While Eric's Away

When she opened the front door to Eric's apartment, she expected him to be waiting for her in his usual stance, ready to greet her with a kiss and ask how her trip had been. Instead, she was greeted by blackness and had to grope around for a switch in the dim glow of the hall light. When that proved useless, she headed clumsily for the nearby lamp, knocking into the end table in the process with an exclamation of frustration. Suddenly, the front door slammed shut, plunging her into darkness.

"Eric?" she called tentatively. "Is that you?"

While she stood listening for an answer, two strong arms grabbed her from behind, one covering her mouth and the other pinning her arms to her sides. She struggled wildly against her assailant and tried to cry out, but she found herself in a vice-like grip, pressed helplessly against a hard male body that she knew instinctively did not belong to her boyfriend. The man began silently dragging her towards Eric's bedroom, moving effortlessly through the black apartment as if he were familiar with it. Beth felt raw panic rising inside her as she realized his direction.

God, he's going to rape me

, she thought. Where the hell was Eric? And how had this man gotten inside his apartment? She quickly pushed away images of this man overpowering her boyfriend, interrogating him, killing him…

At the doorway to Eric's bedroom, the man removed his hand from her mouth to open the door. Seizing the opportunity, Beth screamed as loud as she could, hoping the neighbors might hear her through the walls. She felt a strong pressure on the base of her neck and lost consciousness.

When she awoke, she found herself in Eric's bedroom, lying on his bed. The lights were dimmed, but she could make out a dark form sitting across the room by the door. She gasped involuntarily at the sight and realized that she had been gagged with a soft cloth material. Her long arms and legs were tied to the bedposts with what looked like Eric's neckties. Most shocking of all was her own body, completely naked and spread-eagled on Eric's navy sheets. She pulled at her restraints and twisted her body, but no movement could release her.

The dark form must have noticed her stirring and approached the bed slowly. As he walked out of the shadows, Beth saw the face of her attacker and gasped again. She recognized Joe, Eric's best friend, standing over her with a broad grin. She was completely puzzled. What the hell was he doing? And where was Eric? He saw her quizzical look and started laughing softly as he moved to the side of the bed.

"Hi Beth," he said. "How are you?"

Beth made a frustrated noise from behind her gag.

"Good," he smiled. "Because you and I are going to have some fun tonight. Just the two of us. What do you think about that?"

She shook her head from side to side, making noises of protest.

"Oh, come on," Joe goaded her like a child, brushing a stand of red hair out of her face. "You're not even giving me a chance. Is this because I had to knock you out back there?"

Beth glared at him from the bed, angered by his smartass remarks. She'd known him before she'd even met Eric—not well, she was realizing—and had never imagined him capable of this, no matter how much of a bastard he may have been. She had always treated him rather coolly, only joking with him when she knew she could one-up him. He had always teased her about one thing of another, most often about Eric's former girlfriends, trying to provoke her jealousy. It had never worked – Eric was so loyal, she couldn't imagine him ever cheating on her. Now here she was, about to be mauled by the one who had badgered her about Eric's unfaithfulness. She wondered if this was his way of one-upping her, getting revenge for all the times she'd made him look stupid.

"It looks like I'll just have to convince you how much fun I can be," he said in a low voice, staring into her.

His words were both chilling and damningly erotic. She found herself staring back at him, looking over his lean, muscled frame over 6 feet tall. She had always found him magnetic in his personality and physical appearance, which was so frustrating since he was such an arrogant fuck. His eyes were a shade between brown and black while his dark hair always had that fresh-out-of-bed look she found strangely attractive. He sat down on the bed next to her and looked down at her body. Beth felt the heat of a blush spreading over her cheeks. She couldn't believe Joe was seeing her like this, every inch of her body exposed.

I'm completely at his mercy

, she thought.

Soundlessly, he raised his hand to her left breast and began kneading it slowly with his fingers, twisting her pink nipple between his thumb and forefinger as it hardened. Beth turned her head away and closed her eyes, hoping he would grope her and get it over with. She was frightened of the feeling that was beginning to swell in her belly, sending waves of pleasure through her body at his touch. She whimpered as he moved from one breast to the other, toying with them and enjoying their fullness. Her nipples were growing as hard as pebbles, standing aroused as a sign of her body's betrayal. She turned her head back in time to see his mouth close over her left breast, sucking and teasing her with his tongue and teeth. A moan escaped her lips as he covered her other breast with his hand, grinding it beneath his palm.

"That's a girl," said Joe, flicking her nipple with his tongue. "It's not so bad now, is it?"

Beth closed her eyes, ashamed of her response. What would Eric think of her?

"You know," he whispered in her ear, "Eric was right. You have an amazing body, Beth…a body made to be

fucked

."

