Safe With Me, Special Edition

by Shaina Richmond

  “Well, it won’t bankrupt me, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  His arms tightened around my back. “I won’t feel right about it until I know where you got it.” He groaned in my ear. “Or do I even wanna know?”

  “How about this. I’ll tell you after I tell Tyler. January seventh. It’s less than a month away.”

  He laughed against my cheek. “You have a scheduled date to tell him that?”

  “Yeah. I’m gonna tell him everything.”

  “I wondered. I knew he couldn’t go that long.” Corbie loosened his grip and chuckled, looking away in Tyler’s direction. “I guess there’s someone for everyone.”

  There was something odd about the way he said it. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  He slid his hand across his eyes, laughing. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “No, seriously.” I backed away and put my hands on my hips. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

  His laughter stopped. “Come on. I didn’t mean...” He looked in my eyes. “Shit. I just can’t say anything right today.” He took a step backward and waved for me to come with him.

  I followed him to the downstairs bedroom. He shut the door and pulled me along to the bed where he pushed all the coats to the other side to clear a large space. We both sat down.

  “Okay,” he said. “All I meant was…” He bit his bottom lip and shook his head, staring down at the floor. “I guess I’m just surprised that…”

  I wanted to try to finish his sentence for him, but I waited. Corbie and I had always been brutally honest with each other, or so I thought. The longer I sat there, the more I wondered if he’d ever been honest with me about anything.

  He put his arm around me and paused as he looked me in the eye. “Hon, please don’t take this the wrong way.”

  Great, it’s worse than I thought. “Okay.”

  He took a deep breath. “I guess I just never thought you’d find anyone.”

  “Wow.” Yeah, that hurts.

  “Let me finish. That didn’t come out right.” He mumbled to himself for a second. “Okay, look, most guys wouldn’t put up with a girl as private as you.”

  “But I thought guys liked a girl with mystique.”

  He chuckled. “We do. But you take it to another level. It’s not mystique. It’s just… crazy.”

  “You think I’m crazy? Really?” I choked back my tears. That was the worst thing he could’ve said to me.

  “Well, no.” He shrugged. “I mean, I think you’re sane. Mostly…”

  I wrapped my arms around my stomach and tried to stay calm.

  Corbie groaned. “I’m sorry. I’m so tired. This is a bad time to have this conversation.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded. It was all I could say without crying.

  “Look, hon. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He pulled me closer. “Please, listen to me. You’re, like, this one-in-a-million person. I don’t think I’ll ever know a girl like you again.” He let out a soft chuckle. “On the surface you’re a normal college girl. A person has to know you for a while before they notice all this stuff that just doesn’t make any sense. Like, you have this huge house and you always have friends over. But none of us have ever seen half of these rooms.”

  I sniffled. “If you hook up with Ashley tonight you’ll get to see one of ‘em. It’s just a bedroom.”

  “Good to know. But let me finish.” He cleared his throat. “The rooms. That’s just one example. I’ve known you for what, three years now? And you always surprise me.” He laughed. “Always. I just wanna know how you paid for my tuition. If I knew that, I think I might finally have the mystery of Susie all figured out.”

  “Is that why you’d never…” I hesitated, trying rather unsuccessfully to think of a way to say it that didn’t sound so juvenile in my head, “go all the way with me?” It still sounded juvenile. “Because you thought I was crazy?”

  “I don’t know.” He winced. “I guess in the back of my mind I wondered if you were in a secret marriage or something. Like, maybe you’re married to some rich Italian who might have me whacked for messing around with you.”

  “You’re the crazy one.” I shook my head. “You do realize you don’t need to have brown hair and brown eyes to be Italian, right?”

  “Yeah. But you’re the only one in your family who has blond hair and blue eyes.”

  “My eyes are more of a gray.”

  “Whatever. You know what I mean.”

  “That’s why you wouldn’t fuck me?”

  “Pretty much.” He scratched the back of his head. “And maybe I was afraid it might turn our friendship into something else. I could never handle your…” His voice trailed off.

  “My secrets. You could never have a relationship with me because of my secrets. Right?”

  His response was a weak grin and a kiss on my cheek.

  “I never wanted a boyfriend,” I said. “You had no reason to hold out on me.”

  “Well, it still might’ve made things awkward. Even more awkward than when I found out you gave me sixty thousand dollars.”

  “See? That’s why you weren’t supposed to know about it.” I balled up my fist and lightly hit his thigh. “Do you really think I’m crazy?”

  “In a way, yeah.” He rubbed my shoulder. “But you’re also probably the best friend I’ve ever had.” He squeezed me tight. “And that has nothing to do with the money. I hope you know that.”

  I nodded. All I heard was that he thought I was crazy… in a way. The rest of it just hung around me in the air. I wanted to burst into tears.

