2 comments/ 8283 views/ 4 favorites The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 01 By: harmonyjones The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones is a story of a young freelance model who reflects on her many love affairs and flings. We meet Harmony during a turning point in her life when she needs to make a big decision. Should she stay in her current relationship, or should she see what else life has to offer? She ponders this as she deals with her feelings for a special girl friend and gets ready for a night on the town. ------ Chapter 1 BEEP BEEP CLICK BEEP BEEP CLICK BEEP BEEP "Dammit." BEEP BEEP "Focus you fucker." BEEP BEEP CLICK BEEP BEEP CLICK I was having my picture taken and the photographer was getting frustrated with his camera. I could have told him why it didn't want to focus, but I was too busy trying to look distant yet inviting, sexy, but not trampy at the same time with a major wedgie and my stomach sucked in and my chest poked out. Let him figure out why the hell his camera wouldn't work. He was supposed to be the professional after all. BEEP BEEP CLICK I was getting tired of the pose I was in so I began to move into another. I was on my knees wearing nothing but a light purple lacy bra and a thong. To the casual observer, I was relaxing near a pile of soft pillows in a dimly lit room, perhaps waiting for a lover to arrive. I was actually in a pose that allowed the viewer to see my breasts, thighs, butt, belly, legs, feet, arms, and hands all at the same time, while still not revealing too much. I also had to control the look on my face. I was disgusted and hungry and I wanted to go home, but I looked as if I was a sweet and sexy young woman who couldn't wait to get her hands on you. I still can remember how gorgeous I'd looked that day. I still have some of the pictures from that shoot that I sometimes show to people. My body was in its prime. I had long slim legs that had been oiled a little bit to be slightly shiny, my breasts were large but still perky, and my heart shaped face was still flawless and had no lines or blemishes. Makeup artists constantly told me that I was great to work with because of my clear skin. My resume said I was 21, but I looked 18. I was actually 23. My resume said 21 until I was about 32 years old. I had great abs that looked almost like a six pack when I flexed, and my butt was high and tight but still round and juicy. I worked out for two hours a day, five days a week and it showed. "NO! Let me just get this shot and you can do the next pose." The photographer was a hyperactive little bald man in his mid fifties and was beginning to get on my last good nerve. I sat on my heels and tossed my shoulder length, chocolate brown hair. My hair was one of my favorite things from that shoot. It was down and curled slightly and had lots of volume. It looked so silky and touchable in the pictures, like a picture I had once seen of Ava Gardener. I wished that I had paid closer attention while the hair stylist had been working so that I could recreate it later myself. "It's an hour past the time you told my agent." "You'll be compensated." He whined at me like a child. A friend had told me that this guy was one of the best in town, but he acted like he belonged in a daycare. "I want gas money and time and a half for this extra hour." I crossed my arms and gave him a stern look to let him know I was serious. "I also have another shoot at 4:00 pm and I can't be late. Do you want to explain to J.J. Jeremy why I couldn't be at his studio on time?" I wasn't really shooting with J.J. but I figured a little white lie wouldn't kill me. J.J. had a reputation for being a diva and intimidating other photographers so I dropped his name hoping it might freak the little man out. Luckily J.J. and I were friends, and he wouldn't mind me dropping his name to get out of a bad shoot. "Done. See my girl on the way out." He flapped his hands at me like he was shooing a cow, but I could tell it meant to get back into position. He raised his camera back to his face and fiddled with the lens. BEEP BEEP CLICK BEEP BEEP CLICK "I didn't think it would be so hard to work with Miss Harmony Jones." He said, pausing for a moment. Enunciating my name carefully and as primly as a school teacher in an old movie. "Don't be silly Byron." I said with a sly smile. "I'm as professional as you can afford. Especially in this town." At the time I went by Harmony Jones, but now I have a different name. I used to be a model, and my specialty was lingerie. I worked in Atlanta, Georgia, a city that many people probably wouldn't think was full of models and photographers. We were all pretty small time, but we all thought we were on our way. I wasn't a big deal, yet, but at the time I had just come back from working in the Virgin Islands for almost a month on a swimsuit calendar and some nude projects. I had an attorney friend of the family who handled my contracts, a decent car, and a nice apartment. I made enough money to pay my bills, put a little bit away for retirement, and occasionally have a good time. I had done a few national campaigns for makeup and lingerie, but probably less than .01 percent of the population would have even recognized me on the street. I definitely wasn't a household name. I had a small fan following on the Internet because I sometimes did a little bit of fetish work (feet, balloons, leather, latex, etc) but that was it. I liked that though, because I could still be anonymous in my daily life. By most people's standards I was living the American dream, being able to work for a living to afford what I needed, and save for the things I wanted most. But I didn't have health insurance since I was technically self employed or any other benefits that go with having a nine-to-five job either. But I was young and a little naive and I was just trying to make it from one day to the next. My parents had named me Harmony Daffodille Jones, it wasn't an alias but lots of people assumed it was and were constantly asking me about my real name. Sometimes I made one up so they'd leave me alone. My parents were hippies. I had a sister named Peaceful Geranium and a brother named Igloo Serenitie. I was the only child who went by their given name in adulthood. My older sister became a lawyer and had her name changed to Penelope Genevieve because it looked better on her business cards (keeping the same initials so she wouldn't have to buy new monogrammed towels and pillowcases) and people called her Penny. My younger brother went by Iggy, which the girls at SCAD thought was hot. He lied and said his middle name was Sergio, which I thought was hilarious. He used Mom and Dad's weed connection all the time when he brought girls home. They didn't care. Half the time if my brother was in his room with a girl beneath him, my Dad was in my parent's room with Mom on top. It was just like that at home. I played a lot of loud music as a kid.... I remember lots of times when my parents would bring home friends that stayed the night with them, presumably getting high and having group sex. Sex and masturbation was talked about freely in our house. When I turned sixteen my mom gave me a vibrator and a pack of condoms for my birthday. She told me, "Free love is great, but diseases and unwanted pregnancies aren't free, so use these wisely." When I tell my friends this story they mostly don't believe me. They think that hippies don't care about diseases and unplanned babies. I can't speak for them all but my parents definitely cared, especially in the 90's when I was growing up and people were scared to death of AIDS. A lot of my friends think it was cool that I had hippie parents that pretty much let me do what I want. In high school I could have brought home guys all the time and smoked a ton of weed if I had wanted to, but I never did. I never took advantage. I always worried too much about what other people were thinking. In my affluent neighborhood where I was one of few kids from a middle class home, I was constantly afraid of what the kids at my school thought of me. My mom used to pick me up at school in a beat up station wagon wearing ratty bell bottom jeans, no bra, and Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix tee shirts. The preppy kids at my school would gawk at us like we were freaks. Some kids thought it was cool and didn't care, but I did. I repressed myself and made very few friends, and I rarely let anyone come over to my house. I was also very repressed sexually too, because I hardly ever got a chance to go on dates. I also wasn't sure if I was gay or straight, since my parents didn't use words like that. They said that gay and straight were just labels that people put on themselves. I was obsessed by labels though, and I was always trying to figure myself out. I felt attracted to girls and guys, and I wanted to experiment with both to find out which one I liked the best so I could pick a label for myself. There were very few times when I got the chance, so I spent most of my time very sexually frustrated. One guy I dated in school had parents who were hippies but had become yuppies somehow over the years. His name was Morrisson so I assume that they became yuppies after his birth. He was the first guy I ever slept with. We made friends because he was a social outcast just like me, he was bookish and shy... but so cute. He was actually really cool and very sweet once I got to know him, and we had a few things in common. A few weeks before he planned to take me to senior prom he came to my house to study, and one of my mom's friends had given us some weed laced with who knows what. We ended up tripping our asses off. He stayed the night with me, I have no idea what explanation he gave his parents for that, but during our come down we had sex for the first time. It was the first for us both. It was our senior year and we had both just turned 18. I can remember his skinny, pale, hairless chest and his dark nipples with just a few hairs around them. I remember he was embarrassed a little bit about his pubic hair, but I thought it was so hot. He worried that his cock wasn't large enough but it definitely was, especially to a virgin like myself. I'm not sure if I would think it was very big now, but back then I thought he was the biggest thing there was. I had only ever given a blow job before to a different guy that was very small, so I didn't have much experience. He was so excited to be allowed to touch breasts for the first time. I remember how he had grabbed them and kind of squished them, my nipples popping between his fingers. I told him to be more gentle, so he took his hands away for a moment. Then he barely touched them with a feather light touch, and kissed them so gently. He was just so glad to be with a naked girl that he took his time, touching me everywhere. He wanted to see everything before we 'went all the way'. He looked at the bottoms of my feet, the back of my neck, he stroked my scalp until I purred, he felt every crevice. I remember him kissing all down my back and licking very softly between my ass cheeks while I was bent over my bed and he kneeled on the floor. I remember how tentatively he began to part my pussy lips and begin licking nervously from that same position. I was shocked that he was doing it, especially from behind, but I was so turned on by it that I encouraged him to continue. His nervous licking became more confident and even ferocious! He devoured me from behind as I stretched out over my afghan covered bed, moaning and squealing in delight. I wanted him to be able to find my clitoris a little better, so I turned over and climbed back onto the bed and let him lay between my legs. It was amazing. I didn't have an orgasm from that though because he got so excited that he was ready to go and didn't want to wait. I didn't mind, so I grabbed the box of condoms that my mom had given me which had never been opened. We went through two or three before we finally put it on the right way, which embarrassed us but also heightened our anticipation. The bed was soaked in spots from my virgin juices and his pre come from all the excitement. Once we got the condom on properly he leaned over my prone body as we tried to figure out what to do. He used his hand to guide his cock into my ready pussy, and he almost came just from having the head of his penis barely even inside me. My pussy was clenching around him in nervousness as well as pleasure so he rocked back and forth with only his head inside me for a little while, scared to go much further. At last he began moving in and out, finding his rhythm. It hurt when he pushed himself all the way inside me and I cried out so he stopped. I told him to keep going. He did for a short while, but he was getting close to coming. His cock grew harder and I could feel his balls begin to seize up. I didn't know what that meant but I could tell from his breathing and his facial expressions that he was going to come soon. Knowing that he was going to come turned me on so much that I began to come as well. I felt his semen filling the condom inside me and his hard cock pulsing in my tight pussy which was also spasming with my own orgasm. I was thrashing like a wild animal all over the bed, unable to control myself and moaning with intense pleasure. When he pulled out we both observed the huge wad of come in the reservoir of the condom, to this day it the most semen I have ever seen from one ejaculation. We also inspected the bed, which had blood and my come all over it. There was even a print of the shape of my pussy on the bed from where I had sat up once he pulled out and it was pressed onto the sheet. Morrisson took a Polaroid of it to keep. At our five year class reunion he told me that he still had it. Sometimes during shoots I would think about my past sexual experiences to help me get into the mood and relax. I was thinking of Morrisson and his excitement when my shoot with Byron was finally drawing to a close. When Byron said I could go home all I could think about was that Polaroid and Morrisson at our school reunion. I wished I had hooked up with him there but his wife kept coming over to him every time he approached me. He had gotten even sexier with age. Maybe I'd look him up on Facebook one day, but no, that would be wrong. I tried not to think naughty thoughts about married men so I forced myself to forget about it, or maybe I'd wait until I was alone to think about it. After I'd changed into my street clothes I had to hurry because I had another shoot scheduled for that day and I only had half an hour to drive over there in Atlanta rush hour traffic. Thankfully I had GPS that helped me avoid some of the busier streets. I hated it when I needed to take two jobs in one day, but I had just bought new tires and had a new air compressor put into my car so I needed the money if I wanted to pay rent that month. It was a latex shoot where I was going to be a sexy clown or harlequin or some such thing. I knew hair and makeup would take forever, so I made sure I had my iPod so I could listen to music and get in the zone. When I was pulling into the studio parking lot I got a call from my boyfriend, Boyd. I hoped he wouldn't have much to say because I only had a couple of minutes before I was going to be late, and punctuality is important to photographers. "Hey sweetie." "Hey babe. Whatcha doin?" Boyd worked in a boring office all day doing something to do with investments, so he had all sorts of free time to call me up and chat whenever looking at numbers got old. "I'm about to walk into a shoot and I'm almost late." I said as I gathered up my purse and a folder of paperwork for the photographer to sign from my agent. I locked my car and started to head inside. "I'll make it quick then. I know you are going out with Kallie tonight but I was wondering if you'd come out with me tomorrow afternoon once you've gotten your hangover under control." We both laughed. "Sounds good to me, but I gotta hurry up or I'll be late." "Okay then." He chuckled at my rushed tone of voice. Boyd was never in a hurry for anything. "I just want to say that I missed you while you were in the islands." His voice dropped to a low sexy octave that he knew I loved. "Oh really? Well, I'll call you tonight or tomorrow and we can talk about it some more." We said goodbye and I was exactly on time when I went into the studio. Seconds later I heard the familiar beeping noise which meant I had a text. I knew it was from Boyd. Sure enough, it was a sext all about what he thought about doing to me when I was gone... the usual. "Wanna bang you so hard baby. Wanna see you take it... blah blah..." I sent him a winking smiley face back. Not meant to encourage or discourage further texts. He sent a couple more which I replied to by simply saying, "Sounds like the perfect evening. Let's talk about it together soon." The photographer had no idea what he doing and treated me like crap, and I ended up staying late there as well because he kept wanting to try out a bunch of pretzel-like poses. I was exhausted and hungry halfway through the shoot, but I got through it somehow. I wasn't sure if a single shot was going to be good enough for my portfolio. To distract myself from the fiasco, I spent most of the shoot thinking about my relationship with Boyd. I was only 23 but he was 31 and I didn't know if it was going to last. We were practically living together and most of my stuff had been at his house for the last six months, but he still hadn't asked me to move in. I spent more time at his place than at my own, and I kept waiting for him to ask me so I could stop paying rent on an apartment I never spent time in. We'd been together for two years and he was only telling me loved me when he was drunk. His whole family thought that I was the best thing that had ever happened to him and his mom had been trying to get him to marry me since we'd been dating for just a week. I really liked him and it was a stable relationship, but I just couldn't be sure. I knew I wanted more from the relationship, but I wasn't sure if he could give what I needed, or if I even wanted it from him in particular. I cared about him, and even loved him... but something was just...off. He had no idea I was feeling all this, I kept it to myself and made sure he never had anything to complain of from me. Maybe that's where I went wrong... Boyd was older than me and he knew that he didn't satisfy me sexually. When he could tell I was getting restless he would pay for me to "go on vacation" by myself a few cities over and he said I was allowed to pick up girls only, but never any guys, as long as I told him about the experience in bed later. I did go every single time, sometimes for the chance to meet a new girl but also for the day spa packages he'd throw in for me as an extra gift. It was generous for sure, and I had no room to argue with that. I often wondered why he didn't want to have a threesome with me since he was always sending me on "vacation" and he always seemed very aroused by the stories I brought home... but he never asked me. I put up with a lot of his moodiness and his non-commitment because of his no-strings attached "vacations". I didn't know if I should stay for the stability or go because we weren't compatible in the bedroom. I tried to tell myself that sex wasn't a big deal, but it was hard to make myself believe that some nights when he'd roll off me and start snoring immediately even though I was nowhere close to even one orgasm. Foreplay didn't even exist in Boyd's world, he kept telling me he was a busy man that needed to hurry up and get to sleep. Sometimes I wondered if Boyd even liked sex at all. It was a difficult situation, but I tried to make it work as best as I could. I think at some point the photographer noticed that I was thinking serious thoughts and he snapped his fingers. "Hey Miss Daydreamer! Let's get back to reality and do some work! I'm not paying you $300 an hour for you to spend time in LaLa Land!" The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 01 "What a creep." I thought, but pulled it together and tried my best to focus on my job for the rest of the shoot. Afterward I spent forever washing off my makeup enough to not scare anyone who happened to glimpse me through my car windows. The makeup artist had gotten very creative with the sexy harlequin look and I had clown white caked on my face and neck and hands, along with thick creamy makeup that defied my best makeup remover. I knew I was going to be late meeting Kallie. At around 7:00pm I drove over to Perky Brews Coffee Shop in a hurry. I needed some espresso for the night ahead, because I'd been invited over to my friend Kallie's to get ready for a big night of clubbing and I was meeting her there. I'd never been to her apartment before so I was going to meet her at Perky's and then follow her home. Unfortunately I somehow managed to hit every red light on the way and it made me even more late. By the time I made it to Perky's I had three texts and a voicemail from Kallie asking me where I was, which I didn't answer because I don't look at my phone while I'm driving. I went in the door hoping that Kallie hadn't given up on me and left, but luckily she was still there chatting with the guy behind the counter. "Omigosh I am so sorry I'm late. This jerky photographer from today kept wanting "one more shot". I got your texts but-" "You don't check your phone on the road. I know. I knew you wouldn't stand me up. Are you ready for tonight?" Kallie smiled and tossed her gorgeous blonde hair. She was so easygoing, she didn't mind that I was running behind. She was one of those rare types of people who don't sweat the small stuff. She was really refreshing to be around after having to live in my own neurotic head all day long. "I'm so ready." I said. "I really need to blow off some steam after the day I've had." "Me too. Me and Eric are taking a break. He says he needs to 'asses our situation', which pretty much means he's still not ready to move in with me. I'm starting to think I'm going to take my offer off the table if he doesn't get his act together in the next few weeks. I'm not going to renew the lease on that dump unless I've got a live in boyfriend to show for it." Kallie continued to tell me about some new apartments and condos going up just outside downtown that she was going to try to lease instead while the barista made my drink. The barista was a blonde, blue eyed male with a Bieber haircut, which I thought was lame. (And this was a few years before Justin Beiber was famous) Hopefully he only cut his hair like that to impress the girls his age. He looked like he probably worked there part time after school or something, but he was checking us out and looking us up and down with the confidence of an older guy. I tried not to enjoy the enjoy the attention from him too much, but I knew he was probably close to being in his sexual prime of life. Maybe around the same age me and Morrisson were during our first time. I felt a little bit bad about dating a guy who had been out of his prime for a while. This kid could probably go all night long, whereas my boyfriend was tired and spent after one round three times a week. I felt so bad for being bored by our sex life, especially when a lot of my friends had shared with me that they were more than satisfied with only two or three romps in the sack every week. I even had a couple of girl friends who preferred to have sex once a week, but who gave in to more than that to satisfy their boyfriends! I had started wondering if my hormones were out of balance or something. Was I the only horny girl alive or something? I tried not to think about all that while Kallie was talking, but I couldn't help watching the blonde guy behind the counter. As I sipped my drink and nodded along to Kallie's conversation I watched him carrying crates of gallons of milk from the back and loading them into the refrigerators beneath the counter space. His arm and chest muscles bulged beneath his red work polo with the weight of the crates. I wondered if he maybe played sports at school or something. I didn't think that Kallie had noticed me looking at him until we were walking outside to our cars. "Before we go, I just gotta say that you need a reality check, Harmony." "What?" "You know what! That kid in there was seriously probably in high school. You could go to jail just for thinking whatever sick thing you were thinking in there." She was grinning and shaking her finger at me so I knew she wasn't serious, but I felt like I should still pretend I wasn't being a lady lecher. "Gross! Did you see his haircut? Like I could fantasize about anything with that hot mess distracting me!" We both laughed out loud as we climbed into our cars and I knew that she had bought it. "Haha I knew you had better taste than that. See you at my place!" As we whizzed down the road (Kallie seemed to drive at least 25 miles over the speed limit) I got to thinking again about my situation with Boyd. I was so bored by him sexually. He was a nice enough guy and he took great care of me financially too, but I couldn't help myself. I knew he didn't mind about me occasionally having a girl fling, but I knew he would care if I was with another guy. I decided I would go out of town again to go toy shopping next week sometime. My collection was growing so fast I almost couldn't fit everything into my bedside table drawer. Now I'm not sure why I never took that as a sign. "I just need to focus on right now instead of my problems with Boyd." I thought. I was really looking forward to going out clubbing with Kallie. She had friends who worked in all the best clubs in town so we got in for free at most places, and sometimes we got free drinks. She loved partying and drinking so we always had a good time. Best of all was the fact that she was a very low drama type of person, she didn't get drunk and start fights or get too sloppy. It was much better than going out with some of my really rowdy friends, where every club experience ended in vomit and tears, maybe even a visit from the cops. I mean, yeah it was pretty exciting to have a night like that every once in a while, but I wasn't looking for that on a regular basis. I just wanted to hang out and have fun and not worry about getting kicked out of anywhere. Kallie was perfect to hang out with when I just needed to loosen up and relax. Ever since I first met her she was my go-to girl for times when I needed to kick back. She was a down to earth girl who didn't play games with people or lie about stupid stuff, she didn't get jealous of my other friends, and she could definitely keep a secret. We had worked together at a steakhouse years before when I wasn't making enough at modeling yet and needed a second job. On nights that were really bad she would help me keep it together by telling jokes. We went out on the town a lot after work. That's how she met Eric, he was a bartender at a hole in the wall me and Kallie and our co workers went to all the time called Henley's. Henley's stayed open late on certain nights just for us. I remember driving her back to my apartment to crash while she talked about hooking up with Eric in the nasty bathroom at that seedy bar. She had told me 'I've never been turned on by anything so gross in my life' and we had laughed so hard about that. Once she got back to my place she took a scalding hot shower (I know because there was no hot water leftover for me to use after that) to 'wash off all the gross'. I wondered if tonight would be another night like that. I knew I could go crazy and she would cover for me no matter what I did but I wanted to be able to look at myself in the morning, especially since I was meeting with Boyd the next day. I zoned out thinking about where we'd go and what we'd do that night and before I knew it I was pulling into the parking lot at Kallie's apartment complex. It was getting late. It had been dark for a while and soon people all over the city would be leaving the dinner table to put on their sexiest clothes and head back out into the world. People in search of a romance or just a good time, or maybe even a little bit of adventure. As I grabbed my overnight bag (more like large suitcase) and locked my car Kallie walked up and helped me gather up all my stuff. "I thought you were just staying the night, not moving in!" "You know me, I gotta be prepared for anything. Plus I carry most of this shit around anyway for my jobs." Okay that wasn't true, makeup and hair was provided most of the time, but I kept extras on me at all times just in case they didn't have my colors or someone didn't show up to work. "We wear almost the same size, you didn't even have to bring clothes." Kallie said as she opened the door to her apartment, which she claimed was a dump but I thought it was great compared to what I'd been used to before I became known in town. "Haha. I forgot you're nice like that." "I am pretty awesome." She set down her stuff and stood in front of me. "So this is the place." She spread her arms wide and then let them fall down again, her hands slapped loudly against her thighs. "Yep." Her apartment was spotlessly clean and smelled like a cinnamon bun candle. She had a tiny little kitchen and living room but no dining area, and a little tiny screened in patio. She had two bedrooms but one was a sewing room (Kallie made a lot of her own clothes) and two bathrooms. "I like it Kallie. You don't need more than this since its just you, and maybe Eric later. I don't think its dump." "Its not a dump until you taste the iron in the water and have to listen to pipes rattling in the walls all night long from the neighbors flushing their toilet. Or when you try to clean the grout in the bathroom and it flakes off the wall when you barely touch it with a scrub brush." Kallie wrinkled her nose and sighed deeply. She was embarrassed of the place, so I wanted to cheer her up. "It's still better than Jason and Rich's." I said with a grin. Jason and Rich were two guys who were room mates that we had worked with. They threw parties at their crappy apartment almost every night of the week. It was pretty much nothing but an empty apartment with a couple of messy bedrooms with lumpy beds, an uncomfortable futon, two disgusting bathrooms, a eensy galley style kitchen, and a wooden table with stolen folding metal chairs. I think part of the reason why we got to so drunk was to forget how ugly the apartment was. "Anything is better than Jason and Rich's!" We both laughed and Kallie said, "Okay, I know you're hungry just from looking at you and I'm starving too. There's a Chinese place that delivers like, right down the road from me. We can order extra and eat whatever's left when we come home wasted." "Sounds like a plan." She ordered the food and I passed her a twenty to cover mine plus the tip while she talked, then I started unpacking my stuff in her bedroom. I needed to choose an outfit and accessories somehow out of the mess that I'd thrown in there at random. I'd kind of just grabbed everything from the 'kinda slutty' section of my closet and tossed it in without a thought after grabbing a couple of bags and some jewelry. I had no idea what I might find in there. There were skirts, dresses, pants, shorts, tank tops, nice blouses, and way too many shoes. When Kallie got done on the phone she came in behind me and began doing the same thing in her closet. We both held things out in front of us and then held the items close to our bodies, then out in front of us again. Our noses twitched and our lips pursed as we carefully judged each item based on specific criteria. For a woman, dressing for the club is different than dressing for anywhere else. You have to wear something that will look good while dancing that shows off your body and will get a lot of attention, but you don't want something that is so uncomfortable that you are miserable the whole night. You also don't want to wear something that requires the use of Spanx or anything, in case you hook up with someone. Since you will be dancing in a stuffy room that's packed elbow to asshole with other dancing people, you should be careful not to wear anything that you will get too hot in. The last thing you want is to be too hot and sweaty. The worst thing you can wear to a club is something that you spent a lot of money on or that you love. In a club you will get your feet stepped on, drinks will be spilled on you, a friend might vomit on you, a heel could get stuck in a grate and you might fall and rip something, anything can happen. You don't want to be wearing something expensive when it does. Before going clubbing a girl might try on everything in her entire closet and still run out to the nearest store to buy something to wear. We were still looking through piles of things and trying on our clothes in different combinations before the Chinese food arrived. We ate while sitting on her bed and going through jewelry. We took our time to make sure we chose the perfect outfits. At last we both settled on our outfits and accessories when we started to get full. At one point Kallie looked at her alarm clock next to her bed and realized that it was almost 11:00pm. "But we can't get into Valhalla for free after 12:00!" Kallie reminded me. "We haven't even showered yet!" Normally this wouldn't be an issue for me, but I needed to at least wash my hair because the stylist at my shoot had put so much hairspray in it that it felt like Barbie hair that had been dipped in Elmer's Glue. Kallie still worked at the restaurant where we'd met so she smelled like fried food and beer, but not in a good way. Her hair was also pulled up in a greasy ponytail. We both definitely needed some work to look good enough to paint the town red. "It's okay. We'll just hurry up. You have two showers so if we both do it really quick there should be just enough hot water for us to wash our hair and the important bits. We were going to get a taxi anyway so we can do our makeup in the car." I had no idea where we'd put the makeup once we got to the club, but we could figure that part out later. We both started getting ready in a whirlwind of activity. We each ran to different bathrooms and rushed to get in and lather up as fast as we could. We'd already called a taxi that was on its way so we only had about twenty minutes before it arrived. Once I was in the shower I used a ton of shampoo to try to get all the hair spray out of my hair. I lathered and rinsed, and then I began to repeat by putting another big glob of shampoo in my hair. Just as it was getting nice and bubbly the shower head shot completely off of the pipe, bounced off the tile next to me and landed in the tub at my feet. A painful jet of hot water was striking me in the back. I started screaming because I didn't know what was going on. I was sure that the bathroom was possessed or something. I turned off the water, grabbed a towel and ran out of the bathroom with soap and shampoo all over me and knocked on the door to bathroom that Kallie was in. "Its unlocked" She yelled. I opened the door. I could see Kallie's shadow through her peach colored shower curtain."Your shower just tried to kill me!!" I said frantically. "What?" "The shower head came off and tried to bludgeon me and the water pressure from the pipe nearly bore a hole right through the middle of my back!" Now that I look back on it I admit I was being dramatic, but I had been caught off guard and I was stressed. "Oh my God I am so sorry. My apartment manager said that someone had fixed that last week. This is the second time this has happened. It did the same thing to Eric about a month ago. UGH! I told you this place was a dump!" "Now what do I do? I'm covered in soap and the taxi will be here in a few!" "Just climb in here with me and rinse off. We're both girls, its okay." At the time I had forgotten about my very mild crush on Kallie that had developed during a night at Jason and Rich's when we decided to play an adult version of Spin the Bottle after smoking some weed and shotgunning beers. We had kissed and it had been really sensual. Mostly I didn't think about it because I saw her as only a friend, especially because of Eric. I remembered my crush as I was stepping into the shower and seeing Kallie's naked and wet body. She was soapy too and was getting rinsed off as fast as she could, but the moment was in slow motion for me. Her blonde hair was wet and lathered with shampoo, and she stepped back into the water to let it rain onto her head, run down her face, stream onto her breasts and belly, and fall onto her toes. She turned her back to me and I watched the white suds streaming down her tanned back and across her gorgeous wide and full butt. The suds kept streaming down her round thighs and calves, and even between her pretty little feet. Her toes were painted a light pink color. Her body was so amazing. It was pear shaped, she had a big full butt and smallish, but very pretty and perky breasts. Her breasts were lovely and round and just big enough to fit a small woman's hand over, with small nipples that had very light pink areolae. Her body wasn't athletic or petite or large, it was just right. She had a nice small waist but still had lots of luscious curves. Even her arms were round and sensual. She had a light golden tan that wasn't orange or like she was one lightbulb away from melanoma. It was the type of unintentional tan you get from being an outdoorsy person. She had faint tan lines across her butt, back, breasts, and neck. Her pubic hair covered any tan lines that might be over her mound. The hair was blonde and was neatly kept but left full. I pretended not to notice any of these details and focus myself on rinsing. I tried my best not to let any part of my body touch hers, but sometimes a slippery arm or thigh would brush against a butt cheek or belly and we'd murmur 'whoopsie' or something like that to each other and giggle softly. "This reminds me of high school." Kallie suddenly said as she inspected her underarms for stubble. "Uh... In what way?" I asked. My embarrassment and mounting sexual frustration definitely reminded me of high school, but I'm pretty sure she didn't mean that. "I was on the volleyball team and we all took showers together." Kallie said simply, now checking her legs for stubble. With her leg up on the side of the tub I could barely see some of what her pubic hair was covering up. I caught the tiniest glimpse of wet, bright pink, shiny pussy. I forced myself to turn away with incredible reluctance. "What the heck kind of school did you go to, Miss?" "Haha. We took showers after games in the locker room, and even though there were separate stalls there was never enough for everybody, and there were even less stalls that had working faucets. We would end up crowding into a couple of stalls together and sharing the water." My mind suddenly filled with the mental image of about 12 clones of Kallie all standing completely naked in a circle around a single shower head. "Plus you know what high school was like. The constant chatter. We couldn't stop a conversation long enough to take a shower. We mostly stood around with each other to talk." She turned the water off and laughed. I chuckled nervously and tried to think about it anymore. We both got out of the shower and dried off as fast as possible, then blow dried our hair and brushed it out. We didn't waste time with trying to do anything fancy with it, since we new it would be a mess by the end of the night anyhow. We both had shoulder length hair and we blew it straight, and gave a light mist of hair spray to keep it looking nice until we got to the club. Kallie had decided to wear tight blue jeans that hugged her butt, a pair of stylish but comfortable black heels, and a black silky halter top. I wore black shorts with silver threads running through the weave, a pair of very high black heels, and a bright green tank top with green fringe that moved when I moved. We managed to get our makeup done just in time for the taxi driver to honk his horn at us, so we didn't have to figure out where to stash my makeup trunk after all. We grabbed our cash and our IDs and headed for the door. We rushed down the steps, our heels clacking on the concete, and into the cab. Off we went to downtown to dance the night away. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 01 In the cab I tried to think of anything but seeing Kallie naked, but my mind kept flashing back to the image of the soap running down her back and how much I wanted to reach out and stroke her soft skin. I kept seeing her light pink nipples and her blonde curly public hair. I could smell her clean hair and her perfume. The pit of my stomach was cold and my chest ached to think about how her wet arm had accidently slid against my stomach. I barely said anything during the ride there, I just listened to her talk. I kept telling myself that she was off limits because she was a friend, and also because of Eric. She said they were on a break and I knew that to her breaks meant genital freedom, but she always got back together with Eric. This was something like their third break in a year and a half. They always got back together. Always. But then she touched my face and at first I thought she was looking into my eyes, but she was just rubbing a bit of lipgloss off my chin. "Just helping you out." She said and smiled. Oh, I loved her smile. "That's what friends are for." I replied. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 02 Thanks everyone who read my last chapter. Sorry it has taken me so long to submit the second chapter. I know it starts slow but trust me it gets so much better. Harmony and Kallie go to Valhalla, meet up with some fun people, and visit a strip club. Chapter 3 is going to be really hot so keep reading to find out what happens next! Please comment what you think should happen next or what you'd like to see, and rate my story! ------------- As soon as we got to the club I rushed to get to the bar as soon as I could. Usually Kallie and I would walk around and work the room a bit, saying hello to the people she knew and everything, but I left her to do that so that I could get a drink. I was desperate for anything to make me stop thinking about Kallie naked. I passed through Valhalla easily, I knew it like I knew my grandmother's house. Valhalla was a three level bar and club. The bottom level was for Top 40 music and dancing, it was underground. There were no windows, the restrooms were disgusting, but most of the people were down there dancing their asses off and getting as drunk as they could on the cheapest alcohol money can buy. There were a couple of bars and almost no seating down there, with one pool table in the back that was usually monopolized by the same guys every single night. The room wasn't decorated at all. