("`-''-/").___..--''"`-._ `6_ 6 ) `-. ( ).`-.__.`) (_Y_.)' ._ ) `._ `. ``-..-' _..`--'_..-_/ /--'_.' ,' (((' (((-((('' (((( K R I S T E N' S C O L L E C T I O N _________________________________________ WARNING! This text file contains sexually explicit material. If you do not wish to read this type of literature, or you are under age, PLEASE DELETE THIS FILE NOW!!!! _________________________________________ Scroll down to view text -------------------------------------------------------- This work is copyrighted to the author © 2006. Please don't remove the author information or make any changes to this story. You may post freely to non-commercial "free" sites, or in the "free" area of commercial sites. Thank you for your consideration. -------------------------------------------------------- Two Dashes of Mid-Summer - 3 by Endrael (endrael@yahoo.com) *** The saga continues with Mike, Sara, Kim, and Cindy. Kim's issues become much more pronounced, especially after a bad incident between Mike and Sara, and only get worse when Cindy gets involved. Mike, meanwhile, is tortured about doing his best to mend with Sara. Cindy reveals some of her past. (FFM-teens, nc, rp, tor, bd, inc, rom) *** Author's Note: Two Dashes of Mid-Summer is heavy on characterization throughout, so for those of you looking for a quick nitty-gritty, it's best advised you look elsewhere. Part 3: A Few Bad Things CHAPTER 1 The three of us seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement the evening of Sara's birthday to not talk about Cindy, though it was obvious we were all thinking about her. Trying to make sense of her, most likely. For my part, I had a lingering annoyance, more because of how hard she'd hit my hands than because of anything else. I had projects to finish, and having to take hourly breaks from drawing, if not more frequently, because my hands would start cramping where she'd hit them, made it difficult. The impact she'd had on Kim, though, was most noticeable. She was hardly her typical self at all and became very introspective, which worried everyone. She wouldn't even talk with Sara about it. "I don't do this deep thinking thing very well," is what Sara reported to me she'd said. "I want to figure this out on my own." So we let Kim have her space, all the while wondering if Cindy would actually call. Sara could have called her, but none of us felt it would have been a good idea, not without being certain how she'd react to it. We were surprised, but also not surprised, when Cindy called Sara's cell Tuesday evening, a little before midnight. She was staying with me at my place for the night, on the off chance Cindy would call and say yes, meet her tomorrow. Her timing when she did was a little awkward, though, since I had Sara tied up and blind- folded, and also gagged to keep her muffled while I ate her out and otherwise kept her flirting with orgasm. "Hey, Cindy," I answered, wiping my face with a finger. "Sara's slightly indisposed at the moment. Mind waiting a second while I untie her enough so she can talk?" "No. That's fine. If she's there with you, you can relay messages, I guess. Don't worry about untying her. I wasn't actually expecting to talk with you, but I guess it's good I am. I want to apologize for the other day. I made the party miserable for the three of you." "Are we still meeting you tomorrow?" I slipped a pair of fingers into Sara and started to slowly finger fuck her, working my thumb on her clit while I did. "If you're not too mad at me, I'd like that." "We can talk then. Is that all right? It's easier in person, and we won't be staying anywhere public." "No, that we won't. Does ten work for you? Food court? Kind of generic, I know, but it's easy to find." "Ten tomorrow morning work?" I asked Sara, who nodded, probably only half-knowing what I'd just asked. She was starting to moan and rock her hips, and I worked my fingers faster. "Ten works fine," I said to Cindy. "Ok. Is that Sara I hear?" This I had to drop my voice for, being paranoid my parents would hear. Not that they said anything about Sara's noise, but that didn't change my reaction. "The moaning? Yeh. She'd be louder, but I have her gagged." I stopped my fingers, eliciting an even louder moan, and held them in place, working Sara's g-spot and clit in time. I hadn't enough experience yet to know it's exact dimensions, since she hadn't wanted more than one finger in her at a time before we first had sex, but I at least knew exactly where it was. "Ball gag, I hope?" "No. I plan to get one once I have some money for it." "I'll give you one of mine when you come over. What are you using?" "Duct tape." I could tell Cindy winced at that, but it only half- registered, since I had to press hard on Sara's clit to keep her from cumming, and she screamed with the pain, since I was bearing down from both sides. She was getting even more hyper-sensitive than she had been, so it didn't take much to make her cum anymore, and I had to be more careful about keeping her on the edge. Of course, I'd also been keeping her skirting the edges of orgasm for the last hour, so that was likely the main part of it. "Bad Mike. Bad. Don't ever use duct tape. You can't breathe through or around it. But keep doing whatever you're doing to her. She sounds like she's having fun. Just don't ever use duct tape again. Or cloth gags. They shove the tongue back. Choking hazard." "Noted. Bad experiences?" She hesitated a moment before answering, "Yes." and then followed it with another brief pause before continuing. "I should go and let you torment her, before I say anything stupid or have second thoughts. I'll talk with you tomorrow." And then she was gone. I pulled my fingers out of Sara, eliciting a frustrated moan, and blinked at the phone. I tossed the phone back onto Sara's pack, then wiped my wet fingers on her nipples. She arched up, wanting more than just that, but I only ran my fingers over and around them, teasing. "Cindy's going to be interesting to deal with, I think," I said, leaning down and sucking on her nipples, cleaning them. She arched even more, moaning incoherently, and I stopped when she started to shake, making her almost cry at being so close again. I grinned and traced my fingers along her thighs, then lightly brushed them up and down the slit of her pussy, avoiding her clit. "You ready, love?" She made an incoherent sound of agreement, straining to try and get me to pay attention to her clit so she could cum. I pulled my fingers away and she collapsed back, trembling. I waited a minute, to be sure she wasn't too close to cumming, then leaned down and licked her pussy, vagina to clit, and she cried out loudly and arched hard, starting to shake all over again. I grinned and clambered off the bed to my stash box, from which I pulled out the remote vib, then settled back on the bed again. "Don't cum until I'm in you." Sara shook her head violently, whimpering, and I slid the vib into her, pressing it as deep as I could. She gasped, as well as she could with her mouth sealed, and went rigid. I'd added an additional two feet of string to the vib, and I tied that around her thigh. That done, I turned the vib on, making her scream and jerk even as she tensed even harder. She was holding her breath, and I waited for a few seconds until I knew she was at her limit of endurance, then settled against her and drove into her, fast and deep. I wasn't able to make it all the way in, the vib stopping abruptly as it came up against her cervix and stopping my push, but it was enough. She screamed, loud even gagged like she was, and spasmed under me as her orgasm broke over her. And it hurt, she was cumming so hard. I could feel the vib jamming down against me, but it had nowhere to go, and I'd have been shoved out with it if I hadn't already been so hard. I nibbled her neck while she came and turned the vib off as she started to fall back from it. I grabbed an edge of the duct tape when she started to loll and ripped it away. She both gasped in a huge breath of air even as she cried out with the sudden pain of it, and then she simply heaved for air, mumbling gibberish. I let her gather herself back into coherency. "No more," she breathed, shaking her head. "No more tonight. Please. God, fucking hurt. Hurt. Fucking hurt. No more. Can't. Please." I just smiled and locked her in a kiss, turning the vib on again as I started to fuck her. She cried out into my mouth, and she came again a few seconds later, trembling. I was hitting the vib with every in stroke, shoving it against her cervix, and she started to both moan and rock with my rhythm, cumming again even before her second orgasm had subsided. She was fighting not to, I could tell, with the way she was moving or not moving, but it wasn't working, and she couldn't not cum for the few minutes I was driving into her, a single huge stream of multiple orgasms. I pressed even harder into her when I came, enough that I slid right along side the vib, making her scream into my mouth at the sudden distention inside of her. I turned the vib off after a few seconds and broke the kiss, pulling out enough that I wasn't jammed up with the vib as I dropped my head into the crook of her neck. She was gasping and half-sobbing, lax in her bonds. "I'm sorry," I said quietly, and kissed the side of her neck as I slowly withdrew. She trembled as I did, and I pulled the blindfold off her. She looked at me, pained and eyes wet with tears. "That hurt..." she whispered. "It was good, but it hurt. Too much." "I know. I'm sorry." I kissed her gently. I didn't know what else to say, so just kissed her again. "We need a safe word, hon. No more gagging me for a while, ok? Please." I nodded and started the task of untying her. She curled into a shaking ball once I had finished, pulling the vib out of herself and letting it drop on the bed next to her ass. I undid the string tied to her thigh, too, and dropped the vib on the floor by the bed. I tried turning her to look at me, but she'd already fallen asleep, so I simply curled up with her, worried about what had just happened. ========= CHAPTER 2 ========= I woke before Sara did, breathing her in while I half- dozed, waiting for her to come up out of sleep, too. She stirred a few times, but it wasn't a wakeful movement. Her breathing didn't change at all, and her body didn't make all those subtle changes, either, that let you know the one you're curled up with is awake. Even when she did wake up, though, I didn't say anything. We just lay like that, not moving. "What happened last night, Mike?" she asked after a time. She was running her finger tips over one of my hands. I didn't immediately answer, because I wasn't sure of that myself. I'd been thinking about it as I fell asleep and had been worrying it over since I'd woken, and none of what I'd come up with was encouraging. Regardless of how it was viewed, I'd been an ass and hurt the woman I loved. "I don't know," I said at last, and sighed against the back of her neck. "I don't know, love. But it hurt you, and that worries me, because it wasn't just physical. I don't know, except everything I've come up with since last night doesn't... I didn't listen to you, and I was an ass, and I hurt you, and I'm so very sorry for that. I feel like shit." She made a small sound, and I could tell she was thinking. She turned over after a few minutes to be able to look at me, and I couldn't look at her. She put an around me and drew me close as she started to cry. "God, I love you, but you hurt me so fucking much last night. I don't even know what the hell it was you did, but it HURT! It... It isn't... It's more than just the physical, but I don't know what it is." And that was when it dawned on me, what it was I had done, and I went cold. Couldn't breathe, either, because I was so horrified at it. Sara noticed, obviously, and ran her fingers over my cheek. Right then, I didn't feel like I deserved such simple intimacy from her, and I had to stop her. I'd have shoved away, too, but I was too torn between wanting to cling to her and beg forgiveness because I loved her so much and turning away from her because I'd sinned so badly against her. So I didn't do anything except stop her hand. "What? What just happened with you?" "I know what it was I did." "What? God, Mike, what? I love you. I don't want this breaking us apart." "I raped you." I barely managed to get it out. I couldn't look at her, not even her body, so squeezed my eyes shut. I was too numb at that moment even to cry. Sara was silent, but I knew it had shot through her and numbed her, too, because she was just as still as I was. "I'm sorry," I whispered, and then I did start to cry. I don't do that often, so twice in not even a week and a half was truly unusual. "I can't possibly deserve someone as good as you are. Forgive me." She didn't say anything, and I could tell she was feeling just as torn as I was. We lay there for probably fifteen minutes, each of us trying to figure out where we would end up falling. Back together or broken apart? I didn't want to lose her, but after what I'd done last night, I couldn't blame her for wanting to break up. She'd had nothing to do with what I'd done because she hadn't been able to. She was the first to make a move, sliding over and clasping to me, and I immediately put my own arms around her and clung to her. I started crying again, but it was short lived. "I love you," I whispered. "I love you so much." "I know," she whispered back. "But can I ask something?" "Anything. I don't deserve you, and I'll do whatever it takes to make up for what I did." "No more bondage for a while. No more teasing. No more torture. I want... I just want to be vanilla for a bit. We jumped in way too far too fast." "Yes." I rolled backward a bit, pulling her half on top of me. She laid her head on my chest and started tracing her fingers over my skin. "I'm sorry. I feel like such a shit. I never wanted to hurt you." "Stop. Don't do this, Mike. Just stop, ok? Please? I don't know what to do. I feel like something's been ripped apart, and it's worse knowing you're the one who did it. So please just stop. Let me get settled with it first. Don't talk about it. I can't handle it right now, ok?" So I was quiet, just rubbing her back. "Why did you do it? I want to understand that. How can you do something like that?" "I don't know. I wish I did, because then I could know how to not to do it again, but I don't know. It... It just happened. I wasn't thinking. I wanted to push you, drive through a boundary. I wanted to bring you pleasure. I wanted to fuck you. I wanted to cum. I was jealous and wanted to make you too sore to do much with Cindy. I don't know. I honestly don't know, except I didn't listen to you and it ended up causing you pain." She nodded, turning her head a bit and following her hand as she trailed it down my stomach to start pulling on me. I wasn't hard and probably wouldn't have been able to even if my life had depended on it. I took her hand after about half a minute and moved it away, then held it. She nodded some, turning her hand over and squeezing mine. "Sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I just wanted to see." I shook my head and squeezed her hand. "Are we going to be ok?" "If we work at it. We'll need to work at it. We can do that. But I don't think Kim's going to be happy about this. Not one bit. I'm not going to tell her what happened, and I don't like that, because we've never had secrets from each other, and it's why we're so close, but she's going to take one look at me and know exactly that something bad happened. And she's going to know it probably has something to do with you, since I spent the night here. Or with Cindy, but Cindy