  “Hey,” he said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” He cursed at himself under his breath. “Look, all I meant in the living room was this: you’ve obviously found the right guy. I mean, what kind of guy would go to all this trouble? You set a date to tell him your secrets. That’s weird.” He paused, nodding as he thought it over. “But, I guess he knows what he’s doing. He got you to be his girlfriend.”

  I hung my head in my hands, my elbows on my knees. “Stop.”

  “What? You guys belong together. Anyone can see that.” He put both of his arms around me. “Maybe you’re both a little crazy. But in the same way. And that’s good. I mean, look, he’s 26 today, right? And you’re 25. You both went to college a couple years late. Not many people do that.”

  I brought my hands down and looked at Corbie. “We’re both old and crazy? That’s why we belong together?”

  “No, you’re not old. You’re older than the rest of us, but…”

  I put my hands against my eyes and started to cry. “This sucks. You’re right. How’d he get to me?” I could barely breathe as tears ran down my face. “I never wanted a boyfriend!” I sniffled, gasping for air. “We’re both crazy!”

  “Oh, no. Oh, no.” Corbie backed up against the headboard and pulled me into his lap, his hand behind my head holding my face firmly against his chest. “Shh. It’s okay.”

  In seconds, I was a blubbering mess. I tried to talk but I was sure he couldn’t understand. “I forgot… How did I let this happen?”

  “Shh.” He rocked back and forth as he cradled me in his arms. “Shh.”

  If he said anything else, I didn’t hear it. I cried so hard, I feared I was going insane. Events of the past few months ripped through my mind. Tyler slowly made me feel safe, like we could somehow make this work. Like I could tell him anything and he’d stay. It no longer mattered that I deliberately structured my life to make sure it didn’t include another person. In a little over two months, my life had become unrecognizable to me. It now included thoughts of a possible future with a guy I just met.

  Only a crazy woman would let her life change so abruptly.

  I didn’t even hear the door open. I felt Corbie’s chest move as he spoke. Then his body moved. Then I moved. Then some tissues found their way into my hand. I immediately used them to wipe my nose.

  Someone pulled me along the bed to position me on my
side, putting my face in their chest and arms around my back. I was still sobbing uncontrollably when I wiped my face and got a nose full of Polo Blue and marijuana.

  “Mmm.” Tyler kissed the top of my head. I felt him rubbing my back and playing with my hair.

  I tried to press my face against his shirt but he rolled away. I felt him pull me around and lift me up to a standing position on the floor.

  It took a moment to gain my balance. He held me tight, squishing my cheek against his chest as he swayed along to the music from the living room.

  I tried to say his name but my lips were squashed together in a peculiar shape. The word came out as, “Wy-wa,” not, “Tyler.”

  His chest vibrated against my face as he sang along. I laughed and put my arms around him, letting myself completely fall against his body. It only made him sing louder and dance faster.

  It wasn’t long before he loosened his grip and brought his hands to my face.

  He was still dancing when his mouth covered mine. His tongue was greedy and impatient, assaulting me as if it wanted my destruction.

  I let my jaw go limp, opening wide in surrender. From the way he tasted, he had to be exceptionally high. I slid my hands up to the back of his head and coiled my fingers into his thick hair, tugging it in rough handfuls.

  I was grateful for that all-consuming kiss. His wanton aggression made it clear why I gave in so easily: he’d taken me by force. And all the while, I was oblivious. He was patient and calculating. Maybe even a little manipulative. But at least he was honest enough to tell me himself: when he found something he wanted, he found a way to get it. And he wanted me. He paid attention to everything I did. Took careful notes about me, not only in his mind but on his laptop. He came up with these odd little plans and schedules, giving me just enough time to come around. Somehow, he knew it would work.

  I never stood a chance. No matter that it made no sense; a catch like him falling so fast for a troubled, neurotic mess like me. He planned his attack and charged in. I wasn’t swept away; I was taken. Just like I wanted him to take me that night, when he was primal and unrestrained; fearless. There was no self-control, no discipline. There was just a guy who wanted to fuck me hard enough to send my house crashing to the ground. But I knew it was more than that. Tell me you love me… His heart’s desire was for me to return his crazy, reckless love.

  Crazy. Maybe the label suited both of us. And maybe that was okay.

  I was too lost in that kiss to notice when he walked me back to the bed. I went from tasting his lips to landing at the side of the bed on my sore ass. The pain was brief, disappearing when I saw his puffy eyes staring down at me as he held my ankles apart. He was still wearing his long-sleeved gray thermal shirt, but his black T-shirt was gone.

  He let one of my feet fall to the floor and extended the other up to the ceiling. He didn’t sling it over his shoulder, like usual. He just held it, lifting the back of my knee with the inside of his elbow.

  He gave me a silly open-mouthed smile and pressed his hips forward.

  I gasped when I felt him inside me.

  “Mmm.” His smile seemed permanent. “That’s just what I wanted. Some good pussy for my birthday.” He said it as if he’d totally forgotten about the two other times he’d received that gift that day.

