Taking Chances by Ann Omasta (books for 7th graders .txt) 📕

“The kiss started softly then slowly built in intensity. His lips were smooth, and his tongue gently grazed mine. I untucked his shirt and eased my hands up his back to his strong, smooth shoulders.”

I paused to refill our margarita glasses from the pitcher and chuckled at my best friend, Courtney. Her big, blue eyes were wide open and she was leaning so far forward that I feared she might topple over. She was normally the one with the sexy stories, so I was enjoying having one of my own, for once.

We were seated at our usual table for our Sunday night ritual – tacos and margaritas at Joe’s Bar & Grill.  Joe’s was an island-themed restaurant that reminded me of the thatch-roofed eatery where my parents used to take me when we went on our annual trek to the Florida Keys. Even though Joe’s was located in Harbor Shores, Michigan - about as far from the tropics as could be - it was usually teeming with patrons, both locals and tourists.

Joe let us have the best seats in the house with a fantastic view of the lake, even though we were given “family pricing.” Courtney had been a waitress at the restaurant for over two years, but Joe knew never to schedule her to work on a Sunday night. Our girls’ nights were sacred.

Courtney grabbed the pitcher from my hand and quickly sloshed more of the frozen concoction into our glasses. “Go on,” she demanded.

“My fingers were shaking as I unbuttoned his shirt.” Only Courtney knew of my insecurities in the bedroom and the reasoning behind them. She nodded, encouraging me to continue with my play-by-play.

“I refused to give in to my fears. So, I ran my hands along his flat abs and over his chest as I removed his shirt and tossed it to the floor. As I kissed his neck and nibbled on his ear, he undid the buttons at my shoulder and lowered the top of my dress. That’s when he discovered that I hadn’t been able to wear a bra because of the open back style of my dress. I think he liked that.” I smiled and chuckled, remembering the look of awe in his eyes as he gazed at my ample breasts.

“I bet he did!” Courtney hooted with laughter. She looked terrific, as usual, with her blonde pixie haircut and huge, sky blue eyes. She oozed sexual confidence, but she had admitted to me on more than one occasion that she was totally jealous of my chestiness. My boobs were, in fact, one of my only body parts that I felt were above average.

“He used just the right amount of pressure as he rubbed his thumbs over my taut nipples. Then he began kissing and licking and nibbling his way down me. My whole body quaked when he suckled on my breast. I ran my fingers through his hair and arched my back toward him as he gently tugged on my nipple with his teeth.”

“Everything okay tonight, ladies?” Joe asked. Neither of us had seen him approach the table, and we were startled by the interruption.

“We’re fine.” Courtney snapped the words, causing Joe to hold up his hands in mock surrender as he made a quick retreat.

Courtney let out a deep breath as if she’d been holding it. “Geez, Abby, this story is making me horny. I’m going to have to find a hot guy to hook up with and work off some of this sexual tension.”

I wondered for the hundredth time if Courtney ever wanted a more serious intimate relationship than the booty calls and one night stands that she currently enjoyed. She seemed to be content with her life, so I had never pushed the issue with her.

“So?” Courtney prompted impatiently.

“Where was I?” I asked, perplexed.

“Nipples, teeth, tugging,” she reminded me.

“Oh, right. His hands glided down my hips and under my silk panties. In one smooth move, he slid my dress and underwear off. I stepped out of them and stood before him wearing only those ridiculous Louboutin heels that you talked me into buying. He seemed to like that view, too.”

“They are fabulous shoes. I’m glad to hear you finally put them to good use. Did you wear them the whole time?”

I nodded, smiling, before continuing. “I struggled to undo the snap of his jeans as he eased me back on the bed. He lifted one of my legs and rubbed my ankle as he began kissing his way up my calf. He gently rubbed his hands along the inside of my legs. Then those magical thumbs began massaging circles up to the apex of my thighs.”

I stopped to take a bite. “Damn, don’t stop now!” Courtney commanded. I had already shoveled the food in, so I did a “mouth’s full” motion at her and continued chewing. At her exasperated look, I gulped the bite down and continued.

“His lips and tongue followed the path that his hands had taken. I became so worked up that I was writhing and brazenly pushing myself up towards him. His head was between my legs as he used his fingers to spread me wide open. He paused for a moment to look up at me with the most gorgeous green eyes I’ve ever seen.  He looked directly at me and uttered the words, ‘You’re so beautiful.’ I was panting and aching with need as he began to lower his mouth to me.”

“Uh-huh,” Courtney said, urging me on when I paused.

“Then the alarm went off.”

“O-M-Geeee!” Courtney screeched as she pretended to bang her head on the table. “It was all a dream? You’ve gotta be kidding me. What happened on your blind date?”

“The date was a dud. He spent the whole evening complaining about his exes, and then he wanted to split the check. I mean split the check down to the penny - as in, I ate more of the appetizer than he did, so should pay for more than half of it.” I rolled my eyes. “He definitely wasn’t the guy of my dreams. Or anyone else’s,” I added somewhat contrarily.

I’m sure my eccentric boss, Annie, had meant well when she set me up with Marcus, telling me that she was sure he’d be the love of my life, but he was clearly not the man for me. “Maybe there isn’t a man that’s right for me,” I grouched.

“Please tell me you used the battery-operated gadget I bought you to finish off the work that dream-guy started,” Courtney said. She narrowed her eyes at me, assessing, then said, “I can tell you didn’t. You’re too grumpy. There’s nothing wrong with a vibrator, Abby. It can ease some of that tension that’s been building up for way too long.”

“You mean forever?” I quipped.

Courtney smiled at me, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She knew how sensitive I was about this subject. After all, how many 28-year-old divorcees had never had an orgasm? I felt like the only one.

“I can tell where your mind is going, so just stop.” Courtney gave me the look that she uses when she means business. “Don’t go down this path again. There is nothing wrong with you. That two-pump-and-dump bastard, who was married to you for two years but didn’t take the time to learn how to please you, is the one who should be feeling bad about himself.”

I snorted with laughter at the name she had called my ex-husband then started giggling uncontrollably. “You are the one who needs to stop. You’re going to make margarita shoot out of my nose. Where do you come up with this stuff?”

“I’ve been saving that one, waiting for the perfect time to zing it.” She grinned and