When he awoke the next day, Roxie had left, the stain on his sheets and a faint trace of her musk the only evidence she had been there. And, he noticed, when he pulled back the covers, several of her red hairs. The euphoria he had felt as they were making love came back to him. He was smiling in spite of his lack of sleep. Looking at the clock he saw he was going to cut it close. He rushed through his closet, pulling out a comfortable ensemble, picked a couple of extra-special pieces of underwear (Lyssa had included a special note to him when she sent them, suggesting he had inspired her design) and practically ran down the hall to the bathroom. It didn't occur to him, until he walked in, that he had slept in the nude, again, only last night he seemed to have been okay. When he rounded the corner into the doorway of the bathroom, he saw the usual assortment of hall-mates getting ready.
"Hey! Chester! How are you today?" It was Corrine, sitting at her vanity, arranging her hair. He stared at her, seeing her breasts and comparing them to Roxie's.
"Hi Chester. We missed you last night." June smiled at him knowingly. He blushed, thinking about how he had spent the evening and worried she might get jealous. She turned to face him, opening her legs to show her shaved pudenda, her lips a deeper shade of pink than the surrounding skin.
He nodded to everyone, mumbling a good morning and quickly hopped in the shower to get ready. Roxie's smell immediately hit his nose with the steam rising off his body. He grabbed the soap and scrubbed. He'd be so embarrassed if one of the other women smelled it on him.
"Oh, he was with me last night," he overheard Roxie telling the others. He couldn't make out much more, but his face was burning. "It was a big night for him." He thought he heard giggling, but he couldn't be certain.
Why was she doing that? It was a special night!
Before he could react any further, the curtain was pulled back and Corrine, June and Roxie were standing outside looking at him.
"Is that true, Chester? Did you and Roxie roll in the hay last night?"
He stared at Corrine, nodding his head slightly, unable to answer.
"And it was your first?" June looked curious.
He nodded again, his hands trying to wash the soap off his peter.
"Awww, I would have wanted to be his first. Damn, Roxie!" June slapped her on the ass playfully.
"Well, I'm sure there's always tonight, girls." Roxie turned back to her station, looking over her shoulder with a wicked grin. "I'm absolutely sure Chester will be up for it." She wagged her butt at them all and turned the corner.
"That's fantastic, Chester. I'm so happy for you. Remember what I said the other night, though. Any time. Really." June looked down at his groin and blew his penis a kiss before she turned to leave.
"So," Corrine narrowed her eyes. "It seems I'm being left out of the night-time fun and games. There's a few things I could show you...or perhaps there's something you'd like to show me?"
He had no idea what she was talking about, but nodded and smiled. He didn't want to be on anyone's bad side. The feeling he had waking up, the image of Roxie's face as she climaxed, he wanted all of that. The thought he might get it with June and Corrine started to make him hard.
"That's more like it," she said, smiling at his growing erection. "A little morning wood is all I ask for. Maybe tomorrow, eh?" And she walked away, leaving the curtain open. She stopped and turned around, grabbing something from his cubby. "I think you forgot to do this last night. It was quite a nice party -- too bad you didn't make it."
He took the depilatory from her and closed the curtain.
He had a spring in his step all day, even when he ran into Millard and John in the café and panicked.
Shit! I just fucked Roxie. Millard will kill me!
He tried to ignore them for as long as he could, hoping they'd just go away. As he was packing his things to go, Millard waved at him. He nodded and worked his way to the exit. As he looked back he saw Millard pointing his hand at him, shaped like a gun. He shivered and quickly made his way home.
"You got mail, Chester!"
He greeted Corrine as he made his way upstairs. "Yes? A letter or a package?"
"Letter. It was delivered today from the men's house. Looks like it must have arrived last Friday. I put it in your room." She waved to him from the bottom of the stairs.
He didn't think much of it. Likely from his father, or maybe one of his friends from school. It happened every once in a while, but as soon as he saw it on his bed, he froze.
Yvette.
He wanted to throw it out the window, burn it, open it and read it immediately, his emotions ran the full spectrum. He set his stuff down and looked at it from across the room.
A year ago, hell, a week ago, he would have been happy to see it. He enjoyed getting letters from Yvette, or so he thought. But with the memory of her tormenting him, of forcing him to be the way he was today, now raised feelings of dread.
What will she be asking me to do now?
As he thought back to every letter he'd received from her, he remembered her small favors.
