Authors: Annabel Fanning
“I am thoroughly intrigued,” I confess. Inwardly I know already that anyone who talks ill of or to Logan isn’t going to be someone I warm to.
“Taylor needs to grow the fuck up,” Buddy says to Logan. “Pardon my French,” he says to me, and I wave his apology away, indicating I’m not offended. “
But
as I know you try to keep the peace,” Buddy continues, “I will endeavour to help you, because
that’s
what real brothers do.”
“Thank you,” Logan says gratefully, before yawning hugely.
He sets me off and I yawn too.
Buddy observes us shrewdly as he sets his coffee down on the table. He leans back in his chair and smiles broadly as he says, “Y’all look bone tired! What
were
you doing last night?”
Logan and I exchange a glance, before both shaking our heads at Buddy.
Jumping to conclusions, Buddy says, “I’m gonna go ahead and assume that you were at Sunday morning mass very early this morning, and
that’s
why you’re tired.”
I stretch upwards, elongating my body for a brief moment, whilst simultaneously yawning. “Oh, we definitely saw god,” I say, winking at Logan.
“I second that,” he says immediately. He gives me a quick kiss.
Buddy’s mouth is open, his face torn between shock and humour. Then, looking at Logan but pointing at me, he says, “
That
is a
very
good critique! You
have
to tell me what happened now!”
I look at Logan, “Shall we?”
He shrugs, leaving the decision up to me. We don’t need to give him details, I think, but telling him about the mirrors isn’t too much.
“We received a gift from my best friend, Amber, last night,” I begin.
“A threesome?” Buddy says at once.
Logan and I burst out laughing.
“No,” Logan chuckles. “A different kind of present…in the bedroom.”
“A sex-toy?” Buddy guesses.
“Of sorts…” I tell him.
“
What
?” he pleads.
“Mirrors,” I say, “stuck to the ceiling.”
“
Oh
…” he breathes. He considers what that means. “That is very vain of you,” he then says, grinning.
“Very,” Logan and I say together.
“I guess it was a kind of initiation gift from her…and her husband,” I add, just in case Buddy is thinking this Amber girl sounds like a good time, but remembering too late that he’s not adversed to married women either.
“What are
you
going to get us?” Logan asks his friend, putting him on the spot.
He stumbles for a few moments. “I can do better than measly mirrors stuck to a ceiling!” he proclaims. “I work in
construction
, I can build you something amazing!” He sizes up the room, ideas flooding him. “Is this place soundproof?”
Logan laughs. “Yes,” he says.
Buddy nods. “And those doorways…hidden steel frames?” he assumes.
“Only the very best,” Logan tells him.
“OK…OK…” Buddy nods, thinking. “The cogs are turning and I will get back to you regarding your present.”
“Exciting,” I smile. Though I doubt anything could top last night! I lay down the gauntlet. “You have a
very
high standard to beat, Buddy. Don’t let us down.”
He laughs, enjoying my humour and the challenge I’ve set him. “I thrive under pressure,” he assures me.
“Bring on more sleepless nights,” Logan grins mischievously.
We change the subject then, leaving the sex-talk behind, and concentrating more on getting to know one another. An hour or so later, once the coffee that remains is well and truly cold, Logan goes to the kitchen to brew a new pot, leaving Buddy and I alone. We continue talking casually; I like him. He’s funny, not too serious, passionate about his work, and fiercely loyal to Logan, his best friend; all good qualities as far as I can tell. It seems that he, too, is warming to me.
“I’m really glad we’re getting along. This’ll make things much easier,” he smiles.
“Yes,” I nod. For Logan, having his girlfriend and best friend get along will no doubt be a blessing.
“So…has Logan explained the dynamics of our threesome?” Buddy asks me.
I splutter into my stale coffee. “Our
what
?”
“Our threesome,” he says earnestly. “He’s been grooming you, no? Hasn’t he explained how it’s going to work yet?” he asks, shocked to be the one breaking the news to me.
I stare at him in disbelief. Logan would never! What the fuck is this guy on?
