She's A Keeper: Mac and Cheese

She's A Keeper is an ongoing story about Penny, who's working on fucking all of her ex-boyfriend's friends for reasons that are explained both in the first part of the story and in the recap text messages below. It's best to read part 1 first, but again, there are recap text messages below.

This story will feature non-monogamous relationships and characters experimenting with multiple partners. If that's not your particular brand of enjoyment, that's cool. Life's too short to read stories you know you won't like and there's buttloads more on this site to check out.

***

Harris

Pookie

Are you touching your cock

Me

WTF Nola

How do you always know?

Pookie

You know the rules

No coming

Me

Babe

Please

Pookie

I'll be home soon

Me

Oh. Penny was looking for a shoulder to rest her head on, not her legs?

Pookie

Yes and no

I'm sure I'd be tongue deep in a hot girl's lips right now if that unmashed potato hadn't gotten into her head so much

Me

Dane? What did he do?

Pookie

You sure you want to know? It's going to piss you off

Me

Enough to make me go soft?

Pookie

If it does, I'll suck you til you're hard again once I get home

Me

Deal. Tell me

Pookie

They broke up because of you

Me

What?

Me??

I didn't do anything

Did he think I slept with her or something?

Babe, you know I wouldn't do something like that without letting you know. And yeah, you know I'm fucking obsessed with Penny but I would never do something like that without you knowing

Pookie

Calm down big boy

I know

Long story short, Dane told her you weren't coming to drinks tonight, Penny said she was sad about that, Dane took it personally. He kept pushing trying to get her to admit she wanted to sleep with you and she finally snapped that maybe she should, or maybe she should go and sleep with all of his friends

Me

He couldn't have actually believed she'd cheat on him with any of us

Pookie

Except they were in an "open" relationship. Dane asked her for one a few months ago and she agreed. So theoretically, she could've slept with all of us and he wouldn't be able to say shit except he clearly only wanted it open one way

Me

He wanted to fuck around without her getting mad but wouldn't let her do the same. What a piece of shit.

Pookie

More that he wanted to fuck around with someone he was attracted to, since apparently he was only dating Penny because we all would've been pissed if they broke up. So instead he's been a shitty boyfriend to her for a year hoping she'd break up with him.

Me

You're fucking joking

Pookie

I wish

So anyway, I made a suggestion for her to get revenge

Me

Which was...?

Pookie

Why don't you save your questions for after I get home

Me

I'm already saving this boner for when you get home. I don't think it's gonna wanna wait much longer

Pookie

Then stop texting me and let me drive

***

Harris

I swear on Nola's perfect little cunt, that woman was a witch.

Not in a bad way. Or in the magical way. I mean, she was magical, and stunning, and perfect, and all of those other good things, but she wasn't boiling frogs and stewing clams or whatever it is witches do when they're casting spells.

No, my pookie-bear-princess--which I only called her because she fuckin' hated it--was a witch in that she always seemed to know when I was touching my cock without her.

And I don't mean when it was obvious. I'm not talking about telling her I was taking a shower and her accusing me of wrestling an eel in there.

I mean that after she texted me after saying she was going to Penny's intending to comfort her with that exceptionally long and talented tongue of hers, there was absolutely no reason to expect she'd send me a text asking if I was making some beef strokenoff.

Yet there I was, sitting on our bed with my jeans and boxers around my knees, my cock hard as a fuckin' New York Times Super Saturday crossword, and the second I wrapped my hand around it, my phone went off.

Which meant Nola's special rule about catching me touching myself went into effect.

I did what she said. I always did what Nola said. I liked doing what Nola said, even when I didn't. So I didn't come, but she didn't say I had to stop touching. So when the door opened a while later, I paused. Partly because it seemed like the polite thing to do and mostly because my cock was coated in pre-cum and I didn't want to risk busting when she walked into the room.

"Pookie bear? That you?" I called.

"Who else would it be, shithead?" Nola replied.

She sounded cheerful--otherwise she wouldn't've called me that when I called her Pookie--which was surprising, all things considered.

But I wasn't complaining. Cheerful Nola was far less obsessed with edging than Grumpy Nola.

"Just makin' sure." I moved my hand in a long, slow stroke. "You're in a good mood."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because Penny wasn't into getting laid tonight," I said.

"Oh, she was." I heard the thump of the closet door closing and Nola walking around the kitchen. "I turned her down."

Okay, that was confusing enough that I stopped stroking my cock again. "You did what now?"

Her throaty chuckle floated down the hallway, but she didn't say anything else until a moment later, when she appeared in our bedroom door. One dark-painted lip curled between her teeth, a slow smile spreading as her eyes fixed themselves to my cock. After a moment, she strolled into the bedroom, hips moving from side to side as she made her way to the foot of our bed and sat on it, facing me.

"Keep going," she said.

"Yes, Pookie."

She grabbed one of the throw pillows I'd shoved to the end of the bed and chucked it at me, but I was ready and batted it away, chuckling.

"You're sassy for someone who doesn't get to come until I say so," she said.

"Figured it'd be worth the risk since chances are you'd be desperate to go after you didn't get any action from Penny."

