Close Friends Book 2 Part 09

There's some tense moments in this chapter, and one of our heroines is attacked.

Hang in there. This story still has a long way to go.

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A month in the future

His eyes darted, catching movement in the dark. Someone was coming. He looked around, his movements quick and deliberate. His shaking hand wiped some of the white powder from under his nose, and he suppressed the urge to sniff it.

Damn, this is good shit.

He shook his head, wanting to be ready, needing to be sharp, fast, able to take what he deserved.

After all, it's their fault. He didn't ask for any of this. Those two bitches did this to him. All he ever did was take them in, love them, give them all the blow they ever wanted. They got to ride him. He got them high, made them come.

And now they're gone. Both of them. Well, they're gonna be sorry. All of them!

It's their fault she and Demi are gone. And now he had to move more of that shit just to make rent. He never did anything to anyone. They did it to him.

He hunkered down as he saw the figure heading his way, passing by an area dimly lit by a single bulb at the back door of a store. A few cars were parked along the wall across from him. She walked briskly, humming a tune as she reached into her purse.

It's her! His pulse raced, both from the drug, and from the anticipation. Oh, man, look at her. What a body. She hides it, but he'd seen her in the pool. Those tits were amazing, and that ass!

His body shivered at the thought of what she looked like as she pulled herself out of the pool just a few months ago. The way she bent over, her ass pointing straight at him, as if she was taunting him.

She wanted it. She turned and looked right at him. That frown didn't fool him. He knew she was hot for it.

Demi told him about them. That asshole has two of them! What the fuck? Stacy, and that hot little booby thing, Lois. Damn, it's not fair.

And he got to bang Demi before this sweet thing showed up at his place. She told me about her. How she'd ended up with that asshole and Lois after Demi started humping the oaf.

What did he ever do to them? Nothing! He brought Alice into their group, not that they did anything with her. No! They were too good to share.

He shook in anger, and from the drugs that he'd snorted just before hiding behind the dumpster near her car.

He watched as she walked nearer. The street light above them was out, and it was dark. Only the faint illumination from the back door several feet away allowed him to see her.

She went by the dumpster where he crouched. He licked his lips as he watched her shapely butt sway seductively in her tight slacks, the swell of her boobs in her V-neck shirt bouncing slightly with each step.

She wanted it. She wouldn't admit it when they talked at her school. Told him to go to hell. But he could tell. Oh, yeah, it was in her eyes. She wanted him.

And he was gonna give it to her, right here. Right now.

He quietly stood up and moved behind her as she looked through her purse. She didn't hear him as he reached out and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.

With a squeak, she whirled around. His hand came off her shoulder as she turned, but he quickly clamped down on it, digging his fingers into her soft flesh.

"Well, hello there, pretty lady. Imagine bumping into you here," he sniggered, leering at her, his eyes moving down her body. They lingered on the heaving cleavage she showed off in her thin shirt.

Wide-eyed, Stacy looked at him in fear. "Tony!"

"I told you last time we'd meet again." He leaned forward. "Now it's time for us to really get to know each other," he chucked evilly.

His other hand came up, crooked a finger and put it in between her breasts, catching the fabric.

With a firm motion, he pulled her shirt down hard.

"No!" Stacy screamed as he laughed in the still darkness.

---***---

October 1982

"Bob! Hey, Bob!" She smiled, bouncing lightly on her toes, her hand waving high over her head at him.

He turned, looking for whoever called him. He couldn't stop the smile that spread quickly on his face as he looked at her. She was a lovely sight in her flowery sundress. Her creamy breasts moved up and down as she waved, grinning widely at him.

"Ann!" he laughed as he walked over to her. "What are you doing here?" A large, yellow machine drove behind him with a load of dirt in the front scoop, making it hard for him to hear her reply.

He shook his head, grinning, and motioned her to walk away toward the street. After several steps, the sound lessened.

Ann giggled, looking up at him as he stood in his hard hat and bright orange vest. "I was saying I heard you were working here." She pointed to the activity around the lot behind him.

He looked over his shoulder, then back at her. He straightened his shoulders and grinned.

"Yeah, I'm the assistant foreman on this job. It's my first time. They're trying me out to see if I can handle it." He looked down, then back up at her, the smile gone. "I have lots of time to work now."

