Nowhere to Run

(Author's Note: I apologize that this chapter has taken so long to put out. I gave up on my last story because I was having approval issues and didn't think I could tell the story without toning down crucial elements. In this story's case, I was more self conscious about the sex scenes. When I get a low score because a chapter wasn't steamy enough or 3/4 fucking, I get discouraged. Recently, however, someone left a very encouraging comment genuinely wanting to know what happens next. Maybe they just said it in passing, but I feel like that's the whole point. A good story, to me, is one where I'm left wanting to know what happens next. If I turn someone on, great, but once they're done, do they bother reading further? Do they care? Have the characters compelled them at all? If you're one of the people who care about the story, please do not hesitate to say so. It helps me out a LOT).

Chapter 4

This entire chicken could have lasted Maggie an entire week. Instead, she was blowing it all in one night for Jimmy. She'd pair it with rice and mix vegetables for balance, which she hoped he wouldn't protest too much about. The sides were done, but the bird would take another fifteen at least. She'd have it carved, plated, and delivered within the hour making her and Jimmy even for the picture. That was the plan anyway, but a knock at the door changed that.

Maggie peaked out of the window. "Oh," she remarked out loud before opening it.

Jimmy looked around before walking in, not really waiting for the invitation. Her place was well-lit but mostly empty with not so much as a TV for entertainment. Between the kitchen counter tops to the left and a table to the right stood Maggie. He remained as cold as he had before and took a seat in the only chair available.

"Am I too early?"

"Actually, the plan was to head to your place. Figured you'd prefer to eat in peace without me around anyway."

He inspected the surroundings. "Smells good."

"That's what I was going for."

Then he inspected her. "You don't look like a Maggie to me."

"It's short for Magahdi."

"Yea, that sounds more African."

"It's Sanskrit, actually," she corrected with a bit of an attitude. "It means," she could see his eyes glaze over slightly. "Never mind." With that said, she'd already run out of things to say to the man who went more than a little too far this morning. Without realizing it, she was repeating herself. "This is so backwards. I thought I'd be the one coming to your place to drop all of this off. My place isn't exactly fit for company."

"Beats hanging around a bunch of kids who think my RV is their personal play fort."

"Can't lock the door?"

"The lock doesn't..." He started without realizing. It was too late to take it back, but he obviously wasn't going finish his sentence.

"Oops," Maggie teased.

"I'm going to get it fixed soon and, just so you know, I don't call 911," he warned, alluding to some kind of fire arm.

"Relax. I don't want your stuff. But I hear there's a crazy naked guy running around inviting himself into other people's homes." She reminded, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, kind of. She could actually see him make the effort to not smile. Still, it only acted as a reminder that he didn't appear to even want to be there...yet he was. "Why did you come really?"

"No point in turning down a free meal."

"There is when you can't stand the company."

"Are you saying you can't stand me?"

"No, I'm saying you can't stand me. At least, you gave me that impression that last time we spoke."

"The jury is still out."

"Well, if the food has any bearing on it, I like my odds. It's going to be another ten or fifteen minutes in the oven though. So, I guess we'll just sit tight and see how quickly things get awkward."

She stood. He sat. They both stared on. Awkward was an understatement, but Jim didn't budge. After a while, he broke his silence, though; a massive relief to Maggie.

"I came because, when I got in your face earlier, I didn't scare you off."

"That's why?"

"If I tell a woman like it is to her face, she's gone. You offered me dinner," he explained. "You wouldn't think that's strange?"

"You scare away a lot of women?" She looked him up and down. "I guess it wouldn't take much."

"Except in your case. You may be a stuck up little bitch, but you don't scare easy. I wasn't expecting things to go so far, but, you didn't even try and stop me. I suppose I'm here because I came to find out why."

She crossed her legs and stuck her hands in her pockets. "Oh, you wouldn't like the real reason."

Jimmy was interested. "Try me."

"Maybe I have deep-rooted daddy issues and a need to prove you wrong. That's far more interesting." She leaned forward at the table with a grin. "Women use you? I'm not like those women. Here, let me make you dinner." She got even more in his face. "Women run for the hills when you start getting real with them? Look at me. I'm still here. Am I special yet, daddy? Am I?"

"I like that explanation."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course you do."

"Too bad that isn't why. So what is?"