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all black and there were steel poles for girls to dance on and cages to dance in and climb about on. Usually two or three guys were paid to walk around with leaf blowers to lift dresses and skirts. Some nights they had foam or balloon parties that were pretty fun. A few times a year they held jello wrestling nights. It wasn't my scene but when I was slumming it I would head down there to find a quick and dirty one night stand. The middle level where people entered was more upscale. It was more like a lounge with lots of seating and tables, with two bars on the left and right walls. There was a decent sized dance floor that was almost as packed as the one downstairs. They mostly played ambient techno and electronica. There were two small stages on either side of the dance floor where four paid dancers gyrated up and down and did tricks. Sometimes they had hula hoops or spinning glowsticks or glow in the dark ribbons. They were pretty good looking and attracted a lot of on lookers, and were fun to watch when you were tired from dancing. The restrooms were a lot better but they got pretty gross toward the end of the night. On special themed nights you could get free watered down champagne, jello shots, or shooters depending on how fast you could track them down before they ran out of supplies. The walls were royal purple and the ceiling was bright blue. The bartops were lit neon purple from underneath. The floor was black and shiny. Everything metal was shiny chrome. I was on the middle level so I made my way over to the first bar in my path. It was very crowded. People were standing elbow to elbow with cards and cash in their hands. I got fast service because the bartender knew I was Kallie's friend and that I'm a big tipper for drinks made without watered down liquor, so I put my tip right in her hand instead of in the jar. I asked for two Midori Sours and one shot of Grey Goose. I drank the shot and chased it with the Midori Sour. When I found Kallie again she was talking to the club manager and his wife, Aaron and Pamela. I gave her the other drink and pretty much hung onto mine for dear life. I'd met the club manager a couple of times but we never had much to say to each other since we only knew each other through Kallie, but I'd never met his wife. She was blonde, too tan, and had obviously fake tits. She was wearing a tiny white dress that was meant for someone half her age. I couldn't hear what they were talking about over the loud music, so I just sipped my drink and watched the people on the dance floor. Eventually Kallie grabbed my hand and gave me a VIP bracelet to wear. This was rare, usually we got in free but we only got VIP for free when there were more guys than girls upstairs. Kallie and I went up to a set of stairs that was roped off and guarded by a bouncer named Hal. He smiled at us and we both pecked him on the cheek as he lifted the rope. We didn't go around kissing bouncers on a regular basis. Hal was special because he'd saved Kallie and me from getting roofied by this guy and his friend one time. We climbed up the metal and concrete stairs to the VIP room and came to a roped off door and another bouncer who let us through without a kiss. Kallie and I stood barely in the threshold of the VIP room and allowed ourselves to be seen. Most of the guys turned toward us as they noticed our presence and a lot of the girls turned to look at us too. We knew we were being watched and we just sort of stood there for a moment pretending to be absorbed in our own private worlds until they all looked away again. This was how we usually made an entrance. It only took a couple of seconds, but it was enough to place ourselves in the consciousness of those who were looking for a hookup. They immediately marked us as we walked in. In the VIP room the music varied based on the tastes of the patron who had paid the most for his party. That night it was a mix of Top 40, 80's music, and Classic Rock. Depending on who was having parties up there you could get some drinks for free, but usually they were really watered down. It was a square room with two black walls, two white walls, and a red floor. The ceiling was also red. Black sofas were pushed against the walls. Red and black barstools and black iron tables with glass tops were scattered around. There was a small dance floor in one corner with huge mirrors surrounding it on both sides. In another corner was the only bar. The other two corners had huge round black ottomans placed on the floor that were obscured by sheer white curtains all around. With the creative lighting everyone outside the curtained area could only see black shadows moving in the dark. Lucky couples (and sometimes groups) who managed to gain territory of these curtained areas made as much use of them as possible. People VERY rarely had sex in there, because few people were brave enough, but many people did do a lot heavy petting and making out. There was a rumor that if you paid the bartender enough you could buy a condom and his silence, but I wasn't sure if it was true or not. I wouldn't have put anything past Billy though. A lot of times people would just sit on the sofas and watch the shadows. It was sometimes fun to do if a couple was good looking and you'd danced until your feet were sore. I knew for a fact that there had been exactly two orgies at Valhalla, but I hadn't been to either one. You had to pay a very, very large amount of money for that and very few people in town had that kind of money, even fewer people had the desire to throw orgies, and only one person had the connection with Aaron. That person was Boyd's boss. I was pretty sure Boyd didn't know about the orgies and I never bothered to bring them up because I didn't think he'd ever want to go. I'd also met Boyd's boss and didn't want to ever see him naked. I was just thinking about how out of place Boyd would look at an orgy when Kallie reached for my arm again to let me to know to follow her to the ladies room. The ladies room was immaculate. All the levels had bathroom attendants, but the VIP room's bathroom attendant really paid close attention to her job. The place was cleaner than my own bathroom. I knew that we weren't there to shit though, Kallie had something to tell me. "So I'm sure you figured out why we got VIP tonight." The loud music outside the bathroom pounded so Kallie had to speak up, but she didn't have to yell anymore. Unfortunately we couldn't whisper either though, so we often left big tips for the restroom attendant in the hopes that she was good at keeping secrets. We weren't sure if she knew any of the people we ever spoke about, so we decided to play it safe. "Yeah. It's a sausage party out there. There are like ten girls and thirty guys and the girls aren't even that great looking." We didn't look at each other as we spoke, we watched our reflections as we fluffed our hair and examined our hasty makeup jobs. "I know. We are definitely the hottest pieces of ass out there. But Aaron and Pam are calling in reinforcements so we will have competition in probably a half hour or so. I say we find the guy with the best watch and shoes now and never look back." "Reinforcements?" It sounded like Aaron and Pam were planning to storm the beach at Normandy. "Yeah. Aaron and Pam make nice with the hottest and most fun girls they can find and get their numbers. Then on nights like this they call them up and say they can have free VIP and free drinks if they party here and not some other club. They go to Hooters, model shows, they find girls here, sometimes Pam goes to other clubs and brings chicks in." "You are kidding." "No. She has to wear a wig though because the owners of the other clubs know who she is. They are trying to gain a reputation for having the hottest girls in town party here." "That is fucking hilarious. I always wondered why Valhalla had less beasts than some of the other places around here!" "I know, right? Now let's go have a good time." We dropped $5 each into the restroom attendant's tip jar, and neither of us had even peed. We left the ladies room and went to the bar to order again. This time we asked for Grey Goose and Sprite. We picked out our guy as we waited for our drinks and started giving him The Look. Our guy walked over and we flirted with him and made him feel as if he was the only man in the world. He paid for our drinks when we agreed to join his friend's party. The rest of night the drinks were on him. His name was Chad and he was at Valhalla with his friends for his best bud's birthday party. The birthday boy was Derrick who was turning 29. The party was his 'last hurrah' before turning 30. His girlfriend, Mona was paying for the party, and she looked like she was trying to get an engagement ring out of it. Derrick looked like a player to me, so I wasn't sure how successful she was going to be. He was definitely not ready to settle down. He was eyeballing everything with a cunt that could walk and breathe at the same time. Mona looked pretty uptight, who knows how the two of them had gotten together. He looked like he'd just left his fraternity at Georgia State, and she looked like she'd walked out of a Banana Republic ad. He was scruffy in the beard area, his hair looked like he'd never met a comb he could get along with, and he was wearing an American Eagle hoodie and jeans. She was wearing a small red dress, her hair was definitely professionally colored, highlighted, and cut recently into a chic bob. Her heels were right out of last month's Bazaar. She was actually wearing pearls for goodness sake. In a club she was wearing pearls. Nobody does that. She looked like she'd be better off with Chad, who looked like an Armani model. He was gorgeous in a dark European kind of way. I don't know where his parents came up with Chad, he could have easily been a Fernando or a Cesare. Unfortunately he was a little bit stupid, but Kallie and I didn't care. Chad and Derrick and their friends were all pretty fun, aside from Mona who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else. We all danced and told jokes and swapped crazy stories. It was turning out to be a perfect night so far, but it turned out that Mona had a lot more planned for Derrick than just hanging out for his birthday. At one point Mona and Chad and two other guys went off to talk in a corner while Derrick was in the bathroom. Me and Kallie chatted with some of the other girls and guys that were with them and barely noticed that they were gone. I was on my 5th Grey Goose and Sprite and I have no clue as to how many Kallie had by that time, but we both decided to switch to water when I nearly fell off one of the sofas during a laughing spell. When Derrick came back so did Mona and Chad and whoever those other guys were. Then Mona suggested that they take the party to Rendezvous, a skeezy strip club about a block from Valhalla. Derrick looked like he could hardly believe what Mona had said. She seemed like the type of person who tried to ignore the existence of strip clubs, so I was kind of surprised myself. He looked like he wanted to say yes, but I think he must have thought that Mona was trying to set him up for a trap or something. He said he'd rather stay at Valhalla and chill. Mona could see right through him. She sat in his lap and put her rail thin arms around his neck, her tiny red dress creeping up her thigh. She draped her long, stick thin legs over one side of his lap as if she was going to ride him side saddle. "I really want to go. I think it will be a nice birthday treat for you. I want to start doing new things like this." She noticed his disbelieving facial expression, and before he could open his mouth to deny her again she said, "I'll even pay for a lapdance if you'll say yes." Derrick's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his skull. Apparently some unrealized dream of his was about to be fulfilled. "You're paying?" He asked, hardly believing. Mona scowled and then covered it up with a grin. "Of course baby. It's your birthday." Chad invited us to come along, presumably to help even out the boy to girl ratio. Yeah right. We said we would go, even though we knew that Rendezvous was famous for being a shit hole. Some of the other folks at Derrick's party weren't game and they decided not to come. We walked down the block to Rendezvous, laughing and stumbling the whole time. When we got there only the guys had to pay a cover charge. The place was pretty gross and the bathrooms were enough to make you gag. The strippers weren't much to look at either. There were a couple of decent looking girls but most of them looked too old to give a blind man a hard on or like scary meth addicts. I could see one girl's track marks from where she was on the stage about ten feet away. After we'd been there about half an hour, Mona chose a girl to give Derrick the lap dance she'd promised. I had thought that Mona was skinny but this girl was emaciated. Mona had done her best to choose a girl that looked as close to herself as possible. They both had razor straight, bobbed, dark hair and were very thin. The stripper's boobs were obviously fake because they stuck out like two lumps from her ribcage, like someone had glued two grapefruit halves to a wooden board. Mona's breasts were very small, but I imagined that they were probably perky, not to mention real. The stripper took Derrick to a booth and started grinding on him while Mona passed him ones to feed into her bra and thong. Mona tried to keep a complacent smile on her face, but she mostly looked bored and somewhat constipated. The stripper bent over in front of Derrick to shake her ass in his face so close and so many times that he could probably smell the sweat that was soaking her thong. It was probably her signature move. She pushed her boobs together and jiggled them up and down while he watched with wide eyes. She gyrated all around as she took off her bra and shook her tits in his face. I couldn't see what all the fuss was about, her eyes couldn't have been more dead if she'd been six feet in the ground. I guess Derrick was still turned on though because he started getting a chub. Derrick's friends whooped and hollared as we all noticed his erection grow in his pants. Mona smirked bitterly and kept handing him ones and staring blankly ahead at a fixed point on the wall. When it was over we watched a couple of acts with Derrick and Chad's friends while Derrick spent some time in the bathroom alone. Everyone was getting more and more drunk, Chad's dark features were even beginning to turn a bit red from the flush that the alcohol was giving him. Mona was keeping up with the guys' pace and she still seemed okay. She probably drank a good bit on a regular basis to have that kind of tolerance. She ordered a few rounds of shots for all of us, and even though me and Kallie had switched to water we took the shots. I think Mona was trying to get us drunk. Then she invited Me, Kallie, and Chad over to the hotel that she had booked for Derrick and herself. It was one of the nicest hotels in that part of the city and she'd booked a large suite. She said that we'd have a night cap and some food to sober us up and then we'd go our separate ways. I think somewhere in our minds me and Kallie knew that Mona was lying, but we went anyway. It would be an adventure and we were in the mood for a little excitement. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 03 Thanks everyone who has made it this far! This is definitely the hottest chapter I've written so far. I hope you like it! Please rate and comment what you liked or didn't like about this chapter. Also let me know what you'd like to see in later chapters! Harmony and Kallie have left the strip club and are on their way to the hotel with Mona, Derrick, and Chad. What will happen? ---------------- The hotel was a few more blocks away, so we decided to walk again instead of getting a cab for such a short distance. By the time we were halfway there I was ready to call a taxi anyway, because my feet were killing me. I was regretting my footwear of choice before, but now I was ready to pitch them in the gutter. When we finally got to the hotel I thought that when I took my shoes off they would be filled with blood and my feet would be one giant blister. I had been complaining about them for the last block or so. I knew it wasn't sexy to be a complaining drama queen but the alcohol had taken away what little self control I normally had. In the end it did me no harm, since when we were in the elevator Chad offered to give me a foot massage so I was looking forward to that. Kallie looked a little bit jealous that he was paying attention to me and not her, but she was trying to hide it. We made it upstairs to Derrick and Mona's room and decided to check things out. The suite was really nice. The decor was modern and very clean. There was a large king size bed with tons of pillows, a sofa across the bed, an armoire for the television and electronics, a dresser for clothing, and a closet. Behind a sliding transparent glass screen there was a desk area with a tall floor lamp and some chairs, and a small patio with a chaise lounge. The bathroom was also quite large. It seemed that Mona had already moved in since there were shampoo bottles and things in the bathroom and a jewelry box on the dresser. I guess this was part of Derrick's surprise since he acted shocked to find some of his clothes already in the dresser. We were drunk and tired and got a little silly so all three of us girls bounced on the super soft bed while Derrick and Chad watched from the sofa. They were elbowing each other in the ribs and whispering to each other while watching us. I held on to Kallie's hands as we bounced and I watched her breasts moving up and down beneath her shirt, her hair flying all over. The moment was almost in slow motion for me, especially thinking about now. I never wanted to stop. Even Mona seemed to get into the girlieness of it and was beginning to have a good time. When we collapsed on the bed Mona decided to see if we could still get room service so late at night, while Chad led me into the bathroom. I looked at Kallie for approval and she smiled and shooed me away with her hand, mouthing 'have fun' and smiling. I felt bad to leave her with only Derrick and Mona for company, but I wasn't going to say no to a foot massage either. Chad made me sit on the toilet and he filled up the bathtub with hot water. He wanted me to soak my feet first. While he was running the water I looked around the room. I don't remember which hotel it was because I was so drunk that night, but the room was pretty nice and very clean. The bathroom had a large sink and vanity with big mirrors. The shower and tub had a sliding glass door instead of a curtain. It was a garden tub with a section of tile that was big enough for two people to sit on. I sat there when I put my feet in the water to soak them. Chad left the bathroom for a minute and came back with a tiny bottle of vodka from the mini bar and poured it in the water. The alcohol made my blisters sting a little bit but Chad said that it would make them heal better. He laughed a bit and said that 'ladies are just as beautiful without complicated footwear' and that he didn't know why we tortured ourselves so much. I just shrugged my shoulders and told him that it was a mystery of our sex that wasn't meant to be understood. He smiled and seemed to accept that as a decent answer. He sat down next to me on the side of tub and put one hand on my leg. It was the first time he'd touched me all night except when we were dancing. It felt different, more personal, private. After a couple of minutes of talking and flirting he started to kiss me a little bit nervously. His lips were full and soft and delicious to bite. He ran his hands over my hips and breasts very lightly, I suppose in case I stopped him. I didn't stop him though, the thought of Boyd's bored face, the pent up frustration, the desire for a passionate night of mutual pleasure... I didn't want to resist. I decided to forget about Boyd for one night, to do what I wanted without regrets for a change. Chad put one hand in the middle of my back and as he pulled me closer he put his other hand on the back of my head. I thought he was going to run his hands through my hair (which always sends me over the edge) but then he cleared his throat softly and stopped kissing me. He said, "Sorry. Let's slow down. Can I give you that foot massage now?" I could only nod. I was a little surprised. Maybe I had bad breath from all the alcohol? He sat me back down on the toilet and he kneeled in front of me on the floor. He lifted my feet one by one from the tub and dried them off with a soft white towel. Then he grabbed a small bottle of complimentary hotel hand lotion. He put both of my feet in his lap and one after the other he rubbed lotion all over them, massaging it into my heels and the balls of my feet. He paid attention to each toe as if it were precious and vital to his existence. I watched his face as he worked and he seemed to be really enjoying it. Every time Boyd rubbed my feet he did so as if I were asking him to go wash the car. It was wonderful to have someone do something nice for me and actually like it. Sometimes when he rubbed the balls of my feet just right I got a sexy little tingle. I didn't think a foot massage could make somebody so wet but I felt my panties begin to get soaked. I hoped that he wouldn't notice how much I was blushing. He didn't stop with my feet, he also went up my calves a little bit like the lady that did my pedicures. I was glad I had decided to shave my legs that night instead of skipping it to save time. He made his way back down to my feet and wiped away the excess lotion with the towel, then gave each toe a light little kiss. He put the towel in the floor and separated my feet, spreading my legs a little. He sat up on his knees until his head was about level with my breasts. He reached up and caressed them very gently while looking into my eyes. He pulled up my shirt a little bit and touched my belly. "You have such a beautiful body." He said. Then he took off my top. "Has anyone ever told you what beautiful feet you have?" I gasped as I felt him kissing and nipping my neck and moving downward toward my right breast. "I might have heard that a time or two." I gasped again as he bit down on the flesh of my right breast, just above the cup of my bra. I felt him fiddling with my bra clasp in the back. "But the massage you just gave me was the best I've ever had." He chuckled softly to himself and pulled me down to the floor with him into his lap. He started trying to get my bra undone again. Just as he got it unclasped and was about to pull it away to free my breasts, the door to the bathroom opened. Mona was standing there! I covered my chest, embarrassed. Chad's mouth was an O of shock, I saw a blush begin to creep up his neck. But instead of freaking out, Mona leaned her figure leisurely up against the door frame, stretching out like a thin cat. "Oh, so the fun has already started I see. Why don't you two come in here with the rest of us and continue?" I could see Derrick and Kallie peeking around Mona to get a look at us inside. I looked at Chad. Chad looked at me. I shrugged my shoulders and he said, "You don't have to if you don't want." I looked at Kallie who was rapidly shaking her head up and down in a 'yes'. Clearly she was in the mood for some excitement. Derrick was giving Chad the thumbs up sign. I could also see the tray that room service had bought up. Two bottles of champagne, two bowls of strawberries, a carafe of coffee, and five mugs. "You only live once." I said. I hooked my bra back on and pulled myself to my feet. Chad got up off the floor as well and grabbed my hand. As we passed Mona in the doorway I felt her grab my butt, hard. I turned to her and Chad stopped to watch us. She stroked my arm softly and we looked into each other's eyes. I tried to read her, I could see that she had some kind of plan, and this was part of it. Before I could discern more from her expression, she grabbed my face and lunged at me for a kiss. I was still holding Chad's hand. She kissed me very deeply and passionately, holding on my butt with one hand and my face with the other. I held Chad's hand and was also running my other hand through Mona's hair. With one eye open I could see Kallie's surprised face and Derrick absentmindedly rubbing his boner. When Mona pulled away she roughly pushed me and Chad toward the bed. Was she crazy or something? The contrast of softly sensual and brutally melancholy in her personality was sort of bothering me. I was kind of getting ticked off by being ordered around and pushed. I wanted to teach this bitch a lesson. Kallie moved off the bed and stood next to it as I lay down. Mona grabbed her arm and Kallie turned to face her. I watched as Mona kissed Kallie the same way that she had kissed me. Chad was bending over on top of me and kissing down the middle of my chest, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Mona and Kallie. I couldn't believe that Kallie was kissing another woman! I was so jealous I wanted to scream. I pushed Chad off of me, I wasn't thinking, all I wanted to do was throw Kallie down on the bed and tear off all her clothes. I grabbed Kallie away from Mona and dipped her back like Clark Gable did to Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind. I was going to kiss my Southern Belle if it was the last thing I did and Mona wasn't going to stop me. I felt like a fire was going to burn through my chest, the kiss was so amazing. I had never been a very dominant type, but seeing Kallie kiss Mona really angered me. I wanted to take over. It felt awesome and so powerful to be the one to take control. The way Kallie sucked my tongue and bit my lips was the hottest thing I had experienced in a long time. I had never known she could kiss like that. She seemed so innocent, and she always blushed when she talked about sex. Again, Mona butted in. She separated us and said, "Girls, there will be plenty of time for that. Save up your energy." I had no idea what she'd meant until she pulled Derrick up from his chair where he was still rubbing his boner and watching us. Derrick stood still as he let Mona undress him with a shocked look on his face. He was too surprised and drunk to stop her. Chad came and stood behind me and Kallie and rubbed our shoulders as all three of us stared at them. She took off every single stitch of clothing. When he was completely naked she yanked the cover off the bed and pushed him down on it with so much force that be bounced a bit. He was turning red with embarrassment at his nakedness in front of his best friend and two strange girls he didn't even know. He tried to cover up his erection but then Mona said, "Well, what are you waiting for?" She clapped her hands and brought us back to reality. "It's not fair if he's the only one naked is it?" Mona was turning out to be a pretty dominating person, she obviously was used to getting her way. Chad took his time getting undressed but me and Kallie were very quick. Mona kept her clothes on, which I thought was unfair. I looked at Kallie and we giggled nervously, wondering what she had planned for us next. Mona guided Kallie over to the bed and to Derrick's prone body, and as she walked toward him I could see a stream of glistening wetness making its way down Kallie's thigh. She was turned on by this! She wanted this! I was so excited to know that maybe I might get my chance with Kallie if I played my cards right. Kallie got up on the bed and knelt in front of Derrick between his legs. I couldn't take my eyes off her as Mona instructed her to suck Derrick's cock. "But aren't you his girlfriend?" Kallie asked, confused. "Yes, I am. And I want to see you suck my boyfriend's cock." Mona sounded more angry than turned on, Kallie just looked at her, then back at me. "I bet your friend will be more than happy to do it if you don't want to." Kallie looked at Mona with a bit of a sneer, I'd never seen Kallie make a face like that before. "Oh, I never said I didn't want to." She replied, then lowered her face toward Derrick's penis, while looking Mona in the eye. She looked Mona in the face as she swallowed Derrick's head, which was glistening with pre come already. My chest burned with longing as I watched her bending over to take him all the way in her mouth. I could see how wet her pussy was from my angle, I couldn't help but stare as her ass went higher in the air as she bobbed up and down over Derrick's cock. Kallie didn't look away from Mona for a long, excruciating moment. Mona tried to match her gaze, but everyone but Derrick (who was too drunk) could see that the last thing Mona wanted was to watch someone else gobbling her boyfriend's cock. To be honest, I don't think Kallie was as turned on by giving Derrick head as she was by getting some revenge on Mona. This new side of Kallie was making me hotter than ever. When Mona couldn't take anymore and looked away she came toward me and Chad and said, "Well, you didn't seem to be having such a hard time in the bathroom. Are you just going to stand there now?" Chad looked her and said, "I've never seen this side of you Mona, and to be honest I don't like being ordered to fuck. I prefer things to be a little more romantic, at least for the lady." I hid a grin behind my hand. Finally, someone was standing up to Mona. Mona looked taken aback and I didn't want a fight to ruin the night. I was having too much fun watching Kallie and I was afraid that if Chad and Mona started arguing then I would never get my turn with her. I decided to intervene. "No, its okay, really." I said and led Chad over to the other side of the room. "She obviously has an idea in mind of what she wants to see tonight..." I said softly, looking back at Mona. She just stood there in the middle of the room with her arms crossed. There was a desk with a chair in front of it. I moved the chair and then sat on the desk, then pulled Chad toward me. I opened my legs so he could stand between them. I could feel his penis beginning to get hard against my thigh. I whispered, "Just kiss me and pretend she isn't there." Mona seemed to take the hint, and she sat in the chair that I had moved to watch Derrick and Kallie. Chad began kissing my neck and shoulders and was feeling my breasts again. He had such amazing hands. I wondered if he could do to other parts of my body what he had done to my feet. Everything about Chad was so sexy. His dark hair was mussed and falling in his eyes, his chest hair was soft against my skin, his butt was tight in my palms, his arms and back were muscular and almost as hard as his cock was getting. I didn't look down but I could tell from the way it felt against my thigh that he was very large. I began to feel my juices making a small puddle on the desk's wooden surface as Chad bit my hard nipples. Then all of the sudden he surprised me by lifting me up and laying me back down on the desk very gently. He was kissing down my belly and caressing my legs, then he was kissing my thighs, then my legs, then my feet again. He sucked each and every one of my toes, breathing hard with pleasure. He licked the bottom of my foot from the heel to my big toe in one long, slow stroke. Then he kissed back up my legs again. He paused to look at me for a moment, writhing beneath his gorgeous caramel colored body. I couldn't wait to find out what he would do next. He looked down between my legs and seemingly for the first time he noticed my bare pussy. Most of the time I kept a small bit of hair, usually a landing strip, but my projects in the Virgin Islands had required a Brazillian wax. It was still stubble-free and so soft. He stared for a long time at my pussy, just looking and not touching. No one had ever really done that, not since Morrisson, and it turned me on to know that he was seeing how wet he was making me. As his eyes lingered over my engorging lips, my clit that was bulging out from beyond its hood, my narrow slit that was leaking pungent fluid, I could have almost had an orgasm right there. Just his eyes caressing me was nearly enough. When he finally did touch me, I nearly felt as if I would explode. My chest tightened and I gasped for air. He used just one finger to slide carefully from my clit to my tiny opening. I had gone nearly a month without any penetration during my work trip (I was too busy and tired even to masturbate), and it felt as if it had been forever. I almost came when he put just the tip of his finger inside me. He was teasing me mercilessly as he moved just the tip of his finger in and out of me. I whimpered in frustration and he smiled, watching my agonized face. He stopped, which was horrible torture for me, and kissed down my belly again. He kissed and licked and bit his way down to my thighs, then licked everything between both thighs except my pussy. At that point I was crying out for him to stop torturing me. He was licking my mound, all around my labia, my perineum, everything but my pussy. Then I screamed very loudy and literally began to sob, and he finally rewarded me by burying his face in my crotch. He started eating my pussy like someone who had been starved for months. He licked so quickly and hard, I had never seen a man do that. I was used to men who were more scared of eating pussy than anything else, scared to do it wrong, scared it wouldn't taste good, scared it would be 'dirty'. He had no anxiety about his abilities whatsoever. He clearly was loving it. He sucked my clit and my lips and fucked me with his tongue. He licked up all the come that was pouring out of me when I had my two orgasms. I still wasn't nearly satisfied when he stopped though. I needed more. When he stood up I wrapped my shaking legs around him, his cock rested on my belly. I could see the pre come as a shining bead on the head of his penis. I hadn't seen it yet, so I was pleasantly surprised that it was one of the best looking penises I had ever seen. The head was rounded and perfectly proportioned to the shaft, which was long and thick with bulging veins that throbbed on either side. I couldn't wait to have it inside me. I grabbed it and stroked it for a moment, feeling how hard he was. His smooth skin felt so amazing in my hands. I touched the head of his cock to my dripping pussy and circled it around, getting it lubricated. Chad breathed hard and gasped with the sensation. I let go as he pushed himself inside me saying, "Ahhh" as if he was in pain, but his face said otherwise. He found his rythm quickly and I lay back and massaged my breasts. He held on to my hips and moved inside me at a very slow pace. Then he took himself all the way out and then thust back in quickly, then pulled out slowly and thrust back in again. More pussy torture for me. When he pulled out my pussy felt so empty, I was desperate to have him back in again. I was crying out again in agony to have him fulfill me. He wasn't done teasing me, so he did the opposite. He pulled out of me quickly and thrust back in very slowly, so slowly I wanted to cry. I stopped massaging my breasts and beat my fists on the desk. I thrashed around like I was going mad and my hair was all over the place. I couldn't take it anymore. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 03 "FUCK ME! FUCK ME! FUCK ME!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, never giving any thought to what the inhabitants of the rooms next door might think. I'd forgotten about Kallie and Derrick. About Mona. The only things that existed, that had ever existed, were my pussy and Chad's cock. Chad did not reply with words. Instead, he yanked me off the desk and pushed me back down, but this time with my face in the puddle of my own fluids and my ass in the air, my feet on the ground. He proceeded to fuck me from behind with as much speed and force as he could. He held on to my hips so hard that I had bruises the next day. I had never been pounded with a dick so hard in my life. He roared with pleasure as I screamed loudly. I came so hard that the juices were flowing down my legs. Suddenly he pulled out of me and began jerking himself off, coming all over my feet and the backs of my legs. I stood there as he growled into my back, still coming on my feet and legs. I reached between my legs and fondled his balls as he finished, milking the last of the semen from his cock. I turned around and we embraced and panted against each other for a moment before realizing what we had done. We came back to reality when Mona threw two towels at us. We saw that Kallie and Derrick had been watching and had two towels of their own. I guessed that Kallie had finished sucking off Derrick. Mona was still fully dressed. Chad cleaned himself up with the towel and then delicately wiped every trace of semen from my feet and legs. His breathing relaxing and smiling contentedly. I was still shaken up by it all but still aroused. I still wanted my chance with Kallie. I was thinking about my kiss with Kallie when Mona pulled Derrick off the bed and made he and Chad both sit on opposite sides of the sofa. She took my hand and led me to the bed with Kallie. She climbed in bed with us as well. Mona was on her knees between me and Kallie, and she began stroking both our arms. "I want you two to undress me." She said, but this time in a sexy and soft voice. Not the shrill commanding tone from before. She was not my type because her personality turned me off, but I hadn't been this close to Kallie since our shower earlier in the night. I was more than willing to do whatever it would take to get even closer. I crawled behind Mona and undid the zipper on her red strapless dress (which was from Express, not Banana Republic after all), kissing her back all the way down. Kallie reached for the hem of her dress and pulled it up over Mona's head. Mona was wearing a flesh colored strapless bra and a flesh colored thong. I gently pushed her forward on the bed and she lay down on her stomach, and Kallie moved over to sit next to me. I looked behind me and saw that Chad and Derrick were watching silently with their towels covering their laps. I could tell that they were wondering what we would do to Mona next. I unclasped Mona's bra and slipped out from beneath her, then me and Kallie both took off her panties. "Let's give her a massage to release some of that pent up tension she obviously has." I said to Kallie. She grinned at me. Chad jumped up and ran to the bathroom and grabbed the bottle of lotion he had used on my feet. He passed it to me with raised eyebrows. I knew he couldn't wait to see what I was going to do. Mona was starting to breathe quickly and heavily, she was getting nervous. I wondered if she would stop me. "It's okay." I breathed in her ear. "Just relax." Kallie started with her shoulders and neck and I worked on her lower back. We massaged and massaged until Mona was groaning and finally starting to relax. I rubbed her legs and thighs and calves, then I moved up to her butt. I could feel Kallie's burning gaze as I massaged Mona's pale ass. At first I was not very turned on by Mona (I could not get past her cruel mannerisms), but the way Kallie was watching me was very arousing. I wanted Kallie to see for herself what I was capable of. I started adding kisses to my massage and Kallie did the same. She kissed all up and down Mona's spine and neck as I kissed down Mona's tailbone, working my way to her asshole. I wasn't really the type to give out rimjobs like candy, but I was so turned on and still pretty drunk and I was in the mood for anything. Kallie watched me even closer as I licked the crease of Mona's ass hungrily. Mona was squealing into the sheets, she'd probably never had anyone do that to her before. I stopped when I felt Mona getting really wet and Kallie and I flipped her over. Kallie immediately began devouring Mona's breasts with a fervour I didn't know she was had in her. Maybe skinny girls were her type. Mona had milky white skin but her nipples were dark, almost brown. Her pussy was the same color. She had a landing strip much like mine before my Brazillian wax. I slipped two fingers inside her pussy and watched Mona's face as I fucked her with my hand. Kallie was rubbing and sucking her breasts while Mona clutched the pillows on the bed. With my free hand I took the pillows away and grabbed one of her arms. "Rub Kallie's clit." I said. I was shocked with myself for saying it but once I had started I couldn't stop. I took her other arm. "Massage her breasts." Mona complied. I watched Kallie's back arch with pleasure, she moaned softly and I felt my own pussy getting wet again. Watching Kallie was one of the most amazing things I'd ever seen. I wondered what she would do if she saw me eating pussy, if maybe she would get just as turned on by me as I was by her. I began licking Mona's clit and sucking her lips the same way that Chad had done to me. Mona's sounds of pleasure got louder and louder. I looked up at Kallie to see if she was watching me. She was. Her eyes burned right through me, somehow I felt as if she could hear my thoughts. Hear how much I was dying to have her. "Can I try?" Kallie murmured to me between her groans. "Mmm?" "I want to eat her pussy too. I've never done it before." Kallie's back was still arching, her head was tilting back. I wanted her to get to come first. I could tell that she was close. I stopped eating Mona and fingered her instead with one hand. With the other hand I put two fingers inside Kallie's dripping pussy while Mona rubbed her clit. I am not ashamed to say that I gave Kallie more of my attention than Mona. I fucked her with two, then three fingers and bit my lips as I watched her juices flowing out of her pussy and coating my hand. Both she and Mona were screaming. "I'm going to come, Harmony!" Kallie yelled out I took my fingers away from Mona for a moment and pushed Kallie's thighs open wide. I batted Mona's hand away from Kallie's clit and started licking it and sucking it. Kallie's pussy was so delicous. It smelled as delightful as it tasted. My own pussy was very wet now. I felt Kallie's pussy clenching around my fingers as I continued to fuck her and flick my tongue over her clit. Kallie's back was arching so much that it was hard to keep my rythm, her hips were bucking wildly. She stopped moving just as suddenly as she had begun and was breathing hard and fast. She was finished. I stopped fucking her with three fingers and I slowed down to only two, then one, as her breathing regulated. I licked every last bit of come from her pussy and swirled my tongue around her clit in a circle a couple of times, which made her giggle and twitch from the hyper sensitive nerve endings. When I stopped she shivered with pleasure and then sat up. I watched as Kallie climbed on top of Mona and kissed her way down Mona's chest to her pussy. While Kallie ate Mona's pussy I looked over at Chad and Derrick. I could see that they had gotten their erections back and were enjoying the sight of Mona and Kallie having fun together. I went over to Chad and pulled away the towel that was making a tent over his crotch. I stood over his hard cock and then sat down on his lap with a thump, his penis thrusting hard into my wet pussy. That surprised him and his eyes opened wide. Derrick was sitting right next to him and his head bobbed up and down as he watched me ride his friend. Derrick grabbed one of my breasts while he started to jerk himself off under the towel. Once Chad's cock was really wet I stood up and got off him. Derrick frowned as I pulled Chad up from his chair and led him over to the bed. I leaned over to Kallie and bit her ear before whispering into it, "Chad is going to fuck you now, okay?" Kallie only nodded and moaned into Mona's pussy as I grabbed Chad's cock and guided him into Kallie's waiting pussy. He boared into her from behind just like he had done with me. Only Derrick was left. I went back over to him and took him over to the desk where Chad and I had fucked before. I made him bend over the desk the way that Chad had made me do. At first I began by giving him a reach around hand job, but I decided to make it a bit dirty. I was sure that Mona had probably never massaged his prostate, so I put one of the fingers from Mona's pussy in his mouth. He sucked it for a little bit and then I took it out and spit on it discreetly. I pushed his head further down towards the desk top so that his ass cheeks would open wider, then I started to finger his asshole. He bucked a bit from surprise but I jerked him off harder and he allowed the invasion. I spit down his ass crack to lubricate his hole a bit more. I found his prostate and massaged it gently while I alternated between fondling his balls and jerking him off. He was moaning really loudly and I realized that he was close to his climax. I stopped jerking him off, and with my finger still in his ass, I led him to the bed. I had him stand next to the bed and position his cock over Mona's face. "Jerk off into Mona's mouth." I told him, and bent down to get under him. I took his balls in my mouth and slipped another finger into his asshole. He did as I told him to do and came all over Mona's face. She held her mouth open wide for him. It even got all over the pearl necklace she hadn't taken off before. Now she had two. When he was done he took off to the bathroom. Mona slipped out from underneath Kallie's mouth and went to clean up too. Judging by the noises she had been making while I'd been tending to Derrick, Kallie had made her come. Chad was still fucking Kallie from behind so I took Mona's place. Kallie began to finger me with one hand and play with my breasts with the other, but she couldn't really focus because of how hard Chad was fucking her. I didn't mind. When Mona and Derrick came back from cleaning up they both watched me and Kallie and Chad. Chad came all over Kallie's feet too, and she collasped on top of me. By that time Derrick was ready for another round, and so was I. I wanted another cock in me as soon as possible, and I think Mona could tell. Mona led Derrick to the bed again, and pulled me and Kallie off each other. She made Kallie sit on Derrick's face as I rode his cock. It wasn't as large as Chad's but it would do. Then we saw Mona leading Chad toward the bathroom by the hand. Derrick nearly pushed Kallie off the bed when he realized, and he called out, "No! He's off limits." Mona put her hands on her hips and Chad backed away from her. "No he's not. You've been fucked by two total strangers tonight and you got a lapdance from a stripper. Every fantasy you've ever had has been fulfilled tonight and now its my turn. I'm going to fuck your best friend and you are going to see and hear it all!" Mona hopped up on the bathroom counter next to the sink and pulled Chad toward her. Chad looked at Derrick and Mona grabbed his face. "Do you want my pussy or not?" She yelled. At first,Chad looked a little pissed. He couldn't believe that he was being treated in such a way. He also didn't seem to have ever considered Mona sexually, as his best friend's girlfriend. I don't think he was still drunk but after everything that had already happened he was so turned on. I think he'd completely lost all control at that point. He looked from her wet cunt to her feet, and back again. Saying nothing, he shrugged and knelt down and started eating her. Derrick groaned as if he was in pain, and pushed Kallie up back onto his face and started eating her just as intensely as his best friend ate his girlfriend. I kept riding him as I watched Chad eating Mona. Once he was hard again he took her down from the bathroom counter and laid her on the floor. She lay on her back with her legs wrapped around him as he fucked her against the hard tile. In a weird way I was pleased that he didn't give her the same sort of attention he'd given me. Kallie started screaming with an orgasm around the same time that Mona did. When Kallie slipped off Derrick's face to lay in the afterglow of her climax, Derrick turned me over on my belly and fucked me hard with my legs closed and my butt raised high in the air. Mona and Chad were finished and came to watch. When Derrick came in my pussy Mona pushed Derrick off of me before he got a chance to get soft. She leaned down and sucked out the come from my pussy and licked me clean. Even after everything else that Mona had done that night, he couldn't believe this either. I thought he would pass out. He sat down on the bed with a thump and watched the whole scene. Chad was sitting in a chair breathing hard, trying to recover from his exertions. Kallie laid on the bed with her arms wrapped around herself, rocking back and forth, still in ecstacy from before. When Mona was finished we both laid side by side for a while. Everyone in the room was sighing or moaning softly, our limbs like quivering jelly. It was Kallie that spoke up first. "Am I the only one who's hungry?" All five of us laughed at that. We had all been sober for quite some time. I had a feeling that Derrick was ready for another drink already. Mona smiled. "Well, there's strawberries. The champagne is probably not cold anymore but the coffee might still be hot since its in the carafe." She seemed a lot more relaxed. We all got dressed again and made a picnic in the floor with the strawberries and almost warm champagne. We drank the champagne right from the bottle. We didn't bother with the coffee. Chad gathered up some change and bought us some food from a vending machine. Chips, pretzels, Almond Joys, gummie bears. We dunked our potato chips in the champagne like Marilyn Monroe in Seven Year Itch. We voted that it didn't taste as good as she had said it would. We stood on the patio balcony and watched the sunrise. Surprisingly, it was not awkward at all. We were getting along as if we were old friends, especially since Mona had chilled out. There wasn't even tension between Chad and Derrick. Somehow, without saying a word, there had been a kind of understanding. I stood next to Kallie and held her, the sky turning peachy. Chad stood behind us with his arms around us both. Derrick and Mona stood together with Mona cuddled against Derrick's chest. I hoped the two of them would be okay. Once we were buzzing again Chad led Kallie and me back downstairs and waited in the lobby with us for our cab. Chad said he'd driven to Valhalla and he was going to walk back to his car and then sleep in the backseat until he was sober enough to drive. I gave Chad my number, telling him to call me to let me know he got home okay. An old trick of mine. I don't know why I wanted him to call me, I guess I hadn't remembered Boyd yet at this point. In the cab Kallie and I slept, the driver had to wake us up to pay him and dump us out. We hiked up the stairs to her apartment, went in, and crashed in her bed still wearing our clothes. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 04 Another big thanks to everyone who has been reading, rating, and commenting so far. I know the sexy fun stuff is spread out sparingly in the story, but when I do get to the naughty bits I try to provide as much detail as possible. Can you blame me for wanting to immerse you in the story with all my little details? If you are new, you don't have to go back and read the previous chapters to enjoy this one, but I recommend it. There are some passages you definitely don't want to miss. If you haven't already, please rate and comment. I want to hear what you liked, didn't like, and want to see more of. If you liked it, favorite this story so you can come back and read it again sometime! In this chapter, Harmony finally gets her chance alone with Kallie, but then has to hurry back home to prepare for a date with Boyd. Boyd breaks some news to her, and asks her for a big favor. After the date, Boyd and Harmony spend some time together as a couple, having been reunited at last after Harmony's month-long trip. Harmony does her best to make Boyd's night a memorable one. ---------- I woke up to my phone going off at 1:00pm. It was Boyd. 