Leading them into the sitting room, I stopped, turned and leaned against the back of the sofa. Folding my arms, I smiled and settled my hips, then looked to his woman again, “What do you say to that, darlin? Would you be coming to visit as well or is this a one-off?” I asked, engaging her into the conversation. She intrigued me.
Lennon nervously ran his hand through his thick, dark brown hair and glanced at the girl then back to me, “Coral this is Rick—Rick, Coral,” he mumbled.
“Enchanted, sweetheart,” I replied stretching out a hand for her to take. She was tentative in accepting my hand shake, so I pulled her in for a hug. As soon as I felt her small curvy frame in my arms, my dick began fucking with me. I tried to ignore how soft she felt was and reluctantly pushed her away as she answered.
“I’ll come with if I can… if that’s okay? I need to work for a living, but I want to spend as much time with Lennon as possible. By the way, it’s lovely to finally meet you, Rick. Lennon talks fondly of you,” she replied.
Fond?
“Nice to know someone does,” I chuckled, and shoved myself away from the sofa and rounded it to offer them a seat.
Lennon stood, silently watching me, stuffing his hands deep into his jeans pockets, and his gaze toward me was intense when I looked back at him. For a few seconds he had my full attention and the mood in the room between us shifted. I wasn’t sure how, it just had.
I broke eye contact and looked back at Coral, half wondering if she had picked up the same vibe, but she looked unaffected by how Len held my gaze. “You must be special to Lennie for him to come all the way out here,” I mused.
Turning to look at him she gave him a sad smile, “I love him, always have… and Lennie loves me. He just…” she shrugged helplessly as she became lost for words.
“It appears complicated,” I replied as I glanced back to Len. I felt I’d been put in the middle of something because I thought I knew Lennie well. He’d had other women on the road. Not hundreds but some, and I wondered what the fuck was wrong with him that he hadn’t pinned Coral down.
“Corrie knows how I feel about her. She’s the only woman I’ve ever loved… probably will ever love in the future. I just don’t want to be… settled.”
“It's none of my business but that’s not a great place for Coral if she’s being monogamous; but I hear ya, Lennie. I understand exactly where you’re coming from. Life on the road isn’t easy, Coral. There are many bumps and mood swings, and we need to keep our wits about us. Not many musicians manage long term relationships. Plus, with you living out here and Lennon’s base back East, it creates that extra strain to keep y’all together,” I replied.
Lennon’s situation wasn’t all that different to mine with Jody because Len was in a relationship he couldn’t give up, but something held him back. Although it was different from mine, in that this felt much simpler because Coral wasn’t in another relationship.
As she listened, Coral tucked her hair behind her ears and flashed me a nervous smile. It was an honest sad smile but there was a hint of the pain she was in about it all, so I changed the subject.
“So, you’re from Lennie’s home town? What are you doing all the way out here?”
“I came here to art college when I was eighteen and stayed. As a student I sold some of my patterns on eBay and other platforms and I now have a small business as a screen printer. I get to design some fantastic pieces. I did XrAid’s merchandise last time around,” she replied and smiled warmly at Len, who smiled lovingly back.
She continued chatting about her business and after a few minutes the undercurrent that had been there about their relationship appeared to have passed and the atmosphere between them felt more relaxed. My cell rang as she was telling us about a client she had, and I excused myself to answer.
As usual when I was home I had a plethora of party invites and being the social guy I was, I had no hesitation in accepting. That’s what the call was about. I told Len and Coral they were welcome to come with, and I figured it had to be better than sitting in the middle of an angst-filled conversation about Lennie failing to commit to the girl. When I closed the call out, I stood, grabbing my wallet and then I called out for Jed. Seconds later he poked his head around the door.
“Party at Doug Myers place. Can we head over there?”
“Sure, Boss. Give me five to bring the car around,” he replied. I glanced to Len and a private smile ghosted on his lips. Coral stood and smoothed her pants down her thighs bringing attention to her slender hips and legs.