"We kissed. And I can almost guarantee Penny's in her bedroom doing the same thing you are."

"You got her going and left her hanging?"

"Yep."

"Mean of you."

"Maybe, but it'll be worth it."

"For who?"

"All of us." She nodded towards my dick. "Faster."

I bit back a groan but did as she said. "Us, like you and me?"

"And the rest of our friends. Except Dane, of course."

"What do you mean?"

Nola's smile widened. "You don't wanna guess?"

I tightened my hand on my shaft. "My darling dear scrumptiously perfect pookie princess, I've spent most of the night thinking about Penny's thick-and-juicy thighs squeezing around your ears and wondering if she'd let me in that perfect round ass of hers while you fucked her pussy with our strap-on, and the rest of it wondering what the hell you talked Penny into doing because said you wouldn't tell me 'til you got home. The fact I have enough blood left in my head to manage any sort of conversation is a goddamn miracle, but there's nowhere near enough left for me to play guessing games. Please indulge me here and tell me what the fuck you're talkin' about."

Now, normally Nola would tell me to take a guess anyway. She was mean like that, in the best way. She'd make me sit there like we were chatting over a pot of coffee instead of my hard cock, like she was telling me how much sugar she wanted stirred into her cup instead of directing my hand faster or slower based on if she thought I was too close to busting.

But oh my, that kiss with Penny seemed to have gotten to her. Enough that she pulled both legs onto the bed and got on her knees, facing me as she reached down to unbuckle her belt.

"Well, you know how I said Dane and Penny fought because he thought she might have a thing for you?"

My throat went dry as she unbuttoned her jeans, a flash of red fabric peaking out from behind her fly. "Uh-huh."

"He wasn't wrong."

My cock throbbed beneath my palm. "Yeah? She wants to fuck me?"

"Mm-hmm." She peeled the waistband of her jeans down her legs. "You and all of our little group of friends, actually. Which works out great, since I suggested she should fuck all of us to get back at Dane."

"And is she?"

A mischievous twinkle appeared in her eyes as she flicked her gaze up to mine. "Grip your cock tighter."

"If that's a yes, why didn't you want the honours of being the first?" I asked.

Nola pushed her jeans to her knees, but didn't take them the rest of the way off. Nor did she take anything else off; she paused to trail a finger up her thigh and cup it over the red fabric covering her mound, but that was it. "Of I course I wanted them. But she said needed to think about it. And you know I'm never going to pressure someone into doing something they don't want to."

"There's a strap-on in our nightstand drawer that begs to fuckin' differ," I muttered.

She burst out laughing. "Well, something they truly don't want to. You and I both know you wanted that as much as I did."

Secretly, that was true. "So you left so she could think it over?"

"Mm-hmm."

I nodded, then frowned. "Wait. But you said you kissed--"

Nola lifted her tank top. My breath hitched as she pulled it above her breasts. No matter how many times I saw her in various states of undress, the sight of her body took away my breath, my thoughts, and my heart every goddamn time. Those tits wiped every thought from my mind and even though she wasn't even touching me, the action of her lifting a hand to her nipple and pinching it between her thumb and forefinger made my hand move faster on my cock, even though I knew damn well Nola wasn't gonna let me come when I wanted to.

"We did kiss," she said, slipping her other hand into her panties. I bit back a noise as the outline of her fingers began to move beneath the fabric. "Then I left. She probably had just enough time to think to herself, 'What the hell am I thinking?' before bursting out the door and chasing me down the street."

Oh, God yes. "So she agreed to... to whatever your plan was?"

"Yes and no." Nola tugged on her nipple as she touched herself. "She said maybe not everyone. Maybe just me. And I asked her"--her voice started to take on a familiar, breathy tone--"if it was because she really doesn't want to fuck everyone else or if it was because she didn't want to hurt Dane's feelings."

"And?"

"Even after what he did, she doesn't want to--in her words--'hurt' Dane. Because we were his friends first, and she feels bad that we all like her better than we like him."

"If Dane wanted us to like him more, he should be a better person," I said.

"That's what I said." Her hand moved faster. I couldn't look away. "After I kissed her again."

"Mmm," I said.

"It was so good, Harris," she whispered. "She kisses like a dream. And she made this little noise, kind of like a sigh, and that gorgeous fucking body of hers was just melting against me. I had half a mind to pull her on top of me and make her ride my tongue right there in the middle of the street." She tilted her chin towards me. "Match my pace."

"Nola..." I murmured, but started moving my hand at the same fast speed she was fingering herself. "Why didn't you fuck her, baby?"

"For you." She smirked, patches of red on her cheeks. "For all of you. Because I'm her prize."

"Her prize," I repeated.

"Once she hooks up with all of you, then I'll fuck her."

Fucking hell. "And if she changes her mind?"

"I'm a benevolent challenger," she said. "But she won't. She's excited about this, even if she's never done anything like it before. She just needed a little nudge. An incentive not to overthink it and back out."

"At the cost of you having to wait to fuck her."

