The Very Best of Friends

"Oh I'm sure it's not like that, but it is nice of you to be doing it," she smiled. "I would have been worried having to organise it all myself with or without Matt there to help me."

"So you're bringing Matt to the wedding?" Michael asked suddenly unsure how he felt about his wife with another man despite his initial pleasure and relief that she had moved on with her life. He pulled himself up remembering that she was not his wife anymore. His relationship with Chaynee was difficult at best, and they had all but separated over the last six months which had been why he had been thinking about Joanna more and more often.

"Yes, as long as his work doesn't get any busier," She laughed. "It's a new business, so it's hard to tear him away from it for a few days. You'll be bringing..." she paused before she said Barbie almost sure that was the wrong name, "You're wife?"

"Chaynee and I never married. We talked about it, even planned a wedding, but it never happened for a number of reasons," he admitted. He wasn't sure if she would be coming to the wedding, he wasn't sure about anything that woman did anymore. He hoped Joanna wouldn't push him for an answer.

"Oh, I was sure Justin told me you had married again," Joanna said. "Well as long as you're happy. At our age happy counts for a lot more than all that other stuff we used to worry about," she said.

"Are you happy, Joanna?" he asked watching her.

"Yeah, I think I am. I'm happier at the moment than I have been for some time," she admitted.

"Well you look great, I'm glad you finally picked up the phone, It's good to see you," he smiled warmly. They talked a little more about Justin and his relationship with Tom and lapsed back into the world of years ago as if they were having a chat over a drink at the home they had shared together.

"I should let you go back to work, it was good to clear the air and make sure of the flights and accommodation for my plus one," Joanna said gathering her purse. "Thank you for agreeing to see me, Michael." She held out her hand coming to her feet. He frowned but took the hand she offered.

"It was good to catch up, I wish I had accepted your offer of lunch now," he chuckled guiltily. "I just wasn't sure how this would all pan out. As you said, we didn't exactly part amicably."

"Life's too short to hold grudges, and everyone can always use more friends," she smiled. "We can catch up for lunch sometime, you have my number now. I've missed being able to talk to you about Justin," she said.

"I'll walk you out," he said coming around the desk and walking her to the elevators. "Thanks, Joanna." He bent and kissed her cheek. "I appreciate you reaching out before the wedding. You were always good at seeing the right thing to do."

Joanna left the office building and walked down the street feeling good about what she had accomplished. They's been civil and even familiar with each other. Rather than the scary man who had looked at her with pity and disgust that had been burned into her mind, he had been the kinder version of her ex-husband that had disappeared from her mind in the midst of her divorce.

She felt better about the wedding for just having spoken to him. She walked down the street towards her lunch meeting with Melanie. She had never been more pleased to prove her friend wrong.

*****

Two weeks before the wedding Joanna walked from her room to the kitchen fully nude. It was the first time she had made herself do it, and she resisted the urge to run back to her room and throw on a dress. Matt whistled as she walked past him and grinned as she turned and shook her ass at him. She'd barely gotten some water from the refrigerator when he pounced on her.

Wrapping his arms around her he press up against her from behind, "So this is the week I get to enjoy an uninterrupted view of all of you," Matt murmured in her ear.

"Maybe sometimes," she whispered back and turned in his arms. She knew where this was going; there were never any gentle touches or cuddles that didn't go down this road. She'd tried more than once just to sit with him and watch a movie, but unless she sat at the other end of the couch, she ended up missing most of the movie. Even when she did sit further away she didn't often get to see it all.

He kissed her deeply then and lifted her to the kitchen bench, moving between her legs and rubbing against her. "Feel like some afternoon delight? I promise skyrockets," he murmured with a chuckle quoting yet another movie song making her laugh.

"As always," she giggled and wrapped her legs around his hips as he kissed over her shoulder to her breasts. Leaning her slowly back onto the bench he kissed down her body and she closed her eyes practically purring in pleasure. He was a generous lover, and she was never left wanting.

