“I don’t know what to do,” she admitted softly.
He gave a choked laugh. “Oh Sam. There’s no wrong answer here. I love having you touch me. Whatever you do will be great. Trust me, I’m already barely holding it together.”
She didn’t know exactly what he meant, but she nodded. Biting her lip, she gently explored him, running her fingertips up and down him, learning what made him gasp and tremble. Before long, he leaned forward and caught her in a passionate kiss, wrapping his hand tightly around hers and showing her how to stroke him. He moaned into their kiss and his shaft pulsed and leapt in her hands, suddenly coating her fingertips with something hot and sticky.
He broke away, gasping, staring at her with nothing short of adoration. “That was amazing, Sam. God, I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you.”
She waved her sticky fingers helplessly and he laughed and grabbed her other hand, wrapping the blanket around him as he pulled her out of the room and up the stairs. When they reached his bedroom, he showed her into his bathroom so she could wash her hands, while he cleaned himself up and refastened everything.
She glanced toward his bed, and he caught the look.
“Not here or now,” he whispered, giving her a deep, passionate kiss and hugging her tightly. “We don’t have to rush it. We have plenty of time. Just come back downstairs and cuddle with me.”
She put her head on his chest, relieved, but a little disappointed too. He made her feel so many things she didn’t know what to do with them all. This was all so new and exciting to her.
They went back downstairs and before long, Sam grew sleepy and utterly content. The lights were out and they were warm, cuddling with each other.
* * *
Sam awoke to the loud ring of her cell phone. She reached forward and fumbled for her phone on the table.
“Hello?” she said groggily.
“Samantha Baker, where are you!” her mother yelled into the receiver.
“What?”
“It is eleven o’clock. I told you to be back by ten!”
“Oh my gosh! We lost track of the time. I’ll be right home,” Sam said, hanging up the phone. “Alex, wake up! We have to get home. I’m an hour late. We fell asleep.”
Sam threw her phone in her purse and grabbed Alex off the chair. “Hurry up! I have to leave now.”
Alex stood up and got her things together. “See you tomorrow, Michael.”
“Bye, Alex,” he said, quickly giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“Sorry we have to leave so suddenly,” Sam said to Phillip. “It’s just that my mom told me to be home an hour ago and—”
“I understand, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Phillip,” she said as he leaned down to kiss her.
“Come on, love bird, we need to get home,” Alex said, pulling Sam away.
* * *
PhilyCheeseSteak: So did you get in trouble?
SamIam: Yeah, I’m grounded. I can’t go to anyone’s house for any reason for a week. I have to come straight home after school.
PhilyCheeseSteak: I’m sorry. I should have been watching the time.
SamIam: It’s okay, we all fell asleep. No one could have known that we would fall asleep.
PhilyCheeseSteak: I know, but now I’ll only get to see you at school.
SamIam: You can manage. We both can manage.
PhilyCheeseSteak: Well, I better let you go before you’re caught talking online and have that privilege taken away too.
SamIam: I’m not that careless.
PhilyCheeseSteak: Night, Sam.
SamIam: Good night, handsome. See you in the morning.
* * *
The next afternoon after school, Sam was just putting her books in her locker when Josh walked by. The sight of him made her so nervous she dropped everything in her hands with a loud crash. Flustered, she bent to pick them up, only to find Josh suddenly looming over her.
“Baker!” he snapped.
Sam shut her locker, visibly trembling. All Sam could think of was how empty the hallway had become. She turned around, trying to avoid meeting his gaze. If she did, she was sure he would see everything in her eyes.
“I think we need to talk,” Josh said slowly, a frown on his face.
“What about? Besides aren’t you supposed to be at practice?” Sam said, her voice shaking.
“Come on,” Josh said and grabbed Sam by the arm, keeping a strong grip on her.
“Ouch! You’re hurting me,” Sam said as he forced her into one of the bathrooms.
“Shut up!” he said, locking the door behind them then pushed Sam into the bathroom. She stumbled forward as she strove to keep her balance.
“You know, whatever you think you’re going to do, you won’t get away with it,” she said with a hint of fear in her voice.
“And what is it you think I’m going to do? Why are you so afraid of me? Every time I see you, you act like a scared little rabbit,” he said, moving closer toward her. “Perhaps you think I’m going to kill you?” he suggested. “Maybe you saw or heard something you shouldn’t have?”
“No, no, of course not,” Sam stumbled over her words. “Well, whatever you’re going to do, Phillip will know it was you. You’re supposed to be at practice.” Sam reminded him, hoping he would leave.
“Baker, I know you told Phillip. He’s been treating me different the last few days too. He won’t even look at me. Now tell me, have you told anyone else?”
“No, just Phillip,” she said.
Josh looked at Sam. “You’re lying, Baker. I see it in your eyes. Who else did you tell!” he shouted, visibly getting angrier.
“You want me to tell you so you can deal with them like you dealt with Billy? Forget it! I’ll never tell you.”
