Hita (3 page)

After getting back from my trip, I wind up staying with Juliette at her parents’ house for a few days until I can get into my apartment. Sitting on a lounge chair soaking up the rays while my feet casually dip into their pool, the doorbell rings. Wanting to be a good guest, I throw on my T-shirt and answer the door, assuming it’s going to be a package. Surprisingly, it’s Juliette’s friend, Gray.

He gives me a funny look then says, “You’re Juliette’s roommate, right?”

“Yeah, we’ve met a couple of times, I’m Hita.”

Gray looks a little confused as he asks, “Yeah, is Juliette home?”

I shake my head as I explain, “She started her summer internship this week. I’m staying here for a few days. You know, transitioning between apartments.”

He looks apologetically at me as he explains, “I start my summer internship on Monday. I didn’t realize Juliette wasn’t going to be around.” Looking me up and down, he asks, “Are you hanging out by the pool?”

I shrug as I answer, “If you don’t have plans you can join me.”

He smiles tentatively then replies, “Sure, give me ten minutes. I’ll go home and get my trunks.”

“Don’t ring the bell when you come back, just let yourself in through the gate,” I call after him.

He smiles and waves as he jogs down the path.

I head back to my lounge chair and continue with my book. Hanging out with Gray should be fun. I was getting kind of bored being by myself. About ten minutes later, I feel a shadow move over me.

Looking up from my book I exclaim, “that was quick.” He’s wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap, but I can tell he’s checking me out. I hold up a bag of Doritos. “Want some?”

He shakes his head as he plops down on the lounge chair next to mine. “What are you reading?”

I pass my tablet to him.

He reads a passage before exclaiming, “A Game of Thrones? Have you watched the shows?”

I shake my head before answering. “I’ve been too busy with school. A friend said I would enjoy the shows a lot more if I read the books first.”

“This is a great series. You wouldn’t believe what….”

I quickly cover my ears, close my eyes, and yell out, “Don’t tell me.”

I open one eye and look at him. He’s chuckling as he says, “Have you gotten to the place where…?”

I cover my ears again and start saying “nanananana” to cover up his voice. “No, don’t spoil it.”

Opening up one eye again, Gray has moved close and is laughing. As soon as I start pulling my hands off my ears he says “When Lord Eddard is….”

I jump up and put my hand over his mouth. “Don’t spoil it.”

He licks my hand.

“Ew, that was disgusting,” I say as I pull my hand away. “Will you behave yourself?”

He smiles real big as he reaches over and pulls a couple of chips out of the bag. Munching on them he says, “Are you hot? Want to take a dip?”

“Only if you promise not to give anything away.”

With a Cheshire grin he shrugs, and then pulls off his T-shirt. Damn, I had no idea he had such a nice chest…and abs…and…. As I pull my eyes up, I see a slight smile on his face; he’s caught me checking him out. Damn, I have to say, one of my favorite things is when a guy has a cute, above average face, that’s pleasant and approachable, but doesn’t look too much like a model…and then reveals a killer body hiding beneath his clothes. Oh man, I needed this water to cool me down.

Trying to act cool, I stand up, smile, and say, “First one wet wins.” Then I quickly jump into the pool.

We spend the next couple of hours playing, first pool volleyball, then we use noodles to see who can race across the pool the fastest. Finally, we have a contest to see who can make the biggest splash. This morning reminds me of when I was ten. Back then I’d play in the pool for hours.

Gray looks even better wet than he does dry. Damn, why am I even going there? I’ve been so busy with school these last few weeks I haven’t had time to think about men. But now…it’s like my brain is in overdrive.

As we lie on the deck letting the warmth fill our bones, Gray says, “I’m starving.”

“I’d feel funny raiding Juliette’s parents’ kitchen.”

He shrugs before replying, “We can grab something at Armadillo Willies.”

“I’m a vegetarian,” I explain.

“I think they have vegetarian burgers.”

“Okay.” I shrug as I stand up and give a big stretch, pull my shorts and T-shirt over my bikini, and run a brush through my hair. Now I know why Gray and Juliette are so close; he’s fun and easy to hang out with. I watch him throw his T-shirt back on. Hita, keep your mind out of the gutter, I tell myself as an X-rated video with Gray as the lead flashes past my eyes.

When we return from burgers and drinks, I yawn. “I think I’m ready for a siesta,” I say as I pull off my T-shirt and shorts and settle into the lounge chair. Damn, my fingers itch to touch Gray. But I keep reminding myself he’s Juliette’s good friend. Would kissing him break some kind of girl code? Anyway, he’s taking off in a couple of days. I’m not doing another long distance relationship.

