Trouble Triangle (Tyler's Trouble Trilogy) (11 page)

She blew out a puff of smoke. "If you do break it off with her, will you put me on your available list?"

I help a hand up. "Wait a minute. I thought this was all about no strings, unemotional, non-stalking sex. Are you saying you want a relationship?"

"No, I'm saying I want no strings, unemotional, non-stalking sex."

"I can do that, Debbie, but somehow I don't think you can. You just told me that you needed to feel loved, and cared about. That was more important than the sex."

She took a drag of her cigarette. "When we did it, I enjoyed it just for what it was. Sex. I can give the relationship thing a rest for a while." Her face lit up with an enlightened idea. "We could be like fuck-buddies even if you don't give up Holly. I'll need the practice if I'm going hetero." She touched my hand. "Come on, Tyler, two women on the go. I thought that would be right up your alley."

My eyes wandered over her bronze body. There was no denying she looked hot. "Look, Debs, I can't. I was happy to help you out as a friend. You know, helping you find your sexuality and stuff. But I really need to make a go of it with Holly. She'd kill me if she found out. I think you're great, and if I hadn't already hooked up with Holly, yeah, I'd go for you in a heartbeat."

She pushed her lips to one side of her closed mouth and looked
at me with those piercing eyes.

I took a drag and stubbed out my cigarette.

"Sorry, Debs."

She pulled the bow behind her head and let her halter top fall, revealing her perky breasts. She walked over and held my face with both hands. She leaned into me, her lips brushing mine, her breasts pressing against my chest. Her subtle flowery fragrance graced my nose. The kiss grew passionate.

She moved away and dropped her shorts, standing naked before me. "One more time?"

I stood up and drew a deep breath. Taking her hand, I led her to the bed. "For old time's sake."

She smiled.

I arrived at Holly's at seven o'clock Friday evening, just as she had asked, or commanded to be more accurate. She invited me in, kissed me, and informed me dinner was nearly ready. The aroma of simmering tomato sauce filled the apartment and raised my awarenes
s of how hungry I actually was.

The small dining table had an elegant and romantic look about it. Two tall candles sat a third of the way in from each end of the table, soft flames danced over the linen napkins and crystal wine glasses. Most of the meals at Holly's were heated up frozen dinners eaten in front of the TV. I could tell something special was in the making.

I stood admiring a print she had on the wall while she put dinner on the table. A large black and white photograph of Times Square dominated the wall over the fake fireplace. Cars appeared to be whizzing around the city with trails dragging behind each car. Yellow
cabs provided the only color.

"Okay, dinner is served." She took a deep bow and extended her arm toward the table.

I walked over, pulled Holly's chair out, and helped her slide in. I poured the wine, and sat down at the opposite end. We raised our glasses.

"This looks great, babe. Cheers." I tilted my glass in her direction.

"Happy Anniversary," she said.

I choked on my
wine
and my eyebrows went up. "Excuse me?"

"Don't pretend you forgot. I'm wearing your present underneath." She tugged at her chiffon blouse and I caught a glimpse of her black lace bra. She smiled broadly and winked.

"Oh, right." I patted my pockets. "Damn it. I forgot yours. I had it sitting on my dresser and I forgot all about it. I got so excited about seeing you, I must've left it behind. Sorry." I hoped she'd tell me soon what it was all about.

"Well, as long as you have it. You can give it to me later. I was afraid you might have forgotten."

"Forgotten?" I feigned a look of surprise. "No chance."
Hmm…November 22. Maybe she marks JFK's assassination as some kind of anniversary. That would explain the black bra.

"Who would have thought, four months ago today you took me to the Pat
Benatar
concert, our first date. And we're still together." She scrunched her shoulders
. "That is so totally awesome."

"Has it really been— I mean, I know. It's amazing. That's the present I left behind. I got you the new Pat
Benatar
cassette,
Get Nervous
."

"Like, you are so thoughtful. And so am I." She sipped her wine. "I made us spaghetti and meatballs. That's what I ordered on our date. You had some foreign dish. Anyway, I added a little something to make it special. My grandma gave me the recipe." She bowed her head. "God rest her soul."

"Yeah, you've really outdone yourself here." I twirled up a forkful and took bite. I suppressed a gag induced by large amounts of anchovies and spinach. A feeling of sickness washed over me.

"Any good?" She held a nervous, hopeful, and expectant look.

I held the napkin over my mouth concealing facial convulsions. "Wow, I've never tasted anything like it. You got any more of Grandma's recipes?" I dabbed a corner of my mouth with the napkin and hoped she was about to tell me the precious book got destroyed in a fire. I took a gulp of wine trying to wash the salt off my taste buds.

"Yeah, I got the whole book." She beamed. "Grandma left it to me in her will when she died. She was like the best cook ever. She was totally awesome with a spatula in her hand."

"Yeah, well this meal really captures the atmosphere of the occasion."

"What a nice thing to say."

I choked down the spaghetti while she gobbled hers up, periodically emitting a moan of pleasure. A periodic puke would have been more appropriate as far as I was concerned. I never thought Navy roast beef would taste better than spaghetti, but Holly
and her grandmother managed it.

After dinner, she insisted we watched
Joannie
Loves
Chachi
, because
Chachi
was like totally awesome. Then an episode of
Dallas
before we headed to the bedroom f
or the real reason I came over.

She made love while I had sex.

We lay in bed the next morning with Holly snuggled into my chest with my arm wrapped around her shoulder. She twirled her finger through my small patch of chest hair.

"
Whatcha
thinkin
'?" she asked.