“I, uh…uh…no, he’s not mentioned…”
A second later Buddy breaks his act, bursting into laughter. “I’m just messing with you!” he laughs.
I laugh, too, thoroughly relieved! “Oh…my…god! I thought you were crazy!”
“Why?” Logan asks, rejoining us; but we’re laughing too hard to explain. Cottoning on, Logan exclaims, “Not Buddy’s fucking three-way joke, again?”
I nod, fanning myself to cool down.
Logan rolls his eyes (evidently having heard this joke before) but laughs, too.
“It’s too funny
not
to say!” Buddy chuckles. “Besides in a threesome we could do the Eiffel Tower,” he announces. “Patriotic, non?”
“I don’t know what that is,” I say.
“
I
don’t know what that is,” Logan seconds.
“Never mind, it’s not going to happen anyway,” Buddy sighs.
“It’s certainly not,” I say, with an edge of authority in my voice, just making sure he knows exactly where he stands.
*
Half an hour later Buddy takes his leave. We say goodbye a little more formally than we said hello, shaking hands and both conveying how nice it was to meet each other.
Logan tells me that he has a few brief work related things that he needs to talk to Buddy about, so he goes down in the elevator with him, leaving me with a brief kiss. As soon as the elevator doors close, I turn and head towards the bedroom, stripping as I go. I crawl into Logan’s bed, nestling under his covers in nought but my skin, and am dozing immediately. Only minutes later, Logan joins me, slipping into the bed next to me. His hand finds mine, and he interlaces our fingers.
“I like him,” I say, my voice barely audible.
“He likes you,” Logan tells me. Then he declares, “I like you more.”
With a smile on my face, I surrender to my fatigue, falling into a deep and peaceful sleep.
*
I wake several hours later, Logan nuzzling into my neck, his hands running up and down the side of my body. Mmm, I smile, I will never get enough of those hands!
When he sees that I’m awake, Logan whispers, “I’m going to swim some laps. Will you join me later?”
“Uh-huh,” I agree. Then I marvel, “How do you have the energy?”
“I’m feeling tense…about tomorrow,” he admits. “I just had a less-than-helpful dream about dying on the operating table, and now I’m a little agitated,” he grins, wryly.
“There are other ways to get rid of tension,” I say, slyly.
His grin widens into an earnest one. “I know, but I don’t want to do
that
.”
I look at him in surprise, and he chuckles at my response.
“This is not a nice feeling, Gemima, I’m not going to take it out on you. I don’t want to do that,” he explains.
I melt at his words. Oh, Logan, you are adorable! “Is there
anything
I can do for you before tomorrow? Or while you’re in hospital?” I ask.
“Yes, actually.”
Abruptly he whips the duvet off of us, exposing our naked bodies to the cold. He’s on his front, showing off only his backside; I’m on my back, showing off
everything
. My nipples harden in the cool air, something Logan notices. He notices all of me, looking over my body lustfully. It makes my insides squirm.
“Mighty fine specimen,” he says to himself.
“
What
?” I laugh.
He smiles, explaining, “It’s a line from one of my favourite movies. And I just thought it was fitting. You are mighty fine, after all.”
“You were going to tell me what I can do for you,” I remind him.
“Oh, yes…you distracted me,” he says, kissing my shoulder. “Well, girlfriend, as you know, tomorrow night will be our first night apart since our first night together. And I have a request; something you can do for me, to make me feel better.”
“Anything,” I say, and he smiles at once.
“Good,” he nods. Then he takes my hands in one of his own, and says, “Tomorrow night, when you’re in bed, I want you to take these beautiful hands, and put them here,” he places my hands over my sex. “I want you to touch yourself, and think of me,” he requests, his eyes burning with carnal desire. “Can you do that?”
I lean over to kiss his lips lightly. I nod. “That’ll make you feel better?”
“Lots. And, if the nurses let me, I’ll do the same on the ward,” he jokes, sending me into a fit of giggles at the very thought of it!
Logan chuckles too, but his craving for me overrules him. He bites his lip as he pushes his and my hands firmly against my private part. My own laughter subsides as desire fills me. Even after last night, after having him more times than I can count, and having him every which way, I
still
crave his touch. I always will.
