I saw my friend's girlfriend naked and returned the favour

Benoît and I have been friends for... I don't even know, forever? In any case, we knew each other back in elementary school, and maybe even before that, but memories of that time are more hazy. Today I'm 30, just like him. I've got a girlfriend with whom everything's going swimmingly, just like him, and projects galore... maybe not quite like him, but to each his own in the end. Whereas I'm a fairly square, organized and far-sighted person, Benoît is the radical opposite. He's a free electron, he acts and thinks afterwards, he changes jobs every 6 months, has a sudden "revelation" for a passion for an unlikely musical instrument every year, and above all, and only I know this, he falls in love as soon as he meets a pretty girl.

To this day, I still wonder how he can have been with Maxine for 2 years, without ever having committed a fault. He's not a bad guy, far from it, he's just... flighty. He likes people, he likes life and, above all, he likes love.

Maxine, his girlfriend, is the complete opposite. In many ways, in fact, we're very much alike. She's serious, 100% committed to her work, organized, and can't stand the unexpected. How many times have I arrived at Benoît's for a drink without him bothering to tell her... And today is no exception.

I ring the bell for the third time, when at last I hear the key unlock the door, which opens softly. Maxine's blonde head appears, obviously surprised to see me here. She's holding a towel wrapped around her chest, water still dripping from her hair.

- Let me guess, he didn't tell you?" I begin jaded.

- As you can see", she laughs, pointing out the obvious fact that she's still in the shower. "Go on inside, but Benoît isn't home yet. You don't mind if I...?

- No, not at all, please!" I confirm, pointing to the bathroom.

I watch her walk slowly down the corridor, closing the door behind me. My eyes linger for a moment on her bare legs, along which water is still trickling delicately. I glance up at her bottom, which I can make out under the towel, before quickly turning away and taking off my coat. While texting Benoît to find out when he'll be back, I open the fridge, take out two beers and settle down on the sofa. As I search for the bottle-opener, which is usually lying around, I notice several files on the coffee table, which I glance at quickly and curiously. Maxine and I both work in the same field, but for competing companies. A subject we like to bicker about from time to time. As I start to look at a map she's made, which is extremely detailed, I feel a hand on my shoulder.

- Say, are you in the industrial spying business now?

- No, of course not..." I reply simply, flashing her a knowing smile. "On another note, your new hairstyle suits you very well!

- Thanks a lot! At least you noticed", she says, grabbing her beer. "Cheers!

We chat for a while, a long while in fact, before Benoît calls to tell me that he'll be back soon, and apologizes for the wait at the same time.

- I swear, sometimes his lack of organization annoys me to no end!" says Max, visibly annoyed." If I hadn't been there, he'd have seemed smart to leave his friend at the door...

- I know... he's always been like that. If you want I can go home, I'll drop by another day, I thought you knew.

- No, stay! It's you, so I don't mind. Besides, it'd be stupid to leave now when he's coming. Especially as technically I'm not supposed to be back yet, I was originally supposed to be back in two days.

I simply smile at her. I believe her when she says I'm not disturbing her, but I'm getting to know her too, and I can see why she'd rather have a quiet evening. She gets up to put her files away, to free up some space for us, and I look at her, realizing how pretty she is. Objectively, I've always found Maxine particularly beautiful, and I'm not the only one. She's a petite blonde, a bob haircut giving her a stern look, but a sweet face and soothing voice completely break that first impression. Her slender legs contrast with her curves, a presumably ample bosom and plump buttocks, which I find myself lingering over. Her blue cotton pyjama shorts leave little to the imagination, despite their worn-in look and the fact that she's had them for a while, I imagine, they're particularly tight on her bottom. Her white top, meanwhile, is very wide, showing off her miniature arms inside. When she bends over to pick up the sheets and files on the table, I can't help but glance at her cleavage.

I hear my own swallow as I realize that she's not wearing a bra, which at the time seems quite logical. Despite my discreet attempt, I don't manage to perceive anything except the contours of her breasts, which are even more massive than I thought. Looking up, I meet her gaze. I feel my face turn bright red instantly, but Max doesn't let anything show, contenting herself with putting the last few sheets away in her binder. She moves closer and sits down opposite me, crossing her legs as she looks at me, a knowing little smile on her face.

I look away, not knowing where to put my eyes, sometimes on her bare feet, sometimes on her beer, or on the window... A chuckle snaps me out of my unease. I look at her, dumbfounded, and realize she's laughing at me.

- Don't worry," she says between laughs, "I won't tell Lucie that you checked out my tits!

- What? No, I didn't...!

- I'm kidding!" she continued, "I'm just pulling your leg, I know it wasn't voluntary and I was literally in front of your face, I can hardly blame you for anything!

We laughed for a while, before discussing the future layout of the living room. Happy to change the subject, I bounced off each of her decorating suggestions, when at last the sound of a key in the door echoed through the room.

- Ah well, it's about time", grumbled Maxine, rising to her feet.

Following her with my eyes, I realized when I saw the time on the oven that I'd already been there for over two hours. He's really overdoing it. I made the wise decision to stay on the couch, while Benoît got a word from his girlfriend, before seeing her come back visibly happy to have been able to tell him what she was thinking.

