The Firefly Effect

by Gail, Allie

  “Later. Don’t try and distract me. Okay, so that was one…keep going.”

  “Hmm. Have I mentioned that I have a roommate?”

  “No, you never did. Just the one? What’s his name?”

  “Her name is Dori.” I struggle to keep a straight face. “You should meet her sometime. She’s gorgeous. Jet black hair and the roundest, clearest green eyes you ever saw in your life. A little on the possessive side, though. Not the greatest breath either. Also, she has a bad habit of constantly licking my ankles.”

  Melanie’s astonished expression relaxes and the corners of her mouth twitch as she realizes I'm joking. “You have a dog, don’t you?”

  “A cat, actually. Her full name is Dorito, but I usually just call her Dori.”

  “Dorito?”

  “She’s crazy for Doritos,” I explain. “She likes to lick the cheese off them. If she knows I have any, she’ll go bonkers and try to climb up me to get at them.”

  “So your cat’s as weird as you are.”

  “Yeah…we make a pretty awesome team.”

  Melanie rests her cheek against my chest again, and I automatically reach up to stroke her hair. “I’m not surprised you have a pet, considering your line of work. Was she one of your patients?”

  “She was. Someone found her and brought her in after she was hit by a car and left in the street to die. We never did find out where she came from. I was only planning to keep her long enough to find her a permanent home, which is what I usually do in situations like that, but she had other ideas.”

  “In other words, you’re a big ol’ pushover.”

  “Exactly,” I laugh. “I don’t know – she just jumped right in and made herself at home from day one, like my house was right where she belonged. So I guess I’m stuck with her.”

  “Is anyone taking care of her while you’re gone?”

  “Of course. I gave my neighbor a spare key. He's looking after her for me.”

  “Oh. Good.”

  “So one more and then it’s your turn, right?”

  “Right.”

  I smile to myself, contemplating whether or not to share with her one of the dorkier aspects of my life. But then I figure it can’t hurt, so… “Here’s something you probably wouldn’t have guessed about me. I’m in a bowling league.”

  She lifts her head to stare at me, lips pressed together in a blatant effort to suppress a smile. “Did you say bowling?”

  “Yep.”

  “You are not.”

  “Uh…yes. I am.”

  “No way. People still do that?”

  “Yes, people still do that.”

  Her eyes sparkle as she chokes back a snicker. “You mean you put on one of those butt ugly shirts and carry around a bowling bag like Fred Flintstone?”

  “I beg your pardon! Our shirts aren’t ugly. They’re just black t-shirts with our team’s name printed on them.”

  “Oh, I see! And what would that be, pray tell?”

  “Gutter Mutts.” I feel her body shaking on top of mine as she bursts into uncontrollable giggles. Her face is nothing short of radiant when she’s happy. There’s something about that adorable laugh of hers – I just love hearing it. Love seeing it. “Well, two of us are veterinarians and the other two are vet techs. We thought it was pretty clever at the time.”

  “Oh my God…that is too funny…”

  “Why is that funny?” I notice out of the corner of my eye that the movie’s started, but neither of us is really interested in watching TV anymore.

  “I…wow…I don’t know, it just is!” Still giggling, she reaches up to wipe her damp eyes. “You’re right, that’s not something I ever would have pictured you doing.”

  “Glad I could amuse you.”

  “You look more like someone who would be in a rock band or something like that. Not hanging out in a bowling alley.”

  “Do I?” Ironically, that’s not the first time I’ve heard that. Must be the hair is all I can figure. “Sorry to disappoint you, but no band. I do own a guitar though.”

  “Can you play it?”

  “Sure, I can play it. Why else would I have it?”

  “Can you sing? You sounded pretty good in the car.”

  “A little. I don’t usually do it in front of people unless I’ve got a few drinks in me.”

  “Now that I would love to see!”

  “Maybe you will sometime.”

