Unavoidable

by Yara Greathouse

  “If you keep this up, I will be forced to leave the room. I don’t want you to be all achy, so we need to get going or you will not be able to move tomorrow. So, Mr. Maxwell, I recommend we get in a hot shower, wash this stink away and then I will give you the best naked massage you have ever had.”

  “Yes, ma’am! I have never had a naked massage before – this is exciting!” I tell her while I rub my hands together like a little kid and march towards the shower while taking off my clothes in a very exaggerated way, trying to tempt her, but she was not buying it. Turning on the hot water, the steam starts almost immediately. Brianna hits the exhaust fan to avoid foggy mirrors before following me into the shower.

  I must confess that regardless of how hard I tried, I was unable to convince Brianna that we could enjoy the shower again like we did earlier that morning, and in turn, she promised that she would ride me like a wild horse after the massage. After hearing that, I rushed to get out of the shower in order to move things along a lot quicker. I actually carried her to the bed while she was still completely wet, then it became a game of her trying to get off the bed and me placing her right back in it. Seeing me relent due to all the movement emphasize the strains in my bruised torso, Brianna bent to retrieve her bag from the floor taking out a few bottles and a small bowl.

  I lifted the discarded towel where I had dropped it on the floor, and stepped close to her to finish drying her off, I pressed the towel around her long, wet hair, stopping the rivulets of water from running down her back. She smiled over her shoulder at me and continued to pour drops of liquid from the bottles into the bowl.

  “What do you have there?” I asked her.

  She glances quickly at my face. “My own concoction for treating sore muscles. A good amount of almond oil, six drops of peppermint oil, fifteen drops of sandalwood oil and nine drops of cinnamon oil.”

  “And what is that going to do to me?”

  “The heat will penetrate your well lubricated skin, and will help to reduce inflammation. The inflammation is significant enough for me to believe there may be tiny tears in your muscles. A well delivered massage helps reduce the cytokines – proteins – and increase mitochondria – which converts cellular energy into fuel. This helps them extract oxygen which helps the blood flow, ultimately lessening the inflammation.”

  I stare at her, incredulous at the clinical explanation she just verbalized for my benefit, and I am captivated by her knowledge and how smart she really is. I am one lucky bastard to have her in my life. Feelings overwhelm me, but instead of trying to make sense of them, I simply kiss her, trying to convey what is going on inside through my affection towards her.

  She pulls back slowly, and smiles softly while mixing the oils in her small bowl. “On the bed, buddy. It’s time for you to let me help you feel better.”

  I lay on my stomach to start with. She straddles me and sits right on top of my ass cheeks. I should have lain on my back. Then she would have been ripe for the taking.

  “Get your mind out of the gutter, Colton!”

  “How do you…?”

  “I can tell by the sexy smirk on your face. Now stop thinking about sex and talk to me while I do this. I forgot to turn on my playlist, so you pay the piper by talking to me.”

  Her palms start the impressive series of movements up and down my torso. “What do you want to know?”

  “Were you popular in high school?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Who did you take to your senior prom?”

  “Brittney McKinney.”

  Brianna was quiet for a moment. She uses a combination of palms, thumbs, knuckles and even her arm and elbow in order to work deep into the muscle tissue.

  “What did she look like?”

  “Your typical all-American cheerleader stereotype. Blonde, petite but with a big personality.” I am starting to wonder if this is going somewhere. “What about you?”

  “I didn’t go to prom. Were you dating this Brittney girl?”

  “Yes, in high school I dated a lot of girls. I also dated a lot of girls when I got here, but my interests have changed since I met you.”

  “I’m not the jealous type. I’m not going to lose my marbles because you used to date some girls. Don’t worry.”

  “How come you didn’t go to prom? Where you an ugly duckling and nobody had enough common sense to ask you?”

  “Nope. That’s not it.” Shit, her voice has changed and I can feel her body tensing up… I hope I didn’t fuck this up. “I, um… ran away from home when I was sixteen. I didn’t graduate from high school. Later I earned a GED, but I never had a chance to go to prom and get all dressed up and dream about a cute boy asking me to dance.” I tried to turn around but she didn’t let me. “No, stay there, it’s easier this way – if you’re not looking at me, it’s easier to talk about my past.” I knew how hard it could be to peel back the layers that encase your innermost self… even if it is just one thin piece. She continued to rub my skin methodically. I wanted her to keep talking. I nodded and she continued.

