Chapter 8: A New Domino Appears

We were awakened by Marcy's Saturday morning phone call.

By the time Shirley, made her way to the front room, dressed only in the shirt I had worn to school the previous day, Tammy was playing 'who's this?' with Marcy.

By the time I got to the front room, wearing only the pants I had worn to school the previous day, Shirley was sitting next to Tammy on the couch, whispering into the phone, between giggles.

I went into the kitchen and started the coffeemaker.

Tammy joined me, pouring a glass of orange juice before saying anything. I was a little surprised that she had slept in a T-shirt and panties but I really wasn't interested in looking at her bare skin, not after the night I had had with Shirley

"Who's Marcy?" she asked as she poured the juice.

"She's a friend from my high school."

"I thought you went to a military school. Did you have girls there?"

"Our sister school was on the other side of a river so we only got together with the girls on special occasions, like after sporting events."

"Like the graduate school in West Pontiac?"

"Exactly."

Considering how we were dressed, she in a loose fitting T-shirt that barely covered her panties and I in my boxer shorts, Tammy seemed relaxed. She took a drink of orange juice and cocked her head.

"If she's your friend why is Shirley telling Marcy everything you guys have been up to lately?"

I laughed. "That's the way it's been since I introduced them to each other. They really hit it off from the beginning. Marcy visited Shirley at my house last summer and she stopped by here to see us on her way to school."

I wasn't sure if Tammy believed my explanation as to how my girlfriend could become close to my best female friend. "I've got to pee," she said, skipping off to the bathroom.

Shirley reluctantly relinquished the phone in exchange for a glass of orange juice. I put my arm around her and drew her close as I said hello to Marcy.

"Where have you been? Is everything all right with you? We haven't heard from you since you left here," I scolded Marcy.

"I had a hell of a time getting a telephone installed in my room and since then it's been pure agony. They treat us like imbeciles here. Tell me again why you didn't want me to come to Pontiac?"

I couldn't help laughing. "You're just feeling sorry for yourself. Give it another week or two; you'll be fine."

I unbuttoned two of the buttons on the shirt Shirley was wearing and felt the warm skin of her tummy.

"Stop being so smug, Oldham. I know you're full of sex."

"Did Shirley tell you what we did last night?"

"YESSS! She told me everything, beginning with the first night in the hotel and Labor Day at the motel pool and god; it's good to hear about you two. She's so happy. I hope you know how lucky you both are."

"She's a treasure," I had to agree, moving my hand up to feel the weight of Shirley's left breast.

"Are you going to the homecoming game at Cromwell? I thought we could all get together, not that Press will be there."

"When is it?" I asked, feeling Shirley's warm breath against my cheek and her hand finding the opening in my shorts.

"Cromwell is playing Deerfield the day before Thanksgiving. Deborah Simmons will probably be there. You can introduce her to Shirley."

"Are you trying to start trouble?" I asked, sure that my high, out-of-control voice was giving away what Shirley was doing to me.

"She's sitting on your lap, isn't she?" Marcy asked a tone of hilarity in her voice.

"Marcy, we're going to have to cut this short. I feel... I feel..."

I was vaguely aware that Tammy was watching us from the bathroom door but I didn't care if she saw my cock poking through the slit in my shorts.

"Okay, I'll let you go," Marcy said. "Just tell me, are you coming to the homecoming game?"

"Yes, but Charlie's the one who will be happy to hear that Deborah will be there."

"I can't wait to see you guys again," she said with a cheery goodbye.

Shirley walked backwards to our bedroom, using the tails of my shirt to partially shield my stiffened cock from Tammy's jaded eyes.

"I hear you told Marcy everything about last night," I said as soon as the door was closed behind us.

"Not everything. I told her we did it twice," she said, dropping my shirt to the floor and taking her place on the bed.

I quickly rolled a condom on my cock and got between her legs. "Twice? I distinctly remember three times," I said as I flicked one of her nipples with my tongue.

