what Dave calls your ex."

"I'd forgotten that."

"I don't think he likes her very much."

"That's an understatement, and the feelings are mutual. She's been pissed off at him since that party where he handcuffed you and I together."

"Oh yes, Dave's legendary handcuff party. He does have a way of throwing memorable parties. Didn't he handcuff her to the toilet?"

"That's right, he did. She didn't like the guy he was going to handcuff her to, so she dared him to do it. She should have known better. He walked around the house announcing, 'The Janitor is in the bathroom'."

Kevin paused for a moment, then continued, "Do you remember how furious she was when Dave said, 'You're not pissed off, you're pissed on,' as he peed all over her shoes."

Mary burst into laughter. "They were brand new Italian shoes."

"In hindsight, I think Dave was deliberately trying to break us up."

"I'm certain he was," Mary soberly replied.

They took a synchronized sip from their drinks.

Kevin thought for a moment, then said, "I'd forgotten all of that. When I think of that party, I think of sitting on the roof handcuffed to you." .

Mary's smile brightened again.

"It was really bittersweet. I was with Janet, but, somehow, I was better connected to you. Being handcuffed to you felt so right, but at the same time it was so wrong."

"But we didn't do anything."

"We didn't do anything physical, but something happened. I'd known you for years, but I'd never felt as close to you as I did that night."

Mary knew exactly what he was talking about and she was happy to hear him say it. He'd been a close and dear friend for most of her life. On that night, two years ago, things changed. "Do you remember what you said to me?"

Kevin knew precisely what he had said, but he pretended to have forgotten, "It had something to do with your boyfriend. Hadn't you just broken up?"

"That's right, I had. You spent two hours telling me what a wonderful person I was, that the breakup was just a pothole in the highway of life and that you were certain I would find someone who could make me happy. All I had to do was be strong."

Kevin took her hand. "That sounds like something I would say to you."

"It was ironic that you told me I was wonderful after what happened in high school."

They were quiet for a few moments, then Kevin continued, "Is that why you're here now, to tell me that I'm wonderful and all I have to do is be strong?"

Mary froze for a second, then said, "No, no. I'm here to meet Dave." She took a healthy swallow from her drink.

"I'm pretty sure he never intended to be here." He could tell from the look in her eyes that she knew he was right.

Kevin dropped into thoughts of his own. Mary had always held a special place in his heart. Even now, he thought about her more than he cared to admit. His psyche had developed around her presence, and she had left a deep and enduring impression on who he was and what he wanted. If Dave was his distant wingman, Mary was his template for the ideal woman.

His body had reacted the way it always did when she was near, with an uncontrollable mixture of joy, fear and arousal. He wanted her but he didn't want to do anything that might put their friendship at risk.

Mary studied his warm brown eyes. She had grown up with their vulnerable and encouraging gaze. They had supported her in any adventure and forgave any transgression. Their unflagging support emboldened her. They gave her a confidence that she had not felt in years. She was certain that he would play along with anything she said or did.

After a few moments of silence Mary picked up a menu. She looked through it then said, "I hear the oysters here are really good."

"You like oysters?"

"Of course, don't you?" She gave him a wry smile.

"You're not giving me the oyster test are you?" He returned her smile with one of his own.

She didn't want it to be completely obvious, so she said, "No, I'm sure you would pass the oyster test. I think of sharing a plate of oysters as two cannibals enjoying an acquired taste."

"Are we cannibals?" While it was possible she was simply trying to take his mind off Janet, she was definitely flirting. He struggled to control the arousal that she inspired in him.

"Yes, of course we are." Mary licked her lips as she straightened her posture.

"Are you planning to eat me?" The image of the two of them engaged in mutual oral sex unexpectedly flooded his mind. He imagined the salty slime of oysters on his lips as his tongue explored her body.

"Not that I'm aware of," said her voice while her eyes devoured him.

He savored the delicious ambiguity of her reply while his erection began to form.

After ordering, Kevin took out his wallet to find the lump that was making his seat so uncomfortable. It was Janet's ring.

"Is that her engagement ring?"

"Not anymore, now it's just a pain in my ass."

"Can I try it on?"

"Sure." He handed her the ring.

"That's not how you do it. You have to get down on one knee and place the ring on my finger. Don't you know anything?" She acted like he was the biggest dolt to ever walk the Earth.

