Chapter 81

Friday-Saturday, July 13-14

George Patterson continued to offer advice as we ate our lunch, including ideas on how to turn the situation to my benefit.

“I can talk to some people,” he said, “but you’re going to owe me.”

“How much?” I asked.

“Nothing financial,” he said. “I’m thinking of a different currency. You’re future. I’ve got a feeling about you and I’m willing to place a bet on your side, even if it takes two or three decades to pay off.”

In the end, he did tell me I was still expected to escort his daughter to her Sweet 16 on Tuesday.

“Please try not to impregnate anyone else before then,” he said with a sardonic grin.

I remembered Staci’s line about how he liked to jerk boys’ chains. He was yanking mine as hard as he could.

When the check came, I gave it a quick glance, pulled a bill out of the envelope, added a Hamilton from my wallet and told the waiter to keep it.

“You’ll definitely be remembered here, tipping like that,” Mr. Patterson said. “I’d almost think you’re trying to make me look bad on my own turf.”

“They’ll just remember some kid having lunch with George Patterson,” I said. “It’s not like they’re going to have my picture on the wall.”

We said our farewells and went our separate ways. I stashed the envelope in the bag in my trunk, returned the suit to the studio by 2 p.m., reclaimed my clothes then got in my car and just drove.

I had a lot to think about. Was it worth selling out to George Patterson to get out from under Julia Fairchild? Or would it just be a different form of servitude?

A couple of hours later, I found myself more than 100 miles west, way out in the country. I pulled off at a convenience store in some little town to gas up and get a soda before heading back home. I was going to have to keep my fingers crossed and just wait for what the future would bring.

I pulled into the completed carport for the first time about 6 o’clock. Mom and Kacie were home from the club. Dad was apparently in transit. I went in through the garage so I could put all the laundry I had on to wash right away, then headed into the kitchen.

I was on my own for dinner, I learned. Mom and Dad were dining at the club tonight. Kacie was going on a date with Danny Pomeroy. I guess she was pretty serious about getting more camouflage.

The local major league team was just getting started at Camden Yards. If the locals, who came in at 14 games under .500, were bad, the Orioles were absolutely putrid. Baltimore was 42 games under, had lost 16 of its last 19 and had the second-worst home record in baseball at 18 under.

It should have been an indication of my emotional state that I was willing to watch this game. It probably influenced my decision that Coach Bennett’s buddy Cole was pitching tonight. I called in a pizza delivery order and settled in to see how bad things could get.

Buddy Cole was on his game to start, retiring the first 10 batters he faced. My pizza arrived between the third and fourth and a one-out single in the fourth broke up his perfect game, but was erased on a double play, meaning he’d still faced the minimum.

The Orioles starter, who at 2-11 must have been some kind of masochist to keep going out there, scattered three singles through four. Then he started the fifth by hanging one to a guy who either struck out or homered. It went 384 feet.

Baltimore tied it on a double, ground out and sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning.

Then the whole game happened in the seventh. A one-out single, a pitching change and a walk to the guy who’d homered led the local manager to make a move I didn’t get — sending up a guy to pinch hit who was 0 for 18 lifetime as a pinch hitter. Somebody knew something because the second pitch went 387 feet for a 4-1 lead. A walk and a double later, it was 5-1.

That was just enough for Cole, who got one out in the seventh before loading the bases and getting pulled. The reliever promptly unloaded the bases by giving up a double and it was back to being a one-run game. The Orioles then pissed off their entire fan base by stranding four runners in scoring position the rest of the way, loading the bases with one out in the eighth and failing to get even a sac fly.

Morgan called while all this was going on, catching me up on her travels. She’d just finished her program at Northwestern and had another night in Evanston before heading up to Madison for one last week on the road. I felt for the little elf. She’d had to go straight to Illinois from her grandfather’s funeral and hadn’t seen any of her friends in four weeks.

I again swore that I’d be waiting when she finally returned. I had my final two dates with Gang of Eight members coming up. School and football practice would start three weeks after Morgan got back and she had to squeeze her driving test in there somewhere.

I wished her sweet dreams, then went back to watching bad baseball and eating pizza. I’d never once thought of mentioning the situation with Marie.

After the game and the pizza were finished, I got back on laundry detail, sorting things from my hamper and moving what I started to wash when I came in to the dryer. With nothing better to do, I decided to finally take some clothes to the apartment. I loaded up two sets of workout clothes, a couple of pairs of cargo and Bermuda shorts and enough slacks, shirts and boxers for a week. I’d have to get duplicate pairs of deck shoes and loafers just to cover myself.

I loaded everything up, including the envelope full of cash, and pulled into Arlene’s drive a little before 10. The money and folding clothes were put in the dresser, the rest was hung on the clothes bar. The redheaded goddess was apparently out for the evening and I was back home by 10:30.

Kacie was waiting for me in the family room, having returned home from her date with Danny.

“How’d things go?” I asked.

“As well as I could hope,” she said. “He is such a sweet guy, but he is soooo gay. I don’t know how his parents haven’t figured it out. I swear the boy hasn’t touched a titty since his momma weaned him.”

Good, I thought. I was feeling rather possessive of my sister’s titties.

Kacie followed me back to the laundry room and helped me fold and hang what was ready. We carried the items back to my room, where she ambushed me.

“Mom and Dad are going to be out late,” she said in a sultry tone as she rubbed up against me. “We’ve still got a couple of hours.”

My sister headed through the bathroom to her room, stripping as she went. I figured I could let Danny Pomeroy handle some of the dating as long as I reaped the end-of-date rewards. I stripped to my boxers in a hurry and followed in her wake.

Kacie was down to her underwear when I caught up to her. I wrapped her in a hug and fell back onto her bed, cutting off her squeal with a kiss. One hand latched onto her butt as the other went to work on her bra. I was getting better at working the devices with one hand, but, like anything else, needed to practice. A lot.

My sister rose up long enough to discard the garment, then presented a nipple to my lips. I caused her to whimper and whine as I chewed on the rubbery nub, switching from side to side every so often to keep things even.

Kacie got off me long enough to go grab a towel, then made me get up so she could put it under me. She crawled back on top of me to resume the kiss and rub her panty-clad crotch against the lump in my boxers. As much as I’d been through with Marie this week, I’d at least had enough time to recharge to have a go with my sister.

She didn’t waste any more time, fishing my dick out of my fly and pulling the gusset of her panties aside. She whined and squealed as she slid down my shaft, laying atop me for another kiss as her breasts rubbed against me.

Kacie began squeezing and rolling her hips, trying not to make too much noise as the tremors raced through her. I enjoyed myself, groping her boobs and butt, kissing whatever I could reach when she leaned close and trying not to come too soon.