She took my cock in her hand and ran the head up and down her slit. "I didn't want to boast," she said as her legs surrounded my ass to draw me into her.

"Shirley!"

"Mmmm..."

"Promise me that we'll always be like this. I don't want us to change."

"Mmmm..."

Shirley's facial expressions while having sex were a joy to watch. Her wide eyes showed surprise, like it was our first time together while her furrowed brow showed deep concentration. I especially liked it when she bit her lip or poked the tip of her tongue out one corner of her mouth, telegraphing an orgasm was near.

With an out-of-control shriek her eyes went wide as she held onto me, shuddering.

I watched her try to smile as she regained her ability to speak. "That was... that was incredible."

"You're incredible," I said, feeling the inner walls of her vagina massage my cock, pulling my head down for a kiss.

"What's that I smell?"

"Sweat?" I suggested.

"No, silly, it's coming from the kitchen," she said, urging me to roll off of her.

We showered quickly, got dressed and discovered Tammy was making pancakes for breakfast. Every time I took a bite it was interrupted by the telephone ringing.

Cheryl called to find out where Kent's party was being held, saying she hadn't been invited to the party but since all six of the freshmen candidates for membership in our breakfast club were going to be there, she felt that her presence was required. "I'm a good judge of social poise," she boasted.

Laura Nagle called to say that her brother couldn't make it to the party and she didn't want to go alone.

"Come by our apartment about eight-thirty. You can walk over to the party with us," I suggested, explaining that we lived above the dress shop.

Angie's party antenna was standing at full attention when I returned to the breakfast table, but I didn't respond to her signal. I didn't know how big Kent's apartment was or how many people he had invited.

I called Kent to see if he wanted to play tennis, telling him that I was heading over to the school after Shirley went to work. He agreed to meet me at one of the courts about one-thirty, completely unaware of my ulterior motive. I wanted to break the news in person that I had invited more people to 'his' party.

Feeling invincible, well, feeling confident that Kent wouldn't give me a hard time for inviting more and more people to his party, I walked into the kitchen and told Charlie and Angie they could go too.

Angie, who was sitting up high on the computer chair, beamed. "See, Charlie, I told you he wouldn't stay mad at me," she purred, sweetly.

Dumbfounded, I exchanged a look with Shirley. She just smiled, shrugging. We both knew Angie would be departing soon. We just didn't know exactly how soon it would be.

"Where are my pancakes?" I asked, seeing that my plate was missing.

"They were getting cold. I'm making some more, Sweetheart," Shirley said, giving me a piercing stare, like I had done something wrong and then shifting her eyes to Tammy and back to me.

"Tammy, there's a party tonight. Would you like to go? I'll come after you if..."

"She'll be happy to go, won't you Tammy," Shirley interrupted me.

Tammy smiled and nodded. "A party would be fun."

It was apparent to me that Shirley liked having Tammy there. The two seniors had been roommates for the past two years and shared their most intimate secrets. I liked having her around too.

Every time I had returned to the kitchen I saw them whispering, Tammy exclaiming and Shirley nodding, shyly.

I was too self-absorbed at the time, too caught up with everything that was happening in my busy existence to analyze what was going on between the two girls; they missed being roommates. They were better friends than they realized. They were discovering they needed each other's companionship.

All of this went over my head but I did notice that Angie felt threatened by the closeness between the two older girls. Tammy was two years older than Angie and ten years more mature.

Angie jumped up and began to clear the table before I had finished my second helping of pancakes.

Charlie saw the glance Shirley and I exchanged but I didn't care. As far as I was concerned his girlfriend was offering too little, too late.

Shirley suggested that it was time for us to go shopping and I was very agreeable.

I was a little surprised that Tammy was in no rush to return to her dorm. She went grocery shopping with us and later, when we said we needed to do laundry, she went with us to the Laundromat.