"It'll be worth the wait. Her mouth, babe? Mmm." She let out a heavy sigh. "I've never really wanted a cock before, but I am a little sad I'll never get to look down and see her pretty pink lips wrapped around me like that. You'll have to describe it to me very, very thoroughly."

"I will," I whispered.

"And I wanna know how deep she can take you," she said. "Something tells me our sweet little Penny will be able to take that big dick of yours all the way down her throat. She just seems like the kind of girl without a gag reflex, you know?"

My cock was throbbing, pressure building way faster than I could handle. "You gonna tell the others about your little challenge?"

"Nah. It's more fun this way."

"So you might not get to fuck her for a while." My balls were tightening and I slowed my hand down as much as I could without Nola noticing. "You don't know how long it's gonna take her to fuck her way through everyone."

She scoffed. "With how horny our friends are and how into Penny everyone is? Two weeks, max."

"No way you're waiting two weeks. I bet you give in and fuck her long before that."

"I can wait two weeks for her," she said. "You know how patient I can be. Don't you, sweetheart?"

Fuck.

Fuck.

All the talk, the watching her finger herself, the pace I was fucking my fist... I was gonna come.

Which was a problem.

Because Nola had a rule. It was a great rule, except when it sucked, like it did right then.

Because Nola's rule was that if she caught me touching my cock without her, I couldn't stop.

And the only place I was allowed to come was inside her.

"Baby, please," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "I need--"

"What would you bet?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, but it did absolutely fucking nothing to stop the tingling sensation in my cock. "Honey, I'm about to come."

"Tell me first."

God fucking damn-- "I'd bet, uh, you... you getting to peg me again."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't need a bet to do that. Now, maybe if you said you'd finally admit you love it when I call you a good boy while I peg you, I'd consider it."

"Fine. I'd admit it in front of all our friends. That's how sure I am about this."

She laughed but shook her head. "Yeah, because you'd rig it."

"What?"

"You'd just wait to take your turn for a few weeks."

"My turn?"

She laughed breathlessly. "You gotta fuck her on your own, big boy. We can take her together after the challenge is done. But you get her on your own first, and I get her on my own first. Then, maybe if you're lucky, I'll bring our strap on along and let Penny watch me turn you into a whimpering little mess when I make you come hands-free all over the sheets again."

Shit. Shit.

"Illplayfair," I said in a rush.

"What?"

"I'll play fair." My voice caught. "If she hits on me, I'll go with it."

Nola tilted her head like she was thinking. "I dunno. Can I really trust you on this?"

"I promise." Fuck, I was so goddamn-- "I fucking promise. Please. Take the bet."

Her voice was amused. "You sound desperate."

"I am desperate." I slammed my eyes shut, trying with everything in me to hold back. "Baby. Please."

For a moment, I thought she was going to deny me. That I'd either have to stop stroking and sit there with my balls aching because she hadn't told me I was allowed to stop, or that she'd order me to stop touching myself just as my orgasm started and ruin it.

But the bed shifted and a rustle of denim being pulled off later, Nola hooked her leg over my thigh, moved her red panties to the side, and sank down on my cock in one fluid movement.

"Get ready for all our friends to know you like it in the ass," she said, and I fucking came.

***

Penny

Nola

You're overthinking this, sweetheart.

She was right. I was overthinking this.

But in fairness, I was pretty sure Nola was underthinking it.

I mean, she wasn't the one who, in a moment of arousal-induced insanity, agreed to seduce five people for the final prize of sleeping with the sixth person.

Well, and to get revenge on Dane, but apparently fucking Nola was a prize I was really passionate about winning. And I wanted to make damn sure I was playing by the rules.

Me

I think it's a fair question.

Nola

What do you think is a fair answer?

Me

I don't know what you would say. That's why I'm asking.

Nola

Sweetheart.

What do YOU think a fair answer is?

Not me.

Me

I don't think sex has to include penetration to "count" otherwise technically I guess I've never had sex with a woman. But I also gave a lot of blowjobs and said I was still a virgin before my first time, so...

Nola

Mmm. Give me a sec. You put the picture in my head of you sucking a bunch of dicks and it's really doing it for me.

She wasn't the only one.

Not that picturing myself sucking dicks was doing it for me specifically. It was the whole thing in general. It was walking back into my house after agreeing to Nola's challenge, tasting her lips lingering on mine as I dug out the dildo I'd told Dane I definitely didn't own anymore because apparently the fact that it was slightly bigger than he was made him insecure.

It was spending the dark hours of the night with that dildo inside me, pressing a vibrator to my clit as I pretended it was a piece of someone else, their faces morphing into each other each time I brought myself to the edge.

Evander.

Kellen.

Beau.

Tobin.

Harris.

And, of course, Nola.

It was spending my entire shift wishing I could sneak back to my phone and furtively text Nola, even though I usually adored my job helping brides find their perfect wedding dress.

It was wondering who I'd fuck first. And when. And where. And if I should tell them about the challenge. If I should tell them what Dane said. If they'd change their mind when I said I needed to fuck four of their other friends so I could win the opportunity to fuck the fifth.

Or if that would get them even more excited.

