Chapter 4

Conversation during dinner turns to my year at school and the different advertising companies that Ashton is interviewing with.

“So are you planning on staying here in New York?” I ask, taking a drink of wine.

“If that’s what the job requires, but most of these places have a short internship period here in New York before it’s possible to transfer to other branches.  All of the four companies I’m interviewing at have a branch in Ohio so that I could go back home.”  His eyes flick to me.  “If New York doesn’t work for me.”

Genuinely curious, I ask, “What do you mean?”

He looks at me for a beat before vaguely saying, “Oh, you know.  If I don’t adjust to city life.”

I give a short bark of laughter.  “Oh, come on Ashton.  What’s there not to love about the city?  You can basically walk everywhere.  The variety of food, and experiences, and people in one square block is more than our entire home town could even hope for.  Concerts, galleries, clubs, fashion, restaurants.  New York’s got it all.”  I spread out my arms to show the sheer breadth of diversity that is here.

He grins.  “You really love it here, don’t you?”

“Of course!” I beam at him, taking another bite of food.

“It suits you.  Think you could show me around if I get the job?” he asks.

“When you get the job, I might be able to fit you into my busy schedule.”  He laughs brightly and I continue.  “Do you have a particular company that you want to go with?”

“Honestly, no.  I’m kind of open to whatever.  I’m more here for the experience and training.  I mean, it’s only my first year out of college.  It’s not like I’m looking for the only job I’ll have for the rest of my life.  They all have comparable salaries and different pros and cons.  I’m gonna have to see who offers me a job and kind of go from there.”

“A bit laissez-faire there, Ash.  I’d be freaking out,” I say, shuddering at the thought of not having a plan.

“Says the girl who has set herself up for the life of a starving artist,” he chuckles.  “Can’t get much more laissez-faire than that!”

“For your information, Mr. Bohemian, I’m a double major in art and graphic design.  The goal is to sell my paintings, but I know that’ll take years for me to get well known enough to make any money, if I ever do.  And if neither of those pan out, I have my internship at the Met in the restoration department.” I roll my eyes at him, but smile as I take another bite.

“Seriously?  You’ve got a back-up plan for your back-up plan?” He looks at me incredulously covering his mouth as he talks through a mouth full of food.

“Ewww.  Don’t talk and eat at the same time,” I scold him, throwing a paper napkin at him.

He rolls his eyes, swallowing before he says, “Yes, Mom.”

I stick out my tongue before continuing the conversation.  “I like to have plans.  I want to have all my bases covered.  I know that I’ve picked a hard career and I want to make sure that I can support myself.  I figure that if I do a good job in a steady 9-5 for a few years, I can build up some clients and freelance some graphic design jobs.  Then I can set my schedule and make sure that I have time to paint.  I might have to have 50 roommates to be able to afford a place, but at least I’d be able to do what I want.”

Throughout my little speech, I’ve been looking down at my plate, fiddling with the little bit of food left on my plate and lost in my plans for the future.  I look up when I feel Ashton’s hand cover mine on the table, surprised out of my thoughts.

He’s smiling tenderly, his eyes full of warmth.  “You’re pretty amazing, you know that?”

I blush and chew on my bottom lip, embarrassment making me suddenly shy away from him.  I start to pull my hand away from his and stutter out, “Y-you’re only saying that because I actually have an idea of what I want to do, as opposed to your, ‘Let me get a degree and someone will just take me on’ attitude.”

He squeezes my hand, not letting it go, though he laughs at my “dumb boy” impression.  “No, Sam,” he says, his pointer finger running along my wrist.  “You came out to New York without knowing anyone.  You worked your ass off and paid for this place with your roommate, you’ve got a double major, and you’ve got an internship all set.  All that while creating amazing pieces like a fucking machine and looking damn good while doing it.  You’re like a force.  It’s actually kind of intimidating.”

