The look on Mila's face told me I'd made a mistake, and she quickly made me pay for it. "You would never have made that crack before you started going with Lucy."
"Oh, come on! I'm just busting your chops."
"Oh, that's all? Okay, how about this one? I dress like a poor tomboy and you're mister GQ, pretty boy, but which one of us is still a virgin?"
"What the hell kind of crack is that?" I put the sandwich down. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Well, you think I'm so plain and dress so crappy, but I've had a couple of guys who had no problem wanting to get to know me better."
"So what? I've had chances, but I promised my mother I'd try to do it the right way. You decided to spread your legs when you had the chance."
"Are you saying I'm a slut?"
"Of course not! You know better than that. But you know that's a touchy subject with me."
"But you never think anything bothers me." Mila waved her hand disgustedly at me. "You really do treat me like a guy."
"I ... I treat you like a friend. Since when do I need to treat you all girly?"
"You don't, but then again you've never treated a girly have you?" She raised her eyebrows after that one, as if daring me to top it.
"Guess you got me on that one," I said with a casual shrug. "But tell you what, how about you ask me again after this weekend?"
Mila's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, I just might..."
My phone went off and I couldn't help smiling when "You don't know You're Beautiful" blared from it. It was Lucy. The timing couldn't have been better.
"Like she doesn't think she's beautiful." Mila muttered
"Hey, sweetie." I bit my lip not to laugh at the disgusted look on her face.
"Hey, hot stuff!" Lucy chirped in my ear. "How goes park detail?"
"Halfway," I told her. "It'll be done in a couple hours."
"Wow! That was quick!"
Hopefully she wouldn't be saying that in my ear in bed, I thought, but said, "I have some help."
"That's great! More the merrier! I'm surprised you could rope any of your friends into getting up on Saturday morning."
"They didn't. Mila's helping me out." Even as I said it, I wondered why I brought her up. "Mila?" Lucy laughed. "I can see that. She doesn't look like the kind of girl who minds getting her hands dirty. Probably didn't even have to worry about what clothes to wear. She looks like that every"
"Lucy." I turned around, putting my back to Mila and speaking lower. "I've told you about that. Why do you always pick on her?"
"Why do you always defend her?"
"Because she's my best friend."
"Men and women can't be best friends. One of them always ends up wanting it to be more."
"Wise for your eighteen years," I told her.
"It's true." She sighed. "You hang with her because she's like a guy, but without the attitude, and she hangs with you because she ... well, she proves my point."
"That again? Come on, Lucy. I've told you Mila's just a buddy."
"You see it that way. But anyway, thank you so much for helping me with this, Lauren! Earth Day's in the middle of the week, so this Saturday is really the best chance we had to get a lot done."
"No problem." Sensing movement, I looked over my shoulder to see Mila slipping her sneakers back on. "So, what are you doing tonight? My mom is leaving in a few hours."
Mila got up and putting her Red Sox cap on backwards she grabbed her trash bag and headed for another clump of bushes leaving the backpack behind.
"Well, seeing it's going to take a good part of the day up here, we thought we would make the most of it and throw a little party, make a fire, hang out, have some fun."
"Really?" Recalling Luis was there, I felt more than a twinge of unease. "How about I come up?"
"Well ..." Lucy paused, and the twinge grew into a twisting sensation in my stomach.
"Well, what?"
"Look, Lauren, sometimes I just want to hang out with friends and, you know, not always be with someone."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I said, raising my voice and glancing over at Mila to see if she had noticed, but she was on her knees pulling beer bottles out from underneath the bushes.
"Hey, don't get mad, baby," Lucy purred. "I just want to chill with some people I haven't seen in a while, okay?"
"I just figured—"
"Now, tomorrow, on the other hand," she said, giggling, "rumor has it my hot girlfriend is going to have her place all to herself until the next day. Hmmm."
My jealousy was quickly replaced by another twinge, but this one lower than my stomach.
"You know, Lauren, you've been so sweet about waiting for me, I think it's time you and I got a lot closer."
"You do?" It wasn't exactly smooth, but I couldn't think about anything but Lucy in my bed looking up at me with those big blue eyes, her naked body moving against mine.
"I do, baby. I have some things to do in the morning, but how about I come over around three?"
"Yeah, that sounds great."
"I'll see you then, baby." Lucy released a sweet sigh into the phone that caused my cock to throb and added, "I'm going to so make it worth you waiting."
Lucy had no idea how long I had really waited. Grinning like an idiot, I said, "I'm sure you'll more than make it up to me."
"Oh, I will, and I have to thank you for your help today, too, so I'll have to find something fun to wear, and come up with a proper way to show my appreciation."
I was hard as a rock from just her talking about coming over and had to adjust my shorts around my aching dick.
"Lauren, speaking of your help ... You know there's a little competition going on at school for which team can do the most clean-up this weekend?"
"Yeah."
"Well, seeing you're going to get done so early, would you mind doing that little playground over on Smith Street?"
"Um, well, I was thinking of—" I started.
"Please, baby? I'll be ever so grateful."
"Well, maybe—"
"I'll give you a special treat." She gave that cock-stirring giggle again.
"Treat?" I repeated. Please mean what I think you mean!
"Sure, I figure if you're going to clean for me I should get all dirty for you." She sighed. "I've been thinking about giving you a nice blow job for awhile now, would that be a good reward?"
"I—hell, yeah!" I exclaimed, not caring if I sounded like an excited little kid.
"Yeah, baby, you want to feel these lips before those lips?" Lucy laughed. "I do like to suck cock. Hopefully you'll return the favor, you know, a kiss for a kiss."
"That would only be fair," I said, trying to sound more casual.
"I'm all about fair, Lauren. But I just called to say hi and see how you were making out. I'll see you tomorrow."
"I look forward to it," I replied. But she had already ended the call.
"Goddamn." I put the phone back on the clip at my hip and forced myself to stand up.