Chapter 16: Serious Talk

Amanda’s fingers worked with desperate urgency between her thighs. She was sprawled across her bed, sheets kicked halfway to the floor, legs spread wide, hips rolling hard against her own hand.

"Fuck!" she moaned loudly, as a certain male kept creeping into her fantasies.

The more she tried not to think about Arthur, the more her body lusted for him. She couldn’t stop.

Her other hand slid up to squeeze her breast, pinching the nipple hard enough to sting, feeding the sharp edge of pleasure that kept building.

Amanda could feel it, her skin felt fever-hot. And all she could do was fuck herself harder. She took a huge dildo and forced it into her cunt.

"Arthur..." she gasped, the name torn from her throat just as the climax slammed through her.

Her back arched clean off the mattress. Every muscle locked, then shuddered in violent waves. A deep, guttural moan ripped free from her.

The woman’s thighs trembled violently around her hand. Her inner walls clenched and fluttered around the toy in helpless, rhythmic spasms. Ecstasy flooded every nerve ending until her vision blurred and her whole body shook with the force of it.

In that exact moment, while she was still riding the last second of her long climax, the front door of the apartment opened.

A soft current of cooler air drifted down the short hallway. It was enough to nudge her bedroom door, which she had left slightly ajar, fully open.

Arthur stood in the doorway.

For a painfully long second, they looked into each other’s eyes while the last tremor of orgasm still rippled through her thighs. She was completely bare, legs open, caught at the precise peak of release.

Arthur immediately stepped away and closed the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts, her face burning with profound shame.

"What am I doing?" she mumbled to herself, guilt quickly overwhelming the lingering lust she had just experienced. "I’m the worst..."

She lowered her head, feeling utterly ashamed of herself.

She was too old for Arthur. Besides, Anne had asked her to take care of him, not to seduce him or fantasize about her dear son.

"What is wrong with me...?"

She hesitated for a few seconds, taking long breaths to cool down her body. But in her mind, one decision was made: it was best to end this. She wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.

After all, Amanda was sure she wasn’t born for love anyway. Even if, by some chance, Arthur were interested in her, she wouldn’t accept, no matter what.

"I should just die alone," she said, looking at her own reflection. "Never forget that," she repeated in a trembling voice.

Amanda dressed in a high-necked blouse she hadn’t worn in months and long pants. She pulled her hair back in a bun and checked herself in the mirror.

Just as she wanted, she was completely unattractive. She took one long breath, opened the bedroom door, and walked into the living room.

Arthur was sitting on the couch, still and quiet, staring at his hands. She also noticed he had an erection, his cock was so big it was hard to hide.

"I’m sorry," she said in a voice carrying none of her usual warmth. "I won’t be a tease anymore. I believe we should both be more careful until you have your own apartment."

Arthur opened his mouth and closed it.

What could he say? I want you? He had just met her. I love you? That would be completely irresponsible, because he didn’t. Not yet, at least.

He felt something, she was hot and he wanted her, but it wasn’t love, and saying it was would be a lie. A lie that could hurt a kind angel like Amanda.

And by all means, by the look she was giving him, her decision was made. There was nothing he could say to change her mind.

"Okay, I understand," he said simply. "I’m going for a run. I’ll be back soon."

He ran hard until he was so tired he couldn’t physically bring himself to think about sex. When he came back, sweaty and breathing hard, Amanda was in the kitchen.

And she was smiling.

"Hey! You look exhausted. Sit down, I made lunch." She gestured at the table, where a plate of rice and chicken was already set out.

She was back to her usual self, warm, cheerful, motherly. And Arthur smiled, accepting that this was how their relationship should be, how Amanda wanted it to be.

In a way, she could be like a second mom, he thought. Or an older sister, considering she was only eleven years older than him.

◯ ◯ ◯

In the blink of an eye, Monday came, and Arthur was at the gym by 7:00 AM, a reality that had become his new normal.

He was midway through his second set of pull-ups when his phone buzzed in his bag. He dropped down, wiped his hands, and checked.

To his surprise, it was Rachel.

She had sent him a wall of text, paragraph after paragraph of cruel insults and a lot of other things, some of which even made him a bit sad.

But he was mostly angry, especially at the way she had tried to convince him that he should get together with her now, because he might never get another opportunity this good again.

"She’s so entitled," he murmured, thinking partially about her and partially about Clarice.

It was strange. Just a few days ago, he had still been struggling to accept the fact that Clarice had broken up with him.

And now, all he could feel was anger.

He put the phone back in his bag without responding and turned his attention back to his exercise. He increased the weight on the machine, trying to burn off his anger through his workout.

But the anger still sat in his chest like a flame. He had tried being polite, and she was still so annoying.

This is why it’s not worth it, he thought. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

He thought of Iris, how easy it was to talk to her, what a great friend she was. Then he thought of Vanessa, much sexier than almost any woman he had met, yet interacting with her felt so easy.

And then he thought of Rachel, and the contrast was so stark it almost made him laugh.

"Excuse me?" Just then, a lightly breathy feminine voice called to him.

It was a stunning blonde woman who reminded him a bit of Clarice. She was beautiful, but her presence immediately put him in a bit of a bad mood.

"Hi, sorry to bother you. I’ve seen you here a few times. I’m Kat. I just wanted to ask, are you doing a split routine? Maybe we could exchange contacts."

Maybe at any other time he would have handled it better, but he wasn’t in the mood for another young girl right now.

"Thanks," Arthur said flatly. "But I’m not interested."

"What?" Kat’s eyes went wide, so shocked it felt like her eyeballs might pop out of her face.

Then her brows knitted together as her lips curled into an indignant scowl. She looked like someone who had just been personally offended by a mere rejection.