- I'm off to bed Arthur, I'm up early tomorrow, thanks for keeping me company tonight, not everyone has!" she insisted, raising her voice a little, as she kissed me goodbye.

- My pleasure...

Maxine heads for the corridor door leading to their bedroom, and disappears behind it, slamming it shut as if to indicate her displeasure one last time. A short time later, Benoît emerges sheepishly into the living room. His body sways slightly from side to side. His state of inebriation leaves no room for doubt. With a goofy grin on his face, he looks at me.

- I think she's a little mad at me...

- Man... look at the time... really, even I'm a bit upset, I'm not going to lie to you.

Without a word, he heads for his kitchen, rummaging through the furniture awkwardly, before straightening up, a huge smile on his lips, a bottle in his hand which he raises proudly.

- With this, I know you'll forgive me!

Benoît was clearly dead drunk when he served me my 5th Gin Tonic, or rather "tonic-flavored gin". His sentences were becoming increasingly incomprehensible, and he was bumping into everything in his path. Despite all this, we had a great time. We drank, laughed and chatted for several more hours.

- Maybe I should go", I say to him as I stand up, before realizing how much stronger the cocktails were than I thought.

- But noooo! I didn't even get to tell you what I wanted to tell you in the first place! And now you can't drive! Nope.

He's got a point. As it is, I can't see myself getting back behind the wheel of my car. Or even on foot for that matter. I sit back down, realizing that I'll probably be sleeping on this very sofa.

- Sleep there, and you can use the sofa bed in the dressing room... We don't care", he replies before I even have time to ask," she's working tomorrow and won't be in. It's max I want to talk to you about.

- I'm all ears.

His eyes seem to have suddenly gone cold and hard, and he stares at me for a long moment before resuming.

- I don't love her anymore", he says simply. "And haven't for a while. Everything she does gets me drunk, her presence gets me drunk, and even in bed I don't want her anymore.

- Ok... I didn't see it coming, I thought it was going well with her?

- At first, yes!" he says, standing up," but the more time I spend with her, the more I realize how different we are. All she thinks about is work, all the time! I'm fed up with it.

- You know, it's not necessarily a bad thing that she's different from you, on the contrary... I venture awkwardly.

He sits down suddenly, buries his head in his hands and remains motionless for a moment. Looking serious, he picks up his glass and stares at me.

- Arthur, I'm gay.

Round-eyed, unsure of how to respond, I simply nod and mutter "Okay". A host of memories pass before my eyes, without me managing to detect the slightest sign, the slightest clue that might have put me on the right track. I see his face tense up before he bursts out laughing.

- I'm fucking with you! Are you stupid or what?" he laughs. "No, it's not that, but I've met someone...

He takes his phone out of his pocket and sits down next to me. He scrolls through several photos, including one or two of Maxine in her underwear. He senses that I'm stiffening at the sight, and as hilarious as ever, teases me by asking how I find her. Without a word I stare at him, jaded, while pretending not to be interested in the photo on his screen.

- If that's all, I've got something better", he whispers, glancing towards the door and scrolling a little further. "Do you prefer this one?" he asks, winking at me.

A topless photo of Maxine appears on his screen. It's obviously a selfie she's sent him, and quite recent judging by her haircut. I can't take my eyes off her ample breasts and her nibbling lips. Her nipples are exactly as I've always imagined them, quite large, pink, they're almost perfectly symmetrical. He moves on to the next, on which she sits, from behind, revealing her sublime buttocks. Cleverly positioned, her reflection in the mirror in front of her reveals her breasts, which she hides, without really hiding them, with one hand.

- Wow..." I murmur, "she's gorgeous.

- Doesn't she? If only she didn't have such a bad temper. Here, come on, it's a gift, but please don't say anything.

I look at him quizzically, before hearing my phone vibrate several times. With a smile on his face, he simply tells me that he's now looking for a photo of his new crush. I grab my phone, as nonchalantly as possible, but eager to see what he's sent me. The first photo I receive is of Maxine from the back, then the second when she's from the front. I realize that three other photos are waiting to be downloaded. I launch it, and open the first one available. She's lying on the bed, obviously naked, the photo stopping perfectly just above her pubic bone. Her heavy breasts fall delicately to either side of her body, yet retain a lovely firmness. Surprising as it may seem, it's her smile that lights up this photo the most. She's just gorgeous.

In the next photo, her nudity is revealed even more. She's standing, facing the same mirror as in the other photos, and this time has only cut the image a little lower. Surprisingly, knowing her, I notice that she appears to be completely waxed. The beginning of her slit is slightly visible at the bottom of the photo, but subtly enough for it not to be obvious. I stand transfixed for a moment, feeling increasingly cramped in my boxer shorts. With some trepidation and guilt, I moved on to the next photo.

No nudity, just a close-up of her face, her eyes sparkling. She's very pretty, but I can't help looking questioningly at Benoît. Not that I'm asking for nudes of Maxine, but this photo doesn't really fit in with the "general theme". He stares at me for a moment, uncomprehending, before realizing. He leans in my direction and starts the video. So it wasn't a photo...

