by Adele Dubois
“Ms. Miller, any theories about why someone wants to hurt you?” a reporter shouted over the crowd.
“Is it true you put yourself through school as a stripper?” another hollered. Video cameras rolled and microphones waved.
“I’ve heard you can climax in under ten seconds. Want to comment on that?”
Crystal squinted from the bright, invasive lights, more brilliant than the nine o’ clock sunshine. She put her hand up to cover her eyes and then turned back to her apartment. Tomas followed, holding her waist to support her while they hurried inside. Crystal slammed the door behind them. “Jesus! Just what I was trying to avoid!”
“Someone read the police blotter. Knows about the ransacking. The information got out faster than I expected,” Tomas said.
“I’m a porn star who also happens to be a meteorologist,” Crystal replied, rancor tingeing her voice. “Sex sells. Why else would they care about a dinky cable station?”
The bell rang and fists pummeled the door. “Ms. Miller. We just want to talk to you!” a woman’s voice shouted.
Tomas kissed Crystal’s cheek. “I’ll get you out of here. Let’s go out through the kitchen and the back door off the garage. My Harley’s parked in the alley. Got everything you need for work?”
Crystal hoisted her handbag higher on her shoulder. “Yep. I’m ready.”
Tomas had his motorcycle revved and screeching into the street before the press knew what hit them. He opened the throttle, leaned forward and shot into the wind with Crystal close against his back.
Who had the fucking power now? The press looked like a sea of urchins behind them. Tomas smiled and gained speed as they hit the open highway.
He’d have to stay close to Crystal and the investigation to see where it led. His buddies at the local precinct would keep him informed as a courtesy. When he called his brother Antonio last night while Crystal slept, his brother promised to stay in touch with his contact there. However, FBI involvement as this stage was premature, his brother had warned. Nosing around the investigation might piss off perfectly capable officers. Antonio promised to stay in contact and offer his help on the down low.
Tomas made a mental list of what he knew, so far, while the warm city air breezed over his face. One. Whoever had written those letters knew Crystal’s real name and stage name. Two. The ransacking was most likely the work of a WCNT employee. Three. Whoever it was wanted to reclaim the evidence, not hurt Crystal as the letters stated. What the hell was going on?
If someone wanted to hurt Crystal, they would have waited for her to come home, assaulted her and then taken the letters. Instead, a young woman had avoided breaking and entering by gaining access to the apartment under false pretense. She’d taken what she wanted and left. There was no robbery and no vandalism attached to the crime. Nothing to indicate the threats would be carried out. Odd.
Tomas’ deliberations came to a halt as he and Crystal approached the television station. Goddamned press was stuck to the front of the building like slugs on wet rock. Shit. He revved the throttle to get their attention, making as much noise as possible. Tomas watched while the paparazzo turned toward the motorcycle. “Hang on, baby!” he shouted. Tomas aimed the Harley straight at the crowd.
At first the press corps showed interest in the bike heading straight for the front door of the building. Tomas watched as curiosity changed to consternation, then fear. A female reporter ran out of the way and a male jumped to the side. A dozen pairs of eyes went wide and people scattered as the Harley drew close enough to skin knees and elbows, blowing heat and fumes in its path.
“You crazy bastard!” A paparazzi screamed. Tomas only laughed in return, aiming the Harley directly at the front door. When they reached the glass entryway, he slid to a halt and Crystal hopped off the bike. She ran inside before anyone could get to her. Though most of the journalists had moved out of the way, one cameraman caught the entire event on film. A reporter spoke into her microphone.
Tomas turned the Harley around and headed for the parking lot. “Adios!” He waved a hand and disappeared around the side of the building.
* * * * *
Crystal was yelling at Marv in the green room when Tomas entered the building from a rear exit. A security guard had let him in. He came up behind Crystal and stood at her side while Marv frowned and rubbed his bald head.
“Someone from this studio is after me and it’s up to you to find out who!” Crystal shouted. “You’ve got spies everywhere.”
