Chapter 19 - The Kings of Second Chances - Butch & Lauren
Wow, wasn't this update the fastest? We know... we know... nowaybackfic is in the midst of moving from Los Angeles back to Toronto en route to London (what a gypsy!) but she did manage to churn out another sassy chapter about Butch and Lauren. Let's see what happened after that rather unexpected "friends with benefits" situation...
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She squirmed out of the bed as quietly as she could, careful not to disturb her sleeping guest and grabbed the deep purple kimono that lay draped across the armchair in the corner, throwing it on and shivering at the sensation of the silk against her skin. Pausing, she looked back at the bed where Butch lay, oblivious and snoring softly. She felt like a deer in the path of an oncoming car - stunned and unsure of what to do next. Slipping out the bedroom door, she practically bolted down the hall and into the guest bathroom, shutting the door behind her and exhaling at last. She inhaled just as sharply when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red from lack of sleep and surrounded by smudged black makeup. She never slept in her makeup. Her white blonde hair which normally barely needed a brushing in the morning, was tangled and disheveled and her mouth was swollen and pink.
“Jesus,” she whispered, bracing herself with one hand on the side of the dark marble sink. With the other hand, she opened the medicine cabinet, pulling out an oversized bottle of ibuprofen from which she removed two pills, popping them into her mouth and swallowing with the help of a glass of tap water. Drinking the tap water in LA was ill advised, but she wasn’t as concerned with that in the moment as she was with the dull throbbing in her temples.
She turned on the shower behind her, shedding the violet silk and stepping under the cool stream, letting it wash away the night’s indiscretions. She scrubbed her face thoroughly and doubled up on the conditioner in her hair, hoping it would help her detangle the mess she and Butch had created.
Butch. She stared at the frosted glass of the shower door blankly, remembering the night in snippets. Hands, skin, tongues, teeth, fingernails. She shivered under the water. It had been as though some carnal part of herself that had been lying dormant for ages had been released. She had practically attacked him, but he hadn’t faltered. In fact, he had more than risen to the occasion. Multiple times. She felt a blush creep into her cheeks and an involuntary smile start to turn up the corners of her lips. Had they slept at all?
Her smile quickly faltered as she thought of Shirley. Her only friend in LA, the very reason she had come here. This was so inappropriate. How could she have let this happen? Her mind raced and her stomach twisted as she rinsed her hair and turned off the water, listening intently for any sound to signify that Butch was awake. She heard nothing. After wrapping her wet hair in a towel she threw her kimono back on and crept into the hallway, tiptoeing back toward her bedroom.
“Good Morning.”
Lauren jumped and stifled a squeal as Butch’s voice startled her from behind. She spun quickly and saw him coming up the stairs from the main floor, his shirt unbuttoned. She blushed a deep crimson and cast her eyes toward the floor.
“Hi,” she whispered, embarrassed by how small her own voice sounded.
He responded with a chuckle, running a hand through his hair. “Did you sleep okay?”
She nodded quickly, fiddling with the silk tie around her waist. “You?”
“Like a corpse. You tuckered me out.”
Lauren choked out an awkward laugh, turning an even deeper red if that were possible.
“Relax Lauren,” he chided. “I have to head out anyways. I’ve got to get to the studio.”
She could hear the smile in his voice and her eyes briefly darted up to confirm it. He was buttoning up his shirt and smirking at her in a way that made her feel truly foolish. He crossed the space between them and gave her a soft peck on the cheek. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t tell anyone.”
With that, he turned and headed down the stairs, leaving her stunned and silent on the landing. She heard the front door open, then close, and moments later, the sound of his Audi starting up and driving away. Her head spun. She was grateful for his swift exit, but mortified that he saw every inch of her neuroses in that awkward exchange. She tapped her hand anxiously on the side of her thigh and tried to will herself to slow her racing mind. This was going to require some assistance.
She rushed down the stairs, collecting her purse from where it lay in the living room and bringing it back up the stairs to her bedroom. She retrieved her cell phone, pulling up the information she had typed in last night.
