Joseph trudged up his driveway and up the front porch of his two story level rambler like a zombie. He blamed his sister.

She chewed him out where it'd hurt him the most. And for the rest of the day he couldn't concentrate at work as his mind was assaulted by the infectious thoughts of seeing Layla in the arms of another man. It sickened him to the point it became necessary for the CDC to step in.

But if he had to choose having to live in a world where he had to watch another man hold her, kiss her and make her come so hard she literally explodes then he'd rather choose having an infectious disease. Something quick. Because as much as he thought he was doing the right thing and was ready to bear seeing Layla happy with someone who wasn't him, such a scenario didn't seem real or possible until Keisha basically told him she'd make it her life mission to make Layla forget about him.

Damn he was pathetic. He inserted his house key and unlocked the door when a noise from his right startled him.

"Hey Joseph."

Layla stood up from the porch swing. His eyes roamed over her. Her braids were twisted back in a bun a few strands of them framing the sides of her face. She wore a maroon shift dress -his favorite color- that hugged her curves like a second skin and a pair of black stilettos that did all kinds of things to her ass, making him want to grab and pull her into his hardening cock.

Damn. She was beautiful.

"Layla," he murmured. He shook his head and fisted his hands to stop himself from reaching out and touch her. "What are you doing here? If it's about what happened-"

"No. It's not about that." Layla twisted her hands in front of her then laced them behind her back, lifting her lush breasts higher. "Though I don't regret it. In fact I'd love to have you inside me again."

"Layla..."

"I know. I know. But it can't happen again."

His gut twisted. Hearing Layla agree and confirm that they should never again was another devastatingly blow he didn't need. It brought to mind everything that happened that night. The way her breath hitched when he suckled her nipples into her mouth. Her soft cries and the way her possy clamped on his cock then drove her hips down as she came.

She gazed up at him and he saw she was remembering their night together as well. The desire he always felt for her sprang up and charged the air around them. Her eyes fell closed at half mast and Joseph wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her more than anything he ever wanted.

He must be insane taking a step back breaking the spell. But he still believed he was doing what was right. They were both at two different points in their lives. In a few years he'll be settling down, getting married and starting a family of his own. While she was still trying to find herself which explained her current business. Of course what he did expect from an avid Harry Potter fan. Even though he had to admit everything she said did happen.

Steeling himself against the sexy siren in front of him he told her in a curt voice, "That all you wanted to say? If so, I've had a long day and just want to get to bed."

A hurt look crossed her face and it hurt him for putting it there. But he had to. He'd already messed up once. He'd could easily mess up again if he wasn't careful.

Layla took a deep breath and smiled at him. Her lips quivered in pain a bit drawing his gaze making him feel like an asshole. But at least he was an asshole with morals.

"Please don't be angry at me."

"I'm not angry-"

"Yeah. You are." Her hand reached out and picked up an insulated back from the bench he hadn't noticed. "And you have every right to be. You want me to stay away from and I'm just not listening."

"I don't want you to stay away," Joseph spoke half truthfully.

"Joseph stop trying to spare my feelings. I read your note."

"My note didn't say anything like that." He moved forward and Layla stepped back. Her free hand raised palm up. "Please listen to my apology."

Apology? Of what? He was the one that couldn't keep his hands to himself. The note he left on her bedside didn't come close to a decent apology. It was him being cowardly. And he knew it.

Joseph sighed and scrubbed his jaw. "Look... Layla, you have nothing to apologize for. I shouldn't have touched you. Or treated you like a one night stand. I'm sorry."

A flicker of emotion passed over her face but the porch light was too low to let him see clearly before it disappeared.Layla smiled but it wasn't her typical could light up the darkest night smile. No her lips were stiffly pressed together and slowly tipped upwards as if rigor mortis already set in the muscle. The pang of guilt for dimming her smile hit him like a punch to the gut.

"Thanks but this apology is for me too. Before you came over that night I had every intention of forgetting about you and move on." Now it was a right hook to his liver. "I've had feelings for you for a long time. Too long. But you knew that right?"

