House of Goths

by Maria Bernard

  The carriage house had been transformed into the perfect venue for such a spooky party. With the only source of light coming from strategically placed vintage lanterns, the space took on a convincingly creepy ambiance. Dorian had done an amazing job on the decorations. There was alcohol aplenty and various snacks to be had. Loud droning Goth music vibrated throughout. Clusters of guests gathered around in different corners of the cavernous space. Some lucky couples were dancing to the current slow song. Others lingered by the frothy punch bowl.

  Not knowing anyone well enough to approach them, Becky leaned quietly against the counter that lined the back wall of the garage. Once in a while one of her housemates would come over and check on her. For the most part, the guys blended in with the other costumed guests so well that Becky lost track of them in the crowded room.

  She was just starting to think she would spend the entire evening in her own company when suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She startled when she didn’t initially recognize the tall male wearing a very intimidating mask.

  “Becks, it’s only me,” Jax said, flipping the mask over his head, looking around covertly.

  Becky frowned at him, not having expected to ever see him ever again. “Jax, what are you doing here?”

  “Listen, can we go somewhere and talk?” he said with an apprehensive look around the room.

  “You shouldn’t be here. If Kelley or Crisp…”

  “I know. They’d kill me. That’s why I wore this mask,” he said, pulling it back down over his eyes. “Please, Becky, can we go outside maybe?”

  “Why?” Oh, bother, did he have to look so handsome underneath that mask? Why was she even talking to him? Hadn’t he just dumped her the other week?

  “Because I made a mistake,” he said, taking her hand in his. “I… I was wrong.”

  “Fine, but only for a minute,” she said, giving into the charming Goth.

  Once outside in the backyard, Jax finally relaxed enough to take off his mask. “God, Becky you look beautiful in that outfit,” he said with a wolfish grin, roaming his eyes up and down her shapely body.

  She looked good enough to eat. Perhaps he could do this waiting thing. As long as she didn’t make him wait too long before allowing him into those lovely iridescent tights.

  “What do you want, Jax?” she asked, her belly doing odd little flip flops at his compliment. Apparently she still had feelings for the guy, go figure.

  “I want to give us another try,” he said with a beguiling smile, his blonde hair farming his angelic face in the most intriguing manner. “I reacted badly the other day and I’m sorry.”

  “No kidding, you wanted nothing to do with me. Why the change of heart?”

  Truth be told, he didn’t really know why he’d come here tonight, perhaps he was feeling guilty for the way he treated her. Not to mention that he still found her incredibly appealing, even if she might be more of a bother than he was used to.

  “I fucked up.” He shrugged. “I miss you, Becks.” He suavely ran his hand down the curve of her cheek. “Give us another shot, sweetheart. I promise things will be better this round.”

  Before she could stop herself, Becky nodded as though she were in a trance. Jax could be incredibly charming when he applied himself. Not wanting to spend the evening all by herself like a wallflower, she agreed to take him back.

  “You won’t regret it,” he said, stepping in close and leaning in for a kiss.

  Standing up on tiptoes, Becky accepted his soft sweet kiss. At first, his lips were tender and playful but soon they turned hard and demanding, his tongue invading her mouth much too eagerly. She started to protest but soon lost herself in his heated embrace. “We’ll be amazing together, I promise you that,” he said, between torrid kisses.

  “Jax… stop,” she said, overwhelmed by his fervour. “Please.”

  Not wanting to push his luck, Jax relaxed his hold on her. “Of course, Becky, take as much time as you need. I have all night.”

  Becky paled at his odd statement. Did he mean he expected her to sleep with him this very night? Could she do that? No, she would tell him flat-out that he would have to wait, at least, a few more days if not weeks.

  “Um, Jax, I’m not sleeping with you tonight. You realize that, don’t you?”

