place? By Amazon? Yeah. Explains why you’re renting here. Probably can afford one of those mansions on Mercer Island, but feel it would make you look too pretentious,” Helene joked as she stretched. Felt those powerful legs as they tensed then released, her toes wiggling at the end.
“That’s the story you’ve written for me. Guess I’ll stick with it,” I stated, smiling. “How do you afford your place? Plasma donations at the blood bank?”
“Cute. Parents. My mom says I’m too irrepressible to stay under her roof, so I get my solitude and freedom on these desolate shores. You should meet them sometime.”
“Why? We’re getting married or something?” I joked.
“Depends. If you treat me right, maybe we can play house,” Helene said, teasing her short, dark hair. An awkward hush fell over us. “Can you treat me right, Brandon?” she asked, no longer just fucking with me. Now it was about fucking me.
I wasn’t sure what I was about to say ... or do, but a buzzing sound interrupted us. Both of us looked around before I realized it was my personal phone. Had left it next to the TV.
“Um ... I need to get that,” I uttered. Ass could wait. Especially ass that might complicate things for me. I was up here to avoid complications. Still, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t down for a good fuck.
Helene pouted, biting her bottom lip rather than saying whatever had popped into her head. Then she relented, moving her legs aside in a slow, deliberate, sweeping arc. Gave me a chance to reconsider whether that call was really that important. I deliberated, letting my fingers linger as her knee slid out from under them, then got up.
On my phone, I had a single text message:
Where the fuck is my car, nigga? I know u took it. Will cut off ur balls ... after I fuck u.
I chuckled, realizing it was from Sophia. Had left her car safely in Vancouver, just across the border from Oregon. But before I could respond, Helene grabbed my phone away from me.
“Let’s see what ... or who has you smiling like that,” she said, backing away from my outstretched hand. At first she giggled, her eyes going between my phone and me. Then her brow furrowed.
“What?” I asked, still smiling. Message was harmless enough.
“Oh my God,” she said as she slowly handed my phone back to me. “I didn’t realize you were ...”
I waited for her to complete whatever her thought was. Seeing someone? Involved? A ho?
“Gay,” she said as she completed her thought.
Gay? That wasn’t one of the phrases I’d guessed. What the fuck?
Then as I brought my eyes back to the phone, I figured it out. Of course, for safety and security, I didn’t have the number stored under Sophia’s name. It was under Albert, a dude’s name.
“I feel so, so foolish,” Helene said, covering her mouth before I could clear things up. Looked as if she wanted to go crawl under a rock and never ever see the light of day again. “The little dog. The industry you’re in. Hell, even this place. I shoulda known,” she grunted, throwing her hands up.
“It ... it’s okay. I wanted to tell you, but didn’t know how to,” I lied, feeling the last traces of my hard-on fading away. Wouldn’t be getting any ass from her now, but also wouldn’t be having her pry much either.
Concessions.
“Um ... I need to go. Yeah,” my friend and neighbor mumbled to herself as she shuffled by. Dazed and dejected.
And then I was left alone.
Helene promised she’d return, but ...
She felt she’d made a fool of herself. And I let her live with that feeling.
I walked over to my telescope. Repositioned it for something a lot closer.
Watched Helene as she walked along the beach ... alone.
I’d never used the telescope to watch someone fucking.
Only to watch someone I’d fucked with.
13
My phone rang.
Right on the day he said he’d call. And at the time he said he’d call.
This was really going down.
“Hello,” I answered, seeing the call was
Yenthu Wentz
Aneesa Price
Suzanne Weyn
Mary Marks
Craig Johnson
Patrice Michelle
Kate McMullan
Sherryl Woods
Steven Savile
Hallie Swanson