She was honestly a little disappointed. Him taking that bait would have been easier than saying what she said next. "Because I'm lonely...and...because you seem lonely, too." She went back to her wall perch. "I may have owed you for the picture, but I must admit this beats sitting in this empty house in the dark glued to my cell phone."

He was taken aback by her blunt honesty. Even if it was a lie, it's a pretty embarrassing thing to try to convince someone else of. "I thought you and June were friends."

"June's got fifty people pulling her fifty different directions at all times. I don't think I've had ten minutes of her undivided attention. But, right now? It's just you and me." Maggie slumped a bit. "Of course, maybe I got it wrong about you being lonely, too. In which case, this is even more awkward."

Jim looked away and then back at her, deciding once and for all if she was being genuine. He took a chance, and if it turned out she was joking, he was ready to back peddle like an Olympian cyclist who forgot to turn the oven off. "Men are a different kind of lonely, and most women don't understand how that can feel."

"You guys do it to yourselves."

Jim threw up a hand. "See? I knew you wouldn't get it. You didn't even try to. You could go to June's right now, wrap your arms around her, and stay that way on her couch until you felt like leaving. If you burst into tears, she'd do everything to comfort you and find out what's wrong so that she could fix it."

He looked both saddened and envious of his own words. It was true. June was just that type of person. Would she do the same thing for a guy? Or would she tell him to suck it up? Probably the latter.

"And you don't think that your irrational fear of being called a faggot has anything to do with that? If one of your guy friends came over one night and attempted to put his hands on you -- maybe even cry a little -- what would you do?"

"I'm not about to cuddle up with another man."

"See?"

"Buuut," he stopped her with a hand, "that doesn't mean I wouldn't be flattered that I was chosen. Plus, I wouldn't just shut him out in the cold, either. Sometimes, a man just wants to be wanted on his own terms."

"To be honest, I want that for guys as well. The world would be a hell of a lot better for everyone. You men have a shitty track record, though." Maggie shook her head. "A really shitty track record. We're allowed to be a little scared."

"Then why weren't you? The things I could have done to you. The things I could do to you now even." He stood.

She stiffened. "...I was. Just because I wasn't panicking or literally quaking in my boots didn't mean I felt nothing. Sometimes you can tell when a guy is going to stop and when he isn't. Earlier, I couldn't tell. Not until the very last second. I guess," she hesitated, "I don't want to be afraid of you. But I also don't know what you want. Do you want to like me? Hate me? Fuck me? Hit me? Murder me in my sleep? It's not knowing that makes men so terrifying. At the very least, you're under the constant impression that most women don't want anything to do with you until you give them a reason. It may be lonely, but at least it's safe. I'm sorry that that's generally the way it is. History is why we can't have nice things."

He let her words sink in. They weren't encouraging, but they were honest. "If I had kept going, would you have stopped me?"

"I don't know." She answered finally while hugging herself gently.

She really didn't. There were moments in her past where she hadn't stopped things, and not because she didn't want to. Some men even liked it when a woman fought or showed fear. If nothing else, she reacted the way she did -- which was not at all -- to deprive a real sick fuck the satisfaction of getting to her. But, when she looked at Jim, she didn't see that. Instead she saw a man that could easily be her.

Unbeknownst to her, he was thinking the exact same thing. She was flawed, hurting, and lonely, but she wasn't alone. He was. She had June whom was very fond of her. She had her own father who seemed like a pretty stand-up guy if he was willing to give her so much for nothing. She probably had even more people in her corner that he didn't even know about. He wanted that. He wanted...her. There. He'd confessed it to himself. He wasn't just attracted to her. he genuinely liked her. He came over here to either see if there was any chance he could be apart of her life or convince himself that it wasn't worth it to try. He waited for her to show her stuck-up side. He waited for her to rush him out of the door. He waited for any reason he could to dismiss this beautiful woman, and could find none. Him coming on to her so strongly was supposed to chase her off. It didn't. So, now what?

"I guess your fear isn't unfounded." He got closer. "I want to keep going. That's what I want. Part of me doesn't want to stop even when you shrink away because that hurts less than a 'no'."

She was stunned as he pulled her in and joining her waist to his. "What are you doing?"

"I am lonely."