  Looking quite perplexed, Jax gave his head a quick shake and took a deep calming breath. “Well… I uh… but you look so… I…” This, he had not seen coming. She was supposed to be so grateful to have him back that she would have thrown herself at him. Of course, he’d be as patient as possible, but he’d soon rid her of that pesky little cherry that she’d so gallantly guarded all these years. Then nothing would stand in the way of countless romps of pure unadulterated pleasure.

  “I won’t make you wait forever,” she said with an apologetic smile. “Just until we get to know each other better.”

  “And just how long do you think that’ll take?” he asked with slumped shoulders. “What do I have to do?”

  Becky shrugged disheartened by his obvious lack of sensitivity. “We could start by going back inside and enjoying the party together. I hear a song I like. Maybe we could even dance,” she said, reaching for his hand.

  “Ugh, but what if one of your housemates decides to take a swing at me?”

  “I’ll just explain to them that you and I are together again and they’ll have to respect that,” she said, dragging him along.

  “Together…” he grumbled, suddenly wishing he hadn’t come here at all. He must have been out of his tree to think that he could deal with all this angst. Still, not wanting to be unnecessarily cruel, he reluctantly followed Becky back into the carriage house.

  Once inside, he pulled his mask down once again and searched the room for her housemates. The last thing he needed was to get his ass kicked, which would most definitely happen if he were to be discovered.

  “Shall we dance?” Becky asked, tugging him towards the makeshift dance floor.

  “Um… I’m really not much of a dancer,” Jax said, digging his heels into the ground.

  “Oh… but it’s such a nice song,” she pleaded, feeling suddenly silly and disappointed. Hadn’t he been the one to come here tonight? Hadn’t he been the one asking for a second chance? Why then did she feel like a beggar at his table?

  “Here, come sit,” he said, leading her back where he’d originally found her. Before she could protest, he grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up onto the tall counter. It was a dusty old work bench of sorts, used for storing tools and the like. It hadn’t been cleared for the party and even now she could feel the heads of nails digging into her backside and thighs.

  “Jax…” She winced, realizing that she couldn’t get down on her own without tearing her stockings, never mind her skin.

  “It’s all right, Becks,” he said, slapping her on the thigh, completely oblivious to her discomfort. “I’ll just get us some punch. Be right back.” He took off then, without a backwards glance.

  Sitting there like a helpless ninny she watched Jax disappear into the crowd. The entire carriage house was dark enough, but where she was, it was even darker since that corner hadn’t been lit up for the party. Ten minutes passed and he hadn’t returned. Twenty minutes and still no sign of Jax. Getting impatient, Becky tried shuffling closer to the edge but a nail caught in her stockings and she could feel it start to dig into her flesh. Too embarrassed to call attention to herself, she visibly deflated, feeling like a complete idiot. When it became clear to her that she’d been abandoned, pathetic tears threatened to fall. She’d been played… Jax hadn’t wanted her after all.

  Realizing that she’d have to wait until someone came close enough for her to ask for help, Becky averted her eyes from the party and concentrated on not crying.

  “Becky?” Kell couldn’t believe his eyes. He’d been looking for her for quite some time. When he’d heard her favourite song, he’d run around hoping to ask her to dance. “What are you doing all the way back here?�
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  “Kelley…” He was like a dream come true. Always her hero, coming to her aid whenever she needed him most. Even now, dressed as he was in such an intimidating costume, she was never so glad to see those blood-red streaks of hair.

  “How in the world did you get up here?” he asked, stepping in close, standing between her knees.

  Looking up through her lashes, she spoke so quietly that he had to lean in closer to her. “Jax… he went for some punch, but never came back.”

  “Jax?” Kelley growled, looking around with a menacing glare.

  “Don’t leave me, please,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, afraid that in his rage he might forget her there and go after Jax. “I’m stuck.” As the words left her mouth, she couldn’t believe how utterly pathetic they sounded. With that realization, coupled with the look on Kelley’s face, Becky disintegrated into a blubbering fool once again.

  The bastard had literally shelved Becky and then abandoned her. “Damn, Becky,” Kelley said, seething with incomprehensible rage. Feeling her fall apart in his arms, he forcibly quelled his anger. Pity and empathy for the heartbroken girl won out. He relaxed his shoulders and put aside his selfish feelings of outrage and jealousy.

