by KT Morrison
“I love you when you’re bad.”
“Ah, say that again.”
“I want you to be so bad you destroy me,” he said feeling her gripping on his fingers, pulling them into her.
“Tell me if she was tighter than me.”
“Kate.”
“Fucking tell me she was tighter.”
“She’s a good girl,” he said, working his fingers in her, stroking her insides, he could hear how wet she was. “I couldn’t believe a little pussy could be so tight.”
He watched her face as she came, turned up, almost in pain. Her gritted teeth so white against the pink of her gums. She squeezed on his dick so hard it hurt. He just held her, let it subside.
When she opened her eyes they were red and tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried to blink them away, she pulled her hand out of his pants and turned her back to him.
“What’s wrong, Kate?”
“Nothing,” she said into the palm trees. He heard her sniff.
“I’m fine,” she said and she held a hand out, a little wave over her shoulder.
He didn’t know what to do, stood there with his hand dripping, watching her. He could see her shoulders start to shake like she was crying, but she wasn’t making any noise. He looked around, wiped his hand on the side of his shorts, and held her.
She said, “God, I’m fine, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong. I don’t even know why I’m crying.”
He kissed her hair and hugged her. She turned and smiled, tears still coming. He put his lips to her forehead. Her face started to twist again, she laughed but her face flushed red, and she wasn’t breathing in. She shook her head from side to side at him, and put her hands up, like surrender. She bent over a bit and pulled her hood up. He picked up her bags and helped her to the Jeep, getting soaked by the driving rain.
There it was, back again. Insatiable badness. Like a wave of panic through her. It was Wednesday and they left on Friday. It wasn’t over, she wasn’t done, but there was no more time. What the fuck was wrong with her?
She looked at Mitch, soaking wet behind the wheel. She put his hand on his leg, laughed at how wet his shorts were, pointed it out to him.
He looked down and nodded. He looked a bit worried. That was a strange display back there. What must he think? She bit her lip and watched him drive. What would it be like to be content? What would it be like to get up in the morning and just go about your day, keep up with your telly, your friends, go to bed and do it over again the next day? She didn’t like that either, but being chased by these demons could ruin her.
Kiley tried catching up on some work but just couldn’t concentrate. She went through some e-mails but didn’t respond to any of them. She made a bunch of to-do lists and then felt good about that.
She looked out at the grey sky from the couch, the rain coming in sheets. She threw her iPad down next to her.
Omar walked in from the bedroom, just out of the shower. He walked past her wearing his robe wide open. He was naked and she watched his dick slap against his thighs as he crossed the room. He went to the bar and opened himself a bottle of water.
She watched him take a drink, standing there with his arm on the bar, fully exposed.
“She’s not here you know.”
Smiling at her, white teeth looking whiter in his darkening beard.
“Who?”
“You know. Why don’t you cover that thing up, we all know about it already.”
“If you know, then why do you care?”
“It’s garish.”
He sipped his water. “What is your problem?”
“I don’t have one. I’m fine,” she said.
He looked around, big grin. “I just came out to get a water, and now this... You mean I’m not fine, Kate’s not fine? Is this a game where I get to guess, what do I win?” Eyeing her bare legs. She drew them up, feet on the couch, knees under her chin.
“Just never mind.”
He looked her over, made her uncomfortable.
“She’s a real woman you know. An adult. She can make her own decisions.”
“Mistakes more like.”
“You made a mistake?” He got himself real close to her looking down on her. He took a long sip from the bottle and put the cap on, then threw it on the couch next to her.
He reached down and dropped his flaccid cock over her knees. She backed her face away. He used his hand to bounce it from one knee to the other, said “I remember you begging for it.”
She slapped it away, hard.
“Ow,” he said but he was laughing, soothing it in his hand as he backed off. He laughed at her, said “Or maybe you’re jealous, huh? Did you think you could steal her husband maybe?”
She threw a pillow at him but he knocked it away, and she was mad that it wasn’t hard enough. She got up and grabbed a heavy glass pot with some succulents in it from the table behind the couch, heard him laugh an uh oh behind her.
“Fuck off, asshole,” she said, standing with it over her head, and she meant to throw it.
He was holding his hands up over his head ready to block it, said “Maybe I’m getting close?”
Laughing at her, thinking this was all funny.
“Honest, shut the fuck up or I’ll fuckin’ smash you.”
“Oh no, is it her?” he said, hands still above his head but his finger pointing at her. “You’re in love with Kate?” Taunting her. “You want to go down on your friend, maybe she goes down on you, I can see it,” he was side-stepping, knowing she was going to throw it, “I want to be there, huh, s’il vous plait?”
She threw the heavy glass ball at him as hard as she could, he turned and it hit him in the back with a satisfying thud, throwing soil and bits of plant up in a shower off of him.
It hurt, but he turned and charged her, his face serious. She put her hands up, said No, no, no, sorry but he grabbed her wrists and pushed her into the couch and she hit the back of her head on the hard part of the arm. He loomed over her, pinning her down, holding her arms.
