Chapter 20

Jake went up to his room after the meeting broke up. He thought the plan they had made was a good one. It minimized risks to them and would, they hoped, force at least a truce with the Welches. He didn’t want to have to watch his back for the rest of the school year or the rest of his life. He was finishing up homework when Helen popped in.

“Got a minute, Honey?” she asked.

“I’ll always have time for you. You are the love of my life.”

She smiled at him then closed and locked his door. Then she locked the connecting door to his bathroom and sat down on his bed. He swung around to face her. She looked especially beautiful tonight - her long lustrous black hair gleamed in the light and the blue and white dress she wore hugged her curves.

“Come sit with me,” she said, “I hardly get to spend any time with you.”

Jake came over to the bed and pushed her backwards until she was lying on her back. Then he plopped down beside her and propped his head on his elbow. His other arm was across her waist. She looked up at him and sighed.

“That’s better. Maria Thornton raved about you last night, she said you are so handsome and mature she wished she were younger. If you play your cards right she would take you to bed in a heartbeat.”

“I think she probably would, but I don’t know if I want to get involved with her. I didn’t hear you come in last night, how was your evening?”

“It was nice and very interesting. We went to that club you went to with Sara. It is really a romantic place. We danced and talked for four hours. They are a charming couple.”

“Did you dance with Randal?”

“Yes, almost exclusively. How did you know?”

“If I was him I would have wanted you in my arms.”

“He was very attentive. It must have been the champagne we drank because I let him take a few liberties. He is the first man outside my family I ever let touch me that way.”

“What about Dad?”

“Maria made sure he wasn’t neglected. I don’t think they are as new at this as we are. I only caught a couple of looks at them - they were in the opposite corner from us - but she was pressing up against him keeping their faces very close. Then I was distracted by Randal. His hands were all over me, and I was enjoying the feeling.”

By now Jake was massaging her full breast. He stopped to unbutton her dress, and then slipped his hand into her bra. Her breathing was rapid and shallow.

“When we sat down during the band’s break,” she continued, “Randal put his hand on my leg and pushed under my dress.”

Jake did the same thing. He reached her panties and they were soaked. Helen grabbed his hand and stopped him from touching her mound.

“I didn’t let him get that far, Jacob. That’s a big step for me.”

Jake kissed her and moved her hand to her side. She eagerly sucked his tongue into her mouth. As Jake came up for air, he stroked her thigh just below her panties.

“What happened then?”

“We danced the last set and I let him feel my breasts. It was exciting. He got me in the corner and kissed me. But that was as far as it went at the club. We left and it seemed natural for me to get in the front seat with him while Charles and Maria got in the back. We were like teenagers on a double date. I sat close to him and he had his hand in my bra feeling me up. I glanced over the seat and Charles was doing the same with Maria. We got home and they walked us to the door. We kissed goodnight. Maria even frenched me. That was a big shock, I’ve never passion-kissed a woman like that.”

She finished talking and pulled him down for a kiss. Jake cupped her mound and her hips lifted.

“Oh, Jacob! Okay honey - but only on the outside,” she moaned.

She humped his hand until she came. Then got up and straightened her clothes.

“Thank you, Jacob, I promise that if I do give this to someone else it’ll be you.”

“Fair enough,” said Jake, “But I’d like you to continue with the Thornton’s, I think what Maria did with you was sexy.”

“It’s strange, but I liked it. We’ll see about the other, it could have just been the drinks that made everyone so uninhibited.”

With a final kiss, she unlocked his doors and was gone, leaving him with a massive hard-on.

As luck would have it, no one came in to share his bed that night. He had to resort to strangulating his domesticated fowl.

Tuesday was a normal day at school. Vicki Greer kept him after class to tell him the pregnancy test was positive. She was due the third week of May. She would be able to finish the school year and have all summer to arrange childcare. She was as elated as he had ever seen anyone. Bill was as happy as she was, she told him. Jake said he was thrilled for her also and offered his congratulations.

