by ANDREA SMITH
“Glad to hear it little lady,” he responded. “Hold your bun out so I can put the weenie in it.”
This brought a fresh fit of giggles from me, and I doubled over laughing. Clint was right there, grabbing my paper plate and the bun out of my fingers.
“I got it, I got it, sweetie, go sit down.” He filled my plate with potato chips, baked beans, and mustard relish on my hot dog and brought it over to me.
“Thank you, Clint. Would you mind getting me another wine cooler?”
“Not until you eat,” he said firmly. The tone of his voice convinced me not to argue, so I took a big bite out of the hot dog, and groaned at how good it tasted. Once I'd finished, Clint finally relented, and brought another wine cooler for me.
Later, we all told stories and drank by the fire pit. It was going on midnight when Jenna got the idea of going swimming in the Sinclair’s pool.
“Whoa, wait a second,” Clint said, “I enjoy a night-time swim as much as the next person, but hey, it's getting late and we might wake up the Sinclairs. I for one appreciate my job here.”
“Chill out, Clint,” Jenna chirped, “Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair are over in Europe. They have their prodigal son, the lawyer, checking up on things while they are gone. I saw him leave in his hot little sports car late this afternoon. He's probably hooking up so no worries!”
I looked at Clint. He shrugged his shoulders and winked.
"Okay, everyone grab your suits and see you in the pool!” Jenna hollered.
The pool was a pretty far trek, but Clint said he'd wait on me to change and walk me down. I changed into my red two-piece suit, found a towel and shrugged a tee shirt on over it. I still had my unopened wine cooler from the party, so I twisted the top off, drinking about half of it before I heard Clint’s knock.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Lead the way,” I said.
The guys and Jenna were already there when we arrived. Luke, Rodney, and Stuart were passing Jenna around in the water, throwing her from one to another as she giggled and shrieked with delight. Ray and Denise had left to go back to Denise’s apartment in town for the night.
“Shhh, you guys, keep it down,” Clint warned, eyeing the darkened mansion. “I meant what I said earlier. I’m not looking to get fired.” He took off his tee shirt and slipped into the water at the shallow end of the pool. “You coming in, Tylar?” he called.
I finished off my wine cooler, kicked my flip-flops aside, and pulled my tee shirt over my head. I waded down to Clint, a bit anxious. I wasn't a swimmer and I had no clue as to the maximum depth of the pool at the other end. There was a diving board, so I figured it had to be eight to ten feet deep there.
Jenna was on Stuart’s shoulders and wanted to play a game in the water to see who could knock who off someone’s shoulders. “C’mon, Clint, get Tylar up there on your shoulders and let’s see which chick is the strongest. ’Course, it’s up to the guys to hold on tight to their legs, which shouldn’t be a problem for you, I guess,” she snickered.
Clint turned and looked at me questioningly, “Do you want to play?”
“I’m game,” I answered, feeling a resurgence of nerve since the last wine cooler. I scrambled up onto Clint’s broad shoulders. He waded to the middle of the pool. Rodney was appointed line judge so we waited for him to give us the signal to start. I noticed Jenna leaning down and whispering something to Stuart. Clint and I approached Jenna and Stuart in the middle of the pool. The depth here was about five and a half feet by my estimate.
“Ready, set, go!” Rodney yelled, backing out of the way.
Immediately Jenna and Stuart made their way quickly over to Clint and me, splashing us to the point that I was blinded by the water in my eyes; I squeezed them shut. The chlorine stung like hell. I was flailing my arms about wildly hoping to make contact with Jenna to knock her off. I knew that we were in deeper water now. I could feel the water touching my behind, which meant Clint’s face had to be partially submerged.
Oh shit!
I was hoping Clint could still hear; I was screaming at him to get me out. My hands desperately located his head and I realized that he'd to bob up and down in order to breathe. Just then Jenna launched a pre-emptive strike. Stuart had maneuvered into a position where they were in the more shallow water. Clint and I were on the down slope to the diving area. Suddenly, Jenna went underwater and grabbed my right foot while Stuart grabbed my left foot. In unison, they pushed up with all their force and launched me off of Clint’s back.