'Oh shit. I'm supposed to meet him this afternoon... and I said I'd call him last night.' I thought. I reached for my phone and right when I said 'Hello' I suddenly felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. I'd cheated the night before. Without permission... With two different guys. I had sex with one of my best girl friends and three other people I didn't know from Adam's housecat. I felt so guilty and paranoid. I instantly wondered if Boyd had somehow found out and that's why he was calling. I envisioned all the stuff I'd left at his house in a bonfire in the middle of his front lawn. "Hey there Miss Party Hard. You just waking up?" He sounded happy. He had a laugh in his voice. He didn't know. Phew! "Yeah. I put in a few hours last night I won't be getting back." My voice sounded terrible. Like I'd been snoring and had cobwebs down my throat like Rip Van Winkle. "Oooh yeah. You sound like you need some orange juice and an asprin..." He was laughing at me! I was safe. Maybe I could keep it a secret and he'd never find out! "Gonna need more than that to get me back to normal I think..." I decided to joke about it too. Maybe I could forget about it and it would be like it had never happened... "Kallie danced you off your feet?" "And drank me under the table." I hadn't realized at first I was in a strange bed, Kallie's bed. Eyes still closed, I nervously felt the space next to me... but I couldn't feel her. I peeped over with one eye. She wasn't there. "Haha. Alright then we won't meet this afternoon. We'll have dinner instead if that's okay." I smiled with relief. This meant I could go back to sleep maybe, or look for Kallie. "Yep. Sounds good." "I'll let you go so you can recuperate. Don't forget about my texts. You'll need your energy for tonight." We hung up, and the first thing I thought was "Yeah right..." He'd never fucked me the way Chad had fucked me. Ever. I could sleep right through our sex and he'd never notice. But I was pretty sore. Maybe I could just blow him and I wouldn't need to have sex with him at all. Thinking about Chad made me feel guilty again, but I remembered about Kallie... and she was missing. I went to look for her. I found her in the shower again. She wasn't trying to get clean. She was just standing there and leaning against the tile, letting the warm water wash over her. She must have still been very tired and hungover. I never said a thing to her, I just got in. Once again I pushed any thought of Boyd right out of my mind. Her eyes invited me in a way that words never could. I'd been afraid when I saw the vacant space in her bed... that she'd regret what we'd done. I'd been afraid that she'd hate me or not want to be my friend anymore. But she embraced me and kissed my shoulder when I stepped into the steaming shower. "I want to be clean... for you..." she said simply. I knew what she'd meant. I wanted the same. We began to clean ourselves, using our fingers to try to expel the semen from our pussies, using soap and shampoo to rid ourselves of the smells and juices of others. We wanted to start over as ourselves. When we were done we kissed and embraced in the water until it ran cold. Then we stepped out and dried ourselves slowly and luxuriously, taking our time. I forced Boyd out of my mind once again as we walked back to Kallie's bed. We were already naked and our hair was still damp. My pussy was already wet and I think Kallie's was as well. We kissed for a short time, and gently touched each others breasts when Kallie said in a whisper, "I never got to lick you properly... When Chad was... I think I could do better..." Again, I said nothing. I just smiled and leaned back when she put gentle pressure on my shoulder. She spread my legs wide and stared at my vulva and the beginnings of wetness almost as Chad had done. Chad had looked on my pussy with a worshipful gaze, like he'd found the Holy Grail. Kallie was looking at it as if she were at a banquet and didn't know where to start her feast. At last, she placed the tip of one finger inside me and began delicately lapping at my clit, and increasing in pressure and speed as she moved her finger deeper and deeper. I was still sensitive from the night before, and it didn't take me long to come, sighing and moaning. Kallie sat up after kissing up my stomach and laid her head on my breast as I recovered, then I saw her touching herself when I came back to reality. I kissed her as I moved her hand away, and began to touch her myself. I laid her back on the bed as she had with me and licked her clit in circles, fucking her with my fingers on one hand and spreading her open with the other. After some time of this, she whispered to me again, "the bedside table..." I went over and opened its drawer, not knowing what it was she wanted. There was a pink glass dildo, a huge one. I held it up and she simply whimpered, "Oh... yes... please, please... Harmony..." When she said my name I felt a trickle of come begin running down my thigh. I plunged the dildo into her pussy and fucked her with it as hard as I dared, while licking her delicious cunt everywhere my tongue could go. I teased her mercilessly, taking the dildo out and licking her where it had once been, knowing it wasn't enough to satisfy her. Finally when she was saying my name over and over, I sucked her clit while I steadily fucked her with the dildo, slick with her juices. I felt it twitch in my hand with each pulse of her. She was coming. When I knew she was finished I took the dildo away one last time, and licked her gently until she giggled and pushed my head away. Then I held her in my arms, and we slept once again. --------- When I woke up it was 4:00pm. I checked my messages and had a text from Chad saying he was home. I didn't save his number in my phone, just in case Boyd looked at it. He didn't use my name so I planned to tell Boyd that it was a wrong number if he saw the text. I didn't want to delete it in case I decided to call him back sometime. I didn't know what I wanted to do yet, so I just didn't text him back. I also had a text from Boyd saying that he wanted to pick me up at my apartment at 7:00. He said he was in a steak mood. I texted him back and said it was fine. I'd be ready at 7:00. Kallie was still asleep, so I wrote her a note. "Kallie, Last night and this afternoon were both amazing. I'm not sure where our friendship is going to go from here but I still care about you and want to be friends. I don't feel differently about you in any way. I didn't want to wake you, but I need to head home and find a hangover cure." then I drew a smiley face and left it on the pillow. I forced myself not to think of the consequences of what we had done. I only wanted to believe in the warmth and tenderness of our time together. I wanted to think that something so beautiful could never be wrong, or hurtful. I gathered up my stuff and drove back to my apartment, about twenty minutes away. While driving I thought about how I was going to get ready in time for my date with Boyd. It was about 5:00 when I got back home. I threw my stuff down and took a hot shower, again trying to be sure all the semen was out of my vagina. I went over my legs and armpits with a razor just in case there was a little bit of stubble. I washed, dried, and styled my hair. Boyd liked it down with a soft curl. I also sprayed a bit of perfume in it. His favorite scent was Couture by Moschino. I wanted to do everything just the way he liked it so maybe he would not suspect I'd been unfaithful. Maybe he'd think I'd missed him while I was on my trip. Maybe he would think I was still the same girl. I dressed myself carefully, trying on several outfits before finally deciding. I wore a new set of lingerie I'd picked up on my trip; a greyish mauve colored set with lace brief style panties and lace demi bra. On the bra and panties there was a deep plum colored velvet trim and bow. Boyd preferred full panties over thongs, and loved lace. He also loved purple on me so I'd picked up this set with him in mind. The bra was not lined, it only had an underwire, so you could clearly see my nipples through the lace. To contrast with the ladylike lingerie, I wore a menswear inspired outfit. I chose black trousers with wide legs, but which hugged my bottom nicely, and grey heels which were made to resemble men's wingtip Oxfords. Paired with this, a loose, white button-down blouse with wide lapels and cuffs. A ladies version of a man's shirt, with seaming to enhance the look of my figure and softer, almost sheer cloth. You could just barely see a hint of my bra underneath. A tease. I tucked it loosely in the waistband of my pants so he could see my curves more clearly. I wore some grey pearls he'd given me as a gift and no other jewelry. I did my makeup simply. He didn't like a lot. I left my face bare and did a very natural look on my eyes, with pale pink gloss on my lips. I knew he'd love how I looked and started to feel more confident. At 7:15 Boyd arrived at my apartment and apologized for being late. I could tell he'd also put some thought into his appearance. I could see he had just shaven and spent more time on his hair than usual. He had dark blonde hair which was beginning to show touches of grey at the temples. He was constantly asking me if he should dye them, but I liked it. He kept his face shaved to look young though. I'd never before met a man so concerned with his looks. He'd spend days looking for the perfect cologne, or looking at online reviews for spas and salons. He was very intent on looking young. He spent hours in the gym, which made me very jealous since I wanted him to spend time with me. I tried to get him to go to the gym with me, so we'd both be working out but still spending time together, but he said he needed his gym time to be his "alone time". I let it go, deciding that after all the time he spent at work he deserved time to himself, and also tried to remember that he was buffing up to look handsome for me. Tonight he was wearing my favorite cologne; Hugo No. 6 by Hugo Boss. As I hugged him I inhaled the rich spicy scent and immediately felt a comforting but sensual warmth in my stomach which spread downwards, and also upward to my breasts and left a tingling sensation in my nipples. As we parted we wordlessly held each other's hands at arm's length and looked each other over. As his eyes explored my body, mine explored his. He wore my favorite grey slacks with black shoes and a white button down top with the sleeves rolled up. Simple, but dashing on him. He was very tall and his shirt was cut perfectly to show the physique he worked so hard for. His slacks perfectly showed off his tight butt and bulging quads, but were still appropriate for the office environment he worked in. He pulled me back into his embrace smiling, and kissed the top of my head, gently sniffing my hair. "You look amazing. I didn't realize how much I'd missed you until I saw you again." He spoke softly. He was rarely this emotional with me. He led me to my couch and sat down, holding my hand and making me sit down beside him. "I'm so glad you missed me. With everything going on at work I thought that you'd be too busy to notice I was gone." I said, but grinned at his compliment. I leaned my head on his shoulder. I'd already forgotten both Chad and Kallie. "There are some new things going on at work which are taking up a lot of my time..." He frowned. "I'll tell you about it over dinner... but first," He rose from the couch and started to walk to the door, "I left something outside for you!" He crossed the room in only a couple of strides, his long legs had him out the door, around the corner, and back again in no time. He was carrying a huge bouquet of flowers. Daffodils and irises. My favorite flowers. "Daffodils for Harmony Daffodille, and purple irises because you are so special." He placed the large bouquet in my arms, and I bent my head pretending to smell the flowers, causing my hair to hide my face and a tear which was rolling down my cheek. "Boyd..." I looked up, "These are beautiful." "You are beautiful." "Boyd..." "Let's get these in water." He went into my small kitchen and began rummaging around, looking for vases. I think he was also trying to hide his own emotions. I followed him to the kitchen and rolled up my sleeves, cutting the stems diagonally and placing them in three small vases Boyd had found, and arranging them carefully. Boyd watched me as I arranged them and said, "Are women just born knowing how to do that?" "Oh no... its a skill. I learned it when I worked at a florist's shop. One of my first jobs." I said, carrying two vases to the back of my apartment. I put one on my bedside table and the other in my bathroom. "Ah. I forget sometimes there are things I don't know about you..." he said, and led me to the door. He kissed the top of my head once more after I locked my apartment, and then held my elbow as he escorted me down the stairs to his car. --------- We didn't talk about much in the car. He asked me about my trip and I told him about some of the people I'd met and jobs I'd been on. I think he was wondering if I'd hooked up with any of the girls I'd been working with. He never asked but I explained that everything had been strictly business and we were all so busy we wouldn't have had the time even if we'd wanted to. He complimented me on my tan and told me things had been busy at work but didn't go into much detail. I didn't really know much about his work, only that he worked with an investment firm that worked strictly with Internet based companies. His job was to act as a liaison between the firm and the various web companies, and deal with whatever issues arose. It sounded pretty boring to me. Most of his time was spent behind a desk answering calls and emails and looking at numbers. I was proud of him though, since it seemed like he was really talented. He was always getting raises and seemed to always be placed in charge of their major projects. At the few work parties I'd attended with him, his co-workers had nothing but nice things to say about him. He'd already been a huge success and was making more money than he could spend. Everyone who worked with him seemed to think that it was only a matter of time before he was made a partner in the firm. Unfortunately Boyd's acceptance of his success was bittersweet. He worked really hard, but he seemed to think that he was only getting ahead because the head of the firm was a friend of his cousin, and that's why he'd gotten the job in the first place. No amount of ego stroking on my part seemed to help, so I rarely asked him questions about his job. Besides, it seemed to me that the reason he liked spending time with me was because I made him forget about work. I was a pretty little distraction. We arrived at Gianni's a little past 8:00. The weekend crowd had only just gotten started and there was already a thirty minute wait for table. Luckily Boyd had made a reservation and we didn't have to wait long before being escorted back. Gianni's was one of my favorite restaurants. It was a family owned restaurant, just the one location in town. It wasn't overly popular, not like chain places, but the service was really nice and super expensive. I loved Italian food. Gianni's was a mix of Italian and French cuisine, but the decor was reminiscent of 1920's Hollywood glamor. They only played jazz from that era, and both male and female waiters wore tuxes. It was a fun and interesting place. The menu changed weekly, and I liked to go as often as possible to try the new foods. I began to feel suspicious. Boyd had brought me flowers, spent extra time on his appearance, and had taken me to Gianni's for dinner. I started to wonder if he had something planned. Maybe he was finally going to ask me to formally move in with him? Or what if he was breaking up with me in a really nice way? As I felt the butterflies in my stomach from nervousness, I realized I was starving too. I hadn't eaten since the champagne and strawberries. Remembering my last meal also gave me a feeling of guilt... How was I going to make it through this dinner? "Are you blushing?" Boyd asked, touching my hand. I wasn't sure what to say. I stumbled over my words, "Um... well it seems like you've been to a lot of trouble tonight..." "Well, I'll admit its partly because I missed you so much... but I also need to talk to you about something. Ask you something... uh... kind of important..." He looked down at his menu. "Let's wait until we've had some wine." "Oh... okay." My stomach didn't feel like it had butterflies in it anymore. It felt like it had an angry jaguar in it trying to claw its way out. Maybe it was hunger pains or guilt or nervousness or... I don't know what. I was terrified. He said he needed to ask me a question! Was he going to ask me to move in with him at last? Or to marry him even? I decided to look over the menu to take my mind off Boyd. It didn't help much, but the choices did look amazing. I decided that if this was going to be our last meal together at Gianni's I ought to order something really delicious, especially since there was no way I could afford to eat there on my income. Our waiter came and Boyd ordered some wine, I didn't pay attention to what he'd ordered but in no time he'd already come back to our table with sparkling Rosé and two champagne glasses. "Oh crap..." I thought, "This is about to get serious." The waiter also wanted our food order. Boyd ordered apricots wrapped in prosciutto for our antipasti, and for his own entree ordered a soup and salad with a steak. I ordered goat cheese crepes with an onion sauce, and a small salad. After the waiter had left, Boyd drank some of his wine and then placed his hand over mine. "Harmony..." "Boyd?" He smiled. He knew he was acting strange and was ready to tell me why, "I need to ask you to do something for me. And I don't think you are going to understand until I explain everything fully... so... just try not to say anything until I finish. Okay?" He gave me a nervous smile. I just nodded. I guess he wasn't going to ask me to move in with him after all... I felt a little disappointed, but decided to hear him out. "Okay. So... I told you that work was getting crazy." I nodded again. "Well, I have been placed in charge of another big project. Calika is about to merge with Jcore" I had no idea what that meant but kept nodding, "and we are going to handle both now so its a lot more work. Greer called me into his office last week and said if I handle this smoothly he's going to make me a partner." He paused so I knew I was supposed to act excited. "That's great sweetie!" I said. "But what do you need me to do?" The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 04 "Ah... well..." Boyd flushed bright red. "Greer has invited us to a party... he says all the partners and their wives go, and some other people too. I don't think I'm going to be made partner unless I go to this party. And take you with me." "Okay... so what's the problem?" "It's not just dinner and drinks, Harmony. It's a..." he leaned close to me and whispered, "It's an orgy." He said the words with the same gravity that a judge would use to pronounce a death sentence by lethal injection. He sat back down in his seat and put his head in his hands, running his fingers through his blonde hair. "I just don't know..." "So, Greer invited you to an orgy and basically told you that if you go you'll be promoted." I was shocked. I knew Phillip Greer threw sex parties because of my connections at Valhalla, but I always thought the last person to get an invite would be Boyd. I couldn't imagine Boyd asking me to go to something like this. I was really surprised he hadn't turned Greer down a week ago. The fact that he was considering it was shocking to me. I also didn't think it was even remotely legal for Boyd's boss to pressure him into an orgy by holding Boyd's job over his head... "Boyd, you are huge success at Greer-Jeffery! You could get another job someplace else! You don't have to take this." Boyd sighed. I guessed he'd already thought about that. "Not if Greer won't give me a good reference. And, not to be mean, but you don't follow money and politics like I do. I can't pick up jobs with my pretty face. There's a shit ton of other guys just like me out there looking for jobs too. Being a partner at Greer-Jeffery means security, and if I have security I might... I just... I don't think I can back out of this, Harmony." He looked at me for a long time. I was a little pissed at his "pretty face" comment. "I didn't mean it like that. But Greer knows people... and I don't want to have to move across the country looking for jobs if he blackens my reputation here." Boyd sank down in his chair, depressed. I knew he was really upset because he never slouched. "Alright, so just go by yourself and stand around. Have some crudites and a couple of drinks, chat a bit. Then once everyone is drunk and the clothes start coming off you can hide in the bathroom until the coast is clear for you to leave. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." "Yes, but Harmony... I don't think you understand. Greer mentioned you by name. He wants you to come, specifically. He asked if I was still dating you and I said yes and he said to make sure you came too. I honestly think Greer wants to sleep with you. The way he invited me... I just don't think I can back out and keep my job." Poor Boyd looked tortured inside. "Please don't think I'm a bad person for asking you to do this... but it's really important to me. I need your help to figure out what to do. I really don't want you to sleep with him. That's the last thing I want. I just..." He couldn't continue. He drank the rest of his wine in one gulp. The waiter came back with our antipasti but neither of us touched it. He refilled our glasses and went away. Once he was gone, I took both Boyd's hands in mine. "Boyd, we've been seeing each other for two years. By the way your house looks, a stranger would think we lived together." He just nodded and wouldn't look at me. "I want to help you in your career, if that's what's really important to you. But I have to know that its not all for nothing." Boyd looked up at me now. "What do you mean?" "Well, for one, you tell me you love me when you are drunk but don't say it at any other time." "I thought it was understood!" He looked hurt, but I continued. "Well, its not. Also I pretty much live with you but you've never asked me to move in. It's like you still aren't ready to commit," He gave me a look and opened his mouth to protest, but I put up both my hands to stop him. "which would be fine if you weren't asking me to do something this huge for you! Boyd, I do love you. I want you to be happy. And I'll do whatever it takes to make us work... but you have to be willing to do the same for me." There are no words for how bad I felt saying this after what I'd done the previous night, but that didn't make it any less true. If I had known then how much Boyd had needed me... I felt so selfish and horrible. I decided then and there to forget all about Chad, and even what had happened with Kallie. I was going to make my relationship with Boyd my main priority and do whatever I could to deserve him. Boyd just looked at me for a long time. Our waiter came back with our food. Seeing our antipasti untouched, he sighed with annoyance and slid the plate over to make room for our entrees. Again, he refilled our glasses. Smelling the delicious food was driving me crazy. I was so hungry, but I didn't want to start eating before Boyd. Boyd looked at his plate for a long time, as if he was trying to move his food to his mouth using only his mind. I sat in silence and had no idea what to say. "Move in with me then." He just blurted it out, almost too quickly for me to understand clearly. I smiled with relief, "When?" Boyd shrugged and smiled too. "When your lease is up." I could only sit there and try not to cry. "When's the party?" "A few weeks from now." He scowled and looked away from me again. "Okay. I'll do it. We'll figure this out. It's just once, and then you'll be partner." Boyd sighed, his mind eased at last, "Harmony..." he stood up and lifted me from my seat, then threw his arms around me and held me to him in front of the whole restaurant. "I love you, Harmony. I love you, I love you, I love you." Again, he kissed the top of my head. I could say nothing. I was crying silently with guilt, fear, and happiness as the entire restaurant erupted in applause. No doubt they thought we'd just gotten engaged. We sat back down, both blushing furiously, and finally ate our dinner. --------- After dinner Boyd took me out to get sorbet and gelato with coffee for dessert, and then took me back to his house. He lived outside of Atlanta in a "luxury community" called Prestwick. Boyd's home was definitely not very appropriate for a bachelor. He lived in a four bed, four bath home with a dining room that could seat twelve comfortably. Almost all of the rooms were empty looking, boxes of old clothes or papers stacked in corners, and old furniture scattered around. He'd mostly bought the home to impress the people he worked with, knowing that he has no use for such a large place. He paid a cleaning lady to come once a week and a landscaper since he was often too busy to take care of housework. I did a lot of the cooking for him, I have no idea what he ate when I was gone. He probably went out to dinner or just drank protein shakes. As we walked inside I felt as if I was coming home, a feeling I didn't have even when I went back to my apartment. I felt truly comfortable in Boyd's home. We went straight to the master suite, the bedroom, Boyd's bedroom, our bedroom. In my mind the room was ours, even if it was only Boyd's in name. I placed my handbag on the bedside table and stretched. I was sleepy and tired and still feeling a little hungover. Boyd began taking things from his pockets and putting them on the bedside table in a little golden bowl I'd given him as a gift after the last "vacation" he'd paid for. He started to undress, and then redress in pajamas. He put on some soft grey flannel pajama pants and a super soft plain black tee shirt. Then he walked to the kitchen and brought back two ice waters for us both. I drank a few sips and slipped off to the bathroom. In the bathroom I double checked to make sure there was no semen inside me from the night before. I used some tampons to try and soak up any fluid that I couldn't get to with my fingers. I tried to make sure I didn't smell like someone else by washing up a bit with a washcloth and water. Yet again I felt horribly guilty. Surprisingly I wasn't so sore anymore, maybe I would be able to handle Boyd after all. I hoped that if there was a little bit of semen left inside me that Boyd would not smell it over my perfume and his own cologne. I thought maybe I would go all out and try to make his night especially hot since I felt so bad about cheating. I flipped my hair upside down and shook my hair, messing it up to make it look tussled, Boyd loved that. I also grabbed some black eyeliner I'd left in the bathroom ages ago, and used that to create a darker line around my eyes, 1960's Bridgette Bardot style bedroom eyes. I unbuttoned my blouse a bit, just enough to show the curve of my breasts, and untucked it from my pants. When I came back from the bathroom Boyd was already laying down on the bed under the covers. The lights were out, and there were two small candles on the bedside table which were lit. He had a cup of coffee in his hand. I stood in the doorway of the bathroom, backlit dimly, the light creating a halo around my head. I gave him my sexiest look and smiled slyly. "Damn. I really missed this." Boyd said softly, setting his coffee mug down on the bedside table. I cocked one hip and leaned against the doorframe lazily, like a cat stretching in the sunlight. "Another cup of coffee? Was dessert not enough?" "Not this time. I want to give you my full attention tonight." He patted the bed next to him. I didn't believe this. Not for a second. Boyd was not truly interested in sex yet he always talked as if he wanted nothing more than to go all night. But after a 10 minute session if I ever complained or asked for another round, he gave me the old, "Need to rest up for work tomorrow." So beyond frustrating! I said nothing. It didn't matter if he couldn't satisfy me, I was going to satisfy him. I parted my legs and began unzipping my pants. I turned around and bent over to push them down to my ankles, and heard him gasp quietly as I exposed my rear. I could tell he already liked my new lingerie. I turned back around, leaving the pants on the floor. I walked slowly to the bed, unbuttoning my blouse the rest of the way as I made my way to him. Boyd couldn't take his eyes off me. When my blouse was unbuttoned I sat on the bed next to Boyd, and let him push the blouse away from my breasts, gently unbutton the cuffs at my wrists, and remove the blouse completely. When I was only in a bra and panties, we kissed lightly and then pulled away. As I removed Boyd's shirt, he spoke in a husky voice, "You bought a new bra and panty set while you were in the islands?" "Just for you, sweetie." "What brand is it?" "Kind of a new design label. A girl I met while working told me about it." He touched my breasts with a feather-light caress. "What's it called?" "Swanderlust." I was now removing his pajama pants, taking in the smell of him and kissing down his thighs. "Do what now?" "I think its supposed to be a play on words, based on the word 'wanderlust' but to do with Leda and the Swan. That Greek mythology story. The price tags had a picture of a swan in an embrace with a naked woman." I was now kissing from his ankles to his thighs and back again while he was laying prone on the bed. "Normally that might sound weird to me but right now that sounds kinda hot..." He started to tell me more but couldn't, because I'd started licking the shaft of his penis, which was lying hard on his belly. He could only gasp softly. I took it in my right hand and with my left gently stroked the hair on his balls. I slowly licked from the bottom of the shaft to the tip, then back down again, and up once more on the left, right, and in the center. Boyd's hands were in my hair now, which I loved. He massaged my scalp and twisted the chocolate-y, silken strands around his fingers. As I teased him with my tongue I wished that he knew how to do the same for me, and also wished that such a large dick wasn't wasted on someone who barely knew how to use it. Boyd was easily eight and a half inches long, possibly more. His circumference was about three or so inches. I could not fit much of his penis in my mouth, I was barely able to get the head of it in past my teeth. This was still enough for him, since I started using my right hand to pump up and down the shaft as if I was jerking him off into my mouth. His gasping and moaning increased in length and volume. I felt him growing harder between my lips. "Ahhh! Stop, Harmony! Stop please!" I stopped, removed my hands, and sat back on my heels. "Did my teeth scrape against you?" "No..." He panted. "I-I don't want to come yet." I just smiled, but inwardly hoped I wouldn't be sore or too loose downstairs after the previous night. I knew he wanted to have sex with me. He would expect me to be super tight after such a long time without any sex or masturbation. As he sat up I moved closer to him to let him undress me. "Let's leave the bra on... It looks great on you." He said, and gently tugged off my panties, throwing them in the floor by the bed. Once my panties were off, I pushed him back so he was lying prone yet again. He loved it when I rode him, less work for him I guess? Or maybe he just liked watching me? I let him watch me touch myself for a moment, spreading my pussy lips apart and lightly touching my clit a little bit. He gasped again, "I need you on me, right now." Grinning widely, I mounted his lap and barely touched my moist labia to the tip of his waiting cock. He growled a bit and tried to push his hips up to enter me. He was very strong after all his time spent in the gym, but I was strong as well and also had gravity working for me. I lifted away from him and pushed his hips back down with my palms. "If you don't behave yourself I'll just have to keep torturing you." I said, still grinning. Boyd grinned back at me sighing, and stopped straining against my palms. He relaxed his lower back onto the bed once more. "You and your mean pussy..." I threw my head back, my long, soft hair cascading down and ticking his balls and I laughed in an evil movie villain sort of way (muahahaha) and made him laugh too. While he was laughing and not thinking, I thumped down hard on his cock, and begin riding him as hard as I possibly could. I caught him completely by surprise. Immediately he recovered and was watching me in awe. He reached his hands up to my breasts to cup them as they bounced, hooking his fingers in my bra and tugging the material down to release my breasts. Then about sixty seconds later and without warning, I slowed down almost to a halt. I eased slowly down him, taking a full ten or fifteen seconds to go from the very tip of his penis, to the very root of his shaft. When he was inside me as far as he could go, I began to grind against him a few times to allow him to feel how deep he was inside me. After grinding for a moment, I'd start all over again from the tip of his penis. I did this about five or six times before Boyd decided he had enough of waiting. To my surprise, I was starting to feel as if I was getting close to an orgasm. I hardly ever got close with Boyd, so maybe it was because I was so sensitive from the previous night, or even due to my heightened emotions. But Boyd was tired of waiting and wanted to finish. As I came down to grind on him, he held my hips in place where they were, and lifted me up as he sat up in bed. In one smooth motion he had rolled me over onto my back, my legs in the air, and he was between them and beginning to fuck me hard. I really wanted to come too, even though I hadn't expected to. I lifted one leg and shifted it over between us so that both my legs were together on one side, and placed my hand between my legs. I rubbed my clit in a circular motion as Boyd fucked me harder and harder. "Oh... your pussy is so much tighter when you lay like that!" Boyd was almost yelling, a vein in his neck was throbbing, his face was flushing. I was also moaning and crying out, beyond all attempts at self control. I knew it would be any moment now. As he pulled out and before he could plunge back in, I quickly shifted again, so that I was on my hands and knees. The twisting motion took him nearly to his climax. I was still rubbing my clit and he was drilling into me as if he was trying to fuck me right up to my lungs. His large hands were around my slim waist, and he was pulling my hips back toward him as he was thrusting deeply into me. He was holding on so tight I wondered if he would leave hand-shaped marks on my skin. The headboard of his bed was banging loudly against the wall, the chestnut colored wood stain making marks on his slate grey walls. Then at last he roared, "I'M COMING! I'M COMING NOW!" and his balls began to seize up next to my hand which was still stroking my clit. I felt his cock throbbing and his semen surging forth. As I felt some drip onto my hand I began to come too, whimpering into the bedspread. He fucked me slower and softer as he felt my pussy clenching around his cock, and my hips moving against his to keep him from pulling out too soon. Once he could see that I was finished he pulled out and flopped backwards onto the bed. Boyd's limp dick flopping sideways onto his lower abdomen, a thick slime coating his pubes and smeared across his balls. I flattened myself onto my stomach and lay still, breathing heavily and moaning with delight. Once I was able to communicate with my limbs, I crawled back to Boyd and laid my head on his chest. As I pulled the covers up over us Boyd put his arm around me and murmured, "I'm too tired to go clean up. Let's just take a shower together in the morning, kay?" I didn't say anything, I just nodded my head and made some sort of noise meant to signify consent. It was enough. We fell asleep only moments later. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 06 This chapter is to continue the story so far. Sorry to disappoint but there's no sex in this chapter. Wha wha. But Boyd and Harmony are going to talk about their stagnant sex life! And Kallie finally texts Harmony back! Stick around for Chapter 7, when we will finally go to Greer's orgy at Valhalla! Thanks again to everyone who's been reading and rating! Please leave your feedback (good or bad) below! I'd love to hear it and it's important to me! ***** I woke up to the morning of the day before Greer's party. I could sense some of Boyd's stress about the next night from the moment I opened my eyes. As I rolled over in bed, I knew that Boyd was already up. He was in the shower. I could hear the water running and smell his body wash all the way to the bed. Usually on his mornings off he slept in and didn't get up until he smelled breakfast cooking. I got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, opened the glass door of the shower stall, and got in. Boyd turned to me and gave me a tight, half-hearted smile. "You're up early." I said, grabbing my soap and pouf loofah. "Had a weird dream. Kinda out of it." Boyd leaned back in the water and rinsed his hair. I reached up to tickle his armpits, but he put his arms back down quickly. "Not now, Harmony..." I raised my eyebrows at him. "My goodness! What a cranky butt you are this morning." I started to lather up. After he was done rinsing Boyd said, "Sorry babe... I just have a lot on my mind right now." "I know. It's okay." I knew he was probably worried about the orgy. I definitely was. I didn't feel like cooking breakfast, and wasn't in the mood for one of Boyd's gross protein shakes. "Why don't we go out for breakfast?" Boyd took his time to answer, "I have been thinking about a Lox Plate the past few days..." "Mmm, Green Tea Oatmeal with a French press sounds good... or Mexican Scramble..." We hadn't been to our favorite breakfast place in over a month. Buttermilk Kitchen was about thirty minutes from Boyd's, and we'd been too busy to make the drive out of town. I knew it would be just the thing to cheer up Boyd and hopefully distract us from thinking of the next night. We were silent for the rest of our shower, I was thinking about my favorite foods and I assumed Boyd was doing the same. I almost offered to give him a blow job to cheer him up, but I changed my mind. I was still feeling a little resentful after the night before. We dressed and got ready to leave, not saying much to each other. We were hurrying to get out the door before breakfast was no longer being served. We both dressed casually in jeans and tees with sneakers. We listened to music instead of talking in the car. Traffic wasn't bad, and we pulled up to a nearly full parking lot in front of Buttermilk Kitchen. We parked and walked hand-in-hand towards a small building which looked like somebody's house with a wrap around porch, but was painted International Klein Blue with white shutters. It had an old fashioned, Southern feel. I held Boyd's arm and smiled up at him as we walked up the porch ramp, our feet on the old boards reminding me of home. If I closed my eyes I could picture my mother's rose garden, smoke rising from my father's bong, my brother Iggy's poster-covered walls, and Penny's towering stacks of CDs. Boyd did not pay much attention to me, he seemed lost in thought. At first I wondered if he was thinking of home too, but his facial expression said something else. His brow was creased and his mouth was in an uncomfortable line. I hoped that after he had a full stomach he would be in a better mood. Before even entering the restaurant I could smell buttery grits, fried green tomatoes, and the simmering blueberry sauce for pancakes. All the comforting smells and the warmth of the restaurant seemed to wrap me up like a blanket. I felt so relaxed and I could not wait to sit down with a cup of coffee. I watched Boyd inhale deeply as we waited to be seated by the hostess, his shoulders dropped and I saw his jaw relax. I knew he was feeling better already. The dark hardwood floor creaked beneath us as we were seated in the bright dining room, sunlight was streaming in through the floor to ceiling windows. It was a gorgeous morning to be out. The mis-matched white wooden chairs and painted white wooden tables added to the simple farmhouse charm. It was as close to my grandmother's food, the feeling of completeness, and of home as I could get without traveling several hours. Once we were settled in with a couple of mugs and a cafetiere, we looked over the menus. Boyd set his menu down on the table after glancing at it for a barely sixty seconds. "What are you in the mood for? I know I'm getting the Lox Plate. I've been wanting one all week." Boyd looked around for the waitress, she'd just left us and was getting another table's order. He seemed impatient, which was not normal for him. Still looking over the menu, I said, "I know I said earlier that the Green Tea Oatmeal looked good, but now I think I want the Fried Egg BLT..." I pursed my lips and then said, "Yeah. I definitely want the BLT." I put my menu down and smiled, reaching my hand toward his. "I'm so glad you took us out this morning. Thank you." Boyd shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Yeah... no problem. But uh, we have a lot of stuff we need to talk about... before tomorrow night." He moved his hand away from mine and sipped his coffee. I could tell he felt it was too hot by how he tried to sip it through barely opened lips. He was doing it as an excuse not to touch my hand. I was wondering when he would get around to talking about what was bothering him. I already knew what it was so why drag it out? I also had something I needed to say. I'd been thinking about it since we received the invitation, but I wanted him to be the one to bring it up. "Yeah, I have something I want to talk about too." Before we could continue, our waitress came back and took our order. I wanted to wait until we'd eaten before getting into the big talk we were bound to have, but I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it. Boyd seemed determined to get into a discussion. I felt it was going to ruin the meal, but I knew we'd have a fight if I said that to Boyd. I wanted to avoid that at all costs. Once the waitress left Boyd said, "So, do you wanna go first?" "Not really." "Okay well I guess I will..." Boyd pushed the food around on his plate but didn't eat anything. I also was letting my food sit there uneaten. I was so hungry and the food smelled so good that it was all I could do not to drool all over the table, but I knew that until this conversation was over I would not be able to enjoy my breakfast. "So, well, here's what I thought: I thought we'd go there-" No need to elaborate on where. I already knew what he meant. "-and do what we need to do-" Again, why mention it? Why say it out loud? "-and then just leave. We'll forget about it. We'll act like it never happened. I've been approved for a four day weekend, so I thought we could go on a little trip afterwards... ya' know? Before I have to go back and see Greer at the office..." I tried to imagine Boyd's discomfort at seeing Greer at work almost every day, knowing Greer wanted me. After tomorrow night he'd also know what it was like to be inside me. It was a testament to how badly Boyd wanted to keep his job and his comfortable lifestyle. He was willing to throw me to Greer and possibly damage our relationship. I hoped this would prove my love to him, that this would make him love me more, that this would bring us closer in the end. Maybe a vacation together was just what we'd need to become closer after going through something like this together. A four day weekend to think and calm down before going back to work sounded perfect. "That's a great idea, Sweetie. Where do you want to go?" I was imagining a romantic hotel room at a casual beach resort. Florida was about six hours away. I started picturing white sand beaches and hearing the sound of waves when Boyd said, "I think we need to go on separate trips." I wasn't expecting that. "What?" Boyd took a deep breath and said, "Well, my brother and cousins have already asked me to go fishing. Jacob got a new boat last week and he's itching to get it in the water. I thought I'd send you to Savannah. My sister told me about this day spa down there that Britney Spears or somebody went to. In was in the paper apparently... but anyway, you could go see your Granny. And I want to book you a shoot with a photographer I read about who works there. I want some pictures of you in that swan thing I got you. I've paid him already, I just need to set up a date and time." I stared at him blankly for a minute. "Swan thing?" "That white get-up I bought you from Swanderlust. I got it for you because I want pictures of you in it." I shook my head, not comprehending. "You know I get paid to model right?" Boyd rolled his eyes. "I know. But all the pictures you give me from your jobs are... from your jobs. I want... I guess you could call it a commissioned piece. Something more personal. That's only mine." This was frustrating. I didn't know this photographer and I didn't like Boyd going behind my back to arrange something like this. "Okay, but you know I have connections here. I could have arranged it myself. I might have even been able to do the shoot for free as trade." Boyd looked like he was getting angry. "Can I just please do something for myself for a change?" He looked at the ceiling, then at table, then across the room, then at the ceiling again. "I have the money to pay for it and maybe for once I wanted to call the shots okay?" I had never heard Boyd sound so selfish. He apparently thought that he did not do enough things for himself, which was crazy in my opinion. It seemed like our whole relationship was about him, except for the gifts he was always giving me. I was getting mad too and I could sense my reason and calm draining away, like water leaving a bathtub. He had arranged this whole vacation without me and was even planning a fishing trip. How was this supposed to help our relationship? "So did you already book the spa?" "I was going to this afternoon, but I have already inquired about pricing." "So wait, basically what you are saying is that after you get done pimping me out to your boss," Boyd flinched at my mention of this. "you want to go on a fishing weekend with your family and I'm not invited. So you planned a consolation trip for me to Savannah and a photoshoot with a photographer I've never met who's reputation you trust even though you aren't in the business, as a way to stroke your own ego." Boyd closed his eyes in frustration and took a deep breath. "No, Harmony. I was already invited and they aren't bringing their wives and stuff. And I did my research on the photographer. His name is Miguelle D'erin. And I think after paying for that Swanderlust stuff I ought to get something lasting out of my investment." Our waitress appeared again to check on us and ask about our food, since it was still uneaten. She refilled our water glasses, brought us a basket of rolls, and some cream for our coffee. We took a couple of bites of food to show her that we were not disappointed in the cooking. During this interruption I thought about what Boyd had said and I was getting very angry. I'd heard about Miguelle D'erin and seen some of work, so I wasn't worried about that anymore. But it really upset me that Boyd was making a big deal about what he'd paid for the lingerie. I'd never asked him for it. Never, in the two years that we'd dated, did I ask him for a single thing. Every gift he'd ever given me had been a total surprise. I'd assumed he bought the lingerie for me because he wanted to see me wear it, or just to make me happy. I couldn't think why he would be holding a grudge against me for it. When the waitress had left us and looked satisfied that we'd started eating, I said "Okay then, why are you talking to your sister about me?" "I never said I did!" Boyd gave me a wide-eyed, incredulous look. "You were talking to her about day spas! I'm sure she knew you weren't asking for yourself. Do you expect me to believe you called your sister to chat about the weather and she starts telling you about Britney Spears going to a day spa? Like you would even care!" "I did ask her about spas, but I didn't say why." "She knew." Boyd snatched a roll from the basket and swiped butter across it, flinging butter onto his plate and the tablecloth. I'd never seen anyone butter a roll angrily. "Okay whatever, but I wasn't finished. I can book you I nice hotel room too, you don't have to stay with your Granny." I knew where this was headed. I looked at my plate and shook my head. "Boyd-" I said softly. "Let me finish. You can...spend some time there... as long you need." He took a huge bite of his anger roll. "But-" With his mouth full, Boyd said "I know I'm not enough. I know you aren't satisfied." I was so angry and frustrated, I could feel tears beginning to prickle in the corners of my eyes. "But you could be! But I would be!" Boyd swallowed hard and slammed the rest of his roll onto his plate, squishing it a bit and sending some capers across the table. "How Harmony? How in the hell am I supposed to keep you happy? I don't have all the bits and bobs you require." What he'd said hurt me so, so bad. I never imagined that Boyd had felt that way. I wished he'd said something ages ago. "But you do", I choked out. I was about to cry. I closed my eyes tight to try and hold them back. People were already glancing in our direction. "You like girls." "Yes. I do. But I don't need that if I have you. If you could just..." "I can't." "You just need to spend some more time." I looked downward with my eyes open wide to indicate the area we were speaking of. Our waitress came back again, asking if we needed help. I couldn't speak and just stared at my plate. Boyd glared at her and shook his head. She walked off and I knew it was a good thing we already had our food before Boyd decided to lose his shit in public. Once she was gone, Boyd said "I can't." "Why?" One tear fell. Then another. I wasn't going to keep it together. I pushed my plate away. People were really staring at us now, so I put my head in my hands. Maybe they would just think I was sick. Boyd ignored my tears and discomfort, but he lowered his voice and whispered, "Because I know you wish it wasn't me. Or something. That you prefer tits and pussy. I can't be everything you need." From behind my hands, I said "Don't be like that. I can't help it. And it's not about preference. I like men and women equally." "Oh, men too?" "Yes, dammit." I began to sob quietly. I lost all self-control. I raised my napkin to my face in an effort to stay composed. I heard a lady at another table saying that I should go outside instead of making breakfast uncomfortable for everyone else there. I knew soon our waitress would be back with our check to try to hurry us out. "Am I the only man?" This was a hard question and I answered as quickly as I could so he could not read anything into a hesitation. "Of course you are. Why are you being like this? If I had known that my being bi was giving you a complex we could have sorted this out two years ago." I was still hiding my face in my napkin but my anger was about to take over. I was no longer crying. "How can you want me if you also want women?" I raised my head and slammed my napkin down on the table, rattling the flatware and dishes. "Because I fucking love you, asshole. I want to be with you, and just you." I was sure that the other tables could hear me, but I no longer cared. People were no longer discreetly glancing at us, now almost the whole restaurant was staring in our direction, including some of the staff. In the corner of my eye I noticed a waiter pull aside our waitress and say something in her ear, probably to try and rush us out. "Then why do you go on the trips I send you on?" I really had no good answer which would win me any points in this argument, but I decided to be honest anyway. "For one, because you pay for it and sort of insist upon it. Two, because you don't satisfy me." Boyd scoffed and put both hands in the air with an 'I knew it' look on his face. "But you could! You could if you'd take the time." Boyd crossed his arms and frowned. "No, it would be a waste of my time to even try." "No it wouldn't! I know I can be satisfied sexually by a man." "Oh really? And when was this?" Shit. I sort of regretting telling him now. "I was a fucking teenager, years before I was ever even with you, so don't even." Our waitress came over and laid our check on our table and crept away, we barely noticed her and Boyd kept talking as if she wasn't even there. "If he was such a damn dynamo in the sack, why aren't you still with him?" I stood up and grabbed my purse. "I didn't love him!" Boyd stood too, and took out his wallet. He threw some bills down on the table, barely looking at them. "And you do love me?" "Yes!" "Only me." "Only you!" Boyd grabbed my elbow and started leading me toward the exit. He whispered harshly in my ear through clenched teeth, "At least I don't have to worry about you getting off with Greer." I wrenched my elbow away and walked slightly behind him toward the door. "Where in the fuck is this coming from? I don't even want to sleep with Greer!" He held the door open for me in spite of his anger. I guess he was so used to doing it he forgot to let it slam in my face. "You sure did agree to it pretty fucking quick." I stood still on the porch and yelled, "Um, because YOU asked me to! You were the one who wanted this." An old couple who was trying to get inside stepped around us with wide eyes. Boyd stood on the porch too, his arms crossed. He was also yelling. "How do I know you don't?" "Why would I want to spend any time whatsoever underneath a man who is older than my own father?" Now someone who looked like the manager was approaching the door. I walked down the porch ramp to the parking lot and Boyd followed. Boyd yelled to my back, "Why would you want to spend any time whatsoever underneath me?" I turned around quickly, my shoes sending gravel flying. "You are being such a fucking idiot. And a dick. I love you and I'm not talking about this shit anymore!" I screamed. Boyd unlocked the car and I threw my purse in the backseat, then sat down in the seat next to him with a whump. I crossed my arms and looked out the window, angry tears streaking down my face, down my chin, and dropping onto my tee shirt. Boyd started the car and said nothing until we were out of the parking lot and getting back onto the road. "Then I guess that's all we need. If you love me." Still looking out the window, I said "Yes. That's what I've been trying to say." "I need to think about this." "That's fine." "I love you too, Harmony." "Boyd..." We drove back home in silence and Boyd went into his "man cave" (Like he needed one... His whole house was a cave.) and played video games "to take [his] mind off things". I napped after crying into the pillow for a little bit. He drove me back home before it began to get dark out. I spent the night in my apartment and had a whole bottle of wine to myself with some cheese, figs, and croissants for dinner. While drunk, I texted Kallie. I think I was feeling depressed and a little angry that she hadn't been in contact. I had also been MIA from my other friends and family too, but after everything I'd been through with Kallie I could not believe she would just stop talking to me. I felt like we'd broken up and she never even said goodbye. