Safe With Me, Special Edition

by Shaina Richmond

  Not only did Caleb know too much about me, but he happened to live on the opposite side of Tyler’s wall where he could do an incredible amount of damage. I knew it was time to spell it out for him. “Listen to me, Caleb. I’ve done a lot to try to hide myself and I don’t need you ruining it. All you need to know is that I’m clean. I don’t have any diseases, thank God, and Tyler’s the only guy I‘m sleeping with.” Tears came to my eyes. “I’ve already canceled plans because of him."

  Caleb took a step closer to me. “Okay...”

  “I really don’t care that much if anybody else finds out. That’s probably why I got a little careless... Troy...” I winced. “But I’d like to have a little more time with Tyler before he sees me as a completely different person.” I wiped my face as the tears rolled down. ”He’ll never look at me the same way again.”

  “Just talk to him, Susie.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “You’ll see. It’s not that big a deal.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded, sniffling. “It is a big deal. Because when I finally have that talk with Tyler, even if it happens because someone shows him a video, I’m gonna tell him everything. And there’s some stuff I’m not sure he can handle."

  Caleb stood at my side and stretched an arm around my back, staring silently at Tyler’s door.

  “I know you don’t understand," I said, wiping away tears that now came in a steady flow. “How was I supposed to know someone like him would ever come along? I would’ve done a lot of things differently, you know? He wasn’t a part of my plan.” I blinked, trying to keep my tears at bay. “He’s perfect." My voice cracked.

  Caleb laughed softly. “No, he’s not. I live with him. Trust me.”

  “No. He’s perfect. Last night he came up with this crazy idea. In January we’re supposed to tell each other everything. All our secrets. Just lay it all out there.” I took a deep, painful breath. “He wants to give me time. No one’s ever done anything like that for me."

  My tears were uncontrollable. Caleb pulled me in to a hug, rubbing the back of my head as I shook against him.

  I kept my cheek on his shoulder, trying to catch my breath. I had to stop crying before anyone else in that house saw me.

  “I’m sorry, Caleb,” I said, when I could speak again. “I hate to cry.”

  “Shh.” He rubbed my back. “It’s okay.”

  I pulled away from him and looked in his eyes. “I know it’s really selfish of me, but I want these two months with Tyler without him knowing about my whole sordid past. Please let me have that."

  Caleb frowned, not saying a word.

  “Please don’t show him that video. Just let me have him 'til January,” I whispered, afraid that if I spoke any louder I’d start crying again. “Just let me have a couple months. It might be the only good thing that ever happens to me.”

  “Fuck, Susie.” Caleb rubbed his eyebrows. For a second I thought I saw tears in his eyes. “He won’t hear about it from me. But that doesn’t mean he won’t find out. Troy could’ve told a lot of people by now.”

  “I know. And I’ll take care of Troy. That’s all I can do.”

  He nodded. Suddenly, his eyes got big and he reached down to his pocket. “Speak of the devil.” Caleb took a quick look at his phone before handing it to me.

  I read the message and gave his phone back to him. “Caleb, can I borrow your car?”

  Susie

  Sunday, October 31

  7:40 AM

  I parked Caleb’s Civic along the street and walked inside the Eighth Street Donut Shop. The only people there were an elderly couple and a small, well-dressed group of students. From the Bibles sitting on the table, I knew they were probably meeting there before church. I didn’t recognize any of them, and I didn’t see Troy, so I walked to the counter to place an order for a dozen donuts to take back to Tyler’s house. I decided to forgo my usual iced coffee in favor of sleeping in with Tyler later and I didn’t want anything to keep me awake. I stood there, contemplating a decaf, when I saw his face appear at the glass door.

  Troy strolled inside with a confident swagger. “Long time no see.”

  “Yep.” I put some money down on the counter even though the cashier had not yet given me my total.

  He stood beside me in silence, wearing a little too much of a cologne I didn’t recognize. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as nice as Tyler’s. I didn’t look at him. I just watched the girl behind the counter put a random variety of donuts in a box.

  When she was finished, she handed me the box and I told her to keep the change. I didn’t look at Troy as I walked to the door. “Come on.”

  “It’s cold,” he said.

  “I don’t care.” Did he really think I was just going to sit down and have coffee with him? I walked outside into the brisk air and put the donuts in the back seat of the car. He followed along like a little puppy.

  Troy’s grin was so smug. What did that reddish-blond hair and ruddy complexion ever do for me? He wore a black leather jacket, similar to the one I was wearing that belonged to Tyler. That jacket always made Tyler look even hotter. On Troy, it was nothing special. Was the sex really that good with him? Is that why I was so eager to let him to violate that restraining order?

  “So,” he said, “you can’t keep your eyes off me. I knew you’d come back.”

  “Do you really think that’s what this is?”

  “You know you missed me.” He grinned. “Here.” Troy held his arms out, inviting me to embrace.