Marv lifted his hands. “What do you want me to do? The cops were here early this morning. I answered all their questions. They looked around. Talked to the staff. If they learn anything I’m sure you’ll be the first to know. Then I’ll fire their ass and we can both press charges.”
Crystal looked up helplessly at Tomas. “The police won’t find anything, will they.” It wasn’t a question. Crystal sounded resigned to the obvious.
Tomas told her the truth. “Without the letters as evidence, there’s not much they can do. They’d need a confession or an eyewitness. You admitted that everyone has access to your dressing room and the police aren’t going to take fingerprints from your apartment in the absence of a major crime. There wasn’t even forced entry. Your landlord let the person inside.”
“Yvette saw the woman. She’ll identify her.”
“Maybe. The woman can say your place was trashed when she got there. She let herself out, according to Yvette. There’s no one to refute that.”
Crystal scowled. “So unless there’s an assault or a body, I’m screwed. The police won’t do more than ask questions.”
Tomas hated to admit she was right, but replied anyway. “Yeah.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah. That too.”
She looked up again at Marv. “The least you can do is put a lock on my door so nobody else can get in without a key. I’ll keep one and you take the duplicate. Deal?”
Marv acted like she’d just driven a hard bargain. “Okay,” he sighed. “Jesus. What a day.” He shoved his hands in his pants pocket and walked off. “See you on the set,” he said over his shoulder as he strolled away.
Tomas rubbed Crystal’s tense back muscles. “I’m off this weekend and so is my brother. Want to take a ride to Annapolis? He’s staying with Lisa at her place. He said they have something to show us.”
Lisa Gibson, Antonio’s girlfriend, owned a Saltbox house near the bay that she shared with a roommate. Crystal liked Lisa, though they were different types of women. Lisa was a conservative, all-American type and a computer geek who earned a comfortable living in the electronics field. Crystal had been a stripper at the Tongue and Cheek when they’d first met at Tomas’ graduation ceremony from the Naval Academy.
Lisa had come into town graduation weekend to break up with her cheating boyfriend, Rick Bennett, who was also graduating from the Academy. She met Antonio on the way to axing Rick and they’d been together ever since. In an ironic twist, Tomas and Rick had been roommates and Tomas knew what kind of rat Rick had been.
Rick “The Baller” Bennett was a notorious womanizer who’d deserved to get the boot. It remained a mystery to Tomas why Lisa hadn’t found out sooner what kind of cheating jerk he was. When Lisa broke up with him, Rick tried to enact revenge by threatening to post a sex video of her on the Internet. Antonio and Tomas hatched a plan to get the video back.
“A trip out of town sounds great. I could use a break.”
“On Monday, I want to bring Yvette to the set before your weather segment. Have her look around. Maybe she can identify the woman who came to your apartment. There’s nothing stopping me from getting to the bottom of this.”
Crystal kissed his mouth. She tasted like cherry lip gloss and smelled like heaven. “Remind me to suck you off later for being such a good guy.”
Tomas kissed her back. “Believe me, I won’t forget.”
* * * * *
When they returned to her apartment that night, the reporters were gone
. Earlier in the day, several had called WCNT to request interviews while others had asked for a statement. Crystal finally complied when she realized the press wouldn’t go away until she talked. After her segment, she’d conducted a press conference and allowed pictures to be taken. Her story would make the eleven o’clock news and tabloid headlines for who knew how long on the Internet.
Crystal took Tomas’ hand and brought him into the kitchen. She pointed to the table in the center of the room. “Sit on the edge.”
Tomas chuckled and hoisted himself up on the table. “Planning a late snack?”
“Damn right. I’m going to eat you.”
“Aren’t you going to kiss me first?” He reached out and pulled her to his chest with a laugh. “I’m not just a cheap piece of meat.”
Crystal tweaked his chin. “Oh poor baby needs foreplay.” She giggled and the sound was so unlike her that Tomas leaned away to study her face. When she stared up at him with a sparkle in her eyes he’d never seen before, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her closer. Could she have finally come to realize she needed him?
Tomas buried his nose in her hair and ran his hands across her back, his mood lifting despite the recent events. Crisis often brought couples closer. He didn’t say a word, and neither did she, as he savored her warmth and scent and the feel of her heartbeat against his.