Josh pushed Sam against the wall and she fell. “Was it your friend? What’s her name? Alex? Was it her boyfriend? Did you tell your family?”
Sam didn’t say a word as Josh sank to his knees beside her. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to kill them all,” he yelled at her.
“You’d never get away with it,” Sam said.
Josh lunged at Sam, grabbing her by the neck and pushing her to the ground. “Tell the authorities or anyone else and guess what happens? Your friends and your family are dead,” Josh said as he continued to push down on her throat. Sam desperately tried to push him off, but he was too strong. There was a reason he was the team’s star quarterback and the steroids probably amplified his strength further. Sam looked around, trying to find something she could use to hit him with but there was nothing within reach. She couldn’t breathe, everything around her was dimming. He was pushing down too hard. Everything went dark, and Sam no longer struggled to be free.
* * *
Sam slowly opened her eyes, but she couldn’t see anything. It was pitch black, and she couldn’t move very easily. Sam felt around, trying to figure where she was. As she reached out, she found her keys and felt around until she found the tiny flashlight keychain her mother gave her when she first got her car.
“You never know when you’ll need it,” her mother had told her.
Sam turned on the small light with shaking fingers and looked around, noticing the stain on the carpet and immediately recognized it to be her own trunk, but the emergency handle was broken off.
Sam tried to recall what she had read about being trapped inside a trunk. One thing she remembered was to break the tail lights with an elbow and catch someone’s attention by waving a hand out the back. But the car wasn’t moving and there was no use in hurting herself. She didn’t even know where the car was located. Was she still in the school parking lot? What if Josh drove it out in the middle of nowhere? What was going to happen to her? How much longer could she stay in the trunk before she used up all the oxygen?
The more Sam thought about it, the more her heart began to race. She had hated small enclosed spaces since she was a toddler and the more she worried, the heavier her breathing became. Her eyes we
lled up with tears as she came to the realization that no one knew where she was. Why was this happening to her? Why did Chris have to die? Why did she have to witness the shooting?
“Help!” Sam screamed. All she wanted was for this horrible nightmare to end. “Help!” she continued to scream. “Please, anyone!” Sam’s breathing hitched. No one was out there, no one could hear her. “Help me!”
She banged on the top of the trunk, heart racing as she began to hyperventilate. She knew she needed to stop, but she couldn’t. Everything dimmed again as Sam passed out.
* * *
“Sam?”
Sam slowly opened her eyes. Someone was calling her name. And her cell phone was ringing. Where was her phone?
“Sam! Are you in there?” the voice said more loudly.
It was Phillip, she was sure of it.
“Phillip?” she called out.
“Sam! Are you okay?” He sounded relieved to hear her and scared at the same time.
“Phillip?” She began to cry. “The keys are in here.”
“It’s okay, Sam. I’m here.”
“Please help me.”
“I’m going to get you out, just hold on.” She didn’t hear anything for several long interminable minutes, but then his footsteps came rushing back. “Sam, I want you to cover your face. I’m going to break one of your tail lights.”
“Okay,” Sam said as she brought her arms up and covered her face.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Phillip chipped away her tail light and slowly light and fresh air began to pour into the trunk. “Sam, can you hand me the keys?” he asked after he had finished.
Sam picked up the keys and brought them to the opening. Phillip took them and quickly unlocked and opened the trunk.
Sam shielded her eyes as he reached down and gathered her in his arms. Sam put her arms around his neck as she was pulled out.
“It’s okay, Sam. I’m here.”
“Thank you,” she said, looking up as Phillip placed her feet on the ground.
He touched her face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m just glad you got me out of there. How did you know where to find me?”
“Josh came late to practice, and he was acting really weird. When I came out to the parking lot, I saw your car was still here, which I thought was strange. I tried to call you, and I could hear your phone ringing in the backseat.”
“He attacked me in the bathroom. That’s all I remember,” she said weakly.
“Your neck,” he said, running his fingers over a couple of bruises that were beginning to form. “What happened?”
“Josh. He, uh, was choking me until I passed out I think. That’s how he put me in the trunk.”
Phillip hugged Sam closely. She rested her head on his chest, glad he had come to her rescue. Whenever she was around him, she felt secure and safe.
“Sam, we have to go to the police.”
“We can’t, he will know what I did and hurt everyone I love.”
“He won’t. The police will be able to protect you. He won’t get away with anything. With your testimony, they can make sure he doesn’t get out.”
“I’m scared.” She hugged him tightly, trying to banish the image of Josh’s face when he’d threatened everything she cared about.
“Don’t be scared. I’ll go with you. I’ll be with you the whole time. He won’t hurt you or anyone else. Trust me,” Phillip said, looking down at Sam.
“Okay, I’ll go, but only because I trust you,” she managed weakly.
* * *
The rest of the afternoon was a blur. Phillip took her to the police station, where she was interviewed about everything that happened. Her parents came, and her mother had a complete meltdown when she found out what was going on. No one could understand why she’d kept everything to herself for so long, and Sam honestly didn’t know herself. It had seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but now she wasn’t so sure.