wouldn't have this affect on me, so it'd just be you." "She's not going to let it drop until she knows what happened, is she?" Sara shook her head and sighed, sitting up. She ran a hand through her hair, staring at her pack, not seeing it, and then glanced at the clock. "It's nine. We should be getting ready to go meet Cindy." I nodded and sat up myself, looking at Sara. She had her head down and her hair was falling to either side, swayed back as it draped across the bed, but still hiding her face. She had her hands loosely clasped in her lap. God, but she was beautiful. I reached over and ran my fingers lightly through it, tracing over her scalp, down her neck, down her back. She gave a pleasant hum and shivered. "We don't have time, Mike. We don't have time. I don't know how you do it, but you always somehow find exactly the right thing to do to make things seem better. But let it be later. We can later." "I wasn't meaning it that way. You're just... you're beautiful. I just had to do that." She smiled. I couldn't see it, but I knew. Her whole body smiles when she does, if it's a pure smile. "You have an odd grace. A lovely, indefinable grace that's so very gentle and warm. But you hide it too much, your inner dance and light." She turned her head and gave me a searching look. "Is that why you love me, because I let you have a reason to let it out?" I blinked. That was completely out of nowhere, and I had no idea what kind of response to make to it. She brushed her hair back and settled it behind her ear. I felt my chest tighten when she did that, a gesture that was so very her. She didn't seem to ever do anything that didn't make me love her even more, but I knew how to answer, at least, seeing her do that. "If it is, would you hold it against me?" It was true. I wasn't ever so openly caring as I was with her, but it was also more than that. It was just so many things it was senseless to try to name them at all, because they were all HER, and how can you ever possibly fully describe someone? She smiled, another pure smile, and shook her head, dropping her eyes suddenly. "I wouldn't hold it against you at all. It's nice to know I mean that much to you. It makes last night..." She faltered and ran her fingers through her hair again. "It makes last night more bearable. Not right, but it makes it easier." She looked back at me and reached over, taking my hands. "I can forgive you for it, as long as you promise to always let that light shine and dance for me. Please don't ever hide it from me, because you do the same to me." I nodded and pulled her over, wrapping my arms around her and holding her in a close hug. "For that I can definitely promise you. I don't want to lose you, either." ========= CHAPTER 3 ========= We didn't get to the mall until a quarter after ten. Sara tried calling Cindy to let her know we'd be a little late, but all she got was a machine, so we figured it was a home number and not a cell. Neither of us immediately noticed Cindy once we got there, either, because she was dressed rather plainly. Simple pants, plain t-shirt, ordinary shoes, and her hair in a ponytail instead of loose. We actually almost walked by her, but Sara abruptly changed direction and dragged me with her, and if I hadn't gotten used to her doing that, I'd have likely tripped over my feet trying to follow. Cindy was sitting at a table reading a Harry Potter book, but she switched her attention when we sat with her. "Yum," Sara said, tapping the book. "I love her writing." Cindy just nodded. "Aaron got me hooked on it. I don't usually read a lot. Don't have the patience." She stuffed the book into the pack by her chair, then looked back and forth between us. "You want lunch? Or should we just go?" "You'd buy us lunch?" Sara asked. Cindy shrugged and said, "Aaron's a computer geek. He makes good money, and I could just live off him, if I wanted to. I work because I don't like being obligated like that. And it keeps me from going insane again." Sara and I looked at each other. I shrugged - her choice - and she nodded. "You care where?" "Doesn't matter, as long as it's reasonable." She shrugged. "Anywhere's fine with me, as long as it's not the Bull Horn. Working there, you kind of lose any appetite for the food because you end up eating there most every work day because you get free food." "Are you ok?" I asked. She seemed subdued. "Melancholy. I'll be fine. I get this way after outbursts. I used to just be one giant outburst so I could avoid this, but that..." Sara and I scooted over at the same time, sandwiching Cindy between us as we hugged her. Sara sought her mouth and gave her a kiss. Cindy gave a weak laugh. "A love sandwich. Lovely. I am ok. Really. Now stop it. You're ridiculous. I appreciate the sentiment, but it's not good right now. There are better uses for threesomes." "Just you and me today, though," Sara said, nodding, and then turned Cindy toward her and gave her a full-on kiss. I laughed as Cindy scooted closer, putting her arms around Sara and holding her in the kiss. It didn't seem either of them cared if others could see them. Cindy had to break the kiss first, though, after about a minute, since she was falling out of her chair. She purred and nibbled Sara's lip as she pulled back, smiling contentedly. "Not much shame, either. Or at least an exhibitionist. How many people do you think saw us?" "Quite a few, I'm sure," I said, and pointed toward one of the security guards that wandered the mall. "Though it looks like we're going to be asked to leave." "Well, we were going to anyway, weren't we?" She laughed and stood, dragging her pack with her. She swung it onto her shoulders while we got to our feet, and then she put her arms around our waists and grinned at us. "Shall we?" Sara and I encircled her waist with our own arms and we started moving. Cindy kissed at the guard as we passed him, and he followed us to the exit. She threw her head back and laughed once we were in the parking lot. "Oh my god! I haven't done that in ages! I'd forgotten how much fun it is." She stopped us at the curb and looked around. "And we came out the completely wrong exit. Where'd you guys park?" "Right over here." I'd actually managed to get a spot two rows from the entrance, rather surprisingly. We drove over to Cindy's car, and then we followed her back to her place once we'd gone and had lunch. She lived in the better part of town, but I guess that was to be expected if what she said about Aaron was true. "No touchy-feely stuff with me until we're inside," Cindy said as we stepped out of the car. "The neighbors are fucking gossip freaks, so I try to avoid giving them anything to work with. God damn snobbish boredom. Pisses me off. Not like there aren't better things to be doing than sitting around watching the people next door. Going to look odd enough me bringing two new people here, one of them leaving for a few hours, and then coming back to pick up the other." She growled and slammed her car door. "You remember how to get here, Mike?" she asked as we followed her inside. "Give me the address and I can get a map. But I won't be needing it, I don't think." Cindy nodded and whistled. A jingle sounded from the living room, and then a dog came bounding into the front hall to join us, a rather enthusiastic German Shepherd. Or at least what I guess was a German Shepherd. I'm not much better with identifying dogs than I am with identifying most any other animals unless they're rather distinctive. Ones like Great Danes or Saint Bernards or Chihuahuas, when it comes to dogs. And like any other dog, this one buried his nose in Cindy's crotch, which she simply ignored. She knelt down and did that whole ruffle-the-ears greeting thing people do with their pets. "Hey, mutt! You were good while I was gone, I hope." The dog grinned, and Cindy returned it. "That's good, 'cause you have new people to greet!" She stood and turned to us, pointing to us in turn. "This is Sara and this is Mike. Sara and Mike, this is Bandar. He likes to fuck my bush." She grinned. I blinked. Sara arched her brows. "Oh really?" Sara asked. Apparently she'd caught some nuance I'd completely missed. "Oh yes. He's quite good at it, too. He's gotten to a lot since your party, actually. I think he's going to start acting spoiled and want to take advantage of my moods more often now." "I just missed something, didn't I?" I said, furrowing my brows. "Don't worry about it if you didn't catch it," Cindy said. "But if you follow politics much, or at least if you've seen Fahrenheit 9/11, there's at least one meaning you can read into it." I shook my head, and then it dawned on me. Bush. Sex. Oh. I might have caught it right off if I hadn't known she were shaved. "You have sex with him?" I asked, studying her. She simply smiled and hummed pleasantly, then turned and swayed into the living room with Bandar trotting beside her. Sara followed her, almost mesmerized, and stopped to turn and look back at me when I just stood there. She gave me a questioning look, and I just shook my head. I was beginning to feel like my head was going to explode with the bizarreness that had suddenly cropped up everywhere so profusely after meeting Cindy. I think it was then, as I followed Sara after Cindy, I started to wonder if we hadn't picked up a bad influence. Cindy was fiddling with a DVD player and probably the largest TV I had ever seen when we came into the living room. It must have been at least 72 inches, and a plasma screen, at that. Jesus fucking christ. Saying Aaron made decent money was putting it mildly if he could afford something like that. Cindy jumped and cursed when she finally managed to get the DVD player working, since the sound was way up. She dug through a pile of remotes, still muttering, until she found the one she was looking for, and pointed it at a stereo system. The sound sank away. "God damn, I hate it when he does that. I keep telling him to turn the damn thing down when he leaves." She dropped the stereo remote and wandered over to a rack of movies. "Not actually going to watch anything, mind you. Just dealing with appearances. The neighbor back that way-" she nodded toward the glass wall that let onto the back patio, "-watches with binoculars. I've considered putting on a show for her to shock her into knocking it the fuck off, but none of what I've come up with so far would be legal." She gestured at the sofa. "And sit down already. Jeez." Why is it, when you're in someone else's house for the first time, there's always that weird awkwardness of making yourself comfortable, even when it's clear it wouldn't be a problem? I followed Sara and dropped down beside her on the couch, putting an arm around her. She touched my hand, but her attention was on Cindy as she moved over to the window to close the blinds. She stood watching them until they'd stopped swaying enough that light wasn't falling in through fluctuating slices, then pulled her shirt off, followed by her bra, which she threw across the room toward a hall. It fluttered to the ground halfway. "God, I hate those things. Damned uncomfortable." She came over to the couch and settled next to Sara, looking at the both of us. She seemed, oddly, unsure of herself. "So how are we going to do this? I've been thinking too much the last few days, so I haven't been able to plan today." "How long do you think you'll be?" I asked. "I can come back by whenever." Sara lifted one hand, turning more toward Cindy, and traced her fingers over Cindy's breasts. Cindy smiled and turned more toward her, and her nipples hardened as Sara ran her fingers over them. She raised her arm and settled it on the back of the couch, leaning her head on her hand. "What time is it now?" Sara asked, and Cindy turned her head briefly. "Eleven thirty." Sara looked back at me. "Is eight ok?" "Works for me," I said, shrugging. "Though I'm going to go crazy knowing you're having sex with Cindy the whole time." "Why?" Cindy laughed, and Sara turned back to her. "Because you won't be here to watch? I could tie her down and-" "No bondage," Sara and I both said at the same time. ========= CHAPTER 4 ========= That definitely threw Cindy off. Her eyes flicked back and forth between us. She has the same habit sometimes as Sara does, just looking at someone when she's thinking. Sara doesn't even know she does it sometimes, since she won't even see the person. "What happened?" Cindy asked after a few seconds. "Something bad, wasn't it?" Sara lowered her eyes and bowed her head, and I dropped my gaze from Cindy's. "Definitely bad." She sighed and leaned forward, dragging me toward her and putting her arms around both of us, as best she could. "What happened? I can practically guarantee there isn't something I haven't been through when it comes to sex. You can talk with me." She continued looking between us, Sara, me, Sara, me, but neither of us said anything. "Ok. Can I guess, then? You're not going to get mad at me, are you?" Sara turned and put her back against the couch, crossing her arms over her stomach, head still bowed. She stopped me when I tried to hold one of her hands, and I flicked my gaze up at Cindy. She was watching me, and I pursed my lips and looked back down. "You went too far, didn't you?" she asked, straightening and dropping her arm to lie on the back of the couch. I had been expecting at least some hint of accusation, but there wasn't any. I gave a slight nod, and she nodded in acknowledgement. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "That's hard. Hurts your trust. Not easy to fix that. I wish there were some advice I could give, but my experience with that... it's always... it..." She stopped and drew in a deep breath, squeezing her fingers against the bridge of her nose. "It happened to me almost every time with one guy, when I'd let him tie me up. The last time..." She was shaking, and she dragged air through her nose, snorting back snot. "You don't have to tell us," Sara said softly. "If it hurts, you don't have to tell." "No. It doesn't work like that. God, how I wish it did. I'd be the most normal person in the world if not talking about it healed it." She pulled her hand away and tears fell down her cheeks when she looked at us again. She turned Sara toward her. "I know how badly he hurt you. Believe me. I know better than any woman should ever have to. But there's so many more ways that what he did could have broken you completely. That's why I'm telling you." Sara nodded some, then went back to looking at her lap. "That last time," Cindy continued, wiping her eyes, "with the guy who always... always over did it when he tied me up..." She stopped and took a deep breath, and she had to lower her arm and just lean against the sofa back because she was shaking so hard. "That last time, it was... we had a party. Shit faced drunk. Lot of his friends. Some of mine. We had some other drugs. Pot. Acid. Powder I was afraid to touch 'cause I'd absolutely lost it last time I did anything powder. So we... everyone was fucked up... and we... I don't remember much... drinking too much and smoking too much... There were two other girls... lot of guys... probably fifteen people, I think. But they tied us up... Someone had mentioned orgies or something, I think, and I... I didn't turn down sex very often then, and so... God." She stopped for a few minutes, shaking and crying silently, clutching her arms across her chest. She wiped her eyes with her fists, snorting back snot again and catching her breath. "God. This is why I didn't want to talk at the park. Because I do this. Aaron's seen this a lot, never held it against me. Only person who never has. Just accepts it as me." She wiped her eyes, sniffling. "So we got tied up, me and the other girls. Everyone was fucked up by then. I don't think... the other girls weren't really... I don't think they were coherent enough to know what was happening. One of them... she did the powder and some acid, I think. She was the most fucked up. But I was... I'd only been drinking and smoking, so I was kind of sober. More than the other girls, at least. "And I remember... I fought like hell not to be tied up, 'cause it was... it was the guy I was with who... who suggested it... and he... and he was... he scared me, when he was drunk. But I was tied up, because there's not... you can't fight a dozen guys holding you. I'd agreed to... to the orgy idea, but not... not to what happened. The fucked up girl passed out, I think, and they ignored her. No fun, I guess. And so the guys... me and the other girl..." "They gang raped you," I said. Cindy just nodded and curled up, sliding down the back of the sofa and leaning against Sara while she cried. Sara took her and laid her in her lap, then leaned over her and held her. I didn't know what to do, so I just sat there feeling stupid and miserable and awkward. Cindy subsided after a few minutes, but she stayed lying in Sara's lap. "That was what made me realize I needed to get out," she said, her voice shaky. "I had... That was the absolute bottom. I needed to get out, find a way to get turned around, or it was going to kill me. And I had gotten so full of anger. I'd blow up at anyone, actually assault them, and when I... when I realized I was actually worse than that guy... the one who abused me... He ran away, after the party. I was beyond furious, and I would have killed him, I think, for what he'd done." She ripped the pillow out from behind Sara and started clawing her fingers into it while she started to shake. Her voice dropped too, a furious half-growl. "Rip his balls off with my fingers and shove them down his throat, rip his eyes out, rip out his tongue, break his teeth, and then beat him to death. I never saw him again. No one knew where he'd gone, and I watched the obits obsessively, hoping he'd show up there. But he never did. I like to think he disappeared because he was afraid of me for what he'd done, and that he realized he'd finally gone beyond all bounds of decency." She stopped for a minute, letting her rage subside before continuing, though she didn't release the pillow from its death grip. "But that lasted a week. I was at the bottom. I couldn't see any way out. I had no one. Literally no one. Not any single fucking person I could go to for help, to get away, to get out. I didn't trust the cops, because I had a record of assault, and none of them liked me. I was a true bitch. I actually spit on one of them when they arrested me one time. I don't suggest doing that. The courts don't like it. Spent almost half a year in jail for it." She shivered violently. "But I didn't know there were programs set up for helping people like me, like I was at the time. I'd have gone there and not ever looked back, if I had. "So a week after too much thinking, way too much thinking, trying to figure out what options I had. I hardly got any sleep. Didn't drink or smoke or anything, either. When I did sleep, I'd wake up crying. So after a week, a week after... after getting... after getting gang raped, and I couldn't see any reason for sticking around, because I didn't have anything that was worth holding onto. So I went down to... to one of the main roads in town... It was rush hour. Plenty of traffic. I just walked out in front of a car." She spasmed. "I'm not... It didn't kill me, obviously. But I spent six months in the hospital, and had another year of physical therapy because so much had been broken." "When did all this happen?" Sara asked, gently wiping Cindy's eyes of tears. "I was... eighteen...? No. Nineteen. Nineteen at the time of the party. It was the day after my twentieth birthday when I... when I tried walking into traffic." "How old are you now?" "Twenty-five." "You don't look like you were hit with a car," I said. "I know." She snorted. "I'm cursed to heal well. I wanted to have SOMETHING wrong with me, something that would mark me, so I could have a reminder, so I wouldn't ever forget how much hell I'd gone through and how desperate it made me, but it didn't turn out that way. "But during the physical therapy... They'd found my family. Or my sister, at least. My parents had disowned me, didn't want anything to do with me. Black sheep of the family sort of thing. But my sister came, when no one else did, no one I had hung out with or anything, and that really drove everything home. I dragged her down onto the bed with me and just cried for probably at least two hours, telling her everything that had happened to me the last few years. "Oh my god, I hurt. I felt so absolutely worthless and broken and just completely empty, and the physical therapy made my physical pain seem worse, too, even though it helped eventually. But seeing my sister again... I hadn't seen her since I'd left home a few years before. Run away, I guess. "She only wanted to know why, but I didn't know. I had no idea why I let myself get that way. I still don't, and it worries me. It scares me, because I don't know what caused me to do all of that, and I'm constantly afraid I'll just start slipping again. When I saw you in the theater, after me and Aaron had left, I realized approaching you was exactly the sort of impulsive thing I was doing before... before..." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. "It was the sort of thing I'd have done when I was crazy. So if I seem to be really moody about this whole thing, that's why. I have a whole shit load of issues to get over, so it's nothing personal if I blow up at you or something." "Thank you," Sara said, and kissed Cindy's cheek. "For what? I just went on about myself when I was just wanting to... to explain you're not alone with what happened." "Because you told us, even though you have no real reason to trust us." "Will you tell Kim what I just told you? Because she worries me. She's too much of a temptation for me to have right now. Even... I shouldn't even be doing anything with Bandar right now, because... because I would have sex with dogs when I was crazy because it would shock people. And I didn't enjoy it, at first. It was revolting, but after a while, I started to realize it was more fun than sex with most guys. Dogs actually fuck you long enough so you can get off, for one, and they don't pull out right after they cum. And the fullness..." She purred, then settled more comfortably in Sara's lap. "Should probably stop talking about it, though. I've probably put you off enough already, and I'm sorry for that. I'm talking too much." "It's ok," Sara said, running her fingers along Cindy's arms. "It doesn't bother me. It-" She stopped there, but Cindy nodded. "I know. Does Mike know?" Sara shook her head, and Cindy turned over onto her back to look up at Sara, folding her hands over her stomach. "So tell him. Mike's right here, and if you two are serious about each other, he deserves to. So does Kim, if she doesn't know already. I may be fucked up, but I know at least that much about relationships. If you're open with people, it makes them better. If you really love the person, anyway." She shifted her gaze to me, looking at me upside down. "What do you think about it? Bestiality." I thought, looking at Cindy, then at Sara when she turned toward me, looking worried. "I don't know," I answered after a moment. "It isn't something I've ever thought about." I stopped Sara as she was looking away and kept her looking at me, then brushed her hair back behind her ear. "Are you interested in it?" She tried to hold her gaze on me, but she dropped it after a second, nodding as she turned her head away. I put my arms around her and turned her face back to mine, giving her a gentle kiss. "Then I won't let it bother me. I don't want you to feel ostracized by me." She just nodded and dropped her gaze back to Cindy. I kissed her cheek. "It's ok, Sara." Cindy lifted up and kissed her, then settled back. "Don't be afraid to open up." She gave a single, humorless laugh. "Like I'm one to be giving advice like that. Damn near killed me, being open with people." She curled onto her side again, but facing Sara's stomach this time. She lifted her shirt and placed a slow kiss on her belly. "Would you give everything for him, even with the hurt he just caused you?" "Not if it meant I had to give up Kim. I can't let go of either her or Mike." "Then don't worry. Please. I'm probably not the best person to offer help and advice, but if you need me for anything, don't hesitate. I need some good influences in my life, and so far you haven't done anything to make me think you wouldn't be. Just... I don't know. If I flake out, it's not because you did anything or I don't like you. I still have a lot of bad habits, and it's not easy for me to get rid of some of them." "Should I go?" I asked. "It's almost one now." "Is it?" Cindy half turned and looked at the clock, then rolled back over. "Shit." She laughed a bit. "Some hot date this is turning out to be. Got to watch me have a breakdown and talk about some of what I've experienced of hell." She sat up and stretched. "You guys are lucky. I usually get more physical when I break down like that, talking about... talking about that party." She took a deep breath and looked at us. "So no bondage. What else is off limits?" "Torture," I said. "That's pretty general. Anything specific or across the board?" "Anything," Sara said, straightening. She winced as she stretched, her back popping and cracking. "And no... no vibs." She looked at me. "I'm sorry, but last night..." I shook my head and put a finger lightly over her lips. "It's ok. I understand. I won't argue, and I won't push it. I wronged you, and I'm sorry for that. Whatever you want, I'll follow." She nodded and shoved away from the sofa. It was a little cushy, so it was hard to get out of. She held her hands out to Cindy and smiled. "I'd like to start actually doing something with this date. Or to this date, rather." Cindy laughed and let herself be dragged to her feet. "I'd like that. But one thing first, ok? Wait here a sec." She beckoned me after her as she went back into the front hall, and we stopped by the front door. "I don't know exactly what you did, but it doesn't matter. It's put a big dent in your relationship. I can tell you that because of my own experiences, and since you're the one who caused it, it's your responsibility to take care of it, and you need to do it soon. "No arguments. No excuses. Do it. If you love her at all and want to keep her, fix what you did. Be extravagant, but make it special." She poked me hard in the chest to emphasize. "Make her feel important. Make her feel special. Make her feel beyond special. Make her feel LOVED, because what you did broke that. You broke her trust, and probably also yours in yourself, and you MUST do something to fix things if you don't want to lose her. Understand?" I nodded and said, "I know. I've been doing nothing but trying to come up with ways to do that since last night." "That's good. The sooner you make it happen, the better. It shows you really do care about her." "I know." She looked at me, holding my gaze, and she nodded after a moment, then stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my neck in a hug. I returned it, and we held to each other for a few seconds before she pulled back, kissing me. "Good. Remember, make her feel loved, whatever you eventually do come up with. Whatever you do, that is the most important thing you have to do." I nodded. "I will. And thank you." I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into another hug, then held her with my hands on her hips, looking at her. "You were a real bitch at the park-" "That was nothing. Trust me. That was nothing. You don't ever want to see me in bitch mode." "-but otherwise you've been a very good person. I like you, and that doesn't happen much. We're probably going to clash sometimes, because I can be an asshole at times, but your offer stands on my end, too. If you need anything, I'll do what I can." She smiled a bit, then kissed me again. "Ok. Now go figure out how to rescue your relationship. Sara and me'll be here, somewhere in the house. We'll call you if we get pooped out before eight." "Like that'll happen," I laughed. Cindy winked and swayed back to the living room, and I stepped out. ========= CHAPTER 5 ========= It probably wasn't the smartest thing I could have done, but I went and hunted down Kim, although I wasn't entirely sure why. Probably because I'd been spending so much time over the last few months with Sara and her that she was usually one of the first people I went looking for when I wanted to have someone around. Although I wasn't entirely sure, either, if I wanted to be around people right then. But, I figured, she was going to know something was up one way or another, so it would probably be best if I owned up to what had happened, what I'd done, myself. She wasn't home when I got there, though she always has her cell phone with her, and actually enjoys having it. I could never understand that. I only had a cell phone in case Sara or Kim or one of my other close friends needed to contact me. I gave out my number for it only to those who truly needed it, but Kim used hers for everything, and naturally I was one of the first to have received it. So I called her, sitting on the front porch of their house. "Hey Ms. Hyper." "I am not hyper!" Kim cried. "Uh huh. Riiiiiight. Where're you at?" "In front of a book shelf full of comics." "Borders in the mall?" "Maybe." "Mind if I drag you away?" "Um.... Only if you promise to be more distracting so I don't go crazy thinking about Sara and Cindy." "Well, I don't know if I can promise that, 'cause you and I are kinda in the same boat on that one, ya know. But I am willing to buy you lunch, if you haven't eaten yet." "Oooh! Food! I have, but walking here burned it up. Bottomless pit! Mwahahaha!" "All right. I'll there in about ten. Sound cool?" "Of course!" "K. See you then." "Hey Mike?" "Yeah?" "What's up? You're... I don't know. You're you, but you're not you. What happened?" "We'll talk when I pick you up, ok?" Silence from Kim, and I could just about see her working that through her head. "You just used a woman's line." "What?" "We need to talk." Now it was my turn for silence. I glanced at my car and arched my brows, since I needed something to target my incredulousness on. "That isn't only a woman's line. And I said we'd talk when I pick you up. That isn't 'we need to talk.'" "But the way you said-" "Don't argue, Kim. I'm not in the mood for it. I'll see you in ten, ok?" "Ok. See you." That it takes ten minutes to travel a mile in town is rather aggravating, especially when you can easily run a mile in that time. If I didn't often have to lug stuff around, like my art folios to drop stuff off at the publisher I did stuff for, I might actually just walk to places more often. So I reached the mall in about ten minutes, then just parked toward the far end of the parking lot, since I didn't care to spend the time looking for a spot that was closer. Kim was waiting in front of the Borders, reading a comic, manga this time, and I wondered if she ever spent money on anything except comics. She bounced up when I stopped in front of her, pouncing me and giving me a hug. "Hey, Mr. Man," she said. "Hey, Ms. Hyper," I answered, smiling. "I am not hyper!" She swatted my arm and stuck her tongue out at me. "So there!" "So where do you want to eat?" She peered at me, arms straight at her sides, which reminded me of a character I'd seen in