âGet out of the bed lazy bones!â Erin shouted as she yanked the sheets from my body. As I lie there rubbing my eyes and squinting at the clock I could tell it wasnât even 7am yet. The â6â was pretty clear but the other numbers couldnât be read through my kaleidoscope eyes.
The morning coolness in the room was familiar. Like every other day of her life Erin had just returned from her morning run and, as usual, had left the door wide open, allowing the cool outside air to sprint in with her and nibble at my now exposed body. As my eyes focused to the room and the light, I could now read that the clock said 6:46am. Looking at Erin I could only wish for half the energy she had.
Acting out the rest of what had become a morning ritual for us I grumbled a bit as I grabbed the sheet and pulled it back over me, flipping quickly as I wrapped it back over me. On my stomach now, Erin, as usual, pounced onto my back and started with her chirpy, upbeat prattle. Over the time that we had been together I had learned to filter out her words (which were always about all the things she saw while running that morning) and use it as a chance to lie there and give my other senses a workout. The feeling of her warm, toned body.
The sight of her well-conditioned form. The unmistakable smell of blended fragrances and sweat. All of these things were the real pleasures I enjoyed as her 125 pounds straddled me and urged me from my warm bed.
âHow far did you go today?â I finally asked.
âThree miles,â she replied. âBut we took Lockerman Hill in record time.â She proudly added. Lockerman Hill was a killer hill with a steep grade. Athletes got a true litmus test when they ran its mile-long path.
âWe?â I asked, surprised that her new running partner would be able to tackle it so soon after beginning running with Erin.
âYeah,â Erin replied, âJim struggled a bit but he used to run before he moved here. Iâm whipping him back in shape pretty quickly!â She said the last part with a sexy impish grin on her face as she shadowboxed the open space in front of her.
Starting to get up from the bed, I sunk back down and relaxed as Erin began getting ready to shower by stripping her clothes off. In seconds, she was standing a few feet away from me, completely naked. Continuing her conversation with me, Erin continued talking without the slightest hint of self-consciousness. Truth be told, she had no reason to be. She has a stunning form; tall, lean, and toned, she exemplifies the ideal female form. Well-shaped muscles and tight skin cover her 24-year-old body from head to toe. With a flat stomach and firm perky breasts that seem to defy gravity, its hard to find a flaw in Erin at all. As she went to the bathroom I made my way up and into the kitchen. Closing the door Erin had left open, Erin started talking again from inside the shower.
âFreddie, do you want to go out to dinner tonight?â She asked.
âI guess so,â I replied as I made my way to the refrigerator. âWhy do you ask?"
"Well,â Erin said, âJimâs sister is in town and he is taking her out but he is kinda new to town too and he asked if we wanted to suggest a place to eat tonight. I thought it would be a good idea; we could help him out and you can meet him too."
"Sounds fine to me. Go ahead and pick a place. Iâll be sure to be home by five.â I said. After eating a quick breakfast and hitting the shower, I dressed and left for work.
When I returned home that evening Erin was almost ready to go out already. âHurry up and get ready hon,â she said as I entered the door, âI had to make reservations at
Gurracoâs
at seven in order to get a table."
"
Gurracoâs
?â I questioned in a surprised tone, âMy, My! We are certainly treating the visitors well, arenât we?"
"Just hurry up!â she said again as she pushed me towards the bathroom. I rushed to get ready and we made the trip across town with about ten minutes to spare. I could understand Erinâs urgency though.
Gurracoâs
was a very ritzy place to enjoy a meal and they didnât hold reservations very long for us commoners when we didnât show on time. Jim and his sister were in the lobby when we entered. The waitress escorted us to our table immediately and we introduced ourselves to one another as we walked towards the back of the restaurant.
After a quick handshake with Jim, he and Erin led the way with Jimâs sister and I falling in behind. We shook hands as we walked and she spoke first. âHi, Iâm Heather, but you can call me âCollateralâ.â She said with a humorous smile on her face.
âFreddie. Nice to meet you Heather.â I said, all the while thinking to myself, âDid she just say Collateral? What kind of name is that?â
After being seated and ordering appetizers the introductions proceeded further but Heather never mentioned her unusual nickname again. Jim had leaned over and whispered something to her as soon as they had sat down and I figured she was just cracking a private joke or I had heard her wrong.
The four of us chatted for a while, sharing some personal history with one another and Jim and Heather both seemed to be very nice people. Our dinner arrived and, as advertised, it was great. We ordered desserts and Erin excused herself, saying that she had seen an old friend and wanted to go say hello. Jim, Heather, and I continued talking and were getting along very well when Jimâs pager went off.
âYouâll have to excuse me for a minute. This must be fairly important or I wouldnât have been paged; Iâd better check it out.â He said as he was standing up.
âSo,â Heather said. âKinda like getting voted off the island, huh?â she said as she smiled.
âYeah!â I said with a real chuckle. During the evening I had come to appreciate Heatherâs youthful demeanor. She was about as old as Erin but during the evening had made use of some words and phrases that had led me to believe she had a younger circle of friends.
We continued talking and I completely lost track of the time until I glanced down at my watch and saw that Erin had been gone for nearly thirty minutes. Heather looked at her watch and then at me with a âWhat?â expression on her face. I began scanning the restaurant with no sight of Erin anywhere. I stood up to get a better view but Heather broke in by placing her hand on mine and pulling me back down to the table.
âUmm, Freddie?â She said without waiting for a reply. âI need to tell you something. Theyâre gone."
"What?! What do you mean, who?â I blurted out. âJim and Erin. Theyâre goneâŠtogether.â She said as she raised her eyebrow in a way that begged me to understand.
âWhat do you mean gone? And what do you mean together Heather? What the hell are you talking about?â I asked rapidly, all the while standing from the table and becoming angrier by the second as I was quickly assuming her answers. Again, Heather pulled me down and this time she left her hand on top of mine.
âOk, this is weird because I thought you knew but obviously you donât so let me try to explain.â She said. Realizing I was clueless but having a very good sense at what had just happened I sat there and asked her to go on. What she told me next was just unreal.
She said that Erin and Jim had become very attracted to one another and that they wanted to be with one another but never had. They had planned the eveningâs events and had asked Heather to go along with the idea. Heather had, at first, thought that I knew what was going on but Jim had told her when they arrived at the restaurant that they had not told me.
âI thought it was just a swapping, open relationship or something Freddie. I didnât know it was like this.â She told me at one point.
âAnd you were going to just go along with it if it was?â I asked her.
âYeah,â she replied with a smile, âIâm open to new ideas. Iâm not a prude.â
Although her candid and casual speech was lightening the mood, I was still furious and beleaguered.
âSo what do we do now?â I asked her.
âWell,â she said, âDo you remember when I introduced myself as âCollateralâ earlier this evening?"
"Yes,â I replied.
âWell, at the time I thought you knew all about this and I was trying to break the ice. Iâm the collateral.â She said.
âI donât understand.â I told her.