“Body Language,” she said aloud, typing the words into her Yelp app and pulling up the site for Kari’s yoga studio. There was a class in 33 minutes. She dropped the phone on the bed, racing to her dresser and pulling out a pair of dark yoga pants and a grey sports bra, digging in another drawer to produce a loose-fitting green tank top. Hastily, she threw on the items, rushing to her bathroom and flinging the towel from off her head and over the top of the door. She didn’t bother to dry her hair, just ran a brush quickly through it, wincing as it pulled at the tangles, and threw it up in as much of a top knot as she could manage with her short hair before grabbing her bag and her phone and racing out the door.
25 minutes later she was in a cute little studio in the Valley, renting a yoga mat from a fresh-faced girl in the reception area. She followed a small group into the room and set up her mat discreetly in the back corner, sitting on it cross-legged and waiting for the class to begin, her mind drifting back to the night before as more people entered and the room began to fill with soft chatter.
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Her skirt dropped to the floor and Butch’s hands quickly moved to the warm flesh of her outer thighs, now exposed, as she stepped out of the pool of black leather at her feet and kicked it away, pressing her hips against him. He moaned against her lips as she clumsily tried to undo the zipper at the back of her neck.
“Turn around,” he whispered huskily. “I’ll get it.”
She did as she was instructed, turning to face the wall she’d been pressed up against and felt his calloused fingers graze her neck as he undid her blouse, pushing the creamy fabric down over her shoulders and kissing the top of her spine. She arched her back, pressing herself against him and feeling him through his jeans, his arousal both apparent and impressive, as her fingertips gripped the wall in front of her. His own hands were busy making their way back to where they had been, this time moving to her inner thighs and up toward the warmth between them. She gasped at his touch, unable to remember the last time she had felt this particular sensation. He spun her back around, and her lips found his quickly and eagerly as she fumbled with the button on his jeans. She moved her face from his and smiled mischievously as the button finally popped free, sliding to her knees and pulling his jeans down to the floor with her.
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“Welcome everyone!”
Kari’s voice snapped Lauren out of her daydream and back to her yoga mat, and her eyes darted around the room, as if to ensure no one here was so enlightened that they had read her x-rated thoughts. She shifted her focus to the pretty blonde instructor, and to relaxing into her first poses, hoping the class would do as advertised and clear her mind. It seemed to work at first, and Lauren settled into the easy rhythm and Kari’s soothing instruction, but as she bent and stretched she kept discovering muscle aches and strains that could only be the product of last night’s tryst and she struggled to stay balanced. By the time they said Namaste, she couldn’t tell if she had made things better or worse. She hovered at the back of the room, unsure if Kari had recognized her during the class and not wanting to be rude.
"Lauren, I’m so glad you came!" Kari said, crossing the room toward her. "I didn’t expect you here so soon, though!"
"Well, Shirley, Cindy and I had plans to come next week but…" Lauren paused, letting out another one of her choked nervous laughs. "I needed some re-centering sooner rather than later."
"Well you came to the right place," Kari smiled genuinely. "I was just about to make some green tea, would you like to join me?"
Lauren weighed her options. She could really use a solid girl talk right now, and although she didn’t know Kari at all, she certainly couldn’t talk to Shirley. She sighed.
"I’d love to."
“Come on," Kari said, leading out into the reception area and to an office down the hall. "I want to hear all about what’s gotten you off center and if it has anything to do with last night’s party."
Lauren spent the next thirty minutes or so divulging the details of her past, her engagement to Greg, her reasons (or seeming lack therof) for leaving him and New York behind, and her uncharacteristic behaviour with Butch the night before. Kari listened attentively and enthusiastically, her eyes widening as Lauren described her lust-filled evening.
“God I need to get laid!” she cried, fanning herself dramatically and giggling.
“Wait, what?” Lauren’s brow furrowed. “You mean you and Taylor…”
“Nope. Not yet.”
Lauren moaned. “Oh my god I feel like such a slut right now.” She laughed and put a hand to her forehead.
Kari’s phone vibrated loudly against her wooden desk and she picked it up quickly, grinning at the screen.
“Speak of the devil,” she said, holding the phone out so Lauren could read the message.
- Hey Freddie, BBQing at Dave’s. Hungry?
“No. Absolutely not,” Lauren protested while Kari wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“Come on! It will be fun,” Kari laughed. “It will give you a chance to feel him out and do damage control if need be.” She tapped away at her phone screen.
