S is for SEX

by Scott Hildreth

She turned to face Ryan. Her face, hands and arms were covered in blood. Ryan shook his head at the sight of her. As a vehicle pulled up alongside the gas pumps, his eyes shifted quickly to the parking lot.

  The driver got out and began to attempt to pump fuel.

  Ryan turned to face Ami. “You look like you’ve…”

  He paused and shook his head as he studied the amount of blood that covered Ami.

  “Been to hell and back?” Ami asked.

  “Precisely,” Ryan responded.

  She grinned. “Only for you, Baby.”

  Her eyes, too, shifted toward the car at the gas pumps.

  The driver, frustrated because the now dead attendant had not set the pump to be operational, began to walk toward the store entrance. As he approached, he stared down at his feet, shaking his head in frustration.

  “Looks like he’s coming in,” Ryan whispered.

  Ami began to walk toward the door, her gun held steady at arm’s length. As she got within a few feet of the door, the approaching man looked up and noticed Ami, the gun, blood, and money.

  His eyes widened.

  He turned and began to run toward the car.

  “Grab my fucking pigskins,” Ami screamed over her shoulder.

  Without hesitation, Ami opened the door, extended her arm, and took aim.

  “Run motherfucker,” Ami whispered as she looked down the barrel of the pistol.

  She chuckled as he reached for the door handle of the car.

  “Fuck it, you’re gonna die anyway,” she said softly.

  And she pulled the trigger.

  UNDEFEATED

  (UN Series, Book I)

  Buy Undefeated Here

  SHANE. “When’s Shortyshowin’ up?” Ripp asked as he tossed the chicken on the grill.

  “Any time, but she said not to wait,” I responded.

  “Mike Ripton waits for no man. Or woman,” he laughed.

  “How much fucking chicken you got, Ripp?”

  “Three of em. Shit Dekk, I’ll eat one, she’ll eat a piece, you’ll damn near eat one. That leaves a few pieces to snack on,” he said as he continued to load the grill with chicken.

  I thought about it and nodded my head, affirming Ripp’s chicken count.

  “So, we’re working into the end of summer, you gonna get them boots before they’re gone?” he laughed as he closed the grill.

  I looked down at my boots. Seeing them from this distance, they didn’t look so bad - as long as I looked straight down at the tops of them. The sides and bottom were a different story.

  “I’ll never understand ya, Dekk. Weird fucker, you’re probably the only mother fucker in Austin wearing Levi’s and boots today,” he chuckled as he sat down on the lounge chair.

  “Probably,” I said as I sat down on the lounge beside him.

  “So, I never asked. Your girl drink?” he asked.

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  “You know, I admire you for not. She ain’t drank here yet. She’s been here for eight or nine Saturdays in a row, hasn’t yet. I didn’t know if she did when you guys went out,” he said as he took a drink from his bottle of beer.

  “Hasn’t yet,” I responded.

  “Suppose that’s good. I don’t know where you find all the inspiration. But if she doesn’t drink, hell, it’ll be easy for you to keep up the good work,” he laughed as he finished his beer.

  “At least the Ultra’s won’t make me fat,” Ripp said as he slapped his hand against his stomach.

  “Obviously not,” I said.

  “What ya sayin’ Dekk?” he asked.

  “Just said it,” I responded.

  “I drink too much?” he asked.

  “Didn’t say that,” I said.

  “What are ya sayin?” he asked.

  “Calories are calories,” I said.

  “95 a bottle. That’s it. Hell, I drink a dozen of these fuckers, it ain’t gonna hurt me. That’s 1200 calories. So, no big deal. I bet I only drink five or six anyway,” he said.

  “1140. But yeah, 95 calories isn’t many. You sure about that?” I asked.

  “Fucking smart-ass. The Ultra’s haven’t got much, but damn they taste like it. Want one?” he chuckled.

  “No, I’ll stick with this,” I said as I leaned over and grabbed my half-full glass of water from the table at the corner of the deck.

  “I’m going in for some ice, need anything?” I asked as I stood up from my chair.

  “No, I’m golden,” Ripp said as he stood up.

