Flashpoint

Special thanks to Mistress Lynn for her help editing this story. Any mistakes made are my own.

*

I expected him to blush and stammer out an excuse.

I expected him to turn tail and run like a scared puppy.

I expected slamming doors and spitting gravel from the tires.

He did none of those.

Instead, he stood frozen at the door. I watched as he set each of his tools on the table with careful precision. My heart pounded as he turned back toward us.

"I'd love to," he said with a smile.

**********

The loud ring of the doorbell echoed through the house and I hurried to pick up the last few toys scattered around the floor. I tossed them into the toy box in my daughter's closet and rushed to answer the door.

"Hey! Thanks so much for coming over. The toys in Anne's room are taking over the world." Jim looked relaxed standing there, the tools he needed for the job in his hand. "Putting these shelves up will help a lot."

"No problem. I'm glad I could help." He smiled and climbed the step into the house. I looked up as Jim towered above me, only inches away. I could smell the faint scent of after-shave mixed with sunshine. I had always been attracted to him, and having him so near made every sense in my body go on ready alert.

I led him through the living room and into Anne's room. Stuffed animals covered every available surface, crowding the bookshelf, bed, and corners of the room. "Holy cow. I thought you were kidding!" Jim chuckled in my ear, and I swallowed a gasp at his nearness.

I looked around at the overwhelming mass of furry objects. "I only wish I was kidding. The problem is that she remembers all of them by name and who gave them to her, which makes getting rid of them next to impossible."

I led Jim over to the pile of shelves and hardware stacked in a corner. "My plan is to have you put these up along the full wall and then put all the animals up there. Do you think it will work?"

Jim took a second to look at the hardware, which was a bracket rail system. Metal slots would hold brackets, which in turn would hold the shelves up. "Looks like it will. Do you have a stud finder?"

My eyes ran the full length of Jim's body and my mouth went dry. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I do."

A slow, mega-watt smile spread on Jim's face and he chuckled low and throaty. My face flushed and I had no doubt at that moment that he could read my mind. I returned his smile with a lopsided one of my own. "I'll go get it."

I left the room and walked into the garage. The clock droned a steady tick, tick, tick, on the wall and I glanced up. One hour until Emily arrived. Of all the days that Jim had been free to help, this was probably the worst.

I'd purchased a new 50-inch HDTV a few weeks ago and Em was coming over to indulge in a favorite past time of ours. For years we'd been passing porn movies back and forth, giving reviews and discussing our likes and dislikes. An opportunity to watch a few together on the new television was not one we were going to miss. Unfortunately, I was desperate to get Anne's room under control. This had been the only day everyone was available while Anne was at camp.

I braced myself for the usual sharp pang of heartbreak I felt whenever I rifled through my husband's things, relieved to find that it had abated into sad acceptance. I located the stud finder in the bottom of the tool cabinet and walked back into the house where the sound of happy whistling greeted me. I smiled at the unexpected sound. Jim and I had been friends for years and having him in the house always made the air feel lighter. It chased away the lingering sadness hiding in the corners.

I walked back into the bedroom to find Jim on a step stool with a pencil and leveler in hand. His long, slender fingers expertly marked out a line on the wall and I stopped, stunned at the sudden visual of those same fingers expertly stroking deep inside me. A shiver ran up my spine, and my breath caught in my throat. The sound alerted him of my presence and he turned around.

"You okay?" he asked.

I tried to nod, but the abrupt mental image had left me weak. Instead, I shook my head in an attempt to clear it and then grimaced as concern washed over his face. Jim stepped off the ladder and walked toward me.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." He placed his hands on my arms and the contact sent an instant shockwave through my system. "Kate?"

"Oh... yeah. Sorry, I just got lost in thought." My mind raced for a plausible excuse for my obvious distress. Something other than the image of his hands manipulating my pussy. "I forgot to warn you that Emily is coming over in an hour."

Confusion crossed his face. "I know Em. Why would it bother me that she's going to be here?"

I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "She's coming over to watch porn with me."