My phone went off again and I looked down, trying to ignore the heat in my cheeks.

Nola

I'm gonna say use your judgment. Like, let's say I walk into my living room one day and find you on your knees in front of Harris, letting him discover if that pretty throat of yours has a gag reflex. I would say the intent to swallow all his cum would count towards your challenge.

So.

That, um.

That answered that.

Before I could respond, another message came through.

Nola

That being said: you understand the worst that would happen if one of your encounters didn't "count" as sex is that you'd have to fuck them again... right?

Well.

Now that she said that, I did.

Me

I guess that wouldn't be the worst--

"Hi, Penny."

I jolted, gasping as my phone went crashing to the ground and skidded beneath the counter. On the other side of the store, a man with beige-white skin, auburn hair that nearly reached his shoulders, and blue eyes grimaced. He lifted his hands to face me palm out, shrinking back a step to give me space even though he was already twenty feet away from me with a register and multiple racks of sample wedding dresses between us.

"Sorry!" he said. "I didn't meant to scare you!"

I stared at him for a moment, then blinked. "Tobin?"

"Yeah?" he replied.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's not obvious?"

I stared at him. He was dressed in the uniform of the year-round Christmas store a few blocks away, though he'd taken off the vest so it looked like he was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans.

And... that was it.

He wasn't holding anything. There was nothing unusual near him. He was smiling vaguely.

"Are you here to buy a wedding dress?" I guessed.

The corner of his mouth tugged up into a lopsided smile. "Aren't you closed for the day?"

"What? No. We don't close until"--I glanced at the clock, which read five-sixteen--"uh... four-thirty."

"I guess I'll have to come back for the dress another time," he said. "Luckily, I'm mainly here just to see you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, of course. I was worried about you. We all were after Dane told us you two broke up. Oh, and I made you mac and cheese."

I stared at him again, his hands still empty despite having promised me mac and cheese. "You did?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding earnestly. "Except I messed it up. I had to work today so I got up early to make it, but I accidentally fell asleep at the kitchen table while the noodles boiled. So then they got all overcooked and mushy and by the time I woke up and realized, there wasn't enough time for me to make more before I had to leave."

"Oh," I said. "Well... that's okay. It's the thought that counts."

"Yeah, but you can't eat thoughts," he said. "So I'm gonna take you to the grocery store so I can get more ingredients, then I'll come over to your house and make it for you. And this way you can pick the cheeses you want in it and your noodle shape and everything. If that's okay with you, of course."

And of course it was.

I wasn't some kind of heathen who would say no to mac and cheese.

And more importantly, I was smart enough to know an opportunity when I saw it.

Because one of the hardest things about Nola's challenge was going to be finding everyone. Sure, I knew where people worked or at the absolute worst, knew they'd be at the Flat Tire every Friday night for drinks. But so would Dane, and even if he wasn't, I'd still have to go to the bar and choose one of them to go home with in front of everyone else.

But this? I may not have planned it, but I'd "found" Tobin. And I may not have known exactly how to seduce him, but I knew what I was going to do.

I was obviously going to suck his dick after he made me mac and cheese.

Unfortunately, the "how" of it all was still important. Especially when it came to actually starting the whole process. By the time I got into Tobin's old SUV and we were halfway to the grocery store, I still hadn't figured it out.

And sure, maybe I was a little nervous about it. I mean, if I went through with this, there was no backing out. There was no question about what I'd be doing to Dane.

But I didn't think my apprehension was that obvious until Tobin glanced at me at a red light.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course," I said. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Uh... you just went through a breakup."

"Oh. Right." My face burned. It probably did look pretty weird that I wasn't talking about that.

"Or maybe you think it's weird that you and me are hangin' out when Dane's sort of my friend."

I tried to laugh. "Maybe I'm just trying to think of what kind of cheese I want in my mac and cheese."

"That's not someone's cheese planning face."

"I didn't know people had specific expressions for that."

"You'd be surprised about what you can read on people's faces." He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes. "Like right now, I can tell you weren't thinking about cheese. And I don't think you were thinking about Dane, either. You look more like you're nervous about something." His eyebrows knitted into a worried frown. "Is it me? I don't want to make you uncomfortable. If you'd rather go home--"

"No, that's not it," I said.

"You sure?" His frown deepened, worry and concern wrinkling between his eyebrows. "Honestly, Penny, I know I'd never do anything to hurt someone, but I totally get that enough guys would that it makes girls nervous."

"Tobin, I trust you," I said.

"I just don't want you to think I'm making you mac and cheese to, like, seduce you or something," he said emphatically. "I mean, full disclosure, I like you and think you're hot as hell, but I'm not doing this like, as a date or something. You just got out of a relationship and more importantly, you're my friend. So I won't be offended if you wanna have me drop you off or call someone or whatever."

I blinked a few times, then glanced at him from the corner of my eye. "You think I'm hot?"

"Very," he said, like it was obvious.

"And... like me?"

"Of course. I always have."

It was a simple statement. But in that moment, it was a heavy one.

Because even though it should have excited me, something weighted with guilt settled in my stomach.