  I’ve enjoyed Ripp’s routine of cooking chicken on Saturdays. It gave me something to look forward to. I’ve always liked routines, and had become almost reliant on the processes I had in place. When they don’t happen for some reason, I feel deprived. I walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer. As I looked into it, I realized that he’d dumped all of the ice I had purchased into his beer cooler.

  I reached to the back of the freezer to grab the plastic ice trays. A small plastic Zip-Loc style bag was lying on top of the ice trays. As I picked it up to move it, I realized what it contained.

  “Ripp, you sick fucker,” I screamed, knowing he couldn’t hear me.

  I tossed the bag to the side and pulled the tray from the freezer. I dumped half of the cubes into my cup and re-filled the tray and my glass with water. I slammed the freezer door, and walked back outside to the deck.

  “Ripp, you sick fuck,” I said as I closed the door behind me.

  “What’s up, Dekk?” he said over his shoulder as he moved the chicken around on the grill.

  “Well, I noticed you used all the ice I bought for one,” I began.

  “What’s sick about that?” he chuckled as he closed the lid to the grill.

  “Well, nothing. But it was all gone. So I grabbed an ice tray. Well, I started to. There was a Zip-Lock bag on top of the ice, so I grabbed it to move it and…” I paused to see what he had to say.

  “And…?” he asked.

  “Well? The Zip-Lock bag. What the fuck, Ripp?” I asked.

  He shrugged his shoulders, “Dude, I got nothing.”

  “The finger, Ripp. It had a finger in it,” I mumbled as I sat down.

  “Oh shit, I forgot about that little fucker. It’s been in there for a bit. Let’s get it outta there and look at it,” he said as he wiped his hands on his shorts.

  “Dude, I just saw it. I don’t want to see it again,” I complained.

  “Well, fuck. I probably ought to get rid of it. Maybe the garbage disposal?’ he asked.

  “Hell, I don’t know. It’s kind of small,” I responded.

  “Yeah, but it’s frozen. So basically it’s like a piece of ice. It ought to just get ground up and melt in there, huh?” he asked.

  “No. Fuck Ripp, it’s meat,” I responded.

  He nodded his head slowly, “Yeah, suppose so. Meat and a little piece of bone.”

  “Alright, I’m done talking about it,” I said as I rubbed my stomach and made a face like I’d eaten something rotten.

  “You beat people half to death, and knock out every son of a bitch under the sun, and you wanna get sick over a little finger. Shit, it ain’t no bigger’n a Vienna sausage,” he laughed.

  “I’m done with the finger talk,” I said as I waved my hands in front of my stomach.

  “Well, I need to do something with it before your girl finds it,” he said.

  “Yeah, no shit. Go do something with it,” I begged.

  He walked past me and into the house. In a matter of seconds, he walked back onto the deck. As he shut the door, I turned his direction.

  “Well?” I asked.

  He held up the finger tip, grasping it between his thumb and forefinger.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” I asked.

  He opened the lid to the grill and looked inside.

  “Ripp, don’t!” I screamed and I started to stand up from the lounge.

  “Well fuck, it won’t fit. Come here and look at this. Little fucker’s too s
mall to cook on here. It’ll fall between the little metal bars. Shit. I was just gonna cook it as a joke,” he said as he turned and gave me a disgruntled look.

  Still holding the finger in his hand, he closed the lid to the grill. We both turned to the left side of the deck as we heard the gate open. Kace walked through the gate wearing a floral print sun dress. Our eyes widened as we turned and stared at each other.

  “Hey,” Kace said as she stepped toward the deck.

  We both simultaneously turned toward the open gate. A tall blonde wearing jean shorts and a sleeveless black shirt followed Kace into the yard. They couldn’t have shown up at a worse time, considering the fact we hadn’t resolved the finger issue yet. I looked at Ripp and scrunched my brow.

  “Do something with it,” I whispered.

  As he noticed the other girl, he quickly shoved the finger into the pocket of his Khaki cargo shorts.

  “Hope you don’t mind. I brought my friend,” Kace asked as she stepped onto the deck.

  “Not at all. I’m glad you did,” I responded as I turned and looked at Ripp.

  As they both stepped onto the deck, Ripp raised his eyebrows and wiped his hands on his shorts.

