ERIN & ALICIA: Friends, No Benefits

         Hazel eyes snapping open, a questioning gasp escaping her plump lips, Alicia sat upright in her bed. Dazed and confused, her senses tried focusing on the sudden noise that had jarred her awake.

         Nothing.

         Squinting, she rubbed at her eyes and stared into the irregularly shadowed volume of her bedroom. As she took in the familiar contours of the furnishings and clutter, she was immediately thankful that at least her blinds were closed. After signing the lease on this place she’d lost two of three coin tosses, then five rounds of rock, paper, scissors. Those failed gambles with her roommate had landed her the bedroom with an unobstructed eastern exposure. Warm, mid-May light crept around the edges of the vinyl slats telling her it was already a very sunny morning. If she’d been met by the undiffused glare it would’ve been blinding. In the hazy silence, she wondered what she’d heard.

         She didn’t wonder long. Loud, coarse, and barely muted by the wall separating her from her roommate’s bedroom came a shout overlayed with melody. It was a single word, its syllables deliberately distended. It sounded like the yell of someone jumping off a building.

         “Renegaaaaaaaaade!”

         The drawl was unique to Missouri rapper Eminem, and the word he shouted was a sample Erin downloaded for her “hangover alarm” and swore by it when conventional alarms just wouldn’t do. Alicia half-turned and stared at the wall, her beautiful eyes narrowing to slits. Roommates, she thought. The fucking struggle was real. Another moment passed then the rapper shouted again. Worse, the volume escalated the longer it repeated. Knowing it was coming didn’t help, Alicia still jumped when “Renegaaaaaaaaade!” echoed from Erin’s bedroom.

         “Erin! Come on, wake up!” No answer, no sound of movement. “Erin! Turn that—"

         “Renegaaaaaaaaade!”

         “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Alicia threw the covers aside and spun around, pivoting until her naked legs were pointed toward the head of her bed. She tensed then began stomping her bare feet against the wall, protesting like a toddler who had just lost their favorite toy.

         “Renegaaaaaaaaade!”

         “Off!” she shouted. “Off! Off! Off!”

         It figured. Today was her sleep-in day, the first day off after six days on. Of course today would be stolen from her, of course Erin would find some way to impose. This couldn’t happen on a morning when she was away at work, running errands or…or whatever. No, she hadn’t been in bed more than a handful of hours and now she was being taunted by the most obnoxious alarm imaginable.

         “Renegaaaaaaaaade!”

         “This is such bullshit,” Alicia cursed, abandoning her bed to confront Erin.

****

         There were plenty of things to like about the house, but Erin and Alicia agreed that the main bathroom with its walk-in, jetted shower and heated tile floors was one of the best.

         And Joshua agreed. As they stood under a cascade of hot water, Joshua seemed to agree a lot. It could have been that the water pressure was perfect. It could have been that the shower was comfortably spacious. But while the bathroom air grew humid and the patter and splash echoed wetly it was more likely Joshua’s appreciation had nothing to do with real estate and everything to do with Erin.

         Specifically, what Erin was doing to him.

         Erin’s left hand was low between his thighs, cradling his sac in her palm while her right hand gripped his shaft, sliding from hairy base to bloated tip over and over. The honey-vanilla shower gel she favored lubricated the assertive massage she was giving him, developing a generous, aromatic lather as she stroked, squeezed, and twisted the pulsing length that she’d grown so fond of. She smiled wickedly when he moaned, delighting in the power she held over him.

         After spending the night he’d risen to go pee, she’d surprised him and followed. He was standing in front of the toilet finishing up when she stepped up behind him and kissed his back. Her small hands tugged at the waistband of his boxers and pushed them down. Erin felt the burgundy material stretch as she slid the underwear over his butt smoothly, slowly, appreciating the curve of his ass and the tension in his thighs as she went. Naked, his sole item of clothing now wadded at his feet, Joshua turned to face her. Dark brown eyes stared down into pale blue. He returned the favor and pulled her tanktop up and over her head, baring her lightly freckled breasts with their pale, pink nipples. He swept aside a lush tumble of cabernet-colored hair that had fallen across her eyes and leaned in for a kiss. Prepared for this, she welcomed his lips on hers. Her mouth was crisp with the flavor of spearmint when their tongues met. With no time to brush she’d chewed two mints before following him in, confident about what would happen next.

         One kiss became more; hands wandered from hug to caress to full on groping. The nicely outfitted shower was a welcome alternative to returning to the bedroom. They could be dirty and clean all at once; soapy, slick bodies intertwined, a writhing study of contrasts blending in harmony.

         Until the heckler burst in.

         Cursing as she waded through the fog of steam, Alicia was halfway into the bathroom before she realized Erin wasn’t alone. Flush with rage, her mind was completely unprepared for the spectacle. Erin was showering with Joshua, current bad-choice-of-the-month, a guy Alicia had only heard of. Both were distractingly sexy in their nudity. She looked downward, trying to avert her eyes, but this only made her see Erin’s pale hand gripping Joshua’s cock. His endowment was startling and she hoped she hadn’t smiled before finally turning away, tossing Erin’s phone on the vanity.

         Wow, she thought. Not a bad choice after all…



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