This store was always busy. Maybe it was the merchandise. Maybe the price point. People seemed to be ready to spend their money at the drop of a hat.

Henry was in his office, playing games on his phone. There were days that that seemed the best option. He was more then ready to get out of there. Work had been stressful. Everyone seemed to be preparing for the freedom of summer. Henry was preparing for the season of trying to keep up with the holidays.

Hearing one of his cashiers calling for him, he decided it was time to hide in the bathroom for a minute. He got the cashier's change and headed back to the restroom. There were actually two restrooms, but some of the clientele left a little bit to be desired in the hygiene department so, they decided to make one bathroom for customers and one for associates.

He sat on the toilet. He didn't even need to go, but it was his sanctuary. Deciding to check his messages, Henry settled in for the kind of escape that would make his legs fall asleep and his butt hurt. It always hurt to sit there long. Worries about that were just as flush away. He was about to stand up when a new message popped up. It was from his friend, Nikki.

"Hey Henry. I've been attempting to hang this ceiling fan in my bedroom. I know I can do it but maybe you can help with the installation. Some extra muscle would be appreciated. Let me know. I'll even make you dinner. Love ya!"

He had to smile. Since his divorce, Nikki had been so supportive. He'd lost count of how many years they'd known each other. They'd met through an internet group. He'd been organizing a gathering of cosplayers to get together downtown. She wasn't really into anime stuff as much, but she loved to dress up.

That had been an interesting event. She'd been so cute in her outfit. He found himself staring a bit. She was not like other girls he'd known. He'd felt a connection, but they became more like brother and sister than anything romantic. Knowing each other's hardships solidified their bond.

He texted back that he'd be glad to help. Especially if she was going to cook. She responded with a thank you and a heart emoji.

Feeling better, he vacated his throne and headed back into the retail chaos. It seemed a little less dismal now. He just had to hold out a little longer.

Five finally rolled around. He was in his car by a minute after! Henry hadn't been very sociable lately. He'd faced a lot of stress and doing home improvement with Nikki seemed just the right therapy to help him forget. Not to mention, the food. He loved home-cooked meals. When you work non-stop it's hard to find time for a lot of things in life. His Taco Bell diet couldn't be healthy.

After about twenty five minutes of driving and singing at the top of his lungs, he got to Nikki's place. To his surprise, she wasn't there. He checked his phone to make sure he didn't miss anything. Nope. She said come on over. He messaged her that he was there and she said she'd had to go to the store and would be right back. It was a good time to catch up on his phone's gaming apps. Thirty minutes later she pulled in. Seemingly flustered, she started bringing in items from the car.

Henry tried to help, but Nikki was feeling very independent today it would seem. He let her exercise her masculine abilities and watched her go. He hadn't been here many times and always seemed to find something interesting in her house. The stairs to the second floor had evidently been built by professional extreme sports athletes. Moving furniture from one floor to the next was a whole ass project.

Nikki sat on the couch to pet her dog while Henry was accosted by a cat. After a few minutes, they headed upstairs to get to work on the ceiling fan. The sun had made sure it was warm. The current fan was on its last legs.

"Well it's gonna suck in here when we turn the power off," That was Nikki. Always to the point.

"Well I'm getting paid in food so it may as well feel like a sweat shop."

They both chuckled. Henry's sense of humor could be extreme but Nikki enjoyed it.

With the power off they both started to sweat. Henry made some comments about them getting the bed all sweaty. He dropped his screwdriver he'd been using to take the blades off. As he got back on the bed, he caused Nikki to lose her balance. He stood quickly raising his hands to catch the fan as his body caught Nikki. Feeling her softness brush up against him he almost dropped the fan. It was a short moment. It felt like it lasted forever. He was unsure how such a brief moment had fathered arousal yet it had happened. He shook his head thinking it best to ignore it. They had a great friendship and he didn't want it complicated.

Without looking his way, Nikki continued without turning.

"Thanks for the save, Henry. Though I think you were the cause as well."

They laughed again. Henry felt a little less humor at it.

"Well now that you're safe I need you grab a drink. All this sweating and screwing has me parched." He hopped down and went for the kitchen. She had laughed at that comment as well. It was kind of funny.

The break ended and they got back to it. The wires were quickly connected. The housing wouldn't line up correctly and had to be coerced into submission.

An hour had passed before the job was done. The bed was extremely dirty from ceiling particles. Nikki turned the power back on and plopped in the bed. Henry laid beside her.

"I think I'm getting old" ,he told her, "My shoulder shouldn't be this sore.

"Well I guess you're lucky I'm a part-time massage therapist. Lay on your stomach and I'll massage your shoulder."

"You don't have to,"Henry panicked remembering his arousal, " I'll be fine."

"It's really no trouble."

She wasn't giving him a choice. He didn't really want to fight it. In his state, he wanted her hands on him. That's what scared him. He has been alone a lot and he couldn't damage their friendship. He knew she felt the same.