  “You can’t be serious.” I tried to make my disgust apparent in my face. I knew if I was nice to him in even the smallest way he’d take it as a sign that I was interested. “So, I hear you’re showing everyone your big video?”

  “Our big video.” He smiled. “You should be proud. I know I am.”

  “Proud? It might’ve been a grand adventure for you but was just another day to me. Nothing to brag about.”

  Troy’s smile faded into a scowl. “So,” he said, “who’s this long-haired hippie I see you running around with? Tyler? You think I wouldn’t find out about him?”

  I shrugged. “It’s none of your business. You and I’ve been over for a long time.”

  “Okay.” He nodded. “So, I guess that means you don’t care if I give everyone the link to this video?”

  I looked directly into his eyes. “Go ahead. And don’t forget the discount code where they can get streaming video at half price.”

  “Susie.” He took a step closer to me, softening his tone. “Come on, don’t make me do that. I just want things to be the way they used to be. You know I don’t really wanna hurt you.”

  “Yes you do. You sent that video to Caleb.”

  “That was only to prove a point. I knew he’d see you this weekend. And look? It worked. We’re talking again.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “No, Troy. You threatened me. Again.”

  “It’s only because I love you, baby. You make me do stupid shit sometimes.”

  “No, I don’t make you do anything.” I swallowed. “Look, I did some stupid shit, too. But it’s really over.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Don’t make me call the cops. That restraining order’s still in effect.”

  “Damn it.” Troy looked down at the sidewalk, muttering under his breath for a few seconds. Then he slowly raised his head, gritting his teeth, staring me down. “That restraining order can’t keep me from posting our video all over the place.”

  “Go ahead. You don’t scare me. Not anymore.”

  “Okay, get real. I can destroy you.”

  “How?”

  “I’ll tell everyone about this. Your professors, your friends. That fucking hippie. They’ll all know. And you’ll never be able to get a job.”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said. Destroy me? Never get a job? What a fucking joke.

  “You don’t believe me, do you?”

  “Actually, I think you’re crazy enough to do it. But first I think you might wanna take out yo
ur phone and go to this little website. TheRealTroy.com.”

  “Huh?”

  We locked eyes. At first he seemed calm. Then he suddenly rushed to take his phone out of his pocket. I waited while he played with the screen, his eyes growing wide, his jaw dropping.

  Troy’s cheeks quickly reddened. “Where’d you get these?”

  “What?” I asked. “You ashamed? You really shouldn’t be. You know, Troy, we all go through that sexual experimentation phase in college. Hell, some of mine is easily accessible for a low monthly fee of less than thirty dollars.”

  He stepped forward, putting his bright red face within inches of mine, fuming. “I said, where’d you get these?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” I shook my head. After the talk I had with Caleb at the party, I actually felt bad about making that website. And if Troy had been nice to me that morning, I wouldn’t have told him about it. I would have just taken it offline and put it back up if absolutely necessary. “What about hurting your own chances of getting a job?” I asked. “Are you too stupid to think about that?”

  “You fucking bitch. No. Whore. That’s exactly what you are. A dirty fucking whore.” Troy glared at me.

  I was just about to back down and get out of there for my own safety when he said that word. Whore. He had picked the wrong morning to use that word on me. I looked around to make sure there was nobody within ear shot, wondering if my cheeks were getting as red as his. “Asshole. You leave me alone or I’ll rent every billboard from here to Smithtown to advertise that website. I’m serious.”

  “Oh, come on, Susie. You’re not gonna do that. I know how much you get paid for that shit and it ain’t enough to rent a bunch of fucking billboards.”

  I laughed.

  “What?" He raised his eyebrows. “I’m not stupid. You always act so big and bad but I know for a fact you don’t do enough work to get paid that much.”

  I smiled. “That’s right. I don’t.”

  He was silent. He just stared at me, blinking, then he looked down at his phone.

  I didn’t look back at Troy. I just got inside the car and drove around the corner to Lassiter Lane where a naked man who was sexy as hell lay asleep in a warm bed. I couldn’t wait to get under those covers and snuggle up next to him.

  I also found myself thinking about the donuts in the backseat. Could it be that my nausea had finally gone away? It felt good to be hungry again.

  Joan’s car was still parked outside the house. I rolled my eyes. Would she regret Caleb? Or Kate? How long would it be before I got that phone call? At least I’d conveniently left my phone at home. I could catch up with her later. I had other things to do that day.

  The house was just as quiet as it was before I left. I put the box of donuts on the kitchen counter and took out a cream-filled one for me, and a maple for Tyler. They were his favorite. If he was too hungover to eat he could save it for later.

  When I got back to Tyler’s room I took a few bites of my donut, then placed both of them on a paper towel on top of the computer desk. I briefly thought about looking for his cologne, but I could do that when he was awake. His gentle snore beckoned me back to bed.

  Naked, I slid under the covers, backing my body up against his. Mmm... nice and warm.

  Almost immediately, his arm wrapped around me, spooning me, holding me tight. Making me smile.