For a second, he looked stunned. I could almost hear the wheels in his head turning, processing the information. His hands, which had been holding my upper arms dropped, as through my skin had caught fire. My stomach knotted. This news hadn't been taken well, I thought. Then he let out a gusty laugh. "Of all the things I expected you to say, that wasn't one of them. Don't worry, porn doesn't offend me. Although being in this room while the two of you watch it together might be...interesting."

He winked, and I grinned at the sudden boyishness in his face. "I guess I'll have to hurry so that you two can get to it." Then, chuckling to himself, he took the stud finder from my hand, turned, and went back to work.

I walked out of the room and into the kitchen to check that I had all the items we would need for daiquiris. Inside, I was still shaken by the image that had flashed through my head, but I wasn't surprised. I'd been having fantasies about Jim almost since the day I'd met him, something my husband had teased me about and then used later in some of our best role-playing games. Usually, those fantasies took place at night though and not in the middle of the day with him standing in front of me.

A knot of loneliness formed in my throat. It had been a long time since I'd had sex with anything that didn't have a "clean after use" label. It had been two years since Eric had died and I hadn't been willing to open myself up to anyone, emotionally or physically. The upheaval of my life had left me too weary and depressed to want to get involved in anything similar to a relationship.

That image of Jim's fingers playing with the softest parts of my body had made me remember the physical comfort another person could bring. I was now keenly aware of every month and day I had gone without someone. Plastic could get you where you needed to go, but it couldn't hold you afterward and it couldn't force you to bow to its will with luscious fingertips.

The sound of the hammer pounding against the wall brought to mind the thrusting of a hard cock inside my body and I tried to push the image away. Butterfly wings fluttered inside the pit of my stomach, brushing downward to tease parts of my body that didn't need any reminders of their function. I dreaded the afternoon ahead, so aroused that the poor man was lucky I didn't jump him then and there!

Assured that I had everything I needed for drinks and munchies, I slipped through the sliding glass door and into the garden. As I waited for Emily, I let the mundane task of weeding dull the forceful urgency of bliss my body demanded.

A bit later, footsteps sounded on the ground behind me and I stood up, turned, and was greeted by Em's smiling face. With long curly brown hair and dark ocean blue eyes, there was an innocence to her look that belied the aura of sexuality she had. I'd watched the combining effect of those contradictions knock men completely off of their game for years. She also did an admirable job of always looking like she'd recently walked off of a Cosmo magazine.

Self-confident and sexy, she'd been a good friend for most of my life, always grounding me or pushing me forward as warranted. Her eyes danced merrily. "I can't believe you arranged to have Jim in the house moments before our porn fest. You must have balls like rocks."

I laughed and shook my head. "Those balls are more like cannon balls, I think, and they are bordering on the explosive side so you'd better stand back."

Smiling, Emily looked back at the house before returning her gaze to my face. "If you actually had balls, I am certain they would be close to exploding! When Eric was alive, you two had sex more often than a bushel of bunnies. I can't believe you've been able to go this long without." Emily's arms wrapped around me in a quick, impulsive hug, "Welcome back to the land of the Nymphos."

"Maybe." I responded, hesitant. "I think that might be a little optimistic considering that I haven't actually had sex yet. Besides, I've started thinking that maybe I'm not that person anymore. Maybe that person went away and this battery-dependent person took her place."

Emily looked down at the ground, her face clouding, "No. That person is still in there, she's just been depressed and sad for a long time. But, now, she needs to come out and play."

"I'm not so sure about that. I'm not sure I can be that person without Eric. I'm not sure about anything." I said. Unfortunately, I belied the words by casting a wistful glance at the bedroom window where Jim was working. Emily saw the direction of my gaze and called me on it.

"Anything other than maybe tying Jim to the bed and fucking him until he cries out and pleads for mercy?"

"Em!" I choked back a giggle and whispered. "Oh my God! I think he can hear you!"

Emily's eyes danced with mischief. "That would be a bad thing, why?"

I groaned, laying my head back and looking to the heavens for help. Emily was like the FBI, CIA, and a polygraph test all rolled into one. Hiding something from her was generally impossible. Since she'd always known how much I liked Jim, she'd just push until I answered honestly. "It wouldn't be a bad thing, I guess. It's just that I'm out of practice. I don't know how to do this anymore."

"Do what?"

