The Makeover Page 9

  “Maybe a couple of weeks.” They spent the next few minutes talking about gaming. When the discussion turned to television, Ben interrupted them. He liked gaming, but he hated the science fiction shows that the rest of them watched.

  “No geek talk,” he ordered with a swift glance around. “You guys will embarrass me.” He’d sort of declared himself the unofficial leader of their group. They’d never objected. He did take them to places they wouldn’t have otherwise gotten to experience. Before they began hanging out with Ben, none of them had been in a bar before. Ben was brash where they were all timid. He encouraged them to stand up for themselves. And he didn’t let other people antagonize them.

  However, Greg was annoyed that Ben expected them to always accept his directions. It was ironic that Ben should compare Mykal to Daria. He was more like her than Mykal would ever be. He sneaked another peek at his watch. He wondered when Mykal would be home. Though they spent almost every evening together, she had to go to work in the morning and preferred to sleep in her own bed. He’d yet to work up the courage to ask to stay over.

  “Saw that,” Max said with a grin. His plate was almost empty. For a thin guy, he could really pack away some food.

  “You have got to be the luckiest bastard,” Jeff said. “First Daria and now Mykal. How do you do it?”

  Greg shrugged. “Right place at the right time.”

  “Well, this one’s not going to end any better,” Ben grumbled before emptying his beer bottle. He cast an eye about and signaled to the waitress. “She’s way out of your league. Girl like that, you’ll be lucky if she even puts out before moving on.”

  Greg felt his face go hot and knew that he was probably beet red. “Ben, you’ve been bitchy since I told you that we were dating. Can’t you just be happy for me?”

  “Not when I see you making the same stupid mistake!” Ben waved him off when he would have replied. “Shh! Star’s on her way over.”

  A group of women passed their table, impeding Star’s progress for a moment. They kept glancing back and giggling. Greg ignored them. Ben occasionally got this reaction from women. That was until he opened his mouth and said something offensive. “More prospects,” he said with relish. “This night just got interesting.”

  There was no point in reminding Ben that he was the one that dragged them out tonight. The rest of them had wanted to stay in and order delivery. It was a given that Ben would always abandon them if he had even the smallest shot of going home with a woman.

  Ben placed his order for another beer while managing to flirt simultaneously. When she bought over his beer she gestured to a table to their left. It was in a dark corner. The women who had recently entered smiled at them and waved when they turned to look. “Those ladies over there were wondering if you gentlemen would like to join them.”

  Ben’s answer was swift. “Hell, yes.” Grabbing his drink, he stood.

  Max and Jeff were quick to follow. Greg groaned. He saw his chances of going home early waning fast. “Guys, come on,” he protested. “We haven’t even finished eating.”

  “Greg, that’s fine if you’re not interested,” Jeff said. “You’ve got a girl.”

  “Yeah,” Max agreed. “Come help us.”

  He immediately felt guilty as he stared up at Max and Jeff. His friends had readily accepted him back into their group after practically a year of neglect. This was the least he could do for them. Well, he wasn’t sure of how much assistance he could be. Talking to women wasn’t his forte. And if Ben hadn’t been able to set them up with anyone, he doubted he wouldn’t be able to succeed. But he could offer them his support in the form of his presence.

  “Sorry, dudes.” He gathered his plate and glass and followed.

  Greg wondered at the picture that they presented as they ambled over. They were all wearing gaming t-shirts. Mykal had divested his closet of bowling shirts and every flowered shirt he owned, but she’d let him keep his tees. They were looser now about the waist but still stretched over his shoulders. Jeff was rather short and stocky, chubbier than Greg had been before Mykal whipped him into shape. His curly blond hair was an unruly mop. Max was almost his height and skinny as a whip despite his solid diet of pizza, fried foods, and beer. But he had a knack for making people laugh. He was dark skinned and kept his hair cropped very short. Both were decent guys but they were practically struck mute by the fairer sex.