A small part of him wanted to kiss her senseless and tell her she was his. He wouldn't accept her moving on to nobody. But he tamped that inclination down and clenched his hand into a fist pushing the house keys deeper into his palm.

Layla took his silence to continue. Wringing her hands she stepped towards him, engulfing him in her scent.

"Then you came over. Made every dream I had of us together pale in comparison. And afterwards, all on my own, started thinking we were finally starting something. When you just left the next day I was pissed. Then sad and pissed again. I felt so stupid."

Joseph wanted to tell her she wasn't stupid at all. He was the one who fucked up. But Layla wasn't done yet and for the rest of the night he'd wish he had stopped her.

"To you it was obviously just one night. And there I was holding you to some future you didn't want. Or promise. I'm lucky you left a note."

"No I should've gave you a proper goodbye."

"No." Layla's arm reached out and her finger pressed against his mouth. He wanted to draw that finger into his mouth and suckle it. He clamped his mouth shut instead. "If you did you would've nurtured my hope for more. And that's not how one night stands work."

Her hands dropped down to her side and he ached for her to place her hands on him again. Joseph watched as she turned around, walked back to the swing and picked up a dark blue insulated bag.

She walked back towards him and held the bag out towards him.

"What's this."

"The second half of my apology."

"You didn't-"

"Yes, I did." She pressed the bag into his chest and said, "Take it."

He took the bag from her. It was the least he could do. And like the ass he was he held her fingers a few seconds longer than he was supposed to before she pulled away.

He looked down at the package in his hands and then back up at her. "What is it?"

"Well they're no list of gifts to give for a great no strings attached sex to buy a person. I know you enjoy good food so found a recipe of your favorite meal. It was the only thing I could think of. And I think it turned out well too."

His head dipped into his chest and he smelled the delicious smell of rump roast and spicy herbs. His mouth watered to taste it and he couldn't wait to eat it considering he threw out his boxed lunch from this afternoon in a fit of anger.

Still he was stunned. His favorite color and now his favorite meal? He didn't think his previous ex-girlfriend even knew any of that. And tonight Layla showed up with both.

Joseph cleared his throat. "Thank you."

Layla shook her head, leaned forward on tip toe and pressed a kiss on the edge of his lips. "No thank you. For a great night that won't happen again."

Damn, he wanted it to happen again.

Joseph watched as she turned and walked down his steps. Not ready to end things just yet he called out, "Why don't you join me and eat this together." He raised the bag as if she needed a reminder of what was in the bag. "Together. As friends."

Layla shook her head from side to side. "I can't. Keisha invited me out for some celebratory thing at a bar. Why do you think I'm all dressed up."

Joseph skin flushed in embarrassment. For awhile there he thought she wore it for him. And then reeled in shock of what she just said.

"Keisha invited you?" It took everything in him to sound unconcerned but inside he was a volcano ready to burst. He had no business or the right to be angry and jealous. But a night out drinking and possibly meeting some asshole who wouldn't treat her right was too soon. Keisha had to know that.

"Yeah. I wanted to wait for you to get home so now I'm running late. See ya later."

Joseph barely managed to tell her goodbye through his clenched jaw as he watched her form disappear down the length of his driveway, into her car and going further away to the arms of whatever man Keisha found for her in such short notice. All the while the way her hips swayed and buttocks bounced as she walked away from wreaking havoc on his libido. And on his mind as he thought of another man appreciating what he'll never again.

✋✋❤❤✋✋❤❤

"I don't think I can do this guys."

"Don't tell me you're giving up already?"

Layla looked at the incredulous look on Bea's face. If she wasn't feeling so miserable she would've laughed. If she hadn't been in a non laughing mood for the seventy-two hours.

"Yeah, girl. You've just started. Besides my brother deserves to suffer a bit. There are places in the world where child marriages are a thing. And he's hung up on a seven year age difference? You got men marrying women old enough to be their daughters. Granddaughters."