Matt spread her legs widely and licked the length of her pussy savoring the scent and taste he now knew so well. She was always so hot and willing he dived in nursing her clit with his tongue as his hand moved to prod a finger into the wet hole. His other hand pushed down his shorts and boxers kicking them away if she was going to be nude this week the least he could do was support her.

He pressed against her when he felt the telltale quivers in her thighs and fluttered his tongue as his finger curled forward running along the ridges within her that he knew drove her to the edge. She came, and he revelled in the taste staying where he was and pushing her to limits until she squirmed so much she almost rolled from the bench.

Holding her in place, he stood up with a smile and licked his lips letting his now hard cock point toward its ultimate goal. Wasting no time he stepped forward and pushed against her his hands reaching out to grip her breasts in tight handfuls as he rocked his hips pushing more and more into her until his cock was fully embedded. He groaned loudly loving the tight glove fit of her pussy around his aching cock. He couldn't get enough of this feeling. He had taken her in every position he could think of without getting into the kinky domains, but he loved it here with the bench at just the right height for him to fuck her without any strain on his legs or back.

Joanna moaned in pleasure as he filled her to overfull taking everything he gave her. She lifted her legs bringing her knees up to her chest and opening herself up to him preparing for the intensity she knew was coming. He pulled out slowly then thrust forward hard making her yelp and whimper loudly. She looked up at his face and saw that smile that always undid her. That smile was filled with not only pleasure but the desire he felt for her and she let out a high pitch moan that melded with her whimpers.

"Oh yeah, baby," he groaned as he began to thrust harder feeling her rocking her hips to meet each thrust as if goading him to fuck harder and more brutally. Using her breasts as handles, he pounded her revelling in every sensation. The sight and sound of her only increased the sensations his cock gave him as he sawed in and out of her wet hole. "Fuck, I'm cumming," he groaned hoping she would come again with him

She lay on the kitchen bench basking in the afterglow and looking at the man who made her feel so good. She smiled and nuzzled into his neck. They were good together; he was considerate of her needs, not only like this she thought. The sex was amazing, but he was also supportive where her work and her friends were concerned. He was generous in indulging her hobbies and likes and dislikes, and she tried hard to embrace his in the same way even though he had a need to be constantly active that she found exhausting at times.

"So why aren't I happy," she asked herself. She was happy on the surface. Life was good. Deep inside though she had this idea that something was missing, and she wasn't sure what that was. She tried without any success to find that thing that stopped her being happy and getting carried away with the new relationship. It eluded her and the more she thought about it, the bigger it became in her mind. Even here lying in his arms, she felt like something was missing and she wished she didn't feel that way.

"Matt?" She asked. "Are you happy?"

"What sort of a question is that?" he asked lifting himself from where he had collapsed over her and propping himself on his hands to look at her. "Didn't I just prove how happy I was?"

Joanna smiled and kissed him, but his words had opened her eyes to what was missing. They were intimate physically, but while she was emotionally invested on some level, he didn't seem to have that same investment. For him sex equated intimacy. There just wasn't any physicality between them that didn't lead to sex.

She lay there thinking as they recovered. She'd gone into this knowing it would be a fun affair and not expecting a long term relationship. She wasn't sure what she was doing looking for something deeper from him. They'd only been together for two months; she knew she was being silly, but she wasn't sure if just having fun was what she wanted in the long term.

Seeing Michael had brought back those feelings of warmth and comfort she had with him once. Knowing that no matter what he would be there for her, support her and protect her. She knew that about Matt too, now that she thought about it. Maybe she was overthinking things, and she should just relax and enjoy it. It was fun and exciting having him in her life. It was just different to any other relationship she'd ever had. She went to rouse herself and found that he tightened his arms around her.

"Are you happy?" he asked concern darkening his features.

"I am," she said quietly. "Life's good. You don't talk about what's going on with you very often that's why I asked. We jumped into this with both feet, and you practically moved in straight away. There was none of that get to know you time, and you don't tend to tell me what's going on with you unless I ask a direct question."