Beth walked him to his locker after geometry. She and Jake were talking about the test they just completed when Erika strode up. Beth started to leave but Jake held her by her arm. Erika was pleasant to Beth and did not start with her jealousy antics, she took Jake’s hand in hers and after Beth departed, they went to chemistry. Erika acknowledged Jake’s quizzical questioning look by telling him she had had a long talk with her mother about her feelings of jealousy. Her mom explained and re-explained that being too possessive was the best way to lose a man. It made sense to Erika. So, she decided that she was just going to love Jake, accept his love, and be happy. What she wasn’t happy about, she said, was the pharmacist telling her that she couldn’t count on the birth control pills to be fully effective until after a full month and one complete cycle had passed. Helga bought her another six-pack of rubbers (Thank you, Mom.), but Erika was disappointed Jake couldn’t ride bare immediately.

Study hall was very pleasant. Rebecca asked him to help in the storage room again and they kissed and talked. Jake was really starting to have serious feeling for Rebecca. He loved all the women in his life but felt tenderness towards Rebecca Doane that was special. He was back at his table with Beth in fifteen minutes. Beth teased him about being the teacher’s pet and he laughed at her good-natured ribbing. He was going to have to make sure he and Rebecca kept a low profile to keep any suspicions from forming.

His shoulder felt better at practice. He was confident he would be nearing a hundred percent by Friday’s game. Coach had them practice some new plays and the offense looked good. Brad passed with pinpoint accuracy, and Ray Robinson ran with authority. They were going to give Lake Wales a run for the money.

That evening, Jake was in his room finishing his homework when Angie came in with her purchases from his list. She handed him the bag with the rope and duct tape and told him she had gone to two different stores to get them as he had instructed. While she was talking, Erika’s revelation about the pill struck him. He asked Angie about it and she said that she had a diaphragm plus spermicidal jelly for a back up when they made love. She said she was not ready for him to make her a mommy ... yet. With that off his mind, Jake got dressed and asked Melissa to drive him to the Martins.

Gail was very pleased to see him and immediately kissed him passionately, right in front of her parents. Jake thought of Bob Martin’s little warning speech and disentangled himself. Gail laughed when Jake looked at Bob sheepishly.

“Daddy, stop trying to scare Jake,” she said, “His parents are the ones who should be worried about what I have on my mind.”

Bob turned red up to his receding hairline. Gail laughed some more, and told them she would leave them alone for a few minutes, but asked her dad not to monopolize Jake’s time there. She wanted to spend some time with Jake, too. Bob led Jake to the garage and they sat in the burgundy leather, tuck-and-rolled interior of the Mercury. Bob asked what was on his mind. Jake told him about his problem with the Welches and his plan to resolve it. Bob looked at him with a new respect. It was just the head-on way he thought problems like that should be solved.

“What can I do to help?” Bob asked.

Jake explained that he needed Bob to rent him a cargo van for Thursday night. Jake said Bob should leave it in his driveway with the keys in it. That way, if they were caught, Bob could honestly say it was stolen. Bob agreed that it was a good plan and said the van would be there Thursday afternoon. Bob looked wistful when Jake said it would not be a good idea for Bob to go along with them. Jake told him that everyone going was a minor and they could claim it was a prank; but if he came along with them, it would ruin their cover story. Bob reluctantly agreed, and they walked back inside. Bob didn’t say a thing when Gail grabbed Jake’s hand and said she was taking him to see her room.

She had a spacious bedroom with her own bathroom. It was like a studio apartment. They sat on the couch and she asked him if he knew about her scholarship. Jake said his dad had mentioned it, but that’s all he knew. She did not believe him, but accepted what he said. She slithered into his arms and they started kissing. She took his hand and moved it up to her breast. Jake squeezed her tit through her pink alpaca sweater and she moaned into his mouth.

“Oh, Jake, it’s been so long since I’ve felt a lover’s touch.”

“Are we going to be lovers?” he asked.

“I want us to be, I’ve thought about you constantly since our date,” she answered.