While the two girls amused themselves, whispering and giggling, I entertained myself by thumbing through one of those pulpy magazines someone had left in the Laundromat. I was half-way through a story entitled, My Boyfriend Fancies my Roommate, when something I overheard made me stop reading and concentrate on why Tammy was exclaiming.

"He didn't!"

"It went on forever," Shirley said, blushing.

I fixed my eyes on the magazine, pretending to read the story.

"I heard you begging him to fuck you but I had no idea what he was doing," Tammy whispered.

"It was driving me insane," Shirley said in the same dreamy voice she often used when we cuddled.

"That sounds so erotic. I'm definitely going to shave my pussy," Tammy said in a low voice before lapsing into another round of giggles.

All of a sudden the conversation stopped and I sensed they were staring at me. "What are you reading, Sammy?"

I looked up from the magazine to see them grinning at me, like they knew I had been listening to their talk about our bedroom activities the night before. "It's a case study about the insecurities of a single girl who is consumed with self-doubt. While aware that her boyfriend isn't satisfying her, she blames her roommate for her own inadequacies," I explained before trying to find my place in the story.

Shirley brightened. "I know that one. Why don't you just come out and say it, Sammy? She thinks her boyfriend is fucking her roommate and blames herself for introducing them."

"No, that's not it at all. The boyfriend really is fucking her roommate and she knows it. She blames herself for not being a better lay."

Shirley stiffened, "It may not be her fault. It's probably that her boyfriend isn't an accomplished lover."

"Do you suppose the roommate will enlighten her?" Tammy asked.

"I don't think so," Shirley speculated. "The roommate wouldn't want her to find out about her indiscretion. She may even blame herself for being a bad lay too."

I tried to concentrate on the story but it was impossible. They were having too much fun deciding how it would turn out.

"Someone's got to inform the guy that he doesn't know what he's doing, don't you agree, Sammy?" Tammy asked, pulling my attention away from the story again.

"You're absolutely right, Tammy. Which one do you think should break the news to the guy?" I asked.

"I think the roommate should break the news," Tammy said.

"Why?" Shirley asked. "I think it should be the girlfriend. By the way, Sammy, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"Oh?" I asked, but Tammy cut her off before Shirley had a chance to tell me what it was.

"The roommate needs to take some responsibility in these matters, besides; both dryers have finished their cycle."

Shirley beckoned me by curling her forefinger and I reluctantly followed her to the dryers. Tammy was there, helping to fold our clothes so we didn't have a chance to talk privately.

They talked about what we were going to have for dinner and Tammy inserted a few remarks about her boyfriend. According to Tammy, Jason had the softest touch of any male on earth. She bemoaned the fact that she had only received one letter from him since returning to school.

"I write to him every other day. One would think he could write to me at least two times a week," she said.

The magazine I had been reading was missing when we left the Laundromat and the story I had been reading was seemingly forgotten.

But I couldn't put the conversation about who should tell the boyfriend that he was inadequate out of my mind. I wondered if they had been talking in code. Was Tammy offering to tell me something that Shirley wanted me to know? Or, was Shirley undecided about who should tell me? I decided I was making too much of the parallel between the characters in the story and the three of us.

After lunch, Tammy rode to the school with me, saying she needed to get casual clothes to wear to the party. Even then, nothing was said about what Shirley wanted to tell me. I was curious but didn't bring it up, not wanting to hear something that was obviously personal between Shirley and me from Tammy.

It was mainly freshmen looking for tennis matches that afternoon. Kent and I paired up for two sets of doubles and then split up for two sets of mixed doubles. We could have stayed on the court all afternoon but Kent said he had some last minute things he needed to do to prepare for the party that night. He didn't blink when I told him how many people I had invited to come, saying there was plenty of room in their back yard. "We only have one bathroom but the neighbors are all college kids and don't mind if we use their bathrooms."

