Chapter 14: Fear and Friends

Friday, July 5th, 1996

We stayed near the cars for some minutes after Freddie left, trying to calm down and get our shit together. Charli was still crying off and on, and my wet crotch was irritating the hell out of me. The other partygoers gradually filtered back into the area and asked a ton of questions, none of which we were able to answer. Who could say for sure why the maniac had been pestering us, except for his obsession with Charli?

Evan suggested he drive back to my house, and Donny agreed to follow in his truck. I saw several people get into Donny's truck with him, and Christine rode with us.

We arrived home and got into the house; Charli raced me for the pot and lost. I stripped out of my pissy clothes and took a quick rinse in the shower, then put on some sweats and went into the kitchen to be hostess while Charli took her shower.

Someone had picked up some more beer and wine, and Donny and one of his friends were sitting on my couch watching TV. Christine was glancing out the window through the drapes, watching the street.

Evan was sorting through some cassettes, looking idly at nothing in particular.

"You guys want something to eat?" I asked.

Donny said, "Nah, we got somethin' comin'."

Just then I heard a knock at the door; two quick raps, followed by three in a row.

Donny said, "Beej, let him in. That's Lauren."

The guy on the couch —evidently Beej— went to the door and opened it to let Lauren inside; Lauren had his arms full with two buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken and a case of beer. Lauren was wearing a short skirt with an abbreviated halter-top and sandals; the long hair, make-up and painted toenails added to the image of a very pretty, if young, woman.

I led the group to the kitchen, where Lauren and I set things up and the guys started to eat. I'd wondered briefly about Donny's reference to Lauren as 'him', but upon closer inspection I saw that Lauren had some obvious masculine qualities. Deciding it was none of my business, I pushed the thought from my mind and tried to eat.

Charli came out and hugged me tightly as the guys were eating. She kept looking around, frightened, and looked as if she were about to cry. I finally got her settled down in the chair, sitting on my lap.

Donny asked, "Will you be all right here alone, or do you want somebody to stay?"

"I wish my dad was here," I said, "but I think we'll be okay."

Somebody picked a movie and we started watching; I can't even remember what it was.

About midnight or a little after, everyone except Donny and Lauren were gone and the kitchen was clean; I said my goodnights and helped Charli to bed. Once we were snuggled under the covers she started weeping quietly, trembling with fear. There was nothing I could do but be there.

Exhaustion had made me fall asleep before Charli, and the urgent need to pee woke me up about three in the morning. The house was quiet, and after my visit to the pot I tiptoed to the front room and peeked around the corner.

Donny was sitting on the couch, watching TV with the sound off; Lauren was slumped near him, sleeping.

I whispered, "What are you still doing here? You should be home in your own bed."

He stood and put his arm on my shoulder, leaned down and quietly said, "I just want to make sure you're okay. I called in his plate number before we got here, and if he's doing anything stupid the cops have him by now."

I stood on tiptoe and kissed Donny on the cheek. "Thank you for staying."

He blushed, and in his best John Wayne accent, said, "Aw, shucks, ma'am. T'wern't nothin'."

The laugh was a tension breaker, and I smiled a bit. "Can I get you a beer or anything to eat?" I asked.

Donny shook his head and said, "I'm okay. Why don't you go back to bed?"

I was still very sleepy and didn't want to admit it, but that was the best offer I'd heard all day.

I kissed Donny on the cheek again and said, "Thank you. You're a lifesaver."

I crawled back into bed and snuggled against a very warm and soft Charli; she murmured a couple times and settled back into sleep. It took a long time for me to drift off.

I was awakened the next morning about ten by the doorbell; a few seconds later Charli stuck her head into our bedroom and said, "The cops are here, you'd better get up."

I hurriedly got out of bed and used the pot, then dressed in some old jeans and a comfortable top. When I walked into the kitchen, salivating over the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee, it was like a convention.

Donny, Lauren and Beej were sitting on one side of the table, and Christine and a tall woman in uniform were sitting on the other. Charli was at the head of the table with a small stack of papers in front of her.

The woman, whose name tag read "J. Pierce", glanced at me and said, "We all here now? Let's get started."

Jessica Pierce was a Sergeant and a shift supervisor, detailed to Domestic Disputes. She had copies of Charli's restraining order and had Charli confirm that Freddie Heilman had confronted her in front of witnesses the evening before with a weapon in hand. She talked each of us through the events of the night before, stopping occasionally to make a note.

Then she smiled. "Mr. Heilman was arrested last night about 2 am after a routine traffic stop. He and his companion, William Rasmussen, were taken into custody after a search of their vehicle revealed a saleable quantity of methamphetamine and other drugs. In addition to the drugs, the two are being held on multiple other charges, including DUI, open container of alcohol inside a moving vehicle and weapons violations. Add the court order to that, and he's looking at five to ten years in jail, possibly more."

Charli smiled weakly and slumped to the table, her head in her arms. Donny gave Lauren a high five and a soft cheer, and Christine beamed. I put my arm around Charli and kissed her shoulder.

After coffee and the inevitable questions, Jessica left us with assurances that Freddie wouldn't see the light of day for a long time. Donny and his friends left with Christine, and Charli and I went back to bed. It had been a long night.

With the Freddie problem solved, our lives slowly came back to normal. Mom and Dad came back every few weeks and stayed for a few days. We got to work on time and managed to eat nutritious meals — I cooked, for the most part — and our sex lives became more interesting.

Sometime in August Mom finally enticed us to move into the master bedroom; Dad helped by getting us a new king-sized bed. I bought a pair of matching highboy chests, and Charli purchased a very large triple dresser/vanity. It was a bit more crowded than before, but it suited us just fine.

Charli had this thing about my feet, as I've mentioned, but she was also a terrible tease. She liked using her mouth on me, and not just between my legs. She loved to kiss and lick my neck, my breasts, my back, my ears, my butt, the back of my legs, the inside of my thighs, literally everywhere on my body. But, she did it while her fingers were busy stroking and probing all my intimate spots. Having my back and bottom licked while her fingers were inside me —and always with a little bit of pressure on my butthole — never failed to make me come very hard. I'd usually faint from lack of oxygen.

Charli liked it a bit rough, especially on her nipples; I could bite them really hard and she'd smile. She didn't care much for penetration by any more than two of my fingers — she made an exception in the case of toys — and she loved oral attention anywhere on her body.

Her inner lips are fairly large, and I became expert at sucking them deep into my mouth and chewing on them. I usually started somewhere around her belly button, kissing and sucking her skin, and by the time I reached the top of her slit her juices would be oozing. She was like me, a moderate lubricator; neither of us squirted or produced so much that it wet the bed. I found that the first taste of her was tangy and tart, accompanied by a sharp, earthy scent, but the longer I licked, the sweeter she became. She liked the pressure of a knuckle or a fingertip against her anus too, and I liked the feeling of her inner muscles contracting on my fingers when she'd come. At first it was a tiny fluttering as the orgasm began, and then it was just the spasms of her tight muscles, milking the intruders as she cried out and bucked against my hand or chin. Afterwards, a quick rinse and it was snuggling into the covers for intertwined sleep. I thought she was happy.