I unlocked the door slowly. Montse should be asleep by now, and I could finally go and have some sleep after such a stressful day.

I stepped into my apartment, closing the door, then came right to a startled stop. She was sitting in the living room, her eyes glued distractedly to the TV. The sight of her made every fibre in my body sizzle, alive with awareness.

When she turned to look at me, I expected to see rancor in her eyes. Instead, her eyes lighted up, and she smiled warmly at me. She patted the space beside her on the couch, indicating for me to come and sit down.

Seeing her still awake had thrown me offguard, but I managed to stabilize my composure and walked to sit beside her.

For a while, none of us said anything, pretending to be watching what was showing on the television.

“Haven't seen you in  while.” She finally spoke.

My chest tightened. “It's just work. It keeps me busy.” At least that wasn't a lie.

“I see.” She said simply.

A silence followed before she finally spoke again. “I know this will sound unreasonable, but sometimes, I feel like going out. I miss the townfolk calling out my name everywhere I pass and telling me I have the best smile. I miss my students telling me I am the best teacher ever. I miss talking and going out with my friends.”

Her words were softly spoken and yet so poignant, and it made me recognize my avoiding her these past few days for what it really was.

I'd brought her here to protect her but for my own selfshness, I'd plunged her into a new unrelished place; loneliness.

She suddenly took my hand and I stiffened, my eyes locking on our intertwined fingers. “I know this may sound selfish, but I wish you could spend more time with me like before. I miss you.”

It suddenly felt as if the universe had frozen and diminished so we'd created one of our own where there was only the two of us, lost in each others eyes, fingers interlaced.

Our faces inched closer. Her lips beckoned at me to kiss them. I was going to kiss them.

Just a second and we would've kissed when loud music suddenly blared from the TV, breaking the spell. We both pulled back like we'd just realized what we were about to do.

Montse looked at the TV screen and muttered under her breath when she saw that her film had ended and the credits were rolling.

The atmosphere was charged with tension and such an intense sexual awareness.

“Uh, I think I'll go to sleep.” She said.

She didn't even meet my eyes as she muttered goodnight, got up and rushed for her room.

Long minutes later, I was still sitting stunned in the living room, my dick throbbing and bulging so hard that I was sure the fly of my jeans was going to leave a permanent imprint.

What the hell was wrong with me? A woman tells me she misses me and I melt into a puddle of lust and desire and other much warm emotions.

I couldn't keep on feeling this way. I needed to stop feeling this way.

Frankly, I needed to remember how it felt to have a woman's warmth against me, the slide of her soft, yielding body against mine as I drove inside her.

Perhaps I was this hormonal because it'd been too long. A night of some sexual reprieve and I would stop yearning for Montserrat so much.

I stood up, ready to get out when the doorbell rang. I paused, then took a glance at my wristwatch. 10:38pm. Nobody had ever called on me at this time of the night. I thought about the threat on Montserrat's life and my guard went up full force.

Pulling out my gun from under my jacket, I tiptoed to the side of the door. Turning the doorknob, I poised my gun, ready to shoot in case it was who I was expecting.

The door opened and a woman walked in, flinching slightly when she saw me. However she relaxed immediately, then rolled her eyes when she saw the gun in my hand. She then sauntered past me and slumped into the couch, making herself comfortable.

“It feels like forever since I was last here.” She drawled nostalgically.

Helena Salvatore.

She was the closest thing to a friend I had. At least, outside we were friends. But inside the bedroom, our connection trespassed the border of friendship. A mutual satisfaction of sexual pleasure with no commitment whatsoever involved.

She knew everything about me, the kind of work I did, and even though she didn't support it, she understood why I did it. I'd once thought that if I were ever to get married, then she would be the ideal wife, except that my feelings for her didn't go beyond lust. Nor did hers for me.

The last time I saw her was three months ago after we'd had sex and she'd told me that she'd met a guy whom she wanted to start a real relationship with.

After that, we'd only talked twice over the phone but I hadn't seen her again since. That was why her visit surprised me.

Helena was wearing a lacy blouse on top of skimpy, revealing jean shorts. Without wasting time, she unbottoned her  blouse, took it off, and threw it away, baring her breasts since she wasn't wearing a bra.

I watched as she stood up and pulled the strings in her shorts, then peeled her shorts off, leaving her in only her panties.

She sauntered sensouly towards me and wrapped her arm around my neck. “Do you want us to catch up on our friends with benefits thingy?” She licked her lips.

I raised a brow, confused. “I thought you and...”

She didn't let me finish before she crashed her lips to mine. I tossed my gun aside. Just like always, our kiss soon turned feiry, hungry. Our tongues battled for paramoncy while she helped me out of my jacket, then my button T-shirt.

Grabbing her by her soft ass, I hoisted up, and we tumbled to the couch with me on top of her. Without delay, I unbuckled my belt and ripped her panties off, our mouths still connected.

Cupping my cheeks, she forced our faces apart, causing me yo stare into her lust-filled eyes. “I want to scream your name Mikhail. Make me scream your name.”

I was all too glad to do that.

****

“Mikhail!”

I was sure that the heavens could hear Helena's scream as I bucked violently into her hips and spilled myself inside the condom Helena had brought.

After our orgasms, I pulled out her, collapsing on top of her. Our chests heaving as we tried to regulate them. Air rushed over our heated, sweaty bodies, cooling us after our wild romp.

A minute later, she nudged my chest, and I lifted myself so she could get up. Taking off the condom, I tossed it under the couch. I rested my back against the backrest of the couch, watching as she gathered her blouse, shorts and panties and begun to put them on.

“Trouble in Paradise between you and lover boy?” I asked, feeling curious about it.

The last time we'd talked, she'd seemed so excited about starting something more 'definite' as she called it.

Helena huffed as she began buttoning her blouse. “Don't even remind me. Luiz turned out to be such a mama's boy. His mother doesn't like me for him, and since she doesn't approve of me, he wants us to keep our relationship secret even from his friends. I dumped him.”

Laughter had never really been part of me, and so I managed a light chuckle. She faced me after she was completely dressed up. “Would've stayed the night but I have something to take care of.”

“Okay, let me take you to the door.” I walked her to the door and opened it for her. She planted a deep kiss on my lips before leaving with a promise to call me later.

After she'd left, I searched inside myself for the satisfaction that sex with Helena had always brought me. Instead of that, all I felt was hollowness. A gaping emptiness that confused and frustrated the hell out of me.

Gritting my teeth, I spun around to head to my room, and my heart came right to a stutter. Montserrat was standing at the mouth of the hallway, looking at me with an unreadable expression.

I felt like a criminal caught in the act.