  She doesn’t respond to that. I’m hoping it’s not because she has no intention of seeing me again after this. Does she honestly plan to just wave sayonara without looking back when the time comes for me to leave? Shut me out of her life because of her just-sex clause? I don’t get it. If that’s all this is, then why does she want to know so much about me? Why even bother? It’s only been a couple of days and already I can’t imagine how hard it would be to try and forget her.

  After what seems like an awkward pause, she says, “I guess it’s my turn now, hm?”

  “That was the deal.”

  “Okay. Uh…hmm.” She contemplates for a while before shaking her head with a laugh. “This is harder than I thought! I can’t think of anything.”

  “Just give me whatever comes to mind,” I prompt her. “Your favorite color, for instance. Start with that.”

  “My favorite color? That’s easy. All of them.”

  “All of them? Don’t you have one favorite?”

  “I know it sounds weird, but no. I could never decide on just one. Each one is beautiful in its own way, so why should I have to pick a favorite? I like it best when they’re all combined together. I’ve always loved bright, colorful things.”

  Coming from someone as enigmatic as her, that logic makes perfect sense. “All right. You have no particular favorite color – you like them all. That’s one thing down. Now give me something a little more personal.”

  “Oh, you want a deep, dark secret, do you?”

  “I would love a deep, dark secret. Do you have any?”

  She mumbles something under her breath, something that sounds like you have no idea.

  “Come on, sweetness. Give me something.”

  “Okay. How’s this for personal? I came close to being arrested once.”

  Am I hearing things or did she just say arrested? Damn, but this girl has one hell of a knack for throwing me a curveball. For the life of me I can’t imagine prissy little Melanie Lane stepping out of line, not even to do something as mundane as dropping litter on the ground. “You’re messing with me, right?”

  “Nope.” She’s snuggled against my chest again so I can’t see her expression, but I can hear the sly smile in her voice.

  I breathe out a sigh before chuckling softly. “Just so you know. When I started calling you Felony, I didn’t mean for you to take it as a personal challenge.”

  “It was all just so stupid. Looking back, I can’t believe I did it.”

  “Don’t keep me in suspense here! Exactly what was it you did?”

  “Well…promise you’ll keep this to yourself?”

  “You have my word, I’ll never tell another living soul.” This ought to be good.

  “Do you by any chance remember Bill Chamberlain? He was a year ahead of us so you might not have known him. He and Stephanie dated off and on during junior year.”

  “No, I don’t think so. Bill Chamberlain…oh, wait! Wasn’t he the rich kid who drove that bright yellow Corvette? The one that got stolen and turned up in Karick Lake?”

  “Yep, that was him.”

  “I didn’t really know him, but I knew who he was. Anyway, go on.”

  “What happened was, Stephanie found out he was cheating on her less than a week after he gave her a promise ring. Obviously she was heartbroken because – I don’t know if I should be telling you this – but she had given him her virginity. And what made it a million times worse is that she actually witnessed him cheating. See, close to the end of the school year he threw a big pool party at his house so of course she and I were there.
Then at some point during the night he just disappears so I’m helping her look for him, right? And since he’s apparently too stupid to lock a door we both walk in on him in the pool house bathroom with his stubby little prick jammed down some slutty girl’s throat.”

  I’m trying not to laugh at her rather unflattering portrayal of the guy’s anatomy. “Damn. This Chamberlain punk sounds like a real piece of shit.”

  “He was. Neither of us even knew who the girl was – I think she came there with someone else. But can you imagine walking in on something like that? So of course Stephanie is hysterical and I was beyond pissed because that’s just wrong on so many levels, what he did to her.”

  “No kidding.” Something about this story rings a vaguely familiar bell with me, like maybe I got wind of the rumors after it happened.

  “Anyway…she spent the weekend with me crying and pouring her heart out and I was so mad at him, I came up with this crazy revenge scheme. If you knew Bill you’d know how he was always bragging about that fugly yellow car of his, and it just so happened she knew where he kept a spare key, so…” Here she pauses.

  The math is suddenly starting to add up. “You didn’t.”

  “Um…yeah. We both did.”

