The Sunshine Project

Chapter 35

Beck

She's perfect. I can't take my eyes off of her. She sits on this damn blanket beneath the trees in the courtyard like she's the queen of the fucking universe.

Allie is finally starting to get the point. She plunges her fork into her salad bowl--packed it herself even. I am starting to rub off on her, and fuck do I want to rub off on her. Those knee-high socks with the short skirt and combat boots make me so horny. I want to do bad things to her.

"So we could have a walk when we're done here." Or I could spread you out on this blanket and let you rest a while. I don't mind having dessert. Or maybe you'll have me for dessert. Those pigtails would make good handles.

"Nah, these aren't really walking boots." Allie seems aloof today, like something is bothering her emotionally. She eats her salad awkwardly, but really who can eat a salad elegantly? Hunks of lettuce smeared in dressing that are too large to fit in your mouth without getting said dressing all over your face... It gives me the perfect opportunity to touch her. I dab her cheek with my napkin.

"Well, I have something I think may be fun." Planned it just for you, Allie Bug. I want to see what you think because it's all I've been thinking of for days now. I put my soiled napkin into the plastic sack it came in along with the wax paper from my chicken wrap. She chews a bite of food, and I'm proud of her for not responding with her mouth full.

When she swallows she says, "What's that?" For a Friday afternoon, you'd think she'd be happier. It's the weekend. We'll clock out in a few hours and have all the time in the world to hang out. I'm so close to convincing her to stay at my place all weekend. I asked her this morning, and she said she'd think about it. The only drawback is a delay in obtaining my proof.

"Well..." I turn and grab my handbag. I've been particularly excited about this since yesterday morning when I made a pitstop by Target to buy it. I reach into the bag and pull the Barbie out. She's already stripped of clothing and reminds me of Allie. I bought one with pigtails to resemble her, and when I hold it up and grin, she gives me a confused look.

She chuckles and says, "What's that for?"

"I thought you were so cute when you were small, I wanted to try something with you." I don't feel like I need to explain myself one bit. She looks at the doll and then my face, and her cheeks glow with a pink tint. Even her lips flush dark red, which probably matches the color of her pretty pussy hidden beneath the frills of that black goth skirt she's wearing. "So?"

"We're at work, Beck," she says, looking around. "Someone will see us."

I scoot closer to her and smirk as she sets her almost-empty salad bowl to the side. "Please? Just a little tease..." I lay the doll between her knees and scoot closer still. There is no rule against public displays of affection here, but I can see how she would feel uncomfortable doing more than a bit of kissing and hugging.

"Why a doll though?" she asks, biting her lip. It's arousing her. I can see it in her eyes. She's thought of this too, of having a tiny shrunken girl to use as a toy. Maybe she wants to use the ray gun on me.

Is that what you want, Allie Bug? You want to be bad with me? "The thought of your tiny body inside me while I fuck myself just arouses me. Is that okay?" I lean closer still and she wipes the salad dressing from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. When I press my lips against hers, she kisses me, but it's stiff and cold.

I part my lips and search hers with my tongue. Allie rests a hand on my shoulder. It's breezy out here and her pigtail blows around, brushing my cheek. She jumps and gasps as I push the doll's feet up her skirt. "Beck, no..."

I sigh when she stands abruptly and gathers her things. She's nice enough to pick up our trash and carry it to the trash can next to a nearby bench. I stand too and put the doll back in my bag and pick up the blanket. It wasn't what I hoped for, but it's not like I thought we were going to fuck right there on the lawn. I mostly wanted to confirm my suspicion that Allie is as big of a fan of the idea as I've recently become--thanks to her tiny little body turning me on. I can't believe they call it unbirthing. Had to look it up just to find out.

"Sorry, it's just--"

"Come to my place after work." I grab her hand and force her fingers apart. She again resists me for a moment before letting my fingers fold between hers. "We can have all weekend to lock ourselves away from the world." We walk toward the building, and I'm a little frustrated, but I know now that she can be coaxed at least. Can't you, Allie Bug. I'll get that shrink ray and make you my real bug... Tiny and sexually pleasing.

"I can't. Jess needs me to help her with her horse again this weekend. We sort of do it every Saturday." Allie opens the door and holds it open for me to go through, which forces me to relinquish her hand.