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 06 Me [12:07 AM]: kallie i miss u Me [12:09 AM]: i cant believe u just stopped talking 2 me Me [12:23 AM]: if its abut that nite im sry Me [12:49 AM]: txt me back Me [01:15 AM]: we need 2 talk about thrs Kallie [1:28 AM]: I'm sorry I haven't texted you. I think you are drunk because it's after midnight. This can wait. Me [1:36 AM]: we need 2 taerlk tho Kallie [1:47 AM]:Yeah we do. But not now. Later. Kallie [1:52 AM]: I'll call you soon. We can meet. Me [2:04 AM]: i went 2 still b frens Kallie [2:18 AM]: We are friends. No matter what, you are my friend. Kallie [2:19 AM]: But I can't do this right now. Kallie [2:21 AM]: I need time to figure out my shit. Go to bed. Me [2:32 AM]: I love you grill I heard nothing back from her until the next morning when I checked my messages. I ended up watching infomercials on television until I passed out. I woke up around seven AM with a headache and dry mouth. I checked my texts, there was just one. Kallie [5:48 AM]: i fuckin hate u fuckin stupid ass bitch dont u eva fuckin txt me or call me or contact my ass again nasty ass dyke whore leave me alone dont try 2 txt me back or i call fuckin cops on you 4 harasmet I didn't understand it. I didn't know why she would react this way. We'd been saying we loved each other since a few months after we became friends. I never meant for a second that I loved her in a romantic way, but since she was my friend I naturally did love her very much. Yes, I had a crush on her and yes, we did sleep together, but I did not love her enough to make a life with her like with Boyd. I loved her as a friend. I thought and thought for a long time about the text, just holding my phone and my mouth open wide in surprise. I stared at the screen of my phone for a long time, until finally it began to swim before me, blurred by tears. I wondered why her text speech was so different, so angry, from what I was used to. I thought maybe her bad grammar and spelling mistakes were from typing fast from anger. I felt so guilty for dragging her into my way of life. I could not bear it. I laid back down on the couch and cried into a beaded throw pillow. The beads scratched my face and left indentations in my skin. I pressed it even harder to my face and screamed into it as loud as I could. I screamed as if I was being murdered. But no one could hear me. I sobbed and screamed until there was nothing left of me. Until I was too tired and my throat hurt too much to do anything more. My head hurt so bad from my hangover and crying. Thinking of Kallie's reaction and imagining her before me calling me horrible names, I felt a strange sick heat taking over my body. My skin flushed, my mouth began to salivate, I knew I was going to puke. I ran to the bathroom and threw up everything I'd eaten the night before and a ton of wine. The smell of the acidic wine with the regurgitated cheese, figs, and bread made me more sick. I threw up more and more for what seemed like at least an hour, but it was more like twenty minutes. I cried harder than I had in years. I cried so hard that I lost a contact lens down the toilet. It fell out and landed on my cheek, and the force of my dry heaves made it fall off my cheek and into the toilet on top of a piece of fig. I flushed the toilet to keep myself from smelling the mess and starting again. I had nothing left to vomit and didn't want the dry heaves to come back. I was to exhausted to get up. I laid my head on the cold and somewhat slimy toilet seat, crying softly, tears rolling down. I passed out soon after. I woke up not long after noon. I was in the floor with my head on the bathmat, the imprint of the fuzzy material pressed into my red cheek. I was clammy all over and covered in a cold sweat. I remembered with dread that I was supposed to meet Boyd at six PM at his house, then we were going to go over to Alissa's to get our costumes, and then back to Boyd's to get ready for the party. We planned to arrive at Valhalla around eleven PM. I was no longer feeling sick or hungover. I felt more sober and clear headed than I had felt in a long time. Empty, but sharp. I suddenly felt as as if I'd been sleeping, wrapped in warm blankets, for the last couple of months and suddenly I was tossed into an icy lake. I had emerged, fully awake and lucid. For the first time I started having doubts about Boyd's commitment, my commitment, and the party. As I cleaned vomit from the floor and toilet, I considered calling Boyd and telling him I wasn't going to the party. I tried to think of an excuse which would be good enough. I thought of telling him about the vomitting and lying to him about it. Maybe I could tell him I ate bad figs and had food poisoning? But he would know I was lying. I would know I was lying. I decided the best thing to do would be to at least keep my word. I didn't want to ruin his career. I didn't want to ruin our relationship, or destroy his faith in me. I showered, taking my time to clean my face and hair really well. I put my iPod on a speaker in my room and turned the volume up as high as it would go. I had a playlist of spa sounds and white noise which I selected. I needed some noise to keep Kallie out of my head. I brushed my teeth carefully, flossed, scraped my tongue, and rinsed and re-rinsed with mouthwash. After throwing up I was desperate to get the taste of wine out of my mouth. I used a neti pot to make sure everything was out of my nose too, and then washed my face one more time. Throwing up always made me feel so dirty. Wearing only a towel, I made my way to the kitchen. I tried to eat. I tried toast, oatmeal, a smoothie, cold cereal, an apple, a banana, but everything turned my stomach. I nibbled a saltine as I applied lotion and face moisturizer, then tossed my damp hair into a topknot. I finished the saltine and then threw on some yoga pants, a bra, a tee shirt, and flip flops. I didn't want to be inside my own head or inside my own apartment. I wanted to go out for food and distraction. I decided to walk because I didn't feel comfortable driving since I felt so weak and lightheaded. I was downtown already and knew if I walked a mile or two down the road, I'd hit some restaurants. I put on some sunglasses and grabbed my purse, then headed out the door. I didn't want to spend much money so I thought I'd hit Weekday Cafe, famous among GSU students for large portions of cheap but tasty food. I knew I'd get friendly and cheerful service and be surrounded with other people my age, absorbed in their own worlds. I didn't really want to talk to anyone. I headed South, passing rows of apartment homes and cars parked on the street. Every so often a jogger or mother pushing a stroller would go by me. The sky was very sunny, but with a few fluffy clouds. The weather was warm for springtime, but I still wished I'd brought along a hoodie or something. I felt chilly and weak, my blood sugar was very low. I knew I'd start shaking and beginning to black out if I didn't eat soon. As I walked I could see the tall buildings of the business district in the distance and hear sirens and cars. I kept my purse and keys clutched tightly to me. It was broad daylight and I knew I was not likely to get mugged or worse, but I was still a little nervous, even after living in Atlanta for years and regularly walking around on errands or jogging. My anxiety did not help my stomach and I started to feel even weaker. I worried about a return of nausea and I walked even faster. I made it down Peachtree Street and Edgewood Ave without getting hit by a car, traffic wasn't too bad, and was now surrounded by tall buildings. Suddenly I felt safe and anonymous. There were people everywhere. I headed down Park Place South and found Weekday Cafe snuggled between a shoe repair shop and a pizza place. The pizza place was already open. I could smell the yeast from the dough and hot pepperoni. Weekday Cafe was open too, and I smiled at the red neon sign which said simply, 'BURGER'. I opened the door to the cafe and was greeted with smiles from the staff, but none of the customers looked up. It was just after lunchtime and almost every seat was taken by a student with a laptop, or a businessman or woman with a laptop. As I inhaled the many lunchtime scents in the air (hot greasy meat, American cheese, toasted bread, and cheap butter) and I was instantly ready to eat. My nausea disappeared and I was left with aching, desperate hunger. I stepped up to the counter with a false smile. A very round bald man in a clean, white button-up shirt and pressed black pants was behind the counter. He was always there. "What can I get feryew Darlin'?" "Is there any way at all that I can get some breakfast? I know ya'll stopped serving at 11, but..." I smiled as nicely as I could and did my 'sad eyes'. "Well, Darlin'... ah... I guess so. We still got some grits back there and some bacon. Wha'chu want?" "Can I please have the... um..." I took a moment to decide, glancing at the menu for less than thirty seconds. "The breakfast platter." "How you want the eggs?" "Soft scrambled please." "We ain't got no more tater tots so you'll have to have grits. That okay?" "Yes, that's fine. Can I please add two slices of cheese to that?" "Yep but its thirty-five cents extree per slice. That okay?" I just nodded yes. "Alright what meat you want? We still got some ham and bacon but no sawsedge." "I'll have bacon please." "White or wheat toast?" "Wheat please." "Alrighty then, Darlin'. Your order'll be up soon." He scribbled down what I wanted on a ticket and handed it back through a window to the cook. "What you want to drink?" "Can I please have a bottle of water and a cup of coffee?" "Creamnsugar?" "Yes, please." "That's gonna be seven fifty-nine." I gave him my debit card with a smile. After I added a two dollar tip and signed the card slip, he smiled and said, "Alrighty then, Darlin' I'll have it to your table in jestaminute. You gohead and siddown and I'll bring it right out to you." "Thank you so much." "S'alright." He shooed me off with a pudgy hand toward the tables. I turned and looked around and found a tiny, filthy table in the back near the restrooms and sat down. The round man brought my coffee and water with a handful of creamers and a few packets of sugar, and gave me four of five napkins with a spoon, fork, and knife. I only waited eight or nine minutes on my food, which didn't give me much time to descend back inside my head. My two slices of cheese were glistening with condensation from the steam off the grits, but stubbornly not melting completely until I stirred them in. Alongside my toast was about half a tablespoon of butter in a plastic package, and a tiny tin containing about a tablespoon and half of blackberry preserves with a foil peel off lid. The bacon looked sad, sort of wilted, and was mostly fat. I crumbled it up as best I could and stirred into my grits. My eggs were very hard scrambled, not soft, but I didn't care. Eggs taste nasty if left on a plate for too long, so I ate those first with a sprinkling of black pepper. Eggs on an empty stomach was not a good idea. Once I swallowed my last bite I felt sick. I chugged down almost half the bottle of water, and started on the grits. This went down much easier. I'd been eating cheese grits since I was a little girl, and loved them with bacon. All this greasy comfort food was beginning to relax me. I was feeling much better already. Once the grits we gone I nibbled the toast, but I was pretty full. I sipped my coffee, which was disgusting, and finished the water. Before leaving I left two more dollars on the table because I was so out of it that I'd forgotten I'd already left a tip on my card. That icy lucidity from earlier was gone. Now I was just tired, irritable, and my brain felt full of fog. I decided I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to face myself yet. On a whim I began to walk down to Marietta Street and I stayed on that road for a couple of miles. I walked slowly down the sidewalk, people watching and making up stories in my head about the strangers I saw. Anything to keep from thinking about my own life, my own story. I passed a lot of newstands and places to buy lottery tickets, some pawn shops, a post office, and a ton of hole in the wall cafes. There were parking garages and banks everywhere too. I lost myself in the sunshine on the pavement, the slapping of my flip flops on the ground, the voices of strangers, and the whooshing of cars passing. I walked for a little over an hour before I reached Howell Mill Road. As I got closer the skyline opened up a bit and I could see beyond the buildings. I was hungry again from walking. I stopped in West Egg Cafe and grabbed a Turkey Bacon Gouda sandwich, a grilled chicken salad, and an order of fried green tomatoes to go. Then I decided to was time to head back to my apartment. I needed to walk back home and pack my things to take with me to Boyd's. It took me about forty five minutes to get back. By the time I got in I had eaten the sandwich and almost all the fried tomatoes. It was almost 5 and I was supposed to meet Boyd at 6 at his place, and he lived about 30 minutes away from me. So I changed into some jeans and a tee shirt, brushed my teeth and threw some stuff in a bag. I grabbed makeup, a change of casual clothes, a fancy clutch for the party and gold strappy sandals. I took some fruit from the fridge and my salad, got in my car, and headed to Boyd's. After my short mental break that afternoon, I felt ready. I was ready to do what I needed to do. I was ready to whore myself out if that's what it took to win Boyd's love. I tried to tell myself that it was an admirable quality to sacrifice for love. I told myself I was doing whatever it took. I told myself a lot of things to keep me going, but I wish I'd told myself to stay out of trouble. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 07 Hi everyone! I know it's been months since my last chapter but this one took a long time to complete. I hope you like it. Harmony and Boyd have finally made it to the orgy! We meet Alissa, Greer, and his wife Matilda. We also get to hear a hot story about some fun that was just between Alissa and Harmony! Good times. Thank you guys so much for all your feedback. I can't wait to get the next chapter submitted! Keep sending me your feedback. I read everything you send me. If you have some advice on how to improve my writing, feel free to send that too. ***** I made it to Boyd's just after 5:45. I'd grabbed gigantic bites of my salad at red lights and stuffed a ton of it in my mouth once I parked in his driveway. I chewed as I gathered up my stuff and let myself into Boyd's. He was already standing in the foyer. "I heard your car pull in." He was wearing the grey sweat-wicking pants he wore jogging in the winter, and a very old Rolling Stones tee, the collar doing its best to separate from the rest of the shirt. The hem at the bottom and on the sleeves was fraying, and there were a couple of tiny holes here and there. I think he'd had it since high school and kept it for its softness and nostalgic associations. I was still chewing so I just handed him my stuff and pointed to my mouth, rolling my eyes as if to say, "Food. You know how it is." "Haha, okay..." He smiled and chuckled softly, a hint of sadness in it. He probably felt awkward after our big fight. We'd never really given each other any closure. We hadn't talked since he dropped me off at home the day before, except for his text to tell me when to me meet him. He took my stuff through to the living room and dumped it on the couch. "Lemme grab a protein shake and we'll get going." I was done chewing, so I said, "Are you wearing that?" "Why not?" "At least change shirts..." I made a cringe-y face, stretching my mouth wide and drawing my lips down to expose my lower teeth and gums. A monster smile. "Why? We're going to Alissa's to get our costumes. Do I need to wear a suit and tie for that?" He looked askance at my weird face. "For a pretty girl you make some awful faces..." I smiled prettily, batting my eyelashes. "No, but she's a fashion major... And usually you dress so nice." I gave him a little pout, not pushing it though just in case it started a new quarrel. "I love this shirt." "The collar is trying to gain autonomy and strike out on its own." He looked down at the shirt and pulled the bottom away from his body, checking it out. "And? Maybe the rest of the shirt is ruled by an oppressive dictator. The collar's just the rebellious uprising. Soon, the sleeves will also separate." He looked up at me. "The screen printed emblem may riot. The people will be heard, Harmony. No stopping it." He smirked and bit his lips. He was testing me to see if I'd laugh, if he was forgiven. We both laughed briefly and softly, and this time it was a little less awkward. Boyd changed his shirt (a clean, relatively new, light blue ringer tee) while I made his protein shake. That done, we got in his SUV and drove to Alissa's. Boyd made small talk, just talking about his family, the weather, and what he'd eaten for lunch (an "amazing Niçoise salad from this place in Midtown called Dressed..."). I said nothing aside from "mmhmm" and nodded the whole time. He didn't mind, he just chatted away. Neither of us brought up our fight. I hoped that maybe he'd gotten over it and I just wanted to try and forget it for the time being. Or forever. We needed to focus on our night and on Greer, not on a little quarrel with each other over breakfast. Maybe we didn't need closure. Maybe we would never have to say the words. Maybe it would solve itself through loving each other. Alissa's wasn't very far from Boyd's, but it was in a much nicer neighborhood. Alissa's dad was a lawyer from a family of lawyers, and Alissa's mom was a lawyer from a family of lawyers too. According to Alissa, their engagement and marriage was treated with an amount of pomp and circumstance similar to seventeenth century royal weddings. In a way, it sort of united two law dynasties, and gave them a bit of a monopoly on ambulance chasing, highly advertised firms in the Atlanta and surrounding area. Alissa was an only child (Correction: Only human child. Her mother had dogs, cats, and rabbits which she also treated like human children. All of her animals had babysitters, regular manicures/grooming appointments, chef prepared meals, full closets of clothing and accessories, and weekly play dates. Not to mention stockings full of presents at Christmas and being included in every family portrait.) and adopted, so she was very spoiled to compensate for the circumstances of her birth and lack of attention as both parents were too busy to spend much time with her. Her nanny/nurse/maid since birth was more like a mother to her (Alice McBea, who we called Bea) and Alissa had all the therapy and pills and odd little neurotic hang-ups to show for her lifestyle and childhood. Alissa's ethnicity was a mystery. Her mother and father knew, but Alissa said she didn't want to know. Never wanted to see her birth records or anything to do with her adoption or DNA. She said she preferred to think she was a "Cabbage Patch Kid or a changeling or something". Sometimes we would look at women in magazines and make guesses about her true background. I think it was fun for her not to know, especially when strangers asked her about it. She would always say something different. It was a game that never got old for her. Mostly I was just glad that she felt she could treat it as a game, and wasn't upset by it. She had long (to her hips), silky, jet black hair which shone silver-y and almost like something liquid in the sunlight. She was very tall and thin, about five feet nine inches tall and one hundred and thirty pounds. Her body was very slim but with round hips and thighs, a heart shaped butt, and small A-cup breasts. She had large eyes but they were almond shaped and midnight black with long upper and lower lashes. She had a proud nose and strong jaw, but still feminine and regal looking. She looked like she could have been a queen in a past life. Everyone treated her with respect because of her look and the way she carried herself. Some tall people self consciously stoop without knowing it, but she walked and talked as if she knew exactly where she was and what to do all the time. I was always so jealous of her self-assuredness. Maybe because her family was rich she felt safe. I don't know. Her lips were full with a beestung bottom pout, and she had skin the color of light clover honey. She had clear skin now in her early twenties, but in high school she'd suffered from terrible cystic acne on her face and body. She was now in the process of getting laser treatments and microdermabrasion for her acne scars and it was costing her parents a fortune. She was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen in my life. Strangely, in spite of my attraction to women, I was never attracted to Alissa the way I was with Kallie. Maybe it was because we had something so much deeper than a simple physical relationship could ever be. I truly felt that if soulmates could exist, then me and Alissa were soulmates. I knew she felt the same about me. We'd occasionally joke that it was a shame that one of us didn't have a penis, but we'd always end up agreeing that it was better this way. Once, Alissa had said to me, "It's better to have a friend outside of your lover, maybe even your own spouse, because in life you don't need just one person who really understands you. If one person passes away or leaves, you still have that other friend who is there." I remember just sitting there and thinking about that for a long time, we were so young, it seemed odd that this would occur to her. Finally Alissa said, "Let's make sure we are always that other friend for each other, okay?" And naturally I was on board. Alissa was my best and oldest friend. It meant a lot to me that she and Boyd were on good terms. Alissa sometimes said she wasn't sure if he was right for me, but never tried to make me break up with him or leave him. She also never seemed to be jealous. She accepted him as an extension of myself, even if she felt that he was temporary. She knew I'd always do the same for her. We tried not to judge each other for our choices in companions, even if we felt that they were no good. It was unending, unquestioning support. Alissa lived in her parents' guesthouse, basically her own separate home with a yard and driveway of her own. It was a three bed, one bath "cottage" with a small kitchen, living room, breakfast nook/dining area, a cute little back patio with an outdoor wrought iron canopied daybed (in the South this is called a 'sleeping porch'), a firepit, Zen garden, giant fountain/birdbath, in-ground swimming pool, hot tub, grill, fully stocked minibar, and a small but sweet front porch with a hanging wooden bench swing. I loved Alissa's house and it was perfect for her. The inside was simple, stark, clean. The outside was magnificent and over-the-top. She loved to be outside and when she came in, she wanted all straight lines, symmetry, and everything white. We'd spend summer days and nights on her outdoor daybed in the relative privacy of the semi-sheer white canopy and mosquito nets, wearing pajamas or bikinis all day. We'd flick through magazines, drink cocktails, and at night make s'mores using her firepit to roast the marshmallows. Sometimes if we were feeling like it, we'd invite boys over and party a little. There were about fifteen or twenty tall cyprus trees and privacy shrubs in a long semi-circle around her backyard, giving her almost complete privacy from her parent's house. Their closest neighbors were so far away and separated by a duck pond and so many apple trees that we could be as wild or loud as we liked. Every once in a while the boys would bring drugs, and we'd smoke a bong or do a bump or two of coke. I trusted her to take care of me and she trusted me to take care of her. She'd go off in her corner with someone (she liked to 'do business' on the grass next to her birdbath, saying that there's nothing better than the feeling of the scratchy grass on her naked skin) and I'd go off to mine (I preferred to lay down a blanket and pillows near the firepit, for the warmth) and after the guys left, we'd recap on the daybed, giggling until we drifted off to sleep in each others arms, awakened by Bea in the morning with toast and the best Bloody Marys. The kind with Tobasco and a piece of pickled okra. Alissa was taking fashion design in school and had really been a huge help with our ABC costumes. One of her spare bedrooms (the other was her dressing room with wall-to-wall shelving and clothes racks) was her sewing room, office, couturier, and showroom. She had a giant closet with all her designs in it, a long rack for works in progress, and three or four dressforms (sometimes she let her classmates borrow hers) in there along with her sewing machines and sergers. She had shelves of fabric, thread, appliques, and all sorts of tools that looked foreign to me. She also had two long tables with grooves for cutting fabric which were always cluttered with stuff, an ironing board which was always set up, and an iron which was always plugged in. Alissa, Boyd, and I had spent a lot of time ironing, gluing, and pinning in there over the last 4 weeks. She'd sewn everything together, and finally it was time to pick up the finished products. But she wanted us to try them on once more before taking them back to Boyd's, just to be sure everything was perfect. She'd had a lot of drama-queen anxiety over the project and told me she was spending a lot of time in her Zen garden due to Boyd's costume, but I knew everything would turn out gorgeously. Alissa was very, very talented and inspirational. Alissa answered her door with a smile, wearing one of her thrift store dresses with a fringe-y shawl situation and a ton of jewelry, clanking all over the place. Alissa was in an expensive design school with a lot of 'starving artists' living off checks from their parents, so she liked to pretend to be hungry too by not owning anything designer (unless it came from secondhand or had the tags ripped off or Sharpied out) and getting her clothes from thrift stores, being seen eating at cheap fast food chains, and drinking the cheapest booze at parties. Thing is, she didn't know she was supposed to buy just one or two items of clothing from the thrift store at a time, or just one meal's worth of food, or just a night's worth of booze. Wherever she went she was leaving with armfuls of bags. The Atlanta homeless benefitted from her fast food buying especially, since her eyes were often bigger than her stomach and she was always just ordering everything that sounded good off the menu, and not being able to finish half of it. Bless her heart, nobody bought her act, especially since her dad's smiling face was on every other billboard off I-20. Me and Boyd were used to her getups and didn't bat an eyelash. She still looked good and she could certainly put an outfit together, plus being beautiful gives you the ability to make anything look good. Alissa could make a trash bag, potato sack combo look like the freshest thing to hit the street. "Hey ya'll! Ready for your party?" Alissa's grin was infectious, tugging me from behind my bellybutton. I grinned too and put my arms around her. She didn't know that we were on our way to an orgy. We'd told her that Boyd's office was holding a celebratory party because of the merger and had decided on an ABC theme, but we wanted to be classy since it was for his work. She totally bought it, I think. In her hair I said, "Not until we get all dressed up in our Alcyone House designs." When I pulled from her embrace my eyes told her that I had missed her, she didn't need to say a word, I knew she was feeling the same. "Hey Boyd, ready to see your tux?" She raised her eyes at Boyd's attire and gave him an obviously appraising look, "Ah, well I'm sure you clean up good anyway..." She turned and let us in, beckoning with her hands to follow her in. All three of us laughed, we knew she was just kidding, but she loved giving Boyd a hard time because once (when I first started seeing him) I told her that he thought she was a snob and its been a running joke with them ever since. Boyd took it in stride. "I'm sure you do too." and smirked, shaking his head. He cast his eyes down, then back up to gauge her reaction. Alissa turned and gave him her "bitch face", raised eyebrows, narrowed eyes, pursed lips, finger on her chin. She held this pose for just a second, then laughed silently (one of those laughing smiles where no sound comes out) once and kept walking toward her sewing room. She did a sashay sort of dancing walk, uninhibited and free. I was a little jealous of how she could make anyone fall in love with her, just by these little odd things, these small things. She had no idea she was even doing it, and it just happened. I could tell Boyd was attracted to her, especially her instinctive and ungoverned manner. He would blush at odd times, like when he saw me watching him watching her as she daintily licked her thread before putting it through the eye of a needle, or tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He'd look away hurriedly and would not meet my eyes, my eyes which tried to tell him it was okay to look. That I was looking too. I was always so guarded, just like him, and I knew that being around her was a breath of fresh air. It was for me too, and I loved her for all the same reasons. I couldn't blame him, or even bring myself to be mad. I needed it. He needed it. And I felt safe because Boyd knew she was off limits and Alissa could never, ever be attracted to anyone like Boyd. I heard Third Eye Blind (one of Alissa's favorite bands) softly playing as we entered the sewing room and Alissa's sashaying became a funny closed-eyed, head bopping dance for about thirty seconds, and then she clapped her hands and said, "Okay boys and girls!" then went to her closet of racks. Behind the doors were two dressforms on casters, and she rolled them out into the center of the room. They were draped in black cloth. I rolled my eyes. I knew she was going to do something dramatic but we really didn't have the time. I crossed my arms and shifted my weight to one hip. Boyd just stood there with his hands behind his back. Mine and Alissa's eyes met. "It will be worth it." They said. "It better be." Said mine. I smirked. As she slowly, carefully, peeled the cloth back from the dressforms Alissa said, "Now, be totally honest. Do you love them or what?" Me and Boyd were speechless. We looked at the costumes, at her, at each other, at the costumes. Our mouths open, but no sounds coming out. "Are they bad?" Alissa squeaked. "I knew the gold was too much..." "NO... no, no, no, no!" I said. "No, no! They're just- we didn't..." I was in shock. Boyd saved me, "They are magnificent, Alissa. Genius." And they really were. Boyd's costume was a perfectly tailored three piece tuxedo with tails and matching tie made of black-on-black flocked damask print gift wrap, which we'd bought in several rolls from three different Target stores, taking their entire stock of rolls at each store to make enough "fabric" for the suit. Alissa had ironed the paper between sheets of wax paper to make it more durable and give it a more stiff texture, then cut it into a pattern and sewed it together just like fabric. The shirt for his suit was made from a grey tablecloth. She used a black tablecloth to line the suit so it wouldn't cause Boyd any chafing, sewing the wax papered gift wrap directly to the tablecloth. The tie was made from a couple of grey cloth napkins, cut and sewn into a tie. She'd made cufflinks from bottlecaps she spray painted gold. She'd edged the whole suit with gold acrylic paint, and even painted the creases down the front of his pants with a thin line of gold. The tails were my favorite, because she'd rolled them up into a spiral, giving the tux a Tim Burton-y sort of look, with edges of gold adding to the spiral effect. My costume was a dress made from a gold tablecloth, it was a super short backless minidress with thin spaghetti straps. But the tablecloth was just the lining. The skirt was very full, made of several yards of long strips of gold Christmas tinsel, which were sewn onto the dress with a little hot glue added just in case. The tinsel hung to just above my knees, but was thin and added a lot of movement to the dress. It was reminiscent of fringe-y flapper dresses. The top was made of coffee filters, folded in half and spray painted gold, making ruffles all over the top because they lay over each other like fish scales. They were glued onto a hard shell bustier made from papier-mâché to a mould of my torso, with holes drilled in it on the back. Gold ribbon threaded through the holes gave it a corset-like look and pushed my breasts up to look like two plump little doves resting on my chest. Over my breasts there was no mold, just the shaped coffee filters and fabric of the dress. Me and Alissa helped Boyd into his costume first. At first he didn't want to undress in front of Alissa, but she just rolled her eyes, yanked his tee shirt up over his head said, "Hurry up. Don't you have a party to go to?" As we carefully dressed him, we softly sang to Deep Inside of You. Our dressing of him became almost ritualistic, like we'd done it a million times before. Boyd stood silently, watching us. I met her eyes each time we sang, "and I never felt alone, 'til I met you." I wanted someone to feel this ache I felt. I wanted her know it was there, since I couldn't tell Boyd. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 07 When she sang, "and then I met you." Her eyes told me, "I know. It's okay." and massaged my heart. As we helped Boyd slide on his pants, we were all (including Boyd) chanting, "and we were broke and didn't know" over and over again. There was magic in getting lost in the song, and we all belted out "some great need in me, starts to bleed" and I felt like I was hearing the song for the first time, and I nearly cried. I was still feeling so fragile, and this music which was bringing us together was almost too much for me. Luckily the spell was broken (at least for Boyd) when How's it Gonna Be came on next, and Alissa read my mind and switched tracks. I think she realized I could not handle that song just then. That was the breakup song she and I would play on repeat and sob to, Oreos in hand, crying into each other's shoulders, into her pillows, or her carpet. It was our ritual since high school, and had been played out over and over. We always promised each other never to listen to it alone. She switched tracks to Never Let You Go and we bopped around the room as Boyd checked himself out in the mirror. "I really love this, Alissa. This is amazing work." Alissa blushed demurely (probably an act on her part) and then leaned over and kissed Boyd on the cheek. "That's sweet, Boyd." then she turned to me, "You should keep him." I blushed now, watching Boyd rub her lipgloss off his cheek, "I'll try." "It's your turn now, Missy! Strip!" Boyd made a sound like a trumpet, to the tune of Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend as I wiggled out of my clothes, dropping each item like a burlesque dancer, winking my eyes and doing an "ooh" surprised pinup face. Alissa was laughing at us and started taking apart the dress on the dressform, unlacing the corset and getting ready to put it on me. I stood in my bra and panties and let her and Boyd dress me, as still as I could manage. "I bet this is the first time Boyd's ever helped you into your clothes." Alissa smirked as she held the minidress over my head and slid it down over my body. Boyd cocked an eyebrow and glanced in her direction, helping slide the tight minidress down past my hips and toward my knees. "Is this your first time?" She laughed. "Hell no." I bit my lips but was silent. "Ooh lala. Do tell." Now Boyd was holding the heavy mould up to me as Alissa laced up the back. With every tightening of the laces, Alissa spoke. "I've gotten this. drunk. ass. bitch." she paused for a really hard yank on the laces "dressed more times than I can count on both. fingers. and. toes." She took a breath and as she was tying the laces she said, "This little hoe right here used to get wasted as shit and skinny dip in my pool every damn time she came over! Oh, and this was just high school." When they were done I covered my face with my hands, blushing so hard. "Tell him about the floatie!" I said through my giggles. Alissa was giggling now. "Okay, okay." She took a deep breath, Boyd was looking curious but a little surprised. I never got really crazy drunk around him so he didn't really know that side of me. "This girl used to get drunk on my mom's wine coolers, go out to the pool completely butt ass naked right? Grab one of those long floaties you lay on, and pass the fuck out. In my pool. Naked as fuck for all the damn world to see." "Shut up! You have a privacy fence!" "What about helicopters?" "Whatever." "Anyway, so I'd end up swimming out and rescuing her. I'd slide the floatie back up on the patio and drag her inside and get her dressed." "Remember that summer I practically lived here?" "I remember putting your panties on you at least twice a day for two months straight, yes. I remember that." Alissa crossed her arms and pretended to look annoyed. Boyd seemed surprised to know this about me but I didn't think much of it. "Looks like your dress fits." He said lamely. "This is beautiful, Alissa. You're the best friend I've ever had!" We changed back into our other clothes and Alissa helped us get our costumes into the trunk of Boyd's car without tearing them. Once I was in the car getting my seatbelt on, I saw Boyd take Alissa by the upper arm and press something into her hand, but when she tried to pull away he pushed harder. She accepted whatever it was, looking past Boyd, through the window, to me. Apologizing. Telling me goodbye. She gave a little wave as Boyd turned his back on her, and reached for the door. She went back inside, and I didn't look away until she closed the door behind her. "You guys are a little bit weird together." Boyd said as he clicked his seatbelt in, and started the car. My mind was foggy, and it took me a moment to answer. "What's that mean?" "It's like you are having a silent conversation with each other the whole time. Like, separate from everything else going on." I sighed. "Because we are." He cranked the car and pulled out of the driveway, back on the main road he said "There's something a little... Sapphic about your relationship. Your friendship, I mean." "It's just like that with girls. Lots of close girlfriends are like that. It means nothing more than that we're comfortable with each other." "Mmm hmm..." "No. Really. Women are flirty to show affection. Not just with guys. We're just like that." Boyd was silent and tapped his steering wheel a while, then said, "I didn't know you used to be so... free... with your body." He tapped again and I just sat there, knowing he wasn't done. "Drinking so young, so much... and in high school." "It was rough." "High school was rough for everybody." I put my feet in the seat and hugged my knees, leaning on the door. I knew I was in for a lecture and I didn't feel like hearing one. Of all the nights he could choose... "I was dealing with some shit okay." I leaned my head on the cold glass of the window. "I wanted to escape. I don't get messed up like that anymore." Boyd was still tapping, it was really starting to annoy me but I just grit my teeth and said nothing. Then Boyd blurted out, "Did you fuck her?" "Who?" Like I didn't know. I turned toward him, anger flaring up. "Alissa!" I didn't know what to say. So I just told him no, shaking my head as if that was a ridiculous idea. I leaned my head back on the glass, and held my breath until I heard Boyd sigh with relief. We didn't speak to or look at each other until we got back to Boyd's. We did fuck. Just once. We were high on coke and had drunk more whiskey than was acceptable for anyone, both of us had just turned twenty-one, and she had invited her boyfriend over. We decided to blindfold him and each give him a lapdance to see if he could tell the difference between the two of us. Then it went to the next level, he kept telling us he couldn't decide. We blasted Brand New, Your Favorite Weapon in her parents' pool house, and both of us blew him, first separately and then simultaneously. Taking turns on his balls and cock. I barely remember it, but one thing that sticks out was both of us spitting on him, our mouths side-by-side but touching, our saliva mixing and tricking down the head of his penis to the shaft. He was blinded, that was just for us. He ended up taking off his blindfold and telling us he wanted to watch us together. He jerked off while we made out, and eventually started touching each other and escalating to having sex. I barely remember it. I think Alissa remembered more than I did. Because the next morning after she'd told her boyfriend never to talk to her again and he'd done a donut in her driveway while screaming "whore bitch", she asked me if I was gay. She said no one should be that good at eating