My eyes then scanned from her hips down then back up slowly in appreciation for the beauty she was. Her figure was impeccable, and I wondered what the fuck held Lennie back from making her his.
Doug was old school rock star through and through, and his place reflected that lifestyle. Crazy sculptures donned his lawns, skinny chicks lined his poolside, and a dude fucked a naked woman with a massive boob job openly on the stairs as we entered.
Coral’s eyes bugged out before she colored crimson and she clung, half-hidden, behind Lennon’s back as we wandered into Doug’s great room. The place was mobbed with faces of old acquaintances and it wasn’t long before we were all lying around drunk and high, talking shit about how great the old times were.
Some of it was great but most of it was humping out heavy gear from bar to bar, eating shit soggy sandwiches in the middle of the night, and sleeping three to a bed. The three in the bed part was the only part of tradition I was still into.
Lennon had watched Coral closely during the evening but without stifling her; however, the longer I watched their interactions the more convinced I was Lennie wasn’t as immune to wanting Coral as he pretended he was. When she stood up to dance with a guy we both knew was a major player, Lennon growled in a threatening manner and observed them on the dance floor with an intense stare.
It was clear that Len felt protective of Coral, and that she wasn’t used to drinking the way we all were because she became pretty loose after the bong was passed around and she hadn’t had much alcohol. The thing I liked the most was that Len watched carefully but never intervened as she explored her new environment and I admired that.
“What’s the deal?” I asked him, bleary-eyed as I nodded toward Coral who was lying flat out with her feet on his lap.
“Fuck… I can’t get her out of my head, you know?”
“You’re what? Twenty-seven?”
“Nine,” he corrected.
“Alright, almost thirty, and she’s been gone since you were both eighteen, yes?”
“Yeah,” he said glancing up at her then back at me.
“You do know, dude, someone is gonna come along and sweep that sweet little peach right off her feet, don’t you?”
Len looked horrified then resigned, “Yeah, surprised it hasn’t happened already, dude,” he said considering her again as he rubbed his hands together.
“You’re almost thirty and you can’t get sweet little Coral out of your head? So, are you gonna leave her hanging until she discovers someone else? Look at her, Len, a girl like that doesn’t deserve to be miserable and strung along.”
“Says the guy who never commits,” he threw back.
“You got that right, but I also don’t have someone who’d pay to wash my drawers lapping up my every word either, like she would,” I replied.
Len sat staring into space and I thought it was the weed that had temporarily blocked all thought from his mind, then he moved her feet and stood. “Gotta pee,” he mumbled and staggered off in the direction of the hallway.
Chapter Eight
Three
Coral sat up on the couch she had been lying on and ran her hands through her hair. Two drummers I knew from other bands turned and caught sight of her. The taller of the two immediately stood and headed in her direction and I put my hand up. “She’s mine,” I said loud enough for him to hear. His footsteps faltered then he shrugged, “Cool, no harm meant,” he said and glanced at the guy behind who ha
d stopped to watch our conversation.
“Coral, darlin, come here,” I said and patted the seat beside me. Slowly she rose from the couch and tottered drunkenly toward me. However, just as she reached me, another chick threw herself down heavily beside me.
“Hey Rick, wanna have some fun?” she asked in a seductive tone, just as Coral arrived in front of me. “Sorry, sweetheart, got to deal with this one,” I replied and pulled Coral down onto my knee. I knew it was a shit move with her being Lennie’s, but it was a sure-fire way of getting the chick eyeing me up to leave.
Landing heavily on my lap, Coral snaked her arms around my neck and leaned in, her face close to mine. “You smell so nice I could eat you,” she slurred before nestling her face in my neck. My cock stirred in my jeans and I shifted her over to one thigh because the last thing I had wanted was to be sat with a hard-on when Lennie arrived back. “Mmm, I love this smell. You smell so… manly.”
“Baby, you can’t say such things to a guy like me,” I replied, chuckling. “Besides, Lennon will be back in a minute.” I could have kicked myself for saying that because it implied that I’d have made a move on her if he wasn’t.