I flew airborne out of the water. I briefly saw Jenna jump on Clint, laughing and dunking him so that he could offer no assistance to me. It was if I was watching the whole scene in slow motion. I felt myself sailing through the air backward. I saw the look of horror on the faces of Luke and Rodney as the back of my head slammed into something hard. I felt a blinding pain, and then I hit the water face down. I felt myself sinking and sinking. Everything was a blur.
I can’t swim! I can’t swim!
Tiny bubbles escaped from my mouth as I sank. I futilely waved my hands in the water. It was eerily quiet under the surface. I drifted slowly toward the bottom of the pool.
Is somebody coming to get me? Is anyone out there?
Why wouldn’t my feet move?
Kick your damned feet!
I kicked fervently, trying to remember what it looked like when I saw others doing it, thinking I was probably doing it all wrong. The best I could do was to keep my mouth shut and try not to inhale water. It was then that I finally saw something. It was a bright light. It was shining for me. This must be it for me. I knew about the bright light people saw as they crossed over into death. Somehow, I thought it would be more brilliant, more beckoning. Someone was in the water next to me. He was all in black.
The grim reaper?
He grabbed me around the waist with strong arms, propelling me upward along his side. I tried to hold my breath longer, but I couldn’t. Everything went blessedly black.
The first thing I felt was something pressing heavily on my chest. There was pressure again and again. A mouth was on mine. Then more pressure.
Fuck it hurts!
I was hacking up water then sputtering as I was rolled over onto my side where I proceeded to vomit up wine coolers, chewed-up hot dog and what tasted like baked bean gravy. I heard a voice, a semi-familiar voice.
“That’s it, Tylar, good girl, let it out, let it all out."
I groaned. My chest ached, my throat burned, and my head throbbed. I heard someone else talking now.
“I think she’s coming around.”
That's Clint's voice; I'm sure of it.
“No thanks to any of you idiots!” the semi-familiar voice snarled. Silence followed. “I want to know who the hell is responsible for this!”
Wait a minute. I know that snarl!
I tried to say something, but all that came out was a squeaky croak. Strong arms turned over onto my back. I was being cradled against a hard chest. I could feel a heartbeat pounding; mine fluttered. Some other voice was talking, a woman’s voice I didn’t recognize, asking if I should be taken to the hospital. Then it was Clint’s voice again.
“Here’s a blanket, sir,” Clint sounded scared.
I immediately felt warmer as the blanket was wrapped closely around me and tucked under my chin. I willed myself to open my eyes. They were so heavy, but I needed to see and know for sure. Slowly my eyes fluttered open and my vision was clear enough that I could see those beautiful sapphire eyes staring into mine.
Something was different in those blue eyes. There was no anger in them. I now saw fear and concern in the depths of those blue orbs. I lifted my hand out from under the warm blanket and cautiously touched his chin stubble with my fingers. I needed to know if this was real or imaginary. It felt real enough.
“Trey?” a voice croaked. I realized the voice was mine.
“Hush now” he said, stroking my face with his fingers. “Everything’s okay. We just need to get you to th
e hospital.”
I snuggled closer to him, burying my face into his chest and tucking my hand back inside the blanket. I felt his warmth and I knew it was the best thing I'd ever felt in my life. Trey held me close as I sank again into darkness, a siren wailing in the distance.
CHAPTER 4
My dreams had haunted me for as long as I could remember. They didn’t seem like normal dreams. In my freshman year at college, I'd taken Psychology I as part of my degree curriculum. We studied a chapter describing body rhythms and mental states covering dreams. There were so many theories. I wasn't sure which theory I supported, but I definitely felt that my dreams were an expression of something. Something from my past frightened me; I didn't know what.
It seemed like I'd been dreaming for days. My dreams had been interrupted routinely by voices, lights, people checking on me, prodding me, lifting me. I heard buzzers and beeping, phones ringing and footsteps, even someone snoring. Even now, I drifted through a dream I’d had before.
It's my senior prom. I'd begged my mom for a strapless dress. She told me that I'd have to pay for it myself, because she couldn’t afford it. I worked every day after school to save up enough money for a form-fitting peach satin sheath that hit above the knees. It was strapless and the bodice was cut straight across. It was the most money that I'd ever spent on clothes, but it was prom, the first and only one I'd ever have.
