by Drake, J. L.
“Oh.” She set her book down and gave me her full attention. “Anything you’re worried about?”
“Not yet, but I guess I’ll find out tonight.” Erin fiddled with the corner of her book. I could see she was thinking about something. “Out with it, E.”
She shrugged, then looked over my shoulder. “How are you dealing with…you know, the whole thing? It’s been a year since Jimmy Lasko messed with your life.”
“Honestly…” I looked around. We were pretty much alone. “I don’t know.”
***
Avery
I sat in my normal spot, on the edge of their bed, on his side. I turned the central air down and made it abnormally cool. I liked it that way; I could think better. I hated the heat, and I only came back here because of him. I really preferred Chicago. The winters were great, and the food was decent, but it didn’t have what I needed—what I needed was here.
I removed my sneakers and leaned back on the pillows. Emily’s shampoo smell was all over the place. I turned on the TV and watched a few shows, not really paying attention, just going through the motions one would if they lived here.
My eyes fell on a new picture on the dresser. It was of Seth’s family. Everyone was there but his father. I closed my eyes and tried to remember the last time I ever saw my family’s picture. No, I couldn’t even imagine it. I didn’t think we ever did one, but there wasn’t really much time.
“Zooommm.” I ran around the living room with a sheet tied my around my neck. I pretended to be a superhero. My arms were stuck out straight, and I imagined myself flying above the clouds at lightning speed. “I see you,” I shouted to the bad guy below, stealing a motorbike. I dived to the ground, rolled under a chair, and dodged the laser beams that just missed my arm. I jumped up and grabbed the bad guy, which was actually my teddy bear Digger, and tackled him to the ground. I held him in a super death grip that no one could escape from.
“Shut up, boy!” My father chucked the TV remote at me, and it smacked me in the cheek. The impact split the skin, but I didn’t say anything. I was not even allowed to cry–that only made him angrier. I quickly stood up and held Digger as a shield between us and handed the remote back to him. “You wanna see my belt again?” he screamed in my face. Spit striking my cheek felt like acid, but I didn’t dare wipe it off.
“No, Father,” I whispered while I lowered my head.
“Get the fuck outside. I don’t want to see your face until tomorrow.”
“Okay.” I hurried to the back, pulled open the patio door, stepped out onto the cold cement slab, and wished I had grabbed my shoes. I took two steps at a time as I made my way up to the treehouse tucked away out of sight of the house. It was the only place where my father couldn’t hurt me. I pushed the trap door up and lifted myself onto the floor.
It was nothing like other kids’ treehouses, but it was mine and Jims’s. We kept what we needed up there for times like this. I covered my shivering body with a blanket, then I tucked Digger in and made sure he was warm. I opened the plastic container where we kept our emergency supply of food. Crackers and peanut butter got old, but it was better than being down there with him. I peeked through a crack in the branches where I could see the lights flicker from the TV as my father had another beer. He drank a lot, and he hit a lot too. He said our cries made him mad. He hit everyone but Julia, and I wasn’t sure why. I hated Julia, but Jims made sure she was never alone with me. I guessed because she was so mean. The moonlight was bright enough so I didn’t need to waste the flashlight batteries. The comics were in a sack next to me. I chose my favorite and pretended I was Clark Kent until my eyes grew heavy.
Gunshots from the TV brought me back to the present, but the feelings from my memory still weighed heavily in my chest.
I turned off the TV, smoothed the bedspread back in place, and puffed the pillow to leave no trace of an intruder. I knew I shouldn’t, but I turned the picture frame around. Sometimes I just couldn’t help myself. I scanned the room, when I suddenly heard footsteps on the stairs. Shit! They must have come in when I was lost in my memories. I hurried across the room and in behind the huge velvet curtain that concealed my body perfectly.
