My Body-His (2 page)

“
No thanks,” I said, shaking my
head.

“
Don’t drink, don’t smoke … what do you do?” he
said, cleverly mimicking Adam Ant’s accent.

“
I drink occasionally, but the punch tasted
like hell so I threw it out.”

“
Bad stuff. It usually leaves a handful of
people hugging the toilet by the end of the night. Would you like
me to get you a beer?” he offered.

“
Sure. Thanks.”

“
My name is Hank,” he said, extending his hand
across the gap between the chairs.

“
Jane,” I said, shaking his hand. “Have you
been to one of these parties before? Do you know who owns this
place?”

“
Hang on a sec and let me get us a couple of
beers. I’ll be right back.”

I watched his long, strong legs walk him adroitly
over to the kegs. He had a bright smile that he shared with the
other people around the barrels. His wavy brown hair, striking blue
eyes and cherub-shaped face convinced me of his youth.

I scanned the other partiers, trying to locate
Scott.

“
Here ya go,” Hank said, bringing my attention
back to him. He handed me a red plastic cup filled to the brim,
with foam spilling over the side. “Mind if I sit with
you?”

I leaned over to take a sip from the overfilled cup
and shifted my legs around to give him room. “Sure, have a seat.”
Although I found him cute, I had no designs on him. Mostly I just
didn’t want to be alone and I thought he might be able to satisfy
some of my curiosity. “So the house … the Japanese letters—”

“
Yeah. No one seems to know who owns it.
There’s a party here once a month or so. I’ve asked a lot of the
people who attend these events, but I’ve always gotten the same
response.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know what the letters
mean.”

“
I see.” I noticed that several guests had shed
pieces of clothing. I saw the naked girl from the hot tub strolling
past with a towel wrapped around her waist. Her breasts sashayed
freely from side to side as she walked. A group of men to the left
of us wore only boxers.

While Hank sat watching me, he asked, “Are you here
with someone?”

“
Sort of, but I think I’m on my own,” I said,
trying not to make eye contact.

“
You look surprised,” he said.

“
What kind of party is this?”

“
A ‘house’ party,” he said.

“
And that means …
what
exactly?” I
leaned forward to whisper, “Is this like a huge orgy ready to
happen?”

“
No, not really. Some group sex, probably, but
mostly it’s just couples hooking up for the night or swapping
partners. Most of the guests just watch the more
adventurous.”

“
Oh,” I said, completely distracted. “Where the
hell is he,” I said abruptly.

“
Who? The guy you came with? We can just talk
if you’d like.”

I pulled out my cellphone to call Sandy. No
signal.

“
Can I borrow your cell?” I asked
Hank.

“
Never have been able to a get signal at this
place, inside or out,” he said.

“
Look, you seem like a nice enough guy but this
isn’t my scene.” I jumped up. “Have a good time and thanks for the
beer,” I said. Without looking back, I walked through the hole in
the wall of sliding glass, searching for Scott.

In my absence, many people inside had disrobed and
were already in varying states of copulating. I cast a quick glance
around but didn’t spot Scott. Just past the kitchen, I noticed a
bowl of condoms.
Had that been there before?
I hurried
toward the front door, wondering what to do.

Why hadn’t I driven my own car? Stupid … stupid …
stupid! Breathe. Okay, relax. Go upstairs and find a phone. Call
Sandy and ask her to come get you. You can apologize profusely for
taking her away from her boyfriend while she’s driving you safely
home.

I hurriedly walked toward the foyer and mounted the
first step, noticing the eerie quiet that pervaded that end of the
house.
Did using a bedroom not occur to these people?
At the
top of the stairs, I opened the first door on the right, which
ended up being a bathroom. I knocked lightly on the next door,
thinking maybe someone had snuck upstairs. Wanting to avoid more
naked bodies being intimate, I listened carefully. Hearing nothing,
I cautiously opened the door.

