The First Cut: A Dark Psychological Thriller (Gushers Series Book 1)
Page 2
His mind escaped to last week. It was the last time he had been with Rebecca.
Holden couldn’t help fantasizing about a mother/daughter threesome. Two gorgeous women with incredible bodies and libidos sure to kill the average man. It would be something. Holden felt his manhood stir. He envisioned going down on Rebecca while Jordyn blew him.
“Good morning.”
Holden jumped. The sound of his wife’s voice was like an icy bucket dumped over his erection. He glanced over his shoulder.
“Good morning, honey.”
Samantha shuffled around in the refrigerator. She made Holden his lunch every morning while he enjoyed his coffee and planned his day. Samantha was a dutiful wife. Holden loved her. Very much. But that was the problem with Samantha. She was too good. Holden desired something...darker.
“Turkey and swiss or ham and cheddar?” Samantha smiled. She was always so chipper and friendly. Even first thing in the morning.
“Let’s go with ham and cheddar today. Thanks.” Holden smiled back at Samantha. As she fixed his sandwich, Holden’s eyes roved her body. Samantha was beautiful. In her own way. Her short bob of blond hair and blue eyes made her look like the All-American Homecoming Queen. She had a nice body, too. Samantha had snapped back into shape after two children. But her figure wasn’t like Rebecca’s. Rebecca’s body screamed sex. Hot, dirty, wet, unbridled...
“Big day today?”
Holden came back to reality. He walked closer to the island in the middle of the kitchen. He hoped it would hide everything from the waist down.
“Yup. Got a meeting with Dingman on the Phillips account. The usual squeaky wheel.” Holden sat down on the stool at the island. He rested on his elbows as he watched Samantha finish packing his lunch. “Are you going to take care of the insurance?” Leah had smashed in the rear fender on the car a month ago. She felt so bad about her little accident that she self-imposed a punishment of no driving for a while. Holden and Samantha explained to Leah it was only an accident and at least she was not injured. They appealed to her need to practice driving more, not doing it less. She had insisted. Leah was so fragile compared to Tommy. Her younger brother could break an arm at football practice and still suit up for the game on Saturday. Holden wondered if it was just a guy thing or if Leah was truly such a delicate flower. Delicate flower, of course. He snickered to himself.
“Yes, I’ll call the agency and go over the estimates again. And then I will make an appointment with the body shop to get it fixed.”
“What would I do without you?”
Samantha giggled and came around the island. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. Holden liked the smell of her body lotions. He never understood why she would shower, washing all the chemicals and filth from her skin, only to step out and lather up her entire body with lotions. Didn’t it defeat the purpose of cleaning? She sure did smell good, though.
Holden rested his hands on her lower back. He stared into her eyes.
“Remember that little thing we did two summers ago in Florida?”
Samantha’s eyebrows shot up. “Yeah. What about it?” Her tone sounded suspicious, in a playful way.
“I was thinking, maybe, this week we can re-visit that.” Holden pictured the hot sex as he asked the question. He noticed a breakout of sweat on his back. He felt really horny today. Well, he was always horny. But more than usual, he chided.
Samantha giggled and slapped his shoulder. “Holden. You’re so bad. I thought that was a one-time thing?” She rounded the island and went back to putting the lunch meats in the fridge.
Holden exhaled. “Well, yeah, one-time as in once in a while, right?”
“The kids are always around. I don’t feel comfortable doing that kind of stuff while the kids are here.”
“What if I get my parents to take them for the weekend? Then you and I can enjoy the peace and quiet. Until we make our own noise.”
Samantha tilted her head and smiled. “Tommy has a game. And Leah has plans or something. This weekend won’t work. And according to the social calendar, we have something each weekend until the end of the school year.”
Holden kept the smile upon his face. It was forced though. He was so frustrated. Everything had to revolve around the damned kids. He understood that fact. But once, just once, could he pretend he had a life again? Make love to his wife? Walk around the house in his underwear? Holden felt trapped by his life. Every day was the same. Work. Bills. Wife turns him down. Sleep. Repeat. The thought of driving off and never coming back had become a regular fantasy of his. Not as often as his fantasies of Rebecca.