"Jim." She didn't have time to finish before his lips locked with hers. For a big guy, the kiss was small and tender; the kind she'd expect from another woman. She kissed him back as her heart raced indecisively. The moment was a conundrum; a clash of seemingly good things that left her confused. It was a peanut butter steak. It was a Lego Ferrari. It was a vegan sunrise. With one hand on his chest and the other tempting its way onto his massive shoulder, she waited until he'd had his fill before breaking away from his lips. The two looked at each other briefly before he went in for another. She spoke up. "I'm gay."

There was that familiar look of disappointment. It wasn't something she had to explain very often, but, because she'd never gone out of her way to be overtly masculine, it did come up. She thought he'd let her go.

"If a guy friend came over one night and attempted to put his hands on you -- maybe even cry a little -- what would you do?"

Her hands slid up to the front of his shoulders. Then away. Then tentatively back onto his body. Usually, she went for the tits first, but did guys even like that? This body before her; what was she even supposed to do to it?

*ding* Her phone beeped as the timer on it signaled to her that the food was done.

Her eyes turned up toward him. "Hold that thought." She turned around to retrieve the chicken from the oven and saver the few precious seconds she had to consider what had just happened. She began to carve it up, separating the different parts and preparing her company a plate. She thought it was over and, like on TV shows, they'd continue the evening avoiding the fact that they almost did something. A pair of hands found their way onto either side of her hips from behind, and a familiar bulge was soon nestled in between her cheeks. How strange to her that a bulge would be familiar to her.

Maggie continued to set the plate even as he kissed up the side of her neck. "Breast or thigh?"

Jim's breath tickled behind her ear. "Both."

She couldn't say he didn't warn her. His hands were under her shirt now, and could no longer be ignored. There was no more time to think about the situation, and she had to decide once and for all; yes or no?

** ** **

Her air mattress made for a poor surface to have sex on. In fact, they were mostly on the floor. She merely laid her forearms on it from the side for leverage as she was fucked enthusiastically from behind. This would not end in her cumming. Things had been too quick; rushed even. Once the clothes came off, he was inside her. It may have been a great porn moment frantically undressing and kissing their way to her bedroom, but he was about five minutes ahead of her, and the sex would only last seven. That being said, it felt...good.

Never under any circumstances would she ever utter this truth to him, for he would not take it as the compliment that it was, but his smaller size was a perfect fit. There was a little discomfort upon entry, but what followed were strokes that weren't too shallow and weren't too deep. She didn't have to get used to him; something she never understood about straight sex. From the moment she'd decided to go for it, the whole exchange had been non-traumatic.

He fell forward on top of her, enveloping her while careful not the crush her. Like the positions namesake, they panted like animals until there was a gasp and powerful grunts from the both of them followed by sighs. Both fell to the side in a spooning position with only their heads laying on the mattress.

Maggie squirmed as he softened and slipped out of her. "I forgot about the mess you guys make."

"You girls make messes, too."

"The good kind." Their kisses weren't such a quandary anymore as they caused something Maggie honestly hadn't thought possible; a genuine smile upon grouchy Jimmy's face. "And, before you ask, it was just okay."

A laugh from him followed. "Not great, not terrible?"

Maggie stretched. "You have not cured me, sir, if that's what you're asking."

"You know, June and I had our suspicions."

"Oh yea? Well let's keep her guessing. In fact, I don't tell anyone who doesn't need to know. Some folks don't take too kindly to my type around some parts."

"She's not one of them."

"Yea, but she's got a big mouth."

"Ain't that a fact of the century." Jimmy lifted himself off of the floor, which took some doing, and grabbed his clothes.

Maggie rolled onto the mattress and gazed over at him playfully. "Is this the part where I never see you again now that the deed is done?"

He grinned back. "No, no, that's comes after dinner." He left in the direction of the bathroom.

Maggie was honestly ready for bed, but knew she still needed to shower and see to her company. The evening was an experience and one she would cherish. For all of his faults, Jimmy did open up to her and she to him. On many levels, physical not withstanding, they connected, and that would only ever be a good thing.

"Maggie," Jim called from down the hall.

"Yea."

"I think you should see this."

It was how he said it. It wasn't playful. It wasn't jokey. Concerned, she rolled out of bed and briskly walked down the hallway. With hands clasped over her mouth, she fell back at the sight of her mirror. Written in toothpaste were the words, "said I'd be back."