Trouble Triangle (Tyler's Trouble Trilogy)

by Casey, Travis

  #

  I got the bus to Holly's apartment in Wahiawa and arrived at six in the evening. She answered the door in a pink track suit with a scarf tied around her head, and a feather duster in her hand.

  "What are you going to do with that?" I asked, smiling as I pointed to the duster.

  "What the hell happened to you?" she asked, looking at my bandage. "I heard you got like stuck on a sub." She opened the door to let me in.

  I carried the beer through to the kitchen, took out two cans, and put the rest in the fridge. Holly followed me in as I got a glass out of the cupboard for her and poured her beer. I cracked open my own can and took a drink.

  She sipped her beer. "You know we can't drink when Daddy comes out. He says liquor is the devil's brew."

  "Come on, Holly, you're twenty-one years old. Surely he can accept that you're a full-grown woman.” I walked up behind her and placed my hands on her breasts. "And grown nicely, I might add."

  She escaped my grip. "Sorry, Tyler, I'm not in the mood." She walked over to the couch and sat down, patting the seat next to her. "So, tell me what happened."

  I sat next to her as instructed. "Simple. I tripped, bashed my head, got knocked out, the boat went to sea, the boat came back, and here I am." I swallowed a mouthful of beer.

  "Poor you." She stroked my cheek with the back of her hand. "Okay, Daddy will be here in a couple of days. Remember what I said. No smoking, drinking, cursing or rude jokes. And, he likes Shakespeare and Beethoven."

  It didn't look like we're going to be having sex, but I gave it one more go. I leaned in and kissed her. She kissed back. The kiss became passionate. I unzipped the top of her track suit and slid my hand in, feeling her bare breast. She let out a soft moan.

  She pulled away. "No," she said sternly, "I can't. I have too much to do before Daddy gets here." She pushed my hand away and zipped her top up.

  Maybe I should've banged Jill if she was going to start wearing 'Do Not Disturb' panties. I clicked my fingers. "I just remembered." I took her hand in between both of mine and looked at her. "You know I'd rather be with you than anywhere else, but I promised I'd help out at the soup kitchen tonight.”

  She looked at me. "The soup kitchen?" She stroked my hand. "Like, you are so sweet. I think that's awesome. I'd like to do something like that myself, but I wouldn't want hobos perving out on me." Her eyes grew big in a look of sincerity. "And they would perv out, you know?"

  "I know they would, darling, and I wouldn't want that either. You stay here and get ready for your father, and I'll go do my bit for the less fortunate."

  We kissed and I left.

  #

  The number fifty-three bus took me down to Honolulu and I made the short walk to the Pinnacle building from the bus stop. Otto sat in his usual position.

  "Spare a dollar, bro— Oh, Tyler, what's up buddy?" He stroked his scraggily beard. "Hey, about the other night, sorry about that, dude. I’m surprised you're here. I didn't think you'd bother coming round again after that."

  "Hey, not to worry. Guess you got busy, huh?" I asked.

  "Drunk, more like. I don't know where I was. But some asshole puked in my doorway. Can't you smell it?" He twitched his nose and made sniffing noises.

  I mimicked his sniffs. "No, not really." I felt guilty, but decided it was just punishment for him standing me up.

  He pointed to my bandage. "What happened to you?"

  I shrugged one shoulder. "Ah, just a hazard of the job. I'm okay."

  He drummed his fingers against his jaw. "So…it wasn't drinking related or anything?"

  "Well…" I lowered my head. "Jack might have been involved."

  "Ha." He slapped his knee. "I knew it." He stroked his chin and spoke sheepishly. "Speaking of which, I'll trade a little knowledge of Shakespeare for a little drink of my friend Jack."

  I nodded and held out my hand to help him up. We stashed his blanket and cup in his backpack and walked the few doors down to Harry's bar. A beer for me, and Jack Daniel's for Otto. We sat and Otto recited Shakespeare. In between the sonnets, he offered interesting facts about Shakespeare's life. I borrowed a pen and some paper from the bartender and took notes; knowing that once I wrote something down my chances of remembering it were significantly increased. Another reason for staying away from Jack.

  Otto imparted knowledge until he slurred so heavily that I could no longer understand him.