"Well, come on, it isn't like I can just walk up to him and say, 'Gee, I'd really like to do the horizontal bop with you. How's about we go back to the bedroom and get it on, Baby?'"

Emily looked at me, contemplating. "I don't see why not, you'd be doing him a favor. He's a man and men think with their penises. He wouldn't need to work for it, then."

I opened my mouth to comment, but never got a chance. Emily was on a roll and not to be stopped.

"There's no harm in trying." She shrugged and continued. "Just invite him to join us. Go up to him and say, 'So Jim, Emily and I are thinking about having a wild orgy and wondered if you'd like to join us?' That ought to get his attention."

I choked back horrified laughter. "Ya think?"

"Yeah. I do. Watching porn with two women and wondering what'll happen next has to come close to some sort of ultra-male fantasy. It may not even be necessary to mention the orgy part. It's time to put those batteries away and remind yourself what real, hard flesh feels like."

I was too stunned to say anything, but the idea of asking Jim to stay had merit. Maybe this wasn't the worst day for him to have come over after all. Maybe it was the best. I would have moral support sitting on the same couch. Then I remembered, "Emily, I already mentioned the porn thing to him and he's hurrying right now to get done so he can leave."

"What did you say exactly?"

"Just that you were coming over and we were going to watch porn together. I didn't want to offend him or anything if he wasn't done working. He didn't act like he wanted to stay."

"Yeah, but did you ask him to?"

"No, but..."

"Did you ask him if he wanted to stay?" I started to respond, but she kept going. "Look, we'll just ask. There's no harm in that, right?"

I numbly shook my head. "Okay. If he says yes, then what?"

"Just take it one step at a time. I'll be there watching. Giving you moral support." Emily winked then shrugged, smiling slyly. "I like to watch."

I looked off into the distance, thinking, and heard Emily's voice sober. "Kate, seriously, what have you got to lose?"

Memories of my friendship with Jim, and the numerous times he'd been there to help, flashed through my mind. One of the few people that had not gone distant after Eric's death, he'd chosen to cope by helping with the things Eric had done. Whether that meant changing the oil in my car or fixing the roof, I could count on him. The idea that I might lose his companionship because I'd gotten horny made my blood cold. I took a deep breath, letting it out with slow precision and glanced back at her. "If things don't go well, I'm thinking a lot."

"Well then, we'll just have to make sure things go well."

Wasn't that just the epitome of hope, I thought morosely, and followed her back into the house. Apparently, we were going to ask my friend the handyman to become just a wee bit more handy.

****

My stomach twisted in knots and I was shaking as I walked back to my daughter's bedroom to ask Jim if he wanted a drink. I had no idea how I was going to ask him if he wanted to stay. I was terrified that he'd say no and I'd make an easy relationship strained. I felt like a cartoon character with personalities on my shoulders, one dictating caution, the other begging for sexual fulfillment.

I arrived at the door and glanced around. The shelves were about half completed. He was doing a great job, as usual. I cleared my throat so that I wouldn't startle him. "How are things going in here?"

Tightening a screw into a bracket, Jim answered without looking at me. "Uh, Good. Good, I think. It's going a little slower than I figured, but they look nice. You had a great idea." He shot a smile over his shoulder and then turned back.

"Thanks." I glowed at the compliment. "Emily is here and we were getting ready to make banana daiquiris. Would you like one?"

"No thanks. They are a little too..."

"Girlie?"

"Yeah." The screw finally into the bracket, Jim turned around. His face looked flushed and a bead of sweat glistened on his brow. There was an intense look in his eye that made me shiver. "I'd love a diet Coke if you've got one."

My limbs felt liquid. He seemed to be oozing sexuality out his pores. I squeezed my eyes closed trying to concentrate on his words. "Of course I have one. I'd never invite you over without having some in the house. I'll... I'll be right back." I hurried out of the room, cursing myself for a complete loss of control.

While I got his soda from the kitchen, I attempted to settle my frayed nerves. What the heck had come over me? Hope, I thought. Hope was making me see things that weren't there, such as a man that had looked suspiciously turned on. Of course, that couldn't have been true, could it?