If she’d only told what she knew right after it had happened, then Billy might have gone to jail, but he wouldn’t be dead.
The cops had gone to try and arrest Josh, but they couldn’t find him. He’d probably realized that she’d told someone after he’d returned from practice and found her car gone. The police assured her that they were doing everything in their power to find him, but she hadn’t slept at all when she got home that night, even though she knew there was a squad car parked outside her house.
Josh was crazy. Who knew what he’d do next?
She was exhausted by the time she went to school the next morning. Her mom had actually wanted her to stay home until Josh was found, but with all the extra security at the school, she figured she’d be safe and she didn’t want to sit home, wondering and worrying. She wanted to be around her friends.
She was talking to Phillip when Alex ran up to her at her locker. “What happened yesterday? You didn’t answer any of my texts, and you got home so late. My dad said there was a police car parked in front of your house all night.”
“I kind of bumped into Josh.” Sam said quietly, not wanting anyone to hear her.
“What!” Alex burst out.
“Shhh. Yeah, he choked me until I passed out and then stuffed me into my trunk.”
“So that’s why your tail light is broken.” Alex shook her head, her eyes wide.
“Yeah, Phillip rescued me, and then convinced me to go to the police.”
“I knew I could trust this man,” Alex said, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Phillip blushed at the compliment.
“Oh sorry,” she said, removing her hand. “So what did they say?”
“They’re looking for him,” Sam said grimly. “But they can’t find him.”
“Hey, guys,” Michael said, walking up to them. “What’d I miss?”
“Nothing,” Alex said, holding his hand, obviously not wanting to bring him into it. “You ready for class?”
“Yeah,” he said, kissing her on the cheek.
Sam looked from Phillip to Alex. “I guess so.”
“See you later, Sam,” Phillip said.
“Bye, handsome.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Sam,” Phillip said, running up to her after school. “I just wanted to say goodbye before I head off to practice. I won’t get to see you for the whole weekend.”
“It’s okay, Phil, you’ll survive.”
“Maybe not,” he said ruefully.
Sam looked up at Phillip and smiled. Then reaching up, she pulled him down and kissed him. Phillip wrapped his arms around her, not wanting to let go.
“Will that be enough to keep you alive until Monday?” Sam asked as they parted.
“Uh, one more ought to do it.” He smiled then pressed his lips to hers.
“Okay,” she said, resting her forehead on his. “You really need to get to practice, and I really need to get home.”
“You’re right, I’ll talk to you later, babe.”
“Phillip,” she said, looking up at him, glad to have something to take her mind off everything that had happened. “That’s not going to work either!”
“Why?”
“Because that’s what Tracy used to call you.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize.”
“It’s okay. Maybe for now you should just stick with Sam. Nicknames are supposed to come naturally, they aren’t forced. Now go to practice or you’ll be late,” she said, kissing his cheek.
“Bye, Sam,” he said. “Be careful, ok? I’m going to be worrying about you all weekend.”
* * *
During dinner that night, the house phone rang. “I’ll get it,” Sam said, standing up from her seat.
“Let the machine get it,” her mother said. She didn’t like it when the phone rang during dinner, and she especially didn’t like it when her children answered the phone during dinner.
“I’m already up, Mom,” Sam said, walking into the kitchen to answer the phone. She
’d take any excuse to get away from her mother’s smothering concern.
“Hello?” she answered, expecting to hear some telemarketer.
“Baker,” Josh said coolly.
“What do you want?” she asked, not sure why he was calling her. Hadn’t the police arrested him?
“You,” he snarled.
“You’ll never get me to tell you who else I told,” she whispered, glancing nervously toward the dining room.
“Don’t worry. I already know it was your friend, Alex. Isn’t that, right, Alex?”
Sam couldn’t breathe. She heard mumbling and crying in the background. Was it Alex? Did he really have her?
“You’re lying,” Sam said, trying to conceal the fear in her voice.
“Would I lie, Baker? Go on, Alex, tell her.”
There was a pause before Sam heard the distinct sobs of her best friend. “Sam, please. Help me!” she managed to say before Josh grabbed the phone away.
Sam’s heart was pounding uncontrollably in her chest. “What do you want?” Sam asked, terrified.
“I told you, I want you. Call your boyfriend and tell him to meet you here at school, east wing entrance, and no cops or your friend is dead.” The line went dead, and Sam hung up the phone. She didn’t try to explain to her parents, she ran upstairs to her room, grabbed her keys, and came back down.
“Samantha Baker, where do you think you are going?” her mother yelled at her as she ran back down the stairs, heading toward the front door.
“I have to go,” was all Sam could say before she swung the door open and ran out to her car.
“Go where, Sam?” her father yelled behind her.
Sam opened her car, started the engine, and then zoomed down the street before her parents could say anymore.
As she drove, Sam fumbled around in her pocket and took out her cell phone, dialing Phillip’s number.
“Hello?”
In Your Arms Page 15
