She pulls back to look me in the eyes, seeing the torment I know this is not good. Whatever took place has shaken her to the core. “My teacher asked me to join her with the Dean of her department after class today. I told her that I had another class after hers, my senior seminar, and I couldn’t miss it since we are only allowed two absences. She told me that my Senior Seminar teacher was aware that I would be late to class. I tried to ask her what it was about but she wouldn’t give me any information. I followed her to the Dean’s office.” Her hiccups were making it hard to understand what she was telling me but I couldn’t imagine being called into the Dean’s office at any time would be good, but especially not in your last semester of college. Regaining her composure, she started again. “They sat me down and the Dean told me that the teacher is bringing plagiarism charges against me. She said that she didn’t believe I wrote my last paper for her class!” Holy hell, Annie would never cheat! I wonder if this woman knows anything about her. “I asked her why she would think that and she told me that it was too well-written. I just looked at her like the stupid old bat she is with my mouth hanging open. The Dean asked me what I had to say to her allegations. I told him it wasn’t true. That I had indeed written the paper and couldn’t fathom why she assumed I hadn’t since I cited all of my sources. He then told me that I will have to go before the Honor Council next Tuesday to present my case. I have to have two teachers who are willing to speak on my behalf at the Council meeting, vouching for my work and my character. She will present her evidence of plagiarism at that time as well.” I’m at a loss for words. It’s obvious this woman has never spoken with Annie or she would know what a diehard perfectionist she is and how hard she works on everything she’s involved with. “Gray, if they find me guilty of plagiarism, I won’t graduate. I’ll be thrown out of school. I don’t have a clue how to fight against a ‘crime’ I didn’t commit. What the hell am I going to do? I don’t have time to deal with this shit. There’s six weeks left of school and I’m down to the wire for my seminar submission and then have to start working on my presentation to the faculty.”
“Baby, don’t look so defeated. Your teachers love you and they know the quality of work you turn in. They’ll back you. I know this is inconvenient but you aren’t going to get kicked out.” She’s holding on to me like a lifeline, crushing my ribs together, she’s little but strong. I just squeeze back trying to reassure her that she’s not alone. Her vice grip on my waist lessens; when her phone starts ringing I realize she is trying to pull away from me.
She gets up to answer it, in a weepy, small voice, “Hello?” I watch her as the tears start again. I have no idea who is on the other end but whatever they are saying to her is not helping her crisis. “Dad, I’m so sorry. When do we need to leave?” More silence while she waits for an answer. “I’ll have to go separately, I’ll drive that day and have to leave the next morning. I can’t miss senior seminar and I have an appointment I can’t miss on Tuesday.” Again, she waits, “No Dad, they won’t understand. I’m sorry. I’ll be there but I can’t miss school.” There are a few more brief acknowledgments of whatever her Dad is saying on the other end before she disconnects. Clutching her cell phone to her chest, she crumples on the floor.
“Geezus, Annie…what’s wrong, Baby?!” I have no idea what that man said to her. She’s shaking, a steady stream of tears flowing from her bloodshot eyes. I kneel down on the floor with my hands on her shoulders, willing her to look at me. When she makes eye contact, it breaks something in me. I still don’t know what’s wrong but I don’t deal with drama well. Actually, I avoid it at all costs, evidenced by my divorce.
Finally, her honey brown eyes meet mine, pooled with tears, “My Granddaddy died this morning, Gray. His funeral is on Monday afternoon. I will have to drive to Alabama after my classes and be back in time on Tuesday morning for the Honor Board hearing.” Her shoulders slump in defeat. This couldn’t have come at a worse time.
“Sweetheart, it’s a five hour drive each way to Birmingham. How are you going to do that?”
In a flicker, her eyes clear, determination sets in, and my Annie is back in the saddle ready to ride this horse. She shakes her head, stands up, and wipes her face with the back of her hand. “I don’t have a choice, Gray. I can’t tell my parents about the stuff at school. I’m expected to be at the funeral. I’ll get it all done, I always do.” I try to pull her to me but she resists. “Gray, I’ve got to start working and I don’t have much time to get my ducks in a row.” I’m never sure whether to be amazed by her resiliency or concerned that she won’t succumb to anything life throws at her but my gut tells me I should be concerned. Knowing Annie, that will just piss her off so I just tell her I’m here for her if she needs anything.