He feebly defended himself, "I'm just letting you try it on."

"If you're going to do something, you should do it right. Get down on one knee." Her voice was strong. His obedience was expected.

Kevin could feel his body subconsciously respond to her assertiveness, so he tried to assert some control of his own, "What's it worth to you?"

"You mean information wise?"

"Yes, information wise."

"It might be worth something, but I won't know until I see it on my finger." She wiggled her fingers while she looked into his eyes. "Get down on your knee," she was more forceful this time.

Kevin faltered. Her dominant air was as confident as it was arousing. His cock inflated before his brain could reign it in.

"On your knee," she insisted. There was now a sinister aspect to her smile.

Kevin slid down from the chair and came to rest with one knee on the floor.

Mary put the ring into his hand. "Now say, 'Will you please wear my ring?' and slide it on my finger."

"Mary, will you please wear my ring?"

Mary gave him an evil grin as looked down on him. She had already kicked off her heels, and now her stockinged toe ran up the inseam of his pants until it pressed against his hard cock. She slowly moved it up and down it's length as he knelt before her. "What's it worth to you?"

Kevin was speechless. The motion of her foot on his cock set off a tremor within him. He could feel the edifice that enforced years of restraint begin to yield. Did she know how he felt about her? Did she realize how much she had tortured him by locking him in the friend zone? Did she know how fragile his self control was?

She continued to softly stroke his cock with her foot. It was almost like accidental contact, except her toe traced and retraced the path up and down the length of his erection. She enjoyed seeing the helpless expression on his face, knowing that he would suffer anything for her, and feeling the pressure of his hard cock against her toe.

"Answer me. What is it worth to you?"

"Are you serious? I thought you wanted to wear the ring." He did his best to maintain his composure.

"I don't want to wear it if you don't want me to wear it."

"I asked you nicely, didn't I?"

"You did, but I want more."

"Please, tell me what you want."

Mary's smile was replaced by a look of stern regard. "I want a second chance."

Her request didn't make sense. Kevin had been locked in the friend zone for as long as he'd known her. "Did we have a first chance?"

"Of course we did. Don't you remember when you drove me to the college admission interview with the alumni? You were the only one who would drive in the snowstorm. Remember that the storm became a blizzard and they closed the highway? We spent three nights in a high school gymnasium. You remember that, right?"

"How could I forget? I'd borrowed my dad's car. When I got home I was grounded for the rest of forever."

"That's right. You were grounded for the last semester of your senior year and I was free as a bird and on my way to college."

Kevin was on his knee trying to figure out what Mary was driving at when the waitress arrived with their order of a dozen oysters on the half shell and two pints of stout. He slid the ring onto her finger, adjusted his throbbing cock and took his seat.

Mary admired the ring on her finger. "It looks nice, don't you think?"

He reached out, took her hand and inspected it. It was a little too big for her finger. "Does it look nice enough for you to tell me what's going on?"

Mary ignored his question. "You put it on my ring finger."

"Isn't that where it goes?"

"It would be, if we were engaged."

Kevin didn't know how to respond. Should he offer to move it, or should he wait for her to ask him?

She said, "I think I like it where it is, but only for tonight. I don't like the idea of wearing another woman's engagement ring, but tonight I'll do it for you." Without waiting for him to respond, she took an oyster and covered it with Tabasco sauce.

For someone that wanted something, Mary wasn't giving much. He enjoyed playing mind games with her, but he wasn't going to let her be the only one dishing it out. He tried to take the initiative.

He said, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"That's not the way cannibals eat oysters."

"I see. Are you going to show me how it's done?"

"It takes two people to eat oysters properly, each person eats the other's oysters. It's a ritual that enhances the sensuality of the oyster and connects the people." He tried to sound authoritative as he covered an oyster with Tabasco sauce.

"But we're not people, we're cannibals." Her eyes shined with evil intent.

"Ok, it connects the cannibals together." He maintained his composure as he held the shell up to her lips. "It's time for you to eat my oyster. Open your mouth."

She did as commanded.

He admired her green eyes, pale freckled skin and red lips. Her pink puffy tongue waited obediently, ready to catch the oyster and haul it in. He held the oyster up to her tongue, then paused and said, "Don't swallow this too quickly. Let it mingle with your tongue and taste buds. Enjoy the experience for as long as you can."