Read Online The Mercy of Strange Men: Erotic Stories by Aimee Nichols - Free Book Online

each other. I had the interesting mental experience
of trying to simultaneously enjoy the moment for what it was, take
in everything so I could remember it later on, and desperately hope
that she couldn't tell I was enjoying the hug a little less
platonically than I should have been. For the thousandth time in my
life I was thankful I was not a man – only this time, rather than
being grateful for not having to, you know, be a man, I was
grateful that I didn't have a penis, because if I did it would have
been making its presence felt against Sabina's lower belly, and
that would have blown my cover. As it was, I felt myself discreetly
moistening the crotch of my knickers.
    She held on for
longer than she needed to, which was fine by me. I was trying to
breathe deeply and quietly by now, partly because she'd brought on
a major case of the butterflies and partly because she smelled so
good and I wanted to savour her – the faint chemical but pleasant
odours of hair product and makeup mixed with the natural, vaguely
musky smell of her skin. If she was wearing perfume, it was subtle
and underscored her natural smell perfectly.
    She pulled
away, and I had to fight the urge to wrap my arms around her more
tightly and not let go. She smiled at me as she sat down, her eyes
twinkling. I retreated to the other side of the booth, taking a
seat between Lou and Kelly, who rested her head on my shoulder.
    The
conversation was flowing as freely as the alcohol and I took small
but quick sips of my beer, unsure of where I wanted to be on the
sobriety scale, not wanting to be the sole sober person at the
table but not wanting to join in the drinking spree just yet.
Sabina sipped a glass of white wine and sat back, taking in the
conversation with the amused eyes of one who loves her friends but
is well aware they have the ability to make complete idiots of
themselves in public. The topic turned to the girl Lou had just
started seeing a couple of weeks ago, whom none of us had met yet
but who intrigued us, if only because she quite obviously made
normally sedate and emotionally cautious Lou go weak at the knees.
We started pumping her for information about this new woman.
    ‘Does she have
any really annoying personal habits?’ asked Kelly.
    ‘No!’
    ‘That just
means there’re none you’ve found out about yet.’
    ‘Does she have
good taste in music?’ That was Sarah, our resident music snob.
    ‘Yeah, if by
that you mean, does she share my taste? We’re aaaall about the
acousticky lesbians, baby.’
    ‘I said good music, you walking cliché.’
    ‘And what might
that be, Madame?’
    Kelly could
obviously see where this was going as well as I could – any
argument about music was never a good idea around Sarah, lovely as
she was. Kelly leaned forward and said, ‘look, Lou, I think what we
all really want to know but are pretending we’re too polite to ask
is – what’s she like in bed?’
    Lou blushed,
just slightly. ‘She’s good.’ She paused. ‘ Very good.’
    ‘DETAILS!’
    ‘That would be
tacky.’
    ‘Because we’re
none of us here tacky. Nooo, not at all.’
    I put my arm
around her. I knew Lou well enough to sense that, despite her
embarrassment, she did actually want to share with us, and was
going to. You get used to reading someone after being friends with
them for a while. In the case of my friends, I learn to tell when
they really don’t want to talk about their partners, and when
they’re being coy. Lou was being coy.
    ‘Oh, I’m just
not sure I should. What happens if one of you lets slip when you
meet her?’
    ‘So we’re
definitely going to meet her?’ I butted in.
    ‘I didn’t say
that…I just don’t want her being uncomfortable that you guys know
so much.’
    ‘I’m sure we
all know how to keep our mouths shut, Louise,’ I said, doing my
best fake stern voice. ‘Now spill.’
    ‘Okay. What do
you want to know?’
    ‘Everything!’
    ‘Well.’ Lou
paused and took a swig of beer,