Over the next few hours, I hear her make several phone calls regarding the Honor Board situation, turns out she will also have to have a student reference in addition to the two professors. She managed to round up three people who were fighting mad in three phone calls. I tried to tell her that this support alone should give her peace of mind. If the only three people she called, two of which are professors in her major, are all willing to speak on her behalf, she shouldn’t worry about that situation, just recognize it as a nuisance. She doesn’t see it that way; this is an attack on her character and on her entire body of work over the last four years. After that short discussion, she sits down at her computer to continue working on her thesis. Her entire college career depends on these two issues. I can’t imagine the pressure and once again am thankful I chose to work in a DC. She skips dinner but continues working at the kitchen table while I eat. Somewhere around 10:00pm, she picks up her phone and sends a text to someone. I watch her from the couch but for all I know she was asking someone a question about the paper she’s been working on for months. When her phone pings a response from the receiver, she stands up, walks to our room calling out to me, “Gray, I’m going to run out for a few minutes.” As she walks back in to the living room, I see she has put shoes and a hoodie on, pulling her hair up into a ponytail. Damn she’s cute even when she’s despondent. I just nod and she kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll be back in just a few.”
“Be careful baby,” is all I say when she walks out the door.
Fifteen minutes later, bright-eyed Annie walks back through the door, with too much pep in her step for her to have had the kind of day she has had and it be almost eleven at night. “That was fast,” I know when I hear her voice that she will either confirm or deny what’s already planted in my mind.
“I told you I wouldn’t be gone long.” Crossing the distance between us, she straddles my lap, pressing her breasts to my chest. It’s distracting as hell and she knows physically, no matter what is going on between us, I can’t resist her. She has the Midas touch where my body is concerned. Her voice becomes a siren I can’t resist, calling me to danger yet unable to stop myself. In those eight words, she confirmed for me she’s geeked out. I don’t know how much coke she did while she was gone but I’m sure she brought some home. The question becomes, do I address it now, losing the sexual satisfaction I know is going to be bestowed upon me, or do ignore it in light of her current circumstances and let her deal on her own terms. I opt for option two when she plants her lips on mine. They’re full and warm, slightly parted, begging mine to join them, to allow our tongues to converse. The instant our tongues meet, my cock twitches to life. She feels it beneath her, grinding into me I put my hands on her hips, digging my fingers into her flesh, rolling her waist to show her my desire.
There’s a fury of seductive kisses on the mouth, then down her neck, my neck, her shoulder bones, the dip in her neck. She greedily bites at my neck and ears, driving me wild. Sliding my hands up her sides, taking the hem of her shirt with them, her skin prickles into goose flesh as she moans. It comes from deep within her throat, the vibrations felt through her breasts into my chest. “I need to fuck you, Gray.” Her words are throaty, but sultry, whispered in my ear. I love when she talks like that. It
’s something I know she has never shared with anyone other than me, and it turns me on faster than her mouth on my dick.
“You gonna ride me, sweetheart?” She doesn’t verbally answer my question, just stands, quickly ridding herself and me of our clothing before she climbs back on. Her pussy is soaked as she rubs it up and down my shaft. I need to claim her. With my hands on her shoulders, she lifts herself up, pressing her pussy against my stomach, lodging the head of my cock at the entrance, kissing me with such force that I can’t help but push her body down. She begins to ride me like I’m the last bull at the fucking rodeo and securing her championship depends on this performance. The only good thing I can say about Annie on coke is that she fucks like a goddamn porn star. She moves to put one hand on my shoulder, the other hand helping her keep her balance as she rolls my dick in and out of her. Leaning back, she undulates while I enjoy the motion of the sea. Tossing her head back, planting her breasts at my mouth, I quickly take in their size, my hands seizing them, trailing my tongue around her tight brownish-pink nipples. She has big nipples that are sexy as hell when they are hard. I engulf them with my lips, swirling my tongue, gently biting them, just to bring her to the brink between pain and pleasure.
