Chapter 17: Appeasing Paula

The Augustines welcomed me into their car like a member of their family. They had only seen the last quarter of our game with the J.V. and didn't know that I had sat on the bench for most of the other three quarters. Mr. Augustine congratulated me on a great game and Grace smiled like she knew what he meant when he told me that I was 'one tough dude.'

The cream colored Buick was smaller than the Mercury and I found myself sitting closer to Paula than on our last ride home together. She didn't say anything until we were in the restaurant.

"Daddy, you won't be able to guess what Sammy did to me," Paula said as soon as we had placed our orders.

"No dear, I'm sure I can't guess," Mr. Augustine answered, winking at me.

"I'm not going to tell you. If you want to know you'll have to guess," she said, tauntingly.

"Did he tackle you? You didn't play rough with my daughter, did you Sammy?"

"No sir, I don't even know what she's talking about," I was quick to say, expecting Paula to tell her father that I had come inside her and that she might be pregnant. What was I going to say to that? I tried to smile, but my lips were like stone and wouldn't budge.

"That's not it. You'll have to guess again." Paula said,

"I don't think your father will be able to guess dear. Perhaps if you gave him a hint," Grace interjected.

"No hints," Paula spoke sharply to her step-mother before turning her attention back to Mr. Augustine. "You can guess and I'll tell you if you're hot or cold," Paula said, stubbornly unwilling to relinquish her father's attention.

"Was it something he didn't do? Did he not ask you to dance?" He asked, trying to humor his daughter.

"No father, Sammy wouldn't do anything like that to me, would you Sammy?" Paula said, looking at me, adoringly. "He dances with me whenever I want him to, don't you Sammy?"

I sat stiffly in my seat, neither nodding nor shaking my head, staring straight ahead, wishing our food would arrive and we could stop playing twenty questions.

"I don't think Sammy is comfortable with this conversation. Why don't you just tell us what he did so we can talk about something else," Mr. Augustine suggested.

"NO, you have to guess," Paula insisted rather loudly. I looked around at the other diners. There were a few parents of students from both schools sitting nearby. I wondered if I could hitch a ride with someone from my neighborhood but I didn't see anyone I knew.

The waiter brought our orders and I paid more attention to my food than what Paula was saying. I was especially hungry or the food was unusually good. Paula ate sparingly, deciding to supply clues to the question. Her parents tried to talk about the game and my participation in it, but Paula insisted upon interrupting.

Mr. Augustine mentioned 'physical stamina and conditioning, ' when speaking about football. Paula spoke up with a clue. "It was something very physical," she said, looking at me with a big smile.

"Really, dear? He didn't hurt you did he?" Grace looked at me, alarm in her eyes.

"Oh, my no, mommy. Sammy wouldn't hurt me, would you Sammy?" She looked at me, pouting. I shook my head.

We talked about the varsity game and how well prepared our team was. I told them about Bancroft canceling the J.V. game and how their school was not focused on football, not like C.M.A.

"Sammy's so fast. It was over almost before it started," Paula interrupted again. I choked on something and had to take a sip of water.

"Is that a clue?" Her father asked.

"Yes, but not a very good one. Here's a real clue; it was dark and I couldn't see. Everything was done by touch and feel," Paula looked pleased with herself. Mr. Augustine shook his head, unable guess what his daughter was alluding to.

We finished the meal and on the way to the car I tried to get us far enough ahead of the older couple to warn Paula to keep her mouth shut. "Be a gentleman and open the car door for me Sammy," she commanded.

Our legs were not more than twelve inches apart in the back seat of the Buick. The Augustines talked between themselves without us hearing them and Paula talked to me. "You were very good during dinner. My father really likes you. He looks at you like the son he never had. I don't think he would mind having you for a son-in-law. Would you like that? Would you like being Grace's step-son-in-law? I'll bet you would. I've seen how you look at her. You think she's pretty, don't you?"

"I think she's a nice person," I said, keeping my voice low, not knowing how to answer her other questions. There was no telling what she would do if I said the wrong thing.

Paula took my hand and placed it on her thigh, just above the knee. When I moved my hand she grabbed for it but when she found she couldn't hold me she burst into a mournful cry, like she was in pain. "Guess what he said to me daddy."

Grace turned in her seat and glared at me. "What did you do to her?" She demanded.

"Nothing," I said, letting the level of my voice rise.

