Dirty

by R. L. Kenderson

  Her mother sealed the deal when she said, “Elise, can you bring me some stuff tomorrow? I can give you a list.”

  “Of course, Mom.”

  The drive home was uneventful, and even though Elise’s mind was going over and over her father’s condition, she fell asleep. She vaguely felt Luke lift her out of his SUV and carry her into the house.

  The next thing she remembered was waking up and seeing her alarm clock read 1:38 a.m. She was wearing a T-shirt and her underwear. She didn’t remember Luke changing her.

  She wondered when he’d left and why he hadn’t said good-bye. Even if he’d wanted to let her sleep, it would have been nice.

  She rolled onto her back and was surprised to look over into Luke’s sleeping face. He hadn’t left after all. She shouldn’t be feeling any happiness with her father in the hospital, but she couldn’t help but feel joy upon seeing Luke in bed beside her.

  He must have sensed that she was awake because he opened one eye. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she said. And she meant it. She brushed her hand down his chest. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

  He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. “No worries.”

  She snuggled into him, and they both fell back to sleep.

  Luke woke to the sound of his alarm going off early in the morning. He snatched his phone off the nightstand and hit Dismiss before it could wake Elise. It was set for working the day shift, and he’d forgotten to turn it off before he went to bed last night. He had already taken care of his shift today, so he didn’t have to worry about going into work. But, now, he was awake and wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.

  Luke was lying on his side with Elise curled up behind him, her arm slung over his waist. Her fingers were clutching his boxers, as if she were worried he would leave. He carefully extracted her hand and rolled her onto her back, so he could slide out of bed. He grabbed his phone and then slipped on his jeans, not bothering to button them, as he left the room and closed the door behind him.

  He went downstairs and started the coffee. Elise had been in her new home for only a few days, but she’d taken the week off from work to unpack, and she had made good progress. Although now she would be using her time off to visit her sick father. Maybe Elise could drive to Rochester today by herself, and Luke could help out by doing some more unpacking for her.

  Luke rummaged around for something to eat for breakfast. This was only the second time that he’d stayed at Elise’s house. He’d spent the night the day she moved in, but since he’d had to work early on Monday and Tuesday, he’d stayed home.

  It was kind of crazy to think that Elise and he hadn’t actually spent that many nights together. With her living at her parents’, she would come to his house but always went home to sleep, except for their first night together and when her dad had been in the hospital the first time. Elise having her own place was going to make it a lot easier for them to be together.

  Luke found bacon and eggs, but it was still too early to make them. He wanted Elise to sleep longer because she needed the rest. But, since he was still hungry, he selected a banana, picked up his coffee, and headed for the family room to turn on the morning news.

  He didn’t make it far before there was a pounding at the front door. Who in the hell would be making so much noise at six fifteen in the morning? Luke rushed to the door, setting his cup on the counter on the way, before whoever was out there woke up Elise.

  He took a quick peek out the window in the front door before opening it. It was Rachel, and she looked upset.

  Luke swung the door open. “Is everything okay?”

  Rachel scanned Luke from head to toe, probably taking in his messy hair, his bare chest, his unbuttoned jeans, and his bare feet. There was no denying that Luke had slept there, so he didn’t even try to hide it. He was going to own that shit. He did, however, button up his pants.

  “No,” Rachel said, pushing Luke out of the way and barging into the house. “I don’t even know where to start,” she practically yelled.

  Luke held out his hand and pushed it down. “Shh, Elise is still sleeping.” He walked past her and motioned for her to go with him. “Come on, I’ll pour you some coffee. I’m guessing you have some questions.”

  Rachel followed, stomping behind him. “You’re damn right I do.”

  “How do you take your coffee?” Luke asked before taking the last bite of his banana and tossing the peel in the garbage.

  “Black is fine.”

  Luke poured Rachel a cup while she took a seat at the kitchen table. He set it in front of her and then sat across from her.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked.

  “First, how is Elise’s dad?”

  “Critical. Hopefully, things are better this morning, but we haven’t heard anything since we left the hospital last night.” Luke leaned back in his chair. “Didn’t Elise tell you?”

  Rachel scowled. “No. She didn’t tell me anything. The only reason I know anything is because Sean told me, and Sean knew because you’d canceled your plans last night and told him.”

  Whoops.

  Luke wasn’t sure if he had messed up or not. He’d texted Sean to cancel, and he had just assumed Elise had told her best friend about her father right away. And, since Sean knew about Elise and Luke, he hadn’t bothered to keep anything private. And he really couldn’t imagine Elise wanting to keep Rachel in the dark about her dad, which meant that Elise had probably forgotten to call her, like she’d forgotten to call her sister.

  The realization that Elise had called him and only him made him want to smile, but he wouldn’t dare in front of Rachel right now.

  Not only had Elise called him when she was in distress, but she also hadn’t asked him to do one doctor thing at the hospital yesterday. When her father’s doctor had left and she’d called him a butthole, Luke had briefly wondered if she’d ask him to go talk to him, doctor to doctor. But she hadn’t even hinted that it was what she wanted from him. He’d wanted to kiss her right in front of her mother.