Maxine stares longingly into the camera, laughing and smiling, muttering unconvincing but terribly arousing "I'm shy, stop it...". After a long, falsely exaggerated sigh, she moves forward on one knee, her chest swaying gently, and approaches the camera. I stiffen for a moment, hoping not to see my friend's penis pop out, and am relieved to find that it's "only" a plastic dildo, resting on the edge of the bed. She holds it up with one hand, and without taking her eyes off the camera, begins to slide her lips along the fake dildo. She kisses it delicately, letting her tongue caress it from time to time. Under my arm holding the phone, I feel my erection getting stronger and stronger, and do everything I can to camouflage it. Benoît doesn't seem to mind, obviously very focused on his phone. The video goes on for several seconds, during which Maxine plays with the dildo, before taking it in her mouth for the last five seconds. What the hell?

Benoît finally found the photo he was looking for, and shows me a young woman, about 5 years younger than us, probably even more, the physical opposite of Max. She seems quite tall, slender and very slender. She's not very shapely, but, like Max, she has a particularly sweet face. We talk for a while, until 05:30 in the morning, about Benoît's budding feelings for this girl, how sure he is that he wants to leave his girlfriend for her, and much more.

It's with my mind bubbling with new information that I head off to bed, in the room that serves as their dressing room. By the time I've brushed my teeth as quickly and as well as I can, I can already hear Benoît snoring in the next room. Amused, I can't get Maxine's photos and video out of my mind. As I lie back on the rickety sofa bed, I feel my erection returning rapidly, and decide to take another look at the whole thing. I remove my boxer shorts, freeing my sex at the same time, and take off the sky-blue sheet that serves as my comforter. Without waiting, I slowly masturbate, realizing that the mirror in the photos is the one next to me, not the one in their bedroom. The thought of Maxine naked on that same sofa bed excites me to no end and I pick up the pace. I convince myself that once, if I delete everything afterwards, it's no big deal.

I alternate between photos and video for long minutes before I realize where I really am - the dressing room, where Maxine keeps all her things, and maybe even more. Aided by excitement, and something else obvious after that evening, I set out to snoop around a bit in their belongings. After a short search, it seems obvious that there's nothing incriminating lying around. Disappointed, I open the last drawer, and am not surprised to discover that it's Max's underwear. It was when I realized that I was standing naked, erect, in front of a drawer of women's underwear that I decided to go back to bed, feeling a pang of guilt.

I've only just closed the drawer, when the sound of a door opening in the distance draws me out of my thoughts. I suddenly remember that Maxine is working this morning, and that the time she gets up must be this one. I tiptoe over to switch off the light, jump onto the sofa bed, making as little noise as possible, and cover myself with the sheet. Still aroused despite this little interruption, I wait for her to close the corridor door and continue masturbating. I continue my work in front of the photos, when an idea crosses my mind. She'll probably come into the dressing room to pick up a few things, maybe she doesn't even know I'm here...

In an exhibitionist mood, I uncover myself completely, my sex stiff in the air, and place myself in a position that might suggest I'm asleep. I soon hear her pacing back and forth in the corridor, passing the door several times. My heart is beating at 200 miles an hour and I'm trying hard to relax. I'm not even sure I realize what I'm about to do. The image of Lucie appears in my mind and I hurry to put it out of my mind.

I hear Maxine's footsteps stop in front of the door, which she opens softly. I catch a brief glimpse of the light from her phone, which she uses to light her way. Well, obviously she knows I'm here, and maybe that's just as well. It's too late to turn back. I try to control my breathing as best I can, trying to look as sleepy as possible. I take a quick look down and see that my naked body is completely out of the sheet, my sex still erect, perhaps even more so than before. The soft light of her lit screen creeps closer, gradually illuminating the click-clack. As she gets closer, the light fades and I realize she's only aiming it at her feet, leaving me in the dark.

A little frustrated, I watch her discreetly. She's wearing the same pyjama shorts as last night, as well as the same loose-fitting T-shirt. I soon realize, however, from the accompanying smell of sweet almond, that she's just stepped out of the shower. She slowly opens the sliding cupboard and stops regularly, trying to make as little noise as possible. Standing completely naked behind her drives me crazy. I can hear my heartbeat as I watch her select her clothes. For a moment, the idea of covering my body crosses my mind, and she turns around. First concentrating on her balanced clothes, and the phone in her fingertips, she ends up illuminating my naked body, almost by accident.

- Oh..." she whispers, coming face to face with me.

I close my eyes for a few seconds before she turns the light on my face.

- ... Are you asleep...? Arthur?" she murmurs.

Breathing evenly, I remain impassive and pretend to have been asleep for a long time. As the light fades, I discreetly open one eye and see that she's still standing next to me, staring at my sex. The image of Maxine performing oral sex on her sex toy flashes through my mind, and an absurd scenario begins to appear in my head. She looks in my direction several times, before picking up her phone with a trembling hand.

She aims it at my hard cock, and takes a photo, betrayed by her flash. She immediately hides her phone and hurries out of the room.