No one is poor who has friends

Matt was the first to enter with a case of beer in each hand. "Hey, professor!" He cheered before passing a case to Eric and greeting him with a hearty fist bump.

"Matt, good to see you, it's been what? Twenty minutes?" Eric laughed, returning the fist bump with equal enthusiasm. Matt was a short, stout, barrel chested man in his early forties. He at first grumbled when Eric was given a position higher than him straight out of college but he soon warmed up to his younger boss when he realized he was not the "ivy league pencil pusher" he declared him to be on his first day.

"Oh, we didn't know you had a couple of models over man," Matt laughed, shaking his stomach with every laugh like some burly Santa clause. "we can come back later."

Jodie and Lauren both smiled politely, Lauren used to older men using over the top flattery by now, and Jodie simply smiled hoping he wouldn't recognize her from way back when. But she assured herself they hadn't worked closely enough for that to be an issue if she just kept smiling.

Jodie bit her lip as she searched for something clever to say but could only muster, "It's,like, totally great you could join us tonight. Just totally."

Matt smiled leeringly at the busty beauty offering him her hand. "If I knew you were here I wouldn't have taken so long. Miss?" Jodie shivered as the man shook her hand.

A tendril of cigar smoke circled around Jodie, "Um, Jodie and it-it's fine." Jodie choked back a cough, "I had just sat the steaks down, really."

"Steak?" Matt looked at Eric with a broad smile, "Man you're just living the life."

Following Matt inside was Aaron. Aaron was nearly the same height as Eric and the same age, but Aaron looked more like he stepped out of the page of a men's fitness magazine with his perfect physique and his messy brown hair tapered off at the sides and his baby face. Lauren could hardly hide the fact she was drooling over him like most women Aaron knew. Except of course for Jodie, who's only reaction upon seeing Aaron was fright.

When Jordan had worked for Eric, Aaron was the one who showed Jordan the ropes for the short period he worked there. "You must be Jodie." Aaron smiled as he handed Jodie a bottle of syrah.

"You know me?" Jodie coughed before correcting herself, "I mean, like, have we met before?"

Aaron studied the nervous beauty for a moment before he finally responded, "Nope. But Eric has talked so much about you that I feel like I do."

"Oh? Does he now?"

"Oh yeah. But, I gotta say you're more beautiful than I imagined."

Jodie blushed,"I'll just, like, open this." Jodie passed Aaron off to Lauren before he had the chance to recognize her. Not that he would, given Jordan's short time spent with the crew, let alone how much Jordan had become Jodie in such a short amount of time. Aaron himself had seen dozens of faces come and go in any given year, the only ones to stand out were the ones who made a major impact on his memory. Jordan made no impact.

Eric put an arm around Jodie as they returned to the table, "What?" He asked when he saw the soft smile on her face.

"I'll tell you later." Jodie kissed Eric sweetly before they joined the others for dinner.

Eric and company enjoyed a beer with their steaks while they gave the wine time to breathe. "Hmm," Matt moaned, "this is the best damn thing I ever tasted. You made this?" He pointed his fork to Jodie.

Jodie hesitated a moment before answering, "Pretty much, yeah."

"Well it's the best damn steak I ever had."

"Eh. It could use a little more seasoning."

"What are you talking about?" Eric cried, "It's perfect!"

Lauren shrugged.

"I totally agree." Jodie scrunched her face up at Lauren's comment and quickly kicked Lauren's foot. Not because Jodie had worked so hard on the dinner, she had, but because Lauren had done the lion's share of the work and she didn't think it was fair for her to be so hard on herself. Lauren had also insisted that Jodie take full credit for the creation despite her protest.

"Well I think you did an amazing job, baby." Eric kissed Jodie warmly. His sweet smile made Jodie's heart run staccato.

Once the wine was ready, Jodie poured everyone but Matt a glass who refused stating he was "Better off with beer." The third he'd already consumed since he sat down.

"Hmm, this is really good." Lauren had to admit, "You picked this out yourself?"

"Don't sound so surprised." Aaron laughed, "But no. This lady I'm seeing said it would be a good choice."

"She was right about that, you'll have to thank her for us." Lauren took another sip from her wine glass with a warm smile.

"Is this the woman you were telling me about before?"

"Yeah."

"You got a girlfriend man?" Matt laughed.

"I don't know, We've gone out a few times, nothing real serious, yet."

"Oh yeah, what's going on with that, like totally, cute bartender?" Jodie giggled. She was never a wine drinker before but it was already filling up her empty head. Eric cut his eyes to glance at Jodie before returning to his conversation. Eric had never heard her describe a guy as 'cute'.

"What can I say, he's great but ya know a rebounds a rebound."

"I don't know, like, you've been rebounding a lot lately with him."

"Sometimes you need to rebound more than once." Lauren laughed.

"Totally." Jodie said, joining her in laughing, "So you don't, like, like him."

"I...wouldn't say that."

"But you just don't want to date him."

"I mean, we've gone out on a few dates."

"You're not going to see him again?"