By my side that night will be my steady boyfriend, Daniel Henderson. We've been dating through my entire senior year. He comes from a good family, and has a scholarship to attend Purdue University in the fall. He is good looking, with dark brown eyes and sandy blond hair. He is built, too. He'd played football all four years of high school, and would play in the fall for Purdue. Daniel means a lot to me and God knows he has been patient. We hadn’t done much more than make out. I'd let him feel me up inside my top and finger me a couple of times. But now I'm ready; I want to give him a prom night he will remember.
I slip my freshly bathed and waxed body into my new silk underwear and bra. My mom helps me zip my peach satin sheath in the back.
“I want you to have these earrings, Ty,” Mom says as she hands me a blue velvet box. I open the box and there are two glistening pearl drop earrings nestled on a pink satin pillow.
“These are beautiful, Mom, thank you!”
She smiles as I fasten them into my ears. “They are perfect,” I say, looking at my reflection in the mirror. Mom fusses with my hair a bit more. It's piled up loosely on top of my head. She releases a few tendrils from each side and frames them around my face.
“There now, that’s better, gives you a little bit of a ‘tousled’ look, now don’t it?” she says with satisfaction. Mom spins me around to take a full look. Her forehead creases a bit as she taps her index finger several times against her bottom lip.
“Needs one more thing,” she says, hurrying off to her room and returning a moment later with another blue velvet box. She opens it and presents me with a gold necklace that has a single tear-drop pearl pendant. She tosses the box over onto my bed, and fastens the necklace around my neck, checking the clasp.
“Your daddy gave me this, along with those earrings, Ty,” she explains. “About the only things he ever did give me, besides you of course. Seems only right that you should have them. There now, baby girl, you look gorgeous.”
I study myself in the mirror again, and I feel pretty. My make-up is subtle, my dress allows a bit of cleavage to show, but nothing overly daring. My hair looks shiny and playful. It’s the earrings and necklace that make it all perfect.
“Thanks, Mom,” I say, putting my arms around her and hugging her tightly. Mom gets that uncomfortable look like always when I show her affection. Our doorbell chimes, interrupting our rare tender moment. I grab my clutch from the bed and start for the door. Mom stops me with her hand.
“Tylar, honey, listen and don’t get mad, okay?”
“What is it Mom?” I'm puzzled.
“Honey, wasn’t that long ago that I went to prom, you know? Now, I just wanted to let you know that I stuck a couple of condoms in your purse there.”
“Mom!” I gasp, shocked.
“Now don’t ‘mom’, me. I've given you permission to go to those after-prom parties. You think I don’t know what goes on after prom? Well, honey, I do. I just want to make sure that you have protection in case Daniel doesn’t, okay? You have fun, now, you hear? This is your night, baby.”
I turn and descend the stairs, still blushing as I reach the landing and open the front door for Daniel. He's handsome in his black tuxedo, with peach cummerbund and tie. He places a gorgeous wrist corsage with peach-colored roses and white baby’s breath on me and whistles.
“You're hot, baby!” he laughs. “Are you ready?”
I nod, swallowing nervously. “I am, Daniel,” I say softly, smiling at him.
I'd been ready, too. I reflected on my dream as it continued. I'd wanted to lose my virginity; it hung around my neck like an albatross. The prom had gone by so fast and the after-party was a whirl. I remembered dancing with Daniel and kissing him as we swayed to the music. I remembered arriving at the after party, where my friends handed me drinks.
There I am, laughing, stumbling, and totally wrecked! I can barely manage to stand, so Daniel is holding me up. He has one arm around my waist, half holding, half dragging me up the walkway to my front door. My heels and clutch purse are in his other hand. I look like a pathetic rag doll; my hair hangs down my back. My sheath is torn from when I stumbled out of his car. The satin is stained with rainbow vomit. That's from the Jell-O shots. My mom's standing on the porch with the front door wide open. She has her skimpy black nightie on, the one with spaghetti straps that's cut low, really low. Mom motions Daniel into the front hallway, and closes the door behind him.