Holden took a deep breath. “Okay. Well, same old same old.” He stood and pushed in the stool. He walked around the island and took his lunch bag from Samantha. She kissed his lips and wished him to have a good day. He returned the sentiments. They both said they loved each other. And he walked out the door.
Holden got in his car and started the engine. As he adjusted his rear view mirror, his eyes caught something across the street. The bedroom curtain at Rebecca’s house had been pulled aside. A dark shadow watched him. He stared back but it was too far to make out her face. Holden looked over his right shoulder to back down the driveway, while keeping his eyes on the window.
The curtain slid back into place.
Holden glanced at his eyes in the mirror. The thought of driving off with Rebecca and leaving Samantha and the kids behind had never been stronger.
Chapter 4
“Hot tub!”
Ryan began a lewd dance to celebrate the news.
“Okay. I am NOT getting into a steaming bacteria bath with him.” Zoe held up her hand in obvious displeasure.
“Why not?” Ryan stopped dancing. His face expressed real shock.
“Uh, ew. Every skank you’ve been with will be swimming around me and I will, like, vomit.” Zoe rolled her eyes and whipped her long brown hair over shoulder.
“Relax. The hot tub gets cleaned every month. You think I would ever go in there after my parents use it?” Jordyn leaned across the hood of the car on her elbows. Her ass jacked into the air. It was Jordyn signature move to make all the boys cry. And she knew her best feature and how to use it.
Ryan tried to nonchalantly wander behind Jordyn to get an eye full.
“Your mom has sex in there?” Todd cheered up.
“I’ve never seen them, but I’m sure they have. Who wouldn’t do it in a hot tub? It’s so...hot.” Jordyn tried to play up her joke.
“Such a MILF.” Todd blatantly expressed his sick thoughts about Jordyn’s mother. Ryan ran around the car and they both jumped in the air to high five.
All the girls rolled their eyes. Spencer just laughed as he leaned on the passenger door with his arms folded.
“Do you guys think Aiden and Leah are up for this? They didn’t exactly wow me with their enthusiasm.” Zoe took center stage. It had only been a matter of time before she started deciding who was in and who was out. Everyone expected it so nobody was surprised.
“Hell yeah, Leah’s in. I wanna see if the carpet matches the drapes. Yeah!” Ryan solicited another high five from Todd.
“Gross. Guys, I’m serious. If we’re going to start a secret group then we might as well make sure we have the right people involved. And we have to make sure everyone knows about it.” Zoe paced before the others.
“What’s the purpose of a secret club if we are going to advertise it?” Spencer questioned Zoe’s reasoning.
“Duh. So people will be jealous and want to join us. That’s the whole purpose. To be where everyone WANTS to be but not everyone CAN be.” Jordyn chimed in.
Spencer shook his head. He was incredulous.
“Only the hot chicks can get invited in. No chubbies or uglies.” Ryan piped up again.
“Nobody is getting invited in, unless I say they get invited in.” Zoe got in Ryan’s face.
He held up his hands in mock surrender and backed away. “Chill, mommy.”
Zoe and Jordyn exchanged knowing glances. Todd saw it but had no idea what it was about.
“Okay, so you guys will talk to Aiden and make sure he is on board. He has to understand there is more to it than showing up and sulking in the background.” Zoe thought about it for a minute. “Never mind. I’ll talk to Aiden. You guys would just screw it up.”
Jordyn giggled. Todd rolled his eyes in disgust. Ryan appeared happy to get off the hook.
“So we’re going to meet at Jordyn’s Friday night to discuss the plans?” Spencer summarized the original intent of the conversation before it derailed with goofiness and marshal law.
“Yes. And bathing suits are required.” Jordyn knocked on Ryan’s scalp when she said the word “required.”
“I gotta go. I have a physics test to study for.” Spencer got up to make his way to his car.