  Ben, the first to arrive at the women’s table pointed at them each in turn and introduced them. Then he turned his attention to the women. “This is Meg,” he said, throwing his arm around her thin shoulders. It was a clear signal that she was the one he was interested in pursuing. “These are her friends, Annalise, Avery, and Sasha.” All of the women were lovely and definitely not the type of women that were ever interested in a bunch of guys like them. Greg wondered why they asked them to come over. Usually when a woman was interested in Ben, she simply sent him a drink. They didn’t want the rest of their group anywhere in the vicinity of them—as if their geekdom was a communicable disease.

  Ben dragged over another table and quickly nabbed a seat next to Meg. They all pulled up chairs. After an initial nod of greeting, Greg tried to concentrate on his food, but often found himself drawn into the conversation. He attempted to turn the attention over to Max and Jeff as often as he could, but the women refused to take the bait. For some reason, Ben appeared more annoyed by this than Max or Jeff.

  It wasn’t until Annalise was laughing so hard over some inane comment of his that she felt the need to grip his knee beneath the table that it occurred to him that they were flirting with him. It was such an uncommon occurrence that he practically choked on his water.

  “Oh, my God,” Meg suddenly gasped. “I almost didn’t recognize you. You’re Daria’s Greg, aren’t you?”

  He shook his head. “I haven’t been Daria’s anything for months.” But suddenly he recognized her too as the girl who’d come by his house to retrieve her grandmother’s china. Embarrassment heated his cheeks. Damn it, would he never live this down? How long would it be before being a chump wasn’t the first thing people recalled about him?

  “You two know each other?” Annalise asked.

  Meg bit her lip. “Sort of. He’s that Greg,” she said with a wiggle of her eyebrows. “You know,” she continued with in a meaningful tone and the women turned speculative glances on him.

  Greg tightened his jaw and squirmed. What the hell had Daria said about him? He didn’t want to know and he wasn’t going to ask. Ben had no such qualms. Smirking, he asked, “Want to let us in on the secret, ladies? Did she tell you why she dumped Greg?”

  “Oh, that.” Meg rolled her eyes. “She thought Gary would make a better financial catch. He drives a sports car and owns a few gyms. You shouldn’t take it personally. If it makes you feel better, he’s a cheater. He gives several of his female clients the full treatment, if you know what I mean.”

  “Can we change the subject?” he said. He didn’t want to waste anymore of his time thinking about his ex—let alone talking about her.

  “Not until we get the dirt,” Ben insisted. “What else did she tell you about him? Come on,” he cajoled when they remained silent. “I know there was more. We saw the look that passed between you ladies.”

  Meg bit her lip. “Well, it’s nothing that Greg doesn’t already know. She said that she was going to miss certain facets of her relationship with Greg—namely the sex. She said he was very good with his hands and his mouth. While size doesn’t matter, she thought it was nice that that was not an issue with Greg. Apparently, he is very well-” Suddenly Max and Ben were choking on their beer and the rest of Meg’s words were lost in the resulting cacophony. But it didn’t matter. It was obvious from the direction of the conversation where she was going. Jeff burst out laughing and reached around Avery to clap Greg on the back.

  As all eyes focused on him, Greg marveled that he didn’t spontaneousl
y burst into flame, he was so mortified.

  “I almost didn’t recognize you. You look very different from the last time I saw you,” she practically purred.

  Greg could imagine. He’d been a mess when she dropped by.

  “He got a makeover,” Ben said. “He was hoping to win Daria back.”

  Meg winced. “You don’t still want her back, do you? You can do so much better.” Annalise and Avery nodded their heads agreement.

  “No. I’m dating someone.” He cleared his throat. “So, um, are you guys close friends with Daria?”

  Taking a sip of her drink, Sasha shook her head. “Not really. We mainly know her from hanging around the gym. We’ve gone clubbing with her a time or two.”

  Meg leaned forward. “This someone you’re dating…is it serious or are you weighing your options?”