"What else do you and Jess do every Saturday?" I snap at her; I can't help it. Jess needs to take a flying leap off a jetliner--without a fucking parachute. I hate you, Jess. And I'm going to find a way to get you out of Allie's head for good.

"Hey, Jess is my best friend. Okay?" Allie's furrowed brow infuriates me. How can she defend that bitch who shrank her and kept her a prisoner for a week? "You need to respect that."

"I can't respect a woman who is moving in on my girlfriend." I glare at her, then instantly realize what I'm doing. I can't be mad at her, or she will just go crying to Jess. "I'm sorry." The words stick on my tongue. I hate saying them. I'm not sorry, I'm angry she isn't doing what I want. I take a deep breath and push the elevator call button.

"You can come over for girls' night on Sunday. I already told Jess. Okay?"

I take her hand again and when the doors of the elevator open, we walk in. Before we're even moving, I pull the stop button and turn to her. "I'm sorry, Allie Bug. I didn't mean to snap at you. I really wanted to have a special lunch, and you were right. That was a public place and inappropriate. I should have listened to you, but fuck, you turn me on so much I just want you."

I lean in and kiss her again, and this time she's a bit more fluid with her kiss. She even rests a hand on my hip and squeezes. It's more inviting than before, but not what I crave. When she pulls away she whispers, "Girls' night..."

"But... I want to put this doll in your pussy... Pretend I've shrunken you." I kiss her again, hungrily. I back her against the wall, and she whimpers as I lift the hem of her skirt and rub across the front of her panties. I'd have thought she'd be soaked like me, but she's dry as a bone. Don't I turn you on, Allie Bug? Or are you just too afraid to let your feelings out since we're at work?

"Beck, please..."

Yes, beg me now. Beg me to fuck you with this toy.

"Beck--"

Her tone is curt. I pull away and she straightens her skirt. "Not at work, okay?"

Allie pushes the emergency stop button and the carriage rises to our floor, but when she leaves without a word, I remain. My body is so tense if I don't get release, I'm going to scream. I won't be able to focus at work. I know she'd have fucked me so hard if we had privacy, so I'm not discouraged by her rejection. It's just the wrong place, wrong time.

I stand there so long the doors slide shut again. A thought swirls in my mind tormenting me. My pussy aches; my body craves her. I can't sit in this office interacting with her and hearing her voice all day and not get so sexually frustrated I bend her over the front of my car as soon as it's quitting time. I pull the e-stop button and lean against the elevator wall. I have to do this.

I don't even think twice. My pants are undone and around my knees in seconds, the doll in hand. Oh fuck, Allie Bug, I need you in me. "Be a good little girl now..." I whisper as I slide the doll's feet into my pussy and push upward until she's sunken to her hips. It's fantastic, the way her rubbery skin glides across my lips. I touch myself, massaging and thrusting, clenching.

God... Allie, I'm going to do this with you. Shrink your body so small you fit in my pussy and fuck myself with you. You'll beg for it. You will enjoy it and I'll get you off with my finger. Shit, Allie Bug, I'll keep you this way forever.

The thought of that sends me over the edge. I convulse and jerk until my arms are tired and I know someone will suspect the elevator is broken. I slide the doll out, lick it clean, then drop it in my bag as I pull my pants back up and button them. Before I push the button I make sure my shirt is straight and my hair isn't messed up, then I press the open door button and walk out.

I can't wait until Sunday night.

Chapter 36

Allie

After the weird interaction with Beck at work, all I wanted to do was go home and crash. So I bought a bottle of tequila and a giant pizza and sat alone in the darkness in my living room and got trashed and passed out. Jess called me several times, but I ignored it, and when I woke up this morning to a voicemail about needing to go to the barn, I felt bad.

I stand on her front step with two lattes in hand, feeling like a bad friend. I just needed personal space this week after everything that happened Tuesday night. I'm sure by now Cora's told her about everything, and she probably hates me. I should never have frozen her. Cora was right; when someone loves you like that you just don't shut them down. Unrequited love is a bitch, and so am I. I intend to have that talk with Jess today, maybe at the barn where we have some privacy from Cora, and she can't run away. She needs to know why I froze her and how I feel.

"Jess!" I call, because she isn't answering the door, but my hands are full, and I can't get to my key. After another few minutes the door squeaks open a crack, and I hear footsteps walking away. I push it with my knee and walk in to see Jess ready to go. She's wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, sneakers and a hoodie. Her hair is tied up in a French braid, and Cora stands on the table next to the stairs dressed similarly.