I look at him wide-eyed.  I don’t know what to say.  I blush to the color of a tomato and tuck my head as I stand to start clearing up.  “Thanks, Ash,” I say as I turn around.  I call over my shoulder, “I didn’t know that you were paying attention.”

He mutters something that sounds like, “Couldn’t stop if I tried.”

“What?” I call from the kitchen.

“I said that the lasagna is still too hot to put in the fridge,” he calls.

“That’s ok. Just leave it on the table and I’ll get it later. Go ahead and look on N*****x for a movie. I’m just gonna do the dishes real quick.” I stand at the sink, beginning to rinse off the plates before getting the soap and sponge.

He walks into the kitchen with the wine glasses and empty bottle.  Placing them on the counter, Ashton walks up behind me and puts his hands on my waist.  He bends down and whispers in my ear.  “You gonna do the dishes like you did last time?  You know, I can help with anything that you might need.”

Ashton presses his hips into mine and gives my ear a light nip.  At the same time, his hands wrap around my waist, flirting with the hem of my shirt.  My breathing becomes louder and more shallow as I bite back a groan.  My chest rises as I try to take a deep breath and my nipples pebble.  He has to see them through the thin shirt and bra that I’m wearing.  I nearly drop the plate that I’m holding and quickly set it completely in the sink, my hands resting on the counter as I feel his heat seeking mine.

Seeming to be encouraged by my reaction, Ashton moves my shirt out of the way and runs his hands over the bare skin of my stomach and I can’t hold back the moan that falls from my lips.  The air is thick with the tension between us.  I can feel myself becoming wet and there is definitely something beginning to rub against my ass from where he’s pressed against me.  Both of our breathing is heavy and mine hitches as his fingers draw lazy circles on my skin.

I unconsciously roll my hips against his and he moans breathily in my ear.

“What are you doing, Ashton?”  My voice is low and husky, almost a moan itself.  I’ve wanted this for so long.  And though I’m far from drunk, the wine is definitely reducing some of my inhibitions.  Matt, who?  Mom and Dad, what?  Any concerns that I had for what other people would think of this exact interaction are magically disappearing.  The only thing that is stopping me from acting on my desire to turn around and rip his clothes off is that I don’t want to be just a one-night stand.  I don’t want this to be something that just happens once and then destroys the friendship that we have.  But even that is starting to fade as his hands start to move up towards my rib cage.

“Just helping you, Sam.  If there’s anything that you want me to do, you just have to tell me.  Anything.”  His fingers stop just under my bra, running along the seam as he bites my ear again.

This time, I don’t stop the moan that moves up from my chest.  I roll my hips on him again, wrapping my hands behind me and around his neck.  “Do that again,” I breathe out.  “On my neck.”

He sighs out a shaky breath and he moves down to my neck, licking, biting, and sucking on my skin, causing me to squirm even more in his hold.  I grab one of his hands in one of my own and thread my fingers through his.  I pull it up to cup my breasts and squeeze.  I throw my head to the side, giving him fuller access to my neck, and moan loudly.

“Fuck, Sam,” Ashton breathes on my skin.  “You’re so fucking beautiful.  So fucking hot.”  He uses his free hand to pull my bra down and my tits bounce free.  He can see the tips of my nipples from the edges of the low cut top and his efforts on my neck redouble.  He pinches and rolls my nipples between his fingers, still keeping our fingers laced together.

My hips move on their own and I feel his erection against my ass.  His hips move against mine, making sure that I feel his hardness and length.  He pushes me into the counter with each thrust forward and we both groan at the feeling.   “Ashton!” I whine, wanting to feel more.

“What do you want, baby?  Tell me.”  His voice is almost desperate, as if he can’t wait for me to say it.

“Touch me, Ashton.  Feel how wet you’ve made me already,” I whisper.

“Fuck!” He moans and his hand moves to the front of my shorts.  Just as he’s flicking the button open, his phone rings.

He stills against me.

“Ignore it!” I bark out the order.

“It’s Matt’s ringtone.”  His voice is a tense whisper.