“I swear, Pete, if I come home to one more orgy—” I leaned to the side just enough so my left eye peeked out and saw Emily on the phone. She put him on speaker and tossed it on the bed. “I don’t care if you think it’s funny, people are going to think it’s me doing it.” She pulled her dress off over her head and kicked it to the side. I slid my phone out of my pocket and snapped a few photos. Emily was like a lingerie magazine; she always matched. Today she had a soft pink and black lace set that showed off half her perky ass. Her plump breasts jiggled as she laughed at something Pete said. She was a pretty little thing, and I knew why Seth was so damn protective. Any man with a dick wanted a piece of her. Didn’t help that some of the guys talked about how they screwed in the on-call room. She was a wild one in bed, and I knew she was up for anything. I knew because I watched all the time. She loved to give up control, loved to be completely dominated by him.
I was hard, not for her, but for the idea of a woman giving herself over completely. I’d screw Emily, but it’d be like used goods. She belonged to Jims, not me. I took a deep breath and forced my control to come back. I couldn’t afford to lose it now. She moved into the bathroom and ran the shower. I stepped from behind the curtain, about to make my way out the door, when she came back into the room. She stopped three feet in front of me. I froze. Thank God her head was down, hair flung forward as she scooped it into a ponytail. I took two swift steps behind the closet door just as her head came back up. I was not seen. She grabbed her phone and disappeared into the bathroom.
The edges of my mouth rose as the high spread through me. I got this rush. It happened a lot with Emily, almost daily. I loved to play with my pawns.
A car door slammed, and I hurried to the window to see a FedEx truck driver on his way up the driveway. I hurried down the stairs and caught him at the door.
***
I didn’t even notice I was at The Brick until I parked. I reached in my bag, double checked the thick envelope of money was still there, and recounted to be sure it still added up to a thousand.
The building was an old warehouse in the middle of an abandoned part of town. If you didn’t have a membership and walked in, you’d think the place was a photography studio. That was the front the owner used, and no one seemed to question it.
“Hey there, sunshine,” she said as she held the door open for me. I glanced down at her outfit. I wasn’t aware they made shorts that short, but whatever. “I’m doing well, thank you for asking.” She rolled her eyes and handed me my key. “I had a flood at my apartment, and my dick landlord wanted a blow job for payment, even though it was the guy above me who did it.” She rambled on, and I started to say something, but she was too lost in her story to notice I’d walked away and was punching in the passcode.
The door opened, and in walked one of the regulars, who eyed her long legs and slim waist.
“Hello, Edward,” she grinned and gave him a playful smile, “you’ve been gone a while.”
Edward tucked his hands into his dress pants and gave her a flick of his head. “So you’ve been waiting for me?” He pulled out a card and slid it over the smooth granite counter. “You could always call me.”
I slapped my hand down on top of the card and balled it in my fist. “Would you please get me some water?”
“Umm…” she started to say, but when she saw my face, she nodded. “Of course.” She hurried off to the back room.
“Do we have a problem here, Adam?” Edward laughed under his breath. “Never known you to claim one before.” He headed toward the keypad, then slipped into the dimly lit hallway. We didn’t use our own names here—everything was kept confidential.
“Here.” She slammed the water bottle in front of me. “What the hell was that?”
I jammed the card in my pocket, reached for my bag, and headed
inside. I didn’t have the time or desire to deal with this shit right now.
***
Seth
The smell of coffee found me and pulled me out of my groggy state. I peeled myself off the couch, where apparently I spent the night, and headed into the kitchen.
Emily was arms deep in laundry, and she sang along to the music that was plugged into her ears. Her back was turned as I poured my coffee. I leaned back and watched her shake her ass in her short, silky robe. She jumped when she spotted me.
“Like what you see?” She laughed and tugged her earphones out and tossed the last of the folded sheets into the basket.
“I do,” I murmured into my mug. I saw her blush, which was comical because she was such a dirty little vixen. “Come here.” I took her arm and tugged her over to me, then bent down and kissed her soft lips. “You didn’t wake me.”
She shook her head and wrapped her arms around my neck. “You were out cold, and you needed sleep.”
