Chapter 13

Phil looked at his watch just as the door swung up. Hailey hadn’t been off by much – and she was remarkably close with what she said Tiffany Grayling would be wearing. There was a white tank top that clearly showed her nipples but instead of panties she wore a pair of loose shorts. When she sat down and crossed her legs Indian style, Phil realized that was all she was wearing.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt a study session,” Tiffany said. It appeared she was telling the truth – it took Phil a moment to realize that she had hoped to interrupt something a lot more personal.

“No problem,” Phil replied. “We just got started. Do you want to grab some books and join us?”

“Maybe,” Tiffany replied with a small smile. “How did last night go?”

She wiggled her eyebrows at Hailey salaciously.

“We talked for a while, goofed around and went to sleep,” Hailey answered, lifting her eyes from her textbook.

“Goofed around?” Tiffany said with a laugh. “Is that the new term? I heard my sister call it ‘doing the laundry’ when I was about 12.”

“We did not have sex last night,” Hailey stated firmly. “You’re embarrassing Phil. He’s different from the other assholes I’ve brought around. Would you please remember that?”

“Oh, yeah,” Tiffany said. “Sorry, Phil.”

Indeed, Phil was blushing but it was mostly because Tiffany’s uncomfortable shift had displayed her entire pussy to his view through the leg of her shorts. Hailey had caught Phil’s gaze and sighed.

“Do you have on panties?” she asked the startled raven-haired girl.

“What?” Tiffany asked, looking down at her naked vagina and then up at Phil. She quickly closed her legs. “God, I’m really sorry.”

“It’s not like I minded,” Phil laughed somewhat nervously. “I got to see your boobies when you walked out of the shower and your butt when you walked up the hall. You were just completing the trifecta. I should tell you ... I didn’t mind any of the views you’ve offered but I like the smile you gave me last night at the dorm best of all. You’re very pretty and you have a great smile.”

Tiffany’s cheeks pinked.

“You really do have a pretty face,” Hailey cut in. “But Phil really is different, Tiffany.”

“Oh,” the young woman said, understanding the message. “I, uh, I see. I should have seen that from last night. I’m sorry, Hailey.”

“It’s not your fault,” Phil cut in. “I didn’t understand the ramifications of ogling you when you walked up the hall. Under different circumstances, I don’t think I’d protest too much at the idea. Hailey and I are still getting to know each other and we have a lot to overcome to make it work. I don’t want you to misunderstand. I find you very attractive. The way you’re dressed shows me that you have an incredible body. The simple fact is that Hailey and I aren’t at a point where whatever relationship we have could survive the jealousy that’s bound to crop up between us if you’re involved. We’ll have to see if that moment ever arrives. I hope you won’t pass up an opportunity on your own because you’re waiting for us because we might not ever get to that point. OK, Tiff?”

Tiffany blinked slightly as she took in the words. Hailey waited for her friend to break into tears and flee the room. When that happened she was pretty sure she would say things to Phil that he would not enjoy.

“Yeah, Phil,” she said, smiling inexplicably. “I’m a little embarrassed that you know about it but I guess that’s how I know that you’re different. I should have expected her to tell you. You don’t think I’m a freak?”

“Not at all!” Phil said. He got up, moved over, knelt down beside her and put his arm around Tiffany. She put her head on his shoulder contentedly. “There is nothing wrong with how you feel. You like guys and you like girls. A lot of people do. It just doubles your chance for a date on Friday night.”

“You’re terrible,” Tiffany said. “Let me go cover up my twat and I’ll come down and study with you if that’s all you have planned.”

“It’s all we have planned,” Phil told her. Tiffany arose, kissed first him and then Hailey on the cheek and departed the room.

“It’s all you have planned,” Hailey said as she landed on Phil’s lap after he resumed his chair. She kissed him firmly for a moment before pulling away.

“I need to change my underwear,” she told him. “I hate to wear the same pair two days in a row.”

“Yeah, me too,” Phil replied.

“Tiffany is going to be back in a minute,” she said. “She’ll probably have to frig herself off. She gets a little excited by showing off. If you can’t behave while I’m naked, you can wait in the hall.”

“Can I ogle and stare?” Phil asked.

“That is encouraged,” Hailey told him, shaking her head. “Also any positive comment you might offer would be appreciated.”

“Good to know,” Phil told her as she stood up and slipped her pants and panties down to her ankles. She bent forward in front of him to pull them over her feet, looking back to see Phil’s eyes fixed on her butt and what lay between her legs.

“No comments?” Hailey asked, maintaining the pose longer than necessary.

“Speechless,” Phil stammered. His eyes had jerked to her face only momentarily before refocusing on the spongy lips of her pussy and the dark crinkle of her asshole.

“I suppose that’s OK,” Hailey said, standing up and turning around. He saw the light fluffy hair over her mound just before she lifted his T-shirt over her head and tossed it aside. The bra followed as quickly as she could unhook it. She stood before him gloriously naked. He had to put his hands beneath his legs to keep from reaching out to her.

His eyes were glazed and he constantly had to wet his lips.