  He cleared his throat. “Mornin’ honey,” he said, his voice gruff and quiet. “You’re cold.”

  “But you’re not. You feel good.”

  Tyler kissed the top of my back. “You still my girlfriend today?”

  I laughed, hoping it wasn’t the only thing he remembered from the previous night. With no hesitation, I answered. “Yeah.”

  Part 7

  Tyler

  Wednesday, November 17

  10:00 PM

  “I’ll see you in class tomorrow,” I said, wondering how long it would take her to get out of my car.

  Susie gave me her familiar little grin of fake innocence.

  I knew exactly what she was up to. It happened every time I dropped her off after one of our dates. The only things I was sure to miss about our bet were her attempts to seduce me.

  I had to admit, I was pretty impressed with myself. I didn’t know how much self-control I actually possessed because I’d never had a reason to use it with any other girl. I might have a sexual drought for a while in between girlfriends but when I was in it, I was in it. And I’d never wanted any girl the way I wanted Susanna Lombardi.

  The past two weekends were basically a fuck-fest. We had long, insatiable marathons of sex from Saturday morning to Sunday evening. The days in between those phenomenal weekends weren’t bad, either. I saw her every day--studying, working on the Management project, taking her out on dates, getting to know her better... falling deeper in love... wondering what the hell I was doing before I met her. She gave me a feeling I never knew existed. If I’d known about it, I might have actually tried to pursue it instead of just letting it find me. It felt like she was made for me. Like there was a mold somewhere called, ‘The Perfect Woman for Tyler Campbell,’ and it only existed to create the woman sitting there in my car.

  What was it about her? I didn’t ask myself that question anymore. I’d been a content loner for most of my life, but being with her was a million times better than being alone. Even sitting beside her in silence made the silence better. But those times of silence were rare. We could talk about anything and we often did. Susie had quickly become my best friend.

  The stronger my feelings grew, the more committed I became to winning that bet. I absolutely had to get her home to meet my family. At first it was because I thought it might help me win her over, like, maybe if she met my family she’d get more attached to me. Maybe her own weird family issues would pale in comparison to mine and I could give her the family she’d never had.

  But over time, my reasons changed. I was deep into this girl and I had to know if she was the one. I never even believed in ‘the one’ before, even though Dad used to tease me that she was out there. I needed to know if Susie fit into my life. Not just my college life, but my real life. How would she get along with my family? Would she consider moving home with me? Would she like it there?

  The bigger question: Was I willing to change my plans for her?

  I didn’t even know what Susie’s after-college plans were and I’m not sure she knew either. Every time it came up, her answers changed. Eventually she told me she had some decisions to make, right before her beautiful face took on a sadness that made me wish I hadn’t asked.

  “Come on, Tah-ler.” She slid down next to me and curved her hand around the top of my thigh, barely grazing the outside of my balls through my jeans.

  “Your Southern charms will get you nowhere, woman.”

  She leaned in closer, thrusting her giant tits against my arm as she pressed her cheek against my collarbone, nuzzling her way up to my ear. “Please?” she whispered. “I can’t stop thinkin’ about your cock. Let me feel it inside me tonight.” Her hand slid further up my jeans to cup my crotch.

  I yanked my arm out from under her tits and stretched it around her back to pull her closer. At the same time, I pushed her hand away from my dick and wove my fingers in between hers. “You know I’m not that easy.”

  She kissed my cheek. Her lips brushed against my ear, then landed on my neck.

  I closed my eyes, trying to enjoy myself while containing my thoughts about her nice, warm pussy--my most favorite place in the entire world.

  Her tongue slid up to my ear. “Please, baby.” She breathed against my ear and guided my hand in between her legs, forcing it up her skirt. “Feel how wet I am for you."

  Fuck, she knows how to get to me.

  I pulled my hand away before it reached her soaking wet paradise. “No.”

  Susie puffed out her bottom lip. Her gaze fell down to my chest.

  “Honey, is it really the end of the world to go home with me over break
?” I asked.

  “It’s not that. I just don’t like you spending so much money. Let me pay you back and we can call it even.”

  “I don’t want your money. I want you on that plane.”

  “But you know I hate to fly. My trip last month just about killed me.”

  “Damn it, woman.” I pulled her closer and kissed her pretty lips to make her shut up. I hated her excuses and I couldn’t wait until I didn’t have to hear them anymore. January would hopefully come quickly.

  There were times when she’d freely answer my questions and other times when she’d just smile and say, ‘I’ll tell you in January.’ I could’ve kicked myself for coming up with that stupid idea, but I loved her even more for going along with it. It proved her love for me. She could’ve told me to get lost a long time ago but there she was, playing along. Letting me take her on dates. Trying hard to win this bet. Reminding me of my idiotic semi-drunken plan to let her keep all of her secrets until January. This girl was all mine. There was no doubt about it. Her actions didn’t just speak louder than her words; they screamed at me through a bullhorn.