"If I wanted you to know what I was thinking, I'd be talking."

She smacked my chest and propped herself up to look at me. "I'm serious. What's going on in your mind?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about how good you are in bed."

She smiled and laid back into my arm. "You ever think about children?"

Oh shit. I didn't know what she was going to say next. Exactly four months ago was the first time I corked her. That would be enough time…don't be stupid. She'd be showing if she was up the duff. Her stomach was
its usual flat self, wasn't it?

I patted her arm. "Of course I do. I think it's terrible what's happening to the starving children in Africa."

"You are so thoughtful. But I was thinking more like having kids of your own."

Hell froze over in the time it took me to answer. My eyes darted around the ceiling. "You're not, umm…not pregnant, are you?" I stared at the white stucco ceiling, then closed my eyes and offered a little prayer.

"Would it be so bad if I was?"
Hell just got colder
. She stroked my chest. "No, I'm not with child. I was just thinking, I don't want to be some totally old hag trying to bring up a baby."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Her soft hair tickled my fingers as I stroked the back of her head in comb-like fashion. "Oh, well then. You got plenty of time,
darlin
’. Beauty like yours doesn't just disappear. It'll take sixty or seventy years for you to become an old hag."

I felt her face tighten
into a smile against my chest.

"Besides, I read somewhere that women are waiting until they're twenty-five, thirty even, before starting a family. Gives them time to live their own life before getting tied down with rug-rats."

"Where'd you read that?" she asked.

"One of your Cosmopolitan magazines."

She sighed. "Maybe. I just don’t want to leave it too late." She leaned in and kissed my chest. "I want you so bad. I want you to make love to me."

I wished she'd quit calling it making love. Wait. What if she stopped taking the pill? Maybe she wants to get knocked up if she's not already. Shit. That's why she wants to make love. My mind went momentarily blank. I wiped my brow with the back of my knuckle, checking for
traces of sweat. An image of Debbie popped into my head. She stood there wagging her finger, saying, 'I told you to stay
away from her. She's trouble.'

"Have you ever had sex with another woman?" I asked.
Where the hell did that come from?

She jumped up from lying down next to me, knelt on the bed, and looked down at me. Her eyes twitched with anger, her lips pressed tightly together. "Where the hell did that come from? I ask you if you want to make love, and you ask me if I'm a lesbian!" She threw her hands on her hips, still kneeling. I couldn't help noticing her nice tits, while at the same time my silence seemed to intensify her anger.

I checked my brow for sweat again. A trace. "Sorry, I guess that was just a little foreplay thought. You know us guys, always think about two women going at it and stuff. Thought maybe that would help get me in the mood."

Her hand came across the side of my face.
Hard
. The smack echoed around the room, and my cheek burned from the sting. Holly jumped out of bed and stood there in all her naked glory.

"Great! So now you can't get it up unless you start thinking about me starring in some lesbian porno flick in your head. Is that it? I've never been so insulted in my life. Get out!"

"Holly, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. I just—"

"I said, get out!" She stood there with one hand on her hip, and the other arm extended pointing to the door. "Grab your things and go. By the time I come back, you better be gone." She shook her cute little ass to the bathroom and slammed the door.

Following her orders, I got dressed and gathered my things. "Sorry," I called out before slipping out the door.

#

I got back to the dorm room around noon. Mark had dressed better than he usually did and splashed on some aftershave as I came in.

"What are you doing back?" he asked. "I thought you were staying with Holly for the weekend."

"She kicked me out. I think it's over." I took off my shirt and threw in it on the foot of my bed.

"Congratulations. So you managed to pick a fight with her, did you?"

"Unintentionally."

He stood in front of the mirror combing his hair. "What nerve did you strike to get her to dump you?"

"Sit down." I extended my arm, pointing to the two chairs. Mark looked at his watch as we walked over and sat down. "I
think I screwed up, big time."

"You?
Naaaw
, I can't believe that."

"I know it's hard to believe, but I did. I think Holly can be quite vindictive if she wants to be. She might still get me kicked out. Anyway, she started asking me if I wanted kids, and stuff like that. Man, she scared me. She says she not pregnant, but why would she start taking about kids?." I stopped and lit a cigarette.

Mark looked at his watch.

"Anyway, she no sooner says she's thinking about having a kid, then asks me if I want to make love. Not fuck, but make love." I shook my head. "Man, maybe she stopped taking the pill or something. Maybe she's using me as a direct deposit sperm donor." I ran my hand back and forth across my mouth.

"A chick using you? Wouldn't that be funny? Wait…no, you didn't. You didn't ask her if she's still taking the pill, did you?" He had a worried look on his face.

"No, I asked her if she was a lesbian."

Mark burst out laughing. "You take the biscuit, Chambers, you really do. Do you know when you're going to say something stupid, or does it surprise you as much as everyone else? 'Do you want to have sex?'" he mocked, "'Only if you're not gay.' It's a good thing you're not Dutch. That little boy just used his finger. You…you use your dick to plug dykes." He held his stomach as he laughed some more.

"It wasn't quite like that. It just slipped out. I wondered if she dumped Debbie because she knew she wanted kids some day. She slapped my face and told me to get out."

"I don't blame her. Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about Miss Holly anymore. Sounds like you're well and truly dumped. Be happy, that's what you wanted."

I took another drag of my cigarette. "I
dunno
. I got used to her. She's
kinda
fun, really. I didn't think about it till she dumped me. Now that I can't have her, I want her. I think I actually like her." She was certainly an anything goes kind of girl in the bedroom. Like a sex educa
tion class with hands-on demos.