Candlelight City

by Jessica Tang Von Harper

  As Suzie stared, Emma continued, “I’ll be ready in five minutes! Sorry I’m running late!” She pranced over to them and hugged first Brad and then Ricardo. As she hugged Brad, her robe rode up, showing the slightest curve of her ass, and Suzie noticed Ricardo’s eyes focused there. When Emma came to Ricardo and hugged him, Suzie pretended she didn’t notice how Ricardo’s left hand drifted under the back of the bathrobe. If his hand wasn’t on Emma’s ass, it was sure close to it.

  Emma disengaged herself and hurried away to Suzie’s room. Suzie and the two boys came into the living room and settled down onto the couches, prepared for a wait. They tried to chat with Ricardo but he was clearly distracted by his encounter with Emma. Fortunately, the wait wasn’t that long after all. Emma was true to her word, and appeared after barely five minutes. “Okay, I’m ready!” She was dressed in a short blue dress, and Suzie shook her head again. Definitely too dressy for a movie. Ricardo stared at Emma, but if he was suspicious that he was being set up on a date, he didn’t say anything.

  The four of them walked to the front door, where Suzie and Emma picked up their coats. Brad helped Suzie put hers on, while Emma held her black coat out to Ricardo. “Will you help me put my coat on?” she purred.

  Ricardo stared at her intently. “No.”

  Emma blinked. Brad and Suzie looked at him. Was he mad that they were trying to set him up with Emma? But he didn’t seem mad. He was staring at Emma, and there was something smoldering deep in his eyes.

  “No?” Emma echoed. Suddenly, her nervousness was evident.

  “No,” Ricardo repeated. “I can’t cover that beautiful body of yours with any more clothes. It would be a crime to hide it. In fact…” He stepped close to Emma, his breathing ragged, while she gazed up at him with wide eyes. Abruptly, he seized the bottom of her dress and pulled up. Emma let out a startled cry as Ricardo pulled the dress all the way up and over her head. He bundled the dress into a ball and threw it to the side.

  Emma was stunned. She had elected to go braless, so with the removal of her dress she was clad only in a pair of silky blue panties. Ricardo took care of these next, grabbing the elastic at one side and roughly tearing the panties off her body. He threw them after the dress. Just like that, Ricardo had stripped Emma completely naked.

  “Now you look perfect.” Ricardo spoke in a husky voice, his eyes drinking in her nudity. “Put on your shoes and let’s go.” A minute passed as Emma gaped at him, shocked. Then, to Suzie’s astonishment, Emma turned and walked to the front door. She had a pair of high heels waiting there. Blue, to match the dress she was no longer wearing. Blue, to match the panties that were now torn and discarded. Emma meekly stepped into her heels and stood by the front door waiting. When Ricardo opened the door, Emma only hesitated a moment before she stepped out into the cool night. Suzie and Brad watched, amazed, as Ricardo took Emma’s arm and escorted the naked girl down the front walkway to the car.

  Suzie looked at Brad. He just shrugged. “At least he seems to be admitting that he likes her,” he said. “Come on. We better get out and unlock the car before Emma attracts too much attention.” Suzie looked at the car and realized Brad was right. Emma was waiting at the back car door, trying to be patient but clearly anxious about standing naked on the sidewalk.

  Suzie locked up the house and walked with Brad to the car. She went to the other passenger door and waited for Brad to unlock the car. The air was moist and cool, and Suzie looked with sympathy at Emma, knowing that the girl must be chilly. Emma was getting more and more anxious at having to wait, particularly because a middle-aged couple walking their dog approached from up the sidewalk. The couple had noticed Emma, and the woman was whispering and pointing.

  Brad undid the door locks and Emma fell into the car with relief. Suzie sat next to her in the back, and Brad and Ricardo sat in the front. Ricardo immediately adjusted his visor mirror so he could view Emma. The car started, and pulled away from the curb. Emma seemed to grow more and more anxious as they pulled away from the house.

  “Are you okay?” Suzie asked.