“And if he didn’t?” My half-closed eyes sprang open, and I pushed her away from my neck to look her in the eye. “I still wouldn’t make a move on you. You’re Lennie’s woman,” I replied. Last thing I’d ever do is get embroiled between a couple, even if it wasn’t cut and dried like they had implied.
“What’s wrong with me?”
“What do you mean?”
“What the fuck’s wrong with me. Lennie loves me, but he won’t take me with him. And now, even you don’t find me attractive.”
“The fuck I don’t. You’re right up there with the top one percent. You’re gorgeous, but you’re Lennie’s girl,” I repeated.
Len came into view and I told the chick next to me to move. Reluctantly, she slid out of the chair and I parked Coral’s ass on it.
“Was she sitting on your knee?” Lennie asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah. She’s stoned and those two over there were gonna hit on her,” I nodded toward the drummers, “so I told her to come to me. I meant for her to sit there,” I said nodding at the chair she was sitting on, “but by the time she made it over here that chick had taken the seat and was gonna be all over me. Coral was so unsteady on her pins I pulled her onto my knee. I think it’s time you took her home.” Coral gave him a drunken smile, whipped out her phone and took a picture of us.
Lennie shook his head when she blinked looking like her mind was blank. He thought for a second, screwed up his face, and reluctantly agreed. “Yeah, but we need a ride. Jed brought us remember? I don’t trust a cab now I’m recognizable here.”
Len had a point. None of us could chance who took us home because we never knew what would turn up in the papers the following day. “Alright, let’s call it a night.” I could have sent them home with Jed, but I knew there would be arguments from Jed why he shouldn’t leave me, so I figured it would be easier if I just went home.
On the way home Coral and Lennie sat in the back and Len laughed when she became frisky and lost her inhibitions. “Don’t babe, we’re almost home,” he said, holding her by her wrist as he pulled her hand from inside his pants pocket.
Even in the dark I could see he was stiff. Coral turned and looked at me with a pout on her lips and surprised us both when she said, “Lennon’s a prude, I bet you wouldn’t shove me away if I fondled your cock.”
“Darlin, I think one cock is more than enough for you tonight,” I responded and looked at Len. We both cracked up laughing at how gone she was.
“Aww, spoilsport, I’ve always wanted to try having two men at once.”
Len’s face was a picture, his eyes wide and his jaw almost to the floor. Jed cleared his throat and a small scoff escaped as he shook his head in disbelief and continued to drive.
“Don’t be ridiculous Corrie, Rick would snap you in half,” he told her with a chuckle in his voice.
“What makes you say that? Don’t you think I’m adventurous enough? Is that why you need other women? Don’t you think I can handle wild sex? How will I know I can’t if I don’t try it?”
“Well you’re not trying it with Rick,” Len said firmly.
“Why the fuck not? I bet he’s dirty in bed. Are you afraid of a little competition? Listen, you tell me you love me then you tell me we’re going no further. This is my life as well as yours, Len. Do you love me but you’re not that into me?”
“No, I do love you and I’m not letting Rick fuck you,” Lennon said sounding exasperated.
“Why? Are you afraid he’ll be better than you? Is he better than you?”
“Corrie, we’re not having this conversation and I’m never letting you smoke weed again,” he stated, like he was her dad.
“Don’t tell me what you’ll allow me to do or not do. I’m almost thirty and have no commitment from you. What is it about me you don’t like? Why am I not enough? What does Rick have to say? Rick, I’d love for you to fuck me, will you do it?”
If I’m honest the way she stood her ground with that cute, pissed-off look on her face, turned me on. She was stunningly beautiful and if she hadn’t been Len’s woman, I knew I’d have fucked her in a heartbeat and I probably would have gone back for more. She was quite the innocent but with the right handling she’d have been a real goer.
“Rick’s not getting involved,” I replied siding with Lennon. He looked at me long and hard and shrugged.
