CHAPTER ELEVEN
Jeff hadn't been kidding when he said he was only going to drop the subject temporarily. The following days played out like a subtle game of cat and mouse. Jeff put his hands on me every chance he could, whispered inappropriate things in my ear. I was able to deflect most of his advances, but it seemed like the more I rejected him, the worse his behavior became. He began lashing out at Dominick, saying rude things to him, commenting snidely about our age difference and bluntly declaring I would be better off with someone else. Dominick just gritted his teeth, reminded Jeff of how hospitable he was being, and that he shouldn't press his luck. When Jeff asked what Dominick would do if he did press his luck, Dominick simply replied he would send him back home. That shut him up for a little while.
His behavior didn't really change though. It became a struggle to get him to go to work, and one day when I went to pick him up, he had disappeared. I asked his co-workers where he had gone, but none of them had a clue. They said he had just left with some guy. Part of me panicked, but another part of me hoped that someone from Virginia had picked him up and taken him back home. While Jeff's sudden acting out didn't really put a stress on my relationship with Dominick, it had put a stress on our lives, in general.
I thought to go out looking for Jeff, but I honestly didn't have any idea where to start, so I ended up waiting around at his work for an hour before returning to the condo. Dominick didn't seem particularly worried. He was every bit as fed up as I was.
“If he comes back, he comes back,” Dominick said.
“And if he doesn't?”
“Then there's nothing we can do. I'll call his father and tell him what happened. I doubt he'll be surprised or point fingers. We did the best we could for the kid.”
I nodded in agreement, thankful that Dominick wasn't upset with me. He could have easily blamed me, saying it was my idea for Jeff to get a job. But he didn't.
Hoping that Jeff wouldn't come back was wishful thinking. At around one o'clock in the morning, Dominick and I awoke to pounding on the front door. It was Jeff, and he was completely wasted, stumbling inside and grumbling at Dominick threateningly before collapsing onto one of the loveseats and almost instantly falling asleep. I could tell that Dominick was angry, but he was too tired to make a scene about it.
“We'll deal with him tomorrow,” he growled, gently grabbing my hand and guiding me back to the bedroom.
In the morning though, Jeff was gone again, and I internally sighed in relief. It was horrible for me to want him to disappear, but I felt like he was quickly becoming a lost cause. Better to be done with him than to keep trying.
The following night, it was the same thing. He banged on the door, and Dominick let him in. This time, Dominick was a lot more confrontational, demanding where he had been and launching into a lecture about how he should show us some respect.
“Shut it, pops.” Jeff threw his hand up dismissively in Dominick's direction.
I cowered at the word. It bothered me anytime anyone called Dominick old. Apparently, the term had gotten under Dominick's skin too.
“If you're going to treat me like an old man, then I'm going to treat you like a child,” he seethed, glaring down at Jeff, who had already seated himself on the loveseat and grabbed the television remote like he owned the place.
When he flicked on the television, Dominick ripped the remote out of his hand and threw it across the room with such force that it hit the wall and shattered. I'd seen Dominick pissed before, but never like this, and it actually frightened me. Jeff gave him a sarcastic look, but it quickly disappeared from his face when Dominick reached down and picked him up by the collar of his shirt, forcing him to stand.
“Listen to me, you little punk, you're here because I want to help you, but you're making it very difficult when you continue to act like a brat.”
“Let me go, man. I'm warning you.” Jeff clawed at Dominick's wrist.
“Warn me all you like.” Dominick threw him back against the loveseat, knocking the wind out of him. “If you want to go back home, let me know, and I'll have you on the next flight out. But if you want to stay, then you're going to behave. The next time you disappear, and we don't know where you're at, we're not letting you back in. Do you understand?”
Jeff sighed, and I couldn't tell if he was just so annoyed that he didn't feel like fighting anymore, or if he was actually defeated. Either way, he submitted, holding his hands up in surrender.
“Fine,” he huffed.