"Brought, you coffee..." I glance at Cora and walk past her. Jess has Shep in hand and vanishes down the hall. The box of guns is on the coffee table, as if she intends to bring them along with us. I know she talked about wanting to hide them, but I'm not sure the barn is any safer than here. Maybe she had another idea.

"Leave it on the table," she calls over her shoulder. I hear her open a door and then I turn to Cora.

"She's chipper this morning." I set the coffee down by Cora, and after our heart to heart the other night, I feel somewhat bad that I haven't brought her a cup too--though I could fill a shot glass with some of mine. It's early, but not horribly so--just after ten a.m. But on a Saturday, that's early for people our age.

"It's an act. She's pissed at you." Cora lifts and eyebrow and purses her lips. "I told her, you know. I thought you'd have told her when you reversed it." Her arms are crossed in a motherly pose, and I don't care. I could flick her off the table with a quick snap of my wrist.

"Thanks a lot," I say, rolling my eyes. I figured that was the case anyway.

Jess walks back into the living room and goes straight for the tub. "Ready?" she asks, breathless. She acts like she's been rushing to be ready right when I got here, so I shrug.

"Sure, but what's the rush?"

She picks up the tub and then nods at Cora. "You carry her... We'll talk on the way." She pushes past me out the door, and I stand there looking down at the little tagalong.

"Can't you just stay here?"

"She wants me to go." Cora points at the coffee. "Guess you have your hands full."

I scowl, frustrated. How are Jess and I supposed to have that talk if Cora comes along? She's ruining my plan. I prepared the entire thing, what I'd say, how I'd say it, and now this? "Cora, Jess and I need to talk."

"Did it occur to you that she's trying to avoid that talk?" Cora holds her arms up, and I huff out a sigh and pick her up. As if she's a bottle or book, I tuck her between my body and my arm and hold her while I pick up the coffee and head out. It's challenging shutting the door, but I manage.

In the Jeep, I drop her on the back seat and hand Jess her coffee. She sets it in the cup holder and buckles in. Either she's putting on the best act of her life, or Cora is lying to me. Jess seems happy to be going to the barn to care for her horse, not upset with me. I buckle my seatbelt and put my own coffee in the cupholder and then start the engine and pull out. Like normal, she reaches for the radio and turns music on.

This is really frustrating, acting like nothing happened, like everything is normal. If Cora told her about me freezing her she has to have emotions about that. So why is she pretending not to even know a thing, like this is just another day--like I haven't ghosted her since Wednesday morning?

"Uh... So what's with the guns?" I ask, trying to make small talk. Jess shrugs and turns the radio up a little.

"Just want to keep them at the barn." She doesn't look at me, which makes me feel like she's avoiding me for real. Then why not just load the guns into her car and drive them out her herself? Why be fake with me? We're best friends.

"What if Glenda and Dean snoop?" I glance at her, and when I pull up to a stoplight, I look in the tub. "What about the shrink ray? We need that to resize Cora and Shep."

"Uh, I'm not getting resized. Jess said I can stay small forever." Cora's tiny voice grates on my nerves. She isn't supposed to be here. She's supposed to be at home where she belongs so Jess and I can have our much-needed talk.

"Jess?"

"Cora's okay to stay small. And I like Shep how he is." Jess grips the oh-shit handle as I accelerate through the intersection and turn down Frahm Pike headed out of town. "Besides, they're not safe in the house anymore. The cops came looking, probably for Cora."

The cops came? When? Why didn't she tell me this earlier? I sink into my seat with so many questions, and all I can do is think of her fake smile plastered on her gorgeous face. She really is upset with me. I ignored so many calls and texts. Of course she wouldn't send that sort of thing through a message. What if someone is watching her now? Shit, I'm a horrible friend. So horrible I say nothing else until we are parked at the barn.

We both look up at where the house used to be and see a big pile of rubble and some trucks. I turn to Jess who looks distraught for a second. Her eyebrows furrow, forehead creases, and then she frowns. I watch her lip quiver, and I'm about to reach over and touch her knee when she rubs her face and blinks a few times, coming up with a smile again.