“Why else would you invite me? You are the one that is ruining them. Wants to see them apart. Sucking his little cock, putting her into my hands—how will she go back to him now? How can he take her back?”
The tears came really hard and she felt a wave of heat across her chest and up her neck. Her face contorted and she started to sob, felt the tears rolling down into her ears. He let her up, helping her sit. He put his arm around her and rubbed her back and she leaned into him.
None of that was true but it stabbed her in the heart that someone could say that or even think that. Worried somehow that he would spread that idea around like it was the truth. She shrugged him off and stood up. She picked up the pot and put it on the table. She looked at the dirt on the floor, the broken plant.
“Can you get me a dustpan?”
5
Date Night
Mitch could see Kiley coming. She would have caught his eye even if he hadn’t known her. She worked her way through some of the sunbathers laying out on the white-painted loungers fanned around the pool. She was tall, thin, tan—she turned heads. She had that mane of hair down, sunglasses on, wearing her little emerald bikini.
She was looking for a place to put herself down, didn’t look like she wanted to be too close to anyone. Mitch just stayed in the shade of the umbrella and watched her with his drink in his hand. White towel draped over her arm, phone and a paperback pinched in her long fingers. Some guy in a chair stopped her to ask her a question and she laughed politely at whatever he said. Mitch could just see his tanned but rounded stomach and his arm held up as if to halt her from getting away from him. She kept walking, hair bouncing and swaying, and Mitch could tell that he’d turned to watch her. Making that guy’s day.
She made her way closer, caught him watching her, and put her arms out in a gesture, what are you doing here? He smiled at her as she came over and sat on the other side of the table, across from him, both of them looking out over th
e people at the pool together.
“How you holding up, mate?” she said.
He looked over at her, couldn’t see her eyes behind her sunglasses. He told her he was good.
“I thought I might find you out here.”
“Yeah?”
“Just getting some fresh air, yeah?”
He nodded and took a sip of his drink, rolled the ice cubes around in there. He could see her nodding out of the corner of his eye, getting it. He just didn’t want to be in there with them right now.
They watched the kids playing in the pool for a little bit. Watched the people come and go. Mitch ordered another drink and got a water for Kiley.
“Yeah, I like it out here. I can think.”
She leaned in like she wanted to say something, but just drummed her nails on the table and sat back again. He looked at her feet held together under the table, sitting on top of her sandals. Didn’t want that little thong tan line.
“Looks like we have a date night tonight, just you and me. What did you want to do?” She was leaning back now, the sun had come around and she wasn’t in the shade. She had her head back, eyes probably closed behind the glasses.
“How’d you mean?”
“Date night.”
Mitch looked at her sitting there, still sunning herself. “Where will they be?” Completely puzzled.
“I guess they’ll be doing their own thing. Ah, shit, Mitch. She didn’t talk to you yet?”
“She didn’t tell me.”
“Yeah,” she said, her head turned to him now, still back.
“What the fuck is that?”
“Some alone time, I guess.”
“No, I don’t think so. No offence, right.”
“Talk to her.”
“Yeah, I will.” His foot was bouncing. “Have you seen her?”
“She wasn’t up in the room.”
Mitch sat with her, finished his drink, shaking his head every once in a while. What the fuck is a date night? Why wouldn’t she want him there with her?
Kiley was sat up now, she was watching him, he could tell. But she was quiet, seemed a little worried. He told her quietly, It’s all right, yeah, then said he’d talk to her later and got up to look for Kate.
Mitch went up to the room just in case Kiley was wrong, or had missed her. Kate wasn’t there and Omar wasn’t either. He headed back down and looked out over the beach chairs but didn’t see them. He walked the resort, his head on a swivel, but they weren’t around. He ended up on the far side by the bar where he’d had the first argument with her. He went to the balcony there that looked out over the sea. He leaned over it and watched the people out there past the cabanas. He saw two figures out in the waves that could be them.
He walked down the wide stone steps, out in the sand, heading towards the couple. He kicked off his flip flops to walk better, the sand then burning his feet. It was them.
He stood on the beach and watched them together. They were just playing around in the water but it killed him. Kate was laughing, trying to keep away from him, and he was after her. She turned to avoid him but he was ready for that and he grabbed her around the waist and picked her up. Mitch could see his hands pressing into her softness as he tossed her into a wave. She came up mad. Fake mad, like she was going to get him. She pulled up her top as she stood, Mitch saw the brief flash of her nipple. She was saying something to him and he was laughing as he backed away from her. She charged after him, struggling through the hip-deep water. Omar dove under a wave and it crashed against her, then she disappeared under the water too. He saw her head come up next to his, farther out now. Their heads bobbing closer together.
Mitch walked to the water, felt it come up his legs. Omar saw him and said something to Kate. She turned and saw him standing there watching them, she looked guilty. He waved her to come over and walked back up onto the beach.
Kate came up out of the water adjusting that bikini again, her smile gone. She looked so good walking up to him, the jiggle of her chest, her little bare feet in the sand.