one of the anime's she'd been watching recently. X, I think it was, the hyper girl in the school uniform. I never did bother learning her name, since I had been more rapt with the artwork than with the story or characters. "Are you going to tell me what's up while we have lunch?" "It's not going to do much to distract you from Sara and Cindy, but yes. Or at least part of it won't." I shrugged. "Where do you want to eat?" "Taco Bell," she said, still staring at me. "But not the one here. They don't have what I like." "That means a cross-town drive. I don't have the money for that." "Right. Sorry. I always forget that." She plopped back down on the bench she'd been sitting in, crossing her legs and staring at the floor while she thought, tapping one foot in the air. She bounced up again after only a few seconds and clapped her hands together, ineffectively since she was holding her manga. "Burger King! That's only three blocks from here." "All right. Let's go then." I turned and started back toward my car, Kim falling in beside me as she put her manga in her pack, and then snuck glances at me as we walked. She stopped me once we were outside and turned me to face her. "Mike?" "Hm?" "You're making me worry, and I don't like that. What's up? Something's happened, hasn't it? Is it something with Cindy? Or something with Sara?" "I can tell you the thing with Cindy while we head to Burger King and back to my place. I don't want to talk about the other thing until then, because I'd rather not have you exploding on me in public." "It's really bad, isn't it? You two didn't break up, did you?" I smiled some and shook my head. I probably deserved that punishment for what I'd done, but I'd so far been spared. I was hopeful, but still felt absolutely horrid, and that feeling was tainting everything that went through my head. I started walking again, and Kim started along beside me. Once we were at my car, I began telling her what had happened with Cindy, then told, as best I could, what she'd told Sara and me, leaving out any of the limited sexual stuff, like her kissing Sara's stomach. I figured Sara could do that. We had barely left Burger King when I finished. "So... she thinks I'm going to be a bad influence on her and she's going to get all crazy and eventually try to kill herself again." "I don't know if I'd say she'd get that bad again, but yeah, that's what she thinks. At least that's the best I can explain what she said, anyway." Kim was quiet, folding and refolding one corner of the paper wrapper for her burger while she considered. She made an annoyed sound and put the burger back in the bag with the rest of the food to keep from mangling it. "Maybe I should go with you when you go pick up Sara later. I do want to see her. She's misreading me, I think." "I didn't get that impression. She seemed genuinely worried she'd start slipping back into whatever she was doing before if you and her got together, in whatever way." "Damnit! It's not serious! Why does everyone keep saying it is? It has absolutely fucking nothing to do with that, god damnit!" "Kim." "What!?" "Settle down. I never said that. She's worried that just having you around will start her sliding back, because you're the sort of person she'd-" "Yes. I know. Prey on. But god damnit, she's acting like I don't have a fucking clue what I want, and that's pissing me off." "Do you?" "Do I what?" "Know what you want." "Yes." "What do you want, then?" "Cindy, because she'd be so much fucking fun in bed. Sara, because I love her to pieces, and I wouldn't trade her for anything. You, because I like you, even if you are moodier than Sara is. My whopper, because I'm hungry." I laughed, and Kim swatted my arm, laughing too. "What? I am!" "Moodier than Sara, huh?" "Yes! She's usually stable. Not very high and not very low. But you're always all over the fucking place. It's weird. It's like... like you're manic-depressive or something." "Maybe I am." I shrugged. "It's been proven creative people are more prone to mental illness than others." "Really? Maybe I should be creative then!" She bounced and did her maniacal laugh. "Then maybe I could really bother people! Mwahahaha!" "I don't think you need to be any more manic than you already are." She psh'ed and swatted my arm again as I parked in front of my place. My parents weren't home, as usual. Sometimes I wondered what sort of effect not having them around much had on me, but then I'd forget about it and do something more interesting. Kim followed me in, and we landed in the living room. She flopped down in the recliner and I took the sofa. "Food!" she exclaimed, unwrapping her sandwich and starting to eat. She tossed me the bag, fries inside. "I don't like their fries. Too salty." I nodded and set them aside, not all that hungry, and we were silent while she ate. She crumpled up the wrapper and threw it at me, then stuck her tongue out. I dumped it in the bag, then took it into the kitchen and tossed it in the trash. She'd found some of those generic sanitary hand wipes somewhere, probably had them in her pack, and was cleaning her hands when I got back. "What is UP?" she demanded as I sat again, peering at me. "You're just one big fucking angst today. What the hell happened? It certainly wasn't Cindy, so it's gotta be something else. Something with Sara?" "Gimme a minute. I need to get my thoughts in order." I sighed and twined my fingers together over the back of my neck, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees. I didn't actually need to figure out what I would be saying or how. I'd known that for probably a few hours now, even if not entirely consciously. I needed more to prepare myself for the inevitable beating Kim was likely to give me when I told her what had happened. She waited patiently enough, though it was obvious she was agitated, with the bouncing she was doing. I drew in a deep breath after a time, held it for a second, and then let it out. "Ok. I had Sara tied up, torturing her the way she likes to be." "Keeping her on the edge?" "Yeah. So she was tied up, gagged and blindfolded, and I was eating her when Cindy called." "What'd she want?" I lifted my head and looked at Kim, locking my eyes on her. "Are you going to let me talk or not?" "Sorry." She zipped her lips. "I'll try not to interrupt again." "Thank you." I laced my fingers together across the back of my neck again. "Cindy was calling to set a meeting place so we could hook up with her for Sara's date with her today. It didn't take long, maybe a minute or two. I'd had Sara on the edge for an hour or more." "An hour!?" "Yes." "Holy crap! I can't even do that. Most of the time, anyway. Don't have the patience for it." She paused. "Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt." "So once Cindy hung up, I got the remote vib, the one we used on you on her birthday, and stuck it in her and turned it on. Told her not to cum." "Did she?" "Let me talk, Kim," I snapped. "This isn't easy to tell you, knowing how you're going to react to it." "Sorry." Meekly. "I'll shut up." "I told her not to cum until I was in her, but I knew she was too close to hold off for long, so I only waited long enough to be sure she was putting all her effort into not cumming. She came hard, and I pulled the gag off once she'd come down. She told me to stop because it hurt. I didn't. I fucked her until I'd cum, keeping her in a kiss the whole time. She was crying when I finished. I apologized and untied her, and wanted to talk with her, but she was asleep right after she'd curled up." I dared to look at Kim for a moment. She had her brow furrowed, though with her that meant she was waiting for bad news to sink in. I set my gaze back on the floor at my feet. "I felt horrible about it. Still do. Didn't sleep much. Realized in the morning what I'd done." "You hurt her," Kim said. She was angry all right, and definitely working toward blowing up at me. I heard her get up from the chair, too agitated to stay sitting anymore. "What I did was worse than that, Kim." "How the hell could it be worse!?" NOW she was yelling. "I fucking told you not to hurt her! And you fucking PROMISED me you wouldn't! What the fuck did you do!?" Now the really hard part. I drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. "I raped her, Kim." Kim stopped dead. "What?" Her voice had returned to its normal level, which could be nothing but a bad thing. "I raped her. I raped Sara. She told me no. I didn't stop." Then Kim attacked me, swearing and cursing and calling me names, which I had been expecting. I didn't do much to actually stop her, since I deserved it. Just made sure she didn't do too much damage, and held her off until she'd spent her fury, which didn't happen. She only backed off when she realized I wasn't trying to fight her, and simply stood glaring at me, breathing heavily. "What the fuck is wrong with you!? How the fuck could you do that to her!? She fucking loves you! And you love her too, for christ's sake! How the fuck could you, fucking asshole bastard? You deserve a lot worse than this, god damnit. Fucking bastard." "For what it's worth, I agree with you. I feel absolutely horrible over what I did to her. It makes me sick if I think about it too much. And I do love her, and she didn't deserve what I did. Not for any reason. But-" "NO FUCKING BUTS, GOD DAMNIT! There is no fucking excuse for what you did!" That got me on my feet, my own rage coming up with no warning at all. We were both yelling now. "FUCKING LISTEN TO ME!" I took a step toward Kim, who took a surprised step back. Clearly she hadn't been expecting me to match her fury for fury. "I am TRYING to explain to you what happened and you keep fucking interrupting me! If you'd shut up and LISTEN, you might not be so god damned pissed off! I haven't even fucking finished and you're beating the crap out of me for it. Yes, I deserve it, but NOT until I have finished explaining this shit to you. Now sit the fuck down and let me finish." She didn't sit, but she at least didn't try attacking me again, either. Right then, I don't think I would have reacted at all well to that. She was shaking and still glaring at me, but at least she didn't say anything, keeping her jaw clenched. I continued in what was a nominally more normal voice. "I feel like shit for what I did. If I could undo last night, I would do it even if it cost me my soul. Nothing I can say will excuse what I did. I know that, and I am so unbelievably sorry for having done it. I feel like my heart's been broken, Kim. Broken so hard it can't ever be fixed. I fucking love her! But I DON'T want to lose her. You know how happy she's been since we've gotten together. Probably a lot better than I do. She means just as much to me, and I want to do whatever I can to make up for what I did to her." "You're not getting any fucking help from me, you fucking asshole." And like that my anger was gone again. I sighed and fell back onto the sofa, putting my face in my hands. "I don't expect any, Kim. I don't expect any. I'm telling you because you deserve to know what happened. We can't have secrets if we want to have things work, and I want to have that happen." "And what about Sara? What about what she wants? You apparently didn't give any fucking thought to that, did you?" "I won't speak for her. You'll have to do that yourself." "Damn fucking right I will. When're you bringing her back?" "Eight." "I'll be here at seven thirty, but it sure as fuck isn't going to be for you." She kicked me in the calf, hard enough to make my leg cramp. She grabbed her pack and swept past me, muttering, "Fucking asshole," as she left. I was massaging my leg for probably another twenty minutes after the front door had slammed. ========= CHAPTER 6 ========= I played cheap most of the time, so I usually have more money than I pretend to. Sara and Kim both know this, but they also know I prefer to save money in case something comes up, so they don't generally take advantage of my coffers. What little there is in them, most of the time. But I fortunately had a few hundred dollars available, since I'd recently finished some fairly extensive illustrating for a trilogy of books that were due to come out one season after another starting in time for Christmas. I was pleased with it, and so were the author and the editor, and since it had been rather rushed work, I'd been able to get more for it. Bank account thus primed, I decided to do some shopping and find something, or some things, for Sara while I planned what to do to make up for last night. I knew I wasn't going to have time to do anything truly elaborate today, so it would have to be tomorrow, and certainly no later than Friday. I'm not normally overly romantic, but I can be, and this was perhaps the time where it would be most required. My first stop, then, was to get candles, and I fortunately had a friend, Jen, who happened to work in a candle shop. Sometimes it seems very odd having such fortuitous connections, but this time I was thankful for it. I called the place to see if she was working, found she was, and headed over. "Hey there, Mike," Jen called, leaning on the front counter as I walked in. I was surprised to see she was letting her hair grow back in as her natural color. I was used to seeing her keep it black, so the blonde roots were odd. Not unattractive, but certainly unexpected. "Haven't seen you around in a while. How's everything?" "Generally pretty good. Very confusing the last two weeks, though." I leaned over the counter and gave Jen an awkward hug. "How about you?" "Eh. Same shit, different day. Things have been pretty uneventful. I'm getting bored, so I'm glad you came by. It's good to see you again. What brings you in?" "I need candles. I did something very stupid and need to make up for it." "You and Sara?" "Yeah. We're doing pretty good, except for that one detail." "Care to talk about it?" She started walking, and I followed along behind her as she wandered. "I'd rather not. I told her sister - Kim - what happened and she beat the crap out of me for it. My leg still hurts. Needed to be done, though." "Kim? The one everyone says is a slut?" "The same." We stopped in the middle of the store, the sweetly sickening perfumes of hundreds of different candles pouring off the shelves and making it hard to breathe. Jen was staring at one shelf, but it was votive candles. Not what I needed. "Kim's odd. Never thought she has a temper, with the way she carries on. She's ok, though. What're you planning for Sara?" "I don't know. I haven't thought much past something romantic. Dinner, a new dress. I'll probably think of more while I'm wandering about." "You making the dinner yourself?" "It wouldn't be the same if I did take-out, would it?" "True enough. What're you making?" "Don't know. Chicken, maybe." "Fettuccini," she said decisively. "Italian's always good for make-up dinners. You'll want long-stem candles, then." She started walking again, and I followed. "Wine would be good, too, but I guess you'll have to do without, unless you know someone who can get it for you?" "Only my parents, but I doubt they would. And the problem would be catching them when they're home." She stopped in front of a shelf full of tall candles, some laid in orderly boxes, others standing upright. I ignored the boxed ones, since they were cheap and gaudy, and plucked up four spiraled ones that were a flame-ish red and yellow at the base that swept upward to white at the tips. "You have stands for those?" "I doubt it. I haven't seen any at home, anyway." So we headed to the aisle with the candle stands, and I picked up a quartet with flared bases, flower crowns, and ivy designs up the stem. The intricacy would likely go unnoticed, but it was good