Something I hadn't considered yet.

Because if Tobin liked me--really liked me--was any of this fair?

Was it fair to treat him like a box to tick off on a checklist just to hurt Dane and fuck Nola?

I didn't want to use Tobin. I didn't want to hurt him. I didn't want to lead him along and make him think I was with him for one reason when it was really something else entirely.

I knew how that felt, and Tobin didn't deserve that.

But I hadn't asked him to like me. And he had said he wasn't doing this like a date. I didn't owe him an explanation about anything, if he even agreed to fuck me.

Still, it felt manipulative, in a way. To sleep with him and not tell him why. And I didn't know if I was allowed to tell him about Nola's challenge. I mean, I hadn't asked her if--

But I didn't even finish the thought before Nola's voice was in my head, interrupting me.

Sweetheart. What do YOU think a fair answer is?

"Penny?" Tobin asked again. "What's on your mind?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it. Then I opened it again, closed it again, and opened it one more time.

Tobin frowned. "Are you having trouble breathing? 'Cause I don't actually know CPR, but I can give it a try."

I laughed in spite of myself. "No, I'm... I'm trying to decide how to say what I want to say."

"Usually just using words works," he said.

It was one of those statements that was completely useless, and yet, beautiful in its simplicity. In hindsight, it seemed like a bad idea. To be fair, I also thought it was a bad idea at the time, but for some reason, I did it anyway.

"I'm going to try fucking all of your friends," I said.

Tobin's head bobbed in a surprisingly chill sort of nod. "Alright."

I bit my lip. "Do you want me to explain why?"

"Yeah, of course," he said. "I'm guessing it's got something to do with Dane."

"Sort of, yeah," I admitted. "I mean, I wasn't intending to, but then Nola came over last night and we talked about why Dane and I are... you know. Not together and why. Which had a lot to do with him only being with me because all his friends liked me and not because he actually wanted to be with me." I cleared my throat. "So Nola said as revenge, I should sleep with all your friends. And that kind of turned into a challenge where she said she'd be the, like, 'prize.' If I hook up with everyone."

To my surprise, Tobin didn't raise his eyebrows or shoot me a judgmental look. He didn't grimace or side-eye me or scoff in disgust.

He just burst out laughing.

"Of course she did," he said between chuckles. "She told all of us last night at the bar that you'd need some time to yourself just so she could be the first one to see you."

"What do you mean?"

"We were talking about how bummed we were that you wouldn't be around any more. And that turned into everyone admitting they were into you." We pulled up to a red light and Tobin turned to me. "It's kind of like Nola challenging you to sleep with everyone. Everyone wants their chance to be with you. She just gave herself an edge by convincing us not to go and see you right away."

It made sense. And it was flattering. But it also created a problem.

"But now it would be weird, wouldn't it?" I said. "If I try to sleep with everyone?"

He started shaking his head before I'd even finished speaking. "I don't think you have to worry, Pen. Nola wouldn't have challenged you if she thought any of us would have an issue with it. And I'm pretty sure no one in our group has an issue with casual hookups. I mean, Harris and Nola have their open relationship, and I'm pretty sure Beau and Kellen have shared girls before--"

"What?!" I said, my neck snapping towards him.

He grinned as the light turned red. "Yeah, you gotta ask them about that weekend in Regina sometime. But you know all our friends. Everyone's pretty chill about this kind of thing. I mean, Harris and I are best buds and I slept with his ex while they were still together. He's talked about thinking me and Nola should hook up, even though I don't think me or Nola would enjoy that. No one's gonna judge you or anything."

"Even if they want more from me than just sex?"

"If the way they feel about you changes because they want more and you don't, they're not the kind of person who belongs in our friend group in the first place."

I drummed my fingers against my thigh lightly, knowing he was right. But still, this was... well, unexpected was a word for it.

Exciting was another.

Because yeah, my heart was racing faster than a fish towards an innocuously sparkling worm, with just as much a likelihood of being trapped.

But I'd never done anything like this. Not because I didn't want to, but I'd never had the opportunity to come up. Sure, Dane had asked for an open relationship. But I hadn't tried to find someone else to hook up with.

So what if I wasn't ready for something like this?

Tobin let me overthink in silence for the rest of the short drive to the grocery store near my house, weaving and unweaving my fingers mindlessly. But once he pulled into a spot near the cart return, I pressed my palms to my thighs and took a breath before unbuckling my seatbelt and getting out of the SUV.

"Do you think I should tell the others?" I asked as I joined him at the back of his vehicle, where he was getting reusable bags out of the trunk.

"I mean, yeah," Tobin said, a bit awkwardly. "I don't think it's fair to not be honest that you're sleeping with other people."

"No, not that. Of course I'd tell everyone that." I licked my lips. "I mean about Nola challenging me to do it."

"Ohhh," he said, closing the hatch of the SUV and drawing out the word until it ended with a grin. "No. Make them work for it. You deserve that. And don't worry, I'll help you."

My stomach flipped in a nervously pleasant way. "You will?"