“I needed you more.” I nuzzled her neck to warm my cold cheeks.
She gasped. “I’m here now.” Her hand dipped under my shirt, and she raked her nails down my back. I grew hard instantly, grabbed her waist, and twisted around and sat her on the counter. She spread her legs as I moved in between and hauled her close again.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” I slid my hands up her bare legs and squeezed her tight ass while I nipped at her earlobe.
“You know,” she whispered, “I really don’t. Why don’t you show me?”
I took her hand and slid it over my chest. “Feel that?” My heart pounded against my ribs to show her she made me wild. “And this?” I lowered her hand over my erection. Her fingers wiggled out of my hold and started to massage me, and I grew even thicker. My hands steadied me on either side of her, and she kept her eyes locked with mine as I fought the urge to take her right there on the counter. “I want to be in you when I come.”
She untied the belt and let the robe fall away, to leave her in only a tiny scrap of silk. Her nipples were hard and strained against the fabric. She inched the nightgown up to expose the evidence of her arousal. She glistened around the seams.
My pants were off, and I lined up with her in a matter of seconds, pushing in slowly. I felt her tight little walls contract around me. Her legs wrapped around me, as she lifted her hips off the counter to pull me in deeper. It was perfect. I loved how she was just as needy as I was. My hands flew to her hips to hold her still as I gave a few good thrusts, which earned me a sexy little moan.
“Hello?”
Emily’s eyes darted up to mine. “Travis!” she hissed. I grabbed her waist and carried her into her father’s old office and locked the door behind us. “Seth, put me down.” She tried to push free, but I backed her against the wall while I steadied myself. “Seth!”
I started to thrust inside her again, deep and hard. She tried to protest, but it soon was lost as her orgasm built.
“Anyone home?” Travis called as he walked into the kitchen. Fuck, this guy had some balls walking in here. If I wasn’t buried deep inside her, I would flip out on this asshole.
“Seth,” she begged, but at the same time was clawing at my back to pull me closer. “Stop! He’s going to hear us!”
I grabbed her face. “Then you better be quiet, because I’m not going to stop until we both come.”
“Seth,” she whimpered.
“He is in our home uninvited, so if he hears something, that’s on him, not us. Now…” I sat her down, turned her around, and raised her arms over her head. I pumped back into her from behind. My lips hovered over her ear. “Don’t be thinking of him while I’m inside you,” I growled.
She tried like hell to stay quiet, but I could see she was struggling. Travis moved about just outside our door, as I thrust deeper and deeper and sent myself into overdrive. My hand dipped down and cupped a handful of her breast, and I twisted the nipple between my fingertips. I was so fucking angry that he was here again for her.
“Seth I-I…” she cried as she came. I pumped a few more times until I joined her, filling her with everything I had. My anger fueled me. I could barely think while I carried her over to the desk, laid her down, and entered her again, semi-hard now, but I stiffened by the second. She moaned and muttered something I couldn’t make out.
I didn’t care about anyone but her at that moment. I pounded out my frustration, and she didn’t seem to mind. Her hands massaged her bouncing breasts.
“Harder,” she demanded. That made me go crazy. I increased the speed, until nothing but skin slapping skin could be heard. It was all incredibly sexy, the noise, her face, her breasts, the look in her eye—all of it was mine. Her nails clawed at me, and her quiet screams were enough to send any man buck wild. I wanted to be deeper, I was gone, lost in pure animal instinct. I knew she saw it, and she suddenly pulled me down, cupped my sack, and gave it a hard tug as I pounded her senseless.
“I’m yours, Seth,” she just barely whispered as she came along with me. She was all mine, and she was perfect. Emily was the light at the end of the tunnel.
I shook off the after sex jitters and helped Emily to her feet and let her know I’d get her something to cover up with.
“Hey,” Travis said as he came into the kitchen, then stopped when he saw it was me. “I was looking for Emily.” He held up a FedEx package. “This came to my house yesterday, thought I’d deliver it.”
