Risky Investment

by Beth Moore

  Later that night, Lynn arrived home and threw her keys on the table. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the dim light of the television, but she could see Chris sitting by herself on the couch. Lynn placed her jacket across the back of the couch, signifying to Chris that she was not going to stay at home. Chris muted the sound on the television set.

  “You going out again?” Chris asked.

  “Yeah, I’m going over to Terri’s place,” Lynn replied, not meeting Chris’s eyes.

  There was silence for a minute while Lynn emptied her pockets on the table.

  “You didn’t sleep with her,” Chris stated quietly.

  Lynn, pretending to review the piece of paper that she had found in her pocket, replied, “Matt has a big mouth.”

  “Why?” Chris asked.

  “Excuse me?” Lynn asked back.

  Chris rephrased her question. “I mean, why didn’t you sleep with her?”

  Lynn looked up and found Chris’s eyes waiting for an answer. “I’ll answer that if you answer a question for me.”

  Chris shrugged and motioned for Lynn to continue.

  Lynn paused, trying to figure out exactiy how to pose the question. “Why do you want to know?”

  Chris was clearly taken aback by the question. “What?”

  “Why do you want to know?” Lynn’s voice took on a frustrated tone. “I mean if you don’t know by now!” Lynn started pacing, then stopped. “I think it’s obvious, Chris! I think it’s pretty damn clear just exactly why I couldn’t have sex with her!” Exasperated, Lynn raised her hands and strode over to the hallway.

  Trying to calm her temper, she stopped and looked back. “Let’s just say that it was tempting but it wasn’t who I really wanted…” Lynn paused, then continued, “And if there was a chance, well, I decided that it was worth the wait.” Looking Chris straight in the eye, she asked, “What do you think?”

  She leaned forward to hear Chris’s quivering whisper. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. I just know that I…” Chris was trying to organize her thoughts and, looking at Lynn, finally was able to spit out, “want you here with me.” She looked at Lynn and tried to blink away the tears in her eyes.

  Lynn didn’t know quite what to do. She broke away from Chris’s gaze, walked to the bathroom, and shut the door quietly. She turned on the light and leaned against the counter. Lynn’s wall, that she had worked so hard building all day, was crumbling. Her memory kept repeating what Matt had said, “Just give her a little more time.” She opened the door a crack and saw Chris still struggling with her tears. Running her hands through her hair, Lynn called out, “If I stay, do I get some popcorn?” She saw the smile emerge on Chris’s lips, and the nod that followed. Lynn closed the door, looked in the mirror, and said to herself, Yes, I’d like to buy another ride on the roller coaster, please.

  Lynn grabbed the popcorn bowl, set it between them, and plopped down on the end of the couch.

  “Don’t you need to make a call?” Chris asked Lynn. Lynn looked confused.

  “To Terri, to tell her that you’re not coming over?”

  Lynn smiled and shook her head. “I wasn’t really going over to Terri’s.”

  “Where were you going?”

  Lynn shrugged. She really didn’t know. She just hadn’t wanted to stay there.

  After a moment, Chris asked, “Are you going to sit way over there?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Lynn replied. “I believe it’s probably safer that way.”

  “Safer for whom?” Chris teased.

  Lynn smiled. “Probably for both of us.” She stuffed a handful of popcorn in her mouth. Swallowing, she asked, “What are we watching tonight?”

  “Ghost is on the movie channel,” Chris said after scanning the TV Guide.

  Lynn, remembering the scene in the movie at the pottery wheel, vetoed that selection. “I don’t think so.”

  “Aliens is on another channel,” Chris said sarcastically, then looked at Lynn.

  “Yeah, that’s safe,” Lynn replied.

  Chris shook her head and switched the channel to Ghost anyway. Looking over at Lynn, she smiled mischievously. “I believe whoever has possession of the remote control, gets to decide!”

  “Is that right? Well, we’ll see about that!” Lynn said as she lunged toward the remote. Chris drew it into her body, protecting the device. As the two began wrestling, they fell off the couch and the popcorn spilled onto the floor.

  “Hold on.” Lynn motioned for Chris to be quiet. “Was that just a knock on the door?”