"It's what he said mommy. I was asking him why he did the other thing to me, you know, the very physical thing he did to me that was so fast it was over before it started, the thing that I could only feel and touch because I couldn't see what was happening, that thing. He said the reason he did it was to get Margaret alone so he could get into her panties."

"On my!" Grace said in alarm and Mr. Augustine's head turned to look at me for a few seconds. I shrunk into my corner of the car, mortified.

"I may as well tell you because you'll never guess. Last Saturday night I went with Margaret to meet Sammy at the tennis courts. He wanted to be alone with her. All of a sudden he took off running, dragging poor Margaret along. That's what I meant by it being very physical. They were running away from me and I couldn't see them because he turned his flashlight off. It was very dark and I had to feel my way along the path. But I caught up with them and saved Margaret before anything happened, didn't I Sammy?"

Grace was still watching me. "Is that true Sammy? Nothing happened?"

"Nothing happened," I answered.

"That's good because Margaret was a guest in our home and if something had happened I would feel responsible," Grace said before she turned to look at her husband. They talked quietly among themselves and Paula reached for my hand.

"You can be such a little boy Sammy Oldham but you're a fast learner. That's what I like about you," she said. Her hand covered mine, guiding it up and down her bare thigh. I let her, too stunned and relieved by her last speech to resist. At least she had not told her parents what really happened.

"Margaret wants to come back to my house soon. She wants something to happen with you next time. You're all she talked about at school this week. And when she saw you on the field in your football uniform she absolutely swooned. It's a good thing she had me to protect her from you. I know you can't wait to get in her panties." Paula spoke quietly, pulling my hand dangerously near her crotch. I planned to stop her if I felt her panties but she stopped short of that so I let her slide my hand up and down her leg. She seemed content to feel my hand on her skin, back and forth, back and forth. I didn't stop her.

"Did you think about me last week?" Paula asked and I had to admit that I had.

"Did you like doing it with me?" Her hand held mine near her crotch, not moving it, awaiting my answer. What could I say? That I'd had better? What would she do if I told the truth? "Yes," I said.

"You shouldn't have come inside me," she whispered, moving my hand again. I felt her panty leg-band but didn't jerk my hand away. "I wouldn't have let you come inside me if I had known there was no hot water to clean up with. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think of it. I didn't know you were going to pull on my cock the way you did," I whispered.

"Well, I guess I forgive you. It's just that your come dribbled down my legs and made a crusty mess on my jeans. What if Grace saw it? She would have smelled it and known what it was. If she told my dad that she smelled come on my jeans he would want to know who was fucking me. I couldn't lie; I would have to tell him it was you fucking his little girl."

Two images jumped at me, Grace lowering her nose to Paula's jeans and Paula staunchly telling the truth.

I felt her thighs open and her hand pull my fingers closer to her pussy. I squeezed her thigh, not hard but enough to make her jump. "Ouch," she yelled, making Grace's head spin around, a second after Paula pulled her skirt down and I withdrew my hand. Paula stayed on her side of the seat for the rest of the ride, still talking casually, like we were old friends just passing the time.

When we reached the Oldham house she perked up. "Call me tomorrow Sammy. We'll get together and do something."

I thanked the Augustines for dinner and the ride home and then I said goodbye to Paula, without agreeing to call her.

Suzanne's car was parked in front of the house, which was not unusual although she often waited until Saturday morning to come to the house. I was not surprised when I saw her playing chess with Mr. Oldham. I didn't want to disturb the game so I went upstairs to change my clothes and read my mail. There was only one letter from Colleen. I read it a couple of times and spent about ten minutes answering Colleen's questions. Did I think of her often? Did I miss her? Would I devote all my time to her at Thanksgiving? Yes, Yes, Yes.

I didn't learn why Ned hadn't picked me up from school until the next morning at breakfast. He and Penelope had gone away for the weekend. Suzanne assured me that if Mr. Oldham didn't want to drive me back to school on Sunday afternoon that she would be glad to take me. I didn't tell her how glad I was that I wouldn't have to ride back to school with the Augustines. I told Mr. Oldham and Suzanne about the football game. He said it was too bad they didn't know I was going to be in the game, they would have made arrangements to be there. They left right after breakfast to play golf, saying it was the middle of October and the golfing season would end soon.

After they left I rushed across the street to check the bedroom where Paula and I had sex the week before. Apparently, Mollie had found the bed unmade and replaced the sheets with clean ones. I sat down and waited for Alice to arrive for our dance lesson, reminding myself to thank Mollie for taking care of the bedding.