by Katie Dowe
"Randy Moussami?"
"That's him." Randy was a lovely man. Charli had met him at a party and liked him. "Andy's confidence rocketed through the roof and he devoted more time to playing the big guys, believing he was one of them. But he still had time for me and didn't treat me with any disrespect." Charli glared out the window. "Then he got Kim just before graduation and things changed completely. She got him on a road that was too much on his tennis and not enough on everything else."
"I hear you." Mark paused as they stopped at a red light. His mouth twitched in a wry smile. "Stephen tells me I need that balance between professional and personal or I'm going to crash from the overload. When my dad died of skin cancer, it was just me, my sister Kelly and my mom. Kelly now lives in Seattle as a music producer and Mom is still in Atlanta. She works as a sheriff's deputy." The light changed and Mark put the car into gear, moving them smoothly forward. "Stephen makes a point of creating an immovable block of free time regularly throughout the year where I go home to see family and wind down."
"Does it work?"
"It certainly does." Mark smiled. "My mom and sister are two of the most down-to-earth people I know. They keep me sane when I've had a tough period."
Charli could relate to that. Her mother lived in Montgomery and her brother was stationed in South Korea with the air force. They were close and had stuck together since Charli's dad went to jail for murder. She hadn't seen him since she was six. It had just been the three of them.
What Mark did was a good thing. It kept his feet firmly on the ground and his head out of the clouds.
"I wish Andy would do that." She said sadly. "But his parents don't see him and he doesn't talk to his brothers anymore. Last I heard, they all seem to think I'm the one responsible for him not contacting them anymore."
"How could they think that?"
"Kim." Charli spat out the name. "She's a manipulative bitch. She's the one who's been pouring things into Andy's ear, saying that I've been cheating on him and he should get rid of me." She snorted. "How he hasn't got rid of me yet when we seem to fight all the time is nothing short of amazing."
Kimberly was playing them off against each other. And she loved it. Charli could see that. And it made her sick that Kimberly could easily do that.
She hated her.
"I'm sorry you have to put up with it." Mark said quietly. He glanced at her. "I don't like Andy and he hates my guts but you don't deserve that."
Charli managed a smile. She didn't believe what Andy and Kimberly said about Mark, that he was a nasty piece of work and needed to be taken down to where he belonged. He was a nice guy, no doubt about that.
"Thanks."
*****
Charli purposefully avoided Andy's calls for the rest of the week. He called her persistently but she switched her phone off, using email and her landline if she needed to get a hold of someone. He also tried to email her, some of his messages sweet and endearing, begging them to talk, others abusive and telling her that she was a bitch, accusing her of cheating yet again.
There were more abusive messages than sweet ones.
Charli knew what she had to do. After talking with Mark and hearing about him and his family and how close they were, Charli knew she needed to break things with Andy. His parents and two brothers blamed her for Andy cutting off contact with them, his eldest brother even making up a social media group called KCK for Kill Charli Klan. Charli had reported the page and it had been taken down but it had still shaken her up.
Adding that to Kimberly virtually running Andy's life and realizing she was isolating herself from her own friends because of him, Charli knew she needed to cut away now before she completely lost everything.
So on Saturday night, Charli drove herself to Andy's apartment. In the ten years they had been together, they had never lived together. Even when they were in dorms they had different roommates. Andy had claimed that it was so they didn't stifle each other and they had plenty of time once they graduated. Now Charli wondered if Andy was cheating on her back then.
She knew now that Andy made sure it was a bachelor pad so he could have girls at his place. The amount of times she had found underwear that wasn't hers or a used condom under the bed was too many to count. Charli wondered how she had turned into such a hypocrite; she always told her friends to leave cheating partners but she hadn't done it herself.
That needed to change now. Starting with giving back her keys to his apartment and taking her spare key back.
Charli silently let herself in. There didn't seem to be a sign of Andy anywhere. Normally he would be in the lounge playing on his Xbox but the lounge was deserted.
He left all of his keys in a bowl in the kitchen by the toaster. The key to her apartment was in there. Charli picked it up and put it in her purse, replacing it with her set of keys. She then looked around for a notepad and pen, deciding to leave a note. While she wanted to end things face to face, it felt better to take the coward's way out. With Andy's unpredictable behavior she didn't want to take a chance that she would catch the angry mood.
As she moved into the lounge to look for a notepad she knew Andy left there for emergencies, Charli noticed that Andy's clothes were strewn across the floor. His jeans were by the coffee table, his boxers piled with them. His t-shirt was on the end of the couch, along with a lacy red bra and matching thong. Skinny jeans and a black blouse were crushed on the cushions. The jeans looked like they were stained with something that looked suspiciously like...
Charli's heart sank. Andy was cheating. Again.
Then she heard the long, low moan. Another moan joined it and she heard Andy whisper something. Then there was the sound of slapping flesh and the moans got louder and the breathing quicker.
It was coming from the bedroom. Charli didn't want to go in there. She knew what she was going to find. But she needed to see it for herself, to tell herself that ending things was the right idea. Andy couldn't argue that it was her imagination when she had caught him in the act.