  “Well, happy birthday to you, Mr. Campbell.”

  He laughed for quite a while, occasionally slipping into his stoner chuckle. And when he did, his pace quickened.

  I smiled.

  “What?” He spoke slowly, dragging the short word out to about three times its normal length.

  I let out a content sigh. “You make me so happy.”

  “Good. That’s all I ever wanted to do, baby. Make you happy.”

  We shared a long, blissful gaze. His thrusts slowed down, but their depth was incredible. I usually would’ve begged him to slam me by then, but the gentle, easy fucking was just what I needed. There was something enchanting about that moment when it should’ve been absurd. He was silly, clearly stoned out of his mind. And all I could think about was how perfect he was. So what if he was crazy for putting up with me?

  I wanted to tell him I loved him, even if he was too high to remember it for more than five seconds. I waited for his standard plea, begging me to say it. I thought it might make the moment special. Let him think I did it because he finally coaxed it out of me. I knew he’d absolutely love that.

  But when his mouth finally opened to speak, it wasn’t his plea. It was a simple, breathy, “Unbutton your sweater.”

  I obeyed his command. I was so lost in the moment, I didn’t even realize how hot it was in that room. The low-cut sweater was suddenly suffocating me with its heat. I undid the buttons as fast as I could and sat up to give myself just enough room to take it off.

  Tyler helped me out of my left sleeve and threw the sweater across the room. His smile disappeared when he pulled his shirt off, tossing it away in the same direction as my sweater. He stood up straight and scooped my thighs up into his arm, holding them apart in front of him. My skirt had rolled all the way up to my waist.

  Staring down at my sheer pink bra, he clenched his teeth, and then he fucked me like he didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘gentle.’

  His force was unrelenting. I was a rag doll in his arms. He stared at my chest as if his sole reason for driving his dick inside me at break-neck speed was to see how hard he could shake my boobs.

  Surely, my loud shriek made it sound like he was killing me, but how the hell was I supposed to stay quiet when my sexy, long-haired, bare-chested boyfriend was fucking me with all his strength?

  The music outside in the living room got louder. A song came on that made him grin. At the chorus he sang along, slowing his thrusts to match the rhythm. His eyes darted repeatedly between my face and my chest. He didn’t seem to notice my laughter.

  The bedroom door swung open. He didn’t seem to notice that, either.

  Michael walked in.

  At once, I yelled, “No!” and expected Tyler to stop but he just went on, singing, fucking me in his zombie-like state.

  As Michael approached, his red, glazed-over eyes told why his reaction was so dull. He stood at the corner of the bed and calmly watched us for a moment, like it was something he did every day. Before I could yell at him again, he broke out of his trance and burst into hysterical laughter. Then he ran back out.

  I soon heard others laughing outside the door.

  “Tyler!” I screamed when I saw Michael walk back inside, followed by Caleb and Joe. “Please, Tyler, turn around.”

  “Huh?” Tyler seemed annoyed. Not at our company, but at me. He was naked and completely focused on the task of fucking me senseless as the music played. The three immature guys laughing beside him were of no concern.

  Michael grunted, his jaw sternly set. “Yeah, that’s right, man. Get it in there. Fuck her ‘til she can’t walk.”

  They all laughed even louder. Tyler’s face lit up with a hint of a smile.

  Joe’s eyes got big, glancing at Tyler’s naked body for a brief moment. He shook his head. “I gotta get outta here.” He chuckled as he left the room.

  Caleb sat down beside me, his eyes on my bouncing breasts. “Hey Campbell. You gonna share?”

  I immediately smacked Caleb’s arm as hard as I could. “No!”

  Tyler panted for air, thrusting at a slower pace. He shot Caleb a scowl and breathed out a hearty, “No.”

  Caleb chuckled just as Joan walked in.

  “What…?” She stopped, her mouth gaping.

  Caleb took one look at her and hopped off the bed, bolting out of the room.

  “Okay,” I said, “now you guys need to,” I paused for a quick moan and a shriek as Tyler gave me a few hard slams in a row before resuming his slow movement, “you need to go.”

  Michael’s bloodshot eyes narrowed. He licked his lips and watched us for a moment, then he put his hand on Joan’s back and used his gentle voice. “Hey, Joanie g
irl.”

  Oh no, I don’t like this at all…

  Joan giggled like a school girl. “Hey, Michael.”

  Their eyes met. He walked her back to the bed, just like Tyler had done to me earlier. He reached down to the bottom of her green sweater and smiled as he pulled it up over her head. Her long red hair fell down against her back and she let out another giggle. It sounded like such a desperate giggle to me.

  Oh, please don’t do it, Michael. Learn from my mistakes.

  I couldn’t watch it anymore. Instead, I looked in Tyler’s big brown eyes. They were slightly less puffy and bloodshot. He grinned sweetly, tilting his head to the side, holding my legs apart in his arms. His pace was still very nice and slow.