Chapter Nine
"Are they always this loud?" Sandy asked. She was smiling as she slowly shook her head.
"Well, it has been two weeks," I replied with a shrug. I was still standing, even after ten minute of being in the same room with her.
"Is that Lillith yelling?" she asked. I smiled and moved to a chair. I couldn't make myself sit on the same couch as her.
"I don't think so," I replied. I wanted to touch Sandy so badly that I ached, but the whole situation was so surreal that I was afraid she would vanish if I tried. "My guess is that Katia is trying to fit Tyler's dick."
"That's not possible," Sandy said, looking off into the distance. I was certain she knew from personal experience. I didn't want to think about it.
"Not for a human," I agreed. I had so much to say, but didn't know where to begin. We were alone for the first time since the brief encounter at the reunion.
"Why don't we take a walk?" Sandy said.
I nodded and stood. We left the apartment and wandered around the complex. It was early October and the weather was unseasonably warm. Sandy took my hand as we passed through a nearby park. I could feel my pulse beat faster.
"So, aren't you going to ask?" Sandy inquired with a slightly raised eyebrow. I took a deep breath.
"I'm not sure I want to know."
"I'm sure you don't," Sandy replied. "But I've come all this way to tell you what happening at Shelly insistence. It's not like I can go back without telling you."
"So Shelly knows you're here?" I asked. I knew it was a stupid question as soon as the words left my mouth. Shelly always knew where Sandy was. Sandy didn't even bother to do much more than nod. I sighed and asked, "So, what's the news?"
"Shelly's career is really taking off. They've extended her tour," Sandy said with a sad smile. I shook my head.
"So, she's not coming back for Halloween?" I asked, sounding little better than I felt.
"No," Sandy replied. "She sent me to thank you for getting 'Ted' to stop interfering."
"You're kidding?" I asked in surprise.
"No," she replied with a shake of her head. "I was surprised myself."
"So, what do you think she's up to? Why did Shelly really send you with Tyler?"
"I'm not sure," Sandy answered with a frown. "Shelly wasn't very clear. She sent me here, told me to thank you, keep an eye on Tyler and have some fun."
"Have some fun?" I asked in amazement.
"Those were her exact words."
"Wow," I said. "Either stardom has mellowed Shelly's considerably or she's planning something big."
"It very well could be the former. You should see her! Shelly's loving her new star status," Sandy said, and then laughing added, "She barely has time to see me or Tyler, much less spend any real time with us. I was actually starting to get lonely!"
"So, did Shelly give you any limitations on what you can do while you're here?" I asked. Sandy raised an eyebrow. She knew exactly what I was thinking.
"Don't you have a succubus to deal with your needs?" she asked pointedly, but didn't really look upset.
"My sexual need, yes," I replied with a shrug. "But it's been a long time since I made love to a woman."
"Does that line usually work?" she teased. I pulled her to me and kissed her. It was electric. I felt whole for the first time in a long time. Her soft curves drew me to her and her imperfect smile made me grin. I really did love everything about Sandy.
"You tell me," I joked once we finally broke from the kiss.
"Let's go to my place," she answered. I could see a need in her eyes that mirrored my own. Sandy led me to her car and broke quite a few traffic regulations on the way to the house she shared with Shelly and Tyler. We had the house to ourselves. Tyler would be busy with Katia and Lillith for the rest of the night and Shelly was an ocean away.
"Nice place," I offered as we entered.
"Shut up and take off your clothes!" she snapped as she quickly shut the door and started stripping her own clothes.
"Are you always this bossy?" I asked, but I also started removing my clothes.
"Do you have any idea of how often I've fantasized about you over the years? Especially, the last four months?"
"No, tell me," I replied. She stopped undressing and looked at me carefully.
"You might not want to know," she replied softly. I tilted my head and watched her curiously. She sighed and started to explain, "Shelly really is a virgin. I don't know why she's never let anyone touch her, but she hasn't."
"Um, I thought the Devil said you two..." I began, but couldn't finish. I blushed. It was silly, but I couldn't help it.
"We did when we were younger," Sandy replied. She was also blushing, but that didn't stop her from continuing. "However, she's never touched me since the day she made her deal with Satan and she's never been with a man."