Jake pushed up her sweater and unhooked her lacy pink bra. “Are you wearing matching panties”?

“Find out for yourself,” she invited.

He did and for good measure, he finger-fucked her until she came on his hand. She bit his shoulder to keep from crying out. She tried to get him to make love to her but they didn’t have protection and he was uncomfortable with her parents in the house. She told him that next time she would be better prepared. They straightened their clothes and she took him home.

Jake was just about to get into bed when Angie came into his room. Wordlessly she stripped and lay on top of his bedspread. She held out her arms as he undressed and climbed between her legs. They were cuddled up and naked when Melissa eased into bed behind him.

“I tried to sleep alone last night, Jake, but I tossed and turned all night,” she said.

He reached behind him and pulled her up against his back. She put her arm over him and Angie and kissed his shoulder. In less than a minute, her gentle breath against his back told him she was asleep.

Angie had already gone back to her room when Jake shook Melissa awake the next morning. He conned her into taking a shower with him. Then she hogged the bathroom to get ready for school.

The school day flew by, as did football practice. Soon enough it was six and Jake and Debbie went to meet their co-conspirators. Everyone assembled at the Boy Scout camp and Jake passed out the equipment they had gathered. Erik, Erika, and Debbie received camouflaged fatigues and ski masks. He handed Erik the bag with rope and duct tape. Erika got two sand bags. He walked everyone through what would happen using Scott and Ray as stand-ins for Wayne and Blaine. He kept at it for an hour until everyone knew his or her part. Satisfied, Jake sent everyone home. He was asleep holding Melissa by ten.

On Thursday, time did not want to pass. Jake was anxious to get tonight over with and get the Welches behind him. He was not very attentive in his classes and drew a few odd looks from his teachers. At study hall, he asked Rebecca if Katherine would be home at five because he needed to talk to her for a few minutes. She said she would be and reminded him about having dinner this week. He asked if Sunday would be good for them, if so, he could get there at around two and stay until eight. Her eyes lit up and she said that timing would be perfect.

Jake’s shoulder felt fine at practice and he did some light hitting on the blocking sled to test it out. Hitting the sled harder and harder, he felt no pain. He told Coach Nelson how it went and the coach was relieved.

Erik took Jake home from practice and dropped him at Rebecca’s. Katherine met him at the door and pulled him in for a kiss. Then Rebecca wanted her turn. He asked them if they could drive him home so they could talk in the car. They piled into Katherine’s Lincoln and he explained his plan for the evening. Rebecca was hearing it for the first time and she was stunned. She was scared and worried that something might happen to him. Katherine asked him a series of ‘what ifs’ and Jake answered them all. She said she could not find any flaws in his plan, provided the Welches took the bait as intended. Jake agreed. The biggest hurdle would be getting the brothers to follow the bait, Cindy and Laurie, to the remote rendezvous. Jake stepped out of the car in his driveway. Rebecca got out also and was hanging onto him like a Cuban refugee on a life raft. He promised he would call her when he got home that night. Somewhat mollified, she released him, kissed him, and got back in the car.

Cindy and Laurie were already upstairs. Angie and Melissa were fixing them up with their schoolgirl fantasy outfits. At six, Debbie and Jake took their bags of uniforms and equipment and drove to the Martins’ house. A plain white panel van was waiting, as promised, in the drive. The keys were in the ignition. Debbie got in and drove the van back to the house while Jake followed her. Debbie parked the van on the street in front of their house and she and Jake transferred their gear from the car to the van. Angie came out of the house with Melissa. They drove to the movie theater and bought four tickets. The two went in and watched the movie. The four stubs were to establish a cover story for Debbie and Jake. Cindy and Laurie took the Fiat and Debbie and Jake took the van to the Boy Scout camp where they met up with Scott, Eric, Ray, and Erica. While the others took up their assigned positions, Erik and Jake got into Erik’s truck and followed Cindy and Laurie as they took the little Fiat to the Dairy Queen. The Welches were sure to be hanging around the DQ and notice them.