I couldn’t tell if she was fully serious or only half way, but I decided to play it safe and take it earnestly. I gave her bottom a hug and a squeeze, and then I kissed her abdomen and let her extricate herself from me. I picked up my cell, which I had tell fall next to me on the bed. I directed the device to call to my girlfriend, waiting for the tones to chime in my ear. Inwardly, I hoped she was still as level-headed and mature as she had been the day prior.
She picked up on the second tone. “Effy! It’s a little late for nutrition, what did you do? Sneak out of class to call me?” She sounded excited and nervous at the same time. Her voice was higher pitched than usual. She spoke faster than she normally would as well.
In spite of myself, I smiled, my eyes finding Katie who was sitting at the foot of the bed, giving me a bit of space. She looked just as nervous as Ramona sounded. “Naw girl, I ended up not going to school today. I got sick.”
A short pause, then, “Really? I mean what happened? Are you ok? Is Katie helping you out?”
Yeah she was nervous alright…
“I’m ok now, but this morning I was feeling terrible. I would have thrown up all over the place if Katie hadn’t been there to help me. She even cleaned up after me when I was finished, which I know was not an easy thing to do,” I answered succinctly, knowing this wasn’t the topic of conversation that interested us.
Another silence followed, a bit longer than the last one.
“Did you guys…?” She couldn’t finish, almost as though her throat had constricted preventing her from continuing.
There was no real need to mince words. “Yes, we did, during the night, late after everyone had been asleep for quite a while.”
“I see.” Her voice was small, but steady.
Well, now comes the moment of truth. Either she’ll get passed this or Katie and I are about to have a HUGE problem on our hands.
“How was it, Eff?” She began, and then cleared her throat abruptly. “I mean, I know Katie was good. I can tell things like that about girls. What I meant to say was how do you feel?”
“About her?” I asked, wanting specifics so neither of us would get confused.
“About her, about me, about us… about all of this, I want to know where you stand,” was her immediate retort.
“I love her, Mona, with all of my heart.”
I heard her gasp quietly as if she had covered her mouth at the last second.
“And,” I forged on, wanting to make sure the entirety of the situation was explained to her properly and clearly, “I love you just as much as I always have. Nothing has changed, other than my heart feels like it is overflowing today.”
Stilted and clipped, she spoke as though she was holding her breath: “And about us..?”
“Like I said, nothing has changed; I still want to be with you and… I want to be with Katie as well.” I could hear her breath finally. “I would like for us to attempt what you offered yesterday, a sharing of one another, if you are still up to it.”
For the third time, she didn’t respond at once.
Ah shit, hear it comes!
“I’m not as confident as I was before, and maybe some of that emotion is grounded in the fact that I wasn’t there with you guys when you… made your union official. Maybe I need to be with you again, you know, to make sure my stake is still valued and recognized, but if Katie is still game and you are willing, then I am willing to give it a shot.” She actually sounded normal again.
“Let me ask her, ok?”
“Ok.”
I took the cell from my ear and cupped it in my palm, gazing over at Katie, who was looking back as if awaiting some sort of IED² to explode any second. “Ramona says she’s down for our threesome, if you still are,” I implored.
Katie shrugged her shoulders. “I will do whatever it takes to be with you, Estefan, even if I have to share. I don’t care.”
Now, it was my turn to grin like a fool. “Katie’s is in and so am I,” I informed her unable to stop smiling.
“Cool, then I’m going to come over, so you guys can tell me everything that happened. Maybe that will bolster my confidence with this crazy shit we are about to undertake.” The determined Ramona had replaced the unsure one.
“Ok, cool, we were going to ask you to come over and have a late breakfast with us anyhow,” I added, more cheerful than I could have ever imagined feeling in the past.
“Perfect, I will see you in like twenty minutes!”
Before I could answer, Ramona cut the connection and was gone.