  “Hi. I’m Mike. Mike Ripton. You can call me Ripp, everyone else does,” he said as he walked toward her with his hand held out in front of him.

  “I’m Olivia. You can call me Liv. Everyone else does,” she chuckled as she shook Ripp’s hand.

  I hugged Kace as Ripp shook her hand. As I kissed her, Liv turned our direction. I reached around Kace’s side and held my hand out.

  “Hi, I’m Shane,” I said.

  “Yeah, Kace told me about you,” she said as she shook my hand.

  “Hope you like chicken,” Ripp said.

  “Love it,” Liv responded as she walked toward the grill.

  “Uhhm. Want an Ultra?” Ripp asked as he pointed to the beer cooler.

  “Yeah, sure. I mean, as long as you have enough,” she responded.

  “I always have enough,” he laughed as he leaned toward the cooler and opened the lid.

  Kace squeezed me tight and buried her face in my hoodie.

  “Hey Shorty,” Ripp said as he waved at Kace.

  Without looking, her face buried in my hoodie, Kace raised her hand from my back and waved at Ripp.

  “She’s nice,” I whispered into Kace’s ear.

  “I told her about Ripp on the way here. She’s the one I told you who works at the coffee shop by the deli,” Kace whispered.

  “Aaahhh,” I responded as I turned toward Ripp. He and Liv were talking as he poked at the chicken with the tongs.

  “Go grab a platter and stuff, Dekk,” Ripp said as he stood at the grill talking to Liv.

  “C’mon, babe. Let’s go inside,” I said as I motioned toward the door.

  “So, she’s the girl from the coffee shop on the corner?” I asked as I looked for a platter and plates.

  “Uh huh. She’s the one I’ve been talking to you for the last few months about,” she paused and smiled.

  “Well, you know,” she shrugged.

  “Okay, I was thinking so. She’s single?” I asked.

  “Uh huh. Yeah. Her boyfriend was the douche. I told you about him. They broke up a month ago. Something like that,” she responded as I handed her some plates from the cupboard.

  I grabbed a large platter, silverware, and a roll of paper towels. With my arms full, I leaned toward Kace and kissed her. As we kissed, she set the plates on the countertop and wrapped her arms around me.

  “I like doing this with you, Shane. Cooking. Eating. Being a part of your life beyond just living together. I like this. It’s. It’s, well. It’s like we’re a real couple. I like this,” she said as our lips parted.

  “I like it too,” I said as I adjusted the paper towels under my arm.

  “I want this. I want this forever,” she said as she picked up the plates.

  “I do too,” I responded as I started walking toward the door.

  “Then let’s do it. Let’s take that step, Shane. I’m ready,” she said.

  “It’s not a contest, babe. It’s life. There’s no time limit. If I’m truly what you think you want, need, and desire it’ll happen sooner or later. I’m not going anywhere. And you’ll wait as long as you have to. I am not going to do this in any manner I’m not comfortable with,” I said as I held the door handle in my hand.

  “Well, I’m ready,” She smiled.

  “Noted,” I said as I opened the door.

  As we walked out onto the deck, Liv and Ripp were sitting on the lounge chair together laughing. Each of them had a beer, and Ripp was trying to catch his breath from laughing.

  “Looks like they’re having fun,” I whispered to Kace.

  “Oh my God, Kace. He’s funny,” Liv said as she nodded her head toward Ripp.

  “He can be,” Kace laughed.

  “No, he is,” Liv stated, still laughing.

  “I was just telling her about your boots,” Ripp laughed.

  I raised one eyebrow and turned toward Ripp as I set the plates and silverware down on the table.

  “Well, it’s true,” he said.

  “Let me see the bottoms of them,” she asked.

  I shook my head and turned up the sole of my boot so she could see the holes. As she leaned over and looked, she gasped.

  “Oh my God. Those are awful. You were so right,” she laughed as she slapped Ripp’s leg.

  I turned toward Kace and rolled my eyes. As she set the plates down on the table, I sat on the edge of the lounge chair. Kace sat down beside me and leaned over, resting her head on my shoulder. As I wrapped my right arm around her, Ripp stood up and walked toward the grill.

  “So, what’s with the hoodie?” Liv asked quizzically.