“Dude, that test is in, like, two weeks.” Todd held up his hands in protest of Spencer’s early exit.
“Exactly.” Spencer grinned and turned around. “You don’t get to write your own ticket for getting average scores.” He waved behind him as he got into the car and drove off.
“What a tool. Ryan, wanna go play XBox?”
Ryan ran over to Todd and jumped up into his arms. Todd held Ryan like Richard Gere carried Debra Winger in An Officer and a Gentleman. Ryan looked longingly into Todd’s eyes. “Take me to bed or lose me forever.” Ryan quoted Top Gun which only made everyone laugh harder at how silly he was.
Todd carried Ryan all the way to the car. Then the boys wrestled each other into the front seat while the girls watched.
“So immature.” Zoe stomped her foot.
Jordyn kept giggling. “Lighten up, Zoe. They’re funny. If we didn’t find them funny then why else would we spend time with them?”
Zoe thought about it for a minute. “Good point.”
“So back to the club. What do you think we should call it? I have some ideas I want to run by the group Friday...”
“I already know what we are calling it. The First Cut.” Zoe interrupted Jordyn.
Jordyn wrinkled her face. “What kind of name is that? It should be something cool like Fangtastic or a more droll interpretation, Fang Club. Get it? Instead of Fight Club?”
Zoe waved her hand. “No, no, no, no, no. Fangtastic sounds like a gay bar. And Fang Club is too...cheesy.”
“Wasn’t too cheesy to earn millions of dollars in the theaters.” Jordyn protested.
“The First Cut. It’s what we are. And what we EXPECT our members to become once they are inside. Plus, the word club won’t taint the lofty goals of our secret group. The word ‘club’ is so lower class.”
“Lower class?”
“Yeah. Club soda, swim club, price club. Ugh. The word is synonymous with filth.”
Jordyn laughed at Zoe. “You are a real piece of work, Zoe. Only you would come up with such ideas.”
Zoe smiled like a Cheshire cat. “That’s why I am the leader around here. Without me, you would all fall in line with the rest of the Neanderthals. I bring status and class.”
Jordyn snorted and opened the passenger door to Zoe’s car. “Okay, classy. Mind giving me a lift home so I can eat dinner with my hands before the other monkeys in my family run off with the day’s kill?”
Zoe looked down her nose at Jordyn. She got into the car and revved the engine in a passive aggressive display of anger at Jordyn’s wise crack.
Chapter 5
Melanie browsed the discount racks. She needed something cute to wear to the party this weekend. Especially since Todd would be there. She had a crush on Todd dating back to grammar school. His spiky brown hair and light brown eyes had captivated her when she was ten years old. Now his muscular build and chiseled jaw only made it more difficult to ignore his looks.
She thought he caught her staring at him in Pre-Calculus class. Math wasn’t her subject and she had tuned the teacher out. Daydreaming about Todd’s hands searching under her shirt made her tremble in her desk. Todd must have picked up on her vibes because he glanced directly at her and smirked when she blushed.
The time had come to make her move or give up. They would graduate in a few months and she would probably never see Todd again. Well, maybe at the high school reunions. But she didn’t want to wait until he was bald and had a beer belly before hooking up with him. She giggled to herself picturing his decayed good looks.
Melanie found the perfect, slinky dress. It was black with a fiery gold design. The straps were thin and it was cut low for her cleavage. Melanie wasn’t blessed in the breast department like her mother. She often wondered how her mother dealt with those things. So big and watery. They always struggled to burst out of whatever top she wore. Melanie never wanted boobs like her mom’s, but she would’ve been happier with a little more of a handful. No worries, she thought. This dress and a push-up bra would make her look like a lifeguard on Baywatch.
She folded the dress over her arm and made her way to the fitting rooms. The attendant was busy with an older woman. Melanie waited impatiently, scrolling through her text messages until the attendant unlocked the fitting room door. Melanie stepped in and began disrobing so she could give the dress a try. She prayed it would be the one she needed.