“Do you want to stay or do you want to go?”
“I'm staying.” Jeff glanced over at me, though his expression didn't change, as if I disgusted him just as much as Dominick did in that moment.
“Then take a shower and go to bed. You have work tomorrow, if you haven't been fired yet.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jeff sat there for a few moments while Dominick stood in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. When he realized Dominick wasn't going anywhere, he pulled himself up and went into his bedroom. I walked over to where the broken remote was lying on the floor and picked up the pieces.
“I'm sorry about that,” Dominick said softly.
“Don't apologize. You were angry.”
“I know, but that was uncalled for.”
“It's not like they don't make universal remotes.” I returned to him with the pieces in hand and was surprised to find him gazing at me affectionately.
“I love you. You know that, right?”
“I do.” I smiled at him, standing up on my tip toes to give him a peck on the lips. “Let's go back to bed.”
Surprisingly, for the next few days, Jeff was on his best behavior. Apparently, Dominick's bad mood had frightened him. In truth, I wasn't sure if I was glad or not. It felt like we had been so close to getting rid of him. Maybe he had decided to go back on the straight and narrow though. Only time would tell.
A week passed without incident. Another paycheck rolled in, and Dominick confiscated it, announcing that he would start looking for Jeff an apartment whenever he got back from his upcoming business trip. Jeff was grateful, playing the perfect kid as if his unruly behavior had never occurred. Perhaps everything would be alright after all. One thing was certain, it wouldn't be much longer before we were rid of him, and that's all that mattered to me.
***
“I'm sorry this trip is so long,” Dominick told me as he gently rubbed my shoulder while we laid in bed together.
“It's going to be really strange without you here . . . and with him here,” I replied, staring up into the ceiling.
“If the thought of being alone with him makes you uncomfortable, you could have Tammy come stay with you a few nights.”
“Where would she sleep?”
“You could both sleep in here.”
“That would probably be awkward for her. No, I think I'll be fine. He's been really good lately. You got him that bus pass, so I expect he'll still go to work, and then I can pick him up in the afternoons. We'll get by without you.”
“Well, if you need anything, just call me. This trip is important, but you're more important.”
“Calm down. Everything will be alright.” I turned to kiss him, missing his lips in the darkness.
I woke up early the next morning to see him off. It was odd to think I'd be five nights without him. This was the longest business trip Dominick had gone on in a while, but apparently he had a lot of stuff to do in New York that would keep him occupied the entire time. He needed me to stay home and man the fort. To be honest, I still didn't trust Jeff, but I had high hopes that he'd behave while Dominick was away.
An almost tangible loneliness swept over me when Dominick walked out the door, and I was left standing in the living room alone. Jeff was still asleep, so it was just me, staring at the door as the early-morning sunlight streamed through the blinds. I wrapped my arms around myself, wondering if I'd really be alright without Dominick. Then I gave myself a pep talk and went about my business preparing breakfast and getting ready for school. The thought of leaving Jeff alone in the condo for even a few hours made me uneasy, but Dominick assured me it wouldn't be a big deal. There wasn't anything he could steal that Dominick couldn't replace, and out of caution, he took the hard drive from his computer with him.
That uneasiness followed me all the way to school and haunted me throughout the day. Victor offered to come stay with me, and to be honest, I half considered it, but that would probably be an even worse idea. Two guys who had a crush on me under the same roof. No, definitely not a good idea. And besides, Dominick would kill me.
After school, I cleaned the condo for a little while before I went to pick Jeff up from work. He was there as normal, waiting for me with a smile on his face. Almost as soon as he stepped inside my car though, the atmosphere changed.
“So, what are we going to do while Mister Stuffy Pants is away?” he asked.
“The same thing we've been doing,” I replied, staring straight out the front window.
“You don't want to go to the movies or something. It wouldn't kill you to have some fun, you know?”
My shoulders relaxed a bit. In all honesty, I had expected him to suggest something less innocent.
