Chapter 60

Adam was relieved the situation with Trinity had ended at least semi-positively. He wasn't sure what had gotten into Sarah. She was sweet and cuddly this morning but he could see from her face when she walked through the door that she was pissed off about something.

Still, she didn't seem to be irked with anyone outside of Trinity. He sat and drank iced tea with Karlie, learning a bit more about her and telling her some about him, when Allie gestured to him from the hallway.

"Duty calls," he said. "It appears I'm about to get my ass chewed for something. If it was anything nice, they wouldn't hide it from you – probably. Oh well, if you hear me whimpering and crying, call 9-1-1."

Karlie laughed. She had seen Adam pick up a 110-pound girl like she was an infant. She thought he might be able to handle the three women. Then she remembered how Sarah had gone from joking and laughing to nasty and mean in a heartbeat. Even Karlie had noticed the merriment on Trinity's face when she asked Shelly. There was no need for it to become as tense as it had – and tension all came from the seriousness of Sarah's voice. Sarah didn't want Trinity living with them. That much was apparent. Even the apology she offered had seemed forced – like she had done it only because the other three expected her to.

Oh, well, Karlie thought. There was no way something like this could work out anyway. There would always be insecurity and jealousy even between two people, let alone four.

Adam walked back to the hallway, wondering what required his attention so urgently that it forced him to be rude to a guest.

"We want to talk to you," Sarah said. "First off, I'm sorry. I really am. I think the happy pill that Shelly gave me this morning wore off. I've taken another, so I should be able to keep my stupidity to myself for a while."

Adam offered a half-hearted shrug. He liked Trinity and he would be friends with Trinity whether anyone else liked it or not.

"Anyway," Allie said. "That's beside the point. I hope she brings her parents over to meet us. I like her."

"I like her, too," Sarah said. "I really didn't mean things the way they came out. I was more pissed at Adam for inviting her than I was for her for wanting to be there."

"I didn't invite anyone," Adam said. The girls heard a note of anger in his voice for the first time. "How in the fuck am I supposed to know what you talk about and what you don't? I don't get a fucking synopsis of your conversations. Now, we've got a guest sitting out there by herself. What is that requires us to leave her that way?"

Sarah felt tears well up in her eyes. She had really done something to make everyone mad at her.

"It'll be OK, Sweetie," Shelly said, rubbing Sarah's arm gently. "He's not angry at you. He's angry at the situation and the fact he can't do anything about it. The reason we wanted to speak to you in private is because this directly involves Karlie. Hon, she's in a load of shit. She lives in a fucking pigsty in a worse neighborhood. She has no one to turn to and no one to help her."

"I thought that is what tomorrow is about," Adam said.

"It is, in part," Allie said, choosing her words carefully. "It's not safe for her to stay where she is. But she'll make at most a grand tomorrow, probably between six and seven hundred. I don't think she wants to do this stuff but she is out of options. We want to help her out."

"So help her," Adam said.

"Adam, we have that spare room here," Shelly said. "We want to offer to let her stay here until she gets her feet under her and to maybe make some calls to see if we can find her a job outside the industry – or at least outside the sex part of it."

Adam rolled his eyes.

"This is a joke, right?" he asked. "I mean it has to be a joke."

"No, hon," Allie answered.

"Not 10 minutes ago we basically tell one of our new friends that we won't consider letting her stay with us because you're worried I'll screw her," he pointed out, no gentleness in his voice. "Now you want to bring someone I will be screwing at least once and let her live with us. Exactly what sort of message will that send to Trinity? Hey, if you want to go into fuck flicks, you can have some space at our house. Otherwise, you're shit out of luck."

"That is not what I meant," Sarah said.

"That is exactly what you meant," Adam shot back. "For some reason, your period or your hormones or some other God damned reason, you got it into your head that something was happening here while you were gone. You shot Trinity a glare from the moment she made her joke about strip video games and it kept going until you put your foot in your mouth. Here is a news flash, Sarah. You're not the first woman to have a fucking period. Grow the hell up and get over it."

"Adam," Allie said.

"What?" he said, turning to her. "You all looked at me like I tracked dog shit all over the new carpet. It wasn't just Sarah. You really think this is a good idea? Fine, knock yourselves out. But I think that girl across the road is really nice and really funny. I'm going to be her friend – and only her friend, Sarah. But you need to really think about this for a few more minutes before you make that offer."

He pasted a smile on his face, turned and went back to their guest.

"Hey, I hear you guys skipped lunch for a tour of the loony bin," he said amiably. He wasn't angry at Karlie and he didn't want her to think he was. In fact, if the girls hadn't made such a big deal of everything, he would have agreed immediately. "I fixed some mixed fruit salad. Do you want some?"

Karlie felt her mouth water. She had been living on pot pies and noodles for three weeks. Something, anything, with nutritional value would be greatly appreciated. Adam saw the girl's eyes light up and opened the door to the fridge.

He served Karlie a large bowl of mixed cantaloupe, honey dew melon, grapes, strawberries and watermelon. Seeing her reaction, he added another scoop, just like his Mom used to do with him when she made beef stew. He chuckled at the memory, drawing a glance from Karlie, who had dug in with gusto.

"I like living out here," he said. "But I think what I like best is how easy it is to find stuff like this. Back in Missouri, grapes are $2.50 a pound, nine months out the year. A cantaloupe runs you three bucks. A honeydew will cost you four. Then you wind up throwing half of it away because it sat on a truck for four days getting to the supermarket. Hey, I'll be back in a minute. If you want more, there is plenty in the fridge. Help yourself. If you stand on manners around here, you'll starve."

