Chapter 2

Neither Peter nor I wanted to join another church when we left for school and after checking with a couple of others in the youth ministry we took up a collection and bought a webcam for the church. About twenty of us attend Sunday service on-line. With the live chat hooked up, it was a pretty cool way to go to church and keep in touch with everybody. Peter and I usually "arrived" before service started — in whatever we slept in — and had breakfast watching the service on the giant plasma screen Uncle Julius bought for Aunt Rachael.

Gwen joined us — which was worth like about a million gold stars for Peter. Afterwards, the three of us went mall crawling until even she was tired of shopping. She came back to the house with us an' Peter told me to cook. It was not that I minded cooking, or even that I minded her hangin' around; I just really needed Peter that day.

"I should make fuckin' peanut butter sandwiches," I muttered loud enough for him to hear.

He got the message. "Be right back, babe." He kissed her forehead and followed me into the kitchen. "Do we have a problem?"

"Yeah!" I snapped back. "Is she ever going home?"

"Maybe not. So what?"

My stress level was really pushed. I took a deep breath and flexed every muscle. It didn't actually relax me but it did usually keep me from saying the first thing I thought of. He waited while I pulled myself together. "I just really need to talk about last night."

"Why?" Then, after a pause. "Wait, my last night or your last night?"

"Mine. I broke, I don't know, like twenty rules."

"You didn't have any."

"Yeah, well. It was that kinda night."

He looked away from me, at the door back to the living room. When he looked back, he was trying to be cool, "Ok. I'll send her home an' we'll talk." Peter had the worst poker face I had ever seen. Blind men could read it.

"Don't. I just need a couple minutes alone then you two can fuck all night."

He didn't want to look relieved but he was. "So what happened? Wait; start with why you called me. I should have paid more attention. Sorry."

"Peter, not even." Like he ever needs to apoligise to me. "I called 'cause the date was with Ame."

" ... who is?" Peter asked, clearly not remembering her.

"The one with the nails." He still didn't remember her. "The one you put a very specific 'no touch' rule on."

"Oh. Rules conflict. Fuck her, but don't touch her. Tricky. Did you?"

"Fucked up any chance I had with her. Does that count?"

He winced. "Sorry. I take it you are not cool about that."

"She's perfect. She's like ... she's like..." only Peter would understand the truth. "She's like Lisa. That first month. Before I fucked things up with her." I turned and started pulling food from the fridge. Something quick. "Lisa's strength an' looks but Leigh's claws." I hoped Gwen liked sausage 'cause I wasn't in the mood to really cook. When I turned back to Peter, his mouth was still hanging open. "What?"

"That's the first time you've mentioned her in almost five years."

I shrugged. "I think of her damn near daily." Lisa death was traumatic to say the least.

"Yeah, I kinda figured."

I went back to cooking and let him work out my dilemma. That's why he was the Dom.

"Do you really think every chance is gone?" He asked finally.

"Shot ta hell." I looked at him over my shoulder. "Did I mention that I pissed off her father and tried ta rape her sister as well?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, ok, her father's likely not that mad. Actually, he like as not the only one who don't hate me — least 'til he hears about Amanda. The sister — Amanda — total bitch. I just threatened ta rape her just ta get her out the car." I smirked. "She looks like a walking victim. I cannot believe she's even related to Ame."