  “Are you kidding?” Ben answered before he could. “He’s already found himself a new boss. So, listen, I’m having a Halloween party next weekend. You ladies should come. And if you’ve got hot friends bring them, too,” he added with a wink.

  Greg waved at Jeff and Max as he backed out of their driveway. He was the designated driver since he was the only one who hadn’t been drinking tonight.

  “Those guys spend too much time together, if you ask me,” Ben said from the passenger seat. “They’re never going to meet a woman if they spend all their time holed up gaming. That’s why I insisted we go out tonight. For all the good it did.”

  “They’ll meet someone one eventually.”

  Ben snorted. “They don’t even know how to talk to a woman.”

  Greg silently agreed.

  “I noticed you trying to draw them into the conversation. Good looking out.”

  “Thanks,” Greg said, warily. Ben had never been prone to handing out praise. Besides he’d only done what any true friend would have done.

  “So this thing with you and Mykal, it’s really serious?”

  Greg grinned. He kept his eyes on the road though he was curious as to what Ben was thinking. “According to you it is.”

  “Hey, I was trying to help you out. Those chicks were into you and it was clear they were getting nowhere. Max and Jeff didn’t stand a chance while they were focused on you.” He cleared his throat. “So, I hadn’t really noticed it before, but she…um…did a good job.”

  “Uh, thanks,” he said awkwardly, almost certain that Ben had just gotten as close as he ever would to calling another man handsome. Ben swore all guys were ugly. The only difference was the degree of ugly.

  “If you’re not in too deep, the two of us could bag some serious pussy.”

  Greg laughed so hard that the car swerved. He should have known that Ben had some self-serving motive. Even if he weren’t in love with Mykal, the idea of trolling bars to pick up women with Ben didn’t appeal to him. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m happy with Mykal.”

  Ben grunted. “If you say so.” He was silent for the remainder of the drive to his townhouse. When Greg parked to let him out, Ben sat there for a moment just staring out the windshield.

  He frowned. “Was there something else?”

  “Yeah.” But he didn’t say anymore. He opened his mouth. Frowned and shut it.

  This happened several times before Greg got frustrated. He wanted to go home, brush his teeth, and head over to Mykal’s. “Ben, what the-”

  “About what those women said at the bar-”

  “I’m not showing you my dick,” Greg interrupted.

  Ben gagged. “Well, thank you very much. What are you an idiot? No, I don’t want to see your-” He shook his head. “No, just, no. I wanted to know if you could give me some pointers about how to treat a woman in bed.”

  Greg would have laughed if he hadn’t known how much asking had cost Ben’s pride. So he coughed instead. “Um, sure, but not tonight. It’s late and I want to see Mykal.”

  “Whipped,” Ben said with a disgusted shake of his head as he grabbed the door handle. “And I was beginning to think that there was hope for you.”

  ***

  “I can’t believe she told practical strangers intimate details about our sex life. I mean, why would she do that? The more I learn about Daria, it makes me wonder what I ever saw in her. I’m not sure if I ever knew her at all. I was too blinded by a pretty face and lingering high school fantasies.”

  Mykal watched Greg pace at the end of her bed. After his night out, he’d texted her with the request to come over. She’d been delighted, thinking that he’d missed her as much as she missed him tonight. They’d exchanged house keys long ago so she hadn’t even had to get out of bed to let him inside. But what she’d been hoping was going to be Greg and Mykal time was turning into a “bitch about what a bitch Daria was” session. She was a bit sick of hearing about Daria. It was fine when they weren’t dating, but he was hers now. He needed to stop obsessing on the deeds of his ex. “From what you’ve said, she was nothing but complimentary,” she reasoned.

  He scowled. “Still it was a crappy thing to do. Would you do something like that?”

  “Talk to strangers about our sex life? No, of course not.”

  His eyes narrowed and he came to a halt. “You sound guilty.”

  She opened her eyes wide in what she hoped passed for innocence. “Did I?”

  Greg threw his hands up in the air. “Is this some sort of woman thing that I’m just finding out about? Who did you tell? Not your mother?”