"We're actually going out this weekend."

"Sounds like you're dating him to me."

"Maybe a little." Lauren laughed again.

"Before you know it you'll be moving in with him."

"Oh no, it's much too soon for that!" She took a bite of her steak, "Why? You wouldn't be in a hurry to get rid of me would you?"

Jodie laughed, "No way! Then how would you steal my shoes?" Jodie finished with a playful smirk. She still had hope that when this was all over she could have her old room back.

"Oh you're never getting your key back." Lauren laughed, only sort of joking.

"You're totally welcome as long as you want, obviously. I love having a little sister."

"Really?"

Jodie smiled, "Totally."

After dinner the boys turned the fight on and cheered loudly every time one fighter would drop another or catch the other in this hold or that. Jodie was never much for sports and she couldn't really understand why someone would pay another man to inflict such pain on him. She did enjoy seeing Eric having fun on his birthday. He had never been the one to want a huge spectacle to celebrate what he called 'some arbitrary date on the calendar'. His last birthday was just the two of them having a beer or two. Of course Jordan had suggested Vegas as he went for his last birthday and had a wild night of his own.

A stray thought crossed her mind, as she stared at the pile of dirty dishes, that her next birthday would be as Jodie since she couldn't remove her breasts for another six months. Lauren poked Jodie on the arm interrupting her thoughts. "Hey, come on, let's get out of here. There's just much too much testosterone flying around here right now"

"I don't know, like, I wouldn't want to leave Eric alone."

Lauren laughed, "I'm just talking about a walk, not fleeing the country. Besides he's having guy time we can have a little girl time. Besides these things usually go on for a couple of hours."

Jodie thought for a moment, she really didn't want to see more men and women punching each other and bleeding almost as much as she didn't want to stick around and do dishes. "Well, okay." Jodie changed into more sensible shoes of four inches rather than her five. She imagined in the past two weeks she had walked a thousand miles in heels so far, though it was only over a hundred between the mall, her job, and the apartment. Jodie was quickly becoming used to her highest pair of heels that now seemed to her like flats.

"Hey, baby?" Eric continued to watch the match, "Eric." No response, "Eric!" Still nothing.

"Sweetie you should know you can't come between a man and his sports.

Jodie grumbled, "Fuzzybear!" Eric snapped to attention, while Aaron and Matt smirked at the cute pet name. "We're going out for a bit."

"Everything okay?"

Jodie smiled and bent to kiss Eric sweetly on the lips, "We just need some girl time." She spoke softly, unaware the way she was bending at her waist gave Eric a perfect view of her substantial cleavage, and everyone else a great view of her ass.

"Okay. If you're sure everything's okay."

"Everything's fine fuzzybear. Enjoy your show." Jodie smiled and kissed Eric one more time before walking to the door with Lauren.

Eric made no attempt to hide he was watching her backside sway as she walked out the door. "Like I said," Matt spoke up, "you're livin' it up...fuzzy bear."

"Hey, you don't get to call me that...unless you're willing to do certain things."

"Sorry professor, I prefer someone with more curves."

"How is Amelia?" Aaron asked.

"She's great." Matt smiled as he thought about his wife and children, "Jacob's nervous, he starts in Friday's game."

"That's great." Eric slapped Matt on the back, "taking after his old man huh?"

"God I hope not," he guffawed.

"Oh I'm sure the milkman was a fine quarterback." Matt kicked Aaron in the chest playfully.

"Don't make me get outta this chair, boy."

"Don't do that, you might break a hip, old man." Eric burst out laughing at his older friend.

"How bout I beat ya with my cane!" The three shared a laugh as Matt threw a shoe at Eric.

A while after the shoe was returned and the laughter died down the boys stepped onto the walkway outside of the apartment to have a couple of cigars Matt brought. "There ya go boys, nothin better than a fine cigar after a fine steak dinner."

Eric grunted in agreement as he puffed on his cigar, "I have to say, of all your ideas, this is probably the first that made any sense."

"Well," he said around his cigar, "even a busted clock is right twice a day. For instance you somehow tricked that wonderful girl into dating you. You can't tell me that had anything to do with you."

Eric smiled and replied honestly, "No. I can't say that it did. I couldn't tell you what she sees in me if I tried."

Matt clapped Eric on the back with a smile, "There's no explaining miracles my friend."

"Yeah? How do you explain Amelia?"

"Easy." He takes a long drag from his cigar before speaking again, "I've got what's called animal magnetism." As he smiles the smoke pours out from his lips.

"Right, so one miracle, one sweet lady taking pity on the delusional guy," Matt found he couldn't disagree with Eric's assessment, "and what about you?"

"I don't know man, I met her in line for coffee, I laid my rap down and the rest is history." Matt and Eric both glanced at one another as they continued to blow smoke.

"That's cool man, why didn't you bring her by tonight?"

"The way Matt inhaled all the food? You want my girl to starve?"

"Then next time we'll ditch Matt."

"You guys know I'm here right?"