“You are so good for my ego!” Hailey exclaimed, sitting her naked butt on Phil’s lap and kissing him solidly. “Shit, I better get dressed before Tiffany comes back and thinks we’ve changed our minds. Grab me some panties and a bra out of the top drawer while I grab some clothes out of my closet.”

Phil pulled out the plainest pieces of underwear he could find. The choices were plentiful but none of them appeared to be functional. He found a sports bra and a pair of white hip huggers and tossed them over.

“You want me to look like a frump?” she asked with a laugh.

“It might be the only thing to keep me from throwing you on the bed,” Phil said.

“Ooh, so good for my ego,” Hailey answered. “Maybe I should mark my territory before I send you off on your date. I’m kidding.”

She tugged on a pair of shorts and struggled to stuff her breasts into the sports bra. A crimson T-shirt that matched Phil’s soon followed. They had returned to their books by the time Tiffany knocked on the door and was bade to come in. She wore a pair of cut-off sweatpants and a blue shirt. None of her interesting parts were on display. She sat down on the bed and opened a notebook.

The trio studied in silence until it came time for Phil to leave.

“Aren’t you coming to dinner with us?” Tiffany asked. “We always go out to dinner on Saturday to catch up on the week. You’re going to be the major piece of conversation, believe me.”

“Phil has a date tonight,” Hailey said.

“Oh, you’re not going to be there either?” Tiffany asked.

“Of course I’ll be at dinner,” Hailey replied. “You know I never let a boyfriend interrupt our Saturday get-togethers. I won’t join you at the clubs tonight, though. Well, not unless Phil decides to sleep over at his date’s house.”

Tiffany was looking back and forth between the two other occupants in the room.

“He agreed to go to dinner with the little redhead who works our front desk,” Hailey explained. “That was before he and I decided to go out. He explained everything to her. She went out with someone else last night. I told him it was important that he not make a decision before sampling both of us. I mean, sampling a date with both us, get your mind out of the gutter. That’s why I didn’t let him boink me last night. It would ruin him for other women.”

She punctuated her statement with a giggle and a wink.

“It’s not like that!” Phil interjected. “I’m going to dinner with her family and that’s it.”

“Don’t forget the movie,” Hailey said with a smile. “And of course you’ll have to make out with her a little – you know, just to be sure.”

“Behave!” Phil told her. “It’s just dinner to show I’m not pissed that she decided to drop me for someone else a day after we made a date.”

“She made a date with someone else after agreeing to go out with you?” Tiffany asked. “Is she stupid?”

“It is a distinct possibility,” Hailey agreed.

“Well, Phil, there’s precedent now,” Tiffany said with a giggle. “If you want to drop Hailey I’m available! Maybe I could be the one to share my boyfriend with her this time!”

A look of murderous rage flashed across Hailey’s feature for only a moment but just as quickly it was gone.

“Tiffany, I have no doubt that you would be a wonderful girlfriend for Phil,” she said. “If he decides he would be happier with you, I will let him go and never ask you to share. I would prefer to keep him but I want him to be happy more.”

Tiffany’s mouth dropped. She had rarely heard Hailey offer a compliment about any guy she was with let alone to express a sentiment that someone else’s happiness was important.

“Your happiness is important to me, too,” Hailey said gently as soon as she recognized the expression. “Especially if I can make you happy without sharing something I don’t want to share.”

Phil knocked on the O’Malley’s door and wasn’t surprised when Susan opened it. She offered a slight smile and ushered him in the door.

“What do you and Mr. O’Malley have planned tonight?” he asked pleasantly.

“Just a movie,” Susan answered, amazed that the guy her cousin had dropped was being so nice. “It’s the first time we’ve felt comfortable going out and leaving Sean with someone else.”

“It sounds like fun,” he said. “I think Molly had something she wanted to see on video. I’m not sure what it is.”

“You don’t have to be so civil,” Susan told him. “We all know what happened last night.”

“Then you know I told Molly it was OK with me,” Phil said with a smile.

“So there is a chance you’ll still date?” Susan asked hopefully.

“Uh, no,” Phil admitted.

“Because of what she did last night?” Susan wondered.

“No, because of what I did last night,” Phil admitted. “I met someone and I’m going to try to date her. It has nothing to do with Molly. I was a little hurt but I would have gotten over it if it were meant to be. I don’t think it was. I’ll make every effort to get to know Molly – and you and your husband – but I think that’s as far as things go. If things don’t work out it might turn out differently but I won’t encourage her to wait around for me. If I think she is compatible with some nice guy I run into, I’ll point him out to her. I don’t think I’ll have to point her out to anyone. She’s stunning.”

He winked at Susan.

“Just like you,” he continued. “I bet you had to work really hard to get your husband to notice you.”

“I thought I told you not to flirt with my old married cousin,” Molly chimed in from the doorway. “And so you know, she just had to bat her eyes at him and he was hers.”

She come over and kissed Phil on the cheek. He could see the dark circles under her eyes and he put his arm around her waist protectively.

“How was last night?” he asked when Susan had headed off to the kitchen.