  “He said he was sorry. He asked for another chance,” she confessed into his ear. “I’m such a fool. I said yes.”

  “Then he just put you on this shelf?” he whispered back, feeling her nod her head into his chest. “He left you here? On a fucking counter, littered with nails and shit.”

  “He must have changed his mind when I told him… when I told him that I wasn’t sleeping with him tonight.”

  “Tonight?” Kelley’s hands fisted where he held them on either side of her bottom. “The bastard expected sex tonight? After all that bullshit he put you through? Aw, love…” he crooned when she sobbed into his collar. “Love, forget him. He doesn’t deserve you.”

  “I’m such a fool,” she lamented.

  “No, you’re not. If anyone’s a fool, it’s me,” he said, gently tucking his fingers under her bottom, carefully lifting her away from the prickly surface of the counter.

  “You?” she asked, holding onto his shoulders.

  “Yes,” he said, placing her safely on her feet.

  “Why?”

  “For letting the bastard get near you in the first place.”

  ***

  “Are you sure you don’t want to go back to the party?” Kelley asked, having walked her across the backyard and into the house. “I’ll wait here if you want to go upstairs and get yourself together.”

  “No thanks,” Becky said, brushing a hand across her ruined tights. The last thing she wanted was to be around other people. If anything she wanted a nice hot bath and to get into pyjamas. “I think I’m all partied out.”

  “I’ll stay with you then. Keep you company.” She already spent so much time on her own and he wanted very much to tell her that she needn’t cry over that bastard, Jax. In fact, there was so much he wanted to say to her. Of course, now would not be the right time. He needed to be sure that she was over that despicable prick before he confessed his true feeling for her.

  As much as she would like to say yes to his tempting offer, she didn’t want to keep him from his friends. Besides, she didn’t want his pity. She didn’t want him to feel sorry for her all the time. It seemed it’s all he ever felt for her. Right from the time she got sick with the flu, then when Granny passed away, when she fell in the tub, and then the whole Jax fiasco. He probably wished he had never bumped into her in the first place.

  “Go back to your party, Kelley,” she said, placing her hand on his forearm, loving the strength she felt there. “I’m not very good company right now. I think I’ll go upstairs and take a bath.”

  Kell watched her walk away before pounding his fist into the wall. This was all his fault. Too stubborn to admit that he wanted Becky for himself, he literally handed her over to that opportunistic prick. Why couldn’t he just tell her the truth? That he wanted her so badly it hurt to look at her?

  Before he could even dwell on the question, he knew the answer all too well. Because he didn’t deserve her that’s why. He would only let her down in the end. Just like he had let his family down. Why couldn’t he have just died along with his parents, his brother, and sister?

  His dad had been right about him. He’d never amount to anything. He was too self-absorbed and only cared about himself.

  Becky deserved better. She needed someone she could depend on. Not someone like him, who’d only let her down over and over again.

  Chapter 26

  Lying in bed, Becky promised herself never to dwell on Jax again. As far as she was concerned, he was history. He was an awful person and he didn’t deserve any more of her time.

  Dozing in and out of consciousness, she could still hear the music vibrating in from the party. Every once in a while, she would hear someone come in to use the bathroom downstairs. At one point, it sounded as though the party had drifted into the kitchen with the sound of voices and laughter. Self-consciously, she tugged her blanket higher, to just below her chin.

  She must have drifted off to sleep eventually. Hours later, she was awoken by the unmistakable sounds of sex coming from a room nearby. She frowned at the thought of who it could be causing the lucky girl to giggle and moan with such abandon. It wasn’t any of her business, really. Yet she couldn’t help but be upset at the thought that it might be Kelley. It didn’t bother her so much to imagine it being Dorian or even Crispin. But the image of Kelley in the arms of another woman… well, that upset her so much that she couldn’t get the idea out of her head.