"How many drinks has she had," Jenna whispered to Felicite'.

"Just enough with room for more," answered Keisha before bursting into giggles.

"Keisha's right. Let him suffer while you have some fun in wearing him down."

"But what if it doesn't work? Besides it feels wrong somehow. As if I'm tricking him."

"Well it's not like you're trapping him. You're just trying to wake him up. It's up to him if he wants to snooze or get his ass up."

Keisha ordered another round of drinks and came back into the conversation. "Hear, hear."

Layla understood where her girls were coming from. They were worried about and looking after her while withholding the side of man bashing. Excluding maybe Keisha and bea. And Layla had an inkling that her friend's huffy mood might have to do with her latest find, photographer artist Alejandro/Anton Vaga, who currently had his arms wrapped around some leggy blonde at the bar.

"What happened earlier tonight that changed your mind," asked Felicite' as she leaned forward in their booth, her arms crossed above the table. The others hushed and looked at her with questioning eyes making her feel like a squirrel in the headlights of a barreling car.

She looked at her friends and almost couldn't bear to tell them but then she remembered how they came over that morning, soothing her with drinks and making plans to get her dream man. They deserved to know why she no longer wanted to go through with it.

"He looked miserable with bags under his eyes the size of my fist."

"It's true," added Keisha. "I saw it this afternoon. It's his fault though. Who said he had to torture himself."

"That's it. If he's tortured then maybe I can state my case for us, a future, somehow that'll make him come to me."

"And?" asked Bea.

"And I don't feel right torturing him more than necessary."

Keisha sighed. "God you're hopeless overy my brother aren't you? Thought that's not a bad thing."

Layla nodded. She was hopelessly in love with her friend's older brother. A love that stayed with her for seven years and wasn't going nowhere. She couldn't do nothing about her feelings because he was older than her. But now she had her own business which was doing well and a place of her own. It was time to stop dawdling and be brave. It was time to get her man.

Jenna and Felicite' smiled while Bea groaned. "Fine. Fine. If that's what you want. But one more thing and then we're going to enjoy girl's night with no more talk of men."

"If you're done with the plan to wear him down by showing him what he's missing there's one thing we gotta do first before calling quits."

"What?"

Keiasha turned around and yelled towards the bar. "Vaga! Over here."

Alejandro/Anton looked over at our table, put up his pointer finger for one minute before turning back to the woman, picking up her phone and tapping on the screen what possibly was his phone number. Aftera quick kiss goodbye he swaggered to where we were sitting all the while the woman he left was checking out his butt with laser focus as if she'd die if she take her eyes off of it for even one second.

Keisha didn't miss it and rolled her eyes.

"What you need boss," he asked in a light latin accent.

"I'm not your boss."

"Patron then."

"We're not doing this right now?" She pointed at Layla and said, "Sit over there."

Like a trained poodle and smiled a heart stopping, panty melting smile as he waited for his treat. Then she beckoned a server and handed her phone to take their picture as she told them to squish in together and smile. When the server gave her back the phone she immediately started texting, the devilish smile curling her lips making her wonder what she was up to.

"There," she said with a satisfied look on her face as she put her phone back into her purse. Then waved arms away at Alejandro/Anton and told him to shoo. "You can go back to your new flavor of the day now."

Alejandro/Anton hit his chest, his mouth opening, in mock hurt. "You wound me boss."

"I'm not your boss. I had to be paying your bills to be your boss."

"Fine," he said shrugging his shoulders with sensual confidence as she leaned back and stretched his arms across either side of the back of the booth. "Benefactress. Besides why limit myself with one flavor when I have five very beautiful flavors right here." He turned his gaze to Kayla, "Voce aceita um drink...Do you accept a drink?"

Before she could answer Keisha cut in and said no. Then the two continued their banter while everyone watched. Soon their table was filled with laughter and despite the occasional glares sent Alejandro/Anton's way, it was the best girl's plus one night out she'd had in a long while. That she even forgot her curiosity over what Keisha was doing with her phone after they had their picture taken.