  “That was you?”

  “That was us.”

  “Bullshit! You’re telling me you and Stephanie took his car for a joyride and accidentally drove it into the lake?”

  “Oh, no. Driving it into the lake was not an accident.”

  She smiles sweetly up at me as I gaze down at her, dumbfounded. I cannot believe she would do something so reckless, so irresponsible, so…potentially dangerous! “What the hell, were you on heavy medication or something? First you steal a car, then you decide to drive it off into a lake? How…what…do you realize you could’ve drowned?”

  “Oh, please. I’ve known how to swim since I was four. Besides, we made sure the windows were down.”

  “Did it not occur to you that his family might have security cameras? What if you got caught?”

  “What am I, stupid? We both wore ski masks. Gloves too, just in case. We made a plan to sneak out in the middle of the night and meet at his house the Wednesday after the party. This way we’d have an alibi – the two of us were tucked in our beds sleeping like little darlings. Which is what our parents told the police when they questioned us.”

  “The police questioned you?”

  “Uh-huh. I wasn't surprised since I figured Bill would probably point a finger our way right off the bat. But nobody saw us and he couldn’t prove a thing. As a matter of fact, Stephanie put up such a good act, she had Bill and everyone else feeling bad that they even dragged our names into it. He actually wound up apologizing to her in the end, if you can believe that.”

  “What I can’t believe is that I never heard about this. I’m pretty sure I would’ve remembered if your name had come up.”

  “Have I never mentioned what my father does for a living, Shane?”

  “No, but what does that–”

  “My dad’s a lawyer. Bill was politely warned that slandering either my name or Stephanie’s would constitute defamation of character and would be dealt with as such in a court of law.”

  I’m speechless for a moment as all this sinks in. And when it does, when I stop and picture Melanie in her little Mission Impossible getup, slinking around in the middle of the night committing grand theft auto – well, it’s a futile effort to keep from laughing.

  “Damn, girl!” I choke out after I’ve composed myself somewhat. “Remind me never to get on your bad side!”

  “Don’t worry,” she giggles. “Your car is safe with me.”

  “Yeah, but is my house?”

  “I think the hurricane’s more likely to drown your house than I am!”

  She has a point there. Another feeder band moved in a little while ago, bringing a deluge of rain so thunderous it sounds as if Victoria Falls is cascading down on our roof. It’s amazing to me that the cable hasn’t gone out. But it’s still clear as a bell and the movie is going strong, not that anyone is paying any attention to it. “I never knew what a badass little gangster you were! Any more brushes with the law you’d care to share?”

  “No! And you promised you’d keep this a secret. Don’t forget.”

  “I’m not saying anything. But on an unrelated note, do you happen to have Bill Chamberlain’s phone number?”

  Without missing a beat, she counters, “Why? You wanna give him a BJ in the pool house, too?”

  “I think not,” I snort.

  “Good to know. How about we just forget all about the yellow Corvette incident and pretend it never happened?”

  “What yellow Corvette?”

  “Thatta boy.” Patting me playfully on the chest, she asks, “So are you ready for the one last thing you don't know about me?”

  “If it's anything like that last exposé, I can hardly wait.”

  “Oh, it’s even better.”

  The roof could blow off at this point and she’d still have my undivided attention. “Let’s have it, then.”

  Scooting her body up a few inches, just enough that her soft mouth hovers over my ear, she trails a finger across my lips while whispering into my hair.

  “I’m not wearing any panties.”

  ~ Chapter Seventeen ~

  I’ve never been this insatiable for sex before.

  I don’t know what it is about Shane Becker – don’t know how he managed to transform a sexually passive woman into a shameless nymphomaniac – but whatever his secret, he could make a mint if it was bottled and sold.

  Straddled over him, I lower myself down on the beautiful erection he’s just freed and welcome it deep inside me. It feels so incredible I want to keep it there forever, just ride him until the end of time or until I pass out from exhaustion, whichever happens first. I’ve never craved a man so much in my life. He is addictive. I don’t even want to think about the withdrawals I’ll have to suffer through after he leaves.