“Movies. Yeah. We could do that.”
“Awesome. Let's go back to the condo, so I can change and shower first though. I smell like pizza dough.” Jeff lounged back while I drove us to the condo.
Once we got there, he went to get freshened up, and then we headed out on the road again towards the movie theater. It admittedly felt good to get out of the house, though I was still uncomfortable around him. Every second we were together was filled with a strange sort of tension, and I was constantly on edge.
I let him pick the movie, and it ended up being an action flick with a gang theme to it. It took everything in me not to roll my eyes as he told the cashier what he wanted to see. Weren't you trying to get away from this stuff, I thought. In truth, there was a part of me that didn't believe he was. He had already managed to make some unsavory friends around the area.
We bought popcorn and sodas and then went into the theater. I held the popcorn between us, and Jeff dug in, talking through the previews. When the movie started, it became apparent that he wasn't going to shut up, and I sighed, sinking into my seat, hoping we weren't going to get kicked out. Throughout the entire movie, he talked too loud, laughed boisterously, made gestures at the screen, and flat out embarrassed me. You'd think the guy had no idea how to act in a theater. By some miracle, we didn't get kicked out, but by the end of the film, my nerves were completely frazzled. It was hard not to be grumpy, though he seemed as happy as a clam, talking about the movie as if he didn't even notice my crappy mood.
When we got back to the condo, all I wanted was to get away from him. I used homework as an excuse, retreating to Dominick's office for some peace and quiet. It was going to be a long week.
The next afternoon, Jeff wanted to go out again. I entertained the idea for half a heartbeat before remembering my misery from the day before. When I told him that I had too much homework, he acted disappointed, but didn't press the subject.
For the most part, he was well behaved. The following two days went by without incident, and relief washed over me at the thought that everything was going to be alright. Friday rolled around, and I went to school with pep in my step, excited that Dominick would be coming home the next morning. Sadly, it seemed to be the only thing I had to look forward to now that Jeff was around.
Jeff got paid that afternoon, so he was unusually chipper too. Since Dominick wasn't there to confiscate his paycheck, it seemed to be burning a hole in his hand.
“You should take me to cash this,” he told me while we were pulling out of the pizza place parking lot.
“You're supposed to sign it over to Dominick,” I reminded him.
“I know, but Stuffy Pants won't be home until tomorrow. It wouldn't hurt for us to have a little fun tonight.”
“What's your idea of fun?” I asked, admittedly tempted by the idea of having him pay for something for once.
“We could go to Castles N' Coasters.”
I let out a short grunt, thinking about how long it had been since I'd gone to a theme park. Dominick told me we'd go to one together, but he hadn't lived up to his word. His idea of fun was more refined. Art galleries and museums. It would be nice to do something different for once.
“Alright,” I agreed, unable to resist.
“Awesome. Woohoo!” he hooted, and I couldn't help but smile at the excitement on his face as we drove to the bank to cash his check. Hopefully, Dominick wouldn't kill me for this. The money from Jeff's paychecks was supposed to be going towards his rent.
We went back to the condo to change and then headed out to the theme park. Jeff was so wound up when we got there that he was practically wiggling as we waited in line for our tickets. Once we got inside, he grabbed me by the hand and dragged me around the whole park.
If I said I wasn't having a good time, I'd be lying. The theme park atmosphere brought out the kid in me, and within a few minutes inside the gates, I felt more comfortable around Jeff than I ever had. All that mattered was having fun, and he seemed all about fun.
We rode all the rides: the go carts, the bumper boats, the carousel, the log ride, and the Viking ship. Then we spent an hour in the arcade before getting some greasy carnival food and finishing off the night with a game of miniature golf. By the time we left, it was almost midnight, and we were both sweaty and exhausted. We joked and laughed all the way back to the car. He made fun of me for nearly throwing up on the Viking ship, and I poked at him for being horrible at table hockey.
