answer. I’d been subdued.
Another hour going through the motions.
Someone put Tom Petty on the PA.
Oh my my. Oh hell yes.
Honey, put on that party dress.
My head began to throb.
Last dance with Mary Jane,
One more time to kill the pain …
I asked Daniel to take me to the restaurant now. I knew it was early, but I had to get out of there.
He told me, anything I wanted.
We were at his Volvo, almost inside, when we heard Chris call Daniel’s name. We turned around.
“Hey, Reiss,” he said loudly. “Can I have just five minutes with your girl before you whisk her away?”
I felt anger overflow. “Why are you asking him for permission to talk to me?”
He turned to me, his face bathed in sweat. Jumpy eyes. An emotion in him I’d never seen before. He was nervous.
“Just five minutes, Terry. After that, I’ll leave you alone, I swear.”
I rolled my eyes, looked at Daniel. He gave a sheepish smile. “Maybe I’ll go grab another cup of punch.”
“Thanks,” Chris told him.
We both watched him walk away. When he was out of sight, Chris wiped his face with a handkerchief, then stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked on his feet.
“I’m sorry.”
I shrugged.
“Terry, I’ve been a real jerk. Not only tonight but these past months. I was angry at my situation and I took it out on you. But I’m not making excuses. I acted like a total and complete asshole.”
I shrugged again. “Who noticed?”
He was breathing audibly. Then he rubbed his neck and laughed. “That was real rich, Terry.”
“You want absolution, Chris, go to confession.”
“You know, Terry, we really deserve each other. I may be a motherfucker. But deep down inside, you’re a real bitch.”
Then he pounced on me. He shoved me against the Volvo and attacked my mouth with feral hunger. I could have protested. And I knew he would have stopped. But I didn’t.
Because I wanted it.
I clutched his neck and drank in his juices. His tongue wrestling with mine, moving down my neck until his mouth was between my breasts. He slipped his hands inside my dress, liberating my flesh, drawing my nipple to his mouth. He licked and moaned and so did I.
He hiked up my dress, picked me up, and sat me on the hood of the car. His mouth ravaging mine, he opened my legs and pressed himself on top of me. My back felt the chill of the Volvo’s cold steel, but my insides were scalding hot. I coiled my legs around his hips and drew him closer. He rocked against me, bringing a sweet ache to my loins. Our warm breath mixing as his lips danced with mine.
“Be with me, angel,” he whispered. “I’ll ditch her, you ditch him—”
“Chris—”
“We’ll make love until the sun comes up.”
He dipped his hand under my panties. I was sopping wet. “I’ll take you away, baby doll. I’ll take us both away forever! Out of reach of your parents, out of reach of my uncle, out of reach of everything except each other’s arms.”
“Chris—”
“Now or never, Terry.”
“Oh, God—”
“Say yes!”
“Yes!” I shoved him away and tried to catch my breath. I sat up and closed my legs. “Yes. Okay?”
He stared at me, flush-faced and panting. “You mean it?”
“I mean it.” I was breathing hard. “Do you mean it?”
“Yes.”
“What about Lor—”
“Screw her. Screw everyone except us! I can’t live without you, Terry. I don’t want to live without you. God, I love you so much I’m in pain. Baby, tell me you love me.”
“I love you.” I took a deep breath. “I love you, love you, love you. Help me down.”
He put his arms around my waist and swung me from the car. I attempted to tidy my appearance. I tugged on my skirt, smoothed out my hair, and redid my lipstick. He came toward me, but I whacked him back. “Daniel’ll be back any minute.”
Chris rubbed his neck. “What are you going to tell him?”
“I don’t know. God, he’s been so good to me.” I looked at him beseechingly. “Can you just give me tonight with him? It’s so cruel …”
My voice faded.
Chris took a deep breath and blew it out. “What the hell! Give the guy a break. Have dinner with him. We’ve got a lifetime together.”
My heart took toward the sky. “You really mean that?”
His smile was dazzling. “Yes, I really mean that!”
He’d imitated my tone of voice. My laughter was mixed with tears. I erased lipstick from the corner of his mouth, then touched his cheek. I was hopelessly in love.
I said, “Besides, I’m sure Cheryl could use a break, too.”
“Yeah, she could use something.” He rotated his shoulders. “She’ll never die young because she’s getting old too fast.”
“At least you got your answer,” I said.
“Pardon?”
“You know if I’m wearing garters or panty hose.”
He laughed. “A lot of good it’ll do me.” He waited a beat. “That’s not what I wanted from you. I mean I wanted that too, but …” He shook his head. “I can’t believe all the time I wasted. Playing stupid mind games. I’m much better at revenge than I am at love.”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“That’s good of you to say.” He looked at me. “Did you know, after you blew me off, I used to break into your locker?”
I stared at him. “Why?”
“Just to smell your jacket or your lunch or your books. I saved every page of notes you’d ever given me. Every pen or pencil, every …”
