Sociopath?

by Vicki Williams

  It was a blissful time for Laney. For once, they didn’t even have to give a thought that a knock might ever come on the door. They were completely free to be together all the time, to wake up in the morning when they felt like it, to go to sleep late at night all tangled together, to watch t.v. from the bed with his arm around her. If she got really interested in a program, he’d invariably start kissing her neck or putting his hand between her legs. “Is this really something you want to see?” he’d ask in a low, intimate voice and she’d turn away from the television saying, “no, I don’t care anything about it at all.”

  They took their showers together. They ordered all their meals from room service. Sometimes he’d dribble his orange juice on her breasts and down her belly and into her pussy and then lick it up. Or she’d smear his nipples and cock with strawberry jam and eat it off, his hands buried in her hair.

  “I love it now that you’re on birth control pills and we don’t have to use condoms,” he said, “it feels better and I like knowing I’m leaving some of me inside you.”

  *

  Sometimes, they just talked.

  “So, how’s it going with Cal? Have you done the dirty deed yet?”

  She sighed. “Yes, and you know what I did?”

  “What’s that?”

  “I faked it, although I swore I’d never do that. I just couldn’t hurt him, Rafe. I knew he’d feel so rejected and he tried so hard to make it good for me. I see now why women do it. It’s to be kind.”

  “Do you think you convinced him?”

  “Oh, yes, I just pretended it was you and it was really happening. I know how to make it feel real.”

  *

  “Do you really hate it here that much, Rafe?”

  “I feel like a dog in a kennel, Lane, trapped into a small, stifling space, with constant noise from other dogs howling and barking on all sides. You know, I have an assigned counselor. We all do. I was supposed to go see him but I never did so he came to my room to see me. First, he blew smoke up my ass about my grades and football and how well I was doing. Then he got to the real reason he was there which was that he’d noticed when he looked over my computer record that I’d hadn’t hooked up with any clubs or groups and he wanted to know why that was. I said the last thing I wanted was to go some place where there were even more people when I felt like I was drowning in people already. He said, but if they were students who had things in common with me, wouldn’t that make a difference? I asked him very politely if he had any complaints about my academics or my behavior and he said, oh, no nothing like that, so I said, then why didn’t he leave me the fuck alone and go visit people who wanted his help.”

  “Do you think you can stand it for four years, Rafe?”

  “I have to, Lane,” he said bleakly. “Dad won’t permit anything else.”

  *

  Before he took her to the airport, he made a quick pass around the campus. “You at least have to be able to say you saw the library and my dorm and the eating cottages on Prospect Street. That’s Ivy Cottage.” He pointed to an imposing gothic mansion. “That’s the one that every Vincennes has belonged to. I guess, I will too.”

  “I wish this weekend never had to be over. If I could choose my own personal Groundhog Day, it would be these two days,” she said.

  When he carried her bag into the airport for her, he told her, “next time don’t bother bringing so many clothes,” and grinned.

  * *

  “Well, Ren, he’s made it through his first year. I think it’s going to be a struggle for him all the way through. I hesitate to call him anti-social…”

  “Although that’s probably the right word,” Renny replied.

  “Yes, Renny, I think maybe it is. It doesn’t stop him from achievement but I think it makes him pretty miserable. He maintained his straight A average. Actually, it doesn’t seem as if it requires much effort for him to do that. You know, he wasn’t planning to play basketball but Coach Chalmers was familiar with his high school record and hounded him. He ended up with the highest average score on the team except for one boy who was recruited specifically for his basketball ability, a student who is almost a foot taller than Rafe.”

  “I’ve been reading the paper on-line, Gil, so I know a little about that. It’s the only way I’d know since he never tells me anything.”

  “I sent his counselor to see him but he pretty much told Kessler to fuck off and threw him out of his room.”