“Have you ever been here with Dominick before?” Jeff asked as we stepped into the car.
“No,” I replied hesitantly. Just the mention of Dominick's name put me on guard, waiting for our relationship to be attacked.
“That's too bad. This doesn't seem like something he'd enjoy though,” he said while pulling his seat belt over his shoulder.
“We haven't been to a theme park together since we were kids. Well, since I was a kid.”
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yeah. I did.” I smiled, nodding.
“I'm glad.”
When we got home, there was another round of showers. Then I went to bed, lying there in the darkness for a while and staring up at the ceiling while I wondered if Dominick would ever go to a theme park with me.
Sleep carried me away toward dream land, but it didn't hold me there for long. My body awakened to the feel of hands upon me, and for a fraction of a second, I thought they were Dominick's. I yawned and grinned, rolling toward the warmth of the body next to me. When I opened my eyes though, I thought I was going to die from shock.
“What are you doing in here?” I asked Jeff, jolting up into a sitting position.
He rolled over onto his back, looking up at me. “We had such a good afternoon together that I didn't want it to end.”
All he was wearing was a pair of boxer shorts, his thin frame barely visible in the darkness. It always felt strange seeing him shirtless. Even in Dominick's youth, he was a bit broader. Jeff was as skinny as a bean pole. It was one of the few times that I didn't think they looked so similar after all.
“You can't be in here,” I grumbled, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Why not?”
“Because.” I glanced at the clock on Dominick's bedside table. “It's past midnight, and we both need to get some sleep.”
“But you don't have school in the morning, and I'm off from work. Besides, Mister Stuffy Pants will be home tomorrow. I want to savor what time we still have together . . . alone.”
“Do you want me to get up and watch some TV with you?” I sighed, feeling like I was taking care of a fussy child who didn't want to go to bed.
“Nah. I like it better in here.” He touched my hand, and I instantly recoiled.
“Jeff, Dominick would be pissed if he even knew you were in here.”
“How will he find out if you don't tell him?”
I thought about informing him that we were on surveillance, but I refrained. Dominick would find out about this when he got home, and he wouldn't be pleased. It was too late to prevent that.
“I'm tired. You should go back to your room,” I said finally, rubbing my eyes.
“What if I don't want to?”
“Please. I'm really not in the mood for this right now.”
“What are you in the mood for?” He reached up to rub my back, and my entire body tensed.
“Go to your room,” I growled at him, losing my patience.
“Mmm feisty. I like that.” Jeff sat up. He lifted his hand to caress my face, but I swatted it away.
“I'm not playing anymore.”
“Neither am I.” His mood changed like the flip of a switch. “You want me, I know you do.”
Jeff grabbed my wrist with one hand and took to his knees, moving to overpower me, and my mind instantly went into panic mode.
“Jeff, what are you doing? Jeff, stop,” my voice was shrill as I struggled against him. For as skinny as he was, he was still stronger than me, and despite my kicking and flailing, it didn't take much effort for him to pin me down on the bed.
“I know you want this, baby,” he purred as he began to hike up my nightshirt.
“Jeff, stop! I'm going to scream.”
“Scream. No one will hear you. And if they do, they'll probably just think it's from the heat of passion, which it will be soon.”
“You don't have to do this,” I told him, trying to keep the tears at bay.
“I don't have to, but I want to.” He grabbed the waistband of my underwear, licking his lips as he hooked his thumb inside and dragged it back and forth, savoring the moment.
“No, I mean you don't have to hold me down. I won't struggle, I promise.” The last thing I wanted was to be raped forcibly. Hopefully, I could make him believe me. Jeff may be strong, but he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. We had gotten along well up to that point. Maybe he'd show mercy.
“You promise, huh?” He gazed down on me like a predator might look at prey. It was obvious this wasn't the first time he had done this. He had it down to an art. There were no signs of stress on his face, only darkness behind his eyes. I was powerless against him, and he had no problem toying with me for his satisfaction.