“I really don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Too late. I already asked Taylor if I could bring you,” she grinned. “Now you have to come.”
The girls made a pit-stop at Lauren’s house to freshen up, tossing some vegetables in a Trader Joe’s bag on their way out the door. After picking up a case of beer at a Liquor Mart on the way, they pulled up to Dave’s house. Lauren’s pulse began to quicken as they walked up the driveway.
“Don’t worry,” Kari said softly, sensing her new friend’s unease. “You're fine. Everything will be fine.”
They made their way around back and found many people had already arrived; unfortunately not quite enough people to keep the blonde duo from being instantly noticed by both Taylor and Butch, who crossed the yard at almost the same time from opposite sides, closing in on them quickly.
Before Lauren could attempt to protest, Taylor had swept Kari away and into the house.
“Um, I should probably put these in the fridge,” she said in Butch's general direction, nervously tucking a strand of white hair behind her ear.
“Well hello to you too,” Butch laughed. “Let me show you where that is, and let’s get you a cocktail.”
Lauren sighed and sheepishly followed him into the house, her eyes darting from side to side, trying to gauge any reactions from others in the yard, but nobody seemed to be paying attention - perhaps she had been making too much of a big deal out of this whole thing after all.
She found room in the fridge for her salad fixings and turned to find Butch pouring a glass of white wine.
“How was your afternoon?” he asked, passing it to her.
“Pretty good,” she replied, taking a large sip and gulping deeply. “I checked out Kari’s yoga class and then we hung out for a bit.”
He nodded, smirking. “Girl talk?”
Lauren laughed, looking away. Butch was an adult. He clearly knew a thing or two about the way women worked. She liked that about him. She kind of hated that she liked that about him.
“Listen,” he continued. “I had a great time last night. I think you’re an amazing woman, and not just because of that thing you do with your tongue.” He smiled and Lauren laughed loudly, finally looking up and making eye contact. She didn’t want to like him, but she couldn’t deny the tiny flips her stomach was doing as she leaned against the fridge. She had started her day mortified, but had to begrudgingly admit there had been something really powerful about last night. For a moment in time she had shed the insecurities she had been carting around like oversized luggage since she left New York. For a night, she had felt like the woman she had been before it all came crashing down. She bit her lip and bent at the waist slightly, reaching her free hand across the space between them and hooking her fingers in one of his belt loops, tilting her head to the side. The corners of his eyes crinkled behind his glasses and he moved toward her, cupping the side of her face with a calloused hand and pulling her lips to his.
The stem of her wine glass dangled between her fingers as she returned his kiss, smiling against his mouth before breaking away.
“I’d still prefer if we didn’t advertise this,” she said softly. "Whatever this is."
“Works for me.” He grabbed the bottle of wine from the island behind him, topping up her glass. “Shall we head back outside?”
She nodded and followed him back to the yard, joining the group that now appeared to be gathered for some type of announcement. She looked around but couldn’t see Kari anywhere; or Taylor for that matter. Dave stood in front of the crowd with a couple - she recognized them both from the previous night’s party but hadn’t been introduced. She caught the tail-end of what was being said.
“-and she said YES!”
Everyone began to applaud and Lauren and Butch joined in. Just then, Lauren noticed Taylor and Kari emerging from the house. Kari looked quite flushed.
"Can’t I catch a break for once! We weren’t even that loud!” Taylor exclaimed as the applause died down and the attention immediately shifted to the blonde couple.
"Jesus T, as interesting as your sexual escapades are, that is not most exciting thing that has happened tonight,” Dave laughed.
Lauren saw Kari’s face crumple and she brought her hands up to hide it as Dave’s laughter caught on around the backyard. Luckily, the moment passed quickly as everyone moved to congratulate the happy couple.
Lauren beckoned for her new friend to join her and laughed as she threw her arms around her neck and sighed heavily.
“I guess you got what you wished for, huh?”
“I’m mortified,” Kari moaned.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I just kissed Butch in the kitchen.”
Kari’s eyes widened. “Actually?”
Lauren shrugged. “I have no idea what’ I’m doing.” She looked across the yard and saw Butch chatting with the groom-to-be. He tossed her a subtle glance above his glasses and her stomach did another annoying flip.
She had no idea what she was doing, but she certainly knew what she'd be doing later that night...