Aaron blew a large smoke ring at Matt. "Yeah? You think she'd go for that?'

"Sure. Jodie loves going out, It'll be a blast." Eric smiled excitedly, even more so when he saw Jodie walking through the parking lot. He had to give Matt credit for being right again, he was very lucky to be with Jodie.

Jodie and Lauren rode the elevator up to their floor as they continued their conversation from the street, "Come on. As barbaric as it is, you have to admit some of those guys are hot."

"Hmm. Nope."

"You do know you're allowed to look at the menu as long as you don't order right?"

Jodie's eyes jumped in surprise, "What?! No."

"You never look at other guys?"

"No!" The doors opened and Jodie turned left out of the elevator.

"Uh, Jodie. This way." Jodie grumbled and followed Lauren the correct way to the right of the elevator.

"This is why we don't take the stupid thing." Jodie grumbled, from the stairs it was a straight shot to their apartment door which is why she and Eric always opted for the stairs.

"Okay, if you don't think any of the guys are attractive, what about the girls?"

"What girls?"

"The girls doing that cage wrestling whatever the boys love so much." Jodie blushed, she had indeed found some of the girls attractive to the point she worried about exposing herself. "You said Eric is the first guy you liked, so you like girls too then right?"

Jodie thought a moment, she did kind of come out to Lauren as liking girls only before, "Yeah. Some I guess are pretty."

"You guess?" Lauren hip bumped her friend, "I saw your face when that Ms. Nguyen walked into the ring."

"Yeah." Jodie blushed again. Lauren smiled as she bumped her friend once more. Lauren didn't care if Jodie was bisexual, lesbian, or whatever, she clearly loved her brother but she still acted shy whenever the topic of her own sexuality came up. No doubt, she thought, leftover from Jodie's parents. She had already decided she hated them as much as she loved Jodie.

Coming around the corner the girls found the boys still smoking their cigars. "Ooh I'm telling mom!" Lauren teased Eric.

"It's not mine. I'm just holding it for a friend."

"Yeah right! You're in so much trouble I bet you get grounded and can't go to prom!" Lauren and Eric laughed as she walked inside their apartment while Jodie stayed behind.

Eric's smile faultered briefly, "Cause... you know...she's my sister-you remem-i mean she was uh-"

"Relax." Jodie shook her head, "I've known you were a dork for a long time. Trust me I'm used to it." She kissed his cheek tenderly catching the corner of his lip before she whispered into his ear, "if you come to bed smelling like cigar smoke you're sleeping on the old couch."

"That's at the dump." He called after her as she walked inside.

"I know." She smirked and closed the door behind her.

After the last guests left, Eric received a text from Jodie; "Fuzzy bear come to the room we need to talk."

A chill ran across Eric's back, was he in trouble? He thought the dinner went great. Was she okay? He didn't think either of the guys were rude to her. But shortly after the guys left she disappeared into their room.

Before he entered the bedroom he gave a cursory sniff of his breath and himself, while she had disappeared to do god knows what he spent twenty minutes scrubbing and brushing cigar smoke from his entire being. When he finally opened the door he found her sitting on their bed wearing her robe tightly pulled around her. "Everything okay?" He asked as he shut the door behind him and sat on the bed next to Jodie.

"Aaron said you talk about me at work?"

Eric gulped, "Yeah."

"What do you say?

"That you're beautiful, you're my best friend, and…"

"And?"

"And I couldn't imagine my life without you." Jodie watched Eric for a moment, they had been friends long enough she could tell when he was lying. He wasn't.

Jodie's heart swelled inside her chest as she quietly stood up and slowly untied her belt. Slowly the robe dropped and Eric was stunned by the sheer black lace pattern marked in bright contrast to the red outline of her panties that seemed to make her butt more prominent somehow. Besides a matching bra and six inch heels she wore nothing else. "I wanted to apologize for how moody I've been since my surgery." Eric's heart pounded in his ears like battle drums rendering, he had seen her naked several times before but the way she held herself tonight exuded a confidence she never had shown before even as she hid her breasts behind her arms.

He tried to speak but Jodie pressed a finger to his lips, "Shh. I know I have and I want to make it up to you." Eric was going to interject but he thought the better thing to do was shut up and listen to the sexy woman in front of him covering her breasts with one arm.

Jodie walked to a pair of speakers and bit her lip nervously, her and Eric had sex before but this was the first time he, or anyone besides Ben, would see her breasts. What if he thought they looked weird or bolted on? She didn't want that. Even if she didn't want implants she at least didn't want them to be obvious and ugly. Before she made up her mind to back out of her plan she caught her reflection in the vanity mirror.

The woman that reflected back to her was sexy. There was no other way to put it in her mind, she could imagine herself masturbating to this girl's vivacious image just last month and now that woman was her, unexpectedly that aroused her.

With one final moment to steele her confidence she turned the music on and slowly started gyrating her hips to the sultry tempo. She may not be able to prepare a delicious steak yet but one thing she knew she could do was keep rhythm and imitate the numerous strippers and pornstars she has seen all these years.