Cure For Pain

by NM Facile

  Mary grinned at Ty. “So what do you think? Do you need another taste?” She let the double meaning drip heavily off her tongue.

  “I think I’m sold.” Ty pulled the left side of his mouth into that evil grin, and just in case that wasn’t lethal enough, he added a wink.

  “Um…” Again, Mary was struck dumb in his presence. “Oh, wait. I want the Red Apple Lemon Ginger. Small.” She came out of her Ty haze in time to order her favorite.

  Ty looked up at her. “I’ll have a small Chocolate Guinness.”

  Ty paid, and they took it to a table outside. The night was pleasant and no one was out there. They talked about the different flavors as they ate, which led to a discussion of their favorite desserts. She learned that Ty liked anything with chocolate. She would have to see what she could come up with to bake for him sometime. Just before they were finished, he reached over and took the last spoonful of hers.

  “Hey!” she protested. “If you wanted some of this you should have ordered it.”

  “I didn’t know it was on the menu.” His brazen eyes blazed with entreatment.

  Mary took a deep breath, burning under that gaze. “Oh, it’s definitely on the menu.” She didn’t know where that wanton answer had come from. It was not like her at all, but when it came to Ty she found herself doing and saying all sorts of things that were completely out of character.

  Right there, the dynamic changed. The air became charged around them. Every word, every look, took on new meaning. There was a sense of impatience in both of them as they hurriedly left the shop. A current of anticipation ran through her and she felt like they couldn’t get to the car fast enough.

  There were a few people leaving the theater, so she assumed one of the shows had just ended. From out of nowhere Ty’s name was called. They paused and looked at each other before looking around to see who was calling his name. A short but well-built man stepped around a black car a couple of spots away from Ty’s. A young girl came up beside him, tapping on her cell phone. He draped his arm across her tiny shoulders.

  “R.” Ty stiffly greeted him.

  “T. J., I thought it was you.” The man looked Mary over slowly, making her cringe. There was something disgusting about the way he leered at her. “Who is your beautiful friend?”

  Mary tried not to pay any attention to him. Instead she looked at the girl under his arm. She was a pretty little thing, with long brown hair curling around her heart-shaped face. She looked very bored and very young, not more than sixteen. It sickened Mary to see her with a man who was obviously much older. He appeared to be in his early thirties. He was well dressed in a hipster way, in a short grey button-up jacket and matching golf cap, paired with baggy, undeniably store-faded jeans.

  Ty’s hand tightened around hers. He cautiously answered, “Mary, this is Ryan. Ryan, this is Mary.” Ryan’s smile widened in an odd way that brought to mind a jackal hovering on the verge of a fresh kill.

  “R., honey, I really do need to get home.” The girl piped up, never looking up from her phone.

  “I need to get Zoe home before her curfew. These girls with their strict parents, right, man?” He sounded like he was making some inside joke with Ty.

  “I wouldn’t know.” Ty replied. Ryan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Mary.

  “I’ll be seeing you soon. Have a good night, T. J. Mary, nice to meet you. I’m sure T. J. here will show you a wild time.” He grinned once more in her direction before walking away, and she felt the need to shower.

  She looked up at Ty curiously. “Who was that?”

  “No one.” His tone told her he didn’t want to discuss it, but she wasn’t done questioning him.

  “How do you know him?” She only pressed because he was avoiding her, and she wanted to know why.

  “I just do.” He moved to open the car door for her but she didn’t get in. She held his gaze until he looked away guiltily.

  “Why did he call you T. J.?”

  “It’s just a nickname some people use.” It was the same one Nikki had used. Was there some connection? “Did you know him before jail?” It seemed like that would be a logical answer.

  “Some things are just better left alone, Mary.” Both his tone and his expression were closed off. She knew she would get no more of an answer and decided if they were to continue on with the pleasant evening they’d been having, she shouldn’t push for more.