Twenty minutes my ass, that girl was going to be here in like seven! When Ramona wanted something - I mean truly wanted something - she could turn into the most driven person I had ever met.
{ ¹“Chicano Power”: a slogan of The Chicano Movement of the 1960s, also called the Chicano Civil Rights Movement, also known as El Movimiento; an extension of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement, which began in the 1940s with the stated goal of achieving Mexican American empowerment. }
{ ²“IED”: acronym, “improvised explosive device”; a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in a non-conventional military action. }
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~ Chapter 27 ~
(Summer – 2018)
Contagion?
I had just put the smart device back onto my nightstand and glanced back at Katie with what had to be the goofiest expression on my face when I realized something was wrong. Everything I’d had been thinking about vanished in seconds. Her eyes were filled with tears. She began to stand, but got no farther than hunched over. She was bent at the waist, clutching her midsection. Her other hand was clamped over her mouth. So fierce was her grip, the blood had drained from both her finger tips and her cheeks. She took a few staggering steps from the bed when I understood what was happening.
Katie was going to be sick! She was going to throw up all over the carpeted floor!
She took a few more wavering strides before I bodily picked her up and rushed her to the bathroom. I didn’t bother trying to get her to the toilet or the sink. I just shoved aside the opaque, glass doors, tore down our drying towels and let her vomit into the bathtub. I held her upright, correctly positioned, so she wouldn’t make a mess all over the tiled floor.
By the third or fourth retch, she paused long enough, so I could get her loose-fitting shirt off. I didn’t want her to foul any of her clothing and I only barely made it. I had just finished pulling it over her head when another powerful heave came and, once more, she bent over the tub. She splashed it with the last contents of her stomach. I lowered her to her knees and helped her brace her hands, so she could hold herself upright. I bolted over to the light switch, turning on the lights and the high powered ceiling fan simultaneously. We were going to need it. A few seconds later, I was back at her side with a glass of water in hand and a damp wash cloth.
Katie continued to lean over the edge of the tub for a minute or two. When it seemed her bout of nausea had passed. She glanced in my direction, her eyes still watery and blood shot. She took the cup of water and began to swish the clear liquid in her mouth. She did that for a few moments, then gargled for a few more and spit mightily into the bathtub.
“Oh god, that was horrible!” she announced with a gasp of air, her voice raw and strained to my ears.
“It snuck up on you didn’t it?” I inquired, knowing, first hand, what she’d just experienced.
“Fuck yeah, and fast!” she exhaled, took another gulp of water and repeated what she’d done before, only she took a much smaller sip. This she swallowed. “I was fine one minute,” she went on, “and then I felt dizzy. Before I could stop it, my insides turned upside down and everything just came up.
“That was the most fucking grossest shit I have ever felt in such a short amount of time.” She looked at me askance, form the corner of her eye. “Is that what it felt like this morning?”
I nodded, “Almost to the letter.”
“Fuck that shit, Estefan,
that was fucking fucked up.”
I laughed. Katie always found a way to say the f-word at least three times a sentence when something completely went against her nature. Bomb-puking seemed to be one such thing.
“You ok, though?” I queried. I was still smiling at her colorful way of describing the obvious. “Do you want anything?”
“No.” She put one hand on her right knee and used it as leverage to stand upright. “I’m just gonna brush my teeth, because the taste in my mouth is going to make me wanna up-chuck again. I don’t think my stomach and throat could take any more abuse.”
I was watching her when she teetered coming erect and rushed to her. I held her by the elbow for support and walked her to the sink, so she could brush her teeth.
“I guess, when the shit hits the fan, we make a pretty good team,” she commented as she reached for her toothbrush, next to mine in the holder. She actually missed it.
I frowned and stared at her for a few more moments, looking into her eyes. I was trying to see if they were dilated, indicating she was sicker than she was letting on, but they appeared normal. They were watery, but otherwise, they looked fine. I plucked her toothbrush from it place and opened the drawer where I kept the toothpaste and quickly spread some across the top of the bristles, and then gave it to her.