Bracing herself, Charli went to the door and pushed it open. What she saw made her heart sink. Andy and Kimberly were on the bed, their backs to her. Kimberly was on her hands and knees with Andy kneeling behind her, his hands on her hips as he thrust hard and fast, his pelvis slapping against her buttocks. With the bed against the adjacent wall, they were facing a huge mirror. Charli could see Kimberly's pert breasts swinging with the force of the thrusts, her face twisted into a grimace of ecstasy as she moaned. Andy's eyes were closed, his head tilted back.
"Andy!"
Andy lowered his head and opened his eyes, meeting her eyes in the mirror. He gave her a languid grin, slowing his thrusts but didn't stop.
"Hey, Charli." He sounded stoned. Then Charli smelled the distinctive smell of marijuana. "Wanna join? Kim is very good with her mouth."
Charli was shocked. Did she hear him correctly?
"You're seriously asking me to join you?"
She wasn't into women and threesomes and Andy knew that. How could he ask that of her? How could he be still fucking his agent and act like it wasn't a big deal?
Kimberly gave Charli a saucy smile, her eyes glazed.
"I can see why the nigger bitch stayed." She slurred. "Your cock is to die for."
"You bet your sweet ass it is."
Then, as Charli watched, he reached between her legs and shoved three fingers deep into Kimberly's pussy. It was then that Charli realized that his cock was firmly in Kimberly's ass. She turned away, nausea building in her stomach.
"I just came by to drop off my keys and tell you it's over." She said loudly. "Have fun fucking him, Kim. He won't be with you for long."
She could hear Andy calling for her but Charli didn't look back, hurrying to the door. She didn't want to hear any more excuses.
It was going to take a while to get the image of Andy's cock buried in Kimberly's ass out of her head.
Chapter 3
Mark had just stepped out the shower and was r
ubbing himself down when the doorbell rang. Cursing, he struggled into a pair of jeans, snatching up his sweater and tugging it on as he hurried through his apartment. He opened the door on the third ring and blinked in surprise when he saw Charli standing in the hall.
His cock, which had been semi-hard since driving her home earlier in the week, pressed at the zipper of his jeans. She was still beautiful even in a pair of old jeans and a faded gray sweater, which hung off one shoulder, revealing a smooth shoulder and the black strap of her bra. Her hair had been cut since had last since her, just brushing at her shoulders. She looked good. Very good.
Then Mark saw the red eyes and the tear-streaked cheeks. She had been crying. His heart clenched.
"Charli? What's wrong?"
Charli looked up at him, her eyes shining. Then she burst into tears. She moved towards him and hugged him, burying her face against his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist. Getting over his amazement, Mark shut the door and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she sobbed and stroking her hair.
"Hey, don't cry. It's okay."
"I'm sorry." Charli sniffed. "I didn't mean to break down like this."
"You don't need to be sorry." Mark drew back, one arm still around her shoulders. "Let's sit down and you can tell me what's wrong."
Charli wiped her nose on her sleeve and nodded. Mark wanted to wipe the fresh tears away but stopped himself. That was a little too intimate right now. And intimacy wasn't something that would go down well at the moment.
Then he realized something.
"How did you know where I lived?"
"I called Stephen and asked."
"And how did you get Stephen's number?"
"His website is on the internet." Charli sat on the couch, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs. She gave him a wan smile. "He warned me not to do anything stupid but I just needed somebody to talk to."
"Okay." Mark sat beside her but not too close. After the way his skin had tingled when she touched him, he didn't trust himself to stop at just touching. "What's happened? Why have you been crying?"
Charli sniffed and swiped at her eyes.
"I ended things with Andy for good. I went to his place to drop my keys off and leave a note. Cowardly, I know, but I couldn't face him. Then I found him in bed with Kim, his agent." She shuddered. "Andy was fucking her in the ass. The ass, Mark. Why would anyone want to do that?" She gulped. "Now I know why he never wanted us to live together. So he could bang whoever he wanted without me finding out."
She began to cry again. Mark was shocked at the admission. He hadn't realized that Henson was a cheater although he should have guessed after seeing him with girls that flocked around him at parties. But he couldn't understand why the bastard would cheat on Charli. If he was in a relationship with Charli she would be treated like a queen.
Where had that come from?
"I don't get how anyone would want to fuck someone in the ass." Charli shuddered. "That's just nasty."
"Some people like it. There are a lot of sensitive nerves there. Apparently it gives better orgasms."
"You ever done it?"
Mark went red. This talking about sex, even if it was about anal sex, was making him uncomfortable. His cock was enjoying discussing it, however, but he wasn't.
"That's a bit personal, Charli."
"Just answer the question."
"Just the once when I was in high school. Never found it appealing."
Mark hadn't seen the fascination. His girlfriend at the time had enjoyed it and kept begging for more instead of regular sex but Mark had refused. She had eventually ended it with him because he wouldn't do as she said.
"I didn't even know Andy liked it." Charli rested her chin on her knees. She looked miserable. "He asked me once and I said no, I'm never doing that. And all the while he's been doing it with someone else."
"Sounds like you need to keep away from him if he can cheat on you like that and not even care."