"Yeah, of course." He smiled, small crinkles appearing in the corners of his eyes. "We'll set up some stuff to make sure you get a chance to run into everyone, you know? Since, like, you don't work with any of us or anything."

"You'd do that for me?" I asked, my face warming.

"Of course, Pen. I wanna help you out." His smile was a bit lopsided and my stomach did that pleasant flip again. "When do you want to start working on the challenge?"

I let my eyes flick down to his lips. "I mean, we can start tonight, can't we?"

To my surprise, his lopsided smile faded a bit. "Tonight?"

I frowned, confused. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all." He looked at the shopping bags in his hands. "D'you still want have mac and cheese first? I mean, you need to eat, and I'll need time to figure out who we should see first. I can figure it out while I cook."

I stared at him, blinking twice before realization crept across my mind.

"Tobin," I said softly. "You know you're part of the challenge, right?"

"Oh." A look that was part relief and part good-natured embarrassment flashed across his face. "I thought you said you were going to try fucking all my friends."

"Well, yeah. Because they're the same as Dane's friends. And my friends. You didn't think that included you?"

He shrugged.

"And you were still going to make me mac and cheese and help me with the challenge?"

"Well, yeah," he said, like it was obvious. "I told you, I like you. Even if you don't like me that way, I wanna be friends with you."

And I just...

It was an early Saturday evening. The grocery store wasn't busy, per se, but there were plenty of people in the parking lot. Plenty of people who could see us. And I may or may not have known them; I didn't know. I wasn't looking at them.

Because all I could think was that God, I wanted to kiss Tobin.

Right then.

Right there.

***

Tobin

I'd never met a woman who didn't love mac and cheese.

One or two of them probably existed. Like, if people could be born missing limbs or with bodies that didn't match their genders or two different coloured eyes or whatever, it was perfectly possible that someone was born with their tastebuds wired to the wrong flavour or whatever.

Or maybe that they had severe mac and cheese related trauma. Like, maybe mac and cheese killed their grandma or something. Or the sound of mac and cheese being stirred triggered memories that caused psychological pain.

But I figured that was an anomaly. I'd be willing to say the vast majority of women loved mac and cheese.

Like, you ever meet a lactose intolerant girl? Doesn't matter that mac and cheese could make her ass sound like a Canadian goose trying to play an out-of-tune trumpet, that girl was gonna devour it.

Or the girls who couldn't eat gluten. Add enough cheese to something and that brown rice chickpea elbow-macaroni-shaped version of pasta starts to taste pretty damn good.

I mean, hell. Vegans! Vegans loved it so much that they'd developed cheese-free versions of it. Which should've been impossible because cheese was in the name of the damn thing, but that just goes to show you how determined people are to get their fix of mac and cheese.

So when I decided I wanted to do something to cheer Penny up, I figured doing something with mac and cheese might work. She loved mac and cheese--that wasn't just an assumption, I'd heard her say it a few times--and she needed to eat. Being sad takes energy. Plus it was a comfort food.

And it's super customizable. Like, I liked my mac and cheese with shells--which I guess made it shells and cheese, but that wasn't as catchy--and a cheddar-forward sauce. I'd mix in some mozzarella for stretch and Velveeta or cream cheese for creaminess, but I wanted the flavour profile to remain traditional. Then I could bring in crispy fried onions or bacon or chili beans or fuckin' lobster if I was feeling bougie, and the sauce wouldn't take away from the additions.

But there were all kinds of ways you could make the sauce. Smoked gouda was a great addition. Same with havarti. Emmental and gruyere gave the dish a fondue sort of vibe. Pouring in beer or hot sauce or white wine. Or bringing in strong flavours like bleu cheese or dill. Topping it with crushed Doritos instead of breadcrumbs. Adding roasted garlic and caramelized onions. Or jalapenos. Or cocktail shrimp. Or ham. Or hot dogs. Or pizza sauce. It was hard to go wrong with mac and cheese.

Anyways, long story short, Penny's tongue was in my mouth.

I hadn't expected it. Obviously I'd hoped for it, but even in my wildest hopes, I didn't think it would happen so soon. But there she was, pressed against me in the grocery store parking lot, soft pink lips attached to mine.

She didn't taste like strawberries, even though that's the shade of pink her lips were. She tasted like kissing, like that not-a-flavour flavour people have unless they've just eaten garlic or smoked or crunched a hurried mint to cover up the taste in their mouth. But there was the scent of something floral and fruity, maybe shampoo or perfume or lip balm, that put the taste of peaches in my mind. It urged me to let my eyes fall shut, to kiss her back, to lift the hand that wasn't occupied with a bunch of reusable shopping bags to her waist and pull her body into mine until her softness forced me to lean back against my SUV.

Fuck, I loved the feel of her mouth.

And fuck, I wished she hadn't kissed me right then.

That was the power of mac and cheese. And like all power, it had its downsides. All it took was the making of the promise to get Penny to kiss me, but now all I wanted to do was abandon everything and pull her into the back seat. I wanted to pin her down, kiss her harder, and find out if that delicious scent would make her pussy taste like peaches, too.

God, the things I was going to do to her.