A canopy king-size bed occupied the left wall of a
very large bedroom. The masculine space had thick, dark wood
furniture that looked aged. Light emanating from the far right
dimly illuminated the area. I focused my attention on the candle
sitting in the large window at the back of the room. Next to it, I
noticed an easel and canvas. The paint glistened and the smell of
turpentine faintly filled the air. My curiosity became overwhelming
and I felt compelled to move closer to the picture. A chill ran up
my back and I immediately turned around. Out of the shadows near
the door, a figure stepped forward.

“
Oh,” I said, bringing my right hand to my
chest. “I didn’t realize someone would be in here. I’m
sorry.”

He stared back at me. I felt my body blush as the
warmth spread out to my limbs.

“
I’m sorry … I’ll leave,” I said, but I didn’t
move from where I stood next to the painting.

Still he said nothing. He looked like a statue—except
for his eyes. His eyes held the intensity of an animal about to
pounce on his prey. I felt anxious and embarrassed at my intrusion
into his bedroom but also intrigued by his powerful demeanor. I
trembled, somewhat frightened by his male presence, but also
aroused.

“
Ah … um … is there a phone I could use?” I
said, meekly. “Is there another room I could hang out in? This
party’s not my scene and ... I don’t ... have my car.”

Still he didn’t speak. He stepped forward out of the
shadows and took three long strides to stand in front of me.

“
Go downstairs,” he said, “and bring us back
two Coronas.”

“
Oh but …” I said, but the look on his face
stopped me.

Then he spoke but I wished he would stop. “So alone
you are … it radiates from you. You’re bored. You had hoped
tonight would offer some excitement … some diversion.” The stranger
spoke in a deep but quiet voice. “But mindless, meaningless sex,”
he continued, “does not interest you. You’re disappointed with life
and sad. You think if your life continues in this way you’ll die of
dissatisfaction.”

“
Stop it!” I said. “You don’t know me. You
don’t know anything about me. Whose house is this? Where’s the
phone?” But I didn’t move. I felt pinned by his penetrating
stare.

He went on as if I hadn’t spoken. “You are so
beautiful, but you don’t know it. You want
something … 
need
something desperately and you
don’t know what it is. I know what it is and I can give it to you …
if I decide it’s you.”

I needed to get past him to the door and run out of
that crazy house. Nevertheless, I didn’t move. I just stood there
riveted as though nailed to the floor. I couldn’t breathe. I knew I
needed to get out, that he was dangerous.
MOVE,
I yelled in
my head,
MOVE!

“
You’re scaring me,” I said. I couldn’t move. I
wanted to cover myself because I felt so exposed … naked in front
of him, but I just stared at him with my arms hanging at my sides.
He seemed infused, empowered by my silence.

Finally he spoke again. “Take off your panties and
bring them to me ... or you can leave,” he said, holding out his
hand for my underwear.

I shuddered when I realized I wasn’t leaving. The
intrigue clouded my sense of reason. I could see clearly on his
face that he knew I wasn’t going anywhere. In an attempt to regain
my composure, I moved toward the door and then stopped. I looked
back and diverted my attention to the painting to escape his gaze.
The artful garden scene was colorful but felt subdued. Deeper
inside the picture stood a white gazebo with ivy growing on it that
reminded me of the front of the house.

“
Do you own this house?” I asked, turning back
to face him. He continued to hold out his hand, offering no
response.

I studied the painting more carefully and noticed a
girl in the gazebo. I couldn’t make out her features, because the
flicker of the candles made it difficult to see, but I thought she
might be naked. The painting gave me an eerie feeling. Although the
gazebo stood surrounded by what looked like a field of flowers, I
felt sad for the girl.

The man brought my attention back to him with his
deep voice. “Take off your panties and bring them to me … or you
can leave,” he repeated, moving toward the door.

I struggled between my rational mind and my arousal.
I could feel my panties moisten just being in his presence. I had
never experienced such a strong reaction to a man. Desire won out
as I slipped off my underwear from beneath my skirt and around my
sandals. I walked toward him and placed them in his outstretched
palm. As I blushed, wondering if he could smell my desire, his
masculine scent overwhelmed my senses. I could smell lust mixed
with sandalwood as he deliberately and confidently stepped up to me
and neatly rolled the waist of my brown skirt, raising the hem so
that it just covered my butt.