Outside the door, Melanie listened as the attendant opened the door adjacent to her stall for someone else. She heard the older woman asking the attendant for assistance with another size of something she liked. They left the fitting room as they fawned over whatever garment the woman liked.
Melanie stripped down to her underwear and slipped the dress over her head. As she looked in the mirror, she realized the bra she was wearing wouldn’t look right under the dress. Leaving the dress around her neck, Melanie reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. She dropped it on the bench, amid the rest of her clothing. She stared at her breasts. The rosy nipples puckered immediately as she returned to fantasies of Todd biting them. Melanie turned sideways and inspected the curve of her tits. She liked them, even if they weren’t large enough for her tastes. She faced the mirror again and slipped her arms through the straps.
Smoothing out the dress around her curves, Melanie turned several times to get a view from every angle. Oddly, her tits looked better than her ass in this dress, which was completely opposite from every other outfit she tried on.
A soft knock sounded on her door.
“Occupied.” Melanie ignored the clueless woman outside. Women always tried to get into occupied fitting rooms. Sometimes, Melanie wished she were a guy like her brother, Greg. He wouldn’t even try on outfits at the store. He would just grab them and go. And if he did try it on, it was almost guaranteed the fit was right and he wouldn’t have to find another size. The luxury of never having to deal with fitting room attendants and old women barging in.
The soft knock again.
Melanie rolled her eyes. Now she was pissed someone kept interrupting her shopping experience. How was she supposed to envision Todd ravaging her body through the slinky dress with all the fucking interruptions? Melanie yanked the door open to give the woman a piece of her mind.
She opened the door and was immediately knocked against the wall. Her head struck the hook on the wall, opening a gash on her scalp. Melanie was unconscious before she hit the floor.
The intruder stepped into the fitting room stall and closed the door. The girl, sprawled on the floor, would be the perfect specimen.
A small vial was removed from the intruder’s pocket. It was one of those orange pill bottles prescriptions were filled in. The cap was removed and the intruder bent over Melanie’s body. One hand squeezed the sliced skin underneath the hair, while the other hand collected the flow of blood in the vial. The trickle was very slow as the wound hadn’t been especially large. The intruder worked a fingernail into the cut, tearing it open
a bit more. When fresh blood flowed, the vial filled a little quicker. It still wasn’t a tremendous quantity of blood. But time was of the essence. And the intruder needed to collect and get out before discovery.
The fingers capped the vial and shook the crimson filling. Only a little more than half the vial. It would have to do. For now.
The intruder stood to leave the stall, pausing to think about the situation. Then turned and grabbed at Melanie’s purse. The intruder rifled through Melanie’s wallet, taking a wad of cash and a couple of “mommy’s” credit cards. Then tossed the contents upside down on Melanie’s body. The scene would appear to be a robbery. And that would throw the scent off anyone thinking about stealing blood.
The intruder stepped out of the fitting room, closed the door with a gentle click and strode away without looking back. Luckily, the attendant and the old woman were out of range. Nobody seemed to notice the intruder exiting the fitting room. The intruder wondered if there was a security camera somewhere close by. Most stores kept a watch on the fitting rooms and the area nearby to deter or catch thieves.
At least the disguise should help. The wig and the clownish make-up would make it difficult to identify who was behind the act. Hopefully. Otherwise, the secret club would be finished before it even started.
And that would be tragic.
The intruder chuckled and walked out of the store.
Chapter 6
Holden loved the way Rebecca tasted. Her musk. He dreamed about her scent.
After a long week at the office, Holden had been glad to work things out so he could see her. Samantha had taken Tommy to some birthday place where the kids bounced around on trampolines or something. She wouldn’t be back until after dinner. And Turner, Rebecca’s husband, wasn’t due to arrive at the airport until around eleven. And that was without delays, which was nearly impossible at Newark Liberty Airport.
He buried his face between Rebecca’s thighs. She clutched the back of his head, pulling his hair and grinding his mouth into her sex. Below the bedroom window, the kids were hanging out in the hot tub. Neither one of them cared. They had to have each other.