Liabilities (10 page)

Everyone nodded in agreement. Violet giggled and, even though I hadn’t been around, I thought she looked happier than she must have in months. My getting into trouble might just be worth all the hassle.

I brushed my fingers along the brick façade before I turned the corner to the front of the building. My car was still the lone one in the tiny lot of four slots.

After I retrieved my keys, I made an executive decision and got clothes from my trunk. In the security building bathroom, I changed. Doug was on duty today and didn’t say much. When I stepped out wearing form fitting jeans and a deep V top, Doug gave me an ardent smile. I skipped out the door not wanting him to make a comment.

When I met up with the others, Mike gave me a lingering look over. It started to make sense why women in the community had been given the shapeless floor length dresses we wore.

“I think only one of us goes in to buy anything.” I looked over at Turner for his approval. He nodded, but had a funny expression that I couldn’t read on his face.  Alone, I pulled the car back and into the shadows, away from the front of the building and its windows.

Once I stopped, my cohorts got in. Doug had already opened the gate, and I made for it without hesitation. If he was watching the camera, he would see the four heads in the car because of the security lamps that flashed outwards from the building. However, I hoped he wasn’t paying that much attention.

I made a left on at the dead-end, private road to head out to the main one. I turned on the music to avoid any awkward conversation, but it didn’t stop Mike.

“Hey Turner,” Mike called out from the backseat speaking loud enough to be heard over the music.

Dumbly, I turned it down some, not all the way because I couldn’t be sure what would come out of his mouth.

Turner swiveled in the front passenger seat to look back at Mike.

“You’re a lucky guy,” Mike announced.

I knew Turner well enough that with his pause, thus confusion, his forehead crinkled. “Why is that?” Turner asked, voice leery of Mike’s response.

“Bailey has a rack on her.”

Death by car accident, I thought. I wanted to pull the car over and wrap my fingers around Mike’s neck. Why the hell would he say something like that in front of my sister?

Quickly, I reached a hand out to silence the music. I had much to say on this subject. The vinyl seats rubbed under Turner’s hand. He apparently was gripping the seat hard enough to make the thing groan in protest.

“Yeah, she was the only one of us so far to be so lucky,” Violet said, not sounding pissed in the least.

Tuner faced forward. His profile suggested he was just as surprised by my sister’s causal statement as I was. Still looking out the window, he said, “It’s not really about what you have.”

“Oh, I know that,” Violet began. “Mary is the one who hates Bailey the most for that. She’s barely got in a B cup. I’m a B and so is Mother. I figure Bailey got it from Father’s side of the family like her red hair.”

“Baby, you may not have the tits, but your ass is better than hers.”

Unable to hold my tongue any longer I said, “Enough with the T&A talk, please.”

Mike however wasn’t listening even though the car had been silent except for my words.

“I love the way your hips feel when you’re riding me.”

“Oh my god,” I said. “I really didn’t need to know that.”

Violet giggled. Turner was grinning. I turned the music back up. By the time we made it to the gas station that had a mini mart attached, I practically jumped out of the car. Turner opened the door, but I shooed him to stay in. His clothing was too conspicuous.

Mike had given me his drink request when we were pulling out. It wasn’t hard to forget Bud Light. He also requested Jack Daniels, but I didn’t think this place sold liquor.

The bell chimed on my entrance, and I zoned in on the back wall with the inlay clear refrigerator doors that held drinks of all kind including soda and water. I scanned them as I walked by until I found the one filled with cases of beer. I pulled out a six pack of Bud, the twelve pack was cheaper by the bottle, but I didn’t want Mike to have so much access to booze.

Two doors down, I found something for Violet and me to drink. The selection wasn’t full of choices so I picked two bottles of decent looking wine and walked up to the counter, where the TV was showing a program.