  The drive back to her place started out quietly. She had plenty of questions but withheld them. Mary could sense a change in Ty’s mood. He was too quiet and not at all playful as he had been earlier. She finally decided she needed to let it go and act as if they had never run into Ryan. Maybe then Ty would go back to being himself. She unbuckled and slid over to him, placing her hand on his thigh.

  He glanced down at her and spoke. “I’m sorry. I don’t want it to seem like I’m keeping things from you, but I think it would be better if you didn’t meet people from my past. Many of them aren’t the safest people for you to know.” He picked up her hand and squeezed it, before letting their entwined fingers rest back on his thigh.

  “How young do you think that girl was?” She asked hesitantly.

  “Too young.”

  Ty let go of her hand to turn the volume up slightly on the radio. He brought his hand back to hers and held onto it again.

  The song was different from most of the stuff his station played. It was upbeat, like a pop song, yet the voice was entrancing. “What is this?”

  Ty flicked his gaze to her before looking back to the road. “David Bowie.”

  “Oh.” Mary did know that name. Her mom had some tapes of his when she was young. “This isn’t like the usual stuff that plays on here.”

  “No, the weekend guy is on now so it’s a different mix of music. It’s Stevie Ray Vaughan playing guitar in this song.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Seriously, Mary? You don’t know who Stevie Ray Vaughan is?” He asked her, sounding as if she had insulted his mother.

  “Um, no.”

  “He was one of the best guitar players ever.”

  “Oh.”

  “That reminds me.” Ty let go of her hand and shuffled around, reaching in his pocket for something. She thought maybe he was going for a cigarette. He hadn’t had one all evening. He often didn’t smoke with her around, which was just fine by her. He placed a small black object in her hand. She turned it over to see that it was an mp3 player. “You wanted to trade, remember?”

  She did remember. She was pleased that he did, too, but she momentarily panicked as she remembered some of the potentially embarrassing songs that might be on her iPod. “I’m not sure if I want to give you mine yet. Let me go through it first.”

  “Nope, I get it as is.” He smirked at her. “I want an unedited glimpse into your mind.”

  “Great.” She answered lamely, thinking of the songs she loved from Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. “Well, I can’t be held accountable then. You might find it a little boring.”

  “I can’t imagine anything about you being boring.” He stretched his arm over her shoulders and hugged her to him. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the bewitching aroma that was uniquely Ty, before relaxing against him.

  She brought up the idea of watching a movie when they got back to her place. She wasn’t ready to end the night with Ty. The sexually charged atmosphere around them had dissipated with the arrival of Ryan. She wasn’t sure if it was the appearance of Ryan or her questioning Ty about him that had killed the mood. Whichever one, it effectively killed any flirting going on between them. They talked about some of the DVDs the girls had at their apartment.

  “I can’t believe you haven’t seen The Prestige. It’s been out for a few years. You would really like it.” Mary was excited to share this movie with Ty for the first time. She knew he would love it.

  “How old is it? Remember, for a few years I wasn’t exactly in a place that I could go to the movies.”

  “Oh, ye
ah. I guess I didn’t think of that.” She still didn’t really know how to respond to Ty’s offhand comments about his time in prison. She guessed when it came down to it, she wasn’t exactly comfortable thinking about it. “It was directed by the guy who did the new Batman movies.”

  “What is it with you and Batman?” She heard humor in his voice, finally.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You mention Batman a lot.”

  “I do?” He nodded. “I don’t know. I guess there’s just something about a mysterious vigilante coming out in the dark of night to save the world.” She was picturing one particular mysterious man who had appeared out of the darkness to save her.

  She told Ty to make himself comfortable. She took his mp3 player into her room and plugged it into her speaker. As she had suspected, the first song was low and bluesy. Mary turned it up so it could be heard in the other room, and brought her iPod out to Ty. He was sitting on the couch looking around the room.

  “I couldn’t wait to hear what you had on yours.” She motioned towards her room as if he could see the sound waves trickling out. “I thought I would sample it while I make us something to drink.”

