Remembering a Non-commitment commitment (part 2)

After my new exploration, we got in the shower and just had a make-out session...no kinkiness and I have to say it was really nice. I wasn't planning on him staying the night but the sun was already coming up. I puttered around the house until he finally got the hint and left with a smile.

The rest of the week flew by at the gym. Two of my clients were training for the big, local marathon and I had another two clients bump up to 4 sessions/week from 3. I was exhausted by the time Friday night rolled around. Most of the trainers went out for dinner and drinks after so I joined them. Daniel was there, of course, and we had fun. There had been no weirdness between us after going to dinner, which I was thankful for.

A few of them had too much to drink so I let them come back to my condo to crash. Daniel insisted on coming, too just to make sure I got home safely. What could I do?

When we got to the entrance of my building I froze.

"Abby!" He jumped up from where he'd been sitting like a bum on the sidewalk. I saw Daniel's spine stiffen out of the corner of my eye.

"Hi. Um, what are you doing here?". I tried not sound unpleasant but this was completely unexpected.

He was looking at Daniel who still had his hand at the small of my back; sizing him up. "I was downtown and thought I'd stop by, but you didn't answer your cell so I figured I'd just wait for you."

I could feel all 5 pairs of eyes on me now. And there was no telling what Daniel was thinking about all this right now. I definitely didn't want to think about why that was bothering me so much, either. I had to get inside where I could sort this out in private.

"Well," I started uncertainly. "Let's all get inside then". I tried not to see the triumphantly smug grin he gave Daniel.

"Okay, what the he'll are you doing here?" I seethed, whirling on him after I closed the door. "And I don't appreciate you lying about having cell number."

"What are you talking about?". Despite my rage he had remained less than a foot away from me. "You gave me your number at the bar."

"What?" I had no memory of that. "Why in the world would I have given you my number when #1, we left together, and #2 I never give my number out to men. I am not looking for a relationship. I was pretty sure I made at least that much clear."

He looked down and for the first time appeared to be unsure of himself. "I know," he mumbled to the floor. "But, I can't get what we did out of my head."

I had heard that one before. But it had never led to stalking. What was it about a woman freed from inhibition that made her so desirable? No one before my husband had ever shown me this kind of attention.

"Anson, I'm glad to hear you had a good time with me...I had a nice time, too."

"Just nice? So what, you do stuff like that all the time?"

Oh no! Tell me he did not just say that! "Are you implying that I'm a slut?"

Immediately his hands went up and he was reaching for me. "No, no, no!" He sighed heavily. "It's just that...Look I don't know, but what we did was more than nice," he said making the short word sound distasteful. His green eyes were burning with intensity as he glared at me. "And you know it, too."

I felt an unwanted blush creep up my neck as I remembered the way he felt inside me, touching places that had gone unexplored before that night. Why was the room so fucking hot all of a sudden? "I need some air, Anson. I think you should go, too."

I moved to open the door but he beat me to it, pressing my body into the cool wood while his arms entrapped me. My heart rate accelerated as his eyes roved over my body; I knew what he was remembering. He slowly inclined his head towards me, and I could not get my brain to function properly. This should not happen!

A loud banging on the door I was up against had us jumping away from it.

"Abby! Hey, is everything okay?" Daniel's voice sounded furious, but I had never been so relieved.

"Yeah," I cleared my throat to make it sound more confident. "Yeah, Daniel. Everything's fine. I'll be right out."

"Okay." I could hear his footsteps stamping away down the hall.

Anson was glowering at the blank door. "Who is that?"

"A friend," I stood in front of him, blocking his view of the doorway. "Not that it's any of your business, anyway. Do you not remember anything I said to you Saturday?"

"Which part?"

"The part about me being drunk."

He grimaced. "Yes."

"Why do you think I mentioned that?"

He shook his head. "You're saying you don't want to be involved with me."

"No," I answered in a softer tone to attempt to make my voice sound less harsh. "I don't want to be involved with anyone right now. It's nothing personal."

He considered this a moment before looking back at me with obvious resentment. "It felt pretty fucking personal to me."

Geez! What was it going to take to convince him? "You went home with a girl who had obviously had way too much to drink and you're telling me you actually thought there were personal feelings involved?"

He turned and glared at the door again. "Is it that guy in there?"

"No."

Anson nodded his head and faced me, believing me for once. "What if I made you a deal then?"

My interest peaked. "A deal?"

"No strings attached, of course."

"Isn't that what a deal is?"

"No," he said, his shoulders shaking lightly as he laughed. "A deal is all about conditions."

"And what, may I ask, are these 'conditions'?"

"You and I could continue doing things like...we did Saturday night,"---a tingle traveled down my spine at the memory---"But we are free to date other people, too."

"Are you serious?"

"If it means getting to be with you again."

I approached him slowly, taking his massive hand in my own. "Anson, it's sweet of you to call it a deal, but that's already how I live my life." Then, I amended, "Ever since my divorce anyway."

"Wait, so you mean you would've gone out with me if I'd asked you?"

"Of course. But just to let loose and enjoy your company. Nothing more than that."

"Well, damn, I can handle that!" He pulled me to him roughly, but I placed my palms flat against his chest to keep him away.

"Are you sure? What about guys like Daniel?"

Something flashed across his eyes for half a second before he composed himself again. "What about them?"

"You wouldn't have a problem with me going out with someone like that, too?"

"As long as when you're with me, you're with me," he growled playfully, pushing my arms away to wrap me up. His lips felt warm as he pressed his lips firmly to the top of my head.

"Okay with me," the sound was muffled against his chest and we both laughed. "I really need to go be a hostess now."

"What are ya'll doing?"

"Well, they're staying here because they can't drive home or afford the cab fare uptown."

He released me enough to search my eyes. "All of them?"

My eyes narrowed; he gave me a wry smile. "I will call you."

"Sounds good," I answered, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him on the lips. His hands on my ass made me gasp and he took advantage by shoving his tongue down my throat. My protests turned into moans as he lifted me off the ground and pressed me into the wall. Not needing his hands anymore, they started roaming under my t-shirt, pulling at the cups on my bra to get beneath the fabric.

The sound of laughter coming from the other room brought me back to reality, and what I was almost contemplating doing. I went limp to get free, watching with amusement as his mind tried to process what had just happened.

"I need to go back out there now," I panted, while combing my fingers through my hair to try and make myself look presentable enough to face Daniel without guilt. I groaned mentally. Why was guilt even associated with him? He might not have any feelings for me anyway!

"Okay," he said and reached for the doorknob. Without looking my way he said, "But we're finishing this later."