Just as my dick nearly won the battle to switch to the eat-her-out-in-the-back-seat plan, Penny pulled back. I drew in a breath through parted lips as her warm brown eyes turned up to look at me, a nervous crease appearing between her eyebrows.

"Sorry," she said, a breathlessness to her voice. "I should've probably asked, but--"

"Yes."

She blinked. "What?"

"Yes, you can kiss me," I said.

She bit down on her bottom lip again, her cheeks rounding out as she held back a smile. "Was that a belated answer or a request for another one?"

"If you kiss me like that again, we might have to pick up a box of KD or one of those Michelina's microwave dinners," I said. "That way I can get to my dessert faster."

The corners of her eyes crinkled as her smile got harder to hide. "Your dessert? But what am I having for dessert, then?"

"An orgasm, hopefully."

Her eyes flicked down and her cheeks turned pink as she laughed. "That sounds delicious."

"Perfect. Let's go get some groceries and then I'll take you home and cook for you."

But we'd barely started towards the store when she froze, her breath catching as she stared at the nearby cart return. A familiar figure was facing away from us, putting an empty cart back in the corral.

Which, seeing as I'd told Penny I'd help her complete her challenge, was perfect.

"Evander!" I called. "Hey!"

Penny's head swivelled towards me, her eyes wide. After a moment, Evander turned in place, his stoic face even more guarded than usual.

"Tobin," he said in his signature flat tone. "What a surprise." He flicked his gaze towards Penny and I watched as his eyes softened. "Hey, Penny."

"Hi," Penny said, her voice high-pitched. "I didn't know you shopped here."

"I don't usually," he said. "But they had a sale on tofu, which is kind of hard to find in Aurora Flats, so..."

Penny nodded, her head bobbing like it was attached to a marionette string. "That makes sense."

"It does," he said.

I wasn't sure if Evander had seen us kissing or if he was just being his typical quiet self, but there was a slightly awkward pause. He glanced at me again and I waited for a moment, then raised my eyebrows pointedly. His jaw twitched and he cleared his throat.

"Uh, I'm sorry, by the way," he said. "To hear about you and Dane."

The pink stain on Penny's cheeks darkened. "Thank you. I... I think it's probably for the best."

He nodded brusquely. "You can easily do better than him."

I thought Penny might do that thing where she brushed off the compliment, but she just smiled.

"Thank you," she said. "I think I can, too."

Hell yeah. I grinned and even Evander's lips twitched into his trademark half-smirk, which was his equivalent of beaming.

"Great," Evander said. "Well, it was good to see you. I should let you both get to your... shopping."

"Right," Penny said. "Good to see you, too."

And just like that, it was a hell no.

I mean, what was she thinking?! Not to toot my own horn, but it was lucky for Penny that I was around. This was a prime opportunity for her to start working on Nola's challenge--well, working on the challenge with someone other than me--and not that it was like she'd never see Evander again, but she had to take those opportunities as they came up.

I wasn't sure if Evander caught it before he turned to go back to his car, but I elbowed Penny as subtly as I could. She looked at me, confusion on her face, and I directed my eyes at Evander before looking back at her.

Ask him out, I thought at her as hard as I could.

She frowned, her head tilting to the side as her confusion deepened.

Fuck.

"The challenge," I mouthed at her.

Penny's mouth rounded into an O as realization flooded her face. Evander was already on the other side of the lane, but she bolted forward a few steps.

"Wait!" she said. "One sec, Evander!"

He stopped and turned to look back as she caught up to him. I busied myself by going to the corral and grabbing a shopping cart, fiddling with the coin return key far more than necessary until I heard light footsteps on the asphalt behind me. I pulled the cart out as Penny rejoined me, though stepped aside as she quietly urged me out of the way so she could push.

"Well?" I asked quietly.

"I asked him if we could go out for coffee next week," she replied, her voice just as soft. "He asked me if I meant like a date and I said yeah."

I tried not to smile. She was doing so fucking good. "And?"

Penny didn't look at me. "He said no."

***

Penny

"He said no?" Tobin repeated.

"Yeah." I tried to smile, but failed. "It's fine. He said he's not interested in seeing me. Like that. That I'm not his cup of tea, you know?" I shrugged.

"He said you're not his cup of tea?" he repeated. "Like, actually?"

"It's fine. Really. It's fine."

"But he said--" Tobin started, then cut himself off with a frown. He thought for a moment, the frown deepening before he shook his head. "Give me a sec. I'm gonna go catch him before he leaves."

"No!" I reached out, putting a hand on his forearm before he could walk away. "Don't. I... I'd rather we just go get cheese and go home."

He studied me for a moment, then thankfully dropped it. Quietly, he slipped his arm around my waist and rested his hand on the small of my back as we headed into the store.

And that should have been it.

I mean, yeah. It sucked. Obviously. No one likes being rejected. And I'd really thought...

Well.

I'd really thought Evander would say yes.