"I plan to." Charli's jaw tightened. "Every time I tried to end it when I discovered his affairs he came back with a sob story and, like a fool, I believed him. But not this time. I'm not playing the fool."
Mark was about to applaud her for being brave and standing up for herself. Then he realized what she had said.
"Whoa, back up there. He's cheated on you before?"
Charli nodded.
"Fourteen times since Kimberly came into his life. Since he changed."
"Fourteen times?" Mark was glad he was sitting down or he would have fallen over. "And you stayed with him?" He shook his head in amazement. "I don't know how could do it."
Mark was flummoxed. He had never cheated on any of his girlfriends. If they cheated on him they were out the door quicker than they realized. His relationships may not have lasted but he was always monogamous. He couldn't understand why anyone would stay with someone when they had clearly been unfaithful.
"I thought I loved him." Charli closed her eyes. She looked exhausted. "But my patience has been wearing thin lately. I don't like what he's doing with a sport he claims to love and I don't like what he's doing to the other players. He was never like that before."
"Sounds like his ego is getting far too big for him."
"Ever since Kim came on the scene he changed." Charli snorted rudely. "Kim doesn't like me and I don't know why. It hurts like hell that she's come between us. I think she wanted us to split all along."
Mark knew the reason why. He was amazed that Charli didn't know. He sat back with a sigh.
"To be honest, when I discovered you were dating Henson I was surprised Kim tolerated it."
"How do you mean?"
"Kim's part of the Aryan nation. I thought you knew."
"She's a racist?" Charli stared at him, her expression saying she clearly had no idea. "She never said any racist things to me. Although she called me a nigger bitch when I caught her fucking Andy but she looked stoned out of her mind."
"She's smart. If people know she's a neo-Nazi she loses clients. No one wants to be linked to that."
"So how do you know about it?"
"She tried to take me on a few years ago when she retired and first started out. But I already had an agent, Stephen. He's my entire management and coaching team and we've known each other for years. I wouldn't drop him for anything." Mark rubbed at the back of his neck. "Plus I do my research on people who try to endorse me or whatever, just so I'm not being taken for a ride. That can happen. She was a very private person when she was a player so nobody found out about her loyalties."
Charli listened to this in silence. Mark could see her mulling things over in her mind. She grunted.
"It's amazing you can hide something like that when the Nazis are so out there and make their feelings known."
"As I said a moment ago, and I hate to say it, Kim is smart."
"Well, she can have him." Charli shook her head. "I'm done being taken for an idiot."
"You're smart to get out of there." Mark meant it. "No one should take that from anyone."
He knew it wasn't a good idea but he reached out and placed his hand on her neck, giving it a gentle squeeze. Her skin felt soft, her hair smooth against his fingers. Charli moaned and closed her eyes, tilting her head back as Mark gently rubbed his thumb across her neck.
This felt too good. Mark knew he should pull his hand back before something happened that they would regret - hell, she had literally just broken up with Andy and was still torn up about it - but he couldn't stop touching her. It felt too damn good. His cock was saying so as well.
Charli lowered her legs and settled back against the cushions, leaning into his hand. She opened her eyes and Mark was struck by how beautiful they were. Dark and wide, they stared at him unashamedly. He saw the dilation of the pupils and recognized the heated expression in her eyes.
She desired him.
That hit him in the chest. Charli desired him. He had thought the dilation had been a tr
ick of the light when he ran into her at the restaurant but there were no lighting problems here.
Charli shifted her head a little and pressed a kiss to his wrist. Her lips fluttered against his pulse. Mark growled.
"You'd better not do that again, Charli."
"Why not?"
Mark swallowed.
"Because I am struggling to stop myself from jumping you. You've only just dumped Andy. I don't want to..."
He was stopped by Charli pushing off on the couch and leaning against him, pressing her mouth against his. Her lips tasted good. Really good. Mark could taste them all day and never get tired.
But the sensible side set in and he gently set her away, looking her in the eye. They were both breathing heavily.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked hoarsely.
Charli nodded.
"I'm sure."
There was no hesitation, just absolute certainty. Her eyes were alight, her chest was heaving and her skin was flushed. She picked up Mark's hand and pressed it to her breast. Mark felt her nipple stab his palm and he squeezed. Charli moaned and arched into his hand, cupping and tweaking her other nipple through her sweater.
Mark growled as his control snapped. He launched himself at her and pinned her to the couch, his hips settled between hers. He thrust against her, rubbing his cock against her. Charli gasped, wrapping her legs around his hips and dragging his head down, biting on his lip. Mark kissed her back, pushing his tongue into her mouth when she opened her mouth. He thrust his tongue into her mouth the same time as he thrust against her. His movements had Charli whimpering and she clutched onto him, wriggling under him and rubbing herself against his cock.
Mark had desired her for long enough. He didn't think he could wait long enough for foreplay. He needed to be inside her now.
Charli seemed to have the same idea. Her hands were at his waist, undoing the button and zipper on his jeans. She pushed her hand inside and moaned when she discovered that he wasn't wearing boxers. Her hand wrapped around his cock and Mark groaned, thrusting into her hand. She squeezed gently and Mark knew he was going to explode if he wasn't careful.