Gray maneuvers the umbrella so it’s covering my lounge chair. “Yeah, a siesta would be nice,” he says as he pulls off his T-shirt.

Am I particularly horny, or is his bare torso that amazing? My over stimulated libido wants to touch all those rippling muscles tightly packed under his beautiful golden skin.

I stretch out, feeling like a well fed cat as I will myself to cool down.

Gray sits down next to me and gives me a sexy smile. Then he runs the back of his fingers down my arm. It sends a tingle down the back of my neck as I hear myself gasp.

His smile turns intense as he watches my face while moving even closer.

I’m surprised by this bold move. Did he know what I was thinking? Are our thoughts running in the same direction?

His breathing intensifies, I can tell he wants to kiss me, and I want to kiss him too. The sound of the water makes me feel like we’re in our own private oasis. My fingers glide up his beautifully toned arm as I enjoy the ridges of his muscles.

My eyes focus on his lips. They look nice and inviting. We each move slowly toward each other, like magnets. Our lips meet. It’s been way too long between kisses. I take the lead and lightly kiss him. He feels soft and firm. It’s the first kiss I’ve had since Brandon and I broke up last December. Gray bends down a little farther, as we kiss again in full earnestness. The smell of chlorine and sunscreen oozes through his pores. I place my arm around his shoulder; my hand lays flat on his warm back. Our kiss gets deeper as our tongues meet. He tastes of the chocolate chip cookie we shared. As our tongues dance, I can feel a sexual energy waken inside me as it rolls down my core. He positions himself over me as he continues our kiss. I run my hand down his well-developed chest; desire fills every one of my pores as our kissing heats up. He maneuvers the lounge chair so it’s flat. I bark out a laugh as it drops down, he smiles wide and leans in to kiss me again.

His hands run along my body leaving a trail of shimmering excitement in their path. I gasp, all reason escapes me as his lips leave mine. He runs a trail of kisses to my ear, I giggle from the sensation along my jaw. He continues kissing me down my neck to my clavicle. My head automatically tips as I arch my back from desire. His hands are on my breasts as his tongue licks my nipple, causing me to shiver. I sit up and cup his head as he sucks my breast into his mouth.

His eyes look up at me, as I nod, then in a voice I don’t recognize I gasp out, “Don’t stop, please, don’t stop.”

He smiles as I lean back and close my eyes, enjoying the feelings that have awoken inside of me as he moves farther down. I spread my legs. I want more; I want that feeling, the one you get when you lose yourself to an orgasm. His gentle kisses run down my stomach making my diaphragm tight. I gasp loudly from pleasure. His fingers run up my inner thigh. My back arches again as his fingers reach my core, move my bikini bottoms out of the way, and probe my folds. He’s surprisingly skilled, or was it that Brandon was just clumsy? Whatever, his touch feels good, I crave more.

Not holding back I sort of whisper-yell, “Don’t stop.”

He chuckles as he continues to probe and play with me. The tingles move into spasms as an orgasm starts to form.

Gray stops touching me.

I gasp out, “No, I’m almost there.”

His soft voice is near my ear as he says, “Please let me join you.”

I nod. Then I hear a condom rip. Where did he keep that? While slowly opening my eyes, I see his intense face floating over me. I reach my hand up and cup his head as my lips reach for his. Instinctively, I wrap my legs around his hips. My orgasm is so close, I crave the release. I want more friction. His fingers intensify as I gasp from their contact. I feel him run his dick along my folds, finding its way inside of me. Quickly he plunges into me. I gasp from the pain of his size and the shock of the fast, hard movement. He starts rocking in and out, and the friction feels heavenly as my orgasm picks up and continues to peak. My breath is heavy as I hear myself letting out gasps in time with his rhythm. The wooden chaise creaks along with us. My orgasm explodes, causing my legs to shimmy and shake and a fountain of tingles to run up my body, down my legs and arms, with a deep buzzing feeling that explodes through the top of my head. I’m still gasping when he stops rocking. I hold onto him tightly as the sensory overload runs throughout my body. I had no idea an orgasm could explode and buzz like this. I kiss his face, neck, and shoulder. They feel damp from our activity.

He finally pulls away from me, whispering in my ear, “Hita, I need some air.”

I nod as I release him with a storm of apologies, as the cool air runs over my still shaking body.

He holds my hand, looks me in the eyes, and smiles.

I barely spit out, “That was amazing.”

He nods, then leans down and softly kisses my cheek. Then he says, “It was for me too. But I need to go.”

