Chapter 14: A few days at home

Marcie was putting on a false front; I knew she was pissed at me. And if having one angry female wasn't bad enough, having two was worse. It was clear that Brenda was unhappy that she had to sit in the back seat.

I believe Marcie was more hurt and confused than angry. It started the night before when she was undressing me. Once she got my clothes off and discovered my hard-on, she shed her nightgown and I must admit I was tempted.

Marcie refused to accept my reasoning that having intercourse would ruin the thing that I cherished most, her friendship. We argued and she left my room, accusing me of finding her undesirable. "You think I'm fat and ugly," she said, slamming the door behind her.

I tried to follow her, but discovered the door was locked.

"Marcie, you're not fat or ugly," I said, talking to the door. "Your breasts are firm and just the right shape. Your pussy looks delectable. If your body belonged to another girl I would be all over her. But I've told you what would happen..."

The door opened and I almost fell through it. She was standing there, still naked. "Delectable? You said my pussy is delectable?"

"Help me up, please."

I didn't need help getting up and she knew it, but we went through the motions. I took her into my arms and felt her body molded to mine. I rubbed her back with my hands, beginning with the shoulders and moving them down until they were holding her ass.

"What's delectable about my pussy?" she whispered, sounding curiously childlike.

"It's appealing to the eyes, very ... delectable."

"Sweet Sammy, we're not going to have sex, are we?"

Turning her down was the hardest thing I've ever done. I knew better than to try to speak. I shook my head, 'no'.

She tried to push me out of the room, but I resisted. "Let me hold you," I said, steering her toward the bed.

"Don't blame me if something happens," she laughed as she pulled a single sheet over us.

Once she reconciled that we weren't going to have sex, she became docile and didn't try to force me. She returned my kisses as if she were happy to settle for my affection. I moved my lips down to her breasts and sucked the nipples. Marcie took my hand and moved it to her pussy. I pushed my middle finger inside and felt the juices flowing. She spread her legs, whimpering.

I moved my thumb around until I found her clit, making her jump and pull my head between her breasts until I had to fight for air.

Each time I pushed my finger into her pussy and tapped her clit with my thumb Marcie went wild, slamming her legs together to trap my hand and then opening them and pushing her pelvis upward, begging for more of the same. I counted three climaxes before she went limp and mumbled something. I stopped, fearing I had hurt her.

"What did you say?"

Marcie turned her head, first one way and then the other, refusing to look at me. Finally, she smacked her lips. "I don't remember."

"Yes, you do. I heard you say something," I said, pushing my finger into her pussy and tapping her clit with my thumb again. She put her hands on mine to stop the movement.

She smacked her lips again. "I may have said that I love you."

I lay my head back on the pillow and pulled her to me. "I love you too and I want to keep it that way, you loving me and me loving you. I don't want us to ever have a lover's quarrel."

She settled down on my chest and although my cock was still hard, I was near sleep when I felt her lips on my nipple and her hand on my thigh.

Her fingers wrapped around my cock and it was my turn to groan. She grinned at me and moved her hand to my balls. My legs opened on their own and the next thing I knew she was squeezing my balls with one hand and stroking my cock with the other. Two minutes later she had me squirting cum on the sheets and our legs. We laughed and I pulled her to me for a long kiss.

"Let's switch beds," I proposed and she was very agreeable. We stopped in the bathroom and cleaned our legs before going to bed.

I was proud of myself for not surrendering to the temptation that presented itself although I woke up a couple of times with a hard-on that was, with Marcie's naked body nearby and available, very difficult to overcome. She was satisfied for a time, but eventually became restless too.

When we woke up the next morning she was as horny as me and in a bad mood because of the frustration. When she learned that I had invited Brenda to ride along to take her home, Marcie had a difficult time retaining her normally placid disposition. To complicate matters, Suzanne wanted to go over the wedding plans once more. We didn't leave the house until ten A.M. and by the time we picked Brenda up I was feeling squeezed for time.

Alice came outside with her daughter, and although I urged Marcie to remain in the car she got out, showing her good manners, saying she wanted to meet my friend. My introduction was meant to sound urgent.

"Alice, this is Marcie. She lives at least an hour away and by the time I bring Brenda home it'll be after twelve. I have a one o'clock appointment so we have to get going."

"Stop being impatient, Honey," Marcie said, turning to Alice and asking her how she was feeling, when she was due, anything she could think of to irritate me. I helped Brenda strap herself in the back seat and went around to the driver's side.

Marcie got in the back seat with Brenda and Alice waved goodbye. "I'll sit back here and get acquainted with Brenda," she said and immediately struck up a conversation, asking Brenda what she liked to do.