to have something elegant. "You'll want flowers, too," Jen said as she rung up what I was buying. "There's a nice boutique right next door." "Yeah. But I won't be getting flowers until tomorrow. I don't have time today to do everything, and I don't want them wilted." "Good call." She tied off the top of the bag and slid it across to me. "If you're really serious, don't go to the movies. That's a good recipe for not talking. Take her for a walk somewhere nice. And don't try to get her in bed. Leave that for her to decide." I chuckled and Jen smiled. "That's what caused the problem in the first place, unfortunately." Jen just said, "Ah." and nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that. The last guy I was going out with tried to be a little too aggressive and he discovered I can say no more directly than with just words. I haven't seen him since he hobbled back out to his car. Better without him, the way I see it. I guess he thought I was just another one of those angsty gothic sluts, since I'd met him at a club." I nodded, and she tapped her palms on the countertop. "Anyway. Sorry. Gimme another hug, you." She pulled me over and gave me a hug, which I returned, and she held me by the shoulders once she let me go and looked at me. "We need to get together sometime. Do a party or something before school starts again. Get the outcasts and socially unfunctional together so we can all angst in a big group." That actually got a laugh out of me and Jen grinned. I dragged her out from the behind the counter and gave her a proper hug. "We should. But you know how bad I am about organizing get-togethers. Maybe we could do a Halloween party?" "Gah. But that's not for months! We need to do a before-school thing. I'll make some calls and see what I can stir up. I expect you'll be dragging Sara along, since you two are attached at the hip anymore." "I'm hoping so. I have a lot to make up for. I'm afraid things are rather tenuous right now." "It's that bad, huh?" "Yeah. It sucks. I don't know what I'd do without her, and I'm hoping I can heal what I did." "I'm sorry. I've done what I can for you right now, but if you need anything else, ok?" I smiled, laughing some and shaking my head, incredulous. "I have better friends than I deserve, I think." "Nah. Us outcasts have to stick together. We're the only real family we have, ya know." She hugged me and kissed my cheek, which she had to drag me down to do, since she's half a foot shorter than I am. "Now go do whatever it is you need to do. I'll call you in a couple days if I'm able to get anything organized for a party, cool?" "That sounds good. I may drag Kim and another friend along, if Kim's forgiven me by then." "Cool beans! I've been wondering what Kim'd be like at a party." She laughed. "Though I think I scare her, with the getup I usually wear." "You scare me sometimes," I laughed. "And you know that's not easy to do." "Even better!" She laughed. "That's one of my goals, you know. Scare the unflappable Mike. It's good to know I succeed sometimes." She grinned. "Don't tell anyone, though. Have to keep up appearances, ya know." "Oh posh. Screw appearances. It's all bull shit, anyway. You know that." "Yeah, but it makes it easier to weed out the idiots and keep them away." "Oh please. Everyone's an idiot. Even me, and we're still friends." "But you're an intelligent idiot. It's the stupid idiots that I don't like." She just shook her head and laughed. "Oh man. Unflappable, all right. I really expect you to start writing bad angsty poetry any second now, ya know." "Only bad angsty love poetry." I grinned and Jen laughed even more. I waited until she'd calmed down a bit before continuing. "And I need to be going. You take care, ok?" "No worries there. I got rid of all my sharp pointy things because I was getting too tempted to start cutting again. Only have my athame left, and you know how off limits that is." "That's good. I expect to have you around for a long while, or I'll hunt you down and bring you back, hear?" "That's ok. I'll be fine. I always am." She smiled. "We need to get together more often, though. I know you're intoxicated with Sara lately, but that's no reason to ignore me." "Yeah. I know. I'm sorry about that. Things with Sara have been getting more intense since school let out, so I've been distracted." "Aha! Now that I understand. I'd been wondering how long it'd take the two of you to start fucking." I laughed. "It was that obvious?" "Fuck yeah! Just about everyone could tell you two're merciless flirts with each other." "Man. All right. And I really need to be going. I only have a few hours to burn and I want to get as much done as I can." I gave Jen another hug, a more friendly one this time. "I'll try to be around more, especially if you can get that party thrown together." "Oh sure. Hold that over me." She laughed. "I'll see what I can do. Might only be able to get two or three people, though." "That'll be fine. You, me, Sara, maybe Kim, and probably my new friend'll make for plenty. Big parties are kind of a bore, anyway." "Definitely. Let me know how things go with Sara, ok?" "I will. And thanks for the advice and help. I really appreciate it." She smiled and we said the usual see-you-later's, and then I went off hunting for a dress and whatever else I could think of for Sara. ========= CHAPTER 7 ========= Ironically, I found the perfect dress at JC Penny, somewhere I generally ignore because they never have anything worthwhile in the men's department. It was black imitation silk, with a loose veil-like covering of gauzy blue and small, gem-cut beads of blue glass. It had arm-length half sleeves that would cover the top half of the arms when worn, and they tied at the wrists and elbows. These were made of both the black fabric and the gauzy blue, the blue trailing off the hems of the black. It sparkled when it moved, which I would have worried about, since Sara doesn't typically like wearing sparkly things, but I knew she'd make an exception in this case. The thing was gorgeous. The only problem was finding one that would fit her, since all the ones on the rack were cut for women who were literally stick thin. It took an hour for them to find one back in their stock that would actually fit, which left me a little shy of two hours before I needed to be back home to wait for Kim and then go pick up Sara. Next stop was jewelry, specifically a necklace to go with the dress, but everything I saw that would have been good was several hundred dollars out of my price range, likely because each of them was made with real gems. I gave up after a little more than an hour, and stopped as I was walking past one of those made-locally stores. There was glass work displayed in the window, most of it not very good aesthetically, but there were two that caught my attention: a glass angel and a glass flower, a white rose whose stem sparkled emerald. I wandered in and balked as I checked the prices. The angel was impressive and truly beautiful, but was almost a hundred dollars, even though it was only a few inches tall. The flower was cheaper, only thirty. I stood debating for a few minutes, figuring how much I would need for everything else I would be doing for Sara. One or the other, but not both, unfortunately. I set the rose back down and got the angel, partly because of the symbolism, mostly because it would be something Sara would cherish. I would worry about getting food stuffs and flowers tomorrow, so headed home to wait after getting the angel. I placed everything in my room and then went stir crazy for the half hour or so before Kim showed up. I ignored her slamming the front door when she came in and met her in the front hall. "I want to show you something," I said. "It's for Sara." "What?" She didn't move. Only stared at me, still in a foul mood with me. I didn't bother answering and just headed down to my room, with the dress laid out on the bed, the angel sitting on the stomach area, and the candles and holders arranged around the shoulders. I stood to one side as Kim came in and took everything in, looking back and forth between me and what I'd bought.. "You really are serious, aren't you?" she said after a minute, still studying the things on the bed. "You really do feel bad for what you did." "More than you know. I deserved what you did earlier, and I don't expect an apology for it, but with how bad I feel for what I did, it's small comparison. I'm going to give her the dress and the angel tomorrow, while you're with Cindy, if she agrees to having you over, and make her dinner. Candle lit dinner, which is what the candles are for. Get her some flowers. Maybe find somewhere around here that'd be good for an evening walk." Kim was silent, then took a step forward and gingerly picked up the angel, studying it more closely. She carefully set it back after a few seconds, then turned and left. I looked at the angel for a moment, then followed Kim. She was in the living room, staring out at the back patio and the yard, hands in her pockets. I stopped next to her and joined her staring. "Maybe you're better for her than me," she said after a minute. "I've never done something like that for her." "It doesn't make me any better for her than you. It just means we apologize differently for something serious." "I always get angry, though! Like on her birthday. I didn't want to be yelling at her, but that's what I do." I looked over at her. "She still loves you, Kim. How long do you think she would put up with it if she didn't? Would she have reacted like she did if she didn't?" "Why the hell do you always fucking seem to know everything!?" She spun toward me and pounded her fists on my arm, making me stumble. "It's like you're some kind of... of... Fuck. I don't know what the hell you are. Some guy who knows a lot." "A prodigy?" "Yeah. Sure. Whatever that is." "Someone who's good at a lot of things." "Oh. I guess you're a prodigy, then." "I'm not any better than you are, Kim." "Bull shit!" She was starting to yell again, and she jabbed a finger in the air, pointing in the direction of my room. "That dress and the angel prove you are. She's going to love those. I know she is, and you're the one who thought about doing that for her! I've never gotten her a damn thing except birthday and Christmas stuff. How does that not make you better for her?" "Kim." "I'm not going to shut up, god damnit!" She hit my arm again, a lot harder than a moment ago. "Fuck you. It's like you're always trying to one-up me and make her run away to you. I hate it. She spends more time with you than she does with me, especially since you started fucking like bunnies. It pisses me off. It's like you're pulling us apart but always saying you're not." We stared at each other for a moment, me not knowing what to say to that. I sighed and wandered over to the recliner, then dropped into it. I looked at Kim, still standing by the glass door. "You want me to tell her tomorrow that she needs to spend more time with you?" "I do want to spend more time with her." I nodded and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling with my arms hanging off to either side of the chair. "I'm sorry I've hurt you. I know Sara means a lot to you, and I thought by not doing anything to try and break the two of you apart, things would be ok. I wasn't meaning to make you feel ignored by her, because it wasn't intentional." We were silent for some moments, and then she sighed. I lifted my head to look at her. "I guess maybe I am still jealous of you. I like you, and I like that you're such a good guy, especially for Sara. But part of me just wants you to go away so I can have her to myself again." "Is it good or bad that I haven't gone away?" "I don't know. I'm still thinking about that, I think. I don't do that deep thinking thing very well. Usually try not to because it's depressing." She sighed again and shook her head, then hopped and dragged her hands out of her pockets, clapping them together. "Anyway!" She bounced over and landed in my lap, straddling me. "What all do you think Sara and Cindy did today?" "I can tell you what they didn't do." She tilted her head to the side and "Oh?" ed. "No bondage." She made a snorting sound and her look darkened. I ignored it. "No vibs. No torture. As in no keeping her on the edge for half an hour." "Pshaw. That still leaves a lot that they could do. What do you think they did?" "Um..." For some reason my mind went completely blank and I just stared at her for a few seconds, unable to reengage thinking mode. "What do you and Sara usually do?" "She hasn't told you?" She blinked at me. "I haven't asked. I figure if she wants to tell me, she will." I was now acutely aware of Kim's crotch pressed against mine, which, with Sara, is often sufficient to get a rise from me. That the two of them regularly had sex was a thought I'd gotten used to. Having actually witnessed and participated a few days ago, visualizing it had become considerably easier. That Kim was sitting on my lap and going to actually tell me one of their escapades had me worried I'd get hard and she'd notice and get pissy about it. Nothing to do about it now, but even the thought of it was making it difficult for me to not grow erect. "Pish. Have her tell you! It's fun! Like, one time I started nibbling on her neck while she was on her computer. I think she was reading erotica, which gave me the idea, and I told her just to ignore me and keep reading. Then I undid her bra so I could get at her tits and played with her nipples." She stopped and ground her hips against me while looking down at my lap, noticing my growing erection. "Am I getting you turned on?" "I would think that would be obvious." She thought for a moment, then put her arms around my neck and started grinding her hips against me again, using her new leverage for added pressure. That got me fully erect, and I put my hands on her hips, though I didn't stop her, wondering what she'd do, since she wasn't reacting at all like I had thought she would. She stopped after a minute, staring at my lap still. "I'm not used to that," she said thoughtfully, giving her hips another grind. "It's... weird, but I like the pressure I can get against my pussy." She started her hips moving again, but slowly this time and pressing harder. She stopped again and looked at me. "Does it hurt?" "With as hard as you're rubbing me, yes, but it's not bad." "It didn't hurt for you when you and Sara first did it?" "It doesn't hurt for guys when they first have sex." "No. I mean... being in her. Virgin's are supposed to be really tight, right? Wouldn't that hurt? Being squeezed like that?" "I've only ever had sex with Sara, so I don't really have anything else to compare to. But being squeezed by being inside her doesn't hurt in a bad way." Kim nodded and started grinding her pussy against me again, experimenting now by moving in circles. She jerked suddenly and stopped, scooting back a bit. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... to... do that. You're not mad at me, are you?" I laughed and she tensed. "I have a beautiful teen nympho sitting on my lap dry humping me. Why would that make me mad?" "I don't know. It would make me mad, because it's not serious, and because of... of what I did earlier. I'm just curious. I didn't think telling you what Sara and me do would get you turned on." "Why wouldn't it get me turned on? As far as I know, most guys fantasize about lesbian sex." "I don't know. I guess because I don't have any interest in guys?" She looked down at my lap again, not moving while she thought, then said, "Can-" before catching herself. "Can...?" "Never mind," she said, shaking her head and climbing off me. She glanced at the clock and hopped, clapping her hands. "Let's go get Sara! It's almost eight! I want to hear everything they did and talk with Cindy!" ========= CHAPTER 8 ========= It was still rush hour, so it took almost half an hour to get to Cindy's place, even though I stuck mostly to roads that weren't as heavily travelled as the main thoroughfares. There was another car in the drive, a Prius, when we arrived, and I assumed - correctly - that it was Aaron's. Kim seemed to be put off by being in the area, as she was uncharacteristically silent. It was probably more that she was just nervous about seeing Cindy again. "Are you ok?" I asked her while we waited on the front porch. "Yes. No. I don't know. Nervous. I don't know if I'll be able to talk with Cindy around." I nodded as the door opened, and we both got our first good look at Aaron. A very average looking man, though coming from me, that probably doesn't mean much, considering I'm not one to go judging other men as handsome or ugly or whatever. It was obvious he was a computer geek, though, since he had the typical pallor. The only notable thing about him was the split yin-yang tattoo on either side of his neck. "You're Mike?" he asked, looking me over. "Yeah. Are Sara and Cindy still around?" "Yeah. Come on in." He stepped aside and we did as bid. He glanced Kim over. "Who's this?" "Kim. Sara's sister." He nodded and asked, "She sick?" "Nervous. Cindy has a rather decided effect on her." He nodded again and started walking, and we followed after. "Yeah. She'll do that. It doesn't pass, either. She's the sort of person who leaves an indelible mark." We headed down some stairs into a basement area, which was divided with movable walls. Aaron gestured at the one dividing the far half of the room, from behind which came the hum of some sort of motorized contraption, the tortured moans of Cindy, and Sara's enthusiastic cries. "They're back there." "You're not with them," Kim said. "Cindy said she only wanted to have time with Sara," he answered, shrugging. "Better to listen to her when she's in one of her dominatrix roles. They were experimenting with the power tools when I got home. Sounds like they've got the sybian out right now." "Sybian?" "You'll see." He shrugged again, then turned and left, leaving Kim and me staring at each other. "Was he like that in the theater?" "Dunno. Didn't do more than look at him for a few seconds there. Haven't seen him since until just now." "He's weird. Kind of creeps me out." I just nodded and wandered down to the wall divider, then knocked on it. It took a minute for Sara's cries to stop, since she'd apparently just cum, judging by her noise. The machine hum got a little louder and then the wall slid aside a few seconds later as Sara peeked out. She smiled when she saw us and opened the wall further, gesturing us past. She was naked, sweaty, and her pussy and thighs were coated with her juices, and likely some of Cindy's too. "Hey you two," she said as she hugged and kissed us. I ignored the room for a second, pulling Sara to me and holding her close while attempting, and failing, to ignore the heavy miasma of sex smells. She was shaking and unsteady, which wasn't a surprise, considering how much energy she'd expended over the last few hours. She purred pleasantly, nuzzling my neck, and I gently kissed her cheek by her ear. "I have plans with you for tomorrow," I whispered to her. "Something to try to make up for last night." She smiled against me and whispered back, "I hope I'm awake enough for it. I'm just about fucked out now. I'm about to fall over. Still have a few orgasms left to go, though." She gently kissed the side of my neck and stepped away, moving over to Kim with a, "Hey lovely." I turned my attention to the room, which was filled with all manner of sexual paraphernalia, a lot of it bondage related, although there was a notable lack of actual restraints. I gave most everything only a cursory glance, since it was likely I'd be seeing a lot more of this room if Cindy decided to let our vestigial friendship grow, and focused on Cindy. She was fixed on top of a half-cylinder, from which the noisome sound of motors and heavy vibration were coming, and the sides of it were shiny with moisture. Likely her cum, and I could only imagine how long she'd been on the thing to get it wet like that. Her feet and knees were shackled to the base of the half-cylinder, and ropes wound around her hips to the shackles on her feet, keeping her from rising off the half-cylinder. She was leaning over and muttering and moaning incoherently, laying on a low bench that sat low to the ground, and her arms were likewise shackled to it, so she was effectively immobilized. A boxy control with two knobs and an on/off switch for each, a red and a green and both glowing, sat on the floor by the bench, a thick wire running to the half-cylinder. Another wire came out the back of the thing, which I saw was a wall plug. "How long has she been on that thing?" I asked, wandering over and kneeling by Cindy to run my hands over her body. She shivered even more as her moaning increased. Cumming, I would imagine. "Over an hour," Sara said. "She's cum probably at least fifty times by now." She came over and straddled the bench in front of Cindy's face. Both the bench and Cindy's face were also slicked with moisture, more cum, and Sara slid forward as she lay back and spread her legs. She grabbed the boxy control as Cindy lifted her head and planted her mouth on her pussy. I looked at Kim, who was standing transfixed, a pained look on her face. Not a good sign at all. I made a pst sound at her, and she started and looked at me. She frowned and looked back at Sara and Cindy, and her breath hitched as she turned and fled the room. Sara shoved away from Cindy at the sound of Kim's stomping up the stairs and looked after her, alarmed. I was already moving by the time she tumbled off the bench. "Was that Kim?" she called after me. "It was," I yelled back, taking the stairs two at a time, and Sara's cursing followed me into the hall. Kim was fumbling with the front door, and I could hear her crying. I called to her as she managed to wrench it open and dash outside, but she didn't stop or even seem to acknowledge me. The door slammed and I could hear Sara coming up behind me as I rushed after her. Kim was beating the roof of my car in frustration when I got outside, and then just slid down the side and crumpled up next to it. She beat me off when I knelt beside her and tried to put an arm around her. "No!" she cried, falling over as she tried to kick me. "God damnit! I'm not happy with you, either! Fuck off!" She curled up on her side, burying her face in her arms and sobbing. I looked at Sara as she came out the front door, wrapped in a blue robe. "Kim..." she said softly, kneeling next to me and reaching down to lightly touch Kim's shoulder. Kim jerked away from the touch and climbed into a more upright position, scooting back. "I'm sorry, hon. I'm sorry. Please. I'm sorry. I didn't think this would bother you. Forgive me. I didn't want to hurt you." "Fuck it," Kim said between catches in her breath. "Fuck you. Fuck off. I just want today to never have happened. Fuck off. It hurts." Then she started crying too hard to talk anymore. Sara reached a hand out again, then drew back as Kim flinched away. She sighed and sat hard on the concrete. "I'm sorry, Kim. Please believe me. I never did this to hurt you. That was the last thing I wanted to do. Please. I love you. I'm sorry. Forgive me." "But... d-d-don't s-spend time with m-me," Kim stuttered, barely managing to speak at all. "Don't l-l- love me. Hurts." That hit Sara hard, and even with the crappy, overly harsh lighting of the driveway halogen, I could tell she'd gone pale. If she hadn't already been sitting, I think she'd have done so. "Oh, Kim..." was all she was able to get out, little more than whisper. "Oh, Kim... Kim... No. God. Please. I love you. I'm sorry. I didn't... God, I'm sorry. So sorry." Kim was starting to calm down, though it was slow, and none of us said anything for several minutes, me not knowing what I could say, Sara too shocked, and Kim obviously unable until she'd gotten hold of herself. "Been... ign-noring me," Kim finally croaked, then snorted back snot. She lifted her face from her arms and gave Sara a pained, reproachful look. "S-spending all your t-time fu-fucking with M-Mike and not with me, a-and now C-C-Cindy, and it f-feels like you don't l- love me anymore." She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in her arms again, tears still pouring from her eyes. "I'm sorry... God, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I didn't know you were feeling this ignored. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I love you, sis. I love you more than anything. I never wanted to hurt you. Never did. I'm sorry. I love you." She was crying now herself, wet tracks running down her cheeks, and she reached out again to Kim. When she didn't pull away, she crawled forward and settled next to her, pulling her into her and holding her fiercely. Kim snaked her arms around her sister and clung to her, pressing her face hard into her shoulder. "Want more t-time with you. M-miss you. Don't l-like n- not s-s-s-s-..." She clutched tighter to Sara, forcing back the sobs that threatened. "Don't like n-not s- seeing you. Want m-more time. Love you." "Tomorrow, hon. Tomorrow." She turned her eyes up to me, questioning, and I nodded. This was more important, since it had been developing a lot longer. "We can have tomorrow for just us, hon, and we can do whatever you want." "But C-C-Cindy..." "Cindy will wait, hon. She'll understand. Don't worry about that. It will be ok." Kim just nodded, and nothing more was said while she got herself together again. I glanced up at the front door, catching movement, and saw Cindy stumbling beside Aaron, who appeared more to be supporting her than she was actually walking. "Speaking of Cindy," I said quietly, "I'm going to go check on her. I'll be back." Sara nodded at me and I stood, grimacing as my knees popped from kneeling so long. I put a finger over my mouth and motioned Cindy and Aaron back inside, and Cindy nodded. ========= CHAPTER 9 ========= "What happened?" Cindy asked, shaking slightly as she clutched a cup of coffee in both hands. We were in the living room, Cindy puddled in the recliner, Aaron sitting next to her on the arm of the thing, and me collapsed on the sofa. Sara and Kim were still outside, and I didn't know how long they would be. "Kim's had a very bad day, apparently. She's been feeling ignored by Sara, so I guess actually seeing you and her together was too much. I don't think it helped I told her earlier about what happened last night with me and Sara. And she's jealous of me, and feels like I'm stealing Sara away from her." "But you're not." Cindy frowned and furrowed her brows together. "Are you?" I shook my head, saying, "I never wanted to come between them. I have no intention of trying to pull them apart." "That's good, at least." She brought the coffee up and took a drink, then made a face at it. "I don't need to make an apology, do I? For her seeing me and Sara?" I shrugged and rubbed my eyes, suddenly very tired. Today had been very long. "I don't know. Probably not. I think the two of them are going to spend tomorrow together, just for each other." "So Kim won't be coming over tomorrow?" "I don't know. Better to ask them whenever they get done working things out, out there and come back in." Cindy nodded and sipped her coffee, then handed the still mostly full cup to Aaron. He leaned over and set it on the coffee table with a, "Thanks, love." from Cindy. "I don't know that I'd be up to the task, if she does come over tomorrow. You never warned me how insatiable Sara is. It's been a long time since I've had sex with anyone and actually gotten tired out." She glanced at Aaron and added, "Present company excepted." I gave a small laugh and nodded. "I don't think it's possible to tire Sara. She'll only stop if it starts to hurt too much. Sometimes not even then, if she's feeling like pushing herself." "A true nympho, then." "Pretty much, yeah." She dragged her legs up and curled them under her, leaning against Aaron. He put an arm around her, and she cuddled into him. "Did you get things planned out for making up with Sara?" "Yeah. Going to make her a candle-lit dinner, and got her a dress and a glass angel. Would take her for an evening walk, if I knew anywhere around here good for that. Debating a movie, but I don't know. I've had one friend say it's a bad idea, but it would depend on what we go to see, I guess." "Depends on what she likes," Aaron said. "Romance movies could be good, if she likes them." "Rarely. We both think they're too predictable and unbelievable. People don't act like they do in romance movies." "Talented Mr. Ripley," Cindy said, nodding. "That's a very romantic movie." I blinked at her and gave her an incredulous look. "If you say so." "It's more romantic than porn, at least." She laughed. "Maybe you could do that! Go rent a porno! Except that would probably just piss her off, if you're trying to make up to her." "Except for that one detail, yeah, she'd probably go for that." "Really?" She laughed again. "You don't actually pay for it, I hope." "What's the point? Most of it's not worth the bother." "More fun to make your own," Aaron said, which prompted an angry swat from Cindy. "I told you not to fucking say anything about that to people!" Aaron just looked at her, unperturbed. "He's given you permission to fuck his girlfriend. Without knowing you very well, at that. You think he's going to care that we make porn?" "Damnit. That isn't the fucking point! I don't want you going around just fucking telling people about it. I've fucking told you this! You know how god damn paranoid I am, especially of the stupid, fucked up neighbors we have." "You didn't greet them naked again, did you?" "No! None of them came by today, thank god. Though if it had been that bitch who watches with the fucking binoculars, I probably would have, and wouldn't have bothered cleaning up, either. She fucking pisses me off. I fucking hate it when people just sit there and watch, as if they don't have fucking anything better to be doing." "She's the state senator's sister." "I don't fucking care who she is! She could be the fucking president and it wouldn't make any fucking difference to me! You fucking know this shit. If she fucking wants to be sociable, then she can come over and fucking do that, but if she's just going to fucking sit there with her god damn binoculars, then why the hell should I not be pissed off about it?" "Cindy," I said, my conversation earlier with Jen reoccurring to me. "What!?" she shot at me. "Think you'd be willing to come to a party?" She furrowed her brows and leaned back, crossing her arms beneath her breasts. She stared at the cup of coffee on the table while she thought, her ire gone completely. I'd never met anyone before with such rapid swings of emotion, and it was somewhat disconcerting. "When, what kind, and who's going to be there?" "Don't know when yet. My friend Jen's going to be calling around to see who'd be interested and able. It's not a big group of friends, my circle and hers, so not a lot of people. The outcasts and socially dysfunctional, as she calls us. Likely just going to be a get together, but I'm sure one or two people are going to bring pot. Probably going to be the only drug there, unless you decide to come and want to bring alcohol." "What's Jen? What clique would she be?" "You mean like preps or jocks or something?" "Yeah. What is she?" "She's a Goth." "What kind?" "What do you mean what kind?" I