"Zero to a hundred," he said cheerfully "We're great together, you don't have to worry about me being unhappy. You're stuck with me now."

His words didn't fill her with the joy she had thought they should or the comfort of knowing she was loved; they made her feel trapped. She never had weekends where she turned off the phone and locked the door just to recharge her batteries anymore or those special treats on a Friday night with a glass of wine and silly movie. He would never have stopped her doing any of that, she knew, but she also didn't want him to feel excluded. There were so many things that she was putting off until after the wedding and talking to him about her need for some real alone time was one of them.

"Well we can't lie here forever," she said pulling away from his arms. "What does your schedule look like for this week?"

"It's pretty full. The business is taking off. I think the council is going to charge me more for the use of that space on a daily basis. I might have to look at creating a permanent home base somewhere close to there that we can use when the weather is bad even if I do pay the extra for using the park facilities."

"That sounds like a good idea. Do you have somewhere in mind?" she asked.

"Not really I've just started thinking about it now that we are getting into storm season, but I would like it to be close to the park because I like their running tracks so much."

"I think the cycle shop just moved premises," she suggested, "You could probably lease that fairly cheaply, and it's just across the road from the park." She'd seen the moving sign when she arrived for boot camp and wondered if he hadn't noticed it.

"Really? That might be worth looking at when I have some," he mused. "Unless you want to do it for me? It's your idea after all."

"I guess, but you could pop in there on your way to and from work much easier than I could. We shouldn't leave it too long, though. I imagine it will go fast in that position. Cafés are popping up near all the parks these days," she said. She heard herself talking to him like his mother again and grimaced. She shouldn't do this for him she knew. He was a grown man with his own business she didn't need to talk to him as if he didn't know what he was doing or do these simple things for him. Feeling the cum drying on her thighs she went to walk to the bathroom but found he grabbed her hand to pull her back and kiss her.

"Talk to me," he said. "Somethings bothering you."

"I'm fine," she said lightly looking away as she told the small white lie. "I'm just going to clean up. I thought I might just have a quiet afternoon maybe read my book for an hour or two."

"Okay," he said with a frown. "If you say so. Sundays seem to be our only times to hang out together lately with me working later and later each night and on Saturdays. Why don't I take you out for dinner?"

"That would be nice," she smiled. "It's been ages since we went out on a date." She refrained from saying aside of that first date they'd never really done something special like that again. Romance was not his strong suit, and she was okay with that because he was kind and caring in so many other ways.

*****

The following Tuesday Dave called her and invited her out for a drink. She knew Matt was working late, so she accepted. A drink wouldn't hurt, and she would like catching up on the family news from her in-laws. She texted Matt to let him know she would be home late and who she was going out with after work.

"No boot camp tonight?" was the answering text and she frowned at it. She'd been to boot camp that morning, and she rarely did two in one day.

"Did you forget I was there this morning, lol," she typed back quickly with a smile.

"Yes. Have fun," he finally sent back several hours later just as she was about to leave work.

"Thanks see you at home," she typed and left the office heading into the city. "The thing about driving herself was that he could only have one or two drinks at the most in a couple of hours so there was no chance of her embarrassing herself by getting drunk and saying something she shouldn't.

She walked into the up-market bar feeling at home in her work clothes and looking at the other men and women who were having after work drinks. It was a far cry from the dingy local pub where Matt and his friends hung out but then she was meeting a different type of man. She heard him before she saw him and turned toward the voice.

"Hello Dave, I didn't realise you'd invited other friends," she said leaning in to kiss his cheek as she approached him.

"Office staff often meet for a drink after work," he said easily and introduced her to the small group of people standing at the bar. "What can I get you? White wine?"

"A vodka lime and soda would be great," she said surprising him.

"You've changed more than your look, I see," he said and turned towards the bartender who had heard her order and nodded.

"Let's grab a table," he invited as soon as her drink arrived. They walked over to an area close to a piano that wasn't being used and sat. Joanna sipped at the drink not wanting to drink it too fast and be tempted to have another.