  I escorted him back to the Pinnacle building, pulled his blanket out of his bag and put it over him as he laid on the hard concrete.

  "Good night, Otto," I whispered. "Thanks."

  #

  Holly's dad was coming out on Friday. The two of them were going to have a day of bonding before he'd meet the respectable boyfriend. This allowed me time to catch up with Mark.

  We got off work Thursday and headed down to Dolphin's for a drink. We got our beer and went to one of the four pool tables for a few games. Mark broke and sunk a solid.

  "You ready to meet Holly's dad on Saturday?"

  "Yeah, I think so. I'm going to her house at noon. She's making lunch and I'm supposed to dazzle him with my brilliance. He's going to be here for a week. Holly already told me that she ain't putting out that week, and I can't drink, smoke or cuss in front of the Reverend." I sipped my beer. "Debbie will probably try to take advantage of the situation." I inwardly prayed that she would anyway.

  "You sure about that? She's been hanging out with Sanchez quite a bit lately. I think she might be getting a little side action herself."

  "What? You can't be serious. Debbie and dirty Sanchez? I don't think so." I took a big gulp of beer.

  He leaned down and took another shot, sinking the four ball. He walked around to line up his next shot. "Apparently, she told Lori that she may need a back-up plan in case you don't come 'round."

  "Oh, man." I tried to convince myself that would be for the best if she found another guy, but jealousy ate at me nonetheless.

  "After all, you're in a relationship with Holly, remember?" He missed his next shot.

  I stalked the table looking for a ball that would drop and lined up an easy one. I missed.

  Mark looked across the room. "Speak of the devil. Here she comes now, uh umm, with Sanchez. Ask her yourself."

  Debbie and Sanchez walked over to the pool table. "Hi, guys," Debbie greeted us.

  "Hi, Debs," I said, intentionally using my more intimate name for her. I nodded toward Sanchez. "Jorge." He nodded back. "Let me get that drink I owe you, Debs. What you having?" I put the cue down, ready to go to the bar.

  She looked at me puzzled. "You don't owe me a drink, but if you're offering, I'll have a Black Russian. Thanks."

  "I'll get these," Sanchez butted in. "Two more Coors for you guys?" He waved his finger between Mark and I. We both nodded, and he went to the bar.

  Debbie smiled smugly.

  "You're not going out with Sanchez, are you?"

  "What's it to you? You still playing house with Holly?"

  "Yeah, but you know. I might give it a little break for a while. I'm still keeping an open mind about us." I finished what was left of my beer.

  She looked toward the floor and slowly moved her head from side to side. "Umm…I don't know. I think Jorge might be all right. And he's not seeing anyone else."

  "So…are you dumping me?" The question remained, would she tell Holly?

  She lifted her head to look at me. "You know, Tyler, I'm really getting tired of having to play on your terms. I do have feelings in other places besides my pussy, ya know? I think it's about time you made a choice. If you don't, I'm gonna make it for you." Her lips pressed tight together.

  "Okay, okay. You made your point. I'll think about it."

  She leaned in and whispered in my ear, brushing her lemon scented cheek past mine. "And I'm going to help you make the right decision. Bring some whipped cream and chocolate syrup. My room. Tomorrow night. Six o'clock." She flicked her tongue in my ear, then backed away.

  "Choc
olate syrup, huh?"

  She smiled and nodded.

  I tried to block Holly from my mind.

  Mark cleared his throat. I looked over Debbie and saw Sanchez approaching with the tray of drinks. He placed the tray on a table next to the pool table and handed out the drinks.

  "Okay, boys and girls. Cheers," he said.

  We all touched glasses in the center of the circle we formed. Debbie and I cocked our glasses back and took a drink. Our eyes were firmly locked on one another. She was a very desirable woman, and guilt gnawed at me for wanting her.

  #

  After gathering all the supplies, I headed over to Debbie's room Friday night. She answered the door and posed for me to admire her in my favorite blue halter top and white shorts that barely covered her unmentionables. She wore her blonde hair in pigtails. She was the epitome of cute and sexy in one go. This was going to be some night if I could get past the wrongfulness of it all.