  “What about it?” I responded.

  “Well, it’s almost a hundred degrees. You’re wearing a hoodie, boots, and jeans. Don’t you feel out of place?” she asked as she motioned to Ripp and Kace.

  I raised my eyebrows, looked at Ripp and Kace, then turned back to face Liv, “No. I don’t.”

  “So, why wear it in the summer?”

  “Habit I suppose.”

  “It’s hot out here,” she said as she fanned her face with her hand.

  “Not too bad,” I responded.

  “Is there a reason?” she asked.

  I thought about her question. I had worn a hoodie every day since as long as I could remember. It had become somewhat of a trademark. As much as I tried to recall, I didn’t really know what started it. Going without one now would make me feel naked. I doubted if I could make it a day without having a hoodie on or available to put on.

  “I don’t know. Again, I suppose it’s habit.”

  “He always wears one,” Kace said as she lifted her head from my shoulder.

  “I’m not trying to be mean, it just seems odd,” Liv said as she stood from the lounge.

  “I know two things for sure. Dekk’s one weird fucker. And this chicken’s done,” Ripp said.

  Liv grabbed the platter, walked to the grill, and stood behind Ripp. Ripp’s back was about twice as wide as hers. Seeing her stand beside him put them both in perspective regarding size. Ripp was huge and she was exceptionally thin. She reached around Ripp and held the platter at his side.

  “Thanks, Liv,” Ripp said as he grabbed the platter.

  I looked down at Kace’s. She was smiling as she watched Ripp and Liv. I leaned over and kissed her forehead as she admired them. As she turned her head and looked up at me, I kissed her.

  “They’re cute,” she silently mouthed the words.

  I blinked my eyes and nodded. She leaned her head against my bicep as she rubbed my thigh. Almost immediately, I began to become aroused. I shifted my left leg and kicked it up on the lounge. No help. I raised my right leg and leaned into the lounge. Damn it. Kace shifted beside me lowered her head onto my shoulder, and began rubbing my thigh again. As she did, she could feel me hardening. Her
hand moved to encompass my now swollen cock.

  She turned her head and softly whispered into my ear as she squeezed my cock in her hand, “I want this.”

  She turned, looked at Ripp and Liv for a short moment, and turned to face me.

  “I want it,” she whispered.

  I closed my eyes.

  She squeezed harder as she stroked her hand back and forth along the bulge in my jeans.

  I kicked my legs over the other side of the chair and picked her up in my arms. Her face was filled with surprise as I swept her from the lounge and into my arms. Now standing on the other side of the lounge and holding her in my arms, she looked up at me and smiled.

  “Ripp, we’re going in the house for a minute,” I sighed.

  Ripp looked up from the grill, “Uhhhm. Alright.”

  Still holding Kace in my arms, I leaned toward the door and grabbed the handle. As I opened the door, Kace looked up at me and smiled. I walked into the living room and slowly lowered her onto the couch. As she lay on the couch, I knelt on the floor beside her and lowered my head alongside her hips.

  “I want you…” she began to say as she kicked her sandals to the floor.

  I pressed my finger to her lips.

  “Shhhh.” I said.

  “Remember what I told you? About me being good at everything that I do?” I asked as I held my finger over her lips.

  She nodded her head and sighed.

  “I want you to listen to me, Kace. Listen and try to be quiet. Focus on listening and feeling,” I said as I slid the bottom of her dress up to her hips.

  I removed my hoodie and shirt and tossed them over the arm of the couch. I lowered my chin to the inside of her bare thighs, looking up at her eyes as I did. As I reached up and slowly pulled her panties down her thighs, she sighed softly. I tossed her thong on the couch beside her, reached inside her dress, and placed my hands against her waist. I pressed my thumbs lightly into the depression of her hips.

  “Shhhh. Listen. I don’t know if I’m a good boxer because I notice all the details, or if I notice all the details because I’m a good boxer,” I slowly licked up her inner thigh, working my way closer to her hips.

  “But,” I paused and looked up into her eyes.

  “I do notice all the details. Like the day we met in your office. The yogurt cup in the trash. The plastic spoon. The Running magazine you had on your desk. I notice everything.”