“Thanks, ‘cuz,” she said as she grasped the handle and made to brush her teeth, then stopped short. “I’m glad we were both here when each of us got sick, it’s kinda cute… gross, but cute.” Then she began to clean her mouth in earnest.
“You ok, Kat?” I had to ask, because wanted to start cleaning up her mess, the smell was starting to get to me, and there was no way in fucking hell did I wish to throw up for a second time this morning. That would be… Fucking fucked up!
She merely nodded, her hand supporting her weight as she held onto the countertop.
“Ok, but if you feel woozy or nauseous or anything out of the ordinary, you make sure you sit down, and don’t try to do anything, ok? I will be right over here.” I pointed at the bathtub.
She grimaced at once. “Tho, Effy, thon’t cween that! I’ll thoo thwat,” she said around all the crap in her mouth.
I just waved her off, walked over to the tub and turned on the shower, looking back at her over my shoulder. “If you can do it for me, then I can do it for you. Besides you said it yourself, we’re a team right? A good one at that, so just take care of your dragon mouth and I’ll take care of this shit.”
She smiled and flipped me off simultaneously. She turned back to the sink to spit. “Fucker!” she accused once her mouth was clear of suds.
“That’s cousin-fucker to you, beyotch,” I corrected without thinking, directing the showerhead about the bathtub, making sure I didn’t miss a single drop of Katie’s puke.
By the sink, Katie laughed out loud. Her beautiful, rich laugh came from somewhere deep in her throat, originating from the very wellspring of her soul.
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~ Chapter 28 ~
(Summer – 2018)
Epidemic?
Once more, I was before the stove, cooking. Although this morning, I had help - unexpected help, but help I appreciated, all the same. But let’s be honest, the sort of help that walks upon two legs, keeps one company and looks as radiant as the morning sun itself, would be welcomed in anyone’s book, right? The fact she had a smokin’ hot body, would only added to the overall satisfaction of the arrangement.
It was nearly an hour after Katie had puked in the bathtub. We’d come down in search of something to prepare for our pending company. Katie had still been a bit unsteady, her equilibrium slightly off. I knew it was only a brief consequence of the violence of her momentary sickness. Yet, I had perched her atop one of the stools before the breakfast bar opposite the stove just in case her condition worsened. I had no intention of watching her fall flat on her face. I gave her a couple of Tylenol and told her to keep her ass on the stool until she had recovered completely.
We had talked and joked, mostly about how we were going to approach the topic of our sexual encounter with Ramona. The conversation had been lighthearted and good natured, probably because we both were beginning to understand that things between the three of us were probably going to work out. We weren’t anxious or felt any sense of dread hanging over our heads. We were just ourselves and the time passed quickly.
When the door bell had rung some odd minutes later, Katie went to answer it. Though I was half-buried in the various elements and ingredients of the brunch I was preparing, I stopped her. I had told her something sarcastic that I can no longer recall. Although, I do remember she had cussed at me again, but stayed put. She cupped her head in the palm of one of her hands, her elbow resting atop the counter, while I sauntered toward the front door. I wondered if she was still somewhat dizzy.
I had expected to see Ramona, resplendent with the smile I had come to adore, the one that lit up her eyes and made her cheeks look like those of a cherubic angel. What I hadn’t expected were the opposing visages of Sandy Fernandez and Leda Quintanilla, standing behind her. Like always, they were the very definition of contrast. Sandy was bubbling over with excitement, her face aglow. Leda was dark and foreboding as thunderheads upon the horizon. To her credit, though, she did appear to be trying to keep her as face impassive as possible.
“Babes!” Ramona had exclaimed and jumped into my arms, pointing her toes as I lifted her off the ground. I gave her a half spin as our lips came together. She gave me a quick, but intense kiss on the lips.
