He wouldn’t handle it well. He stared right back, memorizing the way she looked. Her eyes were huge amber pools, trying to drown him. She was naked, with the sheet pulled up to her collar bone, so only her smooth shoulders were exposed. She looked every bit her age, so young. So vulnerable. Just a stupid girl, trusting a very bad boy.
Please. Please trust me. Please understand me. Please let me love you in the only way I know how. Please don’t let me destroy us.
“Tell me what happened to your father.”
Her voice was soft, but like every other time, he just knew. Everything was okay. She wasn’t scared of what he’d done. She wasn’t afraid of him. She wasn’t disgusted. She wanted to know, because they were together. Because they were partners. Because they were lovers.
“I killed him the night I came back,” he stated. She didn’t flinch. Barely even blinked.
“How did you do it?”
“I got home late at night, and he’d been drinking. He was mad because I was late. Started yelling. Cursing. And I was just so tired. So tired of pretending to be someone else. He kept shouting, and I was just staring at him. I remember, I was wondering if it would be weird if I called you. God, it was after midnight, it’d been three years since we’d last talked, and I was thinking of trying to call you. You’ve turned me into a puppy dog,” he laughed.
“You did that all on your own, stud.”
“He got mad that I wasn’t scared. That always pissed him off. So he slapped me. I didn’t do anything, so he did it again. Told me I was just like my mother, told me look what had happened to her, then he hit me again. It just set me off. She’d gone without a fight. I am not like her. So I pushed him and he fell down the stairs,” he took a deep breath.
“The fall killed him?” Dulcie checked. He chuckled.
“No. Broke his arm, maybe a leg. He wouldn’t shut the fuck up, he was sobbing when I got down there. I watched him for a while, he tried to crawl to the front door. Again, it’s so stupid, but I thought of trying to find you. It’s a small town, couldn’t have been too hard. I didn’t want to do that, not without you. But I was worried he’d get away, or get help, and then you and I wouldn’t get a chance to get started. I did it for us,” he explained why he’d done something so momentous without her.
“What did you do?”
“I put his head on the bottom stair and I stepped on his neck. Snap.”
“Jesus.”
“Quick and easy. Better than he deserved.”
“Do you really think he killed your mother?”
“I don’t care either way. I knew he would’ve become a problem for us at some point, would’ve stood in our way. I hated him. I never wanted to see him again, so I made damn sure I wouldn’t.”
There was a long silence. He’d just admitted to murdering his father. Not self-defense, not in a fair fight. He’d pushed a man down a set of stairs and he’d broken his neck. No going back now. Dulcie held his life in her hands. As he watched her, he realized how true that statement was; if she wanted to walk away, he wasn’t sure how interested in life he’d be anymore.
Then she sighed and shifted forward. Her warm body pressed up against his, all her smooth skin flush with his rough clothing. Her head fit right underneath his jaw, and he could feel her nose in the hollow of his throat. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her.
“I wish I’d been there,” she whispered. He kissed the top of her head.
“You will be next time.”
“Promise?”
“I promise. Now. I want to know everything you and Jared talk about.”
20
Deep blue eyes. Thick brown hair. Long legs, broad shoulders, and a killer smile.
They don’t know the half of it.
Constantine knew his looks worked in his favor. Much the same way Ted Bundy’s had worked in his; except Con had no interest in being a serial killer. He didn’t even think of himself as a killer. He just didn’t like obstructions, and human beings were little more than moving obstructions at the best of times.
A good looking man lured people into a false sense of security – particularly women. On top of his looks, he was also smart. Very smart. So he knew if he flashed the right kind of smiles, and said the right kind of words, he could get just about any damn thing he pleased. Dulcie was one of the few people who saw through his smile; she didn’t buy any of his bullshit, she always demanded the truth. Everyone else, though, was fair game.
“I was hoping to run into you.”
Con smiled that perfect smile as Frannie McKey – no wait, Foster, he had to remember that – turned around. She obviously hadn’t heard him come up behind her, and she looked absolutely shocked. As she should be; they were in a mall in a town about an hour outside of Fuller.
“Oh my gosh! Hi! What are you doing here?” she asked quickly.
“Just some shopping. Can’t get anything decent at home,” he commented. She laughed loudly.
“Oh god, I know. That stupid little town. I can’t believe we bumped into each other like this! So good to see you again,” she gushed, then leaned in and hugged him. Every inch of her body made contact with his and he held her tightly. High school really wasn’t so far away, he could still remember her curves. Her skin, the little sounds she made when she was excited. Judging by the way she was shifting against him, she remembered, too.
“Yeah, it is. I kept thinking, that coffee we shared wasn’t nearly enough. Wanna have dinner?” he asked, finally stepping back from her.
“Of course!” she responded before he’d fully finished talking. “I would love that, Con. When is good for you?”
“What are you doing tonight?”
He could’ve sworn she actually started panting.
“Nothing. Nothing at all. Are you staying here, or are you heading back home?” she asked.
“I was going to head home, but if I had something worthwhile to stay for, I could maybe stick around.”
“Then I would love to have dinner with you tonight.”
His smile got bigger.