  She stood before him as she handed it to him. “Okay, just remember: you’ve been warned.”

  He nodded his head. “Do you need me to sign a waiver or something?”

  “No waiver necessary, just your promise not to judge me too harshly for my mainstream music choices.”

  She went to the kitchen, took two glasses out of the cabinet and started to pour them each a drink when she felt the warmth of Ty stepping up behind her, circling his arms around her.

  The drinks were forgotten as he started to nuzzle her neck before moving on to her right ear. His stubble-covered jaw brushed over her skin, scratching delightfully. He traced small swirls down from her ear to the back of her neck with his tongue, before blowing lightly over it. She shuddered and giggled.

  “What?” Ty whispered as he playfully nipped along her neck. “Are you ticklish?” She stepped away from him to show him what he did to her.

  “See.” She held up her right arm to show him the goosebumps. She held up the left arm in comparison. “You gave me goosebumps on that side.”

  “Let’s see if I can make the other side match.” He went for her left side just under her ear. She giggled and squirmed but he held her tight.

  Soon the giggles turned to sighs, and the sighs to moans as he continued to kiss her. His hands traveled over her, his touch growing increasingly firm. Tremors of need raced through her, waking up every cell until they were all calling out for more. They were pressed as tightly together as they could get, yet it still wasn’t close enough. Mary rolled her hips slowly and groaned, wanting to be closer. Ty’s hands dropped to her thighs and with one quick lift he had her perched on the edge of the counter. He stepped closer as she wrapped her legs around him. This was so much better, with nothing more between her and heaven but a thin layer of satin and worn denim.

  His hands slid up her thighs, under her dress, pushing it up, skin against skin and it was electrifying. She pushed at the button-up shirt he wore over his t-shirt. When that fell to the floor, she grabbed for the hem of his t-shirt. She couldn’t wait to get to the heat of his skin. He stepped away slightly as he tugged it off. Her attention was first drawn to the taut pale pecs, with a smattering with soft hair. She lifted her hand to touch him when she noticed the intricate black design slightly to the left, just above his heart. She reached out to touch it, but he caught her hand and swept down quickly, taking her lips in his.

  Ty shifted and pressed against her; there was no denying how she affected him. Shivers rippled through her as his hands cupped her breasts and his thumbs teased her nipples to a peak. She pushed his hand down to the tie of her dress. His deft fingers made short work of the bow. Soon she felt the cool air on her shoulder as he slid it off, kissing his way down her neck. His hands came back to her breasts. She twined her fingers into his soft hair and arched back in offering. It wasn’t long before the bra was gone, too.

  She was lost to the sensations that were swelling from within. Ty’s mouth played over her sensitive tips, evoking a low groan from her lips. She felt him pause and looked down, meeting the heated obsidian stones staring back at her. She could see the singe of lust burning in them, reflecting her own. He brought his mouth back up to her. She moved her hand from his hair, over the hard expanse of his chest and down to the pulsing heat below. She rubbed a few slow circles before Ty encircled her wrist and moved her hand to the counter next to her.

  His mouth trailed to her ear and in a low husky voice he told her, “Just a taste; one tiny little taste. You promised it would be delicious.”

  Mary was a puddle before him, completely melted. His mouth traveled the distance from her ear to her aching sex slowly and tantalizingly. She was already quivering with need by the time he nuzzled against her satin-covered heat. It was torturous to have him so close yet not give her the relief she needed. She felt the heat from his breath caress her before his tongue traced a lazy outline of the band.

  She looked down, wanting to see him move over her. She was greeted with the intense dark gaze of a mountain lion tattooed on the entire expanse of Ty’s back. The detail in it was amazing. There were slash marks to the sides of the face as if it were looking through Ty’s shredded skin. That was as much as she could take in before Ty pulled at her panties and took all power of thought away. She raised her hips so he could peel them off. As she was partially arched upward, he leaned down, placing a kiss on the smooth flesh, now bare.