  The two listened for a moment. Then came another knock.

  Lynn tiptoed over to the door and looked into the peephole.

  “It’s Charles and Marie!” Lynn whispered. “What kind of people drop by at eleven o’clock at night? Go get Matt!”

  “Just a minute!” Lynn called to the couple at the front door, then turned back to Chris, who hadn’t budged.

  Chris shook her head. “I guess I neglected to mention that he’s not home. He left with some guy named Paul.”

  Lynn ran her fingers through her hair. “What are we going to do? Both of your cars are out there! Isn’t that going to look kind of funny?” she asked Chris, who looked like she had just had a brainstorm.

  Chris jumped up and hurried down the hall. “Go ahead and let them in!”

  “What?” Lynn said, panicking.

  Chris stuck her head around the corner. “Trust me! Go ahead and let them in!” Then Lynn heard a door shut.

  Lynn swung the door open. “I’m sorry it took me so long! I spilled my popcorn,” she explained as she pointed to the mess on the floor.

  “No problem, dear.” Marie’s eyes searched the living room. “Where’s the kids? We saw Chris’s car still out front and thought we’d stop by for ice cream.” Marie held out a bag from a local creamery.

  “Umm…” Lynn searched for something to say, then as if on cue, she heard a door open and Chris’s voice from down the hall.

  “What do you want, babe?” Chris said loud enough for her voice to carry. Then pretending to answer Matt’s question, she laughed. “God, Matt, let me have a break! I need sustenance!” Lynn heard the door close lightly and footsteps coming down the hall. Just then, Chris emerged.

  Clad in just one of Matt’s button-down oxford shirts, Chris emerged from the hall, looked over at the couple still standing at the door, and pretended to stop dead in her tracks.

  “Mr. and Mrs. McKinley!” Chris exclaimed. Acting embarrassed, she pulled the shirt, which had only a few buttons buttoned, unevenly at that.

  Charles turned away and remarked to his wife, “See, I told you that eleven o’clock was too late!” Then turning back to Chris, trying to hold in a smile of pride for his son, said, “I’m sorry, please forgive us. We’ll see you all tomorrow!”

  Marie, obviously embarrassed, rushed to Chris and handed over the bag of ice cream. “Here, it’s his favorite,” she said. She turned and was escorted out the door by her husband.

  Lynn closed the door and gave a sigh of relief.

  “This worked out great!” Chris laughed, holding out the bag of ice cream. “Makes up for the spilled popcorn!” She opened the bag, pulled out a carton of orange sherbet, and shrugged. “Figures!”

  Lynn rolled her eyes. Chris was getting too good at acting.

  Chris leaned over to pick up the receipt that had fallen out of the bag. “Come on! Let’s dig in!”

  Lynn unconsciously watched as the shirt fell away from Chris’s skin to reveal just enough of Chris’s breasts to make her quiver.

  “Umm… not until you put some more clothes on,” Lynn said to Chris, who shrugged, handed Lynn the ice cream, and pattered back down the hall. Lynn thought there was nothing sexier than a woman wearing only a button-down shirt.

  Lynn picked up the remote and changed the channel to Aliens. Setting the remote back onto the table, she walked into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of spoons. Chris had added a pair of shorts to
her wardrobe and was changing the channel back to the previous movie.

  “Chris!” Lynn whined as she motioned toward the picture on the tube.

  Chris took the remote and slid it under the band of her shorts. “Sorry. If you want it, you’ll have to come and get it!”

  “Okay, then you can’t have any ice cream!” Lynn teased, plopping down with the carton and the spoons on the far end of the couch.

  “Fine!” Chris replied, plopping down in the other corner.

  Lynn took the lid off of the ice cream and dug a spoon in the center of the mixture. She could tease just as well as Chris. Besides, it would do Chris good to receive some of her own medicine. She put a spoonful in her month and slowly withdrew the utensil. “Ummm…” she moaned as she let the ice cream linger in her mouth.