  Renny made a wry face, “well, Gil, I’m sorry…”

  “No, it’s okay, I should never have tried to invade his privacy that way. Incidentally, Kessler said his room was as spare as a monk’s cell, although I think that room has seen lots of things a monk’s cell would never see.” Gil chuckled. “The Women’s Studies professor, Helene Barnes, is just obsessed about him, Renny. She’s says he’s the most classic male chauvinist pig she’s ever seen. He has this thing he does, picking up a girl to go out for a ride in that ‘Vette and then spending the night in a hotel. Those girls call themselves Rafe’s Riders and it seems to be a badge of honor. Helene tells them that no woman who has a shred of self-respect would ever go with him but it doesn’t appear that her lectures are having much affect.”

  “Well, he’s got through one year. I don’t care how much he hates it, Gil, I’ll not allow him to quit before he’s through.”

  ~ ~ ~

  CHAPTER 6

  A grin split Chester’s face when he saw Rafe sauntering across the grass toward the track fence. The boy looked a little thinner and there were faint smudges of shadow around his eyes.

  “I’ve been looking for me a good driver, Kid. Know where I might find one?”

  A smile flashed across Rafe’s face. “Do I have to fill out an application?”

  “Nope, you’re hired.”

  *

  Over all, it was a good summer. He spent most of the time on the move - on the horse, on the boat, on the track, like he couldn’t slow down. Chester sent him to some of the other bigger tracks with more experienced drivers. And he did well, winning almost all his races.

  “Who is your new, young guy, Chet? He looks like a comer. “

  “Could be, Dink, don’t know exactly what will happen with him yet. He’s in college, Princeton, no less. Name’s Vincennes. Family are mucky-mucks in my part of the country, mega-rich, live on a big estate on the Eastern Shore. Doubt they’ll want their little prince to take up racing as a full-time career. I think he’s got what it takes if that’s what he decides though. He’s got nerves of steel and an uncanny sense of knowing when to hold’em and when to fold’em, like the very best ones do. So I could have somethin’ or I could have nothin’ but I’ll take what I can get out of him for now.”

  Dink laughed. “Yeah, I would too if I were you. You know, the Gazette did a feature on him. They sent a female reporter, pretty young thing. I was watching from another table when she was interviewing him or maybe I should say, when he was charming her. I think she would have liked to have written a 900 page book about him instead of just a story on the sports page. Took way more pictures than she needed. I saw’em leave together. I figured he probably had her in bed about 15 minutes later. I expect you’ll get a pretty glowing article out of it, Chet.”

  Chester chuckled, “yep, that’s my boy.”

  * *

  At the fourth race meet of the summer, six women appeared at the track wearing tight jeans and white tee-shirts that said “I ‘big red heart’ Rafe” on the front and “Rafe Vincennes Fan Club” on the back. They jumped and screamed in support and when he won, they managed to get behind him so that when his picture was taken, they were in the shot too. By the time, he turned around, they were gone so he shrugged it off and went to meet, Lauren, the Gazette reporter. He’d told her they’d hang out when the races were over.

  *

  The next weekend, Chester pulled him aside as soon as he arrived at the track.

  “I did a little reconnoitering, Rafe, and your fan club i
s back. There are ten of them now. Damndest thing I’ve ever seen. The fact is, Rafe, good as you are and much potential as you have, you’re still just a minor league driver. You’re not well known. None of that usually adds up to having your own fan club. Having them around is good P.R. for you. You need to give’em some encouragement today, Rafe, pay’em some attention to keep them interested.”

  “Chet,” Rafe cocked one black eyebrow, “I appreciate every bit of instruction you give me about driving but, you know, you can probably trust me to handle the women on my own.”

  Chester burst out laughing. “You’re right, Kid, what was I thinking?”

  *

  Standing behind the fence, they watched him coming through the gate toward them with anticipation. The lean brown body, the too long black hair, the dark eyes, and when he got almost to them, the gleaming smile.

  “What’s up, Girls?”

  One of them took the lead - early 20’s, spiky blonde hair, big brown eyes, a tight compact body with full, firm breasts, now with an “I ‘heart’ Rafe” pulled tight across them.