  “My dad and mom divorced when I was really little, still a toddler. My dad moved to another country, I’m not sure which one and my mother would not tell me. Everything was fine for the first few years, then things started to go downhill. It never was a financial issue, my mother inherited a lot of money from her parents and we were comfortable. I had everything that I needed, with the exception of my mother’s attention and love. She said that every time she looked at me, all she could see was my dad’s face. I guess I look a lot like him. There are no pictures, she burned them all after the divorce.

  “My mother’s demise was her love for alcohol. As the years passed by, she became more and more obsessed with drinking. She worked and she was successful at work, they call it ‘High Functioning Alcoholic’ in medical terminology. She could perform well socially, coming home every evening to rendezvous with the bottle. As I was growing up, she would yell and say many crude things to me. Things that no child should ever hear, especially from the only parent a child has. They were things meant to demolish my spirit. Luckily I was always stubborn and I would see how my friends’ parents treated them, so I realized early on that my house was not normal. I would read books and stories with happy endings and watch old TV shows on cable and those things kept me hoping that one day I could have that love from my mom.

  “As I got older, life got more…difficult, to say the least. The screams and insults turned into pushing and shoving, and then later on I became Brianna the punching bag. I would try to run away from her or lock myself in the safety of my room, or escape outside and hide in the storage building until things got quiet and I knew she had fallen asleep… Then, when I turned sixteen she refused to sign my work permit so that I could get a job after school. She knew that by earning money I would try to get my own place and she wanted me there, to continue being available during all her outbursts.

  “She was right. I would have left if I had the means. That was my reality check. I decided I didn’t want to live a life like that. I packed a duffel bag and whatever little birthday money I had saved up and… I just… I just left.”

  Brianna’s voice had trailed off to a whisper at this point. My heart was breaking for her. “My parents were controlling and neglected me when I was growing up, but I did not have to go through the hell that you have endured.” I started to turn around again and she asked me not to. She moved to my side and started to massage my arm. I turned my head to look at her. She glanced at me with sad eyes, but mostly avoided looking at me.

  “What did you do after you left? Did you go stay with family or friends?” I asked her quietly.

  “I could not stay in my home town because I would have ended up back with my mother sooner or later. I did not trust anyone to try to keep me away from her. She had money and could use it to bribe anybody. My only way out, as I saw it, was to go to another town and try to live my life. I got on the bus and went as far away as the bus route would t
ake me, then I bought a Greyhound ticket to another state.”

  She pressed her generous lips into a thin, tight line. I tried to press on but deep inside of me I knew she was finished sharing, but I pressed her for more details anyway. “What did you do after that? Where did you go?”

  She looked at me with heavy eyes and gave me a sideways smile. “How about you get on your back now? Hmm, I think it’s time for you to tell me something about yourself while I touch your awesome, muscular body all over.”

  Yeap. I was right. Just like that she pulled that tiniest layer tight, closing herself back up. “For the record, I can tell you are changing the subject, and I am okay with that because I made you a promise. Please understand that there is nothing that you could have ever done that will cause me to judge you.” I move to hold her cheek in my palm and rub her soft skin with my thumb. “You are the most amazing girl I have ever met, and I am humbled and grateful that you took a chance and chose me to be with.

  “Also, even though I have never had a serious relationship with anyone, being with you is so natural to me. You make it easy. You make me want more.” I can’t peel my eyes away from hers. “You have me now. I’m not going anywhere and I won’t let go.” I grab the back of her neck and pull her towards me, putting everything I feel into the meeting of our lips. Her lips open to receive mine. Our tongues start an age-old dance, I just can’t get enough. I shift my body so that I can use my other hand to pull her body against mine. She straddles me and pulls away.

  “Good try, Colton, I do need to finish this massage or you will be in a lot of pain tomorrow.”

  “I will worry about that tomorrow, right now I want you too much. You’re already in the right spot, why don’t you move a little…” I start to sway my hips, then grab her oily hands and lace my fingers with hers. She laughs heartily so I move my hands slowly above my head while holding hers, causing her body to move down, towards mine. I connect my lips to hers one more time and feel her rocking her hips, matching my rhythm, and unintentionally, we move closer to healing each other’s emotional wounds.

  Brianna

  Colton is asleep and now I can ‘creepy stare’ at him. His messy hair is everywhere, but somehow it makes him look more attractive than he normally is. Must be the innocence in his relaxed features. His eyelashes are thick and long, almost touching his cheeks. He has perfect ears. Some people have small ears, others big. Then there are those few whose ears are crooked or stand out as if being pulled by invisible cables. Colton’s are just perfect. His eyebrows are as wide as my thumb, but trimmed. Hmm, good habits. They are also black to match his hair flawlessly. His jaw has that five o’clock shadow of beard growth that I love so much. I enjoy feeling it scratch against my lips, down the sides of my neck and all the way to the insides of my thighs… Which makes me take a closer look at those heavenly lips. They are plump and generous… When they are on my skin, it’s as if his lips are ablaze, burning my skin with his desire. Shit! Now I have goose bumps all over my body. I’m shameless. I just had sex with the guy and all I can think of is when can I have him again?