  Placing the twelve pack of beer and my rucksack on the table, I reached in and fished out the goodies. A spray can of whipped cream, a squeeze bottle of chocolate sauce, a small punnet of cherries. It dawned on me in the store that cherries, strategically placed, could add a whole new dimension to the word kink. Lastly, out came a half bottle of vodka.

  "Wow. You really pushed the boat out," Debbie said with a big smile. She grabbed a cherry and held it by the stem over her head. Tilting her head back, she held it just out of reach of her flicking tongue. Slowly, she lowered it onto her tongue and licked it. "What are you going to do with these?"

  "The same thing you're doing to it." I moved in and held her in my arms, passionately kissing her. We ripped each others clothes off, and after laying her on the bed, I went to work with the whipped cream and chocolate sauce; spraying and pouring on her most intimate parts, then licking it off. She giggled and moaned.

  We took turns pleasuring each other and had the most amazing sex. In between sessions, we drank and joked, and before long, we finished off the vodka and beer.

  "Well that's a fine how-do-you-do," Debbie said, "You only brought enough booze for half a night. Lucky for you I got a stash."

  She sauntered over to her closet butt-naked, bent over, and turned around with a bottle of Jack Daniel's in her hand.

  "Oh, Debbie. Please, God, no. Not Jack Daniel's. Me and him aren't speaking."

  She strolled back over to the bed, standing over me. She opened the bottle and poured some on her nipple.

  "Here, taste that and maybe you and him will make up."

  Her Jack-soaked tit was just a tongue length away. I had a lick and the next thing I knew, I had agreed to her pouring me out a glass of my very good friend Mister Daniel's.

  All night long we alternated between shots of Jack and shots of sex. By five AM, Jack and I were both emptied. Debbie and I fell into a deep, drunken sleep.

  #

  My crusty eyes slowly opened. With a pounding head and blurred vision, I attempted to focus on the clock. I couldn't make out the time. I tried something a bit simpler. What day was it?

  Saturday. Good, I'm wasn't late for work then. Tried the time again. Staring at the red glow, numbers began to become readable. One, one, one, one. Shit. Double vision again. I propped myself up on the bed, shook my head, closed one eye and refocused. One, one, one, two.

  My mind clicked like gears churning. 11:12. Shit! I had to meet Holly's dad in forty-eight minutes. Hungover as hell and late. Holly would kill me. I could just hear it.

  "Daddy, this is my boyfriend, Tyler."

  "I thought military people prided themselves on being punctual," the Reverend would comment.

  "Well, sir, I had pre-maritial sex with your daughter's former lesbian lover last night. I would have been fine if I stopped after six beers and a few vodkas, but no. I had to go on to the fucking Jack Daniel's, didn't I?"

  I shook my head then Debbie. "Debs, I gotta go."

  She groaned and grabbed her head. "God, that was some night." She rubbed her eyes. "Where are you going?"

  "I just gotta go. Something I forgot about."

  "At least give me a farewell fuck. I always get horny when I'm hungover." She pulled me in by the back of the neck and kissed me. I managed to pull away from her grip.

  "I really got to go. Sorry. Thanks for a great night. We'll do it again sometime. But next time don't invite that fucker Jack."

  I got dressed and left. Running back to my room, I took a quick shower, changed clothes and ran to the bus stop. Bongo drums pounded in my head as I took the bus to Holly’s apartment. Being late would not make a good first impression.

  Standing at her front door, I took a deep breath, then knocked.

  Chapter 18I swallowed hard as the doorknob turned. My hangover had kicked in and was in full flight. The door flung open. Holly stood there looking panicked.

  "Where have you been?" she whispered. "You should have been here half an hour ago."

  "The bus was late." I moved closer to give her a kiss, but she backed away.

  She stood back to let me enter the apartment. I crossed the threshold into the living room - and there he was. Larger than life. Although I had seen him on TV, Reverend Knight looked different in real life. He loomed large in the room at 6'4", white hair, and big wire rimmed glasses. He dressed in the Aloha spirit wearing white trousers and a tropical print Hawaiian shirt. There didn't appear to be an ounce of fat on his mid-fifty-year-old frame. His eyes assessed my entire being, moving his gaze from head to toe, while standing with his hands behind his back.

