Free Just What the Truth Is by Cardeno C. Page B

to my lonely apartment every night, ate a microwave meal standing at the counter, and watched TV until my phone rang.
    It was always him, telling me about his day, asking me about mine. Just catching up. I missed him.
    By the time Thursday rolled around, I knew that I had to be with Micah, whatever the repercussions. The way I felt when I was with him was too wonderful for me to abandon. I couldn’t. He would be home the next night, and based on what he had said during our telephone calls, I knew he would want us to spend the weekend together.
    I left the office at five thirty and hit the gym. Throughout my workout and during my drive home afterward, I kept thinking about Micah. Funny little things he’d told me. Stories he’d shared about his childhood. The awe in the managing partner’s voice when she’d told some of the other attorneys about how Micah had handled a particularly sticky oral argument. His dick.
    Look, I don’t pretend to be the most exciting guy around and I was terrified of the changes in my life, but I’m not an automaton. I had touched Micah’s naked cock that one time in the pool, and it wasn’t enough. I wanted to hold it in my hand again. I wanted to lick it and suck it into my mouth. And I wanted him to do the same to me.
    Just thinking about Micah had gotten me hard. Again. I pressed the heel of my hand down on my dick and moaned. All right, masturbating on the highway was dangerous and potentially humiliating, but don’t tell me you’ve never thought of doing it during a long car trip. Anyway, I needed to stop.
    I know I just grumbled about my unfulfilled state of arousal, but truthfully, I was grateful for it, because it confirmed that my body was functioning properly. In light of the way I reacted to Micah, I knew I would never have to rely on the bottle of pills I kept hidden in the back of my medicine cabinet in order to have sex with him. No, the only thing I would need for that to happen was to either get over my anxiety or move forward despite it.
    I finally made it home and walked up the stairs to my unit on the second floor. My gym bag was in one hand and my condo key in the other when my cell phone rang. I quickly pushed the key into the lock and turned it, shoved the door open with my shoulder, and then dropped everything on the ground and yanked my phone out of my pocket.
    “’Lo?”
    Micah’s husky laugh greeted me. “You sound a little out of breath. Am I interrupting something fun?”
    I chuckled. “Not yet. I’m just walking in the door. But I had plans for some fun during my shower.”
    One of the things I enjoyed about dating Micah—yes, I could admit that we were dating, at least to myself—was our friendship. I could joke around with him like I had with my old teammates and frat brothers. But that joking took on an extra layer of fun, because it often turned into flirting. I hadn’t ever had that with any of the women I’d dated, and I found I liked it. I liked so many things about Micah.
    “How about we have some fun together instead?” he asked.
    I got my mind back onto our conversation and focused on the meaning of his words. “What do you mean? Like phone sex?”
    Micah chuckled again. “Yeah, just like that. So what are you wearing?”
    I pressed the phone between my shoulder and my ear and turned back to my still open front door. “Oh, come on.”
    I kicked the door shut and flipped the lock. Then I bent down and picked up my gym bag and keys. I dropped the keys on the table by the front door and took the gym bag into the bedroom with me.
    “That’s exactly what I’m trying to do, Ben, but you’re not cooperating.”
    I rolled my eyes. “I’m wearing assless chaps, a leather vest, and a dog collar. What are you wearing?”
    I assumed Micah had been taking a drink or something, because he suddenly started coughing and gasping for air. I unpacked my gym bag and waited for him to catch his breath.
    “Oh, wow,” he finally sputtered. “That was