After a moment, he brought his hand to her jaw and lifted her face to receive the deep kiss he offered. She touched her fingertips to his hair and then stroked his scalp while she returned his kiss and sighed against his mouth. He couldn’t recall when she’d responded to him with such tenderness.
Until now he hadn’t realized how much he’d needed that from her.
In more typical Crystal fashion, she ended the kiss abruptly and then nipped his bottom lip. She didn’t meet his eyes while she pulled his shirt free from his jeans and struggled to open the snap at his waist. Tomas understood she was regaining her emotional balance while she fumbled with his clothes. Crystal had always been more comfortable with sex than sentiment. Still, their relationship seemed to be making progress.
Tomas returned to their game. “You’re a woman of your word.”
Crystal smiled like a chica with a secret. “Who gives the best head around.”
“I won’t argue with that.” Tomas leaned back on his elbows and unzipped for her. Crystal eyed his crotch and shimmied his jeans and boxers down over his hips. His erection sprang out of his clothes and brushed the fine hairs along the line of his navel. He lifted up while she pulled his pants down to his ankles. A tremor went through him simply imagining what Crystal’s mouth would feel like in about ten seconds.
She ran a hand through the trimmed dark thatch of hair surrounding his cock and spread her fingers to lightly scratch the skin beneath. Her other hand cupped his sac and massaged while she teased him with the fingertips stroking his tuft. His balls tightened and goose bumps peppered his skin while she played.
He knew she’d continue to taunt and tease until the veins running the length of his shaft swelled near to bursting and the engorged head turned purple with torment. When that happened, she’d stroke him and pump his length, but she still wouldn’t suck. Her eyes would meet his in a challenge to determine which of them could hold out longer.
His shaft swelled again and a pearl of moisture formed at the tip of his thick cock’s head. He figured she wanted him to beg. Waited for him to breathe out the words, “Suck me.” But Tomas would never beg. He’d play her little sex game because it would intensify his climax. He’d sit back and watch her caress, stroke and massage until Crystal made her next move. She’d offered him a promise and he’d never known her to go back on her word. That knowledge made their little drama all the more exciting.
Clear essence gathered at the slit on the tip of his cock. Crystal smoothed it over the surface with her thumb in a seamless arc and watched him shudder. Her thumb moved to the vee of his glans on the underside of the head and stroked that most sensitive spot with his natural lubricant. Tomas hissed between his teeth. He’d heard that the male glans and female clitoris were equally responsive. If that were true, he could understand why Crystal loved to have her tender clit licked and stroked.
Thoughts of her sweet pink pussy made his mouth water and his pleasure soar. After she sucked him off and he recovered, he was going to fuck her until she was the one who begged for mercy.
He hissed again and watched his abdomen ripple with his shuddering breaths. Crystal gripped his cock and stroked it up and down in even tempos until his resolve nearly broke.
Finally, finally… he outlasted her. She lowered her beautiful, full lips over the head of his cock and slowly sucked him into the back of her throat. The spongy, engorged head made contact with the smooth skin on the roof of her mouth and shot heat into his groin as her mouth began to move.
She took all of him in. She slid her lips along his shaft, sucked his girth and massaged his balls until his hands gripped the edge of the table and his arms shook with the effort not to come. He grimaced and puffed out air until deep moans gathered in his throat.
When he could no longer hold back, Crystal redoubled her efforts and sucked him harder while he came into her mouth. The spasms went on and on until the room around him turned dark and his energy drained away. He struggled to breathe. To remain upright.
When he was spent, Crystal ran her tongue along the underside of his length, released him and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She stood and watched him return from bliss to the world around him. “I love your cock,” she said simply.
It wasn’t the “I love you” he was looking for, but it would do, for now.
* * * * *
Saturday morning they headed to Annapolis on Tomas’ Harley. The wind blew the scent of the Chesapeake Bay across Crystal’s face and she inhaled the fragrance with a feeling of well-being she hadn’t known in a long time. She tucked away worrisome thoughts about letters and stalkers and simply let herself absorb the summer air and sunshine.
