I stayed under the hot spray for nearly an hour, right up until the water started turning cold. I couldn't even bring myself to get pissed at Beverly again. I'd had the option of calling for help, of putting an end to the whole session, but I didn't.
Granted, at the time, the words "eagles everywhere" were about the furthest thing from my mind, but part of it was pride. It was sick and pathetic, but I would have rather been beaten and fucked up the ass than admit I couldn't handle something.
To put it another way, I was no quitter.
Still, now I was beyond exhausted and the bed still had piles of clothes and other stuff on it, and I hadn't even put a sheet on. The bed in the other room was a mess, and until it had fresh linens on it, I couldn't bring myself to sleep there.
I sighed and debated about making up the bed or sleeping in the armchair or even on the floor. None of those options seemed particularly appealing.
Then it came to me.
Lori.
I pulled on a loose pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt and slipped my feet into a pair of soft slippers. I turned off all the lights and locked up before I wandered out into the hall. I knocked on the door softly, hoping she wasn't asleep yet.
"Marri! I heard you moved in. I figured you'd be all curled up in your bed."
She was wearing that robe again. I was starting to wonder if she ever wore clothes outside of school.
"I didn't get everything put away. Half of my shit is still on the mattress."
"Come in."
I went into the room and followed her into the apartment.
"You look tired," she observed.
"I am."
"Who'd you have tonight?"
"Peter."
"Was it your first time with anal?"
"Yeah."
"I don't suppose he was at least gentle?"
"Hardly."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"I don't think so."
"You know," she said, "I had tonight off, so the bed is clean if you want to crash there."
"God, that would be great."
"Go on," she said. "I'll go get you a pillow."
I went back into the room and climbed into the bed. The sheets smelled fresh and I relaxed into them. She came out and put a pillow on the mattress.
"Thanks, Lori," I said, snuggling down into it. Unlike the sheets, the pillowcase had the scent of her shampoo and soap.
She eased herself onto the bed and sat on the edge. "I'm sorry Pete was so rough."
"It's not your fault."
"I know, but I still feel bad."
I closed my eyes, suddenly very sleepy. I felt her hand start to stroke my hair gently. I started to tense up, but I just couldn't. It felt too good to be touched so lovingly.
"Do you need anything else?"
"I don't think so."
"All right, then. I'll go to bed, too."
She put a gentle kiss on my forehead and started to get up. My eyes snapped open and I grabbed her arm impulsively.
"What's wrong?" she asked, easing back down.
"I don't know."
"Do you want me to stay?"
I nodded. I couldn't believe what I was doing, but I actually slid over to give her more room. She kicked off her slippers and got under the covers, still in her robe.
"Do you always sleep in your robe?" I asked, trying to ease the tension I felt.
She blushed, grinning. "Only when I'm naked underneath because I just got out of the tub when someone came knocking."
Now it was my turn to blush. A warning light was flashing in my mind, telling me to get up and go back to my own room, even if it meant sleeping on the floor, before things got out of hand.
"Do you still want me to stay?"
"Yeah," I breathed, mentally turning off the alarm. Maybe Della had been right all along. Maybe I was curious. I remembered watching the two of them on the bed and my urge to caress Della's ass. If I had stayed, would I have given in and seen where it all led?
I couldn't answer that question. But all I knew was that in the past seven nights, I'd slept with five different guys, three of whom tormented and humiliated me. I'd just been essentially ass-raped by a man who called me every filthy, nasty name in the book.
And here was Lori, so soft and gentle and wanting to take care of me.
She laid back, one arm under her head and the other flopped across her chest. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. I rolled onto my side and just stared at her.
After a few seconds, her eyes opened and she smiled at me. "What?"
"Nothing," I said. "Sorry."
"Don't be," she whispered and rolled to face me. We were only inches apart. My mouth went dry and she reached out and touched my face.
"Is this all right?" she asked.
I could only nod.