"Don't you agree, Matt?"
"Hmmm? Sorry - miles away..." In reality I was simply transfixed by the girl sitting opposite me - Nicola. Her eyes glinting in the low light. The way she kept brushing her blonde hair back over her ear. Her ready, flashing smile. Her tongue as she licked the last of her dessert from her lips (was she looking at me when she did that?). Her frankly dirty laugh as she mercilessly took the piss out of everyone else at the dinner party. "Please excuse me a minute. Bathroom...?"
"Down the hall, Matt. It hasn't moved."
What I really needed was some cold water on my face and to get out of there. Nic was the problem. I'd known her for years; half my life almost. She was my friend's ex, just split a couple of months ago, and bizarrely I seemed to have handled the break-up worse than either of them; it's very strange seeing your two closest friends at each other's throats, so I just left them to it. James had moved on already, shagging one of the legal secretaries at work, and I hadn't spoken to Nic until tonight. There had always been a sexual tension between us - lots of flirting, "accidental" body contact, innuendo and even a New Years kiss that lasted a bit, well a lot, longer than it should have. But no more than that.
And then tonight. I'd never seen her looking quite so hot. It felt likes all the years of repressed desire for her were coming to the surface at once. But still.... I mustn't. James was still my friend, and almost more importantly so was she. What if my feelings were misguided? What if they weren't? I'd had too much wine to trust myself to make a good decision. Better to slip away before I said or did something I might regret.
"Listen, thanks guys, that was lovely, but I'm going to catch a cab. I've got an early start tomorrow."
"Can I share? Early start too." Oh christ. Both Nic and I lived the other side of London. How could I say no? The cunning escape plan had fallen to pieces at the first hurdle.
She huddled against me as we stood in the cold waiting for a cab; head against my chest, arms around my waist, shivering as I shielded her from the worst of the winter wind. I could smell her perfume and was struggling to keep myself in check as it set my senses on fire. Finally a cab hove into view, and we bundled gratefully in. Still trembling with cold, she snuggled against me in the back of the cab.
"Your hands are freezing! Let me warm them up..." She took my almost blue right hand and furiously rubbed her own against it, stopping only to breathe on my fingers. Then she just clamped it between her thighs as she started on the other. Oh my good god. This was not part of the plan. I had convinced myself that all of the evening's teasing and flirting, even up to finding my hand sandwiched between her firm thighs, was just a continuation of how we used to be round each other for so many years, in her eyes at least.
I shifted to hide the obvious indication of my arousal, and leant back against the seat, eyes closed, hoping that sleep would come before I made a fool of myself. But I left my hand between her legs. I could think of nothing else - it was like my whole being was concentrated in my fingertips. Surely if I just twitched my fingers a little she won't notice? I felt her skin give a little through her jeans as I squeezed, but no reaction. I forced myself to breathe, trying to calm my heart down. Swallowed hard - maybe I could do that again? Slowly I flexed my fingers again, and shifted my hand just a few mm upwards, praying she would think I was just moving as I dozed.
Then I felt her hands grab my wrist and hold it tight. My mind was a blur of panic. What could I say to her? What was I thinking? I held my breath and waited. And waited.
"I know you're not asleep," she breathed into my ear. I didn't move. "You can carry on like that if you like - it's nice. But don't open your eyes, don't move around. I'm not giving the driver a show here."
Swallowing again, I nodded imperceptibly, and felt her grip on my wrist relax, her legs parting just a little. Stealing a quick squint out the window I could see we were still a good half hour from my flat - longer to hers. I began to massage the inside of her thigh, slowly so as not to give the driver any cause to think we were anything other than asleep. Gradually I worked up her leg to the seam of her jeans, tight against her body, and gently pressed the thicker material against her sex. Sighing under her breath, she wriggled slightly, and I knew that my finger was rubbing her jeans right against her clit. I had to slip my other hand inside the waistband of my own trousers to adjust my hardening cock, and felt her hand slide up my leg and over the buttons, coming to rest over my erection. I could scarcely believe this was happening, and I'm sure she sensed my over-excitement, just lightly gripping my throbbing cock through my clothing rather than stroking it.