The narrator droned on: “
As you can tell from that last picture, it’s not surprising Glenn is the talk of the celebrity gossip. With headlines of possible embezzlement, we all wonder what Kinsey St. Clair, socialite and billion dollar heiress to her father’s dynasty, was doing on Glenn’s arm. Is it merger talks, a takeover or maybe just two beautiful people on a night on the town? Stay with us folks, our team is going to keep you posted with the latest.”

The logo of a popular gossip TV and magazine company popped up just before commercial. They hadn’t shown any other pictures. But from the glimpse I’d caught, I knew that man... Had he already moved on?

“Miss,” the clerk inquired.

I followed his finger to the total on the register. I reached into my wallet that I’d held in my hand and pulled out a credit card before stopping myself. For some reason, I thought about how I could be tracked by purchases. I didn’t think I was in any danger, the police hadn’t suggested that. Still, I handed the clerk cash and waited for my change.

My memory fogged on the ride home. My head was still messed up when I walked back in the security station to change. The tightness in my chest making it hard to breathe wasn’t familiar. I was still standing, half dressed, in the bathroom when Turner came in. So much for Doug not knowing that I’d taken others with me.

“What’s wrong? You’ve barely spoken a word since you walked in to the gas station. Did you see something? Did something happen about the case? I saw the TV in there.”

“No,” I whispered. Standing in my bra and jeans, I felt dazed. “I’ll be fine.”

He took that as an invitation. His lips melted onto mine. I grabbed onto something real, and I kissed him back. I tugged at his neck and reached for his pants.

“Whoa,” he said stilling my wrist. “Not in here. Doug will no doubt figure out what we are up to, and it will be all over town before morning.”

He was right, so I stepped back and finished getting dressed while Turner watched. After putting my change of clothes in my trunk, I went back in to give my car keys back to Doug. I realized for a second that my car rental was a waste of money. I should return it and call for a cab when I was ready to leave.

Turner’s gently tugged on my hand while I stood there in thought. I didn’t have to decide tonight. I would worry about that in the morning when I figured out what my short term plans were.

“Where’s Vi and Mike?” I asked.

Turner still guiding me down the road answered, “They went ahead.”

He wasn’t carrying the bags, so I assumed they had them.

“We don’t have to stay long,” Turner said. “We’ll have a few drinks and play some cards, and then I’ll take you back to my place.”

I nodded knowing what would happen there. And why not? Kalen had moved on. Turner was here.

We made it back to Violet’s house and soon my despair was gone along with one of the two bottles of wine. Mike turned out to be kind of funny. It was possible we had him all wrong. He wasn’t such a bad guy. Maybe he’d just had a couple of bad days.

Violet was doing a happy dance. She had won the last hand. “Drink up guys,” she announced after she finished her twirl with hands waving in the air.
     We didn’t have liquor, so the guys were doing beer shots, and Vi and I were doing wine shots. The wine was really sweet, and I found I didn’t mind at all drinking it. The second bottle of wine was half empty. Violet was so cute drunk. She probably hadn’t been drunk a day in her life.

“Let’s play truth or dare,” Violet said. Without any of us agreeing, she said to her husband, “I dare you to kiss my sister. And Turner I dare you to kiss me.”

“Oh, I think I like drunk Vi,” Mike agreed.

I licked my lips. Mike was quite handsome. I was curious about why she stayed with him if he really was the asshole he pretended to be. I headed over to him thinking it was a good idea for me to find out just what made him special.

Arms snaked around my waist. “Oh no you don’t. I think you’ve had enough.”

“Don’t be such a kill joy, Turner,” Mike said. “My wife is pretty good in the sack. I think you’d like her.”

Turner scooped me up, and I automatically wrapped my legs around his waist. “Sorry man,” he said. “I don’t share.”

“That’s too bad,” Violet whined. “And here I hoped to find out if all what Beth said was true.”

My vision, which had been muddled, cleared up a bit. I stared into those brown eyes of his. “You slept with Beth.” My stomach knotted at the thought.