Her smile faltered, then she pursed her lips, her brows furrowing. "I'm sorry, Bob. I heard you and Demi had a fight."

He sighed, looking off to the side. "Yeah," he said, then shook his head. "I guess she wanted... different things." He shrugged and kicked a small pebble with his heavy work boot.

She hesitated, then reached out, placing her hand on his bare forearm. She loved the feel of the hair under her fingers and remembered the other places where she'd found hair on his body.

"I'm sorry, Bob."

He looked at her, a wan smile on his face. "Thanks."

They stood there in silence for a moment, then Ann asked, "Do you have any time for lunch?"

"Yeah. Actually, I'm about to take my hour in a couple of minutes," he said.

She smiled brightly at him. "Great! I was going to get a sandwich at the place around the corner," she said, catching his eye and pointing with her thumb over her shoulder. "Want to join me?" She looked up at him, her brows raised.

He stood there as the wheels turned in his head. After a few moments, he nodded and said, "Sure, that'd be nice."

He went over to some men and spoke to them for a minute, then put his hard hat away in a truck. They walked and talked as they made their way down the road and around the corner to the restaurant.

---***---

"Bob?"

"Hmm?" he mumbled around the last bite of his sandwich.

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head slightly. "What for?"

"For what's happened to you," she said, sighing. "I feel... responsible, somehow."

He sighed, looking out the window as people walked by. After a moment, he looked back at her across the small table. "It's not your fault. What happened... the reason Demi left had nothing to do with you."

"But I can't help but feel that I was part of the problem somehow," she said softly, reaching across the table to place her hand on his. He was holding a napkin, but let go and turned it so he could hold hers.

She smiled softly at him.

"What happened between us wasn't the problem. Yeah, she wasn't happy about it, but it wasn't the reason we... split."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked gently, stroking his fingers lightly.

He shook his head. "No," he sighed. "Not really." His breathing hitched, then he cleared his throat and looked back at her. "I don't know where things are going right now. I'm just trying to get through each day."

She nodded. "I get it. Day by day, that's the best way to handle this kind of thing." She smiled up at him. "I'm here, Bob. If you want to talk."

"Thanks," he said, gently squeezing her hand. She felt his hand wrap hers a little tighter. "That means a lot to me."

"I care about you," she said simply. "I hope you know that."

He nodded. "I do," he said, looking into her eyes. "And I care about you, too."

Bob's heart moved momentarily as he looked into her eyes, his fingers continuing to stroke hers as they held hands over the small lunch table.

---***---

"She does what?"

"She sleeps with them! Actually sleeps, not just... you know," Lois said.

Bob stood with his back against the wall in the hallway. The opening to the kitchen was a few inches from his shoulder. Gus, Stacy and Lois sat at the long wooden table just around the corner in the kitchen.

"Wow," Stacy said. "I didn't think she'd actually live there with them."

"Yeah," Lois said in a quiet voice.

"How's she doing?" Gus asked.

There was a pause, and Bob held his breath. "I don't know," Lois sighed.

"What do you mean?" Stacy asked.

Again, there was silence. After a bit, Lois said, "Well, she doesn't look good, for one thing."

"In what way?" Gus asked.

"She's thin, and her skin looks pasty, or something. Like she's not eating right. I don't know exactly."

"She was telling me a few things about what they do together, saying it like I would want to try it, you know? Like it would be fun."

"What kinds of stuff?" Gus asked. Bob could hear the hesitation in his friend's voice.

He braced himself, fighting to keep his breathing steady and not make a noise. He knew they wouldn't tell him if something wasn't right with Demi.

"She didn't give me too much detail. We were at the Burger Shack, and there's not much privacy there." She paused, then went on. "But she told me a few things. I guess Tony likes the butt," she said softly.

There was no noise for several moments, until Stacy asked, "You mean..."

"Yup."

"Oh."

"And he likes to watch them."

"What do you mean, 'watch them'?" Stacy asked. Bob could hear Gus make a sound.

"I mean he watches the girls do things to each other," Lois explained.

"Oh," Stacy said slowly. After a bit, she said, "I didn't know she liked to do that."

"I don't think she's ever done anything like that before," Lois said. Bob heard Gus make an agreeing sound.

"Well, I hope she's happy," Stacy said slowly. "She's always been adventurous."

