Friends with Benefits | Joanne

13- Take It Off

Dinner with Joe had been really nice. It was great to see where he had grown up, and all the places he had spent time as a kid.

His family all seemed lovely, and it confirmed what I had already believed- Joe was a good guy. He had been brought up well, in a really nice place. He was a gentleman.

He was going to make a lucky girl very happy one day.

"So, do you want a drink or anything?"

We had walked back to the hotel, through the lobby, up the stairs and down the corridor without a pause in our conversation. I had followed Joe straight into his room without even thinking- it didn't even occur to me that I was there until Joe asked me if I wanted a drink.

"Maybe... is there a fruit tea or anything?"

Joe boiled the kettle and made us both drinks.

"That meal was so good" he said, laying down on the bed and kicking off his shoes. "I wish I hadn't had that espresso dessert thing though- I'm wide awake now!"

I smiled. "You're always wide awake at this time. We're on opposite schedules. I could fall asleep right now if I wasn't wearing these stupid jeans." I gestured down to the tight, button-fly jeans I had worn for the evening.

"Do you want to go to sleep?" Joe asked, his voice gentle. I shook my head.

"No, I'm good. We can sleep in a little in the morning- our train back isn't until after 10 and there's no point in training until we get back to London." I explained. "This old lady can stay up past her bedtime for one night."

Joe pottered around the room, going through the cupboards and drawers.

"Hey", he pulled out a small box. "Fancy a game of cards?"

I nodded and sat up, crossing my legs underneath me. "You deal. I'll find something on TV." I settled on Naked Attraction. I don't catch a lot of TV- I'm more of a movie girl- but this show was truly something else.

Joe hadn't realised what I had picked, until he turned to face the TV just as the camera panned across a load of naked butts.

"Oh, Jesus! My eyes!" I laughed as he fanned himself like he was in a Jane Austen novel. "What the bloody hell is this?"

The card game got intense very quickly. I had clearly underestimated Joe's competitive side. Neither of us wanted the game to end, and the stakes were getting higher and higher.

"Right, OK." Joe said, a twinkle in his eye. "Next person to lose has to lose an item of clothing. Winner's choice".

I felt my heartrate increase. "Fine. Can't wait to choose." I laid down my cards and maintained eye contact with Joe.

He slowly placed down his cards.

"Unbelievable." I shook my head. Joe ran a hand through his hair before tapping his lip. "Hmm... I think... I think the jacket has got to go."

I slowly pulled off my leather jacket, watching Joe's expression change. I didn't break eye contact until I had dropped the item onto the hotel room floor beside the bed.

The game continued, and I finally won a set. "Do socks count as one or two items?" I asked jokingly. Joe shook his head.

"You're actually going to use your powers to get my... socks off?" I laughed and shook my head.

"Absolutely not. I don't know when I'm going to get this kind of chance again. Lose the shirt, Sugg."

Joe unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off his shoulders. Slowly. Keeping the same eye contact I had done.

I gulped.

On the next round, I won again. This time, I went for the socks.

"Really?" Joe looked at me strangely. I ran a hand behind my neck and cracked it.

"I'm playing the long game. I'm enjoying myself."

Joe threw a sock at me and wriggled his toes in my face. "Still enjoying yourself?" He asked, laughing.

I nodded and held his foot in my hands as we played the next round. I ran my thumbs over it, rubbing it gently, before moving up to his calves. 

Joe stopped speaking, his eyes closing as my hands pressed into the muscles on his lower legs. "That's nice."

I heard his breath catch in his throat as I moved my hand slowly up to his inner thigh.

I pulled away.

"It's your deal." I spoke quietly, sure my eyes gave away what I truly meant.

Joe moved onto his knees and crawled across the bed.

Slowly, he leaned in and kissed me.

I ran my hands over his back and down to his butt, pulling him closer to me as I spread my legs.

His lips found my neck and a tingle ran up my spine.

"Mmm... Just like that". My voice cracked as I spoke.

"My belt" Joe instructed between kisses. I moved my hands around to unbuckle it and then released the button on his jeans. His kisses moved lower. Suddenly, I pulled away and giggled.

"I told you! Sensitive nipples!"

His kisses continued to move down my body. My head rolled back onto the pillow as he unbuttoned my jeans and pulled them down my legs, his kisses still moving downwards until he reached...

"Holy... shit."

///

"Has anyone ever told you that you get more Australian just before you come?"

The two of them were laid, still breathless and sweaty, in the bed when Joe decided to ask Dianne the weirdest question he had ever asked anyone.

Dianne turned to face Joe, her eyes wide. "What?"

Joe laughed. "I didn't notice it before, probably because we were drunk, but yeah. You get really Aussie."

Dianne felt herself blushing. "Oh God. Nobody's ever told me that before. I know I can be loud, I've heard that plenty of times, but nobody has ever mentioned the accent."

Joe turned over on his pillow, folding it under his head. "I guess it's probably a good thing I don't get any more Wiltshire. At least your accent is sexy. Mine's a proper mood killer."

Dianne giggled. "Oh, yeah. Can you imagine? 'Ah, yeah. Like that. Ah, my balls, stroke my balls'."

"What accent was that supposed to be? I reckon you travelled about 400 miles and ended up in bloody Greece or something."

Dianne pushed him gently. "Shut up." They laid in silence for a moment before Dianne turned to face Joe again.

"Do I really get more Aussie?" Joe opened his mouth, but Dianne held up a hand in warning. "A yes or no is fine, Joseph. I don't need the impression."

He pouted. "Fine. But it's really funny."