Not that I'd ever looked at him like that when I was with Dane, but Evander and I had been kind of close. He was from Aurora Flats, but he felt a bit like an outsider, too. Not quite the same way I did; we'd had deep heart-to-hearts about it and me feeling like I didn't belong because I'd moved here as a teenager was nothing like him being one of the only visibly South Asian people in town. But when you felt like you didn't fit in somewhere, you didn't need the exact same experience as another person who felt that way to connect with them.

It was more than that, too. We laughed at the same things, even though he had a quiet, dry sense of humour and I was more on the bubbly side. He liked to draw and read and play video games, and while I wasn't very good at drawing, I liked to colour and read and also play video games. We shared the same opinions on a lot of important things, too. Politics and morals and whether pineapple belonged on pizza. The big stuff.

And of course I found him attractive. Evander had dark brown eyes and cool beige-ish brown skin and high cheekbones. His almost-black hair was on the longer side and often fell into his eyes. He was the shortest of the guys in our group of friends, though that wasn't saying much since the others were all just unusually tall. Harris, Kellen, and Dane were all over six feet tall, while Beau and Tobin were only an inch or two below, and Evander was just an inch or two below that.

The point of it was that I thought Evander and I had chemistry. I felt like that about pretty much all of them, but I liked the quiet way Evander and I seemed to click.

But that didn't mean we were meant to be anything more than completely platonic friends. And it was fine.

It was.

Like, so what if Evander didn't find me attractive? At least he didn't fake that attraction and date me for a year because he was too much of a coward to break up with me on his own.

And it's not like it was going to affect the challenge Nola gave me. Consent was always number one, and if someone didn't want to sleep with me, she wasn't going to count that against me.

Plus, Evander was probably into some kinkier things than I was. We'd never gotten into anything specifically, but he'd alluded to some of his "preferences" a few times. This whole challenge from Nola was the most non-vanilla thing I'd ever done.

Like, if he wanted a double-shot extra-hot two-pumps-caramel-two-pumps cinnamon-two-pumps-hazelnut no-foam-extra-whip half-oat-milk-half-two-percent latte, it made sense that I wasn't his cup of tea.

And that was fine.

Because you know who liked tea?

Tobin, probably.

Tobin, with his warm hands and comforting smile and his thoughtful mac and cheese.

That was what mattered.

He didn't let me help cook when we got back to my house, instead directing me to sit at the table to keep him company. I did for most of the time he was cooking; when it was almost done, I got up and grabbed dishes to set the table, justifying it by reminding Tobin he didn't know where I kept all the things in my kitchen.

And then we ate.

And God damn, did we eat.

Mac and cheese is one of those things that's good even when it's bad. Like, so long as a reasonable effort is made, it's usually pretty edible.

But I swear to God, Tobin was an actual master artisan when it came to making mac and cheese.

He'd gotten me to pick the cheese he used, though he'd given me a bit of direction. A certain amount of this type so it melted properly, for example, or not too much of another type so it wasn't greasy. Along with the horseradish cheddar and smoked gouda, I'd picked a gruyere and some fontina, and Tobin had added a small container of grated parmesan.

"Trust me," he'd said. "I know it seems crazy and usually buying pre-shredded is the number one no-no for mac and cheese, but this works best for the topping."

And I couldn't tell anyone how or why, but he was right. The topping was a blend of toasted panko, fried onions, and parmesan powder, crispy but crumbly without being clumped together, followed by a perfect crunch that balanced out the creamy cheese sauce.

Seriously. His mac and cheese was so good that if I hadn't wanted to suck his dick before, I definitely would've now. Someone was going to marry Tobin for that mac and cheese.

When we finished eating, Tobin waved off my attempts to help clean up the kitchen, though he did let me portion out the leftovers so he could take some home after I told him there was no way I could eat an entire casserole dish of mac and cheese by myself before it went bad. And once that was done, we stood there in that awkward lull that appears when two people know they're going to have sex but aren't quite sure how to get from packing up leftovers to packing one's dick inside the other.

"So," I asked. "Um. What do you want to do, um, now?"

Tobin looked at me, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I think we should go to Pound Town."

And I couldn't help it. I giggled. Because of all the ways I thought Tobin would proposition me, calling it pound town wasn't one of them.

"I'm in," I said.

Tobin's smirk widened into a grin. "Great. Grab your shoes. And how do you feel about exhibitionism?"

That... wasn't what I'd expected him to say. "What?"

"Your shoes?" he repeated. "And your keys, I guess, but I'll drive us."

"No, I meant--wait. You're... driving us to Pound Town?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Well, we can walk if you want, but it's kinda far. And it's more about getting back afterwards, you know?"

I glanced at the hallway that led to my bedroom. "Um..."

Tobin followed my gaze, then looked back at me. "Or we can stay here and have sex, if you'd rather do that."

"I thought that's what you meant by Pound Town," I said.

"No, I mean Pound Town," he said. "Or, I guess some people still call it Essence, but after that spa opened up on Second Avenue with the same name, most people started calling it Pound Town so there was less confusion. I still think the spa should've made sure there wasn't a sex club with the same name in the area first, but as far as I know, they still don't know about Pound Town."

And that was how I discovered Aurora Flats had a sex club.

***

Thanks for reading! The third part of She's A Keeper will be coming soon.