Chapter 6: Crystal Heights

"And so at last I escaped Emerald Lake," said Lulu.

Annabelle realized she was literally on the edge of her seat. She slid back and settled in once more, taking a breath as she organized her thoughts.

"Wow," she said. "Okay, so you got away from Lester and you were driving toward Chrystal Heights."

"Yes," said Lulu. "I stopped only briefly to get dressed- I was naked, after all- and then sped away from Emerald Lake with as much speed as I dared. I had been through this area previously, but my memory of the area was sketchy at best. Darkview was close as well, of course, but Darkview had an unsavory reputation even then, and I felt it best to stick to my original plan. Chrystal Heights."

Annabelle made a note. "So, you went to Chrystal Heights," she said, "and you were home free then, right?"

Lulu laughed. "Hardly," she said. "Chrystal Heights is ... different."

"Different?" said Annabelle. "I'm sure it is, but I would think it was better than Emerald Lake."

"Perhaps. At any rate, I drove as fast as I dared. I had no idea how long it would take Lester to figure out that I had fled. I was hoping also to gain time by the fact that he had no sure idea where I was going. Chrystal Heights wasn't a logical destination for me, and I hoped that would give me enough of a lead to give me time to change cars."

"Several hours later, I reached the outskirts of Chrystal Heights. The adrenaline rush from escaping had faded, and the aching need for sex was filling that void."

Lulu turned and looked out the window, her eyes far away. "I saw a diner ... the Chrystal Diner. Being a diner waitress, it seemed a good place to stop and catch my breath, so to speak. Something familiar." She laughed without humor. "I should have known better, of course."

Annabelle raised an eyebrow. "A diner is bad?"

"Not in the traditional sense, no," said Lulu, "but I had worked in a diner for several years at that point. And I was conditioned to a degree by that."

"I'm not sure I-"

"Blowjobs."

Annabelle remained silent as the significance of Lulu's statement set in. Then she said, "Oh."

Lulu continued looking out the window. "Yes, blowjobs." She shook her head slowly. "One does not shuffle off months and years of conditioning that easily, particularly when one's body simply cries out for it."

"I entered and sat down, taking in the familiar sounds and aromas. I was in my natural environment. I felt I could pick up a pad and take an order and no one would be the wiser."

"It sounds like you should have gone to work there," said Annabelle.

"Don't you see?" said Lulu. "It was ... too familiar. I began humming to myself as I sipped my coffee. My needs, however, were growing, and I knew ... I thought I knew ... what I could do to satisfy them."

"Surely there was someone available for you to, ah, relieve yourself?"

"I thought there was, yes," said Lulu. "There were several male customers and even some female customers that seemed they would be receptive to any advances I might make."

"Then what was the problem?" asked Annabelle.

"Everyone at the Emerald Lake diner knew me," said Lulu. "Wives were not offended when I offered to satisfy their husbands because they knew me. Neither were girlfriends. That," Lulu made a wry face, "wasn't the case here."

"Hmmmm," said Annabelle. "I see what you mean."

"Granted, I didn't have to give blowjobs," said Lulu, "but after years of doing so, the urge was essentially a need. One I needed satisfied."

Lulu stared out the window once more. "So I took some chances I shouldn't have taken. I started offering my services to everyone. And when a man walked over from the other side of the restaurant to request my service, I felt the erotic rush and thought everything was finally going my way."