  His mouth moved down over her, causing surges of ecstasy. She noted that the music had changed. It was something harder, something urgent and carnal. It was the perfect accompaniment to the fiery pace Ty set. She threw herself into the sensation of it all; the hedonistic rhythm along with his voracity had her cresting in no time. She clutched at his hair as she went rigid and languidly melted back down. He didn’t take his glorious mouth from her, just continued with unhurried strokes and circles, bringing her up once more before she crashed into waves of pleasure. She called out his name and gripped his hair tightly, pulling him to her.

  She released him as the aftershocks settled in. He gave one last, lingering kiss, meeting her eyes. His were sparkling and smug, with the slightest bit of reverence. When he brought his mouth to hers Mary could taste and smell herself on him, and it was amazingly erotic. It was if she had marked her territory. Ty was hers.

  She pushed herself off the counter and slid down the front of his body until she was on her feet. She again attempted to undo his zipper but he held her off, kissing her tenderly.

  “Maybe your room would be a better place to take this,” he suggested quietly.

  She nodded, swiped her clothes off the counter and bent over to pick up his shirts and her panties from the floor. The last thing she needed was for Faith to come home and find that stuff lying in the kitchen. Not even slightly uncomfortable being completely naked in front of him, even in the bright light of the kitchen, Mary led him to her room, flicking the lights off as she went.

  Once in her room, Ty didn’t hesitate in letting her take the lead. She barely had the door shut before the rest of his clothes hit her floor. She added what was in her hand to the pile before his mouth met hers. She could feel him, all of him, hot and hard against her, finally. She had been waiting for this, dreaming of this, for a month. It was everything and nothing like she imagined. She knew his body would fit to hers and how well she would fit into his arms. She knew the heat would be there and the attraction thick between them. The physical aspect was everything she had hoped for. It was the emotional part that surprised her. She never expected she could feel so needy and yet want to give everything she could to him. She wanted to be everything and everyone to him. She wanted to make up for the loss in his life, both of people and time. Mostly, Mary wanted to love him.

  She did the next best thing to loving him that she could at the mome
nt. She pushed him gently onto her bed and straddled his lap, returning the kisses he had given her earlier. She started with his mouth, showing him her full appreciation for what it had just done for her. From there she moved to his jaw, relishing in the scratch of the stubble there. She doubted she would ever get tired of that feeling. His ear was definitely on the list. Soft licks and a few whispers of her plans had him moaning her name. His throat was smooth and luscious. She would have been happy to spend her time nibbling there, had there not been an even more pressing place demanding her attention. She circled her hips, pressing against that place in promise before she kissed over the tattoo above his heart. She slid off his lap to kneel before him. She touched and teased and indulged herself in the exquisite perfection that was Ty. By the time she finally relented and took him into her mouth, he had his fingers tangled in her hair and was making the most sinfully delicious noises.

  After a very satisfactory tour of Ty’s body she was again on the precipice of desire and ecstasy. His fingers pushed her over as if she were no more than a feather. Those long, splendid fingers knew just what she needed and she lost herself again. His kiss captured her cries. It was as if he were pulling her soul from her in the most sensuous way possible.

  With the edge taken off their need for the moment, they were content with just the simple exploration and veneration of the other’s body and soul through most of the night. Playful pecks and light touches intermingled with whispered words, and deep passionate kisses sparked lingering caresses. By the time they grew sleepy and their kisses slowly tapered off, Mary was curled on her side, partially draped over Ty. His strong features were outlined in the sliver of light that crept around her blinds. His chest was exposed and she could make out the black outline of the tattoo there, but not the intricate details of it. She traced her fingers over the outline, looking up and came to the surprised realization that it was in the shape of a bat.

  “When did you get your tattoos?”

  “Hmmm,” His voice was heavy with sleep. “The mountain lion I got just after my eighteenth birthday. It was a little present to myself. The bat I got when I was released from prison.”