His touch sent a pleasurable frisson through my body
as I observed his face up close. His hair was straight and sandy
brown, and his bangs were tousled over his wide forehead. Although
his angular nose and deep-set eyes made him look more menacing than
handsome, when he smiled as he did then, his gray eyes sparkled,
giving him a boyish appeal. A curtain of darkness quickly came down
over his features, his forehead furrowed and his smile
vanished.

“
Go downstairs and get us two Coronas and grab
one of the packs of smokes lying around. Lights … no
menthol.”

I turned to leave and as I walked by, he slapped my
butt with his open hand. It startled me but also set my juices
flowing.
What the hell am I doing?
I thought.

I went downstairs, frightened that someone would come
up in the opposite direction and see my exposed buttocks. I passed
the large couch opposite the kitchen and snaked around the corner.
The idea that everyone could tell I was practically naked caused
the wetness between my legs to increase. I avoided making eye
contact as I entered the kitchen. Pulling the refrigerator open, I
finger-locked two Corona longnecks and opened them with the church
key hanging from a hook magnet on the door. I spotted lime wedges
on a plate and chose two.

Cigarettes presented more of a problem. I spotted a
pack on the counter next to the stove but they were menthol. I
didn’t want to go into the main room where the naked and the
clothed voyeurs filled the couches and the floor around them. I
checked the long coffee table just outside the kitchen. Nothing. I
moved farther into the backroom and spotted a pack of Marlboro
Lights on the opposite side.
Shit!
I thought.

I tiptoed over two men and a woman who were in the
throes of a ménage à trois. One of the men reached up my thigh,
almost touching my wetness, which sent me bouncing like a gazelle
to the corner table. Carefully balancing the beer bottles and lime
in one hand, I leaned forward to grab the cigarettes. A guy grasped
my wrist and I yelped, sure he had caught me stealing his
smokes.

“
Where’d you get the Coronas?” he said, pulling
me down.

“
The refrigerator,” I barked, “let go of me!”
Regaining my balance, I somehow managed to escape spilling any of
the beer. I danced my way back through the contortions of people on
the floor. “Oh my god,” I mumbled under my breath. I breathed a
sigh of relief as I made my way to the front of the house and began
to ascend the stairs.

A man behind me grabbed my arm. “You’re not allowed
up there,” he said.

“
Let me go,” I growled, trying to wrench my arm
from his grip. “Do you own this house?” I snatched my wrist away
from him.

“
No,” he said, standing his ground. “Them’s the
rules and you need to follow them like the rest of us.”

“
Oh buzz off,” I said, turning back around and
running up the stairs. I shoved the smokes under my chin and
twisted the handle quickly to rejoin my new acquaintance before the
man by the stairs could attempt to enforce the house
rules.

“
That took longer than I expected,” the artist
said in a stern voice as I entered.

I shut the door. “Don’t make me do that again,” I
said. I laughed, shaking my head to rid myself of the thought.

“
Let me see what you brought,” he said, turning
on the stool in front of the easel to face me.

“
I got what you asked for. I even brought you
lime for the beer,” I said, smiling.

“
Here’s your first lesson, so listen
closely—when I give you an order, you must follow it to the letter
… nothing more … nothing less. Understood?”

“
Huh?” I said but I knew what he
meant.

“
I’ll let it slide this one time,” he said,
taking both the beers and the lime from my right hand. He squeezed
the lime into the neck of the bottles. I handed him the cigarettes
and he handed me one of the beers.

“
Thank you,” I said, taking a sip.

He took a swig and placed his beer on the windowsill.
Then he reached for my beer and placed it alongside his. Without
warning, he spun me around, pulling me back onto his lap. Roughly
spreading my thighs, he gently touched the wetness there. “I was
right about you. You need this …. You need me.”