  Focusing back on the current conversation, Luke told Rachel, “I’m sorry she didn’t tell you. She was very upset. She even forgot to call Kristen.”

  “I tried calling and texting her several times.”

  “She turned her phone on Do Not Disturb when we left the hospital, so only her mom’s and sister’s phone calls would come through.”

  Rachel crossed her arms. “Yet, somehow, you knew, and you were there.”

  “Yeah, about that. That is something you and Elise need to talk about. I’m not going to get in the middle of it,” Luke said as he lifted his cup to take a sip of coffee.

  “You mean, the fact that you’re fucking one of my closest friends like she’s one of your whores?” Her voice dripped with hostility.

  Luke slammed his cup on the table and pointed a finger at Rachel. “Don’t you dare talk about Elise like that.”

  Rachel blanched at his words, dropping her arms. Her face showed surprise and then softened. “You’re right. That was completely uncalled for. I shouldn’t have suggested that…” She waved her hand for Luke to fill in the blank in his head.

  Except Luke wasn’t going to let her off that easily. “That she’s a whore. No, you shouldn’t have.”

  Rachel grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

  As she should be.

  “Look, I just don’t want her to get hurt.”

  This time, Luke crossed his arms.

  “Sean told me that this isn’t some fling to you, but I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t look out for her.”

  “Why does everyone think I’m such a bad guy?”

  Rachel sighed. “It’s not that we think you’re a bad guy. We’re just thinking of your history.” She held her arms off, as if to ward off his protests. “I know college was a long time ago, but it’s what most of us know.”

  “Well, how about this? Did it ever occur to anyone that I didn’t get serious in college because the girls d
idn’t want to, not because I didn’t want to?”

  Rachel looked at him like he’d grown another head.

  “Yeah, I’m not saying I wanted to date every chick I slept with, but most girls just saw me as some conquest. Some big hockey player to add to their roster. It wasn’t even just the puck bunnies. There were a few girls in there who were more on the serious side and didn’t follow hockey. But they pretty much laughed in my face when I brought up seeing them again. Apparently, I was only good enough for a roll in the hay.”

  Luke hadn’t even told Elise this. Let’s face it; it was downright embarrassing to only be wanted for your dick.

  “I…I had no idea.”

  “Well, now, you do. I really have no intentions of hurting Elise. If anything, I’m the one who could end up being the injured party.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “You’re going to think I’m crazy, but has Elise ever talked about other guys she’s slept with?”

  “You mean, how all her boyfriends are duds in bed?”

  Luke didn’t know why he was surprised that Rachel knew this, but he was.

  He cleared his throat. “That, and the only guys she was able to…achieve a climax with were not boyfriend material, according to Elise.”

  “Yeah, I’ve noticed that, too.”

  “Well, I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but let’s just say that Elise is satisfied in that area with me. Very satisfied. So, I can’t help but wonder how long I’m going to last. What I don’t understand is why.”

  “I think it has something to do with her parents and how she was raised. She seems so different from them, but it seems like there must be some weird things ingrained in her that she doesn’t even know about.”

  “I noticed.” Luke stood, took his coffee cup to the sink, and rinsed it out.

  Rachel didn’t say anything more as Luke put his cup in the dishwasher, and she got up to use the bathroom. He grabbed the bacon and eggs out of the fridge when he heard soft footsteps coming from the front of the house and then up behind him. A pair of feminine arms slipped around his waist.

  “Are you going to cook me breakfast?” Elise asked.

  Luke turned around and pulled her close. “That was the idea.”

  Elise stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “You’re so sweet.”

  “Did you find out anything about your dad?”

  “No, I’m going to call my mom in a minute. I just wanted to say good morning to you.”

  Luke rubbed her back. “So, does this mean that you haven’t checked your phone at all?”

  “No…why?”

  “Because Rachel’s here.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  “Uh-oh is right,” Rachel said, appearing from around the corner.

  Elise hit End on her phone from her spot in the recliner and looked up at Luke and Rachel, who sat on opposite ends of the couch.

  “How’s your dad?” Luke asked. He was close enough to reach for her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze.

  “Better, but he’s not out of the woods. I’m going to go see him again today. And I need to stop by my parents’ house before I go, so I can get my mom a change of clothes and some other stuff.” Elise looked at Rachel. “But I suppose we should talk first.”

  “That would be nice,” Rachel said.

  “I’ll just go upstairs and shower while you two talk.” Luke stood and kissed Elise on the forehead.

  “Thanks,” Elise told him.

  After Luke left the room, Rachel said, “He even keeps clothes here?”

  “No, he keeps extra clothes with him all the time because of work.”

  “Oh,” Rachel said. “But he’s your boyfriend?”

  Elise had never said it out loud, but that was exactly how she thought of Luke. “Yes.”

  Rachel looked crushed.

  Elise’s shoulders sunk under the weight of guilt. “Rachel, I’m—”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Rachel asked, her voice small and laced with pain.

  Elise got up and moved to the sofa to sit, facing her friend. “Oh, Rachel, I’m so sorry. When it started out, I didn’t want you to be mad at me for sleeping with Luke after you warned me not to. Then, it seemed like the longer I waited, the worse it would be to tell you. And Luke and I were having fun, keeping it private. It was our own little secret. Did you really have no clue?”