  Slowly, so I don’t wake him, I get up to use the restroom. I see a white t-shirt casually thrown on the towel rack. I grab it and place it against my nose. It smells like Colton. Putting it on, I head to the kitchen to get a drink and something to eat.

  As I pass by the living room, I notice Traxx is asleep on the couch. That’s odd. Why would he be on the couch when he as a fully furnished bedroom? Maybe he was watching the TV and fell sleep. I wonder what time Ciara left for home. I find a Coke in the refrigerator and one slice of cheese; seriously, this is bachelor-ville. As I pass by the sink, I notice Ciara’s car still in the driveway. Where the hell is she? Here? Unless… Oh shit! I better not be right about this…

  I run back to Colton’s room, and hastily look for my phone and type up a text.

  Brianna: Hey chick, where the fuck r u?

  Nothing.

  I take my cheese slice and fold it into four tiny squares. I munch on the cheese while I look outside Colton’s window. I’m silently thankful that Colton is snoring lightly, I cannot stand total silence. It unnerves me. My phone buzzes. Fucking finally.

  Ciara: I’m not too far.

  Brianna: WTF? Where exactly is that? And don’t try to sugar coat it.

  Ciara: Get your fucking mind out of the gutter. Traxx offered his bed and then left the room saying that he would sleep on the couch. He was sweet.

  Brianna: Need I remind you that Traxx is a major man-whore and all he wants is to conquest pussy? Do I need to find a chastity belt for you? I will even spare additional $ to get the kind with the little holes so you can pee comfortably. :/

  Ciara: Shut the fuck up! You r so gross! I’m going back to sleep. C u in the AM.

  Brianna: Open the door. We need to talk.

  Ciara: No! I’m tired.

  Brianna: I call bullshit!

  We will see about that. A couple of minutes later, I’m in the hallway trying to figure out which door is Traxx’s and which one belongs to Notso. I listen carefully before I crack the first door on the right. There is a mountain on the bed, and last time I checked Ciara was a tiny little thing, so it is safe to assume that this room belongs to Notso.

  I move to the door on the left, and open it without hesitation. Walking in, I sit on the bed facing her. Ciara lifts her head and gives me an annoyed look.

  “Nobody ever told you that ‘No’ means ‘No’”? She asks in a sarcastic tone.

  “You know I get confused with the actual spelling and meaning of such complicated words.” I move my arms like I’m a joker talking to the queen.

  “Seriously Brianna, is that the best you’ve got? I thought I taught you better…”

  “Look, Ciara, kidding aside, what is the deal with Traxx?”

  “There is no deal. There is no fucking deal! I want to have a deal but can’t because your royal ass-holiness Colton has decreed that I am off limits! Me! Can you believe the load of shit this is?”

  “He is obviously just trying to protect you…”

  “Protect me? Protect ME? All that he is going to achieve is making me spontaneously combust due to the amount of sexual frustration I am carrying around! Have you looked at the testosterone samples who live in this mother loving house? Can you blame a girl for wanting to rub her va-jay-jay against the magic sticks that are available? No, you cannot because you already have a magic stick. Correction, you have a personalized magic stick with the initials CH, which – coincidentally – do not stand for Colton Hensley, they stand for ‘Coming Harder.’”

  “Ciara you are over reacting…”

  “Am not!”

  I can’t hold back any longer and I start to giggle while Ciara is trying her damnedest to push me off the bed. Then she slams her palms on the bed, making an ‘I give up’ gesture and starts to laugh.

  “You know, Brianna, Traxx really acts different when it is just the two of us. He acts like a real human being instead of the douchebag he tries to appear to be in front of everyone else.”

  “That is probably just an act to get you interested, and you should be ashamed that it is working.”

  “I know you are right. I just can’t help the way I feel. I find him so interesting…”

  “Ciara, this is not the ‘Rod and Reel’ show. You need to drop it for your own good. Yes, he can be sweet and charming, but is all part of the game he plays. You told me that yourself.”

  Ciara growls. “I know. I know. I will try harder. I will be better. It is not easy to sleep in a bed that smells like him without engaging in some wanton behavior.” She smiles and looks sadly at me.

  I get up and start to walk towards the door. “Go ahead and engage yourself all you want but stay away from Traxx. He is no good for you. Just remember that, okay?”