“I’m not going to talk about this right now. I need to get you home.”

“Was she better than me?” My voice sounded like a small child in need of approval. It was like having an out-of-body experience. I could see the train wreck coming but I couldn’t stop it.

Turner pulled me close because I’d untangled my legs and had gotten to my feet. “No one’s better than you,” he said softly.

“Man, you’re killing me,” Mike said. “Now I really want to know what Red’s like in the sack. Beth’s pretty agile.”

I headed to the tiny bedroom on the right. “I swear I can do better. I was just a kid then. Make love to me, Turner.” It didn’t seem to matter that I’d said it in hearing distance of my sister and her husband who continued to eye me hungrily.

I planted my feet just inside the door waiting to see if he’d come. He looked conflicted, but he stepped forward until he was in the room and closed the door with his left hand. He leaned back on the wood. “I don’t think we should do anything. You’re drunk and the last thing I want in the world is for you to regret anything we do tonight.”

Tiny steps, one by one, and I stood in front of him. I heard my sister laughing followed by a door closing. They’d obviously decided to get down to business. I pressed my lips to his and snaked out my tongue urging him to let me in. He sighed and his lips parted. I delved in like a deep sea diver searching for hidden treasure. His hand pressed against the small of my back pushing me into his excitement.

Suddenly, I had this urge to taste him. I sank to my knees like gravity reeled me in. I pulled at the ties of his trousers and opened the flap to find he went commando. Holy hell, he was already nearly hard. I wrapped my lips around him like his name was blow pop. I sucked it like there was no tomorrow until his length grew in strength and size.

“Fuck, Bailey, don’t stop,” he cried out fisting his hands in my hair. I looked up and his eyes were closed. I’d show him what skills I had. I took him all the way down until my gag reflex kicked in. And if I hadn’t been drunk that wouldn’t have been a problem.

My stomach lurched, and I stumbled to my feet. Turner’s eye popped wide, and I reached for the door he was still leaned on. My stomach must have made a sound or it was my hand that covered my mouth while the rest of me turned a sickly green that clued him in. He stepped forward, and I yanked the door open. I don’t think I could have moved that fast if the idea of cleaning my sister’s floor hadn’t pushed my loopy legs out the back door.

The projectile of my vomit didn’t clear the stairs. I was still retching when Turner’s palm rubbed at my back.  I eliminated everything in my body including my stomach. Surely it came up with the rest. I coughed and gagged some more before everything finally subsided.

“I can’t say I’m upset this was the cause for you stopping.”

I just looked at him while he spoke on.

“For a second I thought maybe it was me and you just didn’t want to, you know.”

He laughed and I found myself with a half grin, half sour look. He held my face in his tender hands and kissed my forehead. “I’ll go get the bucket.” He handed me a towel from out of nowhere. “I would have kissed you, but you still have a bit there in the corner of your mouth.”

He smiled, but I was mortified. I swiped at my face and looked at my hand in the moonlight. The smell of whatever it was hit my nose, and I began dry heaving.

When he came back, the bucket was full. He took the towel still in my hand and dipped a clean corner in before handing the rag back to me. I wiped at my mouth while he dosed the stairs with water and went for more. I stood a distance away, wanting to help but afraid my stomach would roll in anger.

When the stairs were free from all that I’d puked, we headed back inside. He closed the door and stepped to me, taking his time to undress me. This was the moment I longed for indoor plumbing.

Turner stood gazing at me, waiting on my cues to tell him what I needed. The way he took care of me warmed my heart and never before had I wanted to kiss him so much. But I hadn’t rinsed my mouth very well. I didn’t have toothpaste, and the bucket was contaminated with who knew what.

I’d used the pump to bend down and take water in my mouth from it like it was a water fountain. I hadn’t swallowed any of it. Poor Turner had to come over to pump the thing. And I didn’t have the heart to ask him to do it longer when he’d stopped. He’d done so much already.