“Yes.” I nodded, holding back my fear. If he could truly see how desperate that I was, he wouldn't let me go.
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because I want you too. You were right about everything. I saw that tonight when we were hanging out together, how fun it could be if it was the two of us.”
“And what about Mister Stuffy Pants?”
“He's too old for me. He doesn't want to do the things I want to do.”
The darkness faded from Jeff's eyes, and I could see the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure out if I was telling the truth or not.
“Kiss me,” I said, doing the best I could to keep the trembling from my voice.
“Kiss you?” He gave me a quizzical look.
“Yes, kiss me.”
“Is this some trick?”
“No.” I shook my head. “There are surveillance cameras in here. If you kiss me, it will be like showing Dominick that I don't want to be with him anymore.”
Jeff grinned. “Well, I plan on doing more than kissing you.”
“I know, so don't make me wait any longer. I've been wanting this for so long.” I writhed beneath him lustily.
“When you put it like that, how can I refuse.” His grip loosened, and he bent down to place a too-eager kiss on my lips.
Jeff's mouth was hot against mine, and I returned the affection, parting my lips to accept him. His hand slid up the front of my nightshirt to grope one of my breasts, and I turned what should have been a grunt of disgust into a moan as his thumb deftly played over my nipple. Whether I liked it or not, it was getting hard, and my body was definitely starting to awaken, but my mind and heart kept my arousal at bay.
The seconds ticked by like hours as I let him kiss down my body, to lift up my shirt and suck on my nipples while one of his hands glided into my underwear to part my pussy lips and probe inside. All that I could feel was fear and panic, but I knew I had to keep calm. I had to keep the charade going until there was a clear opening.
While he lavished sloppy affection on me, I looked around the room, planning my escape. My phone and keys were on the bedside table. It would be easy enough to grab them and head out the door. The hard part would be getting Jeff off of me. He was still being aggressive, and I doubted he had completely let his guard down.
“Mmm baby, your pussy feels so good,” he whispered between kisses. The closer his face got to my nether region, the more my body tensed up. That was a Dominick-only zone. I didn't even want to think of what he'd do when he saw the video . . . what he'd do to both of us. Would he think of this as a betrayal, or would he understand? It didn't matter now. All that mattered was escaping.
“I want to suck your dick,” I said suddenly, getting an idea.
“I bet you do. I want to eat this pussy though, first.”
“We could sixty nine each other,” I suggested.
“Just can't wait, can you?” He smirked at me, looking genuinely pleased.
“No. I've been thinking about sucking your dick for so long.”
“What's been making you think about it?”
I groaned internally. He was one of those guys, the ones who constantly needed their ego fed. This wasn't a game I enjoyed, but I knew I had to play it if I ever hoped to trick him.
“Just seeing you walking around in your boxers all the time,” I said seductively, staring at his crotch like I actually gave a damn about it. With my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see the perfect outline of his erection. That was something else he didn't have in common with Dominick. I was pretty sure that Dominick would win a size contest.
“Well, I suppose I shouldn't disappoint you.” Jeff knelt on the bed and pulled down his boxers, letting his cock spring forth to greet me. It was long and thin with a slight curve to the right and a head that wasn't much thicker than the shaft. Dominick's was definitely bigger.
“Nice.” I grinned at it.
“Take off your clothes.”
“Do I get to suck you off if I do?” I teased.
“Damn. I didn't expect you to be such a cock hungry slut. You're totally surprising me tonight, Kim.”
I cringed on the inside when called me a slut. Damn, I hated this guy.
“I like cock. What can I say,” I told him, shrugging nonchalantly.
“Well, how about you take off your clothes, and I'll give you a reward.”
Fear and apprehension rushed through me. This was not part of my plan. How was I supposed to get out of the house if I was naked? Then again, it really shouldn't matter. If I didn't get away from him, he'd rape me for sure. There was no getting out of this.