She was staying at a Comfort Suites off the highway, closer to Fuller. He suggested they meet at an Applebee’s. Not exactly candlelight and romance, but it was only a mile up the road from her hotel. Made life simpler, since neither of them wanted to be too far from her room.
When he got to the restaurant a little after eight, she was sitting at a high top table and was dressed to the nines. She was wearing a skin tight red dress – Dulcie had said Frannie was pregnant, but she wasn’t showing at all. She looked amazing. She was all the things the universe required a cheerleader to be; tall, tan, and blonde. She had skinny hips and big tits, blue eyes and lips that were just made to be wrapped around a dick.
Tonight is going to be fun.
“I cannot get over how little you’ve changed,” he laughed a while later, letting his eyes sweep up and down her form. She preened and smoothed her hands over her dress.
“Stop. I’m so fat now. I never should’ve had kids,” she pouted. He chuckled.
“That’s right. Kids. How is married life?” he asked, leaning back from the table as a waiter came to clear their empty plates. He’d had dinner while Frannie had picked at a salad. She’d talked forever, telling him all about her incredibly boring life – the people she hated, the job she hated, the customers she hated. Then she’d surprised him by ordering double desserts. So much for dinner being a quick in-and-out thing.
“So boring,” she moaned. “I only did it cause Daddy said he’d cut me off if I had a baby outside of marriage.”
“Well. Daddy’s always right.”
“I mean, Jared’s nice and all, but he’s just not … y’know …” her voice trailed off.
“Not enough?” he suggested. She let out a deep breath.
“Yes. I mean, how can anyone actually expect me to stay with him!? Look at me!” she insisted, gesturing to her body.
“I am. I have been all night,” Con said, his eyes dippin
g down to her chest.
“We used to have a lot of fun in high school, right?” she asked, scooting her chair closer to him.
“God, yeah. Remember that time at Senior Sneak? In the woods?” he started laughing. She actually blushed.
“I used to hope you would come back and it could be like that again,” she breathed, resting a hand on his thigh as she leaned close. “It can be like that again. You’re staying, right?”
“C’mon, Frannie, you don’t mean that,” he told her.
“I do. I really, really do. What’s to stop us?”
“Your husband, for one.”
“Hasn’t ever stopped me before.”
“I don’t know, it’s such a small town. If anyone found out …”
“No one will, and even if they did, I’m the one who’s married – you’re single, right? Nothing with that weird girl?”
“Dulcie?” he laughed loudly. “We’re friends.”
“Then there isn’t a problem.”
“You don’t actually expect me to believe you’d cheat on your husband,” he tried to call her bluff. Her hand moved up his thigh and cupped his crotch.
“I’d do anything you asked me to,” she whispered.
“Then let’s get out of here.”
She’d barely managed to open the door to her hotel room before Con grabbed her from behind. He yanked her in a circle and pressed her against a wall. She seemed shocked, but he didn’t give her a chance to process what was happening – he leaned close and kissed her hard, filling her mouth with his tongue.
“God, I missed this,” she groaned when he moved to kiss her neck.
“When is your husband coming back?” he asked, his voice muffled as he buried his face in her cleavage.
“He’s not … he’s not staying here. After the house got trashed, we stayed downtown for a while. But then he insisted on going home, so I came here,” she explained, clawing at his jacket, yanking it down his arms
“Mmm, so we have the place to ourselves,” Con’s voice dropped into a growl and he grabbed the hem of her dress, his movements slow as he dragged the material up over her hips.
“All night. Every night. Any time you want. We could … we could even go back to your place, sometime,” she suggested. He chuckled and nipped at the edge of her shoulder. She wanted to worm her way into his house; worm her way into becoming the next Mrs. Masters.
“Could be fun. Remember after the homecoming game, when I brought you to my room for the first time?” he asked. She giggled.
“How could I forget? That was the first time a boy ever made me come.”
“Let’s see if we can reenact it tonight.”
His hand was in her underwear, his middle finger finding its way inside her. She yelped and moaned, her fingers digging into his shoulders. He went back to kissing her neck, then sucked on her earlobe. Remembered all her old favorites.
“You’re still so good,” she groaned.
“You have no idea.”
He pulled away then, but didn’t stop kissing her as he walked backwards. She followed along till they got to the bed. Then he abruptly sat down. He kissed around the edge of her hip, then pulled her underwear down her legs. When she stepped free of them, he yanked her onto him so she was straddling his lap. His hand wound up back underneath her, and this time he wasn’t being coy. Two fingers thrust in and out of her while his thumb rubbed in circles, sending her back to that long ago night in high school.
Frannie went nuts. She rode his fingers like it was the best sex of her life, which was really kind of sad. She had her hands in her hair, she was shrieking his name, and she was arching her back. It was picture perfect. He couldn’t have made it look more erotic if he’d tried.
I swear, the universe always manages to unfold in my favor.
*
Dulcie glanced at her watch. Ten o’clock. Then she sat for another hour, drumming her fingers on the table top, before looking at her watch again.
10:05. Fuck me.
“Hey, sorry about that.”
Jared smiled apologetically as he slid into the seat across from her. She smiled brightly at him.