"Yeah, she has," Lois agreed. "But I got the impression she wasn't bragging about that. It was more..."

After a moment, Gus asked, "What?"

Another pause. "She wouldn't look me in the eye when she talked about it. You know how she is. She gets excited about sex and loves to do it and talk about it. She bubbles when she gets to do something new.

"But today, when she was telling me, she was different."

"Shit," Gus said, sighing deeply.

"She also said she likes to do that stuff now."

"Stuff?" Stacy asked.

"Coke. I guess Tony's into it. Alice does it, too. Demi's starting to like it, I think. She said it made screwing so much more fun."

The rest of Bob's heart broke, picturing his love doing those things with those horrible people. He quietly walked down a few steps and entered his room, closing the door behind him.

"Did you hear that?" Lois asked.

"Yeah," Gus said, looking around, but not seeing anything.

"Poor Bob. Are you gonna tell him?" Stacy asked Lois.

She sighed. "I don't know. Demi told me she was happy. I'm not sure, but she said she isn't coming back."

"Damn," was all Gus could say.

---***---

November 1982

There she was, standing by her car, parked across the street. Dressed in a tight top and jeans, she smiled as he walked off the job site.

"Hey, Red," he said, a small smile on his face.

"Hey, yourself," she grinned up at him as he crossed the street.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd come by and see if you were hungry," she smiled at him.

"I'm always hungry," he said, his grin spreading.

"I know," she said in a husky voice. "I was hoping you were."

"Are you going to feed me?"

"That's the plan," she said coyly, her head dipping a bit as she looked through some locks of her long, curly red hair.

He grinned widely at her. "Your place or mine?"

"Mine. I actually do have a roast in the slow cooker. Thought you'd like some."

His brows shot up. "Hmm, yummy."

"We'll see what's for dessert," she giggled. "Want to follow me?"

He paused, suddenly unsure. He'd always loved sexual banter. It came easy to him, whether or not he was actually looking to bed the woman he was speaking to.

But in this case, it felt different. It was like there was a line before him, right at his feet. He could almost see it, a line separating him from Ann. She stood there, beautiful in her outfit. Memories of what lay beneath those clothes flooded his mind.

Then, just as suddenly, images of a lithe, beautiful blonde on her back filled his thoughts. She was looking up at him as he kneeled between her legs. He could feel her, how wet and hot she was as he slid in and out of her. He could see the love in her eyes.

Then, unbidden, Tony's sneer wiped her image away. Bob took a deep breath, then nodded and stepped over the line.

"Sure," he said firmly. "I'm parked over there." He looked down at himself, covered in dirt from a hard day's work. "I have a change of clothes in the van. Is it okay if I take a shower at your place? I stink," he laughed.

She nodded slowly at him. "Oh, yeah. We'll get you nice and clean," she grinned. Bob watched her toned calves flex as she got in the car.

"Lead the way," he smiled. It felt like something heavy was hanging from his heart, dangling, hanging on by a thread. With that mental image, he shook his head and got in his van. They pulled out, and he followed her a few miles to her apartment.

He parked, then looked in the rearview mirror. He saw the bed where he and Demi had first made love in the back of his van. "Shit!" he said loudly, and mentally yanked at the thread that held the weight to his heart, dropping it.

He instantly felt lighter as he hopped out, holding his small overnight bag. He walked over to Ann with a spring in his step. She turned as she got out, surprised when he pulled her to him, kissing her greedily.

"Oof!" she said when he released her. She grinned up at him. "Let's get you clean. The roast can wait." They hurried up the stairs and into her apartment.

---***---

"Hi, cutie," Ann called out from the kitchen nook.

"Hey," Bob's deep voice replied as he shut the door behind him.

"How was your day?"

"Oh," he sighed, "okay, I guess. We're just about done at the site. Need to get the last few approvals."

"You guys have been working on that building for months now, right?" Ann asked as she walked over to him and kissed him.

"It's been a while," he chuckled. "About three months. They say I've done a great job. I'm gonna be a foreman soon, probably the next job."

"That's great!" She grinned up at him. "Well, supper's almost ready."

"Great, thanks. I'm gonna hit the shower, get this funk off me," he said as he started down the hallway.

He walked into her room and went to the dresser drawer she had put aside for him. Rummaging through it, he found some clean clothes to wear.