  “I don’t know. I thought something might be going on but nothing definitive. I thought you might be seeing someone because you were busy a lot of nights, but that could also be explained by living with your parents.”

  “And I was busy with them a lot,” Elise reassured her. “You know I didn’t go on our girls’ weekend trip because of my dad, not because I was hanging out with Luke.”

  “I know. I wasn’t even sure if there was some guy. And I did notice that you and Luke seemed to be becoming better and better friends. You played pool with him that first night, you hung out with him quite a bit at our Fourth of July party, and then Luke had asked Nate to help you move before Sean even brought it up. So, while I wasn’t thinking you might be seeing someone, I thought you might be developing a crush on Luke. But, when you told me you’d never sleep with him, I thought you meant it.”

  Elise blushed. “Well, I did at the time. I really wasn’t planning on sleeping with the guy.”

  “So, when did it happen, and how did you guys get from there to here?”

  Elise laughed uncomfortably. “Well…”

  Rachel cocked her head to the side. “You didn’t.”

  Elise winced. “I did. But, in my defense, it was mostly the alcohol talking. I still don’t remember half of that night.”

  Rachel raised her brow.

  “I know, I know. Alcohol is not an excuse. But it is,” she whined.

  Rachel laughed, so that was good. “So then, what happened?”

  “He texted me the following Monday. I thought he’d just done it to sleep with me again, but you could say that’s when our friendship really started. You know, I even hung out at his house without having any physical contact.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Then, Luke kissed me in your garage at your party, which kind of made me realize that I wanted to sleep with him again. You remember when I spilled my drink on him?”

  Rachel nodded. “Oh, yes. How could I forget? That was funny.”

  “Well, I hadn’t realized Luke was a doctor and that he was in doctor mode when he was looking at Tera’s leg. I’m ashamed to admit, I got a teensy bit jealous, and I might have purposely let my cup tip over until the contents landed on Luke.”

  Rachel threw her head back and laughed. “Oh my God, that is hilarious. I thought it was an accident.”

  “Well, I wasn’t going to admit that it wasn’t.”

  “Is that why you went to his house to apologize?”

  “Yes.”

  “I always wondered why you couldn’t have just waited until he came back to the party.”

  “I felt really bad and immature about the whole thing. I couldn’t have it eating away at me.”

  Rachel nodded. “I get it. But it sure took you a long time.” A look crossed her face. “You two got it on at my party, too.”

  Elise held up a finger. “It really wasn’t at your party, just during. You were the one who got it on at your party. With guests waiting no less.”

  “Guilty.” This time, Rachel blushed. “So, how did you end up with Luke being the one to take you to see your dad?”

  Elise shrugged because she didn’t know what to say really. “I don’t know. When I found out he was in the hospital, I just knew I needed Luke. I’m sorry I didn’t call you.”

  “It’s okay. I guess.”

  “Are you really mad at me?”

  “Not really mad.”

  Elise stuck out her lip. “So, just mad then.”

  Rachel sighed. “No. I want to be, but I’m not.”

  “I really am sorry for everyth
ing.”

  “I know, and I forgive you. Except you know that I am on summer vacation, so I wouldn’t have to take time off work to go with you to see your dad.”

  “Oh, great. Make me feel worse, why don’t you?”

  Rachel shrugged, her expression saying, Sorry, not sorry.

  “So, you told me everything about now, but did anything ever happen back in college that you didn’t tell me about?”

  “No, absolutely not. I wanted nothing to do with him.”

  “So, why now?”

  “Well, if I’m honest with myself, I was attracted to him back then, but I think I knew I couldn’t handle anything with Luke.”

  “But you had one-night stands in college.”

  “I know, and call it intuition or something, but I guess I knew it would end up being more than that with him. I guess I thought I could handle a strictly sexual relationship now because I’m older, maturer, and more in touch with myself and what I want. Because, even though I blame a lot of it on alcohol, I’m the one who drank with him and let myself drink too much. I suppose a part of me thought sex could happen, and if I had really been afraid of sleeping with him, I wouldn’t have gotten drunk.”

  “But you’re glad everything happened the way it did?”

  Elise leaned against the back of the couch. “I am.”

  Rachel smiled and leaned back, too, putting her head on Elise’s shoulder. “Does he make you happy?”

  Elise smiled. “Yeah, he does.”

  “Who’da thunk? You and Luke dating and him making you happy.”

  “Right?”

  Rachel lifted her head. “I just have one more question.”

  “Shoot.”

  “How big is it?”

  “Rachel,” Elise scolded while trying not to laugh.

  “I’m sorry. But, no, really, how big is it?”

  Elise smirked at her friend and held up her two hands a distance apart to show her.

  “Damn, no wonder he makes you happy.”

  Elise laughed and wiggled her eyebrows. “That, and he knows how to use it.”

  “Ha. I knew it. Like a rock star, right?”

  Elise pushed her shoulder into Rachel’s. “Not that you have anything to complain about. Little Ms. My Man Is Short But Not Short.”