Squaring my shoulders, I walked back into the room. The first thing I noticed was the window. The open window. Had it been that way a minute ago? I couldn't remember.

I handed him the Coke, watching as he opened the can and took a long drink. His Adam's apple moved along the flat expanse of throat as he swallowed. At the slow up and down motion my heart flipped over then set off at a quick pace. All I had to do was get through this one question and, if things went well, I'd be able to kiss whisker-roughened terrain.

"Emily and I are going to--," I paused, thinking of the right words, unwilling to invite him flat-out to an orgy. I searched for a sign that he already knew what I was going to ask.

"I know. Watch adult movies. You told me earlier. It's okay, I'm not easily offended." I stifled a little disappointment as he simply turned back to the shelves. I felt dismissed. "You girls have fun."

"Okay, well, thanks." Try as I might, I couldn't detect any interest coming from him.

Disheartened, I walked back into the kitchen. "Emily, I can't do it. I just don't think the guy is interested."

Emily turned toward me. "Well then, let's go have fun without him." We grabbed our drinks and headed into the living room.

I chose 'Tell Me What You Want' as the first film. The somewhat dark movie followed a woman's first experience with submission. We watched as the female character met her master and then performed to his liking. At best, it was a lukewarm picture and we fast-forwarded through a lot of it, until it approached the end.

The last scene showed five men fondling and fucking the blindfolded actress, while the Master watched. The segment was dramatic and intense.

Emily groaned. "Now, that's the wonderful thing about fantasy. I may never do something like that in real life, but, damn, it's nice to watch and think about."

I nodded agreement. "It is nice to think about. 'Course, for me right now, just having sex is nice to think about."

Emily chuckled low and throaty and glanced toward the bedroom. "So, what are you waiting for, then?"

Dropping my head back on the couch, I gave in. "Okay. I'll ask when he comes out."

"Good."

Emily got up and took our glasses back into the kitchen to refill them while I switched movies. If the truth were to be told, I didn't really want to ask Jim to stay. No, I preferred the strong silent communication that involved shoving him against the wall and just going to it. Sadly, that move would probably get me in trouble.

I was going to appeal to his instinctive male side, instead relying on the conviction that men wanted sex. At any moment, I could make a humiliating mistake. I grimaced. I should just purchase one of those rubber doll things, I thought, but then they didn't have wonderful, luscious fingertips either.

Emily breezed back into the room and I looked up. "So, what do you have for our viewing pleasure next?" Emily asked with a grin. "Is it something hot, or something not?"

"Smoking hot." I pulled the case out of the cabinet and handed it to her. "It's one of Jenna's earlier movies, 'Flashpoint'. She stars as a firefighter." I wiggled my eyebrows at her. "It will be interesting to see if she spends more time in or out of uniform."

I sat back down on the couch and turned the movie on, but the sudden quiet in the house distracted me from the television. The hammering had stopped.

I looked at Emily, who shrugged. "I guess he's done. Let's just watch the movie. He'll come out when he's ready."

"I just want him to come." I mumbled. "Or was that me? I want me to come."

"Well, if things go well, we'll all come." Emily said with a grin.

My heart slammed inside my chest. I wanted Jim so badly that if he said no to the invitation I would need to excuse myself to get rid of some tension. Emily would get a kick out of that one.

I wondered what Emily was going to do if I succeeded. Was she truly going to watch or was it going to turn into a three-some? I pondered the idea as the credits began to appear on-screen. I realized that it didn't matter to me if she watched or joined. I was comfortable with either outcome. Having her there would settle my nerves, and if I was going to jump into the nymphomania saddle again, I might as well do it with a bang.

The movie began and we were drawn into the action as Jenna and her gang of firefighting heroes responded to a car accident. The acting was so porn-movie that we were having a difficult time controlling our laughter when Jim walked into the living room.

Relaxed by the sudden tension breaker of adult movie drama, I looked at him and asked, "Getting ready to leave?"

Jim's eyes darted a glance at the television and then skittered back. His tongue wet his lips and then he cleared his throat. "Yeah. The shelves went up easily and they look like they'll do the job. Go look at Anne's room when you get a chance. If you see anything that needs to be fixed just give me a call and I'll come back."