They talked and laughed for more than an hour before she reluctantly agreed to one more drink. When he came back from the bar, Michael was with him.

"Hello Joanna," he said bending to kiss her cheek.

"Hello, why do I get the feeling I've been ambushed here," she laughed.

"I come for a drink with the guys after work most nights," he replied easily. "I can leave you two to talk if you like," he offered.

"No, you're here now. You may as well sit. I don't want people to think we are hanging onto all our baggage," she said trying to live up to her own words about wanting to be friends. "I expect they all are wondering what your ex-wife is doing here at all."

"I doubt they even recognise you now. You've made some big changes with the hair and clothes," he refrained from mentioning her weight or how fit she looked now. The trio began to reminisce about old times and another hour had gone by along with her drink.

"Can I get you another?" Michael asked.

"No thank you, two is definitely my limit when I have to drive home," she said assertively. "Speaking of which I should be going. This was just supposed to be a quick drink after work."

"Why don't you stay and have dinner, there is a great little Asian fusion place a block or so away," Michael offered. "It's been fun catching up."

"I can't tonight sorry, I have an early morning thing," she lied. "Maybe another time?"

"Okay well, how about Thursday?" Michael asked. "I'd like more of a chance to catch up before we head up north for the wedding."

"I have something on, but I'll see if I can shift it," she said not wanting to commit to anything suddenly feeling awkward. "I'll give you a call, or you can call me if you like you have my number now. I only have your work number."

"At least let me walk you to your car," he offered.

"I parked downstairs, so it's just an elevator ride. I doubt anyone would want to mug an old woman like me. Please stay and enjoy your time with your staff," she said getting to her feet and gathering her handbag.

"Let him walk you down," Dave said, "You know how he gets."

"I'm going to head home anyway now, so it's no problem to travel down with you. I'll even validate your parking ticket," he offered.

"It's hard to turn down free parking," she laughed still feeling awkward but walked out of the bar with him toward the elevators.

"I've missed your laugh," Michael said quietly as they stepped into the elevator. "It was the thing that made me fall in love you so many years ago. That and your smile."

"That's funny," she laughed lightly.

"How is that funny?" he asked with a frown thinking she was making fun of him.

"That's almost the exact line Matt used on me when we got together, except he complained that I hid it too much," she explained.

"He obviously has good taste," Michael said grudgingly. The last thing he wanted to talk about was the new man in his ex-wife's life. "So it's pretty serious with you two?" he asked.

"I don't know, its new and exciting ask me again when the thrill wears off a bit," she continued to laugh nervously as she stepped from the elevator. "Thanks for riding down with me Michael but I can take it from here."

"Joanna," he said as she turned away from him. "I... I'm glad you came to see me the other day. I... missed you more than I realised."

"We can't go backwards Michael only forwards," she said softly. "The memories are great but what we had is gone. It's okay to miss it, but we have to find a new way of being around each other now and honestly, it's a little uncomfortable despite the fact that I would like us to be friends. Please don't make it worse by saying things like that, it just confuses me."

"I'm sorry," he said looking at her with sad eyes. "Was I that much of a bastard?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I didn't help matters either, though," she admitted. "Let's just take this friendship thing slowly. I needed to see you and clear the air before Justin's wedding, but I'm not sure about this or dinner on Thursday."

"Think about it please," he asked stepping toward her again. "I'd like to talk to you some more about this friendship thing."

"What about your," she paused trying to think of the name again before she called her Barbie.

"Chaynee?" he asked and saw her nod.

"Chaynee doesn't worry about you spending time with me?" she asked seriously.

"No," he said not explaining any further. Chaynee had hated the fact that he had seen Joanna, and they had fought about it. It was just another in a constant stream of fights that seemed never to end, and he was so tired of the fighting. The relationship had been over for some time. He had been trying to make it work though rather than admit he had left his wife for a spoilt and selfish bitch.