pussy, which she probably only said to make me laugh. I admitted everything to her. Everything. And she forgave me for all the lies and omissions. And we never talked about it again. Not even jokingly. It was like it had never happened. Which, to me, goes to show it meant more to both of us than we ever could bring ourselves to admit. I thought of this time on the drive back to Boyd's. All the times we were drunk at concerts we'd waited weeks for and didn't even remember what bands we'd seen or if they were any good. All the nights I was passed out, all the spontaneous crying spells, and she never got mad. She would just cover me up, put a box of tissues and a small trashcan nearby, and wait. When we made it back to Boyd's it was almost nine pm. We planned to get to Valhalla around eleven, so we were a touch behind schedule. We got ready as quickly as possible, Boyd jumped in the shower and shaved while I curled my hair into big soft waves (think Victoria's Secret model) and did my makeup. I went with a natural look but with a 1960's style cat-eye and red gloss, since my dress was so loud. I knew I wouldn't be getting attention for my face. It was going to be all about my dress. I kind of felt like it would be wearing me, but I decided to try to work it as best I could. I had to try, for Boyd. Before brushing our teeth one last time before heading out, I grabbed a plum and a banana and scarfed them down, chewing the fruit while making another protein shake for Boyd. I brought it to him in the bathroom and he took sips of it between passes with his razor. Once he was done shaving he chugged the rest down, then started working on his hair. I started to brush my teeth as he was combing his hair and working it through with some pomade. Boyd was looking in the mirror, but at me. I thought he was watching me brush my teeth, but then he said "What are you going to do with Greer?" That had come out of nowhere, but I went with it. I couldn't blame him for wanting to know. I spit out some toothpaste. "I don't know. I think I'll just do whatever he wants, within reason. Hopefully I can go somewhere private and he won't want to just have me right out in the open..." I got the heebie jeebies thinking about people at Boyd's office witnessing my humiliation. "I'm not into this at all. I'm going to try to roll with it and then forget it later as best I can." Boyd was raking the comb through his hair again, trying to make it all go straight back, a little like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic, when he's all dressed up for dinner. "Greer does these parties a lot, you know." He turned on the blowdryer on a low cool setting to set the pomade, then sprayed his hair with my Elnett, then did another short pulse with the dryer again. I was kind of glad that he knew how to do his own hair, since it meant I wouldn't need to do it for him. I waited for him to finish with the dryer before I answered. I was rinsing and spitting anyway. "I'll make sure he rubbers up. I'm not stupid." He was still watching me in the mirror, but was looking in my mirror eyes. I, too met his eyes through the mirror. It seemed easier to do this than to turn to each other and simply talk. "No, I know... I don't mean that." "What then?" "I mean, I think he's good... at, at sex." "He's like, fifty-something." "So?" "Are you worried I'm going to enjoy myself." "Maybe..." "I won't. I'm grossed out by this." "Okay..." Boyd brushed his teeth in silence as I gathered up my stuff and put my essentials in my clutch, got naked, and put my shoes on. I walked back into the bathroom, naked as the day I was born except for my makeup, shoes, and handbag. Boyd cocked an eyebrow at me from the mirror and continued brushing. I'd hoped for a bit more of a reaction, but maybe he was just thinking of the fact that Greer would be seeing it all too. Or maybe after two years of the same body, there was nothing left to be pleasantly surprised about. Once he was done, we helped each other to dress to avoid ripping our costumes, but I was pretty confident in Alissa's abilities. I felt they would be strong enough to get us through the car ride and at least partly though the party. Boyd and I each packed a change of clothes in a duffle to keep in his car, just in case. We both took pictures of each other before getting in the car, to send to Alissa to stick in her portfolio if she wanted. We made sure to get front, back, and sides, as well as some little details like the tiny, even stitching on Boyd's suit and the little straps on my dress, a closeup of Boyd's tie and the pleating on his lapel, a closeup of the coffee filters on the bodice. Satisfied with the pictures, we locked up and left. When we got in the car Boyd turned to a station playing club-y hip hop and dance music, and turned the music up loud. I think Boyd was trying to drown out his thoughts, and I decided to play along. It wouldn't do any good to sit in pensive silence. I tried to imagine, for the next forty-five minutes that it took for us to get to Valhalla and park, that I was on my way to a Spring Break vacation at the beach. Or a bed and breakfast weekend in the mountains. Or a Vegas elopement. Anywhere. Anywhere at all but where we were headed. My stomach felt cold, my fingers and feet felt numb, and I was beginning to feel nauseous and shaky again. Terrified. Images of figs and wine in my toilet flashed before my eyes and I forced them away by dancing in Boyd's leather seat. You know those times when you feel like you know the future, but you feel stupid admitting it to yourself? Or those times when you know everything is about to go horribly wrong, but you plunge ahead anyway, hoping... praying to be wrong? In that moment I was wrapped up in that. I danced in my seat, hands over my head, snapping my fingers or clapping my hands at the right times. Singing along, giggling, waving at strangers out the rolled down windows, but inside I was falling apart. I knew what was about to happen would be unforgettable. I knew I'd never be the same. I knew I would hate myself the next day. But I couldn't see a way out without losing Boyd. Couldn't see past my desire, my need, to make him happy. To make amends for a wrong he didn't know I'd done to him. About six months or so before meeting Boyd, I'd gone out with Kallie and five friends from the steakhouse we'd worked at to a Kings of Leon concert. One of the guys we went with had won some tickets from a radio station contest. It was in Nashville, so we loaded up and drove. We used a van from somebody's friend of a friend, bought about a hundred dollars worth of food from Taco Bell, and a ton of snacks and slushies from a gas station, and we drove out there. We didn't have booze or drugs, we were just high on sugar and road trip sleepiness and some excitement, and that was enough. Coming back from the concert we were so exhausted but happy, that we sang the whole way home and screamed at passing cars. We felt so young, so free, and like nothing could touch us. After Boyd, I never felt like that anymore. I felt old. I felt tired, but not in a sleepy way. Tired of living day to day. I always blamed it on work or being tired or not being around the right people. I should have been feeling great, my work was going great and I was in a stable relationship and had no friends or family drama, my health, my beauty. I don't know why it never occurred to me that most of my problems began and ended with my "stable relationship". We parked a block down from Valhalla in a twenty-four hour parking deck and walked to the club. The windows were covered with black posterboard and a sign was outside saying "Private Party! Not Open to Public!" with their public hours posted underneath. We saw a couple of cars slow down to look at the sign and then drive off, and a group of girls walking up to the club, see the sign, exclaim loudly, and then walk down the street to a different club. Greer must have shelled out a good bit of money to book the club up for a weekend night. Valhalla would normally be doing a lot of business. When we got to the door, a bouncer was standing there checking everyone's invitation and names on a list, as well as giving out rubber bracelets and looking at IDs. He was also going through handbags to check for any recording or photographic devices. Anyone with phones or cameras was sent away. This was an exclusive private party and Greer was very serious about security and privacy for everyone involved. Boyd handed the bouncer our invites and ids, and the bouncer gave our ids back, kept the invite, and gave us two black silicone bracelets. A little like the Livestrong bracelets that were once popular, but plain matte black. Before getting into the party, our costumes had made a ton of noise, especially Boyd's crinkly paper suit, which was a little wrinkled from him sitting. Once we were inside, music was blasting and people were being loud, so we were no longer self conscious of our costumes making noise. We were by no means the first to the party. There were already at least thirty or forty people there and the guest list was a little over a hundred people long. There were a few people from the firm and their spouses, a bunch of random single women, and some of Greer's personal swinger friends. A lot of people had taken their ABC costumes seriously and made some great costume attempts, but Boyd and I were easily the best dressed (Greer and his wife made a close second), best looking couple. We didn't see Greer right away. We approached the bar and got drinks (Two shots of Crown Royal for both me and Boyd, then Crown and Coke on the rocks for us both to sip) and stood around for a little while, checking out what other people were doing. Mostly people were greeting each other, a few people were dancing. I wondered if I'd see Aaron and Pam. I hoped Hal wouldn't be there, I was sure I'd never be able to look him in the eye again. Luckily, it seemed that Aaron and Pam were spending a quiet night at home for a change, and Hal wasn't there either. Unfortunately the usual bartenders and the other bouncers were there and I knew that word would get back to Hal, Aaron, Pam, and maybe even Kallie. But it was too late to turn back. I knew I had to stay, and I decided to own it as best I could. Boyd and I stood together, yet apart. He wouldn't hold my hand, put his arm around me, touch me at all. We stood silently watching people dancing, avoiding each other's eyes. He was very stiff, but I wanted to try and at least pretend I was having fun. I tried to engage him by taking his hands when a song we knew would come on, and try to dance with him or at least sway. But he would only stand there and stare over my shoulder. It reminded me oddly of Weekend at Bernie's. Just when I was getting fed up with him, Greer came over. I was attempting to dance with Boyd and he was looking past me over my shoulder when I saw his face change completely. From total cold blankness to brilliant and vibrant with life. With need. He gripped my waist and hugged me to him, and began to grind his hips into me as much as our costumes would allow. He moved me to the music as if it was the only thing he had ever known. He buried his nose in my cleavage and kissed his way up my neck. His hands were caressing every square inch of bare flesh. I knew something was up and I tried to turn to see what it was, but Boyd would not allow me to turn. He held on to me like I was the last drop in the bottle, or the last cigarette in the pack. I did not realize that Boyd had seen Greer (and was putting on this act for him) until I heard Greer's voice loud in my ear, "That's quite a costume you've got there dearie." I nearly jumped out of my skin, and stepped all over Boyd's feet as Greer was saying, "Did you make it yourself?" When he saw how surprised I was he began laughing, a deep chuckle that was almost Santa-like. I blushed and put my hands over my mouth, looking down demurely. I pretended to be deeply embarrassed of myself, yet I was secretly pleased. Maybe if I made a big fool of myself, Greer wouldn't want me. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 07 "Boyd, my son! Looks like you've got a skittish filly!" Greer was already a little drunk, he slurred the words and his eyes floated around in his head like fish in a bowl. His hand landed heavily on Boyd's back, like a lion's paw swatting it's prey. He looked me up and down like an artwork appraiser and then said, "No matter, my boy. She's still rideable." Boyd gave a half-hearted snigger and mumbled something incoherent. I simply stood there, taking in what I could. I was sizing Greer up, just as he had done to me, but more discreetly. As Boyd and Greer chatted briefly about nothing, I tried to determine as much as I could from Greer's appearance and manner. Greer was about fifty-five years old, but not a bad looking fifty. His skin was still taut from a life of leisure and a devotion to fitness, but he did have a bit of a belly now thanks to his fondness for booze and rich desserts. He had greyish blue eyes and a light tan. His overall looks suggested Germanic decent, probably his family had come to America before the Revolution, certainly before the Civil War. His hair was a salt and pepper gray, in a short hairstyle that reminded me of Clark Gable. Usually when I saw him, he wore impeccable suits. This night, he was dressed as what I first thought was a Roman soldier or politician but I later realized was Mark Antony. He wore a scarlet Roman style tunic made from a sheet or tablecloth, armour made from tin cans that were spray painted gold, and his crown was made from foam that was painted gold. Also he wore gauntlets and shin pieces of painted foam, a scarlet and gold cape/cloak made from whatever his tunic was made of, and gladiator style sandals to finish it off. He was laughing, he seemed to be in a great mood. I was sure that I would have no trouble pleasing him if it came to that. But I was going to try and sabotage the situation as much as possible. It took only seconds for me to take all this in, and I stood quietly as Boyd and Greer talked as if I wasn't there. Boyd had forgotten all his manners and made no attempt to bring me into the conversation, but even drunk as a skunk Greer knew his duty as a host. "Oh my darlin, I'm terribly sorry. We done left you out in the cold!" Greer pushed Boyd aside and took both my hands as I looked down at my feet, I said nothing and bit my lips. "What a lil' lady you are. You can be too polite ya'know!" I looked straight into Greer's eyes and said as slowly and clearly as I could, "That's alright sir. I don't think I could carry on a conversation right now anyway. I've been standing here thinking about my bladder. I'm about to bust! Could you please tell me where I can find the nearest ladies room? In a minute I might lose all control and we'll have a puddle right here at my feet." I smiled widely and sweetly, as if I was completely ignorant of how inappropriate it was. I just knew that Greer would be shocked and disgusted and wouldn't want me after that. Of course I knew where the bathrooms were. I knew where everything was in Valhalla. But I was flying by the seat of my pants and couldn't think of anything better. "Well honey, I'm not sure where it is but I'm about positive my wife does. Jestaminit and I'll fetch her. I don't believe ya'll've met." Greer didn't seem to be phased a bit. He trotted off in search of his wife, and as soon as he was out of earshot Boyd grabbed my arm. As he pulled me roughly into a corner, Boyd hissed, "What the fucking fuck do you think you are doing?" "Do you want me to sleep with him? I'm trying to repulse him little by little but without embarrassing us too much." I shook Boyd's hand off my arm. It was a little bit red and blotchy where he'd been gripping me. Boyd looked me dead in the eye and through gritted teeth he said, "Don't, Harmony. Please. You can't get out this." Then he looked down and I could barely him when he spoke, "We can't win this way. Just stop now and let's just get through this so we can go home and forget about it." "Why? I don't understand..." I wasn't able to finish my thought and Boyd couldn't answer. Greer had come back, his wife was following behind by several feet. She was stopping every few feet to greet people as she passed. "Whyyoo hidin in this corner over here? Young lovers trysting already? So early in the night?" Greer was grinning at us with obvious porcelain veneers. For some strange reason I wondered what his teeth underneath looked like. As he leaned toward us I caught a whiff of wine on his breath and the failure of his deodorant. Boyd and I did not answer verbally, we only looked sheepishly at the ground. Now he leaned more in Boyd's direction but I felt his gaze burning through the crown of my head. "Ya'know you can't keep her to yourself forever. Not a pretty thing like that." He leaned back as his wife approached and beckoned towards her with one arm. I knew she was his wife before we were introduced, partly because she was dressed as Cleopatra, and partly because she had been described to me by Boyd who had met her twice. He said that she was one of the most charming and "smooth" women he had ever met. One of those people who can never be awkward or out of place. One of those women who make women like myself, who are full of social anxieties and insecurities, feel disgusting and childish. She was tall and slender in a runway model sort of way, almost no curves at all. She was much younger than Greer, in her early thirties. Her face was very European looking in bone structure with gigantic, wide-apart eyes. Her Cleopatra costume was made of sheer light blue chiffon, probably material from a curtain. It was draped over her in such a way that she was exposed from collarbones to just over the navel, where the fabric gathered at the waist. It flowed down her legs and made two slide splits and ended in a two-foot train in back. She wore jewelry made from various objects like bottlecaps, shells, beads, etc. One could see that over her nipples she wore gold pasties and she wore a gold bikini bottom under her dress as well. She wore gladiator sandals like Greer's, an armband with an asp, and a headpiece with an asp as well. To top it all off, she wore a short black wig with beaded braids just like one that Elizabeth Taylor wore in Cleopatra. It was a beautiful and imaginative costume, and she wore it very well. Greer's arm encircled his wife, she stepped neatly into his half embrace and smiled at us with magnanimity. "This here's muhwife, Matilda. But tonight she's Cleopatra! I believe you've met Boyd before right hun?" Greer looked at Matilda who was his height. Close to six feet tall. "Yes dear, I've had the pleasure on two occasions." Matilda was definitely sober. She probably hadn't had a sip of anything the whole night. She put out her hand for Boyd to take, which he did. She also didn't have a Southern accent like the rest of us. Her way of speaking was perfectly accentless. She could have been from anywhere. But her voice was low in a sultry way. She could read from the phone book and it would sound like sex. He shook it gently, looked her in the eyes (a triumph, as I could barely tear mine away from her chest) and said, "It's great to see you again Matilda. I'd like to introduce my girlfriend, Harmony." "I really like your costumes. Very creative." I said lamely. Matilda looked as if maybe she wasn't sure what to do with me yet. Greer broke the ice with, "I wonder, dear, if you could show young Harmony the ladies room?" Matilda smiled at her husband but said nothing. She took my hand gently and inclined her head toward the back of room, indicating to me that I was to follow her. Once she saw that I was coming along, she let go of my hand and sashayed forward, leading with her hips like she was strutting down a runway. She opened the door of the restroom and held it as I walked in. No one else was in there. She raised her eyebrows at me and gestured towards a stall. "Didn't you need to..." "Ah... yeah..." I didn't. I somehow managed to squeeze out the tiniest trickle of piss though. When I came out of the stall Matilda was examining her makeup in the mirror. I had thought that she would leave. She stared at me with interest, the way a cat watches a caged bird, as I washed and dried my hands. When I was finished, she said slowly, "I understand that the boys have made..." she paused and rolled her eyes, "an arrangement." I was silent. I looked at the wall, the ceiling, the floor. I was afraid to meet her eyes. "Regarding you." She said, matter-of-factly. "Um..." Matilda laughed softly, like a whisper. "No need to be embarrassed or shy. I allow these parties to happen after all. Some of my dearest friends have shared my husband's affections." Was that supposed to make me feel better? "Uh..." She cocked a hip and placed one hand on it. Her hipbones could probably filet fish. "Look, I can tell already that you don't even want to be here. My husband is too drunk to notice that. I don't know why you agreed to this and I don't want to know. It's none of my business. But if you are going to do it, you need to suck it up." "I... I don't know what you-" Matilda reached out and placed both her hands on my face, forcing me to look in her eyes. "Yes. You do. Put on a show. Do what he asks you to do. After he's had you once he won't want you again, so don't worry about this being a trend." She caressed my cheek with her back of her hand, then smacked it lightly and pushed me away with her fingertips. Perhaps, because of my heels, I staggered backwards a bit. I was a little shocked by much force she had while seeming to exert no energy whatsoever. Her face was absolutely passive. "I never... I didn't." I massaged my cheek, which stung a little. She rolled her eyes. "Okay", she said woodenly, like she didn't believe me. Or didn't care. "But you need to be careful. Do not let him see that you aren't into him. He wants you to want him. He's not a total monster. But things could go badly if you don't play along." How was that supposed to help me? This bitch was stressing me out. "What does that even mean?" She smiled and looked at the ceiling, shrugging her shoulders. "Don't worry about it. You worry about being cute and flirty and sweet, the rest will happen naturally." Then she grabbed my arm and shoved me out the bathroom door. "Get back to Boyd. I have guests to see to. I can't waste my time on you all night. If you need some courage, your drinks will be free all night long. I've already notified the bartenders to give you anything you want." Before I could say a word or even react properly, she was off. I saw her waving down a woman dressed in duct tape with a fishing net thrown over her like a pashmina. As I headed back to where I'd left Boyd, I noticed that he was standing alone. Greer must have gone to talk to other people too. When I reached him, Boyd grabbed me and took me back to corner where we had tried to talk before. "Um. How fucking long does it take to use the bathroom? What the hell were you doing in there?" I gave Boyd a wide-eyed look to show him that he was being a little crazy. "It takes a while to get this get up off and on you know?" He seemed to calm down, "Sorry. I'm sorry. I just can't take this." "Let's get some more drinks, and dance a little okay? People are still warming up and nobody's acting too crazy. It's gonna be okay." We ordered two more Crown and Cokes and headed downstairs to the underground level of Valhalla, I was curious to see how it was decked out for this party. The pool table was gone and a ton of couches and chairs had been placed down there with a lot of little tables holding bowls filled with condoms and single use lubricant packets. It was pretty tame down there, for an orgy. It was still early. People were grinding on each other and one girl was having her pussy eaten by some guy wearing nothing but a loincloth made from blue tarpaulin material. After seeing that, Boyd turned to go back up the stairs, but I pushed his shoulder towards the dance floor. He gave me a wary look, but went with me. We couldn't get very close without messing up our clothes, but we managed to dance for a couple of songs. The alcohol was finally working its poisonous magic. I think if I'd been able to dance for one more song, I might have forgotten why I was there. But Greer found us. He approached us just as I had stopped caring about my costume and was trying to get close enough to Boyd to really feel him against me, I was smiling and laughing. But I got quiet when Greer came up to us. "You don't mind if I cut in, do you Boyd?" It wasn't a question, Greer was already steering me away, Boyd was left alone before I had a chance to say anything. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him going to stand against a wall. I tried as best I could to dance with Greer without seeming too interested for Boyd's sake, but not disinterested for Greer's sake. I tried to dance with my back to him, letting him feel my legs and butt, but he didn't seem to like that as much. He made me turn around to face him. I tried to focus on just dancing and not looking at him, the way I did in clubs when I didn't like the guys who would randomly come to me and try to grind on me. I kept my eyes closed, like I was really into the music. That didn't work either. Greer grabbed me around my waist, and caressed my back where my bustier had left a huge gap, and there was only ribbon. I was worried he'd untie me right there, but he didn't. Instead he leaned in and said, "You and I can't have all the fun tonight. We'll have to share, you know?" My eyes opened and I was back in the moment with him. "What do you mean?" I smiled. Maybe I could act stupid. "Well, poor Boyd brought you all the way here. We don't want him to be lonely." He paused and gave me a very deliberate look with a smile. "Do we?" And of course I immediately felt like a selfish ass. I had never considered how he would feel, just sitting in the dark. People copulating in groups all around him. Waiting for Greer to be done with me. "No. We certainly don't." I sighed my last sentence. I'd have to share him, as he was sharing me. Greer was no longer touching my back, now he was running his fingers through my hair, and all over my neck and collarbones. "You go find someone suitable for him to occupy his time with, then bring yourselves upstairs." We stopped dancing and he led me over to an unoccupied corner. He still held me close to him though, unwilling to be more than arm's length away from me. "The lounge?" I asked shakily, I could barely breathe. Greer kissed my right shoulder, and traced his tongue along my collarbone and stopped before reaching the small hollow of my neck. "No, honey. The VIP room." "I'll meet you there." I detached myself from him, slowly. I knew I couldn't get out of it by that point. I walked back to where I'd left Boyd and found him watching the couple we'd seen before. I stood apart from him, watching him watching them. I could tell he was aroused, I could see it through his paper pants. He held his drink down low in front of him, trying to conceal it. The situation had evolved, and now the guy who had been eating the chick had his cock halfway down her throat while another guy was fingering her and kissing her breasts. It was only a matter of time before everyone was doing the same. I walked up to Boyd and tapped him on the arm. I didn't say anything and neither did he. I just led him towards the exit. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 08 Hello again! I was able to finish this chapter a lot more quickly than the last one. I knew it would be hard for you to wait for the next one after my little cliffhanger! I hope you like this chapter, which finally brings a little bit of resolution to all the business with Greer. In this chapter we will see more (a lot more!) of Greer and Matilda, and maybe learn more about the dynamics of their relationship. Harmony finds a distraction for Boyd, and she finally has her time with Greer. We'll also learn more about Harmony and Boyd's relationship, including how they first met. Please, please don't stop sending me your feedback! Even if you have to type it with only one hand, or your nose even, I'd love to hear it! All your comments are important to me and I take each email to heart. I am always looking improve my writing and the story! I'd love to hear any questions, comments, thoughts, or advice. Thank you so much! Happy reading! ***** The beat of the music in the lounge was thumping so hard that I felt my ribs shaking with each bass note. The volume had increased to the point where the conversation that Greer, Matilda, Boyd, and myself had had there before would have been impossible. Boyd and I didn't waste our time trying to shout over the music, we'd been together long enough to be able to read each other's body language. I led him by the hand from the underground level and through the lounge. No one was having sex in there yet. It seemed that the lounge had been set up in a way to suggest that it wouldn't be a good idea to get it on in there. There was no seating at all, no bowls of condoms, etc like in the underground room. I steered Boyd past couple after couple kissing or dancing. Our palms were sweating as I scanned the crowd for a girl that Boyd would like enough to help him forget. I went to the bar and got two more Crown and Cokes for us while looking around at the other girls in attendance. Most of them looked coupled up already. I knew Boyd wouldn't want to get into a large group situation. I wasn't afraid of someone rejecting Boyd, since he was so good looking and those girls were there because they wanted to have sex. I was looking for someone who was Boyd's "type", which isn't always that easy to find. At the bar were some pretty young women, mostly brunettes. None of them would do. Boyd was crazy about blonde, all American types, so I was on the lookout for anyone with a big friendly smile, golden hair, nice body, and a tan. After getting our drinks I left the bar, Boyd following, and checked out the dance floor. Most of the people on the dance floor looked like they'd chosen their partners already, but I managed to find a group of guys standing around a few girls who were all dancing together. They were caressing each other and grinding their hips together while the guys watched them. They were clearly getting off to the attention and giving each other seductive looks and giggling. Every so often they'd share a kiss. I left Boyd standing alone, letting him know I would be right back, and stood among the men watching. I could see why they were getting so much attention, all of them were beautiful and their costumes didn't leave much to the imagination. One brunette was wearing nothing but caution tape wrapped around her, two redheads wore Victoria's Secret bags as halter tops and skirts, and there in the middle was a beautiful blonde wearing a bikini made from the leaves of silk flowers. I watched her for a moment before making my choice, I wanted to be sure. She seemed happy and in a good mood, her body looked fit and she had nice breasts. Her skin was a little pale but I was not in a position to be very picky. Her hair was a pale blonde and cut into a fashionable short bob. She had a little bit too much makeup on but I knew Boyd wouldn't mind that. I cut through the crowd of guys, reached past the other girls and took hold of the blonde's hand. She came along with me and I danced with her in the circle of onlookers to get the feel of her. She would definitely do. She was more Scarlett Johansson than Jennifer Aniston, but I knew that was plenty good enough for Boyd. I smiled at her and she smiled back, and I gestured over to Boyd so she would notice him. When she looked back at me I shrugged my shoulders and lifted my hands as if to ask, "What do you think?", and she nodded assent, grinning. I took hold of her hand and turned away from her, bile rising back up my throat, burning. I finished my drink in one gulp and got rid of my glass. We reached Boyd, who looked at me with surprise. I imagine he probably thought I picking someone out for Greer, but as I held The Blonde's hand, I reached for his, and kissed him deeply. He'd also just finished his drink, and he still tasted of whiskey. When I was done, I brought his hand to hers, and kissed her cheek. I motioned with my finger and smiled (partly to throw them both off, and also to suppress my gag reflex) to indicate to them both that they should kiss, which they did. Boyd kissed her with one eye open, looking at me, questioning me. I nodded "yes", and he closed both eyes and was lost to me. When they pulled away from each other, I held my sanity like a child clutching his favorite blanket before his mother plucks him from a burning building. I took my hurt and shoved it away, I winked at them and took their hands. Smirking, laughing, I led them to the stairs which went to the VIP room. Doors opened for us, people stepped aside for us, a tray of champagne flutes and condoms floated by, we partook. We reached a corner and I kissed them both, a peck for each, then turned my back on them and faced the room. The music was quieter, I noticed that first. It was loud enough to cover a whisper or gasp, but low enough to hear moans of pleasure. It was sultry house music with no vocals and steady rhythm, music meant for sex. I was very drunk at this point, but handling myself well. I was operating using my most primal instincts and basic functions. I looked around me as I got my bearings. All the sofas were occupied with writhing bodies. I barely paid attention to them. There were huge punch bowls full to the brim with condoms and lube packets sitting all around. Next to the bar there was a velvet lined box with dildos and bullet vibrators, next to that was a trashcan with a red hazmat bag in it. Also by the bar was a basket with satin ribbons, blindfolds, and other accessories of that nature. Some people were going through the basket or the velvet box, giggling over the treasures inside. Greer wasn't there yet, but Matilda was waiting for me. The mirrored dance floor had a bed sitting in the middle of it, and Matilda was sitting in the middle of that on sheets pure and white as ice. She motioned to me and I went to her obediently, as if she really was Cleopatra and I was nothing but a servant, a handmaid. She patted the bed next to her and I sat down. "He will be here soon." No need to ask who she meant. She brushed my hair back and pinched my cheeks, readying me. "Bite your lips" she told me. "Your lipstick's worn off." I did as she commanded, and she was about to unlace my bustier, but then stopped. "No, he'll want to do that himself..." I nodded and still said nothing. "Now, go get Boyd and his little plaything and bring them here." I couldn't think why she would want me to do that, but I did anyway. Boyd and The Blonde were still just kissing and feeling each other up. When I reached them she smiled slyly at me and Boyd looked guilty. "Come and join the fun." I said, maybe too woodenly but the best I could manage. I led them to stand against one of the mirrored walls. They said nothing, and Boyd leaned against the wall and latched back on to The Blonde's face. I kissed her shoulders and stroked his thigh, telling them of my approval. After I felt I'd spent enough time on them both, I went back to the bed with Matilda. The bed was only about six feet away from where my boyfriend and hopefully soon-to-be fiance, was sucking the face off of another woman. Matilda fluffed the pillows on the bed and gave me a last once over to make sure I was presentable. I could feel my nerve weakening as I waited for Greer and watched Boyd with the girl I had procured for him. Once Matilda was satisfied that I looked alright, she left me alone and joined another man wearing a shower curtain toga (rings still attached) who had been waiting for her by the bar. He looked to be closer to her age than Greer, and he bit her ear playfully in a familiar sort of way. She sighed into him and I saw her lips curl into a genuine smile. I had a feeling that they hadn't met for the first time on that night. They disappeared together, Greer still wasn't there. I didn't want to go back up to Boyd and The Blonde. I could see that Boyd was enjoying himself and I didn't want to ruin it. Instead I occupied myself with people watching. I noticed that one of the couches that was usually covered up by a curtain had about three people on it and a crowd around it. The curtains were flung open to either side and framed the activity within. One young redheaded woman was being serviced, and was servicing in a number of ways, multiple men. Practically every cavity of her body was full of something. Her eyes were closed, she could barely move for all the people around her. I don't know how she was able to focus, there was so much going on. Some of the men who were inside her were kissing and feeling each other. It was a press of bodies, just skin on skin on skin. As one man finished, another moved to take his place. Not a square inch of her skin was dry. She was slick with fluids of one sort or another. I watched as one man finished inside her mouth, and after she swallowed what she was able to, he cleaned himself off using her rust colored hair. As he did this, another man slipped between her lips. Just as I was beginning to wonder and worry that I would soon be in a jumble like that young woman, Greer walked through the door. He wasn't the time wasting type. He came straight to the bed, sat down next to me, and began stroking my legs. "Now I'm double jealous of Boyd. Better be careful Lil' Harmony, that gal you picked for him might just swipe him out from under you." Before I could even think of a response, a flushed and slightly mussed Matilda with her toga wearing parter in tow appeared from out of nowhere. She sat on the edge of the bed and parted her legs wide, the fabric of her dress falling between them and obscuring what was beneath. But I could see that her pasties and her bikini bottom were gone. Greer got closer to me and began massaging and kissing me all over. I could not take my eyes off Matilda, her partner's head was between her legs now, but the fabric kept her mostly covered. She had her head back and was purring with pleasure. Greer took my face in his hands and made me look at him, then he kissed me. He was licking my lips, then his tongue was in my mouth. Hot and urgent and needy. He explored me, then retreated. He dove down my neck into my breasts, wrinkling and tearing my golden coffee filters. His knee went between my legs and I felt some of my tinsel fringe ripping from my dress. I risked a peek at Boyd and he and his little friend were still kissing, but had moved to some heavy petting on the outsides of their costumes. The shoulders of his paper tux were starting to rip though, and his curled tails were hopelessly smashed into the mirror behind him. Leaves were falling one by one off of The Blonde's bikini. "Don't worry 'bout them, honey." Greer whispered. "They'll do just fine without any interferin' from you." I simply nodded, like a child who was reminded to say her prayers before bed. Greer got on the bed and went around behind me to unlace my bustier. As he yanked the ribbon from each hole, he kissed my back in the bare spot left behind. Once I was completely unlaced, he let the mold drop heavily to the floor. I saw it crack right in half. Now all I had left was my dress made from the tablecloth, no panties or bra underneath, and a pair of shoes. Greer came back around to face me, took my hand and made me stand up, then in seconds lifted my dress from the hem and it was up over my head and gone. I had on nothing but a pair of gold heels. I sat back down, dazed and naked, my hands slightly behind me, my hips forward on the edge of the white bed, feet on the floor and legs together. My chest was pushed up towards the ceiling and my head back, looking up at Greer. He tossed his foam crown to the floor, resting near my bustier. He straddled my legs and leaned over me, kissing me again on the mouth, then my neck. After a moment he reached toward his wife and grabbed the edge of her dress. " 'tilda..." he said. Matilda used her knee to nudge the side of her lover's head. He said nothing but composed himself and stood up. Matilda also stood and then Greer got off me. I stared at them both and watched as Matilda undressed her husband, armor first, then tunic, then underwear. I glanced behind them, and noticed that the jacket of Boyd's costume was in a crumpled heap by his feet, and The Blonde's bikini top was gone. She had pretty, pale, puffy little nipples. I also saw that the redhead who had been in the middle of the group was now collapsed and spooning in the floor with one lone man who was kissing her shoulders and whispering to her. She was smiling dreamily, both eyes closed. A new group had taken possession of the couch but had pulled the curtains closed. You could only see furiously moving shadows. Matilda was still clothed but now Greer was naked except for his gladiator sandals. Matilda was on her knees and blowing him and stroking his balls while her lover held her hair and massaged her neck. Greer stood as Matilda was deep throating him, taking Greer's full length, which was probably a little over six inches with a girth of about an inch. Matilda was finished before Greer was. She pulled away and sat back on her heels and Greer groaned. She hastily put a condom on him and then deep throated him one last time, leaving a trail of slime coming off his cock, which she broke by wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Neither one of them said a word, but as Greer turned back to me, Matilda turned to her lover and they disappeared again. Greer approached me with his cock still wet from Matilda's saliva. It quivered and throbbed as he came nearer. "Spit." Was all he said to me, and I sucked in my cheeks to try to draw some saliva of my own out. I did as I was told, spitting on him, then leaning back on the bed for him. He held his cock in one hand and used the other to move me around to a position he wanted, which I realized was at a specific angle. He stood against the bed and had me lie back fully, with my butt on the very edge of the bed. He had placed me so that if Boyd were to look over, he'd see a full view of my pussy with Greer's cock in it. I could see it for myself, thanks to the mirrors. Before I had a chance to think about this or say a word, Greer was using the head of his cock to tease my opening. I was nervous, so I was wet. In fact, there was a small puddle under me. Greer mistook this for longing and moaned to see my fresh pink pussy shining and ready. He thumbed against my clit and brought up a little glob of my come, then licked it off the digit. He did it again and brought it to my own lips, which I licked and sucked off, looking him in the eye as I did. A satisfied smile crept across his face. I felt my job was done. He thought I wanted him and I didn't need to do more. I could let him take it from there. I laid back again and clutched the pillows behind my head and Greer continued to rub his cock against my slippery cunt, my traitor of a slit, my wetness betraying me. It did feel good though, he was hard and my pussy can't tell the difference from cock to cock. I missed having an able man to fulfill me. I didn't want that person to be Greer, I wanted Boyd. But my clit was swelling and my opening was aching to be filled. I couldn't help that, I had no control over that. I looked past Greer again as he was pleasuring himself with my body, and saw that The Blonde was whispering to Boyd and stroking him over his pants. I saw him turn his head to me, and see Greer's cock sliding over me, see Greer's pleasure, see my wetness, see me biting my lips, see me stopping my hips bucking toward Greer, from allowing my pussy to swallow Greer up in one quick thump. I watched Boyd nod his approval to The Blonde, who knelt before him and ripped open a small hole in the front of Boyd's paper trousers. Boyd's cock flopped out, hard and ready, and The Blonde began devouring it. I turned my face away and squeezed my eyes shut and Greer thrust inside me. I opened my eyes and looked back to Boyd, he was leaning against the mirror, looking at me with dead eyes, an expression of undeniable loss on his face, as the woman I picked for him worked her hand up and down his shaft while sucking the head of his penis. Greer was thrusting away with all his might but I barely felt him, I turned away from Boyd again and arched my back, trying to act like I was enjoying myself. At this point, my mind switched off. Maybe the alcohol took over, maybe I just couldn't take anymore, but I left Valhalla. Greer was still using my body to masturbate, but I was no longer aware of him. I was in an art gallery, it was two years in the past, and I was at an art show for a sculptor and painter who had used me as a subject in several of the pieces which were being showcased. It was where I had met Boyd. He'd been engaged to a woman named Claudia. I was single. A friend of Claudia's was friends with Leo, the artist. Claudia was unable to attend the show, and Boyd went in her stead. He saw the paintings and the sculptures, he said he'd fallen in love right away. When it was time for Leo's speech, he thanked me and drew attention to me. Boyd saw me, he purchased a sculpture and two paintings, he asked me to dinner. I accepted. After dinner, he admitted to being engaged. I wouldn't go home with him even after he told me that his fiance was a virgin who wouldn't let him touch her. I still refused even after he told me that meeting me made him unsure about his engagement. I didn't even kiss him goodnight. A week later he called to tell me that he'd dumped his fiance. A week after that we had our second date. A week after that I slept in his bed for the first time. A month later he received a crate with the sculpture and the two paintings he'd bought. Both of the paintings were fine and Boyd sent them off to be framed. The sculpture was a pure white marble three foot tall piece which had been of my naked kneeling body crouched down with swan's wings extended out behind me instead of arms. But it had been improperly packed, or improperly handled, and it was broken in several pieces. The wings were both detached, and the head had come off and was broken in half. It was beyond repair. Boyd got some of his money back. The gallery gave him a framed triptych of the sculpture which had been taken by a photographer when it was still in the gallery. Each photo was of a different angle of the sculpture, and the triptych was in his home office on a shelf. The image of the broken sculpture was the last thing I saw before being brought back to reality by Greer pulling out of me and turning me over to kneel on all fours so he could enter me from behind. I probably was only gone for a minute or two. Boyd was still getting sucked off, and I buried my face in the sheet and cried. I couldn't handle it anymore and I didn't care. I stopped crying finally and looked behind me into the mirror, Boyd had his hips thrust forward, his back arched, head back. He was groaning in ecstasy, eyes screwed shut, forehead wrinkled, now he was gritting his teeth. He was seconds away, only a few more strokes and he'd be pouring hot liquid down The Blonde's willing throat. He'd sag and exhale, "Ahh", then run his fingers through her hair. Exactly like with me. Exactly like with every woman before. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 08 Greer finished around the same time that Boyd did, and Matilda came back with her friend. He was togaless now but she still had her dress on, though it was quite rumpled and her hair was disheveled. Greer pulled out of me before he'd come, shoved his crotch in Matilda's face, and she whipped the condom off fast as lightening. Her lover held her hair back again as Greer came in Matilda's mouth. Before he had a chance to get soft, he plunged back inside me, condomless. He did one single thrust, strode over to Boyd's blonde friend, and tapped her on the shoulder. She'd just swallowed Boyd's load and was resting against his leg, but when Greer came over she sat back up and opened her mouth for him. She licked him clean. Greer never looked at me, Matilda, or The Blonde. He was watching Boyd. Towels and more champagne were handed out, I don't remember where they came from or who brought them. I vaguely remember Matilda draping soft waffle weave bathrobes around mine and Boyd's shoulders. Boyd gave his car keys to someone, a bartender I think, who brought us our duffle bags with our spare clothing. We went to separate bathrooms and dressed. Somehow we made it back to Boyd's car, and somehow we made it home. Boyd was too drunk to drive and so was I, sometimes I wonder if we'd been teleported. I don't remember it at all. It was almost 4:30 AM when we pulled into Boyd's driveway. Emotionally and physically exhausted, our livers past the point of forgiveness, we made it inside. I went straight to Boyd's bed and I waited for him, he never came. I went to look for him twenty minutes later and he was passed out on the couch. He didn't want to share a bed with me. After crying until my throat was raw and my makeup stained his pillows, I lay quiet in bed. I heard a buzzing noise and realized it was my phone, nearly dead. I had a text from Alissa. Alissa [12:48 AM]: I know u wont get this til later cuz you r out 2nite but boyd got his shit twisted. he tried 2 giv me a check 4 1500 for the clothes i made. i tried 2 tel him i did it cuz u my friend but he wouldnt hear it. come by an get it when u can. i wrote void on it. I did not need that right then but I texted her back. Me [06:23 AM]: k boo. i'll take care of it. i'm sorry. he is jerky bout $ sometimes. he dont get it. dont know u like i do. sorry. I cried again, cried myself to sleep. I woke up at 9:30 AM to Boyd shaking me awake. "Harmony, wake up babe." He was fully dressed and holding a duffle. My duffle. Groggily I said, "Mmmwhatbaby?" "You gotta go home now, Sweetie. I need to lock up. Gotta meet my brothers in about an hour. I'm running late." He passed me my duffle as I sat up. He pretty much rushed me out the door without a goodbye kiss, a hug, or any physical contact. He barely even said goodbye before he was locking his door, jumping in his car, and driving off. Even though I have no idea how I had tears left, I cried the whole way back to my apartment. I cried when I walked up the steps, when I unlocked my door, packed a bag for myself, and got back in my car. I cried on my way to McDonald's and barely held it together long enough to order a chicken biscuit and coffee from the drive-thru. I was on my way to Savannah. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 09 Hello everyone. Here's the next chapter! This is a non-erotic chapter, no sex. But some flirting and we meet people who are important to Harmony's life. She gets some advice from her grandmother about her relationship with Boyd. I hope you enjoy it! Please don't forget to leave feedback or a comment to let me know how you like it. I read every comment and email and I love knowing what you think! Don't forget to rate and let me know how I can improve. ***** I had barely pulled into McDonald's before they stopped serving breakfast, and it was almost 11:00 AM before I got on I-75 southbound toward Savannah. I drove with one hand and held my chicken biscuit in the other. I drank my coffee black because I didn't want to stop driving to put cream and sugar in it. After I had a bit of food on my stomach, I felt a lot better and stopped crying. Focusing on driving helped too. I hated Atlanta traffic and 75 south was not my favorite place to be at any time of day, but especially not on a Sunday at noon. Everyone was leaving church and hopping on the Interstate to get to Cracker Barrel or Applebee's before they needed to be back in church for the nighttime service. As I left the Atlanta and College Park area and began making my way toward McDonough, traffic thinned and was more tolerable. When I felt at ease to do so, I turned on my radio and was able to just drive without thinking about much. It felt nice to give my brain a bit of a break. I knew it would take me about three and a half hours to get to Savannah, maybe half an hour more to find my hotel and park. Boyd had shoved all the papers with the information on my hotel and spa in my hands as he was leaving that morning, so I knew my reservation at the Hamilton-Turner Inn would be ready at noon. I was going to be very late in getting there. Hopefully they wouldn't give away my room. My spa reservation was for Monday, so I wasn't worried about being late for that. I drove for about an hour once I was out of McDonough and noticed that I needed gas, so I pulled off at a Shell station to fill up. Once I paid I went inside for a bag of chili cheese Fritos and a cherry Icee. I knew that in some spots on I-16 it would be hard to find facilities, so I used the ladies room too. I still had on my makeup from the night before and I was a mess from crying. I'd wondered why the attendant had looked at me so funny. I wished that I had washed up before I left my apartment. Now that it was about noon I was feeling foolish for all the crying I'd done. I washed my face as best I could with restroom paper towels. I felt thankful that this restroom even had paper towels, since usually when I stopped in gas station ladies rooms I ended up having to wave my hands in the air or wipe them on my pants to dry them. When I left, I re-parked my car away from the pump and used my backseat to change clothes. I put on some black yoga pants and an Atlanta Braves tee shirt which I kept in my trunk along with the other stuff I usually took with me on jobs. I had been wearing the clothes that I'd kept in the duffle I took to Valhalla the night before. Changing clothes really helped my mood, especially once I ran a brush through my hair too, and slipped on some flip flops. I felt even better after that, a bit fresher and more ready for whatever came next. As I ate my chips and drank my Icee, I sat in my car and called the hotel to let them know I would be late showing up, which they said was fine. I texted Alissa to tell her I would pick up the voided check on Wednesday, texted Boyd to say I hoped that he got to Brunswick (where his brother lived) safely, and then called Granny. She didn't have a mobile phone and with her arthritis it was sometimes difficult for her to grasp things, so the first thing I heard after three rings was the receiver clattering on the plastic base as she attempted to lift it to her ear. "Hello?" Her soft voice always sounded surprised when she picked up the phone, like she couldn't believe someone was calling her. "Hey Granny, it's me." She didn't have caller ID but of course she knew my voice. I heard her make a little gasp, and the creak of a chair. She probably just sat down. "Harmony! I'm glad to hear from you, Honey. What are you up to?" "I'm on my way to Savannah and I was wondering if I could come by and see you." I slurped a bit of my Icee, but tried to be quiet. Granny hated it when people ate or drank while talking on the telephone. "Well of course you can! You know you don't even have to ask. You need a place to stay?" My sweet Granny was always happy to let others stay with her and she was a wonderful hostess, but I didn't want to put her to any trouble. Plus Boyd had paid for my hotel stay already. "No ma'am. I'm staying at the Hamilton-Turner Inn 'til Tuesday. But if you could bake some blondies and make some of that squash casserole I love I sure would appreciate it." I paused for a second, I didn't want to sound selfish. "But don't go to no trouble if you don't feel up to it." My voice and manner of speaking always went more 'Southern' when I spoke to my relatives. "You know I will Honey! You'll come over tonight for supper, right?" I didn't have to think about my answer. Granny could whip up a delicious dinner, better than any restaraunt. "Yes ma'am!" "Will and Jenny will be over tonight, and probably Ms. Allan too if I can convince her." Will was my cousin and Jenny was his wife, Ms. Allan was Granny's neighbor. I hadn't seen either of them in some time. "That sounds good Granny, I can't wait!" "Alrighty then, Honey. Get here safe okay?" "I will." We had a long goodbye, and I hung up after I heard her phone clattering loudly as she replaced it. I got back on the road and it wasn't long before I reached I-16, a two-lane highway between Macon and Savannah, an area of Georgia with quite a small population. Most of the vehicles on the road were travelers like myself, or trucks hauling something or other. It's a pretty boring stretch of road, mostly just pine trees and kudzu running wild on either side. Occasionally the scenery was broken up by an outlet mall, signs for fast food places, and a broken down car here and there. As I drove, the radio lost its soothing effect on me and my mind began to wander, so I turned it off and drove in silence. I decided to use my time alone to think, something I had been avoiding by working hard and spending time with my friends and Boyd. Driving back to the country reminded me of living at home with my parents, who lived in a small town not far from Savannah. It reminded me of high school, and the people I'd known and grown up with. The people I'd known who had changed me, and who I'd loved. When I'd gone to Atlanta, I'd been trying to forget those people. I didn't want to be that girl anymore. I'd gone to Atlanta to reinvent myself, and now I was wondering if the person I'd invented was the person I really was inside. I remembered that I hardly ever spoke to my parents and I hadn't heard from anybody I went to high school with (besides Alissa) in ages. I had some pretty bittersweet memories. Just as I was remembering Ava, my beautiful Ava, my first girlfriend, my stomach started growling. It was about 1:45 PM and I had only eaten a chicken biscuit and a small bag of chips. I stopped in Metter at a Chick-fil-a, had a chicken sandwich, waffle fries, and a sweet tea. The Chick-fil-a was in a strip mall with a Rite-Aid, so when I was finished eating, I stopped in to pick up a few toiletries. I knew my stash in my trunk was running low on some things like floss, hair spray, and sunscreen. Also, I'd been in so distracted that morning when I was packing that I was sure I'd probably forgotten things. I had no idea what kind of things they'd provide at the Inn, if anything. I walked in and headed toward the beauty aisles with a little plastic basket. As I loaded it up I felt the handles digging in to my arm, and it occurred to me that maybe I was doing some retail therapy. I felt it was time to check out before I spent all my money, I knew I could buy seven Rite-Aids and not feel any better. But as I headed to the check lane, I saw a large poster which said, "We Have Plan-B!" and showed a smiling pharmacist (blonde-haired, female) in a white coat and name tag, handing a box of Plan-B to a young brunette woman (with a gold wedding band) who was also smiling. This was nothing out of the ordinary, but when I saw the poster I mentally pictured Greer's one condom-free thrust from the night before. I swallowed hard, and the pit of my stomach grew cold. I took my basket and headed to the back of the store to the pharmacy. I'd never purchased the morning after pill, I was on birth control, and aside from women and that time with Kallie, I was in a monogamous relationship with Boyd. So maybe a not so monogamous relationship. It hit me that I needed extra protection, so I approached the counter. The pharmacy tech (a tired-looking, middle aged, dumpy looking woman) looked up at me and said, "Picking up or dropping off?" I spoke almost in a whisper, "Um. I'd like the morning after pill please?" The tech, whose nametag said 'Cindy', looked me up and down while tonguing a bit of food caught in her teeth. "The Plan-B pill?" I nodded. "That poster back there says ya'll have it." She frowned. "Yeah. I need an ID and permission from your husband or parental guardian." "My what?" I was shocked. I knew lots of people who practically relied on Plan-B as their method of birth control and they weren't married and they sure didn't bring their parents with them to get it. "In Georgia you have to be married, or have parental consent in order to get the morning after pill." She crossed her arms and looked at me as if to say, "I double-dog dare you to disagree with what I said." Unfortunately for her, I was scared but also not in the mood for bullshit. I'm a nice person, but I am not the type you want to back into a corner. I hated to pull out my typical white lady, but I did. "Are you a pharmacist?" I knew she wasn't. She raised an eyebrow. "I'm a pharmacy tech." "May I speak with the pharmacist?" Cindy said nothing, just huffed and turned away. I assumed she'd gone to get the pharmacist or the manager. It was ten minutes later and a line of about five people had formed behind me when the pharmacist (a bald man named Gary) and Cindy came back. Gary smiled with kind eyes and said, "How can I help you?" While I'd been waiting I'd used Google on my phone to look up the law in Georgia regarding Plan-B. "Your tech, I mean, Cindy, says that I need my husband's consent or parental consent in order to purchase the morning after pill." I heard some whispers from the line behind me, but I was too mad to care. Cindy 'tsked' her tongue with exasperation and shifted her weight to one hip, arms still crossed. "She's lying. I told her it was against my beliefs." I ignored her and continued, showing Gary my phone where I'd pulled up a news article stating that Plan-B was available in Georgia without the need for insurance, a prescription, or consent from a parent. "I'm over 17, here's my ID." I slid it across the counter to him. "I have the money to pay for the pill." "Then that's all you need, ma'am." Gary said, and he swiped my credit card, the total was seventy-five dollars and some change. "I apologize for the trouble." He glared at Cindy. "I guess I need to speak to my staff about their professionalism." I said nothing, I smiled my 'thank you' and took my basket to the check-lane to pay for the rest of my stuff. I didn't want to hold up the line. I took my pill with a sip of my sweet tea I had left over from lunch, and read the leaflet which came with the pill. I was dismayed to find that I'd start my period on Monday or Tuesday, but I figured it was better than getting pregnant. I forced myself not to cry, and to keep driving. I didn't stop again until I was in Savannah. I got really turned around and had trouble finding the Hamilton-Turner Inn, which turned out to be a bed and breakfast in the historical district. I had to ask three different people for directions and every single one told me that they thought the inn was haunted, which freaked me out a little. I didn't have time to think of Ava, Tad, Boyd, or anyone else. When I found the Inn, I thought I must be in the wrong place. It was smack dab in the middle of the historical district, right in the square, but it looked so much like one of the other fancy houses that I didn't notice the sign saying it was an inn. It was a three story antebellum style home, painted off-white, with black wrought iron detailing behind a wrought iron fence. There were pretty topiaries on the porch. There were both American and Confederate flags flying outside, at equal height. I'd driven past it three or four times before I finally saw the sign. It looked like something out of a movie, and I knew Boyd must have paid quite a bit. The inn only had seventeen rooms and it was right in the heart of the tourist attractions. It was about 3:30 PM when I finally got parked, grabbed my bags, and checked in to the hotel. It was so beautiful that I was much less afraid of a ghost walking (or floating?) through my room. I did notice a sign in the lobby saying that ghost tours were held in the hotel. I remembered my Granny telling me that everywhere in Savannah is haunted, according to the tourism board. The lobby was beautifully decorated with antique furnishings that seemed to be a mix from both antebellum and Victorian era, probably they were reproductions but they looked nice. There were fresh flowers all around and lots of artwork, a marble fireplace, and a beautiful seating area. There were even two crystal and and brass chandeliers. I didn't sit down since I didn't need to wait to approach the desk, it seemed that the inn wasn't very busy at this time of day. I decided to ask about the ghosts at the desk. As I was being handed my room key by a young black man named Sam who I can only describe as beautifully handsome in a classical, statuesque sort of way, I said, "No less than three people told me that this hotel is haunted. Is it true? Have you seen ghosts?" His voice was so deep, rich, and so Southern sounding, it could have been a lullaby. "Well, I'm not supposed to say this, but I haven't seen anything. But I have heard and smelled one or two things." He leaned down with his elbows on the desk and smiled at me with dazzlingly white teeth. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Smelled?" "Yep. There's a man who smokes cigars on the roof. I smelled his tobacco a few times in the parking lot. He's harmless though, chill." Sam looked up at the ceiling and squinted his eyes, thinking for a moment. "And I've heard billiard balls click together, and heard people laughing and stuff like there's a party going on. But I've never seen nothing." He smiled, I think he saw that I was nervous, and he said in almost a whisper, "Don't worry. A little party never hurt nobody." I smiled back and bit my lips. "Should I be afraid?" He looked at the ceiling again and then looked back at me, "Not of the ghosts." "What then?" "Your bill when you leave!" We both laughed softly, and he had someone get my bags and take them up to my room. A young lady came to replace Sam at the desk and he walked me around a little bit, telling me that the Hamilton-Turner Inn used to be a residential home, built in the 1800's sometime, and that it had been mentioned in a popular book about Savannah. He said it was turned into an inn in 1997. I didn't really listen very close because I was too busy looking at the beautiful things around me. We peeped in the guest lounge, the banquet hall (where breakfast and a cocktail hour were served each day), and looked out on the grounds a bit. I was told that sometimes people like to take strolls on the grounds in the mornings and that photographers liked to use the area often. I wasn't surprised. It was a lovely place. When we went back inside sam went back to the desk and told me where I could find my room. As I walked away I hoped I would see more of Sam. I was to stay in the Mary Telfair room, apparently all seventeen rooms are named after somebody important who, I guess, had stayed there. According to Sam, all of the rooms were individually furnished and decorated, meaning that all the rooms were decorated differently from the next. So each room was special and unique. I thought that was very nice and I could not wait to see my room. I was not at all disappointed. It was like stepping into a costume drama, or into a book. The furnishings were like a real bedroom in a magazine, not at all like a hotel. Nothing whatsoever like any room I'd ever stayed in. The bed was a medium brown wood with four posts with a sky blue quilted counterpane, crisp white sheets, and lots of pillows. On either side of the bed was a beautiful night stand made of the same kind of wood as the bed, probably pine, and a lovely little reading lamp. One table had a princess style phone on it. Near the bed was a small table with a bouquet of fresh flowers in a crystal vase and two small chairs, behind that was a bay window covered by champagne colored curtains and held back with floral brass fixtures. The view beyond the curtains looked out onto the grounds through a couple of magnolia and oak trees. The magnolia was not in bloom yet but the sun was shining beautifully on its glossy leaves, and I could see the gigantic seed pods on the branches. I loved magnolias, and these were huge. It seemed to me that many of the ones in Atlanta were choked and runty, not like the majestic beauties standing tall outside my window. The floor was bare wood topped by an area rug with an intricate floral design that matched the fabrics in the room. There was also a tall wooden dresser for clothes which reminded me of some of my Granny's furniture, which had been in the family since the early 1900's. There was a lovely freestanding wardrobe for clothes, with padded hangers, an ironing board, and iron. When I opened it it smelled strongly of cedar. Across from the bed was a television and DVD player hidden in a little armoire. The bathroom was a dream. It had a grey tile floor and wallpaper with pink and white flowers on a blue background. Although the conveniences were modern, effort had been made to preserve the antique style. The bathtub was a freestanding clawfoot tub, and there were little touches all around the room which harkened back to a time long before. I priced everything in my mind, and I imagined that even through everything in the room was probably a reproduction of real antique furniture, the furnishings and decor would probably cost several thousands of dollars. Not to mention the cost of a professional decorator to put it all together in an aesthetic way. I stood staring and looking all around myself in total silence, taking the room in. I suddenly felt so guilty for flirting with Sam downstairs. I said aloud to myself, "Maybe Boyd really does love me..." because if he didn't, how could he spend so much on me? I thought, how could he go to this amount of trouble? He surely would not do all this for someone he didn't care about. Probably not unless he cared about them enough to marry them, right? I unpacked my bags, deciding that I was going to take full advantage of the room and pretend I lived there until check out on Tuesday. I put my clothes in the dresser and the wardrobe, my jewelry in the little porcelain box on the sink, I put all my toiletries in the bathroom, and made myself right at home. I wanted to take a nap, but I didn't feel clean enough to get in that beautiful bed. I ran a scalding hot bath and let the bathwater sit a while, warming the porcelain of the tub, before getting in. I'd poured in some rose scented body wash to make a bubble bath, and as I heard the familiar sound of the frothy bubbles hissing in the water under my weight, I sighed with them. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 09 I hadn't bathed since the night of Greer's party, and I needed it. I washed myself completely, scrubbing with a white washcloth provided by the inn until my skin was pink, and then let all the water out and ran a new bath with fresh bubbles. I soaked until my fingers and toes were pruney, probably about thirty or forty-five minutes, before getting out. When I was done bathing it was nearly time to leave to get to Granny's. I hurried through blowdrying my hair and applying a little mascara and lipgloss. I didn't want to look too "done up". Granny liked me best with almost no makeup, just fresh and clean looking. She said, "You spoil your God-given features with so much gunk." I slipped on a simple yellow sundress and a white cardigan with white sandals. When I was done, I looked like a good, normal, Christian, Southern girl. Like somebody who didn't go to orgies, who didn't sleep with her boyfriend, who didn't have a drawer full of sex toys, or buy the morning after pill. I looked innocent, I didn't feel that way at all, but I knew I didn't have time to stand there and think about it. I left my room, got in my car, and headed to I-80 on my way to Granny's home on Tybee Island. Growing up, we always said we were going to Savannah to see my Granny, when really she lived about thirty to forty-five minutes outside of Savannah, on Tybee Island. It's a very small island off the coast of Georgia, not many people live there. My grandfather built a home there and my Granny lived there until she died and it went to my parents who used it as a beach house until Iggy graduated from college and got married. They let him have it as a wedding present. Tybee Island is a very nice little place and real estate costs are through the roof. Luckily for my Granny, my grandfather bought the land using a little bit of money he'd inherited plus a little he'd saved, in a foreclosure auction. The location was really great, only about a mile and half away from a public beach. He used what money was left over to build a modest two bed, two bath cottage style home. The exterior was robin's egg blue with a white porch, white roof, and brown shutters. For many years they were set back far from the main road, and their nearest neighbors were almost a mile away. But in the 1970's more homes were built, the main road extended, and the Allans moved in next door to my grandparents. My grandfather planted lots of trees and shrubs for privacy, and put up a chain link fence all around the yard. I was glad he had the foresight to do this, because in the summer tourists would often park on the street near houses in order to walk to the beach. At night if I drove to Granny's, I slowed my car to a slow crawl once I got near. Because of all the mimosa trees and lack of streetlights you could barely see the mailbox and the gravel driveway. If I was going too fast or not expecting it, I'd pass it. Even though it wasn't quite 6:00 PM yet, it was getting dark. I went about fifteen miles per hour to make sure I wouldn't miss the driveway. Granny's mailbox was salmon pink with a concrete dolphin holding it up (it was a beach cottage, after all) and her gravel driveway was of small white pebbles. Her security light came on when my car passed her mailbox, and the gravel was illuminated, showing me where to go. Her gate was open because she was expecting me. I drove about twenty yards on the gravel and pulled up next to Will and Jenny's truck. I know Ms. Allan would just walk over from next door. There was another gate in the side yard between Granny's and Ms. Allan's home, and Ms. Allan always used that to get to Granny's. I cut the engine and grabbed my purse. The pebbles crunched under my feet as I walked across the driveway to Granny's porch. The white paint was flaking off and I thought I'd give Iggy a call and ask him if he'd come re-paint it for her once the weather got warmer. Granny's front door was open but her screen door was shut, and I could smell her cooking and hear Will and Jenny talking before I got on the porch. Right before I reached the steps, I stood in the dark with my eyes closed. I could hear the crickets and cicadas going wild, the tree frogs singing, "heybaby, heybaby" and trilling loudly. They were so loud I could not really hear the ocean, but I could feel the breeze. I rarely heard these night sounds in the city. I took a deep breath in, salt air filling and renewing me. As I was soaking it all in, I heard the creaking of the porch and the screen door open. "Listening to the choir?" Granny asked. I smiled and faced her, climbing up the steps and into her open arms. "Yes ma'am. The night doesn't sound like this in Atlanta." I bent down to kiss her on the forehead. She was about a head shorter than me, and maybe fifty pounds heavier. She was the sweetest, roundest little lady I'd ever known. She had her long grey hair up in a braided Heidi style, a light blue "house dress" on with a white and yellow flowered apron over that, and a damp white "dishrag" over her shoulder. She was barefoot, as usual, but her toes were painted a pale mauve. Her skin was pale but spotted with age and sun damage. Over her dress, but under her apron, she wore about five long strands of multi-colored love beads. She had knotted them together to make one necklace. I felt the knot as she pressed me in her hug. "I don't know people sleep at night in the city! All that noise!" I smiled. Granny didn't consider the din the animals were making as noise. I didn't either, really. I sniffed the air and gave her a mischievous smirk. "You didn't make that squash casserole did you, Granny?" "You're dern tootin' I did! Get on in this house, Honey Child!" I followed her in, and immediately saw Will and Jenny sitting around Granny's table. They both had tall glasses of peach tea, beads of condensation sliding down to make puddles on cork coasters in the shape of flowers. Granny's table had an eyelet lace tablecloth over it and a small vase of yellow daisies in the center. The food was already on the table but the plates were empty, since everyone was waiting for me and Ms. Allan. "You go ahead and sit down. Immyginnie will be over in a little while. Her grandson's being himself again..." Granny said to me as she had me sit down next to Jenny. "The biscuits aren't quite ready yet anyway." She bustled back to the kitchen. Immyginnie was Granny's nickname for Ms. Allan, whose first name was Imogen. "Hey Harmony! I haven't seen you since Penny's wedding. How is she?" Jenny gave me a half hug from her seat, and Will just grinned at me. He was the silent type, but Jenny talked a mile a minute. We had some small chit chat while Granny finished up with the biscuits and brought a glass of peach tea for me. While we talked I took in Jenny's figure, which looked like it was a little rounder than when I saw her last. I wondered if maybe she was pregnant. She was Mexican, with lovely skin and wavy shoulder length hair. She was also a very stylish dresser, so I thought that even if she was putting on weight she was still quite pretty. Will seemed to be very in love with her. They shared a lot of secret glances and smiles. Will was always touching her in some way, his thigh next to hers, or his fingers caressing her arm. She was glowing with love and happiness, and Will seemed to be very happy as well. Will had been through some tough times. His mom (my mom's sister) and dad had both died in a terrible car accident when he was only seventeen. He'd somehow managed to finish high school and get his two younger brothers through school. Instead of going to college, he worked. He was always stressed and grumpy at family gatherings, I guess because he felt he ought to be at work, until he met Jenny. She brought light into his life and was a big help to him. Even though he and his family still had financial struggles, having someone to share that with him seemed to give Will peace. As I was thinking this over, I heard Ms. Allan come in quietly. The screen door squeaked open and Ms. Allan eased it shut behind her, as it tended to slam very loudly if left to swing shut on its own. Granny was just bringing butter and salt and pepper for the table when Ms. Allan came in, who stood next to the table with both hands on her hips and looked down at me. "Harmony Jones, I ain't seen you in a coon's age!" I grinned up at her and she said, "Come 'ere and hug my neck, Child!" I did as I was told and we both took our seats. Immyginnie had a huge smile on her face, I'd almost never seen her frown and I'd known her my whole life, and she told us all about her grandson, who had apparently stolen a car. She'd been on the phone with her daughter and the police, which was why she was late for dinner. Ms. Allan was more country than pecan pie, and she looked it from head to toe. She wore work boots, jeans, and a Tweety Bird tee shirt under an old flannel shirt. Her skin was ruddy and brown, and her white hair was pulled into a ponytail. She worked in her garden from the time the sun came up until it went down. She kept a goat, two chickens, and a rooster in her large backyard. Thanks to Immyginnie, I found out at an early age that roosters don't just crow in the morning, and why hens have to be kept in their own house. It was also thanks to Immyginnie that I learned the phrase, "Horny as an old rooster" to describe an extreme state of arousal which was unlikely to be satisfied. After a seven minute long "blessin", we ate our dinner, savoring every bite. Granny had made squash casserole, potato salad (with Duke's brand mayonnaise of course), biscuits, and fried chicken. We had warm blondies with vanilla Blue Bell ice cream for dessert. Once Ms. Allan was finished telling us about her grandson's latest crimes (and we'd all sympathized with her in turn and each of us had said, "Bless his heart" at least once), Granny said, "You said you're staying at the Hamilton-Turner Inn, Harmony?" Ms. Allan, Will, and Jenny all looked at me expectantly. "Yes, I am. It's really nice there, everything is so pretty." Granny's face softened and she sat thoughtfully for a moment before she said, "Your grandfather and I went there back in ninety seven or ninety eight, back when they had just opened, for our anniversary. We stayed in the... I think the Flannery O'Connor room. It was just lovely. Everything decorated so nice. Your grandfather saved up a good while for that." Her eyes got a little misty and she went back to the kitchen. I think she probably went to cry for a little bit. Grandaddy had been dead for ten years, but she still missed him very much. Around a mouthful of potato salad, Will said, "I guess modeling is still paying you good then." I didn't want to tell them that Boyd had paid for my trip, and I had just taken a big bite of biscuit, so I just nodded. Ms. Allan, on the other hand, said "If it's still paying, you ride that train to the last stop. I wish to goodness somebody'd been willing to pay me to make pictures of me in my underwear." Granny was coming back from the kitchen and just caught the last part of the sentence, and she raised her eyebrows, Ms. Allan ignored her or perhaps didn't notice. I was used to comments like this, suggesting that my job wasn't as difficult as any other, but I knew that she meant nothing by it so I didn't take any offense. I just kept nodding politely and then Ms. Allan said, "What you need to do is find you a rich man. Then you won't have to worry about nothing." I didn't say anything or nod, I didn't know what to do. Before the silence could get awkward Granny stepped in and said, "Immy, she's been dating a very nice young man for..." she paused to think, "pert near two years now." She glanced in my direction to confirm and I nodded 'yes'. "He's set up pretty good." She looked pointedly at Ms. Allan, "Not that she needs anyone taking care of her." She looked at me now, "Harmony can take of herself." Ms. Allan started to say, "Just because you burnt your bra-" but Jenny interrupted by asking, "You mean Boyd? The one who came for Thanksgiving?" "Yep. We're still together." "He still ain't said nothing about getting married?" Will asked me. The longest sentence he'd said all night. "We've discussed it a little bit..." Granny chimed in, "He's been over for two Thanksgivings, a Christmas, and one Easter dinner." As if that ought to settle it once and for all. Ms. Allan narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, then put her hand over mine and patted it. "Honey, if Easter comes and goes again and he still ain't asked you to marry him, he ain't going to. He's just up to no good." To Ms. Allan, this meant he just wanted to keep sleeping with me without having to go to the trouble of being married. I think that Jenny could tell that the conversation was making me feel nervous, so she changed the subject to Granny's garden. She had a small vegetable patch, an "herb spiral" she was very proud of, and a flower garden. She could talk endlessly about her plants, so I knew that Jenny had picked the perfect topic to switch to. Not long after dessert, Will and Jenny headed home, and not long after that, Ms. Allan went home as well. She said she was going to call her daughter again about her grandson. As she went down the porch steps and into the night, a beam from a Maglite ahead of her, I could hear her muttering, "Boy's not got two brain cells to rub together..." Granny heard it too and we both smiled and shook our heads. "You wanna walk on down yonder with me?" Granny gestured in the direction of path we often took to the beach. I nodded 'yes' and we went back in her kitchen. She made a thermos of coffee and put a few blondies on a plate which she covered with a cloth. Then she took off her apron and grabbed an old flannel shirt of my grandfather's to put on over her house dress. (A house dress is a dress that is no longer nice enough to wear out, but isn't bad looking enough to get rid of. Mostly worn while doing chores around the house. Most of the older Southern women I knew had a collection of house dresses.) After that she took a quilt off her couch, and we headed out the door. We followed a footpath to the public beach (Granny also had a Maglite, which I held along with the quilt. She carried the food.) saying very little to each other beyond, "Watch out for that broken bottle" or "There's a pile of dog poop on your right." When we got close to the beach Granny turned to me and said, "There's lot of homeless at the beach at night, especially this time of year, but usually they don't bother nobody." Sure enough a few homeless men had a little fire going and some were sleeping on the dunes. It was absolutely pitch black, even though the beachfront hotels were lit up. The darkness was so pervasive and the air so humid, it felt like the blackness was pressing on me. Our Maglite beam was pathetic in all that darkness. The roar of the Atlantic Ocean was almost deafening, and we had to speak loudly in order to be heard over it. Ahead of us we heard whooping and squeals of childish delight, and then saw five or six lights on the sand dancing all around skinny little legs. "Some kids crab hunting." Granny murmured happily. "I guess they found some." I smiled to myself, remembering many happy evenings catching and releasing crabs with Iggy and Penny. We walked on until Granny found where she wanted to sit, then spread out the quilt. We took turns sipping coffee from the thermos, and we nibbled the blondies for a while in silence, just sitting and listening and feeling. Finally, Granny scooted closer to me and said, "So, why're your panties in a twist, Harmony?" "How'd you know they were?" She sighed. "Well, your mama is just like me. And I always knew what she was thinking before she did. And you are..." she paused to get her words right, "an awful like your mama. So I know just by looking." I wondered what else she knew just by looking, but I decided I didn't want to think about that. "I did some stuff I wish I hadn't done, in order to get Boyd to like me more. Well, love me more." Granny nodded, "Uh huh..." I continued, "And now I think he's lost respect for me, and also I really regret it." "And what else?" How'd she know there was more? "And now I don't know where to go from here. I also kinda feel like I've lost respect for Boyd... because of what he wanted me to do." I sighed and struggled to keep from crying. "I feel like I've made a big mistake." Granny said nothing for a while, I knew she was thinking about it, but at last she said, "Well, I can tell you don't want to tell me what it was you did, and if you don't think you can tell me then I know I don't wanna know." I chuckled a little bit when she said that, and she kept on. "But all I can say about Boyd is that if he lost respect for you because you did something he asked, then that's his own fault. And probably he never respected you much in the first place." I forced my voice to stay steady and calm, "But what do I do now?" Granny was silent again for a long time, she liked to take her time to answer these types of questions, before she said, "Losing a person's respect is a lot like losing their trust. It will take a great act on your part, and a very long time to earn it back, and even after all that he would have to choose to respect you again. But like I said, if he lost respect for you because of something he wanted you to do, then it's his problem. You didn't do anything wrong towards him, you did wrong towards yourself." She drained the last sip of coffee and then put her arm around me. I leaned into her embrace and said, "But now what?" "You have to decide if it's worth it for you to try to gain his respect back, or just move on. And also you need to learn to respect yourself, so this doesn't happen again." After that we didn't talk anymore. We listened to the waves for probably another ten or fifteen minutes, before we hauled ourselves out of the sand. Even though I knew I should be thinking about what Granny had just said, my head was filled with fuzz. It was like I could not process any of it. As we walked back to her house, it was as if my mind had gone to sleep but my body was still operating as usual. When we finally got back inside and I was helping Granny wash the dishes, I asked, "How did you and Grandaddy fix it when ya'll had fights?" Again, she took a long time to answer, the time it took to wash two plates. "I really don't know how to answer that, other than we just talked to each other. We talked, and talked, and didn't stop talking until it was fixed. Sometimes it would take a day, sometimes months. We'd just talk and talk." "About what?" "Just feelings, and why this or that happened. Why I said this, why he did that. Usually if we had an argument it was over some kind of misunderstanding. A lot of times it was my pride or stubbornness getting in the way of accepting his help for something. I didn't like it when he tried to help me. And he didn't like it when I didn't acknowledge that he wanted to help. I'd say some of the awfulest things." I was surprised. I'd never heard anything but kindness from my Granny. "No you did not!" "Oh Honey, I had the nastiest mouth you ever heard when I got mad at him! I'd just dog cuss him, up one side and down the other. You'd think I hated him the way I talked to him sometimes." She shook her head, I could tell she felt ashamed. "That was when I was much younger though. When we got older we understood each other better, and we just had less and less reasons to get upset with each other. And it helped when the kids were grown. We were always stressed out when they were little, always tearing up stuff and getting into trouble." We were just about done with the dishes when I asked, "What did Grandaddy do when you got mad?" The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 09 She smiled and shook her head some more, "He would almost always stay very calm, tell me I didn't mean it." She laughed, "Which, half the time made me more mad! But when I told him I was sorry he'd always forgive me. And that's why we did well together. We just loved each other too much not to forgive, endlessly." "That sounds like the perfect way to be." I said, softly. Granny dried the last dish and put it away, then said, "Well, I think so too. But there's nothing harder than a love like that. It tires you out. And it hurts, real bad, to just keep on forgiving. You have to give up all your pride, all your expectations. But when you love somebody so hard like that, it just floods inside you and there's no room for bad feelings. Sometimes I'd be mad as the devil at your Grandaddy, but when I saw him sleeping or just doing nothing quietly, it would just dissolve. I'd just feel like I loved him too much to keep on feeling mad. I loved your Grandaddy more than myself. And I just needed to remember that sometimes." We both leaned against the empty sink, happy with the little work we'd just done. I wasn't sure if I loved Boyd more than myself, but I was pretty sure I loved him more than my pride. But there was no way for me to know if he loved me like that, and when I thought about it, I was pretty sure he didn't. It seemed there was no more advice left for Granny to give, and I had lots to think about. She could tell I was mentally tired, so she said, "You best got on down the road, lil' gal. You won't be fit to drive if you stay much longer. Unless you wanna stay with me tonight, I'd be happy to have you." I looked around, her couch looked awfully comfortable, but I knew she'd feel like she needed to make breakfast for me and entertain me if I stayed. I didn't want to make her do all that. "I have some things I need to do in town tomorrow, and I want to get all I can out of that hotel." Granny grinned and nodded, then we had our goodbye. She watched me get in my car and drive off, waving as I slipped out of the driveway. Once I got about a quarter of a mile down the road, I pulled over and got out of my car. I stood in the dark, looking up at the sky. Usually in Atlanta you couldn't see the stars so well, because of the pollution in the air. There were few clouds in the sky that night and I could see the stars very clearly. In the dark the dome of the earth was easily perceptible, the blackness surrounded me, enveloped me. It was chilly, so I felt more alert. I stared at the stars, knowing none of the constellations, just admiring them, until my neck started hurting. Then I got back in my car and drove back to the inn, thinking of love the whole way. Ch 9. It was almost midnight when I got back to my room. I'd heard my cell phone going off when I was driving, but I waited until I'd kicked off my shoes to check it. I sat down at the table by the bed and went through my notifications. I had a voicemail from Boyd, asking me to call him back. It was late but his voicemail was only fifteen minutes old, so I called him back. His phone rang twice before he picked up. "Hey. Thanks for calling me back." He sounded tired. "I'm in my room at the inn. I just got back from Granny's. I didn't want to answer while I was driving." I started taking off my cardigan and slung it over the back of my chair. "Yeah, I'm at my brother's tonight. I've gotta get up early and drive into work from here. I can't talk long because I need to rest." I leaned back in my chair. "You called me first, remember?" "I did. I forgot to give you the info about your shoot with Miquelle D'erin." I'd sort of forgotten it too. I had my Swanderlust stuff, but I'd forgotten about the shoot. "Can you email me his address and when I'm supposed to meet him?" "I already did. It'll be on Tuesday after your hotel check-out, so you can drive back home from Miquelle's. If that's okay." I kind of wished that it all hadn't been planned without asking, but I didn't want to go there. "That's fine." "You like your room?" "I do. It's really beautiful. It was thoughtful of you to arrange for me to stay in such a lovely place." I got up from the table and unzipped my dress, letting it fall off my shoulders to the floor. "I'm glad you like it." I peeled off my underwear and bra, then started rooting through my bags to look for some pajama pants and a shirt. "I miss you." I think Boyd chose to ignore that statement. "You know tomorrow I will find out if I made partner?" "Really?" I hadn't thought much about it, I was trying not to as much as I could. "Yep." I found my pajamas and put them on as I spoke. "I'm sure you'll make it, Sweetie. Don't worry." I heard Boyd make a huffing sort of sound, then he said, "Yeah. Okay. I gotta go. Need to rest." We said a hurried goodbye, and Boyd hung up as I was saying, 'I love you'. I don't even think he heard it. I decided that he was still sensitive over what had happened with Greer, and he needed time to get over it. I climbed into bed and set my alarm for 7:00 AM, when breakfast would be served in the banquet hall. I needed to be at my spa appointment at 10:30 AM. I wish I could say that I fell asleep thinking of Boyd, thinking of what I'd spoken about with my grandmother, thinking about how to fix things. But my mind was still so fuzzy and foggy. I felt as if I knew the answers, but I couldn't see past the blockage in my way. I decided that I was just tired, and things would be clearer in the morning. I forced myself to think of all my favorite things, in order to help me sleep. I thought of soft fabrics on my skin, smelling my favorite perfume, tasting