  “Ew, of course, not! I told Tania after that first night. And I didn’t go into any great detail.” She shrugged. “She’s like a sister to me. But I would never share those types of confidences with a stranger.”

  He sighed. “I guess that makes sense.”

  “Greg, come to bed.” She pulled back the covers to reveal the pale pink baby doll negligee she wore. The lace was held together by a white bow at the center of her breasts and the hem barely skimmed her hips, putting the matching panties on display. It was one of her favorites. She liked to buy pretty things even if she was the only one who got to appreciate them.

  He blinked those beautiful pale blue eyes of his. “Damn,” he groaned. “That’s hot.”

  Mykal grinned. She crooked a finger at him. When he stood at her side, she ordered him to take his clothes off. He shucked his clothes with flattering speed, almost tripping while removing his jeans. In seconds, he stood before her completely nude with his erection bobbing in the breeze. She could have sighed. The man was absolutely beautiful. She reached out and curled her fingers around his cock and drew him forward. Sticking out her tongue, she circled the glistening head. Greg groaned as she licked him like a lollipop. She sucked on him gently, careful not to apply too much pressure.

  “Mykal, please, don’t tease me.”

  She smiled. She loved it when he begged with that little bit of a rasp in his voice. Enveloping him more fully with her lips, she sucked in earnest. She was soon rewarded for her efforts. Greg’s hips bucked and he ground out her name in a litany like a prayer. She stroked her hand up and down his considerable length.

  When his thighs began to shake and he squeezed her shoulders, she relented, releasing him with a pop. He leaned down and covered her mouth with his. The kiss was hot and wet and it told her exactly how much he wanted her. He was a little rough as he nudged her back onto the bed and practically tore her negligee and panties off. Mykal loved that moment when she pushed Greg so far over the edge that he couldn’t help but act on his passion. It turned him from a mild-mannered gentleman to a hungry savage. And she was happy to be devoured.

  She gasped as he trailed kisses down her body. He devoted more time at the spots that made her moan or squirm with desire. Like the area where her shoulder and neck met. He kissed her ribs and the underside of the heavy globes of her breasts before sucking on the sensitive crests. He painted circles on her belly and delved his tongue into her belly button.

  Parti
ng her thighs with barely restrained passion, he bit and nibbled his way to her center, giving her clit a few brief lashes of his tongue before engulfing it with a deep groan. She bucked beneath his skillful tongue. From the sounds he made, she could have almost believed that he enjoyed it as much as she did.

  Mykal was nearing her peak, crying out Greg’s name, and scratching his shoulders in a needy grasp when he stopped. Her eyes popped open. He rested on his knees between her thighs. “Why did you stop?”

  He grinned. It was so boyish and adorable that she felt her heart melt a little. “The teasing, Mykal? Two can play that game.”

  Before she could comment, he was rubbing his cock up and down her slit. She slapped a hand on his hard belly as he notched himself in her opening and started to push forward. “Condom,” she said at his confused expression.

  “Damn.” He rolled off the bed and picked up his jeans. “I’m not carrying,” he said after a minute of frantic searching. He gave her a hopeful expression. “Maybe we could do it without a condom just this once? I promise to pull out.”

  Mykal shook her head. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you did this on purpose.” She rolled to her side and opened a drawer in her nightstand. “Fortunately, I decided to stock up on your brand.” She pulled out a box of condoms and took out a foil square.

  Greg dutifully took it and put it on. “We should discuss you going on birth control.” He climbed back onto the bed.

  “Did you use condoms with Daria?”

  “Always,” he answered with a frown.

  She frowned. “Then why-”

  “It’s different with you. I don’t want there to be anything between us.” Once more he moved between her thighs. He stroked her clit with the tip of his cock. Eyes locked on hers, he began the slow slide inside. “I want to feel your heat surrounding me. I want to soak your juices into my skin.” He bit his lip and thrust deeper. “I want to fill your pussy with my cum.”

  Mykal moaned at his words. “Oh, Greg.”