“Brutal!” Molly said with a frown. “He was sotted when I got there; he grabbed my backside right in front of Susan; and he spent the next two hours trying to touch me in every single place his hands could reach. I’ve got a bruise on my boob from when he grabbed me in the mosh pit. A mosh pit! Can you believe that? I went out with a total wanker who took me to a shitty concert and then groped me throughout. For that, I gave up a guy who treats me with respect and could probably buy and sell every business in my town without taking a loan. Yeah, it was glorious!”

“Sorry,” Phil said. “I really am. I hoped you would have a good time.”

“I know you did,” Molly said. “How was the party?”

“It was good,” Phil admitted. “I saw some people who I didn’t know went to college here.”

“And Hailey?” Molly asked.

“She had fun, too, I think,” Phil concluded.

“How much fun?” Molly wondered. She wanted to know if Hailey had made her inevitable move when the opportunity arrived.

“Uh, she spent the night with me,” Phil admitted. “Sorry. I was going to tell you.”

“You’ll be happier with her, I think,” Molly said. “You have a lot more in common with her than with me.”

“There are still a lot of things to overcome before we really get serious,” Phil said.

“Sounds like you got pretty serious last night if she slept in your bed,” Molly cut in.

“We went only a bit farther last night than you and I did,” he told her – which was technically true. It wasn’t until this morning that things expanded past petting.

“Ah, well, so she and I are even then,” Molly replied with a grin. “What sort of things do you have to overcome?”

“There is a history,” Phil said, trying to evade the subject.

“She told me a little about it,” Molly said. “Sounds to me like she regrets how she handled the situation and she won’t let it happen again.”

“I agree,” Phil told her.

“So she and I are even again,” Molly pointed out, “because I feel the same way. I did something daft and I see that. I most certainly won’t behave that way in the future.”

“True enough, I suppose,” Phil said with a grin.

“So what are you talking about?” Molly wondered.

“It’s a matter of some history between her and her friends,” he said delicately.

“I talked to some of the girls in the dorm on Thursday, Phil,” she interrupted. “I know a good bit about the goings on in Room 515. We’re talking some pretty kinky things from what I’ve heard. Of course if word of that got out my life would be made for shit. Hailey’s got about the whole freshman class scared to death. So you’re bothered by having to service her friends? Sounds un-guy-like. Perhaps I should give her old Trevor’s number.”

There was a trace of anger in Molly’s voice when she discussed Hailey’s friends and it caused Phil some worries.

“It’s not a matter of what I will or won’t do,” he told her. “It’s a matter of explaining those days are past if things work out. I believe there will be some resentment from some of them. I saw a little bit of it last night and again today. I smoothed things over but there are a few people in her circle I’ve really never met. I’m not one to give in to peer pressure or to be coerced into something I know is wrong.”

“Unlike me, you mean,” Molly said.

“No, that’s not what I mean,” Phil said in a tight voice. “You might as well know that I’m not one to let someone put words into my mouth either. I told you what I think of your situation and you can accept it or not. I’m not going to let you use me as the mechanism for your guilt. You screwed up – not by going out with someone but by going out with a jerk. That’s the only thing anyone can fault you for. If I thought differently, I’d tell you.”

“Fine,” Molly said. “You’re noble and kind of heart.”

“This looks like it was a mistake,” Phil replied.

“How should I react, Phil?” Molly wondered. “The reason you hooked up with Hailey last night was because of where I was and what I was doing. If I hadn’t been a slag, you’d have gone to the party – maybe even with me – and had the same fun. But I was a bitch and gave her the opening she’d been looking for. I don’t think she’d have made a move on you if you were still going out with me. She’s trying to earn your respect – and she understands that’s not a game you play. I knew the moment you dropped me off that any shot I had of an actual date with you was gone. She knew it, too, and she made her play. I threw away a storybook romance for a date with a loser and I’m just supposed to shrug it off. I’m pissed at myself – and I’ll admit I’m sort of pissed at you. You tell me it’s OK to go last night – that we only planned one date and then you go and find someone new before our date even comes around.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Phil said. “I guess that’s why Hailey insisted I come out here. She must feel guilty about what she did. I don’t though. I have a feeling that if Trevor hadn’t been a complete douche you’d have gone pretty far last night yourself.”

“How can you say that?” Molly insisted. There was no way he could have known that she’d worn her sexiest underwear the night before.

“Just the way you looked when you talked about him,” Phil said with a shrug. “I could tell that you liked him and that you were going out with me because everyone thought you should. I’m safe; he’s dangerous. I’m the steady four-door sedan and he’s the Harley Roadster. I get that and, as I said, I’m OK with it. If things had worked out for you last night you would have called me today and expressed your sincerest apologies but you would have cancelled our date. Am I wrong?”

Molly had crossed her arms defiantly as Phil spoke but had managed to keep her face neutral. His last statement caused her mouth to drop.

“How did you know that?” she insisted.

“It’s common sense,” Phil replied. “Look, until Hailey put on the hard sell, you had no intention of seeing me until you determined if things with the guy you really wanted to go out with worked. Now you’re getting pissy with me because I didn’t sit around and wait on you? I think it’s time you grow the hell up, Molly. That’s not the way the real world works. I might seem quiet and unassuming but I’m never going to be somebody’s doormat again.”