“Oh, no worries. You had to call your babysitter, totally understandable.”
They’d been at dinner for over two hours. Dulcie hadn’t even wanted to be there that long, but Jared seemed to be excited just to get out of his house. She was glad she could make him feel better, provide him with some escape, but her generosity had its limits. She was tired, she was bored, and she wanted to go home.
“You seem kind of distracted,” his voice interrupted her thoughts. She shook her head.
“Me? No,” she started, but the look on his face stopped her. “Just a lot on my mind, I’m sorry.”
“Is it Constantine?” he asked.
“Why would you say that?” she was curious.
“I just remember things were kind of weird between you guys in school, and now he’s back, and I’ve seen you two around town together. Is he your boyfriend?” Jared kept on with the questions. She frowned and began to nervously fiddle with her hair. She wasn’t quite sure how best to answer the question.
“No, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s … something else,” she mumbled.
“Sounds … complicated,” he replied, and she snorted.
“You don’t even know the half of it. Sometimes things are a little intense,” she stressed the last word.
“I’m not surprised. Everyone was always in love with him, but I always thought he was kind of weird.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Just the way he was in school, kind of closed off.”
“Huh. I never noticed,” her voice dropped into a whisper.
“Dulcie,” Jared started, and his voice dropped low. “I know you said I can always talk to you, and I just want you to know, the feeling is mutual. If something is going on with him, if he’s treating you bad, you can tell me. We have a spare bedroom, it’s always open.”
Dulcie almost burst out laughing. She managed to keep it at a giggle-level.
“Thank you, but it’s fine, I promise. Besides, I don’t think your sweet and generous wifey would particularly like me trespassing,” she teased. Jared rolled his eyes.
“Wifey has been staying at the Comfort Suites. To be honest, I’m not sure when she’s coming home,” he sighed. Dulcie gasped.
“How awful! I’m so sorry! I always thought you two were so perfect together,” she told him, then reached out and grabbed his hand.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I mean, like when I would see you in the store, or here at the club. You guys look so good together, and your baby is, like, the cutest thing ever. You’re both always smiling. It seemed nice,” she told him. He finally gave her a wistful smile.
“Yeah, Amy is adorable. Frannie and I may not always get along, but we sure make a damn good baby together,” he chuckled. Dulcie nodded.
“You did. You do – you have another one on the way,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, we do,” his voice was softer still. Dulcie licked her lips and leaned in close.
“Look, Jared, I know you thought coming here yesterday, us having dinner, that it might be something. But it’s not,” she started, then held up her hand when he went to interject. “You’re married. And you’re a good guy. A good man. And a man doesn’t just give up on his wife and children. I meant what I said, I’m here for you, as a friend, but you need to be there for her, as her husband.”
When his eyes glassed over with tears, Dulcie almost gagged. Jesus, the man was a pussy. But he sniffled and nodded and managed to keep the crying at bay. He told her she was right about everything, and said he owed it to Frannie to keep trying. He owed it to their kids. He wasn’t the type of guy to cheat on his wife, and he wasn’t about to become one.
They hugged, then made their way out to the parking lot. He walked her to her car and gave her another hug. A long one; it felt like she was in his arms forever. Then he finally pull
ed away and thanked her again. But before he got into his own car, he called out to her one last time.
“Remember what I said, too. Constantine’s not normal, don’t fall for him the way everyone else does,” he warned her. She smiled at him.
“I don’t intend to.”
Dulcie was pretty sure no one had ever fallen for anyone the way she’d fallen for Con.
By the time she pulled up to his big house, it was almost eleven o’clock at night. She let herself into the house and called out a greeting, but no one answered. She went upstairs, but it was empty as well.
She wandered around Con’s room for a bit. He’d moved into the master suite, it was where he kept all his clothing, but his old bedroom still held his life from before; pennants and ribbons and awards on the wall. Pictures and books on shelves. His letterman jacket was still draped across the back of a chair.
She laid on his bed and wondered what it would’ve been like to lay there in high school. To have dated the star quarterback, to have been the envy of all the girls. Would she have done it? At that Halloween dance so long ago, would she have let him take her home, let him take her virginity in that same bed?
Well, you gave it to him in a dirty old truck, not exactly a whole lot better.
She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She figured nosiness didn’t really apply to them and she yanked open the drawer on his nightstand. She almost laughed as the standard stash of porno mags came into view, but then something stopped her. She reached under the stack of magazines and pulled out a piece of paper. It was thick stock, not regular notebook paper, and the moment her fingertips touched it, she knew what it was.
It was a picture she’d drawn. When and where, she couldn’t be sure. Probably at school. It was wrinkled and creased, a throw away. She’d balled it up at some point and tossed it into a trash can. It was detailed sketch of a schooner, nothing special, yet Con must have fished it out and kept it. She smiled and smoothed her fingers across the picture.
Also in the drawer was his senior yearbook. She turned to his color portrait and had a full on girly moment over how good he looked. Then she flipped through the pages, laughing at some of the notes and signatures people had written for him. But when she got to her own picture, she paused.
The Bad Ones Page 16