“What in the world happened to her, Daniel?”
Daniel gives her his best attempt at a sober grin. He doesn’t pull it off very well. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Preston, I really am,” he says. “I didn’t know that they were feeding her Jell-O shots. She’s small and, well, I think she didn’t know her limit. But that’s no excuse! It's totally my fault, ma’am. I take full responsibility.”
“Now you call me Maggie just like everyone else does.”
“Ms. — I mean, Maggie? I think it might be best if we made a bed for her in the bathroom if that’s all right. I’m not sure she’s done tossing yet,” Daniel is smiling at my mom now.
“Okay, sweetie, let me get a couple pillows for her. Can you get her upstairs by yourself, Daniel?"
“Sure thing, Maggie,” he winks.
Oh God, Mom was flirting with Daniel—my Daniel. My dream continued on to a part that I'd never seen before.
I'm sprawled across the bathroom floor. Someone has taken my prom dress off and dressed me in my nightgown. There is a pillow and blanket next to me. I sit up and peer into the toilet; it looks like I’ve puked more rainbow into it. I flush the toilet, no longer feeling nauseated. I'm tired and my head is pounding. I just want my bed. I head down the carpeted hallway toward my room, stopping at my mom’s bedroom to see if she's sleeping or waiting up to yell at me. She's not in there. Her bedside clock reads 3:47 a.m.
From downstairs, I hear voices. Oh God, I hope Daniel's not waiting to see if I want to go back out. I pad down the carpeted stairway, and the hall and living room are dark. I see a dim light coming from the den off of the kitchen. I tiptoe quietly across the kitchen linoleum, noticing a couple of half-empty wine glasses, and an empty bottle of pinot noir on the table. The door to the den is ajar, and my mom’s back is to me. I can’t see Daniel’s face because my mom is kneeling in front of him as he reclines on the couch. I can see that his tuxedo trousers are down around his ankles.
As my mom moves, I get a glimpse of Daniel’s face. His eyes are closed and his mouth is slightly open and he keeps rolling his tongue over his parted lips. My mom’s one hand is wrapped around his erection, making a fist, and sliding it up and dow
n, while her other hand is down her own panties. I want to look away, but I can’t. I want to wake up from this dream, but I can’t. I close my eyes for a second trying to grip the reality, if there is one.
I hear a soft moan escape from Daniel. I open my eyes and see my mom taking the full length of his erection into her mouth. Daniel's hips start moving, first in a circular motion, then thrusting his pelvis back and forth, back and forth. His face is flushed. My mom continues sucking his dick, drawing it in and out of her mouth with her right hand. She scoots closer inside his outspread legs; she places each of her forearms under one of his muscular thighs, drawing him up even closer. His erection needs no help. Her mouth continues to cover his dick, sliding up and down the full length, licking then sucking alternately. Daniel’s breath is ragged as he moans, swiveling his hips around and around.
“Does Tylar do this for you, baby? It’s okay, you can tell me.”
“No, ma’am—I mean no, Maggie, I swear,” he breathes.
“You certainly have a nice cock, Daniel.” My mom shifts around to face him. “As much I like what I'm doing to it right now, I'd like to see what it feels like inside of me. How do you feel about that?”
“I think I’d like that, too, Maggie.”
Mom shrugs off her black nightie and panties. She leans down and removes Daniel’s shoes and socks, pulling off his trousers, and tossing them aside. Daniel’s tie is already off, and he peels off the shirt, tossing it in the pile with the rest of their clothes. I see my clutch purse next to the pile of clothes. Mom reaches for it, opens the flap, and removes the condoms she gave me before prom.
“It’s a shame letting these perfectly good condoms go to waste, don’t you think Daniel?” she giggles, tossing one over to him. He catches it and smiles at her.
“Come here,” he whispers, grabbing her arm and lifting her onto his lap. He enfolds her in his strong arms, pulling her closer so that their faces are nearly touching. They kiss, long and passionately. I know what that feels like. He bends down and suckles one breast. He lifts her off of him, gently pressing her down into the couch. His cock is erect and ready. He bites the corner off of the foil condom wrapper and spits it out, removing the ring from its package. My mom stops him.