Even through her clothes I could feel the heat of her. A very male instinct washed over me. I could tell this girl was ripe for mating. I needed no extraordinary senses to detect it, but I wasn’t about to take any chances either. So, I purposefully made certain I didn’t make any attempt to smell her. It probably wouldn’t look good if she stripped me naked and fucked me right there on the doorstep. I mean, the neighbors might’ve taken offense, not to mention, the reactions of the girls behind her. If Katie’s portrayal of my “powers” were accurate enough, then all four of us might very well have gone to the floor in spasms of orgasmic pleasure.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the case that day. I refrained. Instead, I put Ramona back on her feet. Not after I had grabbed a nice, meaty chunk of her ass mind you. I gave it a firm squeeze to let her know, I knew she was horny and I was interested. Her grin was one of eager anticipation and delight, the edge of her eyes glimmering in the late morning sun. If I had asked right then to come with me to my room, told her I wanted to fuck her, she would have come no questions asked. She wouldn’t have cared that her friends were there, even if they knew she was going off to get boned. None of it would have fazed her, not in the least. I don’t know how she might’ve been with her past boyfriends. With me, Ramona seemed willing; she’d do it anywhere, anytime… My kind of girl indeed!
I just stood there, admiring her in her tight blue jeans, her loose fitting, white cotton blouse and navy, three-inch heels. She was so beautiful, I momentarily forgot the other girls were there and let my eyes wonder over the curve of her hips and bulbous swell of her breasts, filling her top regardless of it being baggy. As usual, her make-up was exquisite. Her hair was styled and brushed so that it flared from her face, framing it perfectly, making her hazel eyes stand out all the more. They seemed larger now, and more striking. Her expression melted somewhere between self-consciousness and sultry, and I could see she was wondering if I liked the way she looked. She wasn’t quite certain how to react.
That was when Leda cleared her throat, somewhat loudly, and broke the mental connection between me and my girlfriend. My thoughts exploded into a thousand annoyed shards, seemed to fall away at the speed of light – gone in an instant, even difficult to recall.
“Oh!” Ramona had squealed, glancing back at her friends, waving her hand in their general direction. “I wanted to get here as fast as I could and I really didn’t feel like walking, so I called Sandy to see if she co
uld take me. She said sure, but that Leda was over and wanted to come along for the ride… so, there you have it – all three of us, here.” She giggled at being caught off guard. It had made her nervous or self-conscious in some strange way.
I glanced over at Sandy, who was waving one of her small, jerky waves. She was wearing a soft-pink, tube top under a white cotton blouse. She wore it unbuttoned with a high-seamed, white mini skirt. I could see thigh six inches above her knee. She had on a pair of ankle-high, athletic socks and a darker pair of pink sneakers, the sort used for walking long distances. Still though, they were stylish. She had looked rather fetching, I must add.
My vision meandered over to Leda. She had on denim shorts as well, though not as short as Katie’s booty version, belted with a very modern looking strap of leather, black of course. She balanced that with a matching black, short-sleeved t-shirt, devoid of any picture or slogan of any sort. Upon her feet, she had on blue and white sneakers and was either wearing foot liners or had gone without socks, because her ankles were bear. As I perused her outfit, she had shifted her weight onto one foot. Her other foot tapped slowly against the concrete as she twirled her sunglasses in her right hand. She looked at me straight in the eye, daring me to say something negative.
I frowned slightly. What the fuck is up with her?
“Hope we’re not intruding,” speculated Sandy with a broad smile. Unwittingly, she bounced lightly on her toes, which made her mini skirt flare, showing a bit more of her thighs before it came back down.
I smiled back, always a sucker for a pair of firm teenage thighs. “No, not at all, my cousin and I were just putz’ing around the kitchen, getting a handle on what we want to make for brunch. Are you guys – uh… gals – hungry?” I amended quickly at Leda’s raised eyebrow.
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