Rick wheeled his suitcase to the door.
"My car's almost here," he said.
Emily plastered herself to the side of his body.
"I'll miss you," she said.
I stood there while Rick and Emily kissed, not knowing where to look. Her tongue snaked into his mouth. His hand roamed down to her ass and squeezed it. She uttered a low growl and ground her pelvis against him.
Rick's phone buzzed. "That's my car," he said. But he kept kissing Emily and squeezing her. "I really have to go," he said, finally. He peeled himself away from her.
Emily followed him onto the porch and snatched a last long kiss from him. I watched from the living room window. He loaded his suitcase into the waiting car's trunk. The car pulled away, headed for the airport, and he waved from the back seat.
Emily came back inside humming to herself. She went upstairs to get ready for work.
Rick would be gone three whole days.
To be honest, I was grateful to have a break. I liked Rick, in general. But his constant attention was wearing me out.
By now Rick had taken me in most rooms of the house. He had fucked me on the dining room table, bent over the back of the living room sofa, and on the ottoman. He had fucked me up against the fridge, the washing machine, and the bathroom sink.
I was always ready for him. I had to be. Any time I bent over he might take it as an invitation. I was afraid Emily would be upset with me unless I kept him completely happy. And he acted so impatient sometimes when he couldn't take me immediately. At first I had started carrying a bottle of lubricant around with me from room to room. Then I just started to keep myself lubricated at all times.
Now that Rick was gone, I felt like I could relax a little.
***
That evening, after work, Emily sat on the couch watching TV. When I finished putting away dinner and washing the dishes, I joined her on the couch.
"Don't you think you should ask if I need a back rub?" said Emily, without looking away from the screen.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said. "I wasn't thinking! Do you want a back rub?"
"Thank you, Abigail. That sounds lovely."
She turned her body to face away from me on the couch. I started massaging her neck and shoulders.
"Long day today," she said. "I'm still waiting to hear how my big pitch went."
"I'm sure you killed it. Try not to stress too much," I said. I kept working on her shoulders, trying my best to loosen her taut muscles. Her body was one big knot. My heart ached being so close to her. I leaned closer, breathing in her sweet scent. Emily let out a soft little moan. My hands froze.
She crossed her arms and stripped her shirt off over her head. Her bra was edged with delicate lace. The pale lilac color looked so pretty with her creamy skin. She pushed the straps off her shoulders. My breath caught.
Rick's not here
, I thought.
How long had it been since it was just the two of us, hanging out like this? Did she mean for something to happen?
"Keep going," said Emily. "It's nice."
Swallowing hard, I brought my shaking hands back to her bare shoulders. As I kneaded, she kept sighing and making soft sounds that made me shiver. I tried to interpret each noise she made. Was it possible she was getting turned on, or did she just find it relaxing? I couldn't tell.
"Did you hear from Rick?" I said. "Did he get to his hotel OK?"
"Wow, you sure miss him, don't you?" Emily said.
Stupid!
Why did I bring up Rick? I had just been trying to make conversation. But he was the last thing I wanted to talk about.
"It didn't take you long to start dressing like a slob again," she said.
I had no idea what to say to that. I was wearing a nice top and jeans. I was even wearing a little makeup. Surely she didn't expect me to keep wearing the dresses and heels when Rick wasn't here?
Emily turned and looked me up and down with a smirk. "Relax, I'm just teasing," she said. "Keep rubbing. It feels good."
I continued the back rub. Her skin was so soft. I prayed she couldn't feel my hands trembling. I worked my way down her soft bare back, until my fingers were right above the lacy band where her bra was clasped.
I held my breath. My skin was tingling all over like my nerve endings were on fire.
Give me a sign,
I thought.
Tell me you want this.
Was Emily was holding her breath, too? The moment stretched. Was she waiting to see what I would do? But I couldn't move. My heart was racing and my chest felt like it might explode.
"That's enough," said Emily. She pulled away, reaching for her discarded blouse. The back rub was over.
We resumed our previous casual positions on the couch and watched the TV show for a while. The charged moment had passed.
"Well, uh, I guess I'll go to bed," I said, when the show was over. I stood up.
I hoped she would say,
Don't go
, or
Let's keep hanging out
, or even,
My turn to rub your back now
.
"Good night," she said. "I hope you sleep OKโwithout Rick to tuck you in."