I say, “I will come and see you tomorrow evening while you’re somnolent and adorable.”
“It’s a long way to drive. Are you sure you want to?” he asks.
“Absolutely. Though, Clemence has promised a nightmare of a day, so I’m not sure what time I’ll make it there, but you can bet I’ll run every red light,” I smile.
He frowns at me, his eyes looking serious and sexy, and I giggle.
“Why
did
you choose a hospital outside of the city?” I wonder.
Logan chuckles. “It, uh, was my mom’s choice. She thinks I’ll heal better if I’ve got fresh country air surrounding me; even though I’m only there for one night,” he explains.
“And how come it’s a different hospital to the one you got your blood taken at?” I enquire.
He shrugs. “My surgeon works at both depending on the day, I guess. Mercy will pick me up on Tuesday morning, and I’ll see you here — hopefully — on Tuesday night?”
“Absolutely,” I say again. “What time do you have to leave in the morning?”
“Five.”
My eyes widen. “
Five
?”
He nods and smiles, enjoying my overreaction. “I’m having a chauffeur pick me up. I have to be there at six, and am operated on at eight. No food after midnight.”
I glance over at the clock on his bedside table. It’s only four-thirty in the afternoon now…a long time ’til midnight. We’ve got plenty of time for food, and other sensual things.
I take my hands and put them behind my head. I look at Logan mischievously, and ask, “
Where
did you want me to touch myself?”
He grins, bites his lip again, but doesn’t fall for my not-so-subtle trickery, even though I know he wants to touch me. “Hmm,” he groans with longing. Then he shakes his head, sticking to his guns, “I’m not taking out my angst on you.” He kisses me quickly and then springs to his feet before temptation overcomes him.
Just before he rounds the corner out of my sight, I wolf-whistle at him. He laughs out loud and continues on his way.
*
I stay in bed for only ten more minutes before my desire gets the better of me. I stand in the doorway of Logan’s pool room in my too-big bathrobe, watching him speed like a tornado through the water, back and forth, ridding his psyche of any qualms and his body of any tension. I want to disturb him, to jump into the pool and distract him from his concerns, but I don’t. He wants to do this his way, and I respect that. So, I do what I’m permitted: I watch. His skin is red from the energy he’s exerting, and his muscular back and shoulders remind me gratifyingly of last night. With a smile on my face I retreat from my creeper position.
You’ve stared at him long enough
,
Gem
,
know when to stop
!
In the kitchen I pour myself a glass of wine, and then I try in vain to tell the tablet on the wall to turn on some music. With no success, I go about prepping an early dinner, singing to myself instead. When the meat is marinating and the accompanying vegetables are cut up, ready for cooking, I put everything back into the fridge, and quickly sneak into Logan’s office, two ideas suddenly coming to me.
At the printer I find what I’m looking for: plain white paper. I take two sheets, and a pen from his desk-tidy and I head for the terrace. I draw a rough sketch of the terrace, taking obvious note of the shape, the height of the walls, and in which directions the best views lie, so that later on I can refer back when drawing up my design for Logan’s rooftop garden.
Freezing cold, I scurry back inside and into the bathroom. Foraging through my makeup bag, I pull out my favourite long lasting pink and red lipsticks and cover the second page in little love hearts, the likes of which Buddy accused Logan of drawing. In the centre I leave a little open space and I fill it with my best scrawl, writing simply:
I love you
. Then I place both pieces of paper into my overnight bag so that Logan won’t find them, and I head back to the pool room. It’s been twenty minutes, surely he’s less stressed by now?
It would appear he is, for when I pop my head around the corner, Logan is lounging at the edge of the pool, breathing rapidly, and looking at me with a huge smile on my face. He climbs effortlessly out of the pool and reaches me in two long strides. With equal ease he lifts me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist as he pins me against the wall. His smile still in place, his mouth claims mine, our tongues brushing against one another with equal passion. It’s a heady kiss; beautiful and ongoing. The way he holds me is strong but soft, firm but tender, and the way he kisses me is forceful but loving. I can feel that his tension is gone.