  Emma looked terrified. “I’m freaking out, Suzie!” She clutched her arms around her body, squeezing. “I don’t know if I can go through with this. There’s going to be so many people at the theater, and they’re all going to be looking at me…”

  “Of course they are,” Suzie said, keeping her voice calm and reassuring. “You’re naked and you’re beautiful.” She reached out for Emma’s arm. Emma resisted for a moment, but finally relented, letting Suzie pull the arm away from her breasts. Suzie squeezed Emma’s hand. “They’re going to stare at your body and you’re going to feel more exposed than you ever have before. And you know what? It doesn’t matter one bit. Because Ricardo wants you to be this way, and you want to be this way for him. No one else matters but you, Ricardo and your friends.”

  Emma still looked petrified, but she nodded, and when Suzie released her arm, she resisted covering herself.

  Suzie undid her seatbelt. She slid closer to Emma, a mischievous smile on her lips.

  “What are you doing?” Emma asked uncertainly.

  “Maybe we can tease the boys a bit,” Suzie suggested. “Give them a little show while we drive.”

  “What kind of show?” Emma’s voice was nervous.

  “You know what kind of show.” Suzie’s heart was beating fast. She’d been friends with Emma for as long as she could remember, and now she was thinking of crossing the line between friends and lovers, a line she had never conceived of crossing before. Suzie leaned forward and pressed her mouth against Emma’s. Emma’s lips were tight and unresponsive, a poor kiss.

  “I don’t know about this,” Emma said when Suzie pulled away.

  Suzie just rolled her eyes. “Emma, honey… given your situation, what makes you think you’re in any position to say no to me?” Suzie reached forward and pinched Emma’s hard nipple between her thumb and index finger. She rolled it while Emma gasped and tried to back up in her seat. For a moment, Suzie was fascinated by the contrast of her bright red fingernails against Emma’s white skin. She could smell the scent of perfume on Emma, vaguely recognizing it but not able to name the brand. Suzie tickled Emma’s dark stripe of pubic hair, running her nails around the border of the groomed rectangle, which showed signs of recent waxing. She could smell the slight tint of perfume emanating from between Emma’s legs, no doubt the result of a tiny drop of perfume placed just above Emma’s clitoris.

  “Suzie!” Emma protested. But when Suzie kissed her again, with her hand fondling Emma’s right breast, Emma’s lips parted and she sighed as Suzie’s tongue probed into her mouth.

  They broke the kiss and Suzie snuck a look at the front seat. Ricardo was rapt, staring at them through his mirror, and Brad kept sneaking looks as well. Suzie smiled and leaned in to kiss Emma again. Her hand slid down Emma’s side and over her thigh, pulling Emma closer.

  After kissing her best friend’s lips for a few minutes, Suzie kissed her way down Emma’s neck until she was sucking on her nipple. Emma’s breathing was uneven as she fought to keep from moaning. Suzie flicked her eyes up. “Is he watching?” she whispered. Emma’s glanced up and the realization that Ricardo was watching their every move dawned on her. She suddenly realized that Suzie had spoken the truth; this was a show, with an audience, the eyes of the two boys watching them intently.

  “It’s all right for them to see you having fun,” Suzie whispered, and Emma nodded. She let Suzie pull her legs apart, and when Suzie slipped a finger into her vagina, Emma allowed her gasp and her moans to be audible. Ricardo’s eyes were wide as he watched Suzie slide her fingers in and out of Emma’s wet vagina.

  Emma slumped lower in the seat until she was almost lying on her back, her legs splayed towards Suzie, and Suzie put her mouth between Emma’s legs, her tongue tracing and licking Emma’s clitoris while Emma writhed. “So this is what my best friend’s pussy tastes like,” Suzie thought, and she felt the thrill of engaging in something that had
once been forbidden. The line had been crossed, and she had no doubt that casual sex was now a new part of her and Emma’s friendship. They changed positions, with Emma on her hands and knees and Suzie behind her, still stroking and licking her friend’s vagina.

  It was because they were in this position, with Emma’s face up by the window, that Emma was able to see Evan on the sidewalk as they pulled into theater parking lot. “Oh my God!” Emma squeaked, immediately scrambling to get back in her seat. “It’s Evan!”

  “Who’s Evan?” Ricardo asked, disappointed that Emma was suddenly self-conscious again.

  “Evan Liebowitz,” Suzie explained when Emma was too shocked to answer. “His father is one of the partners in Emma’s dad’s law firm. Liebowitz-Baccarro is the firm’s name, and Emma’s dad is the Baccarro.”