I drove ten miles over the speed limit without paying attention to what they were saying, intent on making up the time we had lost. When we arrived at the Cochran house the two girls were laughing and talking in whispers.

"Thanks for coming. Suzanne's usually not one to need or accept advice from others. You have amazing influence over her," I said to Marcie at we walked to the front door.

She laughed and squeezed my arm. "If only I could influence you I would have gotten lucky last night."

I handed the overnight bag to her and backed away, aghast. "Miss Cochran, sometimes your candor shocks me."

"Call me and I'll tell you how I really feel," she said as I ran to the car. Brenda had moved to the front seat. I made sure she was buckled in and we waved goodbye to Marcie as we left.

Brenda was full of questions. "Did you really get into trouble for dancing with Marcie?"

"I got into a little trouble."

"She said you always danced with her before any of the other girls."

"That's right."

"Did she cry when that boy stuck his fingernail through your cheek?"

"She probably did. I don't know."

"Marcie says the scar gives you a rugged look."

"What did you tell Marcie?" I asked, wanting to change the subject.

"I answered her questions. That's all."

"Marcie's good at asking questions."

"Yes, she is," the little girl agreed with me.

Alice invited me to have lunch with them, but I told her about the presentation I was scheduled to make at work. As it turned out, I didn't have time for lunch until much later because of the interest in the progress of the new building. In addition to Tom, Donna and Wanda, Mr. Oldham invited a room full of employees who had not had the opportunity to visit a construction site first hand. Most of them I knew, but there were a few who were strangers to me, including one very attractive female. Her complexion was dark, obviously of Mexican heritage. She was seated next to Marvin so I assumed she worked in Human Resources.

It may have been because Mr. Oldham was present that everyone was especially attentive. By the same token, his being in the room made me tone down some of the tidbits I had planned to supply as I showed the slides. But when a slide showing Wanda dressed in workman's gear, loose fitting denim pants, shirt buttoned to the neck and heavy work boots, I couldn't resist.

"Wanda drew so many wolf calls from the construction workers that we made her dress that way so we could get some work done," I quipped. A howl erupted in the room, even from Mr. Oldham and Wanda. She turned crimson for a moment, recovering quickly.

"Do you have a picture of Patti?" Wanda asked, thinking, I'm sure, that the mention of Patti would put me on the defensive. But I was prepared for her.

"This is Patti Coffee, the consulting architect," I said, showing a slide of Patti wearing a bikini. The room exploded with applause to show everyone's approval. "Patti is doing the build-out plans for the two tenants that have already signed leases. She's very efficient," I added to more applause.

There were more questions, some thoughtful, others just plain silly. I answered most of them, deferring to Tom and Mr. Oldham when I was stumped.

My ordeal finally ended at three P.M. and although my stomach was growling I approached the woman who had been seated next to Marvin. He was sticking to her like glue. "Mr. Oldham, this is..." Marvin stopped talking when he saw the look I was giving him.

"Hi, I'm Sammy. I don't believe we've met," I said, offering my hand.

"It's Loretta, but you know me as fax-lady," she said, smiling widely as she placed her hand in mine.

All summer, I had exchanged faxes with someone named 'fax-lady', thinking she was Donna, the head of accounting. "I finally get to meet 'Fax-lady'!" I exclaimed, still holding Loretta's hand while assessing her features. I saw complexity in her face, atonement in her dark eyes and pride in her smile. I estimated her age to be thirty as I released her hand.

"Loretta's in accounting," Marvin offered.

"I know," I said, my eyes fixed on her, ignoring him.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Oldham," she said, obviously wanting to be released from my stare.

The room had emptied, except for the three of us and Wanda, who lingered, watching by the door.

"It's nice to meet you, Fax-lady," I said, smiling.

I watched Loretta swing her hips as she left the room. She was wearing a full, colorful skirt and a red top. I wondered if she was putting on a show for me. Marvin was watching her too.

"Have you read the employee handbook?" I asked, without looking at him.

"Of course I have," he responded, indignantly and then softened with, "Sir."

"I haven't read it. Is there anything in the handbook about fraternization between employees of opposite sex?"

"No, Sir."

"Don't you think there should be a rule about horny guys in H.R. hitting on every new female employee?"

"No, I don't, Sir. I'm the only 'guy' in H. R. Why do you single me out?"

"Because I don't like the way you treat women. Once you reach your objective of having sex with them you ditch them, claiming you're saving yourself for your bride."

Marvin became aggressive, not toward me, but Wanda. "You told him!"