  Becky tossed and turned, unable to tune out the sounds of the seemingly never ending romp. Frustrated, she even pulled her pillow over her head in an effort to stifle the erotic cries of pleasure that stole through the dark house. What in the world could he be doing to her that would cause her to scream like that? Becky could only imagine. Worse yet, she was starting to get all hot and bothered herself.

  Lying on her belly, she couldn’t help but feel the familiar tingles of arousal stirring from between her legs. This was so wrong, getting excited at the sounds of one of her housemates having sex! Or was it? No one would ever know…

  Unable to resist, she slid her hand between her thighs and started to stroke herself. It wasn't long before her heart started to race, her breath coming out in short gasps. She was so close. In fact, she was so distracted by her manipulations that she didn’t hear someone come into her room. It was only when she felt the mattress dip and a heavy masculine body collapse on top of her, did she scream.

  “What the fuck… Oh, hello sweetheart? Something I can help you with?” slurred a voice so heavily coated in alcohol that it almost made her choke.

  “Get off me!” she screamed, not recognizing the voice, unable to see his face properly in the dark. All that she could tell was that he was very heavy, covered in leather, metal clasps, and jewellery. Even in the dark she knew he was a Goth. “Help… please!”

  “Hey, don’t be like that,” he said, breathing heavily against her ear, leaning into her, giving her bottom a lusty thrust of his hips. “You’re in my bed after all, aren’t you? Were you thinking about me? Sorry if I kept you waiting. Had I known…" He paused, resting his large hands on either side of her head.

  "Please… get off me," she cried out, realizing in horror that no one would hear her over the sounds of the girl in the other room.

  The man didn't move, instead, he rested his entire weight on her and nuzzled his nose into the back of her head. Moments later, Becky realized that he'd fallen asleep. This was her chance, she thought, squirming her way from underneath the drunken stranger.

  The moment she was free, she raced from her room. On instinct, she turned towards Kelley's door. She hesitated for a moment, though, wondering what she might find behind it. The last thing she wanted was to walk in on Kelley having sex with some random girl. She imagined it would be somethin
g she’d never be able to un-see.

  Hearing sudden movement behind her, Becky decided to take her chances and ran into Kelley’s room.

  Unable to sleep either, Kell had given up trying to ignore the cries of passion coming from Crispin’s room. Instead, he’d put on his headphones and sat up in bed listening to the droning sounds of Placebo’s, Pure Morning. He had his eyes closed, his head resting back against the wall. He was just picturing Becky in his mind’s eye when he was hit with the full force of her impact.

  Relieved to find him alone, Becky literally launched herself at the unsuspecting Goth. “Kelley…”

  “Ugh! What the fuck!” Kelley gasped, nearly jumping out of his skin. “Becky?” He blinked in disbelief and tore off his headphones.

  “Kelley, it was awful!” she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face in his bare chest.

  Instinctively swaddling her in his arms, he held her tighter to him. She must have had a nightmare, he thought with a tender smile. “What’s this all about, love? A bad dream?” Whatever it was he was glad that she came to him. The way she clung to him, he’d never tire of it, never.

  Becky shook her head, catching her breath. “There’s a man in my bed.”

  Kelley instantly stiffened and held her away from him to look at her face. “A man? What man?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, swallowing deeply. “I was… sleeping.” She wouldn’t dare tell him the truth, that she was touching herself. Not that it should matter. That wasn’t really the point, anyway. “…and this man came into my room and fell on top of me.”

  Without waiting for any further explanation, Kelley set her aside and went off to take care of this so called intruder. How dare someone come into Becky’s room? Whoever it was, he’d better be prepared to die!

  Too shaken to follow, Becky crawled under his blanket and waited with bated breath. Moments later, shouting and scuffling sounded from her room. Then, of course, it wasn’t long before she heard bedroom doors opening, hurried footsteps followed by even more cursing. She recognized Crispin’s and Dorian’s voices mixed in with Kelley’s. Were they killing each other?