No Strings

Chapter 4

The night was pretty much over the moment I came in that toilet, handfuls of Jake's fragrant T-shirt clutched in my fists.  It was fairly impossible to come back down to earth after that. All I really wanted to do was go home, get into bed and relive every hot moment while falling into a blissfully satiated sleep.

Nina wouldn't let me of course. It was Friday night. And she'd just seen me return from the loo close on the heels of the Sex God. She was hardly going to ignore that.

"Did you just hook up with that hottie in the ladies' loo?" she hissed at me a little too loudly. Those jam jar cocktails were clearly already hitting the spot.

I fiddled with my straw and tried to stop the blush I could feel staining my cheeks.

"You did, didn't you?" she said and jabbed me in the ribs with a very sharp finger. "You little slut," and turning to leer way too obviously at Jake added, "Can't say I blame you though."

Turning back to me, and thankfully at a more sensible volume, she said, "What I don't understand is why you can't both conduct yourselves like civilized human beings. You didn't exchange a word and then all of a sudden you're both coming back from the loo looking as guilty as fuck. Do you communicate telepathically or something?"

"He texted me."

"So romantic!"

My mobile chimed and we both stared at my bag. 

"Have a look," Nina said. "He's probably proposing."

Reluctantly, I pulled out my phone. He wasn't proposing. He was being very very naughty and I quickly got rid of the message before Nina could see. And I wasn't going to spoil it by reminding him he had worn a condom. There was definitely something dripping down my thighs. Probably my own juices. He had made me that wet. And that was another reason I needed to go home as soon as possible. 

I glanced over at him and gave him a deliberately provocative suck of my straw just so I could see him twitch. And what did the bastard do? He smirked and put his hand on his date's waist and whispered something in her ear. She giggled. And for some reason I wanted to hurl the stupid fucking jam jar at them both.

I froze. 

What the hell? This was precisely why we never met outside my flat. The indoor Jake never  prompted these kind of feelings. The indoor Jake made me feel nothing but good. And now, unfortunately, it looked like that meeting the outdoor Jake meant the indoor Jake might have to be put on the shelf for some time. Maybe for ever. And that was a shame, I thought, my eyes grazing over his tight arse.

"Nina," I said, pulling myself together. "I'm tired. I want to go home."

She scowled at me but then saw I was serious and like a good friend, put her empty jam jar on the bar and taking my hand walked out onto the street with me. And I didn't look back, well maybe I did for a moment, and caught Jake staring at me as we walked away.

----

I thought Claudia was never going to stop talking. I was having fantasies about wrapping my hands around her throat and strangling her to death. I kept obviously looking at my watch. I even tried yawning. But nothing worked, she just went on and on and on and her red talons clung onto my arm and how the hell was I ever going to get away? Beyond being really rude which I just couldn't bring myself to do. 

Sarah had left at least half an hour ago. She might be home by now. She might be lying in her bed. Naked. She might by slipping her hand down between the sheets and thinking of me. Oh God ... And I was hard again. And if Claudia saw, she would think it was for her. Fucking hell.

"Hey Claudia," I said in desperation. "I have an early start tomorrow and I really need to get home."

She stopped mid sentence, her mouth unattractively open. "It's Saturday," she said in a clipped tone.

"Yeh and I have something to do." I wasn't going to lie to her. I did have something to do Something across the hall from me. Something very pressing.

I guided her towards the door, my hand on her upper back, before she had time to process anything. "I'll get you a cab."

"Wh ... what about you? Can't we share one?"

"I'll get the tube ... see you," I said opening the cab door and practically pushing her in. It hadn't been that hard after all. But she wound down the window and stuck her head out, "I had a lovely night, Jake. Maybe, we could ..." but the cabbie was in as much of a hurry as me and I couldn't hear the rest of her words as the taxi sped away.

I breathed a very large sigh of relief. The tube would only take about 20 minutes. Quicker than a taxi, so I legged it down Shoreditch High Street.

There were no lights on in Sarah's flat. I hoped to god she hadn't stayed out. Maybe her and her tight little dress were at this minute rubbing themselves all over some rich suit in Soho? Jesus, what kind of thought was that to be having? I had clearly had a little too much to drink. I had been knocking back straight whisky when Claudia had been doing all that chin wagging.

So I took a few big breaths before I climbed the stairs and at the top I halted and looked over at Sarah's door. Should I go to bed and forget about it? Or should I knock and hopefully spend the night showing Sarah what a real man could do given a few uninterrupted hours and a comfy bed.

It wasn't much of a decision.

I didn't knock. She had a doorbell. I had to press it a few times before I heard the sound of bolts being undone. The door was opened just a few inches and I could see her wild dark hair and one green eye squinting at me.

"Hey," I said smoothly. "Gonna let me in."

Her hand was gripping the door. Something wasn't quite right here.

"I was asleep, " she said quietly. 

"Sleep's a waste of time," I said deliberately lowering my voice. "Let me in, Sarah. I've been as hard as fuck all night."

The green eye flashed. "I'm tired, Jake. Wasn't once enough?" And I was just about to say no it wasn't, when she added, "Go to bed, Jake. Let's leave it shall we?" and she closed the door on me.

I stood there as the bolts were locked again. Then I leant my forehead on the cool paint of the door, listening. For what? Was I trying to hear her? I had this weird sensation that she was still on the other side of the door. My palms were  pressed against it as if they could reach out to her. What the fuck was going on? I must be really drunk. Really drunk and really horny. That was the only explanation for the crazy hammering of my heart. She was right. I needed to go to bed. I'd feel much better in the morning.