I whisked Wanda out of the room, looking back at Marvin. "You see what fraternization in the workplace causes, don't you? You're going to be unproductive for the rest of the day and Wanda's going to need serious counseling."

"You're insufferable!" she scolded me as I led her to the cafeteria. Naturally, the serving line was closed, but there was coffee, freshly brewed and I bought a slice of leftover lemon meringue pie out of a vending machine. Wanda settled for a cup of coffee and joined me.

"See the trouble you cause when you screw around?" I asked, accusingly.

Wanda grinned at me. "Fraternization between the sexes seems to bother you more than it does Marvin or me."

I stopped stuffing pie in my mouth and looked at her. "I hope I didn't cause you any problems by letting him know you told me about fucking him."

I took another bite of pie and watched her. She was concentrating on the contents of her cup. "He won't give me any trouble. He knows my Mom owns a piece of this company and now he knows I have you looking out for me."

"I want you to keep an eye on him. Let me know if he hits on that Mexican chick," I said, taking the last bite of pie.

Wanda watched me look in the direction of the vending machine, wondering if I should have another slice of pie. "Methinks," she said, coyly, "that you're planning to hit on the Mexican chick yourself."

"Not me," I said, defensively. "I learned long ago not to shit where I eat."

"What about me?" she asked.

"What about you?"

"You fucked me once and told me it was over."

"NO! NO! I told you it was over before I fucked you. Besides, you weren't working here at the time."

"You knew that my Dad owned a small, but meaningful part of the company," she countered, triumphantly.

I laughed and saw her grinning at me in her cute, but annoying way. "As I recall, Wanda, you were there and didn't object to my shaving your pussy and fucking you..."

" ... silly," she completed my sentence.

"How old do you think she is?" I asked.

"Loretta?"

"Yes, Loretta, isn't that who we've been talking about?"

"I don't know, but I know she has a son. He's starting kindergarten."

"Is she married?"

"No, she came here to live with her sister's family."

"Do me a favor. Get her telephone number," I said as I walked her back to her office. Wanda just smiled, without committing. I stopped by Mr. Oldham's office to tell him I was leaving. Suzanne was there and reminded me about shopping and golf the next day. She also informed me that I was scheduled to visit the dentist and doctor on Wednesday.

I went home and phoned Marcie. She claimed that she had calmed down. "I know you're right, Sammy. Preserving what we have is important to me, too."

"I'll call you when I get back to school on Thursday," I said, thinking that we had told each other everything.

"Hey!"

"Hey, what?"

"Almost sleeping together was fun, wasn't it?"

"We did sleep together," I said.

"We slept in the same bed. We didn't SLEEP together," she corrected me, laughing as she hung up.

I called Jeannie to apologize for not finding out if Josh was cheating on her.

"It's all right. I confronted him about it. He says he's not cheating."

"That's great!" I said, relieved. "Are you sure you can believe him?"

"We've been together a long time, Sammy. I apologized for suspecting anything. I know I can trust him."

"It's nearly four years," I mused, remembering the night Cindy and I took their virginity. "Hey, do you want to come over? I'm going to hang out at the pool."

Jeannie said she would be right over. I changed into my swim trunks and went downstairs and found Penelope in the kitchen. "What are we having for dinner?" I asked.

"Prime rib, baked potatoes, broccoli and lemon meringue pie for dessert," she answered and seeing me laugh, "What's funny?"

"I had lemon meringue for lunch, but I'm sure yours will be better."

"I hope so," she said, indignantly.

The planning table for Suzanne's wedding in the sunroom caught my attention; something looked different. Checking the reception seating plan I discovered that 'Sammy's date' had been crossed out and 'Marcie' had been inserted. She never gives up, I thought, smiling as I went outside and jumped into the pool.

It was about four-thirty when Jeannie arrived, two and a half hours before dinner according to my estimate. She refused to come into the pool and I was reluctant to get out. We were at an impasse.

"You may as well get out, Sammy. I know you've got a woody," she laughed as she stretched out on a recliner, offering me a view of her bikini-clad body.

"Close your legs, Jeannie. Maybe it'll go down on its own."

"Talk like that will get you..." she stopped in mid sentence, and then continued, "stop tempting me. I'm engaged to be married, almost."

I got out of the pool and took a seat near her, trying to disregard how my cock was throbbing. "Let's talk about something else," I suggested.

"I hope we didn't offend your friend, what's her name?"

"Kelley, she wasn't offended. I admitted that inviting her was a mistake and she said no explanation was required."

"She's really, really cute. I can imagine what she must have thought of us, talking about old times and excluding her from the conversation. I hope we didn't ruin it for you."