Shit, Matt!  What the fuck?  Cockblocking me all the way from Ohio?  That’s a new level of asshole.  “Just ignore it.  For all he knows, we’re at a club or a noisy restaurant.”

He chuckles along my skin, raising goosebumps along my neck and arms.  I shiver in delight, wanting so badly for Ashton to continue.  “You want me to touch you that badly?”

I purposefully grind my ass into his erection, earning a hiss from him.  “I’m not the only one.”

“You’re right about that.”  He kisses my neck and his fingers tweak my nipple.  I moan, my hand winding its way into his braids, holding him to me.  He opens the button of my shorts and pulls down the zipper.  Ashton’s fingers play along the top of my panties, but don’t move anymore.

“Please!” I whine.

“Please, what, baby?”  I can hear the amusement in his voice as I beg him to touch me.

That riles me up.  He knows exactly what I want, what we both want.  But two can play at that game.  The hand that’s in his hair pulls his face away from my skin and I turn to look him in the eye.  I unlace my fingers from his other hand that is at the edge of my panties and slowly push my hand inside.

Ashton’s gaze flicks between my face and my hand, watching as I touch myself.  Just as my fingers touch my wetness, my phone rings.  And, of course, it’s fucking Matt’s ringtone, Asshole by Denis Leary.

“Fuck!” I growl out.  “He’s not going to stop calling is he?”

Sounding just as frustrated as I do, Ashton says, “No.  You know he’s one persistent asshole.”

I give a dry chuckle as I grab my phone from the counter.  “Hey, Matt.  What’s up?”  My tone is obviously annoyed, though I am somewhat mollified when Ashton doesn’t move away from me, though his hands move from my panties to wrap around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder.

“Geez, what the fuck did I do to you?” Matt says in response to my tone.

“Nothing.  Sorry.  Annoyed by an interruption from before.  What’s going on?” I say, mentally shaking myself.

“Is Ashton there?  He didn’t answer his phone.”

“Yeah, he was in the bathroom.  He’s here now.  You wanna talk to him?”

“Put me on speaker,” Matt demands.

I roll my eyes and flip him the bird as I take the phone from my ear.  “His Highness has decreed that I place him on speaker so that all of us commoners can hear his melodious voice.”

Ashton chuckles in my ear as I turn the phone on speaker.

“I heard that, you brat!  I just don’t want to have to say this twice.  Have you guys been watching the news?”  Something about Matt’s voice catches my attention.  He’s agitated, his voice holding an urgency at odds with his usual “dude bro” persona.

“I’m in college, Matt.  I don’t have time to watch the news,” I say.

“I’ve been traveling all day, man.  I haven’t had time.  What’s wrong?” Ashton asks, straightening, but keeping his arms around me.  With the seriousness of Matt’s tone, it feels a bit inappropriate for me to have my pants undone.  I quickly zip and button them hearing Ashton’s huff of disappointment.

I turn to look at him, a smile on my lips.  “Later,” I whisper.

Ashton is about to respond when Matt’s voice comes through the phone.  “There’s been 22 new cases of the virus in New York.”

“What?  That COVID thing?” I ask.  You can tell that I really pay attention to the news.

“Yes, that COVID thing.  Geez, Sam.  You really are out of touch, aren’t you?” Matt sounds pissed, but I know that he’s just covering his concern.  He was more against me moving to New York than my parents even were.  He has always been overprotective, which is another reason that I haven’t gone after Ashton.  I doubted that I’d ever be able to keep his attention and, when Ashton eventually broke up, I knew that it would put a huge wedge between Ashton and Mike.  I refused to be the reason that my brother no longer had his best friend from kindergarten.  

“Dude, cut her some slack.  You remember what college was like.  She’s a little wrapped up in other stuff,” Ashton comes to my defense and I can’t help but smile.

“She better not be into half that shit that you and I got into.  I’ll drive up there tonight and bring her ass back, after killing whoever has touched her.”  Matt seems to relax a little, probably meaning it as a joke.