“No, Rick. She’s right. I’ve not committed, and she is a free woman. If you want to do her, tell her.”
“Jesus, Lennie, you’re as drunk as she is,” I replied as I ran my hand through my hair.
“If you really want to do us both, Corrie, I’m game,” he said frustrated with her.
At first, I figured he’d called her bluff, but Corrie stopped complaining and looked adoringly at him again. Her eyes softened, “Really, Lennie? You’d do that for me?”
Len obviously hadn’t expected the response she gave him and gave me a what-the-fuck-do-I-do-now, look. Coral was sat in the middle of us and turned to look up at me, “I don’t want you to be gentle with me,” she mumbled, which made me chuckle again.
Jed pulled up at the address she'd given him, and Len got out onto the sidewalk. Stretching out a hand, Coral caught it and Len helped her out onto her feet. “And you,” she said turning back to look at me and beckoning me with her hand.
“Look, I think I’ll—”
“Nah, if this is what she wants, let’s give it to her,” Lennon interrupted, flatly. Now normally, if I was given the nod like that I’d have jumped right in, but something inside was pulling the brakes.
“I do… I want both of you,” she said, firmly.
For a moment I was absolutely stunned, then I wondered if I was reluctant because I’d suddenly developed a conscience or was it that I didn’t trust myself with Len? I wondered if I’d weirded him out on the visit to his house when I had been drunk and hit on him.
“You don’t really mean that, Len. I’m not about to get in the middle of a relationship. It’s different when we’re on the road, when we do all kinds of crazy shit, but this is in your backyard, dude, there’d be no going back from that,” I said in a quiet mumble.
“Exactly, but look at her. She wants us and if you and I don’t take her seriously, she’ll cast it up forever and hold it against me. I know her. We’ve been the same way for years and she’ll say this is just one more thing I’ve blocked her from doing in her life.”
I shook my head because it was stalemate and I either said a flat out no and left them to it or I called Coral’s bluff and helped Len make a point. “I’ll come inside, but I’m not convinced this is really what she wants—” I said to Len, but I knew she was listening.
“Will you stop talking about me as if I’m not here? Can’t I have a mind of my own for once? I know I’ve been drinking and I may have been high… or I a
m high, but don’t tell me what I feel. Just because I’m not one of your groupie people doesn’t mean I’ll regret being with the two of you afterward. If you must know I’ve been thinking about doing it with two delivery guys who work for me. They’re both seriously hot and I know I’d only have to say the word, and they’d be on me like bears on honey.”
“Fuck,” Len muttered and shook his head, angrily, “Are you yanking my chain?” he asked in disbelief as he stared Coral out. The defiance on her face almost made me laugh. I thought then if her challenge to have us both was her way of making Len finally take notice of her, it may have worked. She certainly had his full attention… and mine.
From my own perspective, I’d been in many a weird situation in the past, but being put on the spot by a friend’s woman to double dip wasn’t one of them. Most of the time women came on to me and if I was into them, that was that. We’d find somewhere private… usually anyway, and if I was in the mood, I gave them what they wanted. But the situation Coral wanted to put me in was beyond my paygrade; it was a line I hadn’t crossed—fucking a friend’s woman.
“Come on let’s do it, Rick. I’d rather it was you than some unknown that wouldn’t take care of her,” Len said, and I could hear by the conviction in his tone he was adamant.
I looked at his penetrating stare and wondered again if I could trust myself, then I shrugged my shoulders and got out of the car. I was almost convinced she’d change her mind if she thought I’d really go through with it.
Even Jed was skeptical as he sighed and pulled out his tablet, flicking through Netflix for something to watch. I’m pretty sure he was as convinced as I was that I’d be back in the car and on our way home within the hour.
Len gave me an apprehensive glance as we walked up the path to Coral's place and I’d have given anything to know what his thoughts were right then. He turned to watch her, as did I, and all I saw in her was excitement.
Exhale and Move On Page 8