Tammy rode back to the apartment with me but we didn't talk about anything more serious than what she was going to make for dinner. I helped with the salad and we had everything ready to eat when Shirley came through the door at six p.m.

Shirley praised Tammy for her cooking skills. In addition to the salad she had broiled some small steaks, which she served with baked potatoes, corn-on-the-cob and warm buns.

"Don't you miss cafeteria food, Charlie?" I asked, winking at Shirley.

"Yeah, I heard they're having goulash tonight," he laughed.

"All right, you guys. If you don't like my cooking I'll let you scramble eggs for yourselves next time," Tammy said, feigning hurt feelings.

"Don't pay any attention to them, Tammy, dinner is great." Shirley put in and then looking at the rest of us said, "But be warned, I have a recipe for goulash."

"What's for dessert?" Angie asked. She was sitting high in the computer chair again and I was considering buying a fifth kitchen chair... but that thought soon fled.

"We're having flan," Tammy told us.

"What's that?" Angie asked.

"It's a type of custard. I found it at the market today and decided to try it," Shirley explained.

Angie got out of her chair and wheeled it into the front room. "I don't like custard," she said as she walked toward the front bedroom.

We looked at each other; Shirley and Tammy were smiling while Charlie and I didn't know how to react. He got up and followed his girlfriend into the bedroom.

Parts of their conversation drifted toward the kitchen, sometimes in hushed voices, other times in loud bursts. "What's she doing here all the time? I'm not cleaning up her mess," Angie shouted.

We overheard Charlie trying to reason with Angie. "You agreed to do the dishes and clean up the kitchen. That's your job."

"Shirley knows I don't like custard. Why doesn't she ever ask me what I like?" Angie whined.

We were telling each other how much we enjoyed the flan when Charlie came back into the kitchen.

"Sit down and have some flan, Charlie," I said, patting the chair seat next to me.

"I'll do the dishes," he offered.

"Sit down, Charlie. Have some dessert," I said, using my 'command' voice. He complied.

"I think its time you tell Charlie what we've decided," Shirley said, looking at me.

"Do you want me to leave?" Tammy offered.

"No, don't go anyplace, Tammy. It looks like you and I will be doing the dishes," I said, and watched her settle back into her chair.

"I'll do the dishes," Shirley offered.

"No, you won't," I said, letting my 'command' voice resurface. "You've been running around all day. Take a break and check your email."

"Yes, dear," she answered, meekly, fluttering her eyelashes in a sexy submissive way, making it hard for me to focus on what I had to say next.

"Charlie, we told Angie we wanted her out of here but reconsidered when we realized there's no place for her to live until the school population thins out. I don't know what her problems are but we're putting her on notice. As soon as another place to live becomes available we want her to take it."

Charlie's eyes shifted from me to Shirley and back to me. His hurt look was almost more than I could take but I remained firm; after the events of the past few days Angie had to go.

"I'll do the dishes. I don't mind at all," he stammered.

I looked at Shirley. Her eyes looked sympathetic but she didn't intercede.

"That's a nice gesture, but it's not going to solve the real problem, Charlie. It's Angie's attitude that we object to. She has a chip on her shoulder and I'm not going to let it rub off on the rest of us. Shirley and I have a good thing going. We're too busy to put up with distractions."

"Excuse me," he said, getting to his feet. "I've decided I don't like custard either."

Shirley tried to console me, knowing how badly I felt about upsetting my friend.

"Go check your email," I said.

"Yes, commander," she giggled as she left the table.

"I'll load the dishwasher, you clear the table," I said to Tammy.

"Yes, commander," she giggled.

We worked together, trying to stay out of each other's way as we tackled the task of putting the kitchen back in order. Tammy was telling me about one of her dates with Jason when we heard Shirley shriek.

"I thought you were going to do something about this, Sammy!"

I ran into the front room to find Shirley looking with shock at the computer screen. I looked over her shoulder to read the message.