my grandmother's casseroles, feeling warm and wrapped in blankets, the smell of cedar wood on a fireplace... Eventually I drifted off. I didn't dream, I had what I call "black sleep", where there is only comforting darkness. I checked my phone when my alarm went off the next morning. I had two text messages from Kallie! Kallie, of all people! Kallie [5:43 AM]: Hey girl. I know you are probably mad at me. Eric just told me that he'd texted you a really nasty message the other day. He deleted all my text history so I didn't know until just now. I kicked him out. Kallie [5:46 AM]: Things are really bad with me and Eric and I am just fed up to here. I understand if you are upset. But I hope you can forgive me. Of course I texted her back right away. I was ecstatic to hear that the text I'd gotten so upset over turned out to be from Eric after all. I felt so stupid thinking that it had been her, since it hadn't sounded anything like her at all! Me [7:07 AM]: I'm just so glad it wasn't you, after all. We need to catch up. Kallie texted me back not long after, as I was going through my suitcase to look for something I could wear down to breakfast. Kallie [5:46 AM]: Wednesday ok? I was meeting Alissa already on Wednesday, to pick up Boyd's voided check. I didn't have a shoot that day either, so I told her that Wednesday was fine and to let me know what time to meet her and where. I was feeling wonderful, knowing that I still had a friend in Kallie, and after having had a refreshing night of sleep. I'd woken up in a beautiful room, in a comfortable bed. Everything seemed to be going great, until I sat down on the toilet to have my morning pee. I hadn't worn underwear to bed, just pajama pants (buttercup yellow, capri length with pink ruffles on the bottoms with a pink cupcake print) and a shirt (solid pink). When I looked down at my pants, they were stained with blood. There was a large stain right in the crotch of the pants, about the size of a silver dollar. I had forgotten that I'd taken the Plan B pill, and I was supposed to start my period right after. I didn't wear a tampon or a pad to bed. I wadded up some toilet paper and stuffed it between my labia, then made my way back to the bedroom to look for a pantyliner and tampon. I knew I had plenty in my makeup bag. I also grabbed some underwear. Groaning and grumbling, I took a quick shower to freshen up (I flushed the toilet paper first). After drying off I took care of my period, and put my pajama pants in the sink to soak with a bit of hand soap. I also checked the bed to see if the sheets were okay. Thankfully, they were fine. I wanted to be comfortable, so I dressed in dark jeans with a black and white striped short sleeved tee, and a deep purple cardigan over that. For shoes, I wore some grey wedges, and carried a grey faux crocodile bag. I brushed my hair and wore it loose over my shoulders, and no makeup. I added a necklace of multi-colored metal flowers as an afterthought. I felt better once I thought I looked nice, and that improved my mood. Breakfast was in the banquet hall of the inn. There were about a dozen round tables covered in sky blue cloths with white napkins and a small vase of yellow flowers right in the center. The dishes were beautiful porcelain inlaid with gold, the silverware was beautifully polished, and I was waited on hand and foot the moment that I sat down. I felt like I was being pampered nicely, and I was able to relax and eat. I lingered over my food and checked out the paperwork on my spa appointment. Boyd had signed me up for a ton of services. It was almost 10:00 when I finished my food, so I went up to my room and grabbed my purse and GPS and left in order to be on time for my appointment. I arrived a little early at Bella Bliss Day Spa, so I sent a text to Boyd when I was sitting in the parking lot. I told him that I hoped his day was going well and I thanked him for the spa day. Once that I was done, I went inside to check in. Being a model in high demand, I got facials monthly and often had other beauty treatments as needed for upkeep, but I never had been to a spa for a full day. Since I was freelancing and I had other expenses, I couldn't really afford to indulge. I was really looking forward to the spa day but I didn't know what to expect. Some kind of harp music was playing in the lobby, which was completely white. I checked in and showed the woman at the front desk the printed out reservation receipt which had been emailed to Boyd, and she double checked my name and appointment time. "Your boyfriend must really love you." She said, her nametag said Anita. I shrugged. "Why do you say that?" Anita tucked a lock of shining red hair behind her ear and peered into a computer monitor. "Well, he prepaid for your visit and he's got you booked for about two thousand dollars worth of services." She paused and checked something else, clicking her mouse several times. "You're going to be here all day." "That's fine with me." I couldn't wait to get started. "First we have the Indulgence Ocean Experience-" Anita began. I interrupted her. "What's that?" Anita smirked, I think she could tell that I wasn't used to expensive day spas. "It's a full body exfoliation with ocean minerals, to get rid of dead skin. Then you'll have a detoxing seaweed wrap to draw impurities from your skin." Anita said the word "impurities" the way some people say the word "cunt". "After that you will have a full body massage for fifty minutes, with hydrating oils." "Sounds wonderful." "Yes. It is." She looked at me like I was an idiot and I had half a mind to just walk out, but she kept on talking, "After that is the eighty minute Signature Radiance Facial." She saw I was going to ask what that was, so she continued before I could interrupt. "Which is a normal facial with exfoliation, blackhead extractions, a facial massage, aromatherapy, and hydration mask. They do a little neck massage too." Anita looked at me to see if I was going to ask anything else and then continued. "After that you have a fifty minute manicure, a fifty minute pedicure, a bikini wax, and a hair trim." All that sounded so good I decided to ignore Anita's crappy attitude. I was excited to get pampered. "Let's get started!" Anita stepped out from behind the desk. "Right this way please." Six and a half hours later, I'd been scrubbed, buffed, waxed, trimmed, polished, and shined. I'd had two salads, mint tea sweetened with honey, and cucumber water. I needed that after all the fattening foods I'd been eating. My whole body felt like jelly after my massage, my shoulders had never felt so loose. My face was very shiny, a new layer of skin and a silky moisturizer slathered on. I had fallen asleep twice during my facial, I was so relaxed. I almost didn't trust myself to drive back to my hotel. But I did. It was nearly dinnertime, but I was too tired to eat in the banquet hall. I saw people milling around with drinks in their hands for the cocktail hour, but I walked straight up to my room. My masseuse told me that I should not have anything but tea and water for the next two days, so that all the impurities that had been worked out during my massage would be flushed from my system. I wasn't sure if this was true, but after the amount Boyd had paid for my spa day, I didn't want to throw his money away by drinking. Plus, after Greer's party, I still felt as if I did want to drink again for a long while. I went upstairs and undressed completely, except for my underwear, then slipped in bed. I had the most blissful and refreshing sleep I'd had in years. I slept for an uninterrupted four hours, completely knocked out. I understood why the spa had been called Bella Bliss! I felt like a new person, ready for anything. I checked my phone and had no new notifications. I figured that Boyd would have gotten home from work already, but he hadn't called or texted me. That made me feel nervous, but I pushed the thought away. I sent a text to Iggy asking if he would drop by Granny's house to look at her porch, and see if she needed any repairs, and he texted me back saying he would go and bring Will with him. He told me that Will had already said something to him about it. I felt really grateful to be a part of a family that helped each other out. I hardly ever talked to my parents, but I knew that if I really needed something they would help me. I knew my friends would do the same, but I found myself wondering what Boyd would do if I was in real trouble. After texting my brother, my stomach seemed to wake up and realized it needed to be fed. I was starving. I got my laptop out, pulled my blankets around me, and Googled some nearby restaurants that would be open late. It was about 10:00 PM, and would be around 11:00 before I was decent enough to leave. Most of the places I found looked like tourist traps. Finally, I found a bar and grill which looked pretty cool and was locally owned. Even better, it was walking distance from the inn. I didn't really want to walk around by myself at night, but I was hungry and just wanted to get out of the room. I was feeling pretty good about myself after my spa day, so I decided to dress up a little bit. I had a lot of random odds and ends in my bags, since when I'd packed I hadn't cared much about what I was throwing in my car. I had some stuff I took with me on shoots, plus my normal clothes. I wanted to be comfy but still cute and stylish. It was a little bit chilly, and I only had one jacket and a couple of cardigans with me. I chose the jacket, since it seemed more appropriate for evening. It was a black leather motorcycle style jacket with silver studs across the top of the lapels, and silver finishings and zipper. To match that I had some flat motorcycle boots with lots of straps in front. Both were from a shoot I'd done wearing the jacket, boots, and black lingerie. I had a grey striped high-waisted mini skirt that was made from a satin-y shiny material, probably some kind of polyester blend. I matched it with a black leather belt and some black sheer stockings. Under the jacket I wore a white short sleeved blouse with little black dots all over it, and a chunky silver necklace. I threw my phone, money, and lipgloss in a small grey leather clutch with a braided leather handle. I left my face pretty natural, I only added a little bit of eyeshadow and mascara with a little slick of lipgloss. I'd had my hair done at the salon but it was a little bit messed up after my long nap, so I brushed it carefully and let it fall down my back loosely. It was very straight because the stylist had flat ironed it after the trim. As I passed the desk I noticed Sam was on duty again. He waved and winked at me and I waved back. I felt a pull of arousal, but then felt my pantyliner slipping in my underwear and remembered my period. I couldn't. Even if there was no Boyd. Suddenly I felt so ashamed of myself. How dare I even think of Sam after how badly I felt over Greer? Over how badly I felt over Chad and Kallie? As I walked toward the restaurant I beat myself up pretty badly over my behavior and reminded myself I was with Boyd and I needed to straighten up. I made it to the bar and grill, called Lyla's, and walked in. Since I was alone the hostess directed me to the bar, where I saw Ava. My Ava, tending bar. As I was looking for a seat, someone came out swinging double doors in the back. A purple-haired woman with large breasts and a tee saying, Lyla's Bar and Grill. She kissed my Ava on the cheek and whispered in her ear. Ava swatted her on the butt and poured a drink. Ava did. My Ava. I almost turned around and left, but she caught my eye and put a coaster down in front of an empty stool. "Hi! What can I get-" she paused and her eyes opened big. My Ava's beautiful blue eyes. "OH MY GOD NO IT'S NOT HARMONY MOTHERFUCKIN JONES!" everyone at the bar turned to look at us for just a second, realized we were not important, then looked back down at their drinks. I bit my lips and said sheepishly, "It's Harmony motherfuckin Jones." The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 10 Hi! I know it's been months since my last update but I was severely suffering from writer's block and only just finished the last half of the chapter over the last few weeks. If you see from when each chapter was posted to the site, you will see that I've been working on this story for about two years. I am so thankful for everyone who has been reading, voting, and commenting. Please keep reading and voting and letting me know what you think. Harmony has been suffering pretty badly in the last few chapters but believe me, things are about to get more insane as well as more sexy. There's more pain as well as pleasure coming up! ***** "It's so good to see you! Oh my God, what are you doing here?" Ava had a barmop over her shoulder, just like my Granny had the night before. She reached for it and swished it across the bar as we talked. Her big blue eyes and her glossy pink lips were smiling. "I'm in town for a little getaway. I needed to get a bite to eat and this was the best looking place that was open late." I opened a menu but didn't look at it. I was watching Ava. Right when she was about to reply to my statement a couple sat at the bar and she left to take their orders. I never expected to see her working in a bar. The last time I'd seen her, she was in med school. I wondered what had happened but wasn't sure if it'd be okay to ask. She wore her black hair in a ponytail, and I could see she had subtle teal streaks in it. She was short and curvy, but with a flat stomach and strong legs and arms. She had always been insecure about her thighs, but I thought they were so sexy, they were soft and thick. She'd had a dimple here and there, but I didn't care. I thought she was sexy in every way. Her jeans flattered her round butt and her Lyla's tee was stretched across her breasts. When she reached up high to grab a liquor bottle, it crept up over her navel. An image of the last time I kissed down her stomach flashed in my mind and I shook it away, blushing. My Ava had always been beautiful. My Ava. I knew I had to stop thinking about her that way. She'd never really been mine. But strangely I felt so possessive of her. I saw the purple-haired woman Ava'd kissed flitting about among the tables, she didn't look like a waitress. More like a manager. I felt acid rise in my throat. I was jealous. She was almost as slim as me, a little bit taller. She looked to be a little bit older than me, but she was so tan that it might have been premature aging. I wasn't sure. When she came to the bar to grab drinks for a customer, I noticed she had a few visible tattoos, and peridot green eyes. She grinned at me as she passed me and I wondered if she knew who I was. When Ava finally turned back to me, I gave her my order. A chicken Caesar salad and lime water. "Do you not drink anymore?" she asked. "No, I do. Maybe too much. But I just had a massage. They said don't drink alcohol for another couple of days." I don't know why I felt I had to explain myself. I knew Ava knew that I talked too much when I was nervous. I could feel years of insecurities (which I had thought were long gone) flooding back into my head. She put my order in and refilled a couple of beers. "Oh, okay. I'm so glad to see you. It's been a long time." "I know. I haven't seen you since..." I trailed off. Not knowing what to call it. She finished it for me. "The thing." "With the stuff." I looked at my lime water, biting my lips. "Yeah." Our breakup (which wasn't a breakup) was messy and emotional. I decided to change the subject. "So, you work here?" Ava grinned. "I own here! This is my place. And Lyla's." I nodded. Ava had always wanted to be her own boss and her personality was perfect for a bar atmosphere. "A co-ownership. Cool." "Well, she's my wife so..." "You're married?" I was shocked. My Ava was married! "Wait, is the purple-haired woman Lyla?" I felt acid come up and I swallowed it back down. I smiled big to suppress my gag reflex, clenching my fists under the bar. She grinned and nodded. "Yep. That's her. And we'll have a kid soon. A boy. We're adopting." She walked off to get some food from the back and to check on her other customers. As she did I was left alone, so many thoughts swirling around in my head. My first ever girlfriend was married to someone beautiful, owned her own business, and was starting a family. Even with my own career success I suddenly felt like a failure. I completely forgot Boyd and the fact that years had passed since the last time I had Ava in my bed, in my arms. Our breakup suddenly seemed like yesterday and I wanted to cry. To throw my stool into the mirror behind the bar. To scream at the top of my lungs and grab Ava and kiss her until my lips hurt. I was mad. I was hurt. I was straining to keep my shit together when she came back with my salad and refilled my water glass. I smiled at her. "So, you're living the dream then?" "I am. It's what I always wanted." She blushed. "Lyla and me just fit." She looked up and into my eyes. "Things I'd felt before were real and honest and deep. But what I have with Lyla is more than that. And we are a good team." I understood what she was trying to tell me. I reached across the bar and took her hand. "I'm really happy for you, Ava. You know I never wanted anything more than for you to be happy." She put her hand on mine. "I do know." We withdrew our hands, and staying on my side of the bar was tough. My chest hurt. "So what are you up to these days?" "I'm a freelance model. I'm based in Atlanta. Got a boyfriend but..." I didn't want to say things were rocky with us after hearing about her fabulous family life. "We both work a lot." She nodded and smiled politely. She blanched ever so slightly at the word 'boyfriend' but didn't touch the subject. "Modeling sounds cool. I guess you're your own boss too then huh?" "Well, I make my own hours and pick what jobs I do. So I guess so. I have a little website for fans and I sell stuff from that. It's a living." She nodded, I guess she was unsure of what to say. I paused and then my curiosity got the best of me. I plunged in. "So... do you mind if I ask you what happened to med school? And if you're married then... I guess your family knows too right?" Her dad was a homophobic baptist minister who led protests in towns all across Georgia. "No, its okay to ask... After everything we've been through... Just hang on a sec..." She went to check on her customers again. I ate some more while I waited and watched her. Every time she flashed her smile at a customer I felt a stab deep in my belly. It was a fake smile, but it still reminded of how her face would light up when she was happy. It reminded me of the times when she was smiling because of me. When she came back she bit her lips. "It's a sucky story and long so I'll just summarize..." She refilled my water glass. "I quit med school in my last year. I got depressed really bad because I was living a lie. I was doing all that for my parents' approval... if you remember." I nodded. "I dropped out and it just about killed my dad. I moved out here and met Lyla..." She stopped and looked at the floor. She looked like she wasn't sure if she should keep going. "And?" "Well... Lyla refused to have a relationship with a 'hypocrite', basically. She didn't want to be a secret. So I came out... I didn't want to lose her... and my family disowned me. But I decided 'fuck them'. We got married two years ago in Massachusetts, right after it became legal. Lyla's family loves us. I'm making my own family now." She nodded like 'that's that' and I wanted to leap across the bar and hug her. I had wanted that for her so badly when we'd been together. But unlike Lyla, I'd been a secret, and I'd been happy with it. "That is so awesome, Ava. I hate that your family did that but I can see that you're much happier." She just smiled at that and went back to work. She did seem happier. She was practically glowing. I kept catching her sending glances across the room to Lyla. Every time I saw them share a look I felt sicker. I forced myself to eat and act normally. I could not take my eyes off them. They seemed so perfect together. I wondered if me and Boyd seemed like that to outsiders. When we'd dated, Ava and me seemed like a great couple. But now I saw that there was no way our relationship could have come close to what Ava now had with Lyla. Ava had never looked at me like she looked at Lyla. We did some more light chit chat between her tending to customers, and she left me to eat my food mostly after that. I left my money and a good tip on the bar while she left to replace an empty keg. I didn't want to say goodbye. Again. When I was walking out the door, Lyla rushed over to hold the door open for me. "Let me get that for you." Her voice was husky and breathless. She'd wanted to beat me to the door. "Thanks." I kept my head down, hoping she wouldn't see me blushing and trying not to cry or throw up. Hoping she would not see the anger I knew was flashing in my eyes. "Hey. You're Harmony, right?" She had a soft voice with a Georgian accent. "Uh..." I stared at my feet, but I stopped walking. She touched my arm, very gently. "You are. Listen... I just wanted to say, Ava told me about you guys. And I wanted you to know that... well, Ava's so proud... she'd never tell you herself... but she still feels bad about how things ended with ya'll." I looked up at her for just a moment and saw she was biting her bottom lip nervously. I looked back down. I didn't know what to do with that information. "Oh... kay." She let me go, and I turned my back and kept walking. I got in my car and drove to the nearest liquor store, then turned back around and drove back to the hotel without going in. I didn't want to ruin the effects of my massage with drinking. It would have been a waste and I didn't want that. Plus I felt bloated after all the fattening foods I'd been eating, I had my shoot with Miguelle D'erin the next day. And on top of that, I'd already tried unsuccessfully to drink Ava away. I had a bad case of brain fog so I rolled the windows down to get some fresh, cold air as I drove back. I re-parked and headed inside the inn. Sam was coming off desk duty and approached me in his street clothes. He wore jeans and bright green hoodie with sneakers."Back so soon?" I tucked some of my wild hair behind my ear and I said, "Yep. Just went out to grab dinner." Sam smiled. "So, you don't wanna take a walk with me do you?" He flashed a gorgeous white smile at me and his glossy brown eyes were so soft, so friendly. My defenses were down. I couldn't say no. "Yeah, okay." And as soon as I said it I pictured Boyd, at home playing video games by himself. I blocked out my inner voice telling me what a crappy girlfriend I was and told myself I was just going for a walk. And besides, I had my period. Nothing could happen. We walked around the block, and at first Sam was telling me about the inn, about how long he'd worked there, about his friends and family. I didn't say much, just listened and nodded. I was happy just hearing him speak. We stopped near the trees outside my window and I looked up at the magnolia. One of the buds was starting to open and I pointed it out to Sam. "I think magnolias are the most beautiful tree there is." I said. "I see something I think is more beautiful..." Sam looked at me and took my hand. I couldn't help it. I tried not to, but I laughed. Thank God, Sam did too. "Oh... no. I'm sorry, that was so cheesy. I've just been talking and talking and trying to think of a good way to tell you... I... uh... I think you're gorgeous." "No, it's okay. I am bad at this stuff too." Sam looked at his feet. "I want to get to know you, if that's okay." I looked at my feet too. "You know, I think I want to get to know you too... but... I have a boyfriend." Sam turned around, looked at the sky, sighed, and turned around again to face me. "Alright, alright I get it. All white girls think black guys just want to play games..." I put my hands on his shoulders. He didn't look at me. "No! That's so stupid. No. I really do have a boyfriend. And on top of that... ugh. I had a really bad time at dinner..." He shrugged my hands off his shoulders. "If you have a boyfriend, then why are you on a trip like this alone?" I took a deep breath and exhaled. "My boyfriend paid for this trip. I'm supposed to be relaxing..." I sighed. "I get away by myself every few months." Sam raised his eyebrows like he was studying me and put his hands in the front pocket of his hoodie. I guess he was upset by my rejection and wanted to just be mean because he said, "Or maybe he sends you off somewhere nice so he can cheat on you? To get you out of the way?" I stepped away from him, turning to walk back to the inn. Over my shoulder I said, "Saying stuff like that isn't going to make me change my mind." Before he could respond, I walked off. He didn't run after me, so I figured he didn't care anymore. I didn't want to hurt his feelings but there was no way anything could happen between me and Sam. Not after what had happened that night with Ava. Not after what had been going on with Boyd. And definitely not on my period. I got upstairs and flopped on the bed. Too much drama had happened that day. I took off my clothes, texted Miguelle D'erin to confirm the shoot time for the next morning, and then took three Benedryl to make me drowsy enough to sleep. I ran another bath for myself while I set out all my gear for my shoot with Miguelle. Boyd wanted me to wear my lingerie from Swanderlust in the shoot, plus do some full nude shots. So I prepared a baggie full of tampons, water pills for my period bloating, and set out my beauty kit and hair styling kit. I laid out my clothes to wear to the shoot, then packed my lingerie, shoes, and a robe. While focused on preparing for my shoot, I still thought of Ava the whole time. Images flashing in my mind, barely able to control what I saw and felt. Lyla's smile at Ava, Ava swatting Lyla's butt. Ava in my bed. Ava in a bikini on the beach, a nipple slip when a wave hit her, brushing sand off her thigh with my fingertips. Her mouth on mine. Her skin under my palms. Her taste. Her scent. Her cries of pleasure. Her frown when she talked about her dad. Her sleepy voice. Her hair in my fist in a moment of passion. Her eyes, bluer than ever, when she said we were over. When she said we couldn't see each other anymore. My ex-boyfriend turned friend-with-benefits, Tad, had introduced us. He'd been pretending to be her boyfriend for over two years as a favor to his cousin, Shelby, who had been Ava's girlfriend. Not many people are nice enough to do that, but Tad was very close to Shelby and would do anything for her. She was like a sister to him. Tad would pick up Ava from her parents' house, pretending to be her boyfriend. Then drive her back to his house to meet Shelby. Ava was a lesbian but Shelby was bisexual. Shelby left Ava for a guy and Ava hadn't gotten over it. Tad was still going over to Ava's to pick her up. After their time together pretending to be a couple, they'd become good friends and he felt sorry for her. He said that the two of them played video games or watched movies, and Ava would talk endlessly about Shelby. He introduced us, knowing I was bisexual, as a way to help Ava get over Shelby. It ended my relationship with Tad as his bene-friend, but it was worth it to be with Ava. Ava and Tad staged a breakup for her parents' sake, because Tad no longer wanted to drive Ava around if she was with me. Ava told her parents that she and I were classmates. They thought we were just friends. I'd pick her up, we'd say we were heading out to go shopping or see a movie or study. Twenty minutes later we'd be in my bed. I moved out of my parents' house a month after I started seeing Ava. We had gotten tired of needing to be quiet. I had a crappy apartment in a horrible part of town that I could barely afford. I didn't care. Sometimes we'd see a movie or shop. Sometimes we'd go to a restaurant or get coffee. We'd go out and be seen as friends. But it was so hard not to hold her hand, put my arm around her, kiss her cheek. I could tell she wanted to do that stuff too. So we'd buy groceries and take them back to my itty bitty crappy apartment, and make our own food. We'd re-watch my meager dvd collection over and over, play board games. But mostly we made love. Mostly, we fucked. It would start in my car. She'd put her hands up my skirt or down my pants before I could get a mile away from her driveway. We'd rush inside. Ava would push all the bedclothes off the bed, push me down and we'd start stripping. She always wanted to be first. I always wanted her to be first. We never used toys together. It was just us. Just us. When we were both finally satisfied, bodies humming and limbs tingling, Ava would crawl to the end of the bed and bend down with her naked ass in the air. She'd look at me from behind, to make sure I was watching, and scoop the blankets back up on the bed. And even though I thought I was too tired to move, I'd find a way to please her one more time before she fell asleep in my arms. But six months later, Shelby wanted Ava back. I had always driven over to her house to pick her up. But for the first time ever, Ava drove to my apartment. I knew something was wrong. She told me Shelby had come back, that she had never gotten over her. That she was in love. In the six months that I'd been with Ava she never called me her girlfriend, never said she loved me. I just assumed we didn't have to say it. I assumed we were a couple. I assumed she was only with me that whole time. She was my first female partner, I had no idea what I was supposed to do or feel. I just knew I was happy and I felt great. We never had fights, so I always assumed that Ava was as happy with me as I was with her. And when I found out I'd been wrong, it was like my entire reality had been a lie. I went over it in my head dozens of times trying to figure out what went wrong. I finally realized she'd still been in love with Shelby. She'd been using me as a rebound. I eventually moved on. I secretly dated other girls. Openly dated other guys. I hadn't talked to Tad or Ava since then. All of this went through my mind in only one-sixth of the time it takes to tell it. I had packed and double checked my packing. After that was done, I eased into the bath to soak, but I couldn't relax. I grabbed my phone and called Alissa. She picked up on the second ring. "Hello?" Just hearing her voice was such a comfort. "Hey, 'Lissa" I could barely say her name. "Oh shit, what happened?" "Wait, I'm not bothering you am I?" I just realized it was late and Alissa probably had class the next day. "Nope. Just working on some beading. Tell me what's going on." I heard Alissa shifting around, I guess she was settling in to get comfy. I swatted the water in the tub angrily, splashing the bathmat."I just saw Ava. She lives here in Savannah." "Uh oh." I could tell Alissa was waiting for me to say more. "She's married." Alissa said nothing. "To a woman. Duh." Still nothing. "They're adopting a baby together." I held my breath. "Oh, honey..." she breathed. And then I started bawling. I kept hearing Alissa's beads rattling in their container. She was sewing quietly while I cried. She waited until I was done to speak. "Harmony, you know its been like, five years..." "I know..." I heard the beads rattling and then whatever container they were in got set down on a hard surface (her sewing table?) with a thunk. "I'm gonna tell you something you won't like but I need you to see I'm saying it as a friend." The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 10 I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand. "I don't know if I can take that right now." I shook my head even though she couldn't see me. I scooped up water in my palm and patted my face with it to try and rinse my tears off. "Yes, you can." She waited. I slid down in the bath so that the only thing out of the water was my head and the hand holding the phone. I took a couple of deep breaths. "Okay, tell me." "You're the weirdly crazy jealous ex." "Uh..." "Like, you keep it contained so most people would never realize it but... you never let anybody go. You can't stand it when people get over you." I could hear her feet scuffing on the floor. She was pacing. "You can't stand to think that not everybody loves you." "Um..." "Think about it. After every person you ever dated moved on, you had a huge emotional crisis." "I mean..." "No, listen. You can't expect people not to move on and keep chasing you for years. Especially the ones you dumped. Or dumped you. Or you haven't talked to them in years." "I don't! I'm not!" I got out of the bath and started drying off. I wasn't crying anymore, just getting pissed. I heard Alissa stop pacing and then heard her flump down in a chair or sofa. "I'm not being mean. I'm trying to help you. You are that girl that needs everybody to be in love with her." I felt like I'd been kicked in the chest. "Are you saying that because I'm bi?" I think I heard Alissa punch a pillow, or cushion. "No, bitch! I'm saying that because it's true. You think it's some kind of insult or unfair when somebody moves on. Just because you weren't that person for somebody doesn't mean you are not good or what you had was meaningless. It just means you weren't right for them. And you have to be a big girl and get over it." "That is so stupid. And so not true." "Think about it." "But you don't understand..." "No, I really do. We date people to see if we like them enough to marry them. You have to either learn how to get over people or just have your parents arrange a marriage for you." Neither of us said anything for a little bit. I smeared face cream on and double checked my manicure and pedicure. My nails needed a touch up so I got my nail kit out. Alissa whispered, "You still there?" I huffed, "You're an asshole." I heard her stifle her laughter. "You need someone to be an asshole to you sometimes." I started touching up my nails with beige-y pink polish. "I know, but did you really mean all that?" "Yeah. But you aren't a bad person. You just crave love and that's fine. But looking at your past for that is wrong. Plus you have Boyd." I nodded even though she couldn't see me. I was getting sleepy, that Benedryl was kicking in. "You nodding?" "Yes." "Remember that time Boyd came to your house when you were sick with that stomach crud? And you wouldn't let him in your apartment? And you said he sat out there for like, two hours trying to make you let him in?" I smiled. "Oh my goodness... I didn't want him to see me throwing up. I kept leaving the door to go puke." "And you finally let him in..." "And then the minute he sat down on the couch I had to run to the bathroom to have atrocious diarrhea..." "And he was still there when you came back." "With soup and crackers and ginger ale." And a smile, and flowers, and a pile of rental dvds. I didn't say that though, because Alissa had heard the story a bunch of times. I thought of how he'd paused the movies every time I ran off to the bathroom, and pretend he hadn't heard anything or noticed when I came back. He'd just resume the movie and pretend like nothing was wrong so I didn't have to be embarrassed. "See? You don't need to worry about your exes." I smiled and sighed, but frowned again. "Ava was my first..." I could feel myself getting choked up. "Your first female." "Still significant." I huffed back. Sometimes Alissa didn't quite get my bisexuality. "Sorry. What I'm trying to say is..." She paused. "I'm trying to say that you can keep that. She'll always be your first. But she can't be your last. And that's okay." My nails were dry, so I put on underwear and a tee shirt. "Why? How is it okay?" Alissa sighed. "Well, my mom says that-" "Your mom?" "Shut up. She says that your last will make you just about forget everyone else, even your first." She yawned the last few words. I knew it was almost time to let her go. I flopped down hard on the bed and ooched up under the covers. They felt damn good after my shitty evening. "When do you talk to your mom about guys?" "When I can't get ahold of you, or Bea, or Xanax." We both laughed and then we said goodbye after Alissa checked to make sure I was okay. I still felt bad, especially after what Alissa had told me. I'd have to think about all that. But it was so comforting to talk to her and I could tell she was trying to help. The Benedryl made me too sleepy to be worried about it right then. I set three alarms on my phone, then fell asleep. Thanks to the Benedryl, I slept through the first two alarms. I didn't bother to make myself presentable at breakfast. I just threw on pajama pants, flip flops, and the robe provided by the inn before heading down to breakfast. I didn't even brush my hair. Some of the guests and staff definitely gave me the stink eye, but I ignored it. I ate cereal with soy milk (so I wouldn't be bloated by dairy) and fresh berries with coffee. I headed back to my room to get dressed. A tee and sweatpants with no bra or panties, so there would not be lines on my skin for the nude shots. I threw a hoodie over my tee for modesty. Then I slipped my flip flops back on too. Then I grabbed my bags and the directions to Miguelle D'erin's studio that Boyd had printed for me. As I walked through the lobby I noticed Sam and remembered I was supposed to check out. I hadn't packed up or anything and I didn't want to be late to my shoot. I paused, looking sideways at the desk knowing I'd have to speak with Sam. I was worried, I thought he would still be mad. But he waved me over to the desk. As I approached, he whispered, "Hey. I was so out of line last night." "Uh..." He shook his head. "You don't have to say anything. I just want you to know I'm sorry." I looked at my feet. Stuff like this made me nervous. "I wasn't going to tattle-tale on you if that's what you're worried about..." He kind of stood back and gave me a big-eyed look, cocking his head to the side. He whispered again, "Damn, I'm just trying to apologize." I sighed and pursed my lips, then leaned in to the desk. "You're right. Listen, it's okay. It's not a big deal." "I still want to know you better, but I understand if you think I'm a dickhead and don't want to talk to me again." The desk phone rang and Sam held up a finger. He answered but then mouthed, "Please wait." He transferred the call. "Look, I get it if-" I shook my head and waved my hands. "No, no. Listen. I have a boyfriend. I'm going through some things. I live in Atlanta. I can't get involved with someone right now. I like you. You're handsome. You're nice. But I can't." He frowned but said, "Take my number, at least." I closed my eyes and breathed out heavily. I couldn't help but imagine what it would feel like to kiss his gorgeous lips, and feel his big hands around my waist. "Write it down and slip it under my door." He just grinned and I looked down at the wood of the desk. "Uh. Also I need to postpone checking out if I can. I have an appointment in town and I won't be back until later tonight. But I can't stay here another day since I have stuff I need to do back home tomorrow." Sam frowned. "The only way for me to do that will be to add on another night and then you can just check out tonight if you want, or early tomorrow morning." I decided that since I didn't want Boyd to pay for an extra night, I would pay it myself. Sam gave me a big discount though. I knew he was just doing that so he'd have a better chance with me, but I thought of how tired I'd be after a full day of shooting. Another night sounded good. I could get an early start and drive home in the morning. Sam typed some stuff into the computer, then looked up at me and smirked. I felt myself smiling too, in spite of myself. "One more day I get to see your face, then." Smiling like an idiot, I walked out slowly. I didn't know what to say, and I knew I could only make a fool out of myself from there. His smirk followed me out of the building, to my car, and for miles and miles down the road. I arrived at Miguelle D'erin's studio about ten minutes early. It was located just outside of historical Savannah in a low-rent industrial type area. The building was non-descript, just a concrete grey block among other concrete grey blocks. The small parking lot was full. There was a catering van and some big pickup trucks taking up all the spaces. I had to parallel park at a meter, but a dollar in quarters bought me three hours. I knew I could have the makeup artist or assistant come feed it for me if I needed to. I grabbed my bags and headed up a set of steel steps to a door painted green. I rang the doorbell, over which a sign was posted "ring for D'erin". Sixty seconds later the door was opened by a short woman with a blonde bob and red lips. She was wearing jeans and a black tee that said "Glam by Patrice" in pink glitter. "You Harmony?" "That's me." "I'm Patrice." She pointed to her chest. "I'll be your makeup artist. I'll also be assisting Miguelle today since Linda is sick." She turned and started to walk in. "I hope that's okay." "That's fine with me." I guessed Linda was probably the usual assistant. The studio space was huge, with different set ups to resemble rooms with various backgrounds and furniture types. There were lights being set up by a couple of guys and a long table being set up by the caterers. "Miguelle's in his office right now but he'll be out in a minute. Dressing room's this way..." Patrice pointed and led me back to the end of the space where there was a big room sectioned off by screens. In it was a long mirror set up with a makeup table and hair styling station. I unloaded my bags there and changed into my robe as Patrice told me where I could use the bathroom. I told her about the meter and she said when the caterer left she'd move my car to their spot if I wanted. I whispered, "Please be on string watch for me." and she nodded. She knew I meant a tampon string. I always tucked mine inside me for my shoots. As she was draping a cape over my robe and pinning up my hair, Miguelle came in. He was a little on the short side for a man but very muscular. He had dark tanned skin, with dark hair and eyes. He had what I guessed was three or four days of beard stubble. His partly open button-up black shirt and tight black jeans made me think of a pirate. "Miss Jones! I'm so sorry I couldn't meet you when you first came in. I was taking an important call. But I see Patrice has been taking good care of you." He extended his hand to shake. I nodded and shook his hand. "Yes, I can tell I'm in good hands. You can call me Harmony." He put his hands on his hips."Okay, Harmony are you ready to get started?" I nodded. He waved me to get out of the makeup chair. "Come show me what you got." I led him to my garment bag with my Swanderlust stuff. First I took out my shoes and lined them up on the floor. Patrice disappeared and came back with a rolling clothing rack. I hung up each item on the rack for Miguelle to see. "I was thinking these shoes for the full nude shots." I held up some black platform pumps with rhinestone studded heels. Much too big for me to try to clomp around in normally but they looked great in photos. Miguelle just nodded. "And this set" I held up my light green lace bra and panty set with the dark green velvet trim. "maybe would be good with these shoes" I nudged a pair of beige pumps with my toe "on a bed or lounge." Miguelle nodded again. "And do you have the swan costume?" "I do. I think we should do that last since it will be the hardest to put on." Miguelle nodded in agreement as I took out each piece to show him. "Everything looks good to me. I'll be getting set up back here while you get made up. When you're done just come on out in your robe. Don't be shy though, the lighting guys and caterers will be in a separate area. We'll have you screened. I nodded even though I wasn't worried about being seen in a professional work environment. Besides, it was nothing they couldn't go on the Internet and see if they'd Googled my name. Patrice did a natural makeup look on my face but added false lashes and red lipstick. She curled my hair into gentle waves down my back, it was very glossy looking and I knew it would look great on camera. I stepped into my shoes and walked out on set. For the full nude shots, Miguelle had set up a white painted side-table by an open window that was flooding the area with early afternoon light. On the table was a blue ceramic vase filled with white orchids, they were fake but you couldn't tell from far off. I eased the robe off my shoulders and Patrice took it. I stood still by the table as they adjusted lighting and camera settings. "Ready?" Miguelle asked. I said nothing, just started posing. I started by standing by the table admiring the orchids, showing my bare ass. I perched on the edge of the table with the vase in my lap, the orchids caressing the bare skin of one breast. I sat in the sill of the window in various poses. Miguelle signaled to me that we'd gotten the shot, and showed me a few from his camera with his comments. Then Patrice and I headed back to the dressing room to change. I took my shoes off and popped a Pamprin with a sip of Red Bull. My feet were killing me and the hot lights were making me feel sleepy. Patrice brought me a plate of fruit and crackers and I snacked on that while she did my hair. She put it up in a million curlers and added some eyeliner and a bit of shadow to my eyes to make them look more sultry. She darkened my lipstick. When she took the curlers out, my hair was really curly and wild looking. Then she helped me into my next outfit, the green lingerie. She brought me some pearl necklaces, earrings, and bracelets to put on (Miguelle kept props and jewelry in the studio) and we walked back out. The next setting looked like a hotel bedroom. There was a big bed with cream colored linens and a large armchair covered in beige damask. I did a lot of typical bed and chair poses with my lingerie on, and a few with my bra off, or my bra on with no panties. Since this set of photos was for Boyd, I posed a lot showing my ass because those were the photos of me he seemed to like best. So I spent a good bit of time bent over. Miguelle gave me very little direction. He mostly let me do my own thing and clicked the shutter. I was in my zone and I didn't need a lot of coaching. I liked to go into my own head and pose. I felt more comfortable than I had in a long time. I loved my job. After that, we were all tired and the catering team was getting ready to pack up so we ate lunch before they left. Patrice moved my car for me as I wolfed down a salad with salmon sliced over it, and finished my Red Bull. Once we'd all had bathroom breaks, we met again in the dressing room. Miguelle stood in front of me while Patrice draped me again with the cape. "So for the last set I'm thinking we want to add a major attitude. I'm thinking aloof, regal, grace, elegance." I nodded with him. I'd been thinking the same. "I'm gonna have you on the blueish grey background, standing. I'm thinking we need to do all standing poses, to show the outfit best. And we'll get it from as many angles as possible." I nodded. Miguelle left without me needing to say anything and Patrice got to work on my face. She did a very dark, very dramatic eye makeup and dark red lips that looked almost black. She left my hair fluffy and curly but sprayed it and re-did some of the strands that were going straight. Then she helped me into my costume. First, she helped me step into the teddy, and she laced up the back. I put my stockings and shoes on myself. Then she helped me with the bustle and my mask. Last we put the gloves on. I checked the mirror and didn't recognize myself. I felt completely transformed. I loved that feeling, I got it often when I did themed costume shoots. I loved becoming someone else for a while and getting lost in that. I walked out on set as a swan. I was a swan throughout the shoot. I allowed myself to let go and lose myself in my work, my poses. We did all standing shots, taking a break only to allow Patrice to help me off with my teddy and hose so I could pose wearing only the bustle, shoes, gloves, and mask. Slowly we worked off almost every item of clothing except shoes and mask. Our last shot was of me from the ribs up, mask off. I had the ribbon that tied the mask on in my mouth, the mask hanging down. I was giving the camera a 'come hither' type look. It was quite a strong finish for the day. Miguelle told me the photos would be sent to Boyd in two weeks. He also told me he hoped we'd work together again. I smiled, quietly satisfied and exhausted. Sam was off duty when I got back to the inn, but I noticed that he'd left his number on a piece of paper. It was laying on the rug. Since my shoot went so late, I'd stopped and grabbed a Zaxby's chicken salad on my way back from the studio. I dug in while checking my phone. No calls or texts. Not even from Boyd. I had expected him to call or text to ask how the shoot had gone, especially since he'd arranged the whole thing. I wondered if maybe he was upset since I didn't call him the night before. I'd been such a mess because of Ava I didn't even think about it. I knew he'd have found out about his promotion by now but he hadn't even left a message about that. Worried, I called him as soon as I finished eating. The call went to voicemail. "Hey... it's me. Uh... just wanted to say that I'm sorry for not contacting you yesterday. The spa was so relaxing I slept all day when I got back to my room. Anyway... uh... the shoot went great. I know you're gonna love the pictures. Ummm... I miss you. I can't wait to see you. Love you lots." I hung up. Maybe he was busy. I refused to let myself worry. I'd had a bad enough time. Checkout was in the morning. I packed up that night, except for what I needed in the morning. Then took three more Benedryl to sleep. I barely made it out of the hotel early enough to go home and see Boyd and stop by Alissa's to pick up Boyd's voided check. I didn't hear my phone alarm because of the Benedryl and then Sam flirted with me for an extra long time when I was trying to check out. I was really anxious because I still had no missed calls or texts from Boyd. I listened to the radio as loud as I could and sang along to distract myself. While I was filling up my gas tank halfway to Atlanta, I noticed I had a missed text from Alissa telling me she'd bring the check to my place. That would make things easier for me since I wanted to drop off my stuff at my apartment before heading to her place and then Boyd's. After her text I got to thinking about how I was hoping to soon be moving in with, and then getting engaged to Boyd. Even with my radio turned up and the windows down, I couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't been calling or texting. When would he propose? When would we set a date to move in together? About five miles away from my apartment I started getting back-to-back calls and loads of voicemails and texts. I usually ignore my phone when I'm driving, but I started to worry that there was some kind of emergency so I checked it out at a red light. I had been missing calls from both Alissa and my brother, Iggy. I had a bunch of texts from them both asking me where I was. I decided to wait until I got home to answer, since I was so close, but when I pulled into the parking lot of my apartment complex Iggy and Alissa were waiting for me. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 10 "What are you guys doing here?" Iggy and Alissa had only met a few times and I hadn't seen Iggy in almost six months, so I was surprised to see him. I also wasn't expecting Alissa to be waiting for me. Alissa answered first, "Boyd said you were going to meet us." Iggy had his arms crossed over his chest. "I had a voicemail from him this morning asking me to meet you at your place but when I called him I got no answer." My heart was pounding and I broke out in a sweat. I didn't say a word, I guess I knew what was happening somehow. I just walked past Iggy and Alissa to my apartment, climbing each stair like I was walking toward a guillotine. I saw the stacked boxes and the envelope propped up against them, they blocked my door and I had to shove them out of the way in order to get inside. I began to salivate heavily and I felt a heat behind my eyes and a deep pull in my stomach. I shoved the boxes aside and started to unlock the door, I barely made it to my kitchen sink before puking over and over. Alissa and Iggy were both right behind me the whole time, Alissa grabbing my hair and Iggy turning on the faucet. They talked over my head as I vomited. "I've never seen her like this..." "I have..." "Boyd did this?" "I guess so." "I guess he wanted us here because he knew she'd be upset." "Oh yeah, what a fucking gentleman." "I don't understand..." "Just get the boxes and whatever else is out there and I'll help her." I heard Alissa 'shhing' me like a mother and felt her stroking my face and hair. I finally stopped heaving and she helped me get cleaned up. She said nothing the whole time. I left her in the kitchen to change clothes and brush my teeth. When I looked in the mirror I realized I'd been crying. When I came back Iggy was standing in my living room among the boxes. "Alissa went to go get your stuff from your car." "K..." I said hoarsely, flopping down on the couch. I was dry-eyed. I glanced over at Iggy and looked him over. He had dyed his hair platinum blonde and it was in a punky spiky 'do. He was wearing jeans and a tee shirt for a band I'd never heard of, it was splattered with several different colors of paint. That reminded me. "You paint Granny's porch?" He sat down in the floor, crossing his legs. "Me and some guys did yesterday. She wanted all white at first but she found out one of my friends is a muralist so she asked if we could do her some sunflowers. We did her a little sunflower border." He paused to see what I'd say but I just nodded. Before he could say more, Alissa came back with my luggage. Softly, I heard Alissa say, "Okay, so what the fuck, Harmony?" Alissa locked my door and grabbed the envelope that had been left at my door. She tossed her long hair and sat beside me on the couch. She wore a flowing white peasant style dress that reminded me of Little House on the Prairie. She tucked her feet up in the fabric and took a throw blanket and snuggled down in it. I shook my head, "I wish I knew what the fuck was..." Iggy took the envelope from Alissa. "You want me to read it?" I was afraid something about the orgy would be in the letter. I held out my hand. "No. He meant it for me." I scanned the letter then looked up with tears in my eyes that weren't ready to fall. Iggy and Alissa were looking at me with expectant faces, waiting to hear what it said. I breathed a deep, shuddering breath and one, then two tears fell. As I began to read the letter, they streamed down my face in a steady flow of hurt and confusion. "Harmony, I know this is not what you expected to come home to. I apologize for how abrupt this is. I am sorry that this had to happen. I also apologize for asking Iggy and Alissa to be with you. I hope they are there with you now. I didn't want you to be alone." Alissa huffed indignantly. "I don't think we need to be together anymore. All your stuff that was left at my place is in these boxes. I wanted to share my life with you but recent events have placed so much doubt in my mind that I cannot let go. I cannot get past my doubt." Both Iggy and Alissa were shaking their heads. "I can't believe he was too much of a coward to tell you this in person." Iggy flopped down on his stomach and rested his forehead on his crossed arms. "He's been ignoring my calls and texts for days." Alissa looked at me with her head cocked to the side and nudged me with her toe. "Does this have anything to do with that party you guys went to? I was getting a weird vibe but you guys seemed okay to me when we were making your costumes." Iggy didn't know about the party yet and he looked at me for an explanation. Instead, I picked up the letter and continued to read. "On Monday, Greer denied the partnership in spite of the work we both did... but is giving me a second chance with our next deal. I can't risk it again, Harmony. I wanted that partnership for us, so we could have a great start in a life together. But without that I don't think we can be together. After the investment I made in our future already, and the lack of return on that investment, I don't see good things for us down the road. I need to call it quits now, before I use up more of my resources on something that is never going to work for us." Both Alissa and Iggy were staring wide-eyed in my direction. I could see Iggy's face flushing with anger and Alissa was clenching her fists. Tears were rolling down my cheeks, soaking the collar of my tee shirt. Snot was streaming from my nose so I held a tissue up to block it as I read aloud. "Please don't try to contact me. You do not need to give back any of the gifts I have given you. I will forward your shots from your shoot with Miguelle D'erin. I hope you will one day forgive me, as I intend to try to forgive you. I will try to look back on our time together fondly and I hope you can do the same. Goodbye Harmony, Boyd." I crumpled the paper into a ball and then laid my head in Alissa's lap and sobbed quietly. Iggy said nothing but Alissa stroked my hair until I was quiet. Finally I said, "I can't believe this. Is this really it? After all this time it's just over?" I wondered if I deserved this, after the cheating, after the thoughts I'd had about other people. After my jealousy over Ava and Lyla, maybe I didn't deserve Boyd. Maybe I should have tried harder at the ABC party with Greer. Iggy's nostrils were flaring and his face was still red. "I honestly have never wanted to fight anyone in my life but I would try to beat Boyd's ass right now." He paused a moment. "If I wasn't a hundred percent sure he'd pert' near kill me." I had to laugh at that. I began to feel better once Alissa and Iggy helped me to shove all the boxes into my coat closet to go through another day. Iggy made me a salad while I took a shower but then left. Alissa needed to go home and finish a dress she was making for a capsule collection that was due in a week, so she left not long after Iggy did. She did leave me two Xanax though, which I took after eating my salad. I laid on my bed wearing a nearly threadbare white tank and some faded pajama shorts I'd owned since I was seventeen. The fabric was so old and soft, I just laid there in bed and stroked the material. I thought of how many lovers had seen those old, ratty shorts. Quite a few, but not Boyd. When I first met him, my modeling career was taking off. I was acquiring my modest little fan base, beginning to work with some big photographers, and finally making the type of money I could really live off of. I was paying down debt, putting a little bit into savings, and feeling good about my progress. But Boyd's success in his own career overshadowed any pride I had in my own work. He made so much more money than me, had so much more... stuff. I felt like I could never compare. I did what I could to seem sophisticated to him, to seem worldly and successful. Not at all the type of girl who still wore pajamas from years ago, not the type of girl to feel anxious about money or worry about what other people thought. I spent so much time trying to make myself seem like a carefree person, that I had given myself depression and anxiety. Exactly the opposite of what I'd been trying to achieve. Boyd had never really known the real Harmony. He'd never seen my ratty old shorts. I never talked to him about my money issues or my work unless he specifically asked me. I never told him how I truly felt about our sex life. I wasn't sure if I felt relieved or not. Even though I did love Boyd as a person, I realized that I loved what he represented more. I realized that I wasn't sure if what Boyd represented to me was what I needed. I laid in bed, thinking this over and waiting for my Xanax to kick in. Slowly getting under the covers and feeling my eyes growing heavier, feeling my hurt drift away. I began to feel like I didn't care what Boyd did or that we were ever together. I knew this was the Xanax and not my real feelings but I didn't care about that either. I began to feel as if I was floating face up in a pool, water buoying me up and carrying me where it wanted me to go. I closed my eyes and imagined waves taking me away somewhere peaceful, and sunny blue skies. As helpless as I felt in the water, it felt perfect, it felt right. I slept dreamlessly until morning. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 11 Hello everyone! Thanks for reading, rating, and commenting. I'm loving all the great feedback I'm getting! Keep it coming! ***** I felt very groggy in the morning and it was difficult to drag myself out of bed. I had a text from Kallie asking me where I wanted to meet her, I had almost forgotten we were going to catch up. I texted her back and we decided to have lunch at a little bistro down the road from my house. I forced all thoughts of Boyd out of my mind as I made myself a smoothie and took a shower. I decided that after going to the type of trouble he went through in order to avoid having to speak to me, nothing I could say to him would change his mind about our breakup. The only thing I could do would be to move on. I hated the thought of having to start over with someone new after having been with Boyd for two years, and to keep from dwelling on it I tried to distract myself. I spent most of my morning returning calls and emails from photographers and other artists who wanted to work with me. I checked my website and answered some fan emails, updated my little blog with information about upcoming projects, and then checked the progress on my fan merchandise. Everything seemed to be going great. I had a lot of new projects, work trips, and lots of lingerie shoots coming up and more people trying to book me for jobs. I also needed to see about the lease for my apartment. It was going to be up soon and I hadn't renewed it, since I'd been expecting to move in with Boyd. I needed to look for a new place or renew my lease. Noon rolled around quicker than I had expected after all that work so I had to rush to dress and meet Kallie. I wore my hair in a side braid (I didn't feel like brushing it) some dangly gold earrings, a collar style necklace with floral shaped gold pieces, and only a little mascara and lipgloss. I threw on a tan colored tank top and a cream colored denim mini skirt with a mocha and pink floral pattern on it. I added some brown espadrille sandals and a brown leather bag. Kallie was already at the bistro and had ordered her food when I got there. She was seated outside at a white painted metal table under a yellow and white striped umbrella. I saw her from my car and sat there a moment to check her out to try and figure out what type of mood she was in before approaching her. I couldn't tell much, she had her hair up in a bun with dark sunglasses on. She was wearing an oversized grey tee, one side hanging off her shoulder and exposing a white bra strap, and mint green denim overall shorts that had a delicate floral pattern of pink roses all over them. She had on peach colored high heeled sandals and the sun was glinting off a collection of silver bangles around her wrist. I collected my bag and left my car, unsure of what to say after not talking for so long. She looked up at me but didn't remove her glasses. "Hey! I hope you don't mind I went ahead and got my food and came out here." "No, of course not! It's fine!" "I was starving, I just couldn't help it." I ran inside and grabbed what I wanted (a green juice and a little garden salad) and then sat back down with Kallie. "It's so good to see you. I'm glad you texted me. I really thought you hated me." Kallie sipped an iced coffee, then swallowed and said, "I would never! What did the text say? Eric only told me that he'd sent you some mean texts so you would think I didn't want to be your friend." Around a cucumber slice I said, "Well, I don't remember the exact words but it said something about me being a dyke bitch, if I contacted you again the cops would get called on me for harassment, and a bunch of other cussing and name calling." Kallie put her head in her hands. "Oh my God. No wonder you never texted back." "Yep." She didn't say anything for a minute or two but then she laid her head down on her arms. "I left Eric and moved back in with my parents until I can get my own place again. I might move in with this girl I work with who needs a roommate. I just can't deal." She sighed and then continued. "I just realized so much after that night." "What do you mean?" "Well, I mean, I always knew I liked girls but this is Georgia, you know? Like, that's not okay here." I just nodded. "I like guys too though so it's just... so confusing." She sat up straight again. "I guess I'm bi or whatever? But to be honest I really just want to be friends with you. I hope that's okay with you..." I nodded again. "Of course it is. I mean, I never really felt anything romantic towards you. I love you as a friend but, I don't see us as being good for each other in a relationship." Kallie let out a relieved exhale. "I'm glad you feel that way because I definitely feel the same. Are you and Boyd okay? Does he know?" I shook my head and sipped my juice to give me time to think of an answer. "I'm surprised you didn't hear about what happened at Valhalla over the weekend. But no, me and Boyd aren't okay. He doesn't know about what happened between us, but he dumped me just yesterday." Kallie took off her sunglasses so she could show me her wide-eyed facial expression. "One. What happened at Valhalla? Two. Does it have to do with you and Boyd?" "One. An orgy sponsored by Boyd's boss. Two. It has everything to do with it." Kallie's mouth dropped open. "Oh my God! What happened?" I told Kallie the whole story of the orgy and then finished with, "... and I guess it wasn't good enough for Greer, because apparently he denied Boyd's partnership after all. So it was all for nothing. And I guess that's why Boyd dumped me." "That's fucked up." After our confessions and some more chit chatting we finished our food and drove over to a little shopping center to get manicures and check out a little shoe store. Kallie told me that since her split with Eric she hadn't heard much from him but that he'd been following her around and asking her family members about her. I thought that sounded pretty creepy. She said she was supposed to go over to his place to get a few boxes of clothes and CD's she couldn't fit into her dad's truck on the day she moved out. I offered to go with her, but she said it would be better if she went alone. She said she was afraid he'd try to attack me if I went with her. So I let it go, hoping she'd find someone else to go with her so she wouldn't be alone with him. After we said goodbye I felt really weird, I hoped she wouldn't let Eric manipulate her into taking him back. When I got home I thought about opening the boxes from Boyd, but I changed my mind. Instead I went to the gym and tried to make myself super tired so I'd be able to sleep without drinking or taking medicine. While I was running on the elliptical machine, my mind wandered back to Sam and Chad. I had both their numbers. I hadn't seen Chad in several weeks, but I was sure he'd remember me. Our one night together was pretty unforgettable. I knew for sure that Sam would want to see me again, but he was living in Savannah. I wasn't sure how that would work. I also couldn't help myself from checking out this Pilates instructor I kept noticing at the gym. I could see the room from my elliptical and I could not take my eyes off her. I noticed her really often in the gym and I must admit, I took her class several times just for the freedom to stare at her. I wondered what those perfectly shaped legs would feel like wrapped around my head and shoulders. Her hair was so shiny and sleep looking, I imagined it was very silky. I guessed her whole body would be tender and smooth. After the gym all my self-control was drained, and I allowed myself to consider all the many possibilities of a night with her (I didn't even know her name) just before falling asleep in bed. I was so sleepy, I nearly nodded off before turning off the vibrator. I left it between my legs, too exhausted from exercise and pleasure to remove it. I'd left my curtains open, and early morning sunshine flooded my room. The useless blinds made lines across my bed. It was oddly bright for the season, not a single cloud in the sky, and the light stung my eyes. I covered my head with a pillow and tried to sleep a little longer, but just as I did so I heard a weed eater start up. Then a leaf blower. The maintenance workers were outside doing the weekly yard work on the apartment grounds. I knew it wasn't in the cards for me to get to sleep in. I left my vibrator under the covers and made myself some coffee. I reflected on the fact that maybe it was a good thing that I had my own place and wasn't moving in with Boyd, since I loved to be comfy on my days off. I was wearing a big old tee shirt (a team spirit shirt for my high school football team) and nothing else. No bra, no panties, no makeup. I took my coffee and a bowl of berries and yogurt and sat down on the couch to flip channels. I passed by the news and stopped. Kallie's previous apartment complex was on the news, yellow caution tape everywhere. I turned up the volume. Some female reporter was interviewing an elderly man. "And then what happened Mister Green?" She shoved the mic in the old man's face, tears were streaming down his cheeks. "I heard one shot go off. I know what shots sounds like 'cos o' the war ya'know. I went to pick up the tel'phone an' call nineoneone but before I could I heard the next..." "Two shots?" "Yes ma'am. Two and that's it. That lil' gal was so sweet. Always brung me my packages and and my mail. Always used to sit a spell with me... I just caint understand it..." He burst into sobs and wouldn't speak anymore. The reporter looked dumbfounded and for a second it seemed she didn't seem to know if she should try to comfort him or keep talking. I suppose she decided it'd be best to keep the report going because she said, "Well there you have it, an eyewitness report on the murder-suicide at Belle Village. Stay tuned for more at eleven. Back to you, Charlie." I didn't stick around to find out what Charlie had to say. I ran to my room to get my phone. I'd left it on silent mode all night. I groaned aloud when I saw I had thirty missed calls from almost everyone in my contacts list. My parents, Iggy and Penny, Alissa, and even Boyd. A few co-workers of mine and Kallie's had called, our old boss from the restaurant, Kallie's older brother, and her parents too. I had twelve voicemails and eight texts. I didn't need to call anyone back, listen to the voicemails, or open the texts. I knew what they all said. First, I called Kallie's mom. Her parents were divorced but it seemed like I should call her mother back first for some reason. She sobbed all the way through telling me what had happened. From what she'd learned from the police that morning, it seemed that while Kallie's back had been turned, Eric had shot her in the back of the head. He then shot himself. There was a note from Eric saying that "all dykes deserve to suffer and die" and went on say that if Kallie wasn't going to be with him then she didn't deserve to live, and also that he didn't want to live in a world without her. I guessed she'd probably been packing up her stuff, or maybe sitting to sip some coffee or something. The way her mother had made it sound, the police had found no signs of a struggle. The bastard had probably planned it out and done it quietly, when she least suspected. I couldn't imagine anything so horrible happening to someone as sweet as Kallie. It was all very surreal and strange. I'd just seen her the day before and now she was suddenly gone. Just as I thought I'd gotten her back, she was yanked away. My first thoughts were that I hoped she hadn't felt it, or suffered, or been in any kind of pain. My next thoughts were of the emotional pain her family was in. I called my Granny and told her what had happened and asked if she'd give me the recipe for a casserole. She told me she'd make two. One for me and one for Kallie's family. She said she'd have Iggy drive it over. I was in no state of mind for arguing, so I didn't. I never expected to get a call from Boyd. I didn't call him back but I did text him to tell him I was ok. He said he was sorry for my loss but nothing else. I also didn't expect to hear from Penny, my sister. I guess she'd heard what happened from my parents. She said she was sorry too and asked if I needed anything. I said I didn't but she told me she had already baked a pie for me and would bring it later. I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing or feelings so I just kept returning calls from people who were trying to either tell me what was going on, or find out what had happened and if it was really Kallie. Our Kallie. I spent the next several hours returning calls from family and friends and then canceling all my shoots and other work for the next week. I heard from Kallie's dad that there would be a wake on Friday night and the funeral on Saturday morning. I didn't think I had enough black clothes for a wake and a funeral, so I knew I needed to go shopping. I also needed to get flowers and cards and try to find some kind of food to bring to the church. In a way, I kind of wanted to get out of the house, so I decided to go right then. I didn't take the time to get ready. I threw on some underwear, dark jeans, a plain white tank top, and a green and blue flannel shirt that a one-night stand had left at my apartment years ago. I wore black Converse sneakers that were almost falling apart, carried a black leather bag with a chain handle, and wore my hair up in a messy topknot. I didn't have on a stitch of makeup and I didn't care. I knew that I'd be short on cash that month since I'd cancelled a whole week's worth of shoots, so I knew I'd have to shop a department store for my black clothes. I checked Target, Sears, JC Penny, and Macy's and ended up with all the black I needed for the next few days of visits. It was almost six in the evening when I was done so I raced to the first florist I saw before it was closing time. I went ahead and purchased a bouquet of white lilies, and made an order for a casket spray and one for the gravesite as well. I took the bouquet with me (the other flowers would be delivered) and headed over to Honeybaked Ham to pick up a spiral cut ham, then I went back home. After unloading the car I brushed my hair straight and put on a little bit of makeup, then slipped into one of dresses I'd bought. It was a knee-length black dress with long lace sleeves and a lace insert on the bodice to cover any cleavage. It was pretty but not sexy or too tight, perfectly modest and respectful but still stylish. I put my keys into a lozenge shaped clutch and put on some plain black heels. I left with the flowers and the ham and drove over to Kallie's mother's house to drop them off. I didn't stay long, she had a ton of family over to comfort her, including her ex husband. I wasn't needed but I felt good after having done what I felt was expected of me. As I walked back to my car I realized that I had not cried. For a few minutes I sat in my seat, in Kallie's mom's driveway, waiting to cry. But I couldn't. Just when I was thinking of trying to play some sad music to help the tears along, my phone started buzzing. It'd been going off constantly all day so I'd set the ringer to vibrate. It was Iggy. I answered. "Hey." "Hey. Why aren't you at home?" Iggy sounded like did when he was annoyed but trying not to be. "I'm at Kallie's mom's. Are you at my place?" "Yep. With the casseroles from Granny." I sighed. I didn't expect him to bring them that day. "If you need to head home you can just take them in. There's a spare key taped to the bottom of my rug. I'm about to head home." "You're having a rough time, Minnie." He hadn't called me 'Minnie' in years, I'd almost forgotten his childhood nickname for me. "I am." "I'll leave these casseroles but you call me if you need anything else." "I will." "Penny's supposed to come bring you some pie tonight or tomorrow." "I hope not." "Don't ever say I said so, but I don't blame you. She's bringing her kids and staying at Mama and Daddy's." "Lord help them. I love you. Be safe on the way home." "You too, hun. Love ya." We hung up and I started for home. I did try to find some sad music on the radio but was coming up short. I just couldn't cry. My mind felt so empty. Like I was staring at a blank piece of paper. As I got off the highway and was getting ready to turn onto my street, I passed a hole in the wall type of bar. I don't know why, but I pulled into the parking lot. It was like my brain had totally shut off and I was just operating on auto-pilot. I'd never been to that place in my life, but I walked in like I'd been there a hundred times. It was tiny and dirty, country music was blaring and there was no dance floor. Just a dimly lit bar, a few arcade games, a couple of pool tables, and a few small tables. I sat at the bar and ordered an amaretto sour and asked for a pack of cigarettes. I had never been a habitual smoker, but I sometimes would have a cigarette or two when I worked at the steakhouse with Kallie. Usually the only way we could get breaks during our shifts would be if we took 'smoke breaks' with our smoking coworkers. I guess that's why I wanted to have a cigartette, since it was something I'd done with Kallie. I hadn't sat long on the stool when a guy approached me and asked if he could buy me a drink. I was about halfway through my first one, so I said he could get the next. He nodded, "So what's your name?" For some reason, I didn't want to give him my real name but I couldn't think of a good fake one. I looked at the bottles lined up on the wall for inspiration. Cliché, I know. "Brandy. What's yours?" I hadn't really looked much at him at him until I asked him his name. He was pretty average height for a guy, a little thin. Dark hair in a 70's type of style, real fluffy curls and a little too long. Dark eyes too, and some beard stubble that looked about a week old. He looked to be about twenty-two or so, probably still in college. He smiled at me, he had pretty decent teeth and not a bad smile. "Tyler. So, you by yourself tonight?" He leaned against the bar, facing me. I leaned slightly toward him to give him a view of the front of my chest. "I am. You?" He said he was with one of his buddies, but his friend was chatting up some girl playing pool. As we talked I looked him over while flirting with my eyes. He seemed like a preppy, Southern frat boy type. He was dressed in jeans, a polo, and Wallabees. He eventually asked me what I did, I lied and told him I was in nursing school, he said he was studying business. After a couple of drinks and a shot or two he tried to dance with me to some country song, it was a little awkward but I didn't much care. He tried to introduce me to his friend who had severely struck out with the girl he'd been attempting to play pool with, so his friend pouted the entire time and barely spoke to me. After half the pack of cigarettes was gone and I was having trouble walking in my heels, I knew I was too drunk to drive and so was Tyler. I called a cab. I knew he wanted to sleep with me but was getting shy and wasn't sure how to ask me. When the cab arrived I said, "You guys want to come with me? I'll drop you off." They were staying a few streets down and when we got to their house Tyler kicked out his friend and stayed in the cab with me. "I don't want to say goodnight yet." He leaned over and put his hand on my thigh. I heard the cab driver sigh loudly with annoyance. "I don't want to either. We can go back to my place and have some coffee, if you want." Tyler grinned. "Sounds good." On the way back to my apartment Tyler nibbled my neck and stroked my legs, telling me how soft I was, how sexy I was, how pretty I was. I just giggled softly and tried to playfully keep his hands in PG13 areas until I could get home. I could tell the cab driver was getting pissed off at us and I was afraid he'd try to add more money to my fare. When we got to my apartment, I paid the driver and Tyler was nice enough to give the tip. We stumbled up to my apartment and I let us in. The Love Affairs of Harmony Jones Ch. 11 I took off my shoes at the door and had Tyler do the same. I couldn't stand to have anyone wearing shoes in my apartment. My casseroles were on the kitchen counter, I stuck them in the fridge. There was a note on top of one of them from Iggy, saying he'd put my key back. "You want some coffee? Or I have some cokes. Or tea. Or water." My mouth was really dry from the cigarettes and alcohol. I was dying for pure, clean water. "You got sweet tea?" I poured him a glass of sweet iced tea and I drank a huge glass of water, then a few sips of iced coffee. He drained his glass and looked around. "You just been shopping?" He'd seen my bags of new black clothes all over the couch. I remembered about Kallie and the funeral. It occurred to me just then that while on auto-pilot I'd gone to that bar to drink myself silly enough to forget. I swallowed back some acid that had begun to burn my throat. "Yup." I was already this far, I wasn't going back. "Buy anything sexy you might wanna show me?" I didn't answer him. I hadn't bought anything sexy but I didn't have to tell him that. I turned my back to him and began to slowly unzip my dress to reveal my black slip over my black bra and panties. I'd worn all black under my dress to make sure that none of my underwear could be seen under my dress, but I knew that a lot of guys liked black lingerie. I slipped the dress down to my ankles and stepped out, then looked over my shoulder at him. If I hadn't been drunk, my hands would have been shaking and I would have been sweating buckets. But I was quite drunk and more than confident in my sex appeal. He was staring at me, as I expected he would. I was in a little satin slip that almost looked like a dress on it's own. I slid the straps off my shoulders and let the slip fall to the ground. I didn't look back this time, but I heard him set his glass down on the coffee table. I was in a plain black bra with just a little lace across the top of the cups, and black lace panties with a little pink rosette in front. I walked to the bedroom and he followed close behind. My bed was unmade and my clothes from earlier littered the floor. I grabbed the clothes and tossed them into my hamper and smoothed the covers back on the bed. As I did so, the vibrator from the night before fell onto the floor and started going all by itself. It was whirring away right in the middle of the floor! Tyler had been standing right there in the room when I was tidying up, so I knew he saw the vibrator, and could hear it too. It was a gigantic neon green rabbit. I knew I was probably blushing bright red from head to toe. I tried to nudge it under the bed with my toe but before I could do that, Tyler stepped in front of me and picked it up. "It's okay, it's okay. Don't be embarrassed." He grinned and clicked it off. "Hang on a sec..." he pointed to my bathroom. "Sink in there?" I just nodded and he disappeared to my bathroom. He washed off the vibrator in my sink, lathering the shaft with hand soap. I was so surprised I just stood there and watched him. He dried it off with one of my hand towels and then came back into my room. "See, good as new." "Um..." I covered my eyes with one hand. He put the vibe into my other hand. "It's fine." "I feel so-" "Can I watch you?" I peeked around my fingers. "You really want to?" "Oh, God yes." I sat the vibe down on the bed, turning my back to him. I bent over as if I was going to touch my toes, and slid my panties down to my ankles showing Tyler my ass and pussy from behind. I decided to leave my bra on. "Brandy..." Tyler was rubbing himself over his pants, watching me climb onto the bed and start touching myself with my hands. "You have all your clothes on..." I purred to him. He got the hint and began to undress. He took his cock (average sized, nothing special but nothing wrong with it either) in his hand and stroked himself as I spit in my hand and fingered my pussy. Once I was really wet, I took the rabbit and started to pump it in and out, then turned it on. I was on all fours so he could see me using it from behind, which I could tell he loved. It was uncomfortable for my arm to hold the vibrator in that position, so I turned over on my back with my legs open on the edge of the bed. He reached toward my chest with his free hand. "Can I?" I nodded. He tugged my bra down and starting caressing my breasts and playing with my nipples. I moaned loudly to let him know he could do more, go further. He eventually straddled my chest and I opened my mouth for him. He fucked my mouth gently, probably afraid to hurt me, until I came. I could tell he was getting close too because every once in a while he'd pull completely out of my mouth and take deep breaths, then start again. The next time he pulled out, I slid out from underneath him and pushed him gently down on the bed. I pulled out a condom from my bedside table drawer and slid it over his cock, then started to ride him. "I love it when a girl takes control..." he moaned in a whisper. I said nothing, but I did go faster. He didn't last very long, but he was ready again only ten minutes and another glass of iced tea later. This time he put his own condom on and fucked me from behind, very roughly, and spanked my ass every so often while he did. Right when I could tell he was about to come again, I stopped him and laid on my back on the edge of the bed, my legs hanging off. He stood on the side of the bed and fucked me that way for a few minutes, my legs spread wide. I rubbed my clit and while I did, he spit down on my pussy to keep it wet. When I felt my climax building, I stopped him and turned over on my stomach, standing on the floor with him behind me again. I was still touching my clit and he was pounding my cunt so hard, I was scooting across the bed on my belly little by little. Eventually we were all the way on the other side of the bed, with the upper half of my body nearly to the floor, my ass in the air. He was holding me around my hips, his cock vertically fucking me downward, pushing me towards the floor with every thrust. I came, screaming and flailing all over the bed, then the floor. Simultaneously, he was roaring his own orgasm and biting my shoulder as he came. By the time we were both done we were completely in the floor. He pulled out but left the condom on and laid on my back. I guess we fell asleep there, because the next thing I remember I was getting yelled at by my sister, Penny. "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL HARMONY? AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE FUCKING GRIEVING OVER THE DEATH OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?" Penny was standing in my bedroom staring at me. I was still laying underneath Tyler. "Who's Harmony?" I heard Tyler moan in my ear. "Brandy, who's this chick and why's she yelling?" I pushed Tyler off me and sat up. I still had my bra on from last night but I was otherwise naked. "It's my landlord. Time for you to go, Tyler." "Wait. Who died? Why's your landlord in your bedroom? Can I get your number?" As he stood up I could see (and I knew Penny could see) that he had a soggy condom hanging halfway off his limp dick. I grabbed a sheet and wrapped it around my waist then stood and shoved Tyler's clothes toward him. "I dunno. Here's your clothes. Bye, Tyler." "Wait..." I pushed him into the bathroom, avoiding looking at Penny who was silently fuming in the corner, staring in wide-eyed shock at my bright green vibrator sitting smack in the middle of my bed. I grabbed that and put it in my bedside table drawer, grabbed some pajama pants and a tee from my dresser, then dialed a cab for Tyler. I was trying to maintain what tiny scrap of dignity I had left by attempting to ignore Penny huffing and puffing with indignation at the situation. Tyler came out of the bathroom fully dressed but shoeless, "You mind if I get a sweet tea before I go?" "Sorry, I'm all out. Your cab should be here in a few minutes. Better wait outside. My landlord doesn't like strangers in my apartment." I tried to shove him out the front door but he was resisting me. "But didn't she say someone died? What about your number?" I sighed and looked Tyler dead in the eye and used my firmest, most serious sounding voice. "My husband will be here any minute. You need to leave right now." Poor Tyler turned white as a sheet and said nothing more, he just turned and stomped down the steps to wait for his cab. I rested my forehead on the doorframe and watched him sit on the bottom step and put his shoes on, then I went back inside. I tried to mentally prepare myself for what Penny was about to say/scream at me. She was still in my bedroom, looking at my sex-stained and unmade bed. "I cannot believe you. Is this how you deal with death? Or big problems? What are you gonna do when Mom and Dad die? Arrange some kind of gang-bang or something? Become a porn star?" Her hands were on her hips. All I could think was that she looked exactly like my mother except if my mother gotten thrown up on by the Vineyard Vines whale. She was wearing pastel madras plaid Bermuda shorts with a light blue button down Oxford, and a white pullover sweater with the sleeves rolled up. She also had pastel Sperrys on. None of which my mother would ever be caught dead in. "Okay, I fuck one guy one time and now I'm a whore..." Penny flushed red from her neck to her perfectly blonde highlighted hair, green eyes sparking with anger. "Like this is the first time ever. You didn't even know that guy!" "No. I didn't." "You're supposed to be sad." She crossed her arms and huffed. "I can't believe you! And you knew I was coming to bring you some food, thinking you were in need of comfort!" She let out an exhale as if she were trying to calm herself. "I brought my kids here. I brought my husband here. You know I hate staying with mom and dad. I thought you needed me, Harmony. How can be so inconsiderate?" She paused, but when I said nothing she continued. "Did you plan this? Did you want me to see this? Why else would you do this when you knew I was coming over?" Penny is the type to make everything about her, so I kind of expected her to react this way, but it made me really angry that she blamed me for being inconvenienced. "I never asked you to do any of that. I never said anything to make you think I wanted your help, your fucking pie, or for you to come here and comfort me. I had no idea when you planned to show up here! And no, I did not plan this! Are you fucking serious? I am sad and last night I got wasted and brought a guy back here. I'm so fucking sorry that I wanted to be distracted from my pain, okay. I'm an adult!" I burst out crying and flopped down on my bed like a teenage drama queen. Penny didn't say anything or do anything for a long time. She just stood in shock for several minutes. When my sobbing finally slowed down I heard her peep, "It's a strawberry rhubarb pie..." I looked up, tears and snot smears across my cheeks. I realized I'd cried an awful lot the past week and that too many people had seen me with red eyes and mucus on my face. "How the hell did you even get into my apartment?" "I knocked for about fifteen minutes, tried calling you, and then texted Iggy to ask him if he knew where you were. He said your key was under your mat so I just used that and came in. I thought maybe you had stayed with a friend or something but when I checked in here... there you were." She sat down in an armchair by the bed after inspecting it, I guess she was looking to see if there were visible bodily fluids on it. "I didn't expect to find you... exposed... in such a way." I glared at her and then sat up in bed. "I need to go back to the bar and pick up my car. You can drive me over there so I can get it and then I promise to stop being mad at you." She raised an eyebrow. "If you tell mom and Granny my pie is good I promise to stop thinking you're a big slut." "That's a fucking lie." Penny said nothing for a moment, just observed me with disgust. "Get a shower and put some clothes on." She left the room and closed the door behind her. A shower, some clothes, (At first, I wanted to wear something slutty to piss off Penny even more but I changed my mind. I put on a grey silk shirtdress with a black blazer over that, some low black heels with a black leather satchel. I wore dark sunglasses to cover my eye bags and did a little chignon with my hair.) and two pieces of pie later, I was in Penny's Range Rover headed to get my car from the bar parking lot. Penny talked non-stop about her job and her kids the whole way, I didn't try to carry on a conversation with her. I just acted like I was listening. It wasn't that I didn't care what was going on with Penny, but I was just perpetually pissed off at her for being so bitchy and fake all the time that I didn't want to hear ninety percent of what she said. I knew she was my sister and she was trying to show she cared about me, but her way of going about it was all wrong for what I was going through. We finally got to my car and I was about to get in and drive off when she told me that our parents wanted to see me, and that she wanted to kids to get to see me before they had to go back home. I told her I'd go over there for dinner if that was okay with Mom and Dad, she said she'd text me after talking to them. I knew that the whole family was about to find out what I'd been up to, since Penny could only keep the secrets her clients paid her to keep quiet. I wasn't looking forward to dinner but couldn't see a way out. I decided to run errands around town, just to have something to do so I wouldn't be alone at home. I picked up some makeup I needed, paid some utility bills, dropped some checks off at the bank, had lunch (a caprese salad, a grilled chicken breast, and a Pellegrino) out and made some calls, and made and appointment with my landlord to renew my lease after all. On the way home I had another crying breakdown. I could hardly drive since my vision was blurred so I was really scared, but somehow I made it back home. When I got in I realized I had a text from Penny saying I could come to dinner at Mom and Dad's, but to wear something appropriate since the kids would be there. As if I was too stupid to know that. I flopped on the bed and accidentally fell asleep, but luckily I woke up in time to dress. My current outfit was wrinkled so I knew it wouldn't do. I pulled out a beige pencil skirt and beige heels, a high necked 3/4 sleeved black and gold striped blouse, a black envelope clutch. I dabbed some concealer on my under eye circles and slicked on a bit of mascara and lipgloss, then left. I rarely went back home. There were too many memories, plus my parents were just weird sometimes. They were always a little inappropriate, though they tried to control it around Penny's kids these days. I couldn't help but worry what they would let slip, though. I couldn't help but think of the times I sneaked out of the house in the middle of the night, tiptoeing past Mama's roses, to go have sex with Tad. I couldn't help but remember the first kiss I had with Ava was in my old bedroom. My first time ever was in my twin-sized bed, which my nieces slept on whenever they visited. I was never ready to go back home, but I always went. I decided it was better than being left alone again, and at least I knew it would be an interesting evening.