  “He’s at the theater!” Emma exclaimed, horrified and shrinking in her seat. “So?” Ricardo sounded annoyed. He didn’t see why it should change anything. But Emma inhibitions had returned at her first glimpse of Evan’s lanky frame and familiar mop of black curls, and now she was terrified of running into him. Suzie offered Emma her coat, and Emma reluctantly agreed to leave the car wearing it. It was a decorative coat with little functional value; too small, barely covering Emma’s thighs, with no buttons, belt or zippers so Emma had to hold it closed herself.

  Suzie and Brad walked behind Ricardo and Emma, and when Emma stepped up onto the curb, the coat rode up above her ass, momentarily giving anyone in the parking lot a good view. Suzie and Brad looked at each other. Neither wanted to mention it to Emma. Suzie could only hope that if Evan appeared, the coat would be sufficient to give the illusion of clothes underneath.

  Brad and Ricardo bought the tickets, and they stood in a line to get into the theater. At first Emma was distracted, glancing around for Evan. But gradually, Ricardo’s calm demeanor and good-natured joking made her a little more comfortable, and she was able to focus more on the boy she intended to be her date for the evening.

  They were talking about other movies they’d seen when a voice spoke loudly behind Emma. “Well, well, well! If it isn’t Um-Um!”

  Emma turned slowly, already knowing whom it would be. Evan was the only one who called her “Um-Um.” He had come up with the nickname when she was still in elementary school, mocking the way she frequently started sentences with “Um.” Evan was five years older, and had always looked down on Emma. His casual taunting only made her more flustered, and he pounced on any discomfort she showed.

  “Um…” she started, and he laughed. He had two friends with him, both college boys, and they laughed, too, apparently familiar with the Um-Um nickname. Emma blushed, and continued. “Hi, Evan.” Her hands held the coat tight around her like a cocoon.

  “Imagine bumping into you out here. Is your dad with you?” Evan smirked at her.

  “No… just my friends.” Emma didn’t bother trying to introduce her friends, and Evan didn’t seem interested in them anyway.

  “Out on the town by yourself? All right. Just don’t do anything I’ll have to tell your father about.” Evan looked at the line they were in. “What are you seeing?”

  Um… The Princess and the Postman.”

  Evan laughed as if this was the funniest thing he had heard. “I should have known.”

  Emma bit her lip. “What are you here to see?”

  “Il Mont de Vallo,” Evan replied importantly. “Foreign film. You wouldn’t like it. It’s subtitled.”

  Suzie interjected, “Emma watches foreign films. Just last weekend, we rented and watched ‘Le Roi Avril’.”

  But this only made Evan laugh again, and his two friends joined in. Evan finally regained control of himself enough to speak. “Yeah, if Um-Um was going to see a foreign film, I suppose that’s the one I’d expect her to see.” He shook his head, grinning.

  Emma opened her mouth, as if to retort, but couldn’t find the words. She finally closed her mouth and stood silent, blinking rapidly.

  “Your line’s going in,” Evan said. “Enjoy your movie, okay? And tell your dad I said hi.” He strutted off, his two friends flanking him like bodyguards.

  Emma was quiet as they shuffled inside. “Are you upset?” Ricardo asked.

  “He gets to me,” she admitted. “No matter how old I am, I always feel like a little kid when I’m with him.”

  Ricardo leaned into her, lifting her chin with his fingers. “Hey, don’t let him bother you. You’re here with us, and you’re no little girl anymore, so stop feeling like one.” He kissed her gently on her lips while his hands caught hers and made her loosen the death grip she had on the coat. It opened slightly, and he reached in to palm her breast. She relaxed as he kissed her, but when he released her, Suzie caught her glancing over her shoulder to make sure Evan hadn’t seen.

  The theater had stadium seating, and they found seats at the end of one of the rows in the middle. Suzie and Emma sat in the middle, with Brad and Ricardo on either side. They still had about ten minutes before the movie would start.