"Ready?" she asks, opening her door. She goes to the back seat and takes the tub of guns out and walks toward the barn without shutting the door.

"She really is pissed, isn't she?" I turn over my shoulder to Cora who stands on the back seat waiting for me to pick her up.

"Duh."

In the barn, I set Cora on a bale of hay and watch Jess pull a sheet of paper out of her pocket. It's folded a few times. She unfolds it and tries to smooth the creases. She hasn't even looked at Jackson who stands with alert ears pointed right at me. The old black stallion hates me, and if he can sense Jess's feelings the way they say horses do, he probably hates me even more now.

"It says, 'Jackson guards the treasure...' What do you think that means?" Instead of turning to me, Jess looks down at Cora. She stands on the hay bale with a hand pressed to her chin looking thoughtful. How is this happening? Jess is my best friend. Not Cora's. She is supposed to confide in me about these things, not the bitch who made her life miserable for years.

"Well, maybe it's an expensive bridle you can sell, or maybe he is wearing golden shoes." She chuckles, and Jess laughs with her, but I can tell how fake her laugh is.

God, I hurt her really badly and there is no way to make it right. Just watching this interchange between them is painful. She knows just how to hurt me without purposefully hurting me. We've done it--scrap that. I've done it. I've wrecked our friendship so badly it will never be the same. Jess has some weird connection with Cora now and I blame myself. I ignored her because I was afraid and overwhelmed. She needed me.

"No... I don't know what it is." Jess sits on the bale of hay next to Cora and they talk quietly for a second. I walk over to Jackson who surprisingly doesn't back away or try to bite me. I touch his nose and he snorts. I sigh.

"What is it, buddy? How do I help her?" I press my forehead to the side of his face, his jaw flexing against my skin. Jess is right. This is comforting. I've seen her do it a hundred times. My best friend, not Cora's, is the one I came here to be with. I close my eyes and whisper a silent prayer then turn and ask, "What treasure?" I make my tone a little demanding. I know Jess is a pushover but that's not why I do it. I want her to understand I'm hurt by whatever secret it is she's hiding from me, which she has let Cora in on.

Jess looks up at me with wide eyes and glances at Cora before speaking to me. "Well, Cora found this letter on the end table." She flags it in the air, and I vaguely recall seeing an envelope with her name on it in Cora's car. I brought it in, but that night was chaotic. I never mentioned it and now I feel bad. "It's a letter from GG. He put this key in it." She reaches into her pocket and brandishes a small house key. "He said there is a treasure."

"Yeah, I thought it was the car, but it's not a car key." Cora climbs off the bale of hay with a few whimpers and dusts her clothing off. She's filthy, as if she took a tumble in a hay mount, and the outfit she wears is slightly too large. It appears Jess took her shopping again or maybe ordered online. Makes sense if Jess is really going to let her stay small forever.

"A treasure?" I'm confused. There is no treasure in this old barn. It's falling down. I run a hand through my hair and feel something wet--Jackson's slobber. I should have put my hair up. Why did I start leaving it down? I turn to the stubborn horse and scowl at him. His ears turn away, and he looks angry. In a quick movement, he snorts then stomps, and I hear the hollow metal thud again.

As he backs out of the stall into the pasture, I get an idea. "Jess... Why did you say Gus put that metal plate in?" I crouch, not listening to her as she mumbles on about what the letter said about a treasure. I dust some of the straw away from the metal floor and see a hinge. "Jess?" I move more straw, though I don't want to do too much without gloves. Some of the straw is wet and I can't tell if it's urine or water. It's right below Jackson's water bucket though. "Jess?" I say again as I continue to push straw back.

There is a definite seam here, leading all the way along the front of his stall. "What?" she asks, and I continue searching.

"Jess... Why is this metal here?"

"Fuck's sake, Allie. I told you that GG put it in because Jackson dug holes with his hoof in the barn floor, and GG kept twisting his ankle." She is letting her anger out now, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. "I'm trying to figure out where the fucking treasure is and you're questioning me about a stupid floor. Get up," she says, tugging my jacket. I never heard her approach.

"No, look..." I move more straw away, and I feel something large beneath it.

"Get up!" Jess snaps, the full force of her rage coming out in a shout.

"Wait, Jess..." Cora stoops to help me. Both of us frantically push straw out of the way to expose a padlock. "Jess?" Cora says, looking up at her.