  “I’m Jeri and I’m the president of your fan club.”

  “I didn’t even know I had a fan club.”

  She smiled, showing perfect white teeth.

  “Well, you didn’t until a couple weeks ago but now you do. We’re a little more than just a fan club though. We’d like to tell you about it when you have time.”

  “It will have to be when the racing’s over. How about if I meet you here when I’m done and we’ll take it from there.”

  “Well, we’re across the highway staying at the Raceway Lodge. Why don’t you come to the restaurant over there? That way it will be more comfortable to talk.”

  He nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you then.”

  “In the meantime, will you sign our shirts?” She pulled out a black marker. One by one, they presented their chests to him and he signed a sprawling “Rafe” right above the red heart.

  *

  He saw them cheering him on as he pulled up to the start line and shot them a victory sign, which, by the time the race was over, it was.

  *

  “They’re in the small dining room in the back over there,” the gray-haired waitress told him. “They told me I’d recognize you right away because you’re so pretty,” she said, chuckling.

  “Guess I’d feel pretty stupid if I got back there and it wasn’t me.” He grinned.

  “Not to worry, Darlin’, I’m sure it’s you.”

  *

  They’d saved the head of the table for him. The ten of them were ranged in front of him. All looked to be from upper teens to early 30’s. There were redheads and blondes and brunettes, short hair and long hair, blue eyes and brown eyes, slender to full-bodied.

  Once again, Jeri took charge.

  “Here’s the way it happened. Lida over there is from around Benedict and she saw you race a couple years ago. You were her favorite driver then but you disappeared. When you showed back up this year, she made sure to find out what your schedule was going to be and she’s been to every one of your races since. Me and Lida are best friends. She talked me into going because she didn’t want to drive to the farther tracks alone. I’d never even been to any races before but I love them now. We met up with a few others and got to be sort of race track friends. Turned out that every one of us lusted after you.” She grinned and he matched it with one of his own.

  “We almost got in a cat fight once arguing over who should get to go to bed with you, although, of course, at that point, none of us knew exactly how we were going to make that happen. Anyway, we figured that was stupid so we got together to make a better plan. We decided we’d start the fan club but with a twist. What we thought of was that at the beginning of each meet, we’d put all our names in a hat. Whoever’s name was drawn would be offered to you that night if you were interested in being with someone. Then that person’s name is left out the next time so everyone gets a fair chance…”

  He looked around the table at them. They all felt slightly electrified by the smile that crossed his face.

  “Sounds like a plan, Girls, but I usually like to have a little say over who I go to bed with.”

  “No, wait,” said Jeri, “before you say no, let me explain the advantages for you. First, we always book rooms close to the track. We double up but we’d always make sure to reserve one single for whoever gets drawn. You don’t probably know most of the women at the tracks from Adam anyway so it’s going to be trial and error for you. This way, you know for sure you’ve got someone waiting on you if you want, close by, in a nice room. If there’s a night you’ve got something else to do, that person’s name just goes to the next race night. Look at us, Rafe, none of us are old or fat or ugly. Every one of us would treat you like a king. How can you turn down a deal like that?”

  “When you explain it like that, it does sound pretty appealing. So, did you already draw for tonight in case I said yes?” he asked curiously.

  “No, we all agreed that Lida should have the first go since, basically, she discovered you.”

  Lida looked to be of mixed race heritage, Caucasian and Oriental. She was tiny, probably not even 5 foot, with lustrous long jet hair, almond eyes and creamy ivory skin. She gave him a shy smile.

  “Are you sure about this, Sweetheart, that it’s really what you want to do?”

  “Oh, yes, I’m positive!”

  “Well, lead the way then.”

  She got up from the table and took his hand, a huge smile on her face. Going out the door, he looked back at the rest of them and winked.

  Lucky, lucky Lida. Maybe next week it would be them.

  *

  “How old are you, Lida?”