I nod again, I have no idea where he’s going. I’m so overwhelmed by these sensations I don’t have the presence of mind to ask. I hear him adjust the umbrella so it’s still over me. Then he runs his fingers down my side as I shiver, smile, and fall asleep.

***

My mom is standing over me with a disapproving look. In her sing-song voice she says, “Hita, is this how a good Indian girl behaves?” I’m rolling my eyes as I wake up, and look around. My mom of course is back in Chicago; Gray is gone, and I’m naked, in Juliette’s backyard. Shit, what if someone had come home? I quickly wrap myself in one of the towels, grabbing my clothes as I run into the house to take a shower. Now I wonder where Gray went. Damn, I don’t even have his number, and what do I say to Juliette? Do I tell her he came over? Do I tell her we had sex? I let the water from the shower run over me as my emotions run, totally confused.

My new roommate is Kristi. Conveniently for me, her roommate is in the process of moving in with her boyfriend. Even better, Kristi’s apartment is only a couple of miles from my new job.

Kristi lived on my floor freshman year. She has light brown shoulder length hair, caramel colored eyes, and a slim build. She was a computer science major; I still can’t figure out how she put up with all the brogrammers. She’s now developing iOS apps at some company that’s doing some kind of disruptive technology. Though I have no idea what it is, since she’s under a non-disclosure and can’t discuss anything.

Since I haven’t yet bought a car, I ride my bike to the office. No one in my group shows up before ten while they all stay until after eight at night. Since our cafeteria is open for dinner, it’s a lot easier to work late and eat at work, saving me from buying or preparing any food at home. After getting home, I wind up staying up till one as I meet up online with friends to play games.

At work I sit next to Chris and Avery. It’s kind of hard to believe that they’ve only known each other since joining this company last year. They’re like twins separated at birth. They’re always talking about sports. When it comes to programming, Avery has an amazing memory and can write a lot of code, while Chris is much slower, but much more accurate. He also is better at debugging all the mistakes everyone else makes. He likes to wear headphones when he works, then munches really loudly on chips. I’m thinking of getting headphones just to cancel out Chris’s chewing noise.

I’ve started taking a midafternoon break to play ping pong against some of the other engineers. Growing up we had a ping pong table in our basement. My brother and I used to have these crazy tournaments. Two Chinese guys who are regulars play well, though everyone else plays a lot better than me. The ping pong guys are nice enough, using me as their easy warm up. I figure if I keep it up I’ll improve. I hope that making my afternoon break ping pong instead of dessert will save me from putting on the dreaded fifteen.

My third week of work, Sid, our engineering VP, holds an all hands meeting taking over the cafeteria. There are probably seventy people in the room. He introduces all the new employees, having each of us stand up while everyone politely claps. Looking around the room I only see three other women. A third of the men are Indian, another third are Asian, and the remaining third are White. The only Black guy is our Chief Legal Counsel, who gives us a talk at the beginning of the meeting on copyright, copyleft, and freeware, detailing what code we can use.

Stopping at the dessert bar after the meeting, I debate if I should get something. Colin, a tall, lean, nice looking guy with olive complexion and a hint of blond in his dark hair comes over. “Hey Hita, will you be at the tables at four?”

With a big smile I say, “Yes.”

He nods and a pleased smile spreads across his face. “Sweet, I’ll see you then.”

It makes me feel great that the ping pong guys actually want me to show up. Deciding against a dessert, I head over to the table set up with company swag—all the company merchandise. They actually have good quality bike helmets with our company logo emblazoned into the plastic. This is thrilling since my helmet is ancient and I was thinking I should be buying a new one. As I check sizes, one of the women who looks about my age comes over and introduces herself.

“Hey, you’re new here? I’m Kami,” she says in a friendly manner.

“Oh, hi, I’m Hita. I just started working in the Trend Analysis group.”

The other young woman engineer joins Kami, introducing herself, “I’m Caroline, Kami and I work in the Dashboard group.” She looks around before noting, “There aren’t too many women over here in Engineering. You should join us for lunch.”

I nod before answering, “Yeah that would be nice.”

I’m used to working with guys, but it’s nice to meet up with some other women. I’ve been eating lunch with Mark, Avery, and Chris. I’ve yet to figure out if those guys talk about anything besides work and baseball. At home I stream the movie Money Ball, hoping it will give me enough background information to follow their conversations.

The day after the engineering meeting, I get an e-mail from Kami inviting me to join her and Carolyn for lunch. Now I wonder if that would break team etiquette, since I’ve spent the last few weeks eating with the guys.