  “Your friend is off to see his movie, and we’re safe in ours,” Ricardo murmured to Emma. “I think you can relax now.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry,” Emma said. She relaxed her grip on the coat and pulled it open, exposing a line of skin from her neck to the dark rectangle of her pubic hair. Ricardo grinned and leaned forward, reaching into the coat to stroke her breast. He moved his hand between her legs, first cupping her vagina and then inserting his finger into her. As the movie theater darkened and the previews started, Suzie could hear Emma fighting to keep quiet as Ricardo fingered her to an orgasm. Suzie remembered the skill of those fingers and she smiled.

  As the movie played, Emma became more and more comfortable and the coat was gradually pulled open more and more. At one point, a couple sitting towards the middle made their way to the aisle, passing in front of them, and although Emma looked anxious about her vulnerable state, with her body exposed and Ricardo’s finger stroking her clitoris, she didn’t try to cover herself. The couple stared at her but didn’t say anything.

  Suzie felt like she needed to use the restroom. “I’ll be back,” she whispered. “I need to go to the ladies room. I’ll get some popcorn while I’m out there.”

  Ricardo overheard. “Why don’t you and Emma go together?” He told Emma, “Get us a popcorn, too, and some milk duds.” He opened his wallet and gave Emma a $20 bill.

  Emma took the money hesitantly. She leaned forward and whispered something to Ricardo. He said something back, and her eyes widened in shock. She gazed at him beseechingly then reluctantly nodded. Suzie wondered what it was about. She figured she would wait until Emma chose to tell her.

  Emma wrapped herself tightly in the coat again, and they went out to the lobby. They stopped by the restroom first, and afterwards stood in line at the concessions. They both bought popcorn and Emma got Ricardo his milk duds. It took some coordination for Emma to pay for the items while one hand was constantly tied up keeping her coat closed, but she managed to do it and pick up her food without accidentally flashing the cashier.

  As they headed back to their movie, Suzie noticed Evan and his two friends exiting their theater. It wasn’t time for their movie to be over, but it looked like they were leaving early. Evan looked irritated. Suzie supposed the movie must not have been very good.

  Emma froze when she saw them, stopping abruptly in the middle of the lobby. They couldn’t help but notice her sudden stop, and Evan recognized her. He smiled and changed direction to meet her

  “Hey, it’s Um-Um. Looks like she got herself a bag of popcorn. Going for the whole movie theater experience, eh, Um-Um? It’s just not a movie without a stale bag of inedible popcorn.”

  Emma looked down at the popcorn in her hands. She nervously held the bag out to Suzie. Suzie took the popcorn, confused. Evan was puzzled as well. Emma still hadn’t spoken.

  “What’s wrong, Um-um? Not even an um for me?” He gazed at her closely, sensing that her discomfort wa
s greater than usually.

  Emma’s hands shook with tension as they clutched her coat. Slowly, she started to pull her coat open, the movement so rigid that it almost looked like Emma was using all her strength to pry the edges of the coat apart. A thin triangle of skin appeared at her neck, a triangle that increased in size, opening nearly to her navel with the edges of her breasts visible. Emma looked mortified. Clearly, it was taking all her will to force herself to open her coat and humiliatingly expose herself in front of this boy she detested. Yet, for reasons Suzie couldn’t begin to fathom, that was exactly what she was doing.

  Evan stared at the exposed length of skin. “Um-um… what exactly are you wearing under that coat? Jesus, are you wearing anything at all?” The edge of his mouth quirked in a half-smile as he reached out and yanked the coat open. Emma attempted to keep the coat closed at first, but then yielded to him, letting him pull it wide. He gaped in astonishment at her naked body. His friends stared as well.

  Evan’s eyes went up and down her body and then back up to her face. The fact that she wasn’t resisting wasn’t lost on him. Emma had a helpless look on her face, as if Evan was free to do anything to her that he wanted.

  Suzie suddenly realized what Emma and Ricardo must have said to each other before they came to the lobby. Emma had expressed concern about coming out to the lobby dressed only in the small coat. She worried about bumping into Evan again. What would she do if he saw her? Ricardo, already turned on, had boldly replied that if she saw Evan, she should have sex with him. It would have turned Ricardo on to say it, knowing that he was asking her to do something shocking, but also knowing it was a situation that was very unlikely to occur. Evan should have been in a theater watching his own movie. Who knew that he would come out to the lobby at the exact same time they were out there? Unfortunately, the unlikely event had occurred, and now Emma was going to do her best to fulfill Ricardo’s outrageous request.