furrowed my brows. "Goths are Goths." "Perky Goth? Punk Goth? Angsty Goth? Manson Goth? Theater Goth? Lolita?" I just stared at her, not having a clue what she was talking about. "She usually wears a slave collar, a corset, black dress, fish net gloves, and big boots, if that helps any." Cindy just shook her head, saying, "Never mind. You haven't been much into Goth culture, apparently." "Haven't seen any need to. Why?" She shook her head and sighed, leaning against Aaron again. "Doesn't matter. I'm just generalizing. I was really into the Goth stuff after... after what I told you earlier today." "You told him about the party?" Cindy nodded, quiet. "You didn't break anything?" "Not this time, thankfully. I didn't... I didn't talk a lot about... him." She twitched and shuddered, her face screwing up into a pained look. "I've been..." She drew in a shaky breath and shook her head, then continued what she had been saying before. "It was the only acceptable outlet I could find for how I was feeling, the Goth stuff. Didn't endear me to my parents any more than my craziness did. Sister didn't care much for it, either, but she accepted it, at least." I nodded and said, "Jen's cool. Depressive, but cool." Cindy snorted. "Most Goth's wouldn't know depression if it beat them over the head. That was my big disillusionment with the whole culture. That and it's god damn pretentiousness. One big fucking angst. It's almost comical, really. Almost none of the Goths I've ever met have ever been through any appreciable hardship. "Oh, my parents are fighting and getting divorced!" "My relationships always suck!" So fucking what. As if most people don't experience that anymore. Most of them wouldn't have survived a week of some of what I've been through. Fucking pathetic." I was briefly annoyed, since it seemed to me she was attacking Jen, but it passed quickly. I was too tired for it to stick. "Jen doesn't take it seriously. She does it mostly because she's amused by the reactions people have." Cindy just nodded and we were all silent. I lay my head back and closed my eyes, not realizing I was drifting to sleep until I heard Cindy make a noise as she moved suddenly. I straightened up and shook my head, then rubbed my face. "Fuck," Cindy muttered. "I'm falling asleep. What the hell is taking those two so damn long?" I growled as I stretched to try to wake up again, then climbed, ponderous, out of the sofa. "I'll go drag them in here so we can talk. I'm falling asleep myself, and I'm sure Sara's feeling the same way. Today's been a long day, and I still need to take them home." ========== CHAPTER 10 ========== Sara and Kim were talking quietly and still holding each other when I came out to fetch them. "Hey, Mr. Man," Kim said as I approached, quiet and pensive. "I'm sorry about earlier." "It's ok," I said as I knelt beside the two of them. "You going to be ok?" "God damnit!" Kim kicked me, not hard but enough to make me fall over. "Why don't you ever get mad!? I don't get you at all." "Why would I be mad at you, Kim? I told you, you didn't need to apologize and that I deserved it." "She'll be fine," Sara interjected. "We're working things out." She laid her head against Kim's, giving her a hug, then looked at me. "Do we need to go in?" "Yeah. Cindy wants to know what's going on. And I invited her to a party we may be having sometime soon, by the way. I ran into Jen earlier today and we decided to do something before school starts again." "Party?" Kim perked up immensely at that, almost back to her usual, bouncy self. "Who? What? Where? If Cindy's there, I gotta be there!" She blinked and screwed her face up. "But isn't Jen that Goth chick you know?" "She is, yeah. She's not as bad as she seems." "She's fucking weird! What's with the collar and the pentagram?" "It's a pentacle. Not a pentagram. It's a religious symbol for Wicca. The collar's just for looks and to get a reaction." "Wicca? Isn't that like witchcraft and stuff?" "Kind of." "Kind of?" "Kind of." She stuck her tongue out at me and I shrugged. "Wicca's a really eclectic religion. You can tailor its practices to whatever you want to use. Jen uses an athame, mirrors, incense, candles, and idols. Some people do other things." "Wait. Is that why you and your step-sister don't get along? Because she's really Christian and you're not?" "Most of our disagreements go back to that, yeah." "Weird. I don't get how people can disagree like that." I just shrugged again. I'd gotten used to rarely ever agreeing with my step-sister, so it wasn't a big deal to me anymore. "You think you can handle talking with Cindy right now?" "Yeah. I just... I guess until I saw it, I didn't take it seriously, like they weren't actually doing anything. I think maybe I'm a little possessive of sis." She turned her head and lightly bit the side of Sara's neck, then licked where she'd bit. "Only I don't know why it didn't bother me when you joined us the other day. Maybe because she was fucking me when you did, and that made it ok." "So as long as I'm doing you, it's ok if someone else is ravaging me?" Sara asked, smiling impishly. "No! Yes. Fuck. I don't know. I just want you. It's been so damn long since it's just been you and me. I miss that." "I know. I'm sorry I've been ignoring you so much. I really will try not to anymore. I do love you." "Cindy's not going to be mad if I'm all clingy with you right now, is she?" Sara and I were silent for a second before starting to laugh at the inherent absurdity of the question. Not that Kim thought there was any, it seemed. She curled in on herself, looking between the two of us with a pained expression. "No, hon," Sara said, hugging her sister close. "No. She won't care. I'm sorry. It's not you I'm laughing at. It's just..." She paused to think, kissing Kim's forehead. "I think if she starts feeling like she's coming between us, she'd just hide from us. She wants us together." "Is that true?" Kim asked me, and I nodded. "She pretty much said as much earlier," I said. "Ok. Give me a kiss, sis, then let's go in and talk with her." Sara smiled and obeyed, and then the three of us wandered back into the living room to rejoin Cindy and Aaron. 11 Aaron was sitting in the recliner when we got back, finishing off the coffee Cindy had been drinking not too long before. "She just got in the shower," he said as we trickled back in. "Wanted to wake up." "How long will she be?" Sara asked, falling into the sofa. Kim followed her and virtually curled up on her lap, and Sara wrapped her arms around her sister. I settled to Sara's left. Aaron shrugged with a, "Ten, fifteen minutes." "Can I..." Kim started, trying to look at Aaron. She closed her eyes and settled her head on Sara's shoulder instead. "Can I join her? Would she mind?" "I don't know. She might. She might not. She's apprehensive about you." Kim made an annoyed sound and said, "Yeah. That's what everyone keeps telling me. It's getting annoying." She lifted her head and looked at Sara, worried. "Can I...? Would you mind if I...?" Sara shook her head and smiled, then gave Kim a gentle kiss. "Do what you want, hon. I'm not going to keep you from her." Kim nodded, but didn't move. "Can you come with me?" she asked after a moment. "I... At least until I'm in there? I'm..." Sara nodded and gave Kim another kiss. "Let's go." Kim nodded and got up, Sara following her, with a, "Which way?" to Aaron. He pointed down the hall leading past the kitchen, and the two of them wandered in that direction. Aaron and me sat in silence until Sara came shuffling back about a minute later, and she dropped into the couch next to me to cuddle up against me. It was a simple thing, but considering how things were going at the moment, it was immensely comforting and made me feel that things would work out just fine. I wrapped my arms around her and held her, whispering, "I love you." to her. She smiled against my shoulder, where she had lain her head, and gave my arm an affectionate squeeze with one hand. "You were the two at the theater the other day," Aaron said, watching us. "Yeah," I said, Sara nodding on my shoulder and making a 'yes' sound. "We were experimenting." "Among other things," Sara added. Aaron laughed, or at least what I thought was a laugh. It was probably more a brief guffaw than a laugh, I imagine. "I'm sure I needn't ask what those other things were. You were rather enthusiastic." "You were watching us the whole time?" Aaron shrugged. "Only until Cindy couldn't take it any more and moved onto my lap." "You actually had sex in the theater?" Sara asked, lifting her head to better look at Aaron. "Is that a surprise? You can't say the movie was more entertaining, else you'd have chosen a different one, yes?" I chuckled and Sara reddened. A few seconds later, we heard Kim from down the hall, an "Oh fuck!" followed soon after by the tumbling crash of shampoo bottles and shaving cream cans clattering into the tub. I looked at Sara, curious. "Kim got in with Cindy," she said. "Ah," was all I said. It was all that needed to be said, really. It would have been more surprising if Kim had stayed AWAY from Cindy. "I imagine she's using the shower head on her," Aaron said. He didn't seem to be at all phased by the events of today. "That was fun," Sara purred, smiling. "It will probably drive Kim into incoherency, though, if she goes off as easily as she was the other day when Cindy was around." "At least she'll be sated." I shrugged, then remembered she seemed to be just as insatiable as Sara. "Kind of, anyway." "Cindy made me pass out with it, and it didn't take very long. She'll be sated. We might have to wake her up, though, if she wants to talk with Cindy." "I give them five minutes," Aaron said. "Cindy can't go more than ten." "I did twenty." Aaron raised an eyebrow, uncannily like Leonard Nimoy as Spock. "Minutes or orgasms?" "Minutes." "Indeed. That impressed Cindy, I take it?" "Probably. We were too busy to talk about it." "How many times did you cum?" I asked. Sara purred and turned to me, laying her cheek against mine, hidden from Aaron, and whispered in my ear. "I lost count at about thirty," she said, then smiled and nuzzled against my neck, laying her head on my shoulder again. "Will Cindy want me to come back, do you think?" she asked Aaron after some moments of silence among us. "You tired her out. That's a challenge to her. She'll want to do the same to you to prove to herself she can overcome you." "It's not a competition, though." Aaron just shrugged. "That's how she is. It's not personal. She's been through hell and it's how she deals with things." "How did you two meet, anyway?" I asked. A computer geek wasn't the sort of person I would expect Cindy to hook up with. "Chat room. Her sister got her a laptop when she was in the hospital and the hospital had internet hookups in the rooms. A novelty, at the time. Not so much now." "What was the room?" "The Black Raven. A decidedly redundant name, but to be expected from a Goth forum. The site's dead now." A Goth forum? Aaron was definitely unlike any of the other computer geeks I had ever met. Tattooed? Porn producer? Goth? Not usually things associated with geeks, certainly. I wondered if Jen would know the room, and I made a mental note to ask her about it the next time I saw her. ========== CHAPTER 12 ========== We sat in silence for the next several minutes, waiting for Kim and Cindy to finish their adventure in the shower and come back out to join us. Cindy came first, shuffling into the room wearing her robe. Kim was notably absent. "She's still gathering herself together," she said, flopping back into the recliner, this time on Aaron's lap. "I don't think I've ever seen a woman orgasm so easily or so much in such a short time." She smirked, cuddling into Aaron. "You thought she wouldn't with how she was cumming the other day?" Sara asked, laughing. "She's been lusting after you since the moment she first saw you." "I have not!" Kim cried from down the hall. "There was a pause of a second or two, damnit!" I looked over at the sound of her voice as Sara called, "That doesn't make any difference, hon! Now get your pretty little ass in here so we can talk so we can get home and sleep." "That's going to have to wait until I can walk again. So ha!" Not that any of us could see her, but I was pretty sure she stuck her tongue out in our general direction. It would be like her to do that. "That's easily solved," Aaron said, working his arms under and around Cindy as he stood so he could pick her up and set her back in the recliner. "Going to fetch?" Cindy asked him, pulling her legs up under herself. He nodded with a, "Back in a minute," then headed down to the bathroom. A shrill cry from Kim followed soon after, along with, "No! Clothes!" as Aaron carried her into the living room. "You are nude, yes," Aaron said as they came into view, Kim draped in his arms. She was trying futilely to cover herself as he set her on Cindy's lap, or what she had of one, anyway, and Cindy immediately tried to pull back, such a mix of emotions crossing her face I had no idea what they were. Kim stopped trying to squirm, very obviously confused about what to do, I would guess torn between ravishing Cindy and disappearing back into the bathroom to hide in embarrassment. Aaron dropped onto the sofa next to me and leaned back, crossing his arms and watching the two of them during the several moments of charged silence that followed. Cindy was the first to break it. "Just because I got you off in there doesn't mean I've changed my mind." "Why did you?" Kim was relaxing some, but her agitation at refraining from going down on Cindy was obviously doing the opposite. Cindy's agitation at having Kim on her lap was likewise growing, though for what reason, or reasons, I couldn't tell. I didn't know her well enough to be able to read her that well. She was aggravated enough, though, to hit Kim in the leg, angry without any apparent pause in her mood swing. "What the hell else was I supposed to do!? You fucking got into the shower with me, you fucking bitch! What the hell does it fucking take for you to fucking understand a god damn NO!?" Kim drew back sharply, more stung by Cindy's words than being hit, and lost her seating, tumbling to the floor. Cindy gasped out an "Oh god..." as she covered her mouth with her hands, the same surprised look on her face that she'd had after slapping me in the park. She tried to get out of the chair to kneel next to Kim, but ended up tangling in her robe and tumbling down next to her instead. She cursed as she hit the floor, and Kim gathered herself back into a sitting position and scooted away. She was shaking and on the verge of crying again as she got to her feet and rushed back to the bathroom. "God, I didn't mean that," Cindy moaned from the floor, and then called "KIM!" down the hall while she tried to untangle herself from her robe to get up. She managed to get to her feet, but then stepped on the hem of the thing and fell to the floor again, cursing some more as she went down. She ripped it off, bundled it, and then threw it across the room, loosing a scream at it as it landed before curling up and starting to cry. "Perhaps that wasn't the best of ideas," Aaron said quietly before getting to his feet and moving over to Cindy. He settled next to her and gathered her in his arms, glancing at Sara and me as he said, "Check on Kim. I think I may have made matters worse. I apologize for that." He turned back to Cindy, leaning in close to her and talking quietly in her ear. I looked at Sara, questioning whether it should be her, me, or both of us to go to Kim. She sighed and shook her head, then uncurled from against me and wandered alone toward the bathroom. Needlessly, it