Ashton and I tense in each other’s arms, the intimate feeling between the two of us immediately changing.  I readjust my shirt, making sure that I’m completely covered.  I move away on the premise that I’m getting a towel to dry the dishes.  But both Ashton and I know that I’m really just trying to put space between the two of us.  I don’t look at Ashton and he doesn’t say anything, but I can feel his eyes follow me throughout the kitchen as I gather the towel and wine glasses that he put on the counter.

“Ok, well, what’s that got to do with us?  The people that have been affected are like, old, right?  Like in their 50s.  And they’re in Westchester.  I don’t go out there.”  I try to school my face as I start washing the dishes.  Ashton is leaning on the counter next to me.  He grabs the towel from me and waits for me to finish washing the dish in my hand before grabbing it from me to dry and put it away.

“It’s spread to the city, Samantha.  The governor is supposed to hold a press conference tomorrow.  This shit is getting real.  Do you have masks?  Groceries?  Essentials?  If not, I think you guys need to go get them.”  Matt is dead serious, far from the joking brother I’m used to.

“I mean, I have some masks I use when I’m spray painting.  I guess we can use those…”  My voice trails off as I think of the shopping trip that I made earlier today and all of the things that I forgot.  Floss.  Laundry Detergent.  Wine.  Fuck, I’m definitely going to need wine with Ashton here all week.

“Maybe we should hit up a store after we finish the dishes,” Ashton suggests.

“Not a bad plan,” I say distractedly.

“Make sure you get enough for a while, like at least two weeks.  I have the feeling that this is going to be bad.  You got all your asthma meds, Sam?” Matt asks.

I roll my eyes.  “Yes, Dad.  I just got a refill on Tuesday.”

“Oh, shit.  I forgot that you have asthma.  Maybe I should go out on my own.  They said this is worse for people with asthma.”  Ashton sounds worried and I give him a small smile.

“I’ll be fine, Ash.  Stop worrying him, Matt.  He’s going to turn back around for Ohio before he even has his first interview,” I tease.

“Good.  He can bring you back with him.  I don’t like this Sam.  This could get really bad.  You heard about Wuhan and their quarantine?”  He’s really starting to scare me a bit and I try to blow it off.

“Matthew, you need to chill out.  Get a beer and turn on a game or something.  We’re not China or nearly as populated as they are.  It can’t get that bad.”

But this time, even Ashton seems a little worried.  “I don’t know.  Maybe we should head back home, Sam.  I know how much you hate flying, but we could rent a car and get out of here tomorrow - “

I cut him off.  “No.  No!  You have four huge interviews and I have school and my internship.  No, we’re not leaving.  We’ll be fine.  Come on.  The dishes can wait.  Let’s hit the bodega down the street and pick up some things I forgot when I went shopping.  Do you have anything that you need?  Forget it, we can figure it out when we get there.”  I’m blabbering, I know Iam.  But I can’t stop.  I am a massive ball of emotions.  Nervous about what has been happening between Ashton and me.  Fear of this stupid virus.  Anxious about what Matt would do if he knew what had happened between Ashton and me earlier.  It’s too much and I have to do something other than have this stupid conversation with my brother and stand here doing dishes with all of the tension between Ashton and me.  “I’ll call you later, brother dear.”

“Please promise me that you’ll wear masks and stay six feet away from people.  Just, I don’t know, maybe stay in this weekend.  And - “

“Ok, thanks, bro.  I love you.  Bye bye.” I quickly hang up the phone.  Turning back to Ashton, I say, “I’m gonna go grab those masks and then we can go.”

“O-K,” Ashton drawls out as my phone starts ringing, Asshole blaring through the kitchen.  Matt’s calling back.

“Answer that, if you want.  I’m done with Paranoid Patty for tonight.”  I walk towards my room.

“You might wanna change clothes there, Sam.  A little cold out there,” Ashton calls after me.

I turn around, walking backwards as I smile.  “Then I might need to find some way to warm up after.”