He let it sit on the bed, trying to focus on his latest assignment, but it was impossible. After 15 minutes of distraction he gave in. Holding it as if it were a poisonous insect, he sliced through the end and removed the letter.
Dear Chester,
I hope this note continues to find you well and that you are focusing on your studies! We both know how important it is to stay focused and keep your eye on the prize, don't we.
For my part, I have been having a wonderful time on the Continent. We've been flying all over Europe from one fashion show to another as Lyssa peddles her line. It really is quite Baroque, actually . Kissing the right peoples' asses, deferring here, bowing there. Stupid really, but she is terribly serious about the whole venture, so I humor her. And it seems to have made a difference! We're coming to the States for a line.
And that's my big news! We'll be over there next week, preparing for our Stateside gigs. I am so looking forward to seeing you and hope you can break away from your studies long enough to spend a little time with your tired old sister.
He read further, taking in the details of her itinerary, and looked up at the calendar to confirm the date. She would be arriving this weekend! He set the note down and looked around the room, panic building in him. He didn't know what would happen, but the last person he wanted to see on the entire planet was his step-sister.
The house was quiet. It was his first Wednesday, his afternoon off from classes and he usually spent it in his room getting his work done. Since he had gotten ahead of classes, he turned his attention to the end of term paper due, something he hadn't spent nearly enough time on. Trying his best to put the rest of his life out of his mind, he began looking at possible topics.
"Pssst! Chester!" A harsh whisper from his door interrupted his concentration.
He looked over to see Catherine trying to get his attention, her head glancing over each shoulder furtively.
"Catherine? Come in!"
She looked again and quickly ducked into his room, closing the door behind her. He could see she was distressed, her face blotchy from crying, her eyes red-rimmed.
"Catherine! What's going on?" He stood up, concerned. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but he could tell she was about to start crying again.
"I saw you!" Her whisper practically a shout. "I saw you and Roxie!" It came out as a serpent's hiss. "Last night! In your bed! How could you??? How could you!!!"
He tried to reach out to her, to hold her shoulders, to somehow offer her comfort but she backed away.
"No! Don't touch me. You've ruined it! Millard will have your ass, just as he's had you take mine! There's no stopping him. And. I'll. Have. To. Tell. Them." She sat on the bed sobbing.
He froze trying to figure out what to do next. Watching her cry and remembering how wonderful he had felt earlier in the day, he fought off a growing depression.
Couldn't I just enjoy myself without feeling guilty?
"Catherine." He tried to get her attention. "Catherine!" He walked over to her, took her shoulders and gave her a small shake. "Snap out of it! Snap out of it! It's none of Millard's business! Roxie broke off with him months ago!"
She looked up at him, not registering what he was saying for several heartbeats until the words made it through her distress. "What? What?!"
He could see the beginnings of anger emerging. "She told me yesterday. 'He doesn't own me...' she said, and that's true for you as well. You don't owe Millard anything." He stopped to think for a moment. "Speaking of which, why do you let him punish you that way? What does he have on you?"
She shook her head, a new round of tears beginning to flow.
"What?" He sat down on the bed, his arm around her shoulders, his hand stroking her hair.
"Pictures," she sniffled. "He...took...pictures..." She tried to catch her breath. "of...me..." She lost it, crying again.
"Pictures of you...doing what?" Chester couldn't imagine what Catherine had been doing that could have been worse than what he had been doing to her the other night.
"Like...the...other night," she blurted out. "He knew..." She stopped to breathe, her lungs laboring between sobs.
"Hold on," he said, squeezing her. "Just catch your breath and relax." He kept stroking her, trying to calm her down.
After a minute, she turned to look at him, her face a portrait in misery. She tried again. "He knew...somehow, that I like it rough. That I'm saving my...virginity...for marriage. I don't know how he found out. Maybe I told him. I got drunk one night at a party. Anyway..." she sucked in air, "he tied me up, with that asshole John, and the next day he showed me pictures. He's threatened to put them on the net if I don't do as they say." The last sentence cascaded out all at once.
A thought occurred to him just as there was a knock at the door.
"Shit," he mumbled, looking at her panicked face. "It's okay. There's no crime in being in my room.
"Come in!"
"Chester, are you okay?" Roxie's red hair peaked through the doorway, concern on her face.
Catherine turned away, embarrassed.
"Roxie," he greeted her, wanting to get up and hug her but not wanting to let go of Catherine. He dropped his arms and stayed on the bed. "Come in. Please. And shut the door."