“Oh, god, Gray. Your dick feels so fucking good, baby.” She continues rocking, I continuing biting, she widens her legs on my lap, causing deeper penetration, and a loud, guttural, moan, that reverberates off the walls of the apartment. Looking at me, she asks while never breaking stride, “Do you like that? Does my pussy make you want to come in me?”
“Fuck yes. God, you’re so tight. I could die buried inside you. Keep fucking me, baby. Ughh.” This is all I can manage to utter, the words are broken, carnal, and barely coherent but they get her where she wants to be. I can feel her clinch around my dick, warm, tight, and all encompassing. She’s working her way to climax. I want to be there to dive into the wave with her. Jerking my hips in time with hers, my cock is aching from withholding my orgasm; my balls are tightly pressed against my body, dying for release inside her. With one final thrust she meets me at the precipice, holding hands we both jump off. Her body twitches, still tangled inside her, I involuntarily jerk, her inner muscles milking my shaft, leaving me completely sated. Her forehead falls to my chest. Stretching her out with me, we lie down on the couch, shortly after, I fall asleep.
I don’t know when Annie got up, but when I woke in the middle of the night she was back at the kitchen table working on her laptop. I’m sure she’s trying to get ahead on her schoolwork so she doesn’t have to worry about it Monday night when she’s gone. I don’t really know what her senior seminar is about other than some statistical business model crap. I have no clue how her brain processes anything about business but she’s so fucking smart, I just sit there for a minute, allowing my eyes to adjust to the light. She must have heard me move. Startled she turns to look at me, then a weak smile passes her lips.
Sleepily, I mumble, “Hey, baby, what are you doing up so late?” It’s a stupid question since I already know the answer but the only one my brain could formulate.
“School work. Did I wake you?”
“No, the couch doing a number on my back did. Why don’t we go to bed. It’s got to be really late.”
“I can’t but you go ahead.” I glance at the clock, seeing it’s almost five.
“Baby, you need to get some sleep. You’ll never make it through a day of classes and work if you don’t.” I tug on her hand trying to let me lead her to the bedroom.
Resisting, “Sorry, baby. I have to finish this. You go ahead. I’m going to go to the library in a little while when it opens at six. I’ll see you tonight.” She pulls me down so she can kiss me on the mouth. I linger a little too long when she shoos me playfully away.
“Night, Bird Dog, I love you.”
“I love you too, Gray.” I can see the pain in her eyes, the tiredness, the despair, everything she’s battling, trying to keep herself alive through the next five and a half weeks before graduation. There’s a twinkle of hope mixed in, but when I blinked I lost sight of it.
Instinctively walking through the darkness of our bedroom to find the bathroom, I flick the light on inside the door to take a leak. As soon as I do, I realize that my ability to let go of Annie’s fifteen-minute departure last night has vanished. There’s a bag of coke on the bathroom counter, a razor blade coated in white powder, and a dollar bill unraveled from its tightly twisted state of not so long ago. Geezus, she makes it so fucking hard to ignore shit sometimes. Fuck!
“Goddamn it, Annie! What the fuck is on the bathroom counter?” I’m beyond pissed. I wanted to ignore this shit but she’s making it impossible.
She comes running in to the bathroom, trying to clean up the mess, like that will make what I saw go away. I grab her arm, “What the fuck, Annie?”
“Gray, I just needed a little pick me up. It’s not a big deal.” Her tone is adamant, so is mine.
“We agreed, no more drugs. You fucking promised me!” I’m screaming in her face.
“You promised me a lot of things you fell short on too, Gray!” She’s not budging at all, doesn’t see anything wrong. Forget the fact that it’s fucking illegal – it’s just stupid.
“What fucking promises did I make to you? I’ve never promised you anything!” I don’t make promises to anyone, for this very reason. I know I won’t keep them because I’m selfish as hell.
