2. Fucked Up

Alex scrambled for a lie, any lie, praying his brain would work faster than his dick.

"Sorry, it's not you. I was texting with Nancy earlier and..." The words tumbled out awkwardly. "It's j-just been a while, you know?"

Lena stepped back, her hands dropping to her sides. Her expression shifted from confusion to something else. Disappointment? Relief? He couldn't tell.

"Right. Nancy." She swept back her edges with her palm, not meeting his eyes. "Tell her I said hi."

The space between them felt loaded with everything unsaid. She knew he was lying. Alex should've left now, but his feet wouldn't move.

"Lock the door behind me," he managed. "And text me when you're settled so I know you're safe."

"Night, Alexi." That smile again. The one that had gotten them through ten years of friendship. She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest in a way that made her breasts push up against the thin fabric of her crop top.

Alex forced himself to look away, nodding as he stepped into the hallway. The door closed behind him, and he heard the lock click into place.

He pressed his palm against the door, her coconut scent still lingering in his senses. He'd fucked up a decade of friendship. Would she lock him out for good?

His phone buzzed. Nancy's face lit up the screen, her blonde hair and sweet smile a glaring reminder of the promises he'd made, of the man he was supposed to be.

Alex turned away from Lena's door, from the temptation behind it, and headed for the elevator. The whole ride down, all he could think about was coconut scent, plump lips, tiny shorts, and how fucked he truly was.

***

The elevator ride up to his penthouse was its own special kind of hell. Thirty floors to get himself under control.

When Alex walked in, the bedroom light was on.

"Where have you been?" Nancy sat up in bed, her silk nightgown sliding off one shoulder. Her blonde hair was perfectly tousled despite the late hour, her eyes narrowed. "You left me for three hours."

"Lena had an emergency." He kicked off his shoes, trying to sound casual. "Someone broke into her place."

"At two in the morning?" Nancy's arms crossed over her chest. "And she called you?"

Alex walked to her side of the bed, his fingers finding the bare skin of her shoulder.

"I know, right? We should get her a boyfriend, someone else she can call for these things." He brushed his lips against Nancy's neck, feeling the tension there.

Nancy's frown didn't budge. "Alex, this isn't the first time she's interrupted us. I'm serious—"

"Or maybe," he murmured, his fingers tracing down her arm, "we should hurry up with the wedding and move to another country. That way she won't interrupt us for emergencies."

He pulled gently at the strap of her nightgown, exposing more skin. "Just us, away from all of this."

Her breath caught as he kissed along her collarbone, his hands sliding the silk lower.

"You'd really leave everything for me?"

"For you," he said, though the words felt hollow even as he spoke them. "So we can focus on us."

Her skin was soft, but all he smelled was coconut. His pulse raced as he fought Lena’s image.

"Ohh… yes..." she moaned, arching as his hand slipped between her legs, circling her wetness.

Alex was already hard. He had been since leaving Lena's apartment, because that sexy body wouldn't leave him alone.

He willed himself to focus on Nancy's skin against the dark sheets.

"So, what city are we doing?" He continued as his pants dropped to the floor. She tried putting his cock in her mouth, but instead, he eased her back against the pillows.

"I want Paris…" she whimpered into my hair while he sucked her nipples.

"Paris is beautiful in spring." He trickled his fingers down her stomach, between her legs and circled it against her entrance once again.

"Paris…" Nancy gasped as one finger thrust in. "Paris... Paris is good."

He added another finger, fucking her slowly. "What about Rome? Or maybe Barcelona?"

Her back arched off the bed, her words broken by small pants. "No... I want... Paris."

She spread her legs wider and he added a third finger, watching her eyes flutter closed. She gripped his shoulders, her hips rising to meet his strokes.

"Baby... please..."

"Turn over," he whispered against her ear, withdrawing his fingers. "Show me how much you want Paris."

Nancy rolled onto her stomach, rising to her hands and knees. He stood to remove the last of his clothes, his cock springing free and leaking at the tip.

That precum was for Lena.

He should be lining his head against Lena's cunt and feeding it his fat cock while watching her ass jiggle against his pelvis... Not Nancy's.

Still, he thrust into her.

"Ahhh... baby..." She pushed back against him, clearly enjoying the fullness of him inside her and ready for more.

He began to ease in and out of her, and while Nancy moaned, his thoughts were somewhere else.

"Maybe I should buy Nancy some shorts like that. Something tight. That should keep me in check from fantasizing about someone I couldn't have."

He moved faster, wanting to finish, to end this betrayal of thoughts. Nancy clutched the sheets, and after a nice spank to her ass, she tensed and cried out. He followed moments later, his release more relief than pleasure.

When it was over, Nancy curled against his chest.

"I love you," she murmured in satisfaction, already drifting off.

"Love you too," he replied.

The sex had done nothing to clear his head. If anything, Alex felt worse—guilty for using Nancy. This wasn't him. He didn't betray people. He didn't lust after his best friend.

He had to fix this. Apologize to Lena for his inappropriate behavior, maybe even confess these thoughts. She'd laugh, make a joke, and they'd move past it. That's what they always did.

"Tomorrow," he decided that night. He'd go to her department first thing, pull her aside, and clear the air.

But when Alex walked onto the marketing floor the next morning—coffee in hand as a peace offering—Lena's cubicle was empty. No colorful Post-its covering her monitor. No jacket hanging on her chair. No sign she'd been there at all.

"Where's Lena?" he asked Nina, who sat at the desk beside hers.

She looked up, surprised to see the CEO on their floor.

"She called HR first thing this morning about needing a personal day."

"A personal day?" In ten years, Lena had never taken an unplanned day off. Not even when she'd had the flu and Alex had practically forced her to go home.

"Yeah, something about her apartment," Nina shrugged. "Security issue, I think."

A shadow crossed Nina's face, and Alex wondered if there was more to Lena's "security issue" than a break-in. He nodded, trying to hide his concern. This wasn't like her.

Or maybe it was exactly about him. The way he'd gotten hard for his best friend and made her uncomfortable.

Alex pulled out his phone, typing quickly:

'Hey, heard you took the day off. Everything okay?'

He waited, watching the screen. The message showed as delivered, but no response came.

After a minute, he added: 'If you need anything, I'm here.'

Still nothing.

Fuck.

He'd messed up worse than he thought. Lena never ignored his texts, not even when they argued.

Alex pocketed his phone and headed to his office.

She knew.

She'd felt his lie last night. His best friend had sensed his hunger—and now she was gone.