  “Twenty.”

  “Are you a virgin?”

  “Yes, is it so easy tell?”

  “Well, yes, it is pretty obvious.”

  “Are you disappointed, that I’m not more experienced and you’ll probably have to show me what to do?”

  “No, Sweetheart, I don’t mind.”

  He did everything slowly and gently because she was so tiny and so shy. Her hands were like little butterflies dancing delicately across his body. Her lips were like a hummingbird, darting and skimming and kissing. He took lots of time to get her ready until she was comfortable and eager.

  “I’m going to come into you now. It might hurt a little since it’s your first time but it won’t last long.”

  She was small there too and he felt her wince when he entered her but he kept up his patient easy strokes until he sensed that she was relaxing, getting into it. (She was far from his first virgin, after all).

  “Put your legs around me, Sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear, “lift your hips to come and meet me.”

  He moved a little faster, a little harder until he heard her breathing quicken, could tell she was on the brink of orgasm. He waited until he heard her soft sighs of satisfaction, before he let himself go.

  “Oh, Rafe,” she murmured against his chest. “I’m so glad I waited for you. All my friends have been doing it a long time but I told them I wanted my first experience to be really special.”

  They took a shower together and he made her come again, kissing her and tickling her lightly with a fluffy washcloth on her breasts and butt and between her legs.

  They ordered a pizza and talked while they ate.

  She was from the next town west of Benedict, Linnville, she was taking a nursing course at the State College. He told her he thought she’d make a wonderful nurse because she seemed so caring and kind. She said going to the races was her favorite extracurricular activity. She watched him faithfully the first year he raced and was so glad when he came

  back.

  He recognized the signs and really hoped she didn’t tell him she loved him even though he knew she thought she did. Although it was fun to show a girl how good sex could be for the first time, he thought he probably would rather have started with someone like Jeri who wouldn’
t be as emotionally sensitive as this one, someone with whom he wouldn’t have to be so careful.

  “You know,” she told him later, “we’re not allowed to tell you we love you. It’s in our by-laws.”

  “You have by-laws?” he said, somewhat taken aback, “and one of them is that you can’t tell me you love me?”

  “Yes, because we don’t want this to be uncomfortable for you. We decided it wouldn’t be fair and besides that, if it got to be a hassle for you, you might quit doing it.”

  He chuckled. “Well, it seems like you girls thought of everything.”

  That night, she slept nestled against him, like a little cuddly animal. Rafe had never slept with a stuffed teddy bear but he thought this was what it would have felt like if he had.

  In the morning, he taught her about oral sex, both him for her and her for him, and then he kissed her and left. She couldn’t wait to get dressed and meet the girls in the coffee shop to tell them how wonderful it had been.

  *

  “So that’s the story of the fan club, Chet.”

  Chester was flabbergasted. “That is un-fucking-believable! Jesus, Kid, I don’t even know what to say. Puttin’ their names in a hat to see who gets to fuck you? By-fuckin-laws? I went out and took a look and there’s a dozen of’em today. Rafe, if you don’t take up full-time driving, you’re a pure damn fool.”

  *

  It was Jeri that night whose name got drawn.

  “Thank God!” she said. “We bring along extra shirts and as others hear about the club and join in, the odds of getting drawn keep getting higher.”

  He was right about her. She didn’t require kid gloves treatment like Lida.

  * *

  Laney was spending her summer feeling schizophrenic. On the one hand, there was her life as Cal’s steady girlfriend. They went boating and to the movies and to parties with their friends. She had strong feelings for Cal. He was a sweetheart, a perfect boyfriend. Although they were part of the “popular set” at school, all the other kids liked them, even those who weren’t so popular. Neither was thought of as a snob because they were nice to everyone. Teachers said they were ideal students, an All-American couple. They both got excellent grades as well as being involved in extracurricular activities. Cal played football and was in the Drama Club. Laney was on the Cheer Squad and on the student editorial board of the Benedict High School Scribe.