She savored the feel of Tomas’ back against her chest while she held on tight. She loved the solidity of his muscled body and the heat that radiated through his dark t-shirt. Tomas was all male, and all hers. That knowledge brought a pang of satisfaction that both surprised and pleased her. Crystal smiled into the breeze and lifted her chin.
She must be going soft.
* * * * *
They arrived at Lisa’s place and pulled into the long driveway that circled to the back of the house. Antonio’s Harley sat inside the carport next to the garage, its chrome glinting white in the sun. A natural barrier of rose covered trellises, bushes and morning glories shielded the carport from view of the house and Lisa’s next-door neighbor’s windows.
Tomas parked beside Antonio and he and Crystal dismounted.
Crystal noted with a chuckle that Tomas mentally compared the size of his bike to his older brother’s while she pulled a bottle of wine from the storage compartment. Men. Everything they did was about the size of their cocks. Crystal didn’t know what Antonio’s body looked like naked, but she was confident Tomas didn’t need to worry about comparisons.
The sounds of laughter brought them around the corner of the house to the deep green lawn. Tall, narrow wooden stairs led from the yard to a little wooden deck off the kitchen’s side door. Crystal looked up, but the laughter came from the opposite side of the steps, near the stone wall bordering the lawn. She and Tomas walked toward the sounds.
Splashing followed a ring of female laughter. Lisa. Crystal picked up her pace and smiled as she and Tomas approached Lisa and Antonio, reclining inside a brand new Jacuzzi. The tub sat inside a clear protective dome that had been built to look like a greenhouse. Colorful plants had been tucked into the corners. A wooden bench was stacked with towels. A red bikini and a pair of black trunks lay strewn on the narrow patio surrounding the tub.
Crystal knew the Jacuzzi had to be new, because it hadn’t been there the
last time she’d visited with Tomas. “Hey!” she called out. “You said you had something to show us. This is fabulous!”
When they reached the open doorway, Lisa looked over at her and Tomas with half-closed eyes while she relaxed against the tub. Her waist-long brown hair had been tied in a series of knots atop her head. Jets of fast moving water obliterated the details, but it was obvious she and Antonio were naked. “Hi,” she said softly. “Good to see you. Glad you could visit.”
“Hey, bro. Hey, Crystal. Come on in. The water feels great.” Antonio held Lisa’s extended leg near his chest. His fingers worked the soles of her feet in a deep foot massage. Lisa practically purred and sank deeper into the water. Antonio slid Lisa’s big toe into his mouth and began to suck. Lisa moaned with obvious pleasure while he continued to massage and lick.
Tomas turned to Crystal. “Want to go in?” She noticed he’d eyed Lisa’s slim form inside the water. A twinge of resentment struck, surprising her. Lisa and Antonio had seen Crystal mostly naked a number of times at both the Tongue and Cheek and on television. There wasn’t much of her body they hadn’t seen close up and personal. She’d made no secret of her open lifestyle, either. So why was she reluctant to strip and slide into the Jacuzzi?
In reply, she lifted the bottle of white wine she held. “I think I’ll put this in the fridge to chill.” She turned back to Lisa and Antonio. “We’ll give you your privacy and see you inside, okay?”
Lisa nodded. “Sure. Make yourselves comfortable. I’ve made shrimp salad for lunch. That wine is perfect. Thanks.” Antonio’s hands worked their way up Lisa’s leg and she giggled.
Crystal and Tomas left, but Crystal turned back to peek halfway across the lawn, unable to resist the temptation. Lisa had lifted herself out of the pool to perch on the side. She spread her long legs and opened her trimmed pussy wide for Antonio. He moved between her thighs and began to lick and suck her clit the way he’d done her big toe.
Crystal pulled in a breath while her heart hammered inside her chest. Though she’d seen dozens of people have sex, the raw carnality mixed with tenderness and love that emanated from Lisa and Antonio made Crystal’s knees go weak. She clutched Tomas’ hand with her free hand to steady herself.