“Most people would knock, wait for an invite, and leave it by the door if no one answered,” I muttered, annoyed. He had become a little too comfortable. I snagged one of my t-shirts and handed it to Emily, who waited behind the door.
“You really don’t like me, do you?” Travis leaned against the patio door.
I poured some coffee. I wanted a fresh cup now that mine was cold. “Just don’t have a ton of respect for someone who openly flirts with someone else’s girl.”
“Hey, Travis.” Em gave me a look of death. “Joe delivered this to you?” She read the label. “That’s strange. I was home around the time he would have come by.”
“Mmm, strange,” I mumbled and thought it was incredibly convenient that Joe messed up the delivery.
“Well, thanks, I appreciate it. I need this tonight.” She showed me the label. Oh shit, it’s our Halloween costumes.
“Sure.” Travis gave a tiny smile, then looked at me. “I guess I’ll see ya later.”
“Okay, thanks again.” Emily moved to the door and closed it behind him. She turned to me, hands on her hips. “That was a little uncalled for, Seth.” I shrugged. I didn’t care about what Travis thought. “Whatever.” She opened the box just enough to peek in, and when I went to look, she slammed the top shut. “Not yet.”
“Why?” I peered over the rim of my mug.
“Because I like watching you squirm about your costume.” She laughed and headed upstairs, leaving me to watch Travis disappear into the tree line. I wondered if he watched her like Lasko used to.
“Seth?” I looked behind me at Emily, who held up my handcuffs. “We should really use these more often.” I grinned. “Maybe I’ll use them on you?”
“Not on your life.”
She tossed them on the couch with a shrug. “Maybe I’ll find someone else to use them on then.”
I lunged forward, only to have her yelp. “Yeah, you better run.”
***
Avery
I jolted awake from the sound of Emily’s scream. At first it was terror, but when I heard Seth’s voice call after her, I knew they were playing.
I moved undetected from the guest room closet where I had fallen asleep waiting for them to return, and slipped into Emily’s room. There was a spot behind her shoe rack that hid my bottom half perfectly, and her dresses hid everything but my eyes. The great part was she had these shutter-style doors so I could watch without having to move from my spot. This was good because a few times she opened the closet unexpectedly. I quickly moved her father’s memory box ove
r so I could get a full view of the room.
Emily suddenly laughed and ran into the room. She raced around, then grinned when she looked at the closet. She flung open the doors and moved inside, clicking the door closed just as Seth came in.
“You think you’re safe, baby?” He laughed as he scanned the room.
Emily was so close, and if she were to look back to her left, she’d see my face. She panted, out of breath as she grinned at him. Her skin was flushed and her hair was messy.
Slowly, I moved my hand up. It ached to wrap around her vocal cords. The need to steal her life made my mind spin with consuming thoughts. I blinked and swallowed as my hand grazed her hair. She shifted but was too wrapped up in Seth to notice me. My other hand went into my pocket and pulled out a long, skinny wire. In a flash, I saw myself wrap it around her neck and tighten it so it ripped through her flesh. Her eyes locked onto mine with such shock it made me smile with delight. Blood poured down her front and dripped at her feet. The tin smell of human blood heightened my excitement.
Just as the urge became overpowering, just as I prepared to make my move in my crazed state, Seth opened the door and hauled her free.
Fuck! I pressed myself flat against the wall and waited. Now wasn’t the time. But it was coming, and when it did, it would be my most passionate kill yet.
***
Emily
“Wow.” Vanessa gawked at my costume as I fastened the red ribbon around my ankle just above the black high heel. “What an elegant, sexy looking dress.” I winked as I stood in front of the mirror and fixed the leather overlay on top of the puffy tulle. I was in a black and red corset, with black lace sleeves and a rather stylish popped collar, a leather skirt with red tulle underneath, fishnet stockings, and black high heels.
“I hope I can do my master proud.” I grinned and thought about Seth, who was off helping his family prep for the Halloween party they held every year. I told him not to worry, that Garrett and I would meet him there.