"Something to do with the deal?" I frowned.
"No, I don't think so," Sandy said, shaking her head. She sighed loudly and added, "But that's besides the point. My purpose in telling you all this is so that you understand. Shelly never touches me or anyone else for that matter, but she does use me."
"I know," I said quickly, trying to ease her discomfort at talking to me about this issue. "I was there in the coat check room at the reunion when Tommy Geskin and you were...well, you know."
"That was to try and get Shelly's career jump started. She always offered me to anybody who might remotely help her in that area, but I wasn't only talking about that," Sandy replied.
"What else?" I asked, desperate to know and frightened to find out.
"I helped support her while she worked at being a singer," Sandy said, obviously working her way up to something. She looked at me and sighing added, "Look, there is no easy way to say this. Shelly used me as a relatively high priced call girl to help pay the bills. I even danced at a club two towns over."
"That bitch!" I snapped. It was a ridiculous reaction, but I couldn't help it. Sandy was Shelly's slave. I understood that. I could even accept that she used Sandy to entice record executives. Yet, to me that was a lot different then using her as a prostitute.
I always thought that no matter how Shelly acted, she had to really care deeply for Sandy. After all, Sandy was a large part of the reason why Shelly took the Devil's deal. However, that didn't seem possible to me now.
"I can understand her giving you to a man to try and reach for her dream of stardom, but for money?" I said, getting angrier as I spoke.
"To Shelly, the money was something she needed to get to her goal. She didn't separate the two like you obviously do," Sandy said, sounding concerned, but not overly upset. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"You don't seem particularly bothered by the way she's used you," I finally said.
"I'm not," Sandy answered succinctly. "Oh, it bothers me a little if I think about it, but you have to remember that my whole life revolves around Shelly. Anything I do that helps her makes me feel better."
"So you enjoyed being a prostitute?" I asked in disbelief.
"No," she said with a pained smile. "I enjoyed being able to help Shelly."
"I'm confused," I said, rubbing my hand through my hair. "Did you or did you not enjoy having sex with all those men?"
"It wasn't only men," she said, stalling to gather her thoughts. I had a flash of her in the same bed as Lillith and maybe Katia. I really was a perverted son of a bitch!
"What does all this have to do with you fantasizing about me?" I asked.
"I'm getting to that," she smiled. She looked nervous as she shook her head and started to explain, "Look, I won't lie to you. I did enjoy the sex with some of the people I slept with, but not the majority. That doesn't mean doing it didn't make me feel good in a non-sexual way because my having sex with those stranger pleased Shelly and making her happy is my purpose in life."
"So if pleasing Shelly is you're life, then why are you here with me?" I asked.
"Because Shelly sent me," Sandy replied. The words hurt, but before I could say anything she continued, "And because I love you. I've always loved you. As long as that love doesn't interfere with Shelly happiness I can feel it and share it with you."
"That not what I want," I replied with a sigh. "I want the unconditional love two souls feel for each other when they're meant to be together." Sandy looked at me and smiled sadly. I though that somewhere deep down she wanted the same thing, but she couldn't say so because of Shelly's control.
"You know, I imagined that I was making love with you every time I was with someone. It helped me enjoy it more and allowed me to please Shelly," she said. I smiled sadly.
"That's what you meant about fantasizing about me."
"That's only part of it," she replied. "I also daydream about us. I have so many scenes of us being together in my head that I'm surprised there's room for anything else."
"What kind of scenes?" I asked.
"All kinds," she replied. "One of my favorites is of us decorating a Christmas tree."
"So, they're not all sexual," I joked, forcing a smile.
"Oh, I have those too," she teased back, and then smiling hopefully added, "I'm willing to show you some of them if you can accept the limitations my relationship with Shelly demands."
"I can do that," I replied with a grin, but I lost my smile as I added, "For the time being."
"That will have to do," she said, stepping into my embrace. We kissed again.
We stood there for as long as I could stand it, but in the end that was only a couple of minutes. I lifted Sandy into my arms carried her toward the bedrooms. Sandy laughed and pointed toward a door. We entered a bedroom with a full king sized bed. There was also a hot tub.
"Maybe later," Sandy giggled when she saw me looking at the tub. "I can't wait that long!"