  "Mr. Knight." I moved in with my hand extended. "What a pleasure to meet you, sir."

  He thrust his hand out and grabbed mine. Before I could get my palm seated into his, he clamped his grip in an exaggerated show of firmness, pinching my fingers together. It hurt, but I smiled.

  "Nice to meet you, son." His voice boomed just as it did on TV. "Holly hasn't told me much about you, so we have a lot to talk about. Sit." He pointed to the chair as he walked around to sit on the couch.

  My head spun and my hands shook. I wasn't sure if the shaking frenzy came from nervousness or delirium tremens.

  "I'll bring some iced tea over," Holly said and went into the kitchen.

  "I always thought you military people prided yourself on being punctual."

  "My apologies, sir. I had some urgent business to tend to on base. Those submarines don't fix themselves." I chuckled.

  He didn't.

  "That's quite a nasty cut you have on your head. How'd that happen?"

  "Smashed it on a submarine hatch. Those da—rn things are so tight. Hazard of the job."

  His eyes narrowed. "Must you use profanity?"

  Darn? This was going to be one long afternoon. "Sorry, sir. Tough day."

  "So tell me, Tyler is an unusual first name. What's the story on that?" He leaned back, fully extending his size.

  I cleared my throat. "My mom says she's a descendant of John Tyler, you know, the tenth President. It's actually John Tyler Chambers, but my dad said he's not having his kid named after a toilet. So I've never gone by John, it's always been Tyler."

  I had hoped he'd find my story amusing, but he sat there stone faced.

  "Humph," he grunted. "Holly tells me you outrank her."

  "Only by military standards." I laughed.

  He didn't.

  "You look younger than her. How'd you move up the ranks so quick?"

  "I'm older than I look. I inherited my dad's genes. All the Chambers men look younger than we really are."

  Holly came in with the tea, put the tray on the coffee table and handed us each a glass. I lifted my glass toward Mr. Knight.

  "Cheers."

  He cast a disapproving look my way. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't make alcohol related comments to beverages I consume."

  My hangover intensified. This guy was going to be hard work, and I wasn't even in top form. I took a sip of iced tea and moved to place my glass back on the coffee table. My hand visibly shook as the ice c
lattered around the inside of the glass. It sounded like a mini-drumroll as I placed the glass on the table.

  Mr. Knight raised an eyebrow as he watched my struggle.

  Holly sat down next to her father. "Daddy asked if you were coming to his sermon tomorrow. I told him you wouldn't miss it."

  I shook my head. "Not for the world. I've been looking forward to it ever since Holly told me you were coming out," I said, looking at him. I leaned forward in my chair. "What's the topic, or is that a secret?"

  "God doesn't have secrets." He scowled. "I think it's important to send a message to the youth of today. Ever since that actor got in the White House, the moral fiber of the United States has been eroding. The generation of today doesn't understand the importance of the family unit." His voice rose as he went into preaching mode, which didn't help my pounding head.

  "They need to understand that sex outside of marriage is not acceptable. Lust is generated straight from Satan's veins. Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Hebrews 13:4."

  "What about homosexuality?"

  The room fell silent. Holly's jaw dropped and her eyes went as big as hula hoops. Reverend Knight's nostrils flared as he took short, sharp breaths through his nose. Anger deeply etched on his face. His eyes tore through me. He slid himself to the edge of the couch.

  He slammed his fist onto the coffee table, sending Holly's glass of iced tea in the air. "Damnation," he yelled, "awaits the sinners engaged in such practices. Women who lay down with other women and do not use their body to bear fruit as the Lord intended, shall perish in the fiery flames of hell." He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, took off his glasses and wiped his face. "Men…well, I'd rather not think about that."

  Holly ran into the kitchen and got a towel to wipe up the spilled tea.

  "Sorry, Princess," he said softly.

  Holly wiped up the puddle on the table with a dish rag.

  "You know how I get worked up about these subjects," the Reverend said.

  Holly patted his leg. "It's okay, Daddy, I know you're totally passionate about these things." She looked at me, and it wasn't the look of a happy girlfriend. "Tyler, can you help me in the kitchen?"