  “That’s it, sweetheart,” he breathes, gripping my hips with both hands to guide my rhythm. “Nice and slow…mm, that’s right, just like that…” His eyes languidly fall shut only to reopen slowly, like the lazy blink of a cat, before fixing on me. He watches my face, and I can’t tear my eyes away from his hypnotic gaze. “Take off your dress,” he commands in a husky voice.

  I pull the sundress over my head and drop it on the floor, then quickly add my bra to the pile before he can order that off as well. His hands automatically leave my hips to reach for my breasts, and I whimper with pleasure as he rolls my pebbled nipples between his fingertips.

  I follow the tempo he sets for me, raising my hips until his cock is all the way out and the silky tip is just barely touching my wetness, before sinking back down on him slowly…frustratingly, agonizingly slowly. It’s the most delicious form of torture. What I really want is for him to fuck me hard and fast, but prolonging the bliss isn’t such a bad thing.

  “Come here,” he whispers, and I lean forward so he can kiss me. I love the way he tastes, like minty toothpaste and warm sunshine if sunlight had a flavor. I’ve never been that much into kissing – it’s just never been my thing – but it’s different with him. Sweeter and more deeply intimate, somehow. Less invasive. No matter how excited the rest of his body gets, he’s always so gentle with his mouth.

  Oh, dear God…from this position my sensitized clit is rubbing against him and I slide up and down, aching for more stimulation. Screw taking it slow – this is what I need right now. His hands reach behind me to squeeze the globes of my ass as he lifts his hips to meet each bounce, tearing a moan of ecstasy from my throat.

  “Ah, yeah,” he groans against my lips. “That’s the way. Ride that cock, baby.”

  “You like this?” I purr, struggling to keep my voice steady as I approach climax faster than a spark traveling down a fuse. My whole body is tensing with the anticipation and I’m clenching his shoulders so hard I’m afraid my nails might le
ave marks.

  “I. Fucking. Love. This,” he grunts with every thrust. “Love. Every. Damn. Thing. You. Do.”

  Straightening, I arch my back and bounce harder, gasping as his thumb presses against my clit, gliding over the slickness there and nearly driving me to madness. No more teasing – he’s plunging into me nice and deep now, bringing me to dizzying heights of rapture that I wouldn’t have believed possible. I never knew sex could be this good.

  Panting, I toss my head back as I reach orgasm with an almost primal cry. Wave after wave of decadent pleasure shudders through my quaking body, but I don’t stop impaling myself on him. The fullness of his massive cock inside me feels too good and besides, he’s on the brink himself. Just knowing he’s about to ejaculate gets me perversely hot. I love the idea of his cum inside me, though I’m not entirely sure why.

  Maybe I’m more of a freak than I thought.

  “Ahh, yesss…” he hisses, gripping my hips and plunging himself deep within me as he comes, groaning with every surge of pleasure. It is fascinating to watch him lose control this way, and I marvel that this beautiful man is the same person whose yearbook picture has ASS scribbled over it in permanent marker. Courtesy of me.

  Drained and spent, we lie together quietly for a while, though I’m careful not to shift my position. He is still nestled inside me, and I want to keep him there as long as I can. I want to remember this feeling long after he’s gone and I am once again alone. The way I prefer it.

  Well, the way I thought I preferred it.

  Right now, nothing seems certain.

  Stirring beneath me, Shane murmurs, “You know, if this keeps up, we won’t even notice the hurricane.”

  “Oh – was there supposed to be a hurricane?” Pushing myself upright, I gyrate my hips suggestively and smile down at him as his grin widens.

  “I used to think you were the devil. Now I know you are.”

  “Yeah? I see your own halo is starting to slip a little there, pal.”

  “Dirty girl. You’ve never been anything but a bad influence on me.” He cracks one hand across my bottom and the tingle spreads all the way down to my toes. “I might have to turn you over my knee and show you what happens when you don’t behave.”