He walked back to where Allie and Shelly were consoling Sarah, who was crying.

"I'm sorry I got angry," Adam said. "But look, when you looked accusingly at Trinity it meant you were accusing me too. That bothered me. Sarah, love, I know you're going through a rough time and I know the fact you're in a new situation isn't helping. I apologize for what I said to you – even though a part of it was true. If your periods are this bad, you need to see a doctor to make sure nothing is wrong. Anyway, I'm going across the road to explain the situation to Trinity. Go ahead and talk to Karlie. I don't think she's eaten in a day or so. At least the way she attacked the fruit salad leads me to think that. It's a good idea for her to be somewhere she can have a few weeks to get herself together. You were right about that and I was wrong."

Sarah had wiped her tears away but new ones took their place. Adam swept her into his arms and gave her a hug and a kiss.

"Our first fight," he said, nipping her on the nose. "I am sorry. I do love you. What your body is going through isn't going to change that."

Sarah clung to him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder until a voice drew her head up.

"Uh, you know you guys left Karlie just sitting there, right?" Trinity said. "Plus, my folks are here to meet you."

Sarah shook loose from Adam and hugged Trinity again.

"Hey, it's OK," Trinity said softly, patting Sarah on the back gently. "I'm not mad. I got a little pissed off but it wasn't just at you. Allie and Shelly looked just as unhappy about things as you did. Don't sweat it."

"I am really sorry," Sarah said. "I don't want you to think that we don't want you around or that I'm some jealous psycho."

"Nah, I had Shelly pegged as the jealous psycho," Trinity said. "You were always more the sociopathic serial killer type. Allie is sort of like a ninja assassin-gun for hire. Like Charlie's Angels on speed."

"Well, let's embarrass Trinity and her parents," Allie said. "I mean meet Trinity's parents."

"I'm going to wash my face," Sarah said.

"Uh, Trini, can I talk to you for a minute?" Adam said.

"You're not going to break up with me are you?" Trinity said, with another laugh. "One afternoon of Grand Theft Auto and we're done? I'm crushed."

Adam smiled but it was quick. Allie and Shelly slipped past to go back out front and Sarah went into the bathroom.

"Look, about today," Adam started. The look on Trinity's face showed real fear, like he might be about to tell her they didn't want to be her friend. "Well, you promised to show me your bra and then you reneged. I think I'm owed."

Trinity's face relaxed slightly.

"You only did that because you know I take off my bra before I ride in the car home," she said.

"Really?" Adam asked in spite of himself.

"No not really," Trinity said. "That is stupid. Why would you think that?"

"I'm a guy and I think things like that," Adam said.

"Good point," she replied. "Look, I'm not showing you my tits while my family is 15 feet away. So forget it."

"I was kidding about that," Adam told her. "I just wanted to lighten things up. Uh, what I wanted to talk to you about is this. Karlie is in a really rough spot financially. It is no reflection on what happened earlier..."

"But you think it might be nice if she stayed here for a while," Trinity said, finishing his thought.

"Uh, well, yeah," Adam answered.

"It is a good idea," Trinity said. "I mean in just a few minutes I can see she is a small-town kid in over her head. She wasn't raised on the mean streets of a middle-class San Diego suburb like I was. She needs a few friends and you guys are the best friends to have."

"I just didn't..." Adam tried again.

"Want me to think you didn't lust after my gorgeous body anymore," she finished for him – again. "You are a really sweet guy, Adam. And I really like all the girls. I don't feel upset about this. In fact, I'd be more upset if you didn't do it because you thought I'd be hurt. But I do appreciate that you are concerned for my feelings. Thanks."

Adam's smile was more genuine this time. Trinity took a quick glance over her shoulder then lifted her T-shirt hem to her chin. Her bare breasts stood proudly on her chest.

"Thought I'd give you a little reward," she joked, pinching Adam's butt. "I know you've got to put up with being around a whole house full of super sexy models and all but that was for your Spank Bank."

"Spank Bank?" Adam asked. Sarah's hand on his shoulder startled him.

"The images you keep in your head for when you're beating off," she said. Adam could see even the tension in her face was lessened. Whatever was in those pills Shelly gave her must really work. "You got a nice rack, Trinity. Don't be surprises if that winds up in my Spank Bank, too."

Trinity blushed bright red.

"It is really a shame you're not into girls," Sarah said, running her tongue over her lips and pinching Trinity lightly on the butt. "Come guys, Trinity's parents are going think we're doing the naughty back here."

Trinity's parents were a bit off-kilter, Adam decided. Her brother, Spenser and her father, Tom, both took in the girls around them with unfettered joy. Trinity's mother, Renee, was an older version of Trinity. She would make an off-color remark and then blush brilliantly. The youngest daughter, Britney, was something else entirely. She was only 12 and just sprouting a body of any sort, but she was determined that anything she grew, someone was going to see. And this time she seemed determined it would be Adam who got the benefit.

She wore a pair of extra-short satin shorts and a spandex shirt that ended just below her miniscule breasts – breasts she jutted and thrust in Adam's direction every chance she got. Of course that was when she was not bending over in a way that stretched her shorts so tight he could probably have counted the nine pubic hairs she owned. The capper came just a few minutes before the Duval family decided to head back. Britney was sitting across from Adam at an angle as he talked to Renee Duval, who was beside her daughter. Britney blatantly pulled her shorts aside, ran her finger though her bare pussy and put the finger in her mouth.