She’s dumbfounded, staring blankly at me. She stutters, “I-you-”
I interrupt her, “I asked you a question. There weren’t supposed to be anymore drugs. I told you I wouldn’t deal with this shit and I meant it. I don’t want to be involved with someone who can’t deal without getting fucked out of their minds.” My words are cold and cruel. I don’t know why I’m so angry. I knew several hours ago she was high, but I assumed she had gone out and done it, not brought it back to our apartment. Here was the proof I didn’t want.
“So you’re saying, I can’t handle life without drugs, Gray? Really? Don’t you think that I’ve got a bit more than most people on my plate? If this is what I need to get through the next few weeks, why do you care?” She’s incredulous.
“I didn’t mince words. I was very clear about my expectations.”
“And, I failed you. Is that what you’re saying? Geezus, Gray. I don’t even know what to say to you.”
“That makes two of us. Get this shit out of my house.” I had never referred to our apartment as mine; we had both lived here since day one. I realize I’m making more out of this than I really think it is. Maybe subconsciously, I’m looking for a justifiable escape.
She doesn’t say another word, collects the mess off the counter, grabs her shoes sliding them on, then her computer and backpack, walking out the door. I hear her car start and pull away, and when I glance out the window, she’s gone.
When I get to work a couple of hours later, I seek out Topher. “I need your help, man.” I proceed to tell him about the drama with Annie. “Do you think Robbie and Turtle will help me move her out tonight after work?”
Topher looks at me stunned. “You’re a piece of shit, Gray. You know everything she’s dealing with, yet instead of waiting for her to figure it out or get through it, you’re going to dump more on her. I fucking told her to stay away from your ass.” He’s pissed and I knew he would be. He thinks Annie is the best thing that ever happened to me. I also know that he will help me out because that’s what friends do.
“She needs a wakeup call, Topher. She could kill herself with that shit. I’ve seen it almost happen and I’m not going to watch it again. If I wasn’t important enough for her to stop, then I doubt anything is.”
All he says in response is, “I’ll get Robbie and Turtle to meet us at your apartment around seven thirty. Does she even know?”
“No. I’ll deal with that when I get home.” We part ways, agreeing to talk later at the apartment.
I walk in the apartment a few minutes after seven and Annie i
s camped out in her usual spot at the kitchen table working on her computer. She looks over to me when I open the door but says nothing. Her face is completely washed out, void of color except for the dark circles surrounding her eyes.
Closing the door, I announce, “We need to talk, Annie,” before I sit down at the table with her. Her only acknowledgment is a slight nod of her head. She doesn’t speak so I do.
“Robbie, Turtle, and Topher are on their way over here to get your stuff. You might want to call Jenny and see if you can stay with her until you figure out what you’re going to do. Since most of your furniture is in storage anyhow, there won’t be much for you to move.” She raises her eyebrows at me, her eyes water, but she refuses to let the tears fall. She won’t cry in front of me. There won’t be an argument. She won’t plead her case, and she won’t fight. She’s had the fight beaten out of her. I watch her silently start to pack up her computer and books. There’s a knock at the door and I know it’s the guys from work. I see her pick up her phone when I open the door.
Leave it to Robbie to make this as awkward as hell. “Fuck, Gray, you know how to make a girl feel loved.” Robbie has worked at the DC as long as I have and he and Annie have hung out a few times, usually when we go out to Chiefs. They banter back and forth. He’s a Yankee and she’s not from the south, they love to pick on each other or gang up to take on everyone else. He’s a lot older than she is, but they have a mutual liking for each other, their sarcasm working in tandem, makes for serious entertainment. I’m sure he feels bad for her but his way of easing tension is trying to make light of the situation. This time it was an epic fail.
Then there’s Turtle. His real name is Sean, but when the guys at the DC found out he was uncircumcised, it became a running joke that his dick is like a turtle that comes out of its shell when he gets worked up. Only his closest friends know the meaning behind the nickname, and Annie of course, because I’ve never felt the need to keep things from her. She’s never called him Turtle though, always Sean. He comes in the door behind Topher and Robbie and he goes straight to Annie, but she shakes her head at him, like if he hugs her, she will lose her self-control.
Bound by Love Page 24