  “Sure you don’t want some?” Lynn smiled as she dipped the spoon into the ice cream again. This time drawing out only a tiny bit of the substance, she waved the spoon in Chris’s direction and coaxed Chris out of her corner. Chris crawled across the couch on her hands and knees and reached for the spoon with her mouth. Lynn brought the spoon close to Chris’s mouth, then pulled it away; brought it close, then pulled it away; and finally let the spoon rest on Chris’s awaiting tongue.

  Another spoonful was dipped, this time more than overflowing with the mixture. Lynn offered it to Chris, who took it all into her mouth. A drop escaped from her lips, and made its way down her chin. Lynn leaned forward, so close that Chris thought Lynn was going to capture the liquid with her tongue. Chris swallowed hard, feeling her heartbeat grow faster. Chris wiped the cream from her chin with her index finger and offered it to Lynn. Lynn took Chris’s finger in her mouth and sucked off the orange juice.

  This teasing is getting pretty serious, Lynn thought to herself, as her body began to overheat. She took the next spoonful and playfully licked it off the utensil, savoring every last drop. Then dipping in again, Lynn took the spoonful, and leaning forward, traced the full spoon up Chris’s bare skin, from the first fastened shirt button all the way up Chris’s neck to her chin, and finally, to her mouth.

  Chris felt the liquid dripping down her warm skin, then felt the excitement of Lynn’s tongue as she licked the melting dessert from her skin. “Oh my God!” Chris let escape under her breath.

  After removing the creamy treat from Chris’s skin, Lynn brought her face up to Chris’s face. “Excuse me? Did you say something?” Lynn whispered, her lips only a breath away.

  Chris looked into Lynn’s eyes, then paused, trying to regain her composure. Her heart was racing, her skin hot, not to mention the burning below. She scooted back and away from Lynn’s hot body. She watched as Lynn’s eyes traveled from her eyes, down her neck, to her breasts and then watched as Lynn’s mouth slowly formed a smile.

  Chris looked down to find her nipples taut, pushing their way through the cloth. She crossed her arms, trying to hide her arousal. “You know, I’m suddenly feeling exhausted!” she said as she stood, ready to make her escape,

  “No more ice cream?” Lynn teased.

  “No, I think I’ll just head off to bed,” Chris replied, feeling her face hot with desire. She turned and staggered down the hall, stopping as she heard Lynn’s voice.

  “Hey, aren’t you forgetting something?” Lynn called.

  Chris paused and turned around. Forgetting something? Like wanting to tear off this shirt, right here and now, to expose my nipples for you to lick and bite and suck until I come in your arms? she thought to herself, suddenly recalling passages from the book she had read the previous night.

  Lynn watched her and smiled. “The remote, please?”

  Chris felt her face turn even redder, if that was possible. She padded back down the hall, withdrew the remote control from the band of her shorts, and handed it to Lynn.

  Lynn reached, lingering on Chris’s fingers still grasping the device. Chris, feeling an inner spark run through her body, immediately released it.

  “Good night,” Chris whispered. She turned and backed her way down the hall.

  ‘”Night!” Lynn called after her in satisfaction.

  Chapter Twelve

  Chris slid into the booth at the cafe and caught Lynn’s eye across the room. Lynn finished with her customer and made her way over to the booth.

  “Hey, I thought you had some kind of lab class this afternoon.” Lynn looked at her watch. “It’s only one-thirty.”

  Chris smiled. “My lab was canceled this afternoon. Can you get away early? I thought maybe we could go catch a movie.”

  Lynn looked around the restaurant. It wasn’t that busy. Then she caught herself. Sitting close to Chris, in a dark place… maybe she shouldn’t. She was still horny from last night.

  “What? Come on, it’s not that busy in here!” Chris whined.

  Lynn smiled, and against her better judgment, agreed to leave in fifteen minutes. Grabbing a paper from the counter, she placed it in front of Chris so that she could review the movie times while she asked another waitress to cover for her,

  “My truck or your car?” Lynn asked as they walked out into the warm sun.

  “Look at my car. Do you really want to go anywhere in that car?” Chris joked.

  The two slid into the truck and headed to the movie theater.

  “So what are we seeing?” Lynn asked.

  “If I tell you, you’ll probably turn around and go back to work, so let’s just let it be a surprise.” Chris smiled mischievously.