He knew he needed to figure this out. Was he going to move in here, or not? She kept bringing it up.

He sighed as he walked over to the bathroom. Just then, the door swung inward, and a tall brunette stood there, wide-eyed.

"Bob!" she gasped, her hand flying to her chest, palm over her heart.

"Susie! I'm sorry," he chuckled and stepped back. "I didn't know you were in there."

She went past him, patting his arm lightly. "No worries. How're you doing?"

"Ah, okay," he said, looking down at the bathroom floor. "I stink. Ann told me to shower, or there's no supper for me."

Susie laughed as she walked toward the kitchen. "That's my roomie!"

"Yeah," he laughed, closing the bathroom door behind him. He got the water going and stripped out of his clothes. Getting in the shower, he let the warm water flow over his long, dark hair. His fingers worked over his scalp, calming him. Letting him think.

He didn't like his thoughts. What was he going to do? He missed his family. He didn't want his mind to go there, but it happened anyway.

He missed her. Why? Why was she so adamant?

He stood there in the shower, his eyes closed.

There she was. He watched her as she walked through the door, her head swiveling, searching. He waved from where he sat along the wall. She saw him, looked at him. Her face softened, but she didn't smile.

Her expression was unreadable. He saw her chest rise, then fall as she stood there, looking at him. Her brows raised minutely, then she started over to him.

He watched her as she walked around the few tables between them, ending up a couple of feet away, standing by the opposite chair. He held up a cup for her.

"I got you a strawberry shake. You always loved them," he said, holding it out to her, as if it were a peace offering, which it was.

She had a sad look in her eyes as she sat, then reached for it. Her slender fingers touched his as she took it. Bringing the straw to her lips, she drank, smiling at the familiar taste.

A noise caused her to look to the side for a few moments. Bob looked her over, noting the changes since the last time he'd seen her, more than a month prior. She was thinner, paler. Her face had lost something.

He'd called her at her mother's several times, but she'd never been home. None of his messages seemed to be enough for her to call him back. But now she's here. Lois helped them set this up.

She put the cup down and said softly, "Thanks."

He smiled gently at her, nodding. "It's good to see you."

Her face softened a little more. "You too."

"How are you?"

Her eyes darted to the side, then back down to her drink. "I'm okay," she said, shrugging slightly. "You?"

He shrugged back, shaking his head a little. "Okay, I guess." He took a chance. "Missing you."

Her brows rose high, her head cocked to the side. "Oh?" she asked, her voice hardening. "I heard someone was keeping you company."

Bob looked down, a heavy sigh escaping his lungs. "Yeah..."

"How's Ann?" she asked bitterly, staring right into his eyes.

He looked back at her. "She's fine... I guess. But, that's not what I want to talk with you about," he said, trying to keep this on track.

But she refused to be deterred. "I hear she's taking really good care of you," she said snidely. "You're only at the house a few nights a week these days. Or so I'm told."

Bob looked off, frowning. "Demi," he said.

"What?" she asked harshly, her voice raised. "Why am I here? Huh?" She leaned in, her voice dropping. "Has anything changed?" She looked at him expectantly.

Shaking her head at his silence, "Nope, guess not. You guys still don't want us."

"That's not true!" he said.

"Oh? You'll let Tony and Alice in?"

"No." He took a breath, his eyes boring into hers. "It's you, baby. We want you back."

"But what about what I want?" she asked. "Why doesn't that matter?"

"It matters," he said, shaking his head. "But... why won't you listen to us?"

She waited, gently shaking her head. After a moment, she said, "You guys didn't listen to me. I tried to tell you how much this means to me. How much they mean to me. None of you listened to me! Clearly, I don't mean that much to you, or all of them."

"Yes, you do," he said, reaching for her hand. She pulled away from him, sitting back in her chair.

"I left! You still wouldn't let them in!"

He sighed. "They don't want them. Why can't you see that?"

"Why not?" She asked petulantly.

"Look at you!" He gestured to her with his hand. She rocked back, her eyes wide.

"Huh?"

"Demi," he said softly. "You don't look good. You're pale, skinny. I don't know what you've been doing, but it's not healthy. These people aren't good for you."

She looked like she was about to explode when he raised his palm to her, pleading. "Wait! I'm saying this because I love you! I'm worried about you."