Hesitantly, I pulled myself into a sitting position, grabbing the bottom of my nightshirt and lifting it over my head. The air in the room felt absolutely disgusting, polluted with tension and suffocating expectation. Once I got my nightshirt off, Jeff helped me with my underwear. I pulled them over my hips and thighs, and he grabbed them and wrangled them off the rest of the way, throwing them on the floor. Being naked had never felt more dirty, knowing that he could see me perfectly through the darkness.
He moaned in pleasure at the sight before him, and it only made me feel more uncomfortable. Everything in me wanted to reach my arms up and shield myself from his eyes, but I knew that would give me away—give away that I didn't want him. I had to stay strong, to look confident, like I wanted this, like I wanted him.
“Now let me wrestle that anaconda,” I said, winking at him.
“Anaconda, huh?” Jeff laughed. “It's been called many things, but that's a new one.”
“It's so big, what else could it be called?”
“I suppose you're right.” He straightened himself, grabbing his dick and giving it a few warm-up strokes.
“Lie down,” I told him.
“I don't want to lie down.”
“Why not?” I tried not to sound agitated.
“Because then I can't buck my hips as well.”
“I promise, you won't need to buck your hips.”
Jeff gave me a suspicious look before finally deciding to trust me. Seductively, I crawled up his body, eying him like I had been waiting a lifetime to suck his cock. It was quickly hardening, twitching slightly against his stomach with excitement. The thought of sticking it in my mouth made me want to vomit, but I knew it was unavoidable.
Dropping the teasing act, I grabbed the base of his shaft and plunged my mouth down on it. He groaned in pleasure . . . until I sunk my teeth in and bit him like his cock was a hot dog, and I hadn't eaten in weeks. Blood pooled into my mouth, which only amplified my disgust. Jeff tangled his fingers into my hair, letting out a shrill cry as he tugged until my head throbbed. For a few seconds, I feared that he wasn't going to let me go, but as soon as my mouth left his cock, he released me, and all of his attention focused on the ring of teeth marks circling his swollen and now bleeding member.
“You stupid bitch,” he began screaming at me, but I wasn't waiting for him to finish.
My hands instinctively groped for my keys and phone on the bedside table, and once I had them, I made a mad dash for the door, never looking back. When I got outside the room, I hesitated for a moment. Leaving out the front door was the most logical next move, but I was naked, and despite my overwhelming fear, I allowed my pride to get the better of me. Instead, I bolted for the bathroom, locking myself in and immediately dialing 911. This wasn't a problem I could solve by calling Tammy or Dominick. As soon as Jeff recomposed himself, there was no telling what he would do. I needed the police, and I needed them immediately.
“911. What's your emergency?” a woman with a nasally voice answered on the other end of the line.
“I'm locked in the bathroom of my condo and there's a man trying to rape me. Please, come quickly,” I told her, not even bothering to try to sound calm.
“What's the address?”
Jeff was yelling on the other side of the condo, but I could hear him quickly approaching. The closer his voice got, the more my heartbeat sped up. What if he managed to break down the door? I should have gone outside to my car. I should have gotten away from him when I had the chance.
He banged on the door, and I screamed reflexively, the phone shaking in my hand. Thankfully, I had already managed to sputter out the address. Now my voice was a mess of frantic “Please hurry”s.
“God damn it, Kim! Open this fucking door!” Jeff pounded on the door with both fists, and I watched in horror as it shook violently on its hinges. Would the lock hold? These condos weren't built with the sturdiest materials. I could only hope that he gave up before the lock did.
“I called the police,” I shouted back at him. “They're on their way. You should go.”
Finally, the banging ceased, though I could still hear him breathing heavily on the other side of the door. “You're going to regret this, Kim,” he said in a deep threatening tone. “I'm going to destroy Dominick and everything else you know and love. I'm going to find Tammy and tell her about your relationship. I'm going to ruin your life.” And then he was gone.