At the last word he spread his open palm across her belly and dug his fingers into her skin for emphasis. Beth groaned in a mixture of protest and arousal, trying in vain to move away from his touch. He had to stop, she thought—she couldn't stand the way her flesh burned under his mouth, his hands. He was driving her crazy with desire, and he had only touched her breasts. She couldn't imagine what would happen if he…

Joe's mouth moved down to her stomach, nipping her creamy flesh along the way. She looked down to see her skin covered in little red patches of blushing, burning flesh where he had been. She could feel the heat pulsing from within her body, causing liquid arousal to flow between her thighs. His hands were caressing the soft skin between her legs as his mouth moved closer and closer to her sex. Suddenly she felt his tongue dart out and taste the juices escaping from her pussy. A shock wave of electricity ran through her, causing her to moan through her gag and jolt involuntarily. Her back arched off the bed in an undeniable appeal. She couldn't believe how much she wanted him to taste her, to touch her.

"Oh, Beth," she heard him groan. "You taste so good."

His words alone almost pushed her over the edge. She felt his tongue run up and down the length of her pussy lips, lapping her juices. He grasped each slippery fold with thumb and forefinger and slowly stretched them apart, revealing her aching sex. Holding her open, he thrust his tongue deep into her pussy, fucking her with his mouth. Beth moaned again and began rocking her hips against his mouth, feeling her orgasm growing inside of her. His tongue reached up and flicked her clit, engorged with blood. Beth screamed as the waves of her orgasm crashed over her, more intense than she's ever felt them before. Joe quickly thrust two fingers deep into her pussy, causing her to scream and buck all the more. She continued the thrusting motion of her hips, driving his fingers in and out of her dripping sex.

When it finally passed, she was left panting in an attempt to catch her breath, her breasts rising and falling in quick rhythm. Joe was still between her legs on the bed, licking the last of her juices from her pussy and thighs. His tongue felt soothing yet scorching as the fire continued to smolder within the core of her being. When he had had his fill, he placed his hands on either side of her head on the bed and knelt over her. Without a word, he removed her gag and threw it to the floor. Before Beth could speak, he covered her mouth with his, delving deep into her mouth with his tongue. She found herself returning his kiss, hungry for the taste of her own juices mixed with his own new taste. While he kissed her, he easily undid the ties holding her arms in place then sat back to untie her feet. Once freed, Beth gathered her body to a corner of the bed, unconsciously trying to hide her nakedness. She looked up at his face watching her, waiting for her response.

"Why?"

He grinned slightly. "Why do you think, Beth?"

"Is this your way at getting back at me?"

He looked surprised, then burst into laughter. "For what?"

"You know," she stammered, "shooting you down so many times. Pointing out what an arrogant little fuck you is."

He raised his eyebrows and regarded her from his position. "Is that what you think?"

She looked away, not sure what she thought of him anymore. "I don't know." He moved closer to her on the bed, and slowly reached out and turned her face back to him.

"I did this, Beth, because I couldn't stand being around you anymore, seeing you with Eric, and not having my way with you every moment I saw you. You have no idea what you do to me. You have no idea how goddamn irresistible you are—your body, your spirit. I needed it Beth, needed to take you, and I was pretty sure you'd want it to. But I knew I'd have to use force, just at first, otherwise that conscience of yours would never allow it."

"Where's Eric?"

"He had to go to Westchester last minute to take care of some family business. I told him I'd call you and let you know he'd be gone. I knew that I'd never get another opportunity like this. I had to do it tonight."

Beth studied his face, looking for signs of deception. He seemed so sincere. And what about her own body's response? Had the annoyance he'd caused her so many times really been arousal, one she was afraid to acknowledge? It was all such a shock, her brain felt completely muddled. She closed her eyes and rubbed her hands over her face, trying to clear her head.

"I can't think straight," she murmured.

"Don't try to think," he replied softly, gently pulling her hands away from her face. "I never wanted to hurt you, Beth. I just needed one chance to show you what we could have."

Beth stared blankly at the framed picture on Eric's nightstand. It showed him with one arm around Beth and the other around Joe. Looking at both friends side by side, she tried to decide which had always made her heart stop. Joe suddenly rose from the bed and turned to go.

"Maybe this was a mistake," he said, heading for the door.

"No…wait."

Beth scrambled off the bed and caught his arm. He turned and looked down at her, standing naked before him. Slowly, she slid her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down to hers. Joe returned her kiss, gently teasing her tongue with his teeth as his arms slid around her. Beth pulled away and looked up into his dark eyes.

"Stay, please. I want you to stay."

Without a word, Joe planted his mouth firmly on hers and lifted her into his arms. He dropped her softly onto Eric's bed and tore off his shirt and shorts before joining her. Lying beside her, he felt the naked curves of their bodies touch and fit together like the pieces of a puzzle.