turned out. Kim came storming into the living room, shoes, socks, panties and bra in one hand, her pants on askew and her shirt on backward. She grabbed hold of Sara with her free hand as she went by her and dragged her along with her, shooting a, "Let's go." at me before disappearing into the front hall, Sara in tow. "Take care of Kim," Aaron said to me, not bothering to look up from Cindy. "I'll take care of Cindy. I know what part of the problem is, and I'll have her call you in a few days when she's more stable." "I'm never stable," Cindy muttered. "Fucking bullshit. Only thing I'm ever fucking good at is fucking things up. I don't want to do this anymore! God..." She trailed off into tears, moving finally and clutching at Aaron, who did the same to her while he ssshhh'ed her. "Take care of Kim," he said again. "This will work out. Tell her... Tell her that what Cindy says in anger isn't meant seriously." I nodded and took a deep breath, then stood. Today was, by far, much longer and more tiring than Sara's birthday had been, and I hoped it would be over soon. I stopped in the hall entrance when Aaron called my name. "Tell Kim I'm sorry for doing that to her," he said. I turned and saw he was looking at me. I nodded once, then headed down the hall and out to my car. ========== CHAPTER 13 ========== Kim was leaning against my car and clinging tight to Sara, her face buried against her sister's neck. I touched her hair, running my fingers down to her neck. "You going to be ok?" I asked her. She made a non- committal sound, relinquishing her shoes, socks, and underwear to me to better cling to Sara. I reached around as best I could and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry. Today's not been very good, has it?" She just shook her head. "I don't know that it means much to you right now, but Aaron says he's sorry, too, for doing that to you." "Good," she snipped, lifting her head and pushing Sara away. "Now let's GO. I don't want to be here anymore." I nodded and unlocked the car, and Kim climbed into the back seat. Sara started to follow, but Kim shoo'ed her away, shaking her head. Sara looked at me, and I just shrugged. I didn't know. So Sara settled in the front passenger seat, and we were silent while I drove, Kim staring out her window and Sara leaning against hers, staring at her hands and picking at her nails. "Hey, Mike?" Kim asked quietly when we were about halfway back to their place. I hm?'ed. "Can we stay at your place tonight? Please? I really need to have sis with me to sleep tonight, and it doesn't feel right doing it at home." I cast a quick glance at Sara, but she was staring at her hands still. "You ok with that, love?" I asked her. "We all need that, I think," she said, contemplative. "I seem to be the only one who actually had a mostly good day. Half and half, anyway. But what was good for me wasn't for you, and I don't want to be hurting you. I feel bad about that." "Oh, fuck that," Kim exclaimed, leaning forward and smacking the back of Sara's head. "It wasn't you. Not all of it. But damnit, sis! Don't feel bad about it! You did what you did. I know I'm stupid a lot of the time with stuff like this, but fuck. I told you it was ok and I knew it bothered me. Don't feel bad because I wasn't honest with you. Same with you and Mike. It's stupid to feel bad because I didn't tell you how I really felt. I just thought... I dunno. I thought that maybe not telling you would let me get over it, I guess, and then it wouldn't be a problem because it wouldn't matter anymore. I don't know. I'm stupid. It's not your fault." She was quiet for a moment before adding a meek, "I'm sorry." None of us said anything more until I'd pulled into their driveway, at which point we simply sat. I don't think any of us knew what to say, so after a few minutes I decided to at least get things kind of moving again. "How much of a problem would the three of us sharing a bed be?" I asked. "Would you be ok with that, Kim?" "You better not try anything with me, Mr. Man. You're not on my happy list right now." I just nodded and stretched my arms out in front of me, trying to get rid of some of the tension in my shoulders. "I doubt that will be a problem. Today's not good for that, it seems like. At least not for you and me, anyway." "'k. Good. I'm... Can I take a shower at your place? I don't want to be home right now." "Can I join you?" Sara asked. "You don't need to ask, sis." "That'd be fine," I said, looking at the clock, then rubbed my eyes. "Quarter to ten. No wonder I'm tired." "Not as much as me, I'm sure," Sara said, unbuckling and stretching before getting out of the car. "I'll wait here," I said to Kim as she was climbing out to follow Sara. And I did, and didn't realize I was half-asleep until they got back about ten minutes later. I started as the doors opened and tried to wake up enough to drive while the two of them tossed their packs in the back seat and climbed back in. "Parents know you're at my place tonight?" "Left a note," Sara said and shrugged. "They were busy fucking. Not in the mood for dealing with them like that." I mm'ed and nodded, then started the car, pulled onto the street, and headed to my place. Another trip in silence, and it wasn't until we were gathered on the front porch that anything was said. "Let's give her the pictures," Sara said, arms crossed and head down. "Pictures?" from Kim. I paused in unlocking the front door and looked at her. "You think that would be good?" I asked, and Sara just nodded. "What pictures?" Kim asked again. "What are you planning?" "They're for your birthday," Sara said. "From me and Mike." "What are they? They're nothing bad, are they?" "That would depend on what you mean by bad," I said, growling at the lock on the door for not working. "What do you mean?" Kim asked while I held my keys up in the light and peered at them. "Fucking wrong key," I muttered, sorting through them and picking out the right one. "You'll see, hon," Sara answered as I finally got the door open. We headed down to my room, and they settled on the bed, Kim digging through her pack and pulling out clothes, while I extricated the folios with the pictures of Sara. Kim furrowed her brow at them. "Still lifes?" she said, skeptical. "What the fuck? I don't want any fucking still lifes. They're fucking boring." "Wait until you see them," Sara and I said at the same time as I handed the folios over to Kim. I dropped into my computer chair. "I labeled them that to keep people I didn't want seeing them from digging through them." "Why?" she asked, unwinding the catch and folding open the case. She pulled out the first of the pictures and blinked at it, uttering a surprised, "Oh." I leaned over to see what one of the pictures it was and saw it was the first of the series. I turned my attention to Kim and saw she was transfixed. That or dazed. Or both. I'd never seen the look she was wearing right then, so I wasn't exactly sure what it was. She licked her lips and pursed them, then slowly set the picture aside before pulling out the next, staring at that one for even longer. "I've never really looked at these," Sara said quietly from behind Kim's shoulder. "I never realized how good you really are." She looked at me. "Is that really how I looked?" "Yeah..." Kim said, and then started to cry. "I... Fuck... God, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were doing this for me." "Hey," Sara said gently, wrapping her arms around her sister and pulling her close. "I've never forgotten you, hon. You're always on my mind and in my heart, sis. I do love you." "But why? Why the pictures?" "Because I knew you would treasure them, and it might make it easier for you to accept my relationship with Mike, knowing he's willing to do something like that for you." She gently wiped away Kim's tears before kissing her eyes, and then gave a small laugh. "That and I thought you could use some good masturbation material." That got a wan smile out of Kim, and she settled back in Sara's embrace, pulling out more pictures. We didn't say anything, and I just watched them. Kim set them aside after she'd gone through about half of them, turning to face her sister and driving her back into the bed with a violent shove. She followed, lunging forward and catching Sara in a hard kiss as she twined her legs through hers. Sara, apparently, was used to Kim doing such things and reacted well enough to avoid getting hurt, then slid a hand between them and down Kim's pants as Kim started grinding against her leg. Kim made a satisfied, desperate growl, muffled in her sister's mouth, and pressed more firmly against Sara's hand. She broke away a few seconds later and dropped down, burying her face against Sara's shoulder and starting to squirm. "Harder..." she panted, rocking against Sara's fingers, followed by a, "Yes..." and another growl. Sara hissed a few seconds later, Kim tightening her grip on her and crying out against her shoulder. She shook and whimpered as she came, then slowly released Sara, jerking her hips back and away from Sara's manipulating fingers. ========== CHAPTER 14 ========== "Ok!" she cried. "Stop! Sensitive! Jesus! Fuck!" Sara did, but with a laugh and a grin, and Kim settled against her again as she withdrew her hand. "God, I needed that. Thank you." "You feeling better now?" Sara asked, running her fingers through Kim's hair. Kim just made a yes sound. "Still not happy with Mr. Man, though." Sara furrowed her brow and turned her head more toward Kim. "Why?" "Because he raped you, damnit!" She lifted up onto her elbows and looked down at Sara as Sara said, "Oh. Yeah." "Can I interrupt before you get too mad about it again?" I asked. Kim half-turned to look at me. "Only if you're going to make up for it." "That's why I want to interrupt." I got to my feet, rubbing my face to try to stay awake while I drew in a deep breath. I dropped my hands and looked at Kim. "Let her up." Sara gave me a quizzical look as Kim climbed off her, then moved off the bed and stood. I pulled her over with me to stand in front of my closet, then took her hands and placed them over her eyes, glancing at Kim as I did. She was watching intently, like a cat stalking a mouse, but I wasn't worried about her just then. "Don't look until I say," I said to Sara, who nodded. I moved around her to open my closet door, pulling out the dress I'd gotten for her earlier. I hung it from the top of the door, then stepped behind Sara again, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her hands from over her eyes. I gently kissed the side of her neck, noticing the bite mark Kim had just left, and looked at her over her shoulder. "You can look now," I said softly. She opened her eyes and caught her breath, her grip on my hands tightening briefly. "Oh my god..." she breathed, extricating her hands from mine and reaching for the dress. "That's gorgeous..." She took it down and gingerly held it against herself. "God... Mike... God..." "Put it on," from Kim, apparently satisfied with Sara's reaction and how I'd done. "Put it on and let us see how you look." "Will it-?" Sara started to ask, looking for the measurements, then blushed and laughed. "God. It will." She turned to look at me, a bemused smile on her face. "Do I want to know how long it took you to memorize my size and measurements?" "About the first time you told me," I answered, and laughed. "Hey," Kim said, and threw a pillow at me. "That's time. None of that." I turned to her and stuck my tongue out at her. She did the same. "I just watched Sara get you off and knowing how fast I memorized her measurements is too much information?" "Yes." "Why?" "Because it is. It's not the same." "How? I would think you and her getting it on would be a little more private than me knowing her measurements." "Stop it," Sara said, annoyed. "Please. Don't argue. It's not important. I don't want you two fighting, especially not over me." She looked at each of us in turn. "Ok?" We both nodded, and she gave us each a kiss. "Ok. I'm going to go change. I'll be back in a minute." She stripped off her shoes and socks before leaving, and Kim and I sat in silence while we waited. Not that we waited long. Sara came padding back into the room about a minute later, closing the door quietly behind her. Kim and I just stared, Kim with her hands over her mouth. Sara smiled, self-conscious, then dropped her clothes on the floor and spun slowly, her arms out. "God damn..." Kim whispered. "Fucking christ. I didn't think you could be prettier just changing into a dress, but damn... You are gorgeous, sis. Like, drop dead. Shit. I guess Mr. Man does know what looks good on you." Sara blushed, looking at the floor in front of us as she just stood there, arms slightly spread. I made a quick spin in my chair and reached behind a stack of books on my desk, retrieving the glass angel, then spun back and dropped to the floor on my knees. I hobbled over to Sara, holding the angel so it was covered and she couldn't see it. I looked up at her once I was in front of her. "You look like you're going to propose, Mr. Man." "Hush, Kim," I said, not bothering to look at her. "Sorry." I just looked at Sara for a minute, feeling awkward now, now that Kim had pointed out what this looked like. I shifted my gaze to her feet for a moment, and that helped, so I turned my eyes back up to her. "Can you forgive me for what I did, Sara? Can you forgive me for hurting you so badly? For hurting your trust and what we have? I feel... I don't feel like I deserve you anymore, after what I did, but I love you terribly, and I don't want to lose you. Can you forgive me?" "Oh, Mike..." Tears fell from her eyes, one falling on my hands, and she crumpled to her knees in front of me. "Yes. God, yes." She pulled me forward and wrapped her arms around my neck, giving me an awkward hug, and then pulled back again, wiping at her eyes. "Just please listen when I say stop, ok? I can't be hurt like that again, and I don't want to lose you, either." "I can promise that. On my heart, I promise." Sara smiled and leaned in again, and I returned her hug this time, careful not to drop the angel. I gently kissed the side of her neck, and we just held each other for a time. Kim, surprisingly, wasn't saying anything impulsive, which was unexpected. "So what is it you're hiding?" Sara asked, pulling back. I put my hand over the angel again as she dropped her gaze to look. "Something else I picked up for you today." I extended my hands and uncovered the angel. "It's what you mean to me." "Oh god..." She lightly took the glasswork and turned it around as she studied it, even more gentle with it than Kim had been earlier. "Can I ask something?" "Anything." Something had just occurred to me. I just wasn't sure how to really articulate it, and I didn't want to sound stupid or have it come out wrong, so I had to stop and think for a minute. "I want... I want this, the angel, to represent us, my love for you, and if I ever do anything that hurts you, I want you to look at it, or think about it, so you can know I love you and didn't hurt you intentionally." She pulled me forward and hugged me tight, burying her face against my neck, fresh tears wetting my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her and returned the hug. "Yes. God, yes. I promise you I'll do that." She pulled back and gave me a hard, passionate kiss. "I promise." "Go Mr. Man," Kim said from the bed, the smile in her voice unmistakable. To be continued? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This story was written as an adult fantasy. The author does not condone the described behavior in real life. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Kristen's collection - Directory 41