Admitting defeat, Henry rolled onto his stomach. As soon as Nikki's hands touched him, he was in ecstasy. She was amazing at locating the pain. He'd completely forgotten it. He was focused on those hands.

"Pull this shirt off. It'll help."

Now there was true panic. He was a little insecure about being shirtless. He complied but was very anxious.

" Henry. It's ok. You're safe with me."

That calmed him a little.

"It's not you. I'm just anxious about being shirtless. I can't even believe I'm mentioning it. I don't usually advertise my insecurities."

"I know what will help." She took off her own shirt. "There. Now we are even."

They both laughed again. He commented on how weird she was, but he was still scared of his arousal. Now she was massaging his back without a shirt!! He was really thankful to be on his stomach.

"Roll over and I'll massage your chest."

Ok. Now there was real panic.

"You've done such an amazing job I don't think we have to finish."

"It's ok. I'm a professional. I've had clients before."

"I'm just having issues."

"What with? You helped me so much and I didn't want you to hurt."

He had no way out. He was trying to distract himself enough to relieve the pressure that had begun in his khakis.

She pulled on him , rolling him over, and his face went red. It was easy to notice what had been bothering him.

"Oh", was all she could say.

"I didn't mean to. Plus, rubbing my chest is a trigger for me. I started wondering if my jokes could really happen." He didn't realize he'd closed his eyes. As he opened them, he realized that Nikki was more than topless. He'd been so wrapped up in anxiety that he didn't even notice her pants come off.

"I didn't mean to either. As I massaged you, I started thinking how long it had been since I've felt flesh. I touched you and then I was touching me. I kept telling myself I didn't want to ruin our friendship."

"I was as well, Nikki. I don't want things to get weird. You're important to me. I need your touch though. I'll take a massage. We could hold each other. Whatever you'd like, but I have to be honest…"

At that, he took the hand that he knew had already explored her body and touched it to his lips. He tasted her fingers one at a time.

"You're delicious."

Biting her lip, Nikki found the congestion that had formed behind Henry's belt. Moving the zipper slowly downward, the pressure was relieved. Undoing the belt took care of the rest. She began rubbing his chest as he still tasted her fingers. She pulled them away again to dip them and give him another taste. As her fingers met his lips, she moved in to taste herself on his lips.

"You're right. I taste even better on your lips."

The throbbing feeling in her other hand continued. She'd reached down while he was distracted. Her lips found his again as she removed the last of his clothing. He felt her tongue twirling with his own. Then she moved away. Slowly kissing her way down his chest. As she neared the end of her journey, the throbbing became more insistent. More ready.

Her tongue moved below his waist and slowly made its way to the top of the tower that had been erected in her honor. Her hand still in place, she began moving her mouth to meet it. The action repeated as Henry became very ready for action. He grabbed her leg and moved it to the other side of his head. He was tired of taste testing. He wanted the full experience.

A light touch of his tongue sent Nikki into a frenzy. He teased her for a minute before committing pressure to her. He felt the moan in her throat as a hum which caused him to throb again. As he continued moving upward, he moved one hand to pull back the hood and unmask his true target. Nikki had to remove her mouth to express pleasure but her hand held on tight.

Henry moved his tongue in a circular pattern. More pressure and less. He started using his fingers to explore as well. Front to back he rubbed her moisture. His tongue continued its dance until he felt it. That throb on the inside and out. That tingling feeling. He felt her breath catch and used two fingers to feel her internal throb. Both exploring different paths. She'd begun screaming.

" I need you Henry. I need to feel you inside me."

Henry flipped her body around as if she was nothing. As she settled into place, she used her hand to place Henry inside her. She was still throbbing as he made his way inside. They held still for a moment. Then Henry began moving his hips back and forth. In and out. Starting slow, he picked up speed quickly. He felt her throbbing again. She was moaning uncontrollably. He felt so satisfied already.

"Henry please. Just get behind me. Finish behind me."

Nikki got on all fours and Henry didn't hesitate to continue. Each thrust felt like ecstasy to him. She was wet beyond belief. She arched her back to lean closer to him and he cupped one of her breasts.

"Omg. I feel it. I'm going to explode inside you."

"Don't stop!"

And with that she dropped back onto her hands and knees and Henry thrusted with everything he had. Feeling himself release, he noticed her doing it as well. He vocalized his pleasure and continued on until the flaccidity had claimed him.

He slid out of her and felt one last pinch of pleasure as he fell on the bed beside her. They laid closer. Both were covered in each others scent.

"Oh my god we smell amazing together" , Henry laughed as he commented.

" I can't believe that just happened. It was unlike anything I've ever felt."

" Pleasure shouldn't be one-sided. I wanted you to get off if we were gonna do this thing."

"I believe that I need to feed us now. Once I can trust my legs again."

They both laughed again as they cuddled. The new ceiling fan really helped on their sweaty bodies. They'd have to talk about their friendship later. Maybe tomorrow. For now, they just rested and enjoyed each other's company.

© The Moonlight Bard