“Yeah, Kate, I think I need to talk to you.”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Up here,” he said and walked up to the shade between two striped cabanas.
“What’s wrong?”
“What the fuck is this date night?”
“You know, we can go out together. Go and have some fun. Take Kiley out for dinner.”
“What’ll you be doing?”
“The same.”
“Yeah, with him, yeah...”
“Well...” she stood in front of him with her hands on her rump, looking up, her chest sticking out at him.
“No, I know of course with him. I mean, what about me? What do you want to do without me?”
“I don’t know.” Sometimes she could be like a frustrating little kid. Just say it.
“Here’s the thing, why doesn’t it bother you that I’ll be alone with Kiley. Why aren’t you driven as crazy as I am?”
“I know her.”
“None of us know your little french boyfriend over there.” He started to feel a little heated.
“He’s not a boyfriend, Mitch.”
“Isn’t he? Don’t think I see you two with your hands all over each other out there?”
“It’s not like that.”
“That’s what it looks like.”
“We’re just horsing around,” she said, looking back at Omar. He was watching them. “I don’t like seeing you with anyone. I love Kiley. I trust you two. I wouldn’t feel so hot if it were anybody else.”
“Are you saying you understand then? How I feel?”
“Well, yeah but—”
“You’re going to go off and fuck some stranger any way?”
“Well, it’s nothing that hasn’t happened yet already is it? Jesus, you held my hand while he did it.”
“Then why alone, Kate?”
“I don’t know.”
They both looked down at the sand. She was drawing shapes with her toe. Mitch ran his finger along the fabric of the cabana, waiting for her to say something that could explain it to him. Hope there’s no one in this cabana, he realized. It seemed pretty quiet in there, but he and Kate would be too if someone was outside putting on a torrid little show like this.
“I just—I feel a little self-conscious with you watching is all.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Mitch—”
“Self-conscious, that’s a laugh. You should see yourself, darling. I wish you could see you as I’ve seen you.”
He could see Omar out in the water, circling, coming in near his mate. Omar looked a little like he was being protective. Like he was making sure Mitch wasn’t hurting her. Back off, asshole.
Kate had her head right down, he could see her dimpled, trembling chin. She reached up and put her arms around him, buried her head in his chest.
“I’m sorry I’m so bad, I hate myself,” she said. She kissed him, put her ear back on his chest. He softened and his arms came around her. “You have to know you have nothing to worry about, right?”
“No I don’t. In fact, I think I have a lot to worry about.”
“How can I make you feel better?”
Omar was out there hovering. He held her tighter, protecting her. “You can’t Kate. I think you’re killing me,” he said.
What if she were to go out alone? There’s nothing Omar could do that was worse than what had already been done, right? Not knowing is what would kill him. The wonder. What was it? What could she possibly not want him to see? The only way: no lies.
He kissed the top of her head, smelled her hair. “You have to tell me everything that happens,” he said.
“I will.”
“I mean it Kate, no secrets. You can be alone but the not knowing would kill me. You have to tell me what happened, yeah?”
“I will. No secrets.”
She kissed him again, bit his lower lip, looked into his eyes. God, he loved her. He wat
ched her turn, and skip back down to the water to play with Omar.
6
Plantation
“You don’t know where you’re going to be, Kate?”
“No, not really.”
Kiley knew she was lying to her through that bathroom door, was why she had the door closed, didn’t tell her to come in. Didn’t want to look her in the eyes.
Kiley put her hand on the lever, waited a moment, Kate didn’t say anything more.
“I’m coming in, Kate,” she said, and Kate didn’t reply. Didn’t say no either.
Kiley stepped into the bathroom, felt the heat in there, Kate’s head leaning back in the tub at the end of the long room.
“Don’t you look nice,” Kate said. She’d forgot about that. She was dressed for her night with Mitch. He was taking her out for dinner and she’d really put herself together for him. She felt instantly guilty, like she shouldn’t have gone to so much effort. Did that mean something to Kate? Did she think Kiley was falling for Mitch? The whole thing was crazy. This was all Kate’s fault, so she could think whatever she wanted.
“We’re going to that nice place, the plantation,” she said, feeling like she had to defend herself. She walked down between the mirrored vanities, not too far, giving Kate some privacy still.
“You can tell me where you’re going, Kate. I just want not to worry.”
Kate stayed like she was, reclining in the big tub, floating. Only her head was visible, rested back on the lip, her eyes half closed. “Just a hotel, not around here. I’m going out the other side of the island.”
“You don’t know where?”
“It doesn’t matter, I’ll be fine. Omar will be with me.”
“He’s gone already? He’s not in my room.”
“Yeah, he’s checked in. I’ll meet him there.”
Kiley watched her floating there, sleepy, distant. She didn’t look happy. “Where are you going for dinner?”
“I’m not. Just meeting him there. I’m not interested in eating.”
Kiley nodded, understanding what that meant. “You’re going to be all right?”