  “Great. Some romantic flick, right? Look, I like a good romantic movie as well as the next guy—er—woman, but I just don’t think it’s a good idea,” Lynn explained.

  “Shut up and drive, woman!”

  Lynn parked the truck in the parking garage next to the theater and opened Chris’s door for her.

  “Man, I hardly ever get a man to open my door for me!” Chris exclaimed.

  “Well, maybe you’ve just been dating the wrong gender, ma’am,” Lynn kidded.

  Chris slid out and they walked to the ticket booth. Lynn grabbed Chris’s hand from her wallet, pulled out the money from her own pocket, and paid for the tickets.

  “Struggling student, remember?” Lynn looked at Chris and smiled.

  The women entered into the lobby where they were met with the heavenly aroma of freshly popped corn and warm butter.

  “Popcorn?” Lynn asked, already knowing the answer.

  Chris smiled and nodded. “I’ll go to the bathroom while you get it, okay?”

  Lynn purchased the popcorn and soda and was leaving the line when she answered a tap on her shoulder. Thinking it was Chris, she swung around with a smile. The smile quickly faded when she turned to find… Susan.

  “Hello, stranger,” Susan said seductively.

  Lynn felt the blood draining from her face and her knees beginning to buckle. Susan reached up to trace the line of hoops in Lynn’s ear.

  “You look great, Lynn. I hardly recognized you with your hair so short. I love the earrings, they make you look so sexy.”

  Lynn promptly removed her hand and backed away.

  “Is that any way to greet me? After all we had together?” Susan questioned, moving again toward Lynn.

  “Oh, yes, I’m sorry, forgive my manners. We parted on such good terms, didn’t we?”

  “You never let me explain, Lynn. You disappeared without letting me explain,” Susan said in her bedroom voice. Placing her hand on Lynn’s cheek, she continued, “Let’s go somewhere and talk.”

  Just then, Chris walked up and cleared her throat. Lynn pushed Susan’s hand away from her face.

  Lynn quickly made introductions. “Chris, Susan. Susan, Chris.”

  “Susan?” Chris said as she felt her heart drop.

  Susan swung around to find Chris staring at her. “Is this who you’re fucking now, Lynn? A little young, isn’t she?”

  Chris looked at Lynn, and seeing the shock and hurt in her eyes, decided to answer the question herself.

  “Th
e answer would be yes. Of course we don’t really like to call it ‘fucking,’ Susan, we prefer ‘making love.’” Chris paused as if remembering something, then looking at Lynn she smiled mischievously and began again. “Well, I guess we could call that time under the pier ‘fucking’ and that time in the restroom in that Mexican restaurant, that was definitely ‘fucking.’ God, this whole subject is making me quite hot…” Chris fanned herself with her hand.

  “So has she lived up to her reputation? You know, the best at everything she does?” Susan asked sarcastically.

  “Well, I don’t know about her reputation, but it’s the best sex I’ve ever had,” Chris answered with a straight face.

  “Yes, she is good. But then again you haven’t had me,” Susan snapped back.

  Lynn felt her blood flowing again and took her turn. “She wouldn’t have you, Susan. She’s a much better judge of character than I obviously was.”

  Susan acted shocked. “Lynn Gregory, are you actually admitting you made an error in judgment? Wow! Miss Perfect made a mistake!”

  Lynn raised her voice and felt her face turn red. “If you remember my temper at all, I suggest you leave before you see it again.”

  Susan raised her hands in surrender and looked at Chris while backing away “If you ever want to try a real woman, I believe Lynn has my number,” she said.

  Lynn was livid. How dare she say those things! And to say that Chris was too young? After all, most of her affairs had been with her own students, college students. And right in front of her, to make a pass at her date… Lynn stopped. Chris was not her date.

  Chris stepped toward Lynn and put her hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, thanks for stepping in like that,” Lynn replied

  Chris took the snacks from Lynn and motioned for her to lead the way to the theater. The two walked into the darkness and took their seats. Lynn chose seats at the back, to the side.

  “So, you have a temper, huh?” Chris smirked.

  “Yeah, not something I’m real proud of,” Lynn admitted and lowered her eyes.