Ardmore Pt. 03

She didn't see it yet, but I knew her well enough to know she would. I would likely be gone from the club by then. For now, Wes was the problem and she was still in danger. Hell, I might be too.

"Do you have anyone you can stay with for a few days?" I interrupted.

"I have someone who would help us. Why? You think he would come here?"

The fear in her voice was just below the surface.

"He waited for almost two years to get you. It's for certain that he'll be back. We probably broke some bones but that will only inflame him. I wish you would let me call the police on this."

"No, I promised Rui, no police. He'll handle it." She bit her lip nervously after she said that then moved away to the bedrooms. She might have wanted to lull me into thinking she was packing but it was obvious she was merely avoiding my stare.

A few minutes later the phone rang. Cassie answered and it turned out that the call was from Albert. After the perfunctory greeting, she appeared at the bedroom door.

"Hold on Albert, Dave's here with me; perhaps he should hear this too." She motioned for me to pick up the extension. Albert started as soon as he heard me join.

"Cassie, we're very sorry for what happened. My uncle intends to see that you're compensated for this, this, breach of contract. Dave, how 'ya doin'? Not too bad I hope?."

"I've got a lump on the back of my head, nothing broken", I said.

"Yeah, from what Cassie told me it sounded like a real lucha libre. I'm glad you made it pardna'."

"I can thank Cassie for that. That guy Wes is dangerous Al. He planned this, and it's clear that it was in response to a beef going back a couple of years. It really bothers me that he got three others to go in with him on the plan. I have no doubt they intended to rape Cassie, and based upon the way they attacked us, they probably were going to kill us both when they finished. "

I looked over at Cassie after that last statement. She was barely keeping it together. The statement wasn't lost on Albert either. His voice turned took on an edge.

"We understood that. Rest assured that the problem is being dealt with as we speak," he responded, now sounding a little annoyed. "I thought Cassie explained that to you. Don't sweat it. You two have the week off, on us. By the way, do you need the car?"

"I'll make sure he gets home OK," chimed in a somber voiced Cassie.

"OK, well, that's settled. You two have a good one. See'ya in a week."

We hung up at that point. I was dumbfounded, and from Cassie's expression, she was too. Yet something told me to trust Al and his uncle. That was easy for me to do, I wasn't the real target, Cassie was. Yet I knew that Al WAS serious.

What gave me some room for comfort was the week off with pay. While Rui was a pretty decent guy to work for he was tightfisted with a dollar. I couldn't imagine him being so generous. "We've a week off with pay? Has Rui ever done that before?" I asked Cassie.

"No, not in the seven years I've worked for him. Whatever they have planned for Wes will probably involve some financial settlement. Rui wouldn't go into his pocket for a situation like this. He's buying our silence."

"He thinks we could be bought for so little? Well I'll take the vacation. I'm gone at the end of the month anyway. What are you going to do?"

Before Cassie could answer, the doorbell rang. She flinched at the sound. Thinking it best to be cautious, I motioned her back as I made my way to the peephole. After I looked through the lens I immediately opened the door.

Adrienne rushed into my arms. It was all I could do to draw a breath. I was both happy to see her and bothered by her presence. I never wanted to bring the possibility of violence around her, nor be an example of such for her.

We had talked about the possibility of me getting hurt on the job almost from the first day she knew I signed on. I wasn't looking forward to hearing 'I told you so from her'. Except now, in the reality of the situation I knew that was the last thing on her mind. Besides, how did she find me?

I felt her body tremble as it was racked by soundless tears and I thought back to that Halloween night the first time I saw her cry. There was nothing I could say at that moment. The only option was to hold her. The guilt of having caused her such pain would come later.

Eventually she calmed enough to acknowledge Cassie's presence. By the way she greeted her I got the feeling that they had met before. Knowing my girl, that fact would not have surprised me.

Always I had compared my Adrienne to Cassie, willing myself not to, but secretly wondering if she measured up. Now looking at them I saw the beauty that came forth from her eyes, her stance, the way she placed her entire being into a greeting. I also saw that face that held me captive. Then I saw that they were both lefties.

And even though it was probably not the time to smile, I was thankful for her being there, always being there. There was no contest between them. One was my friend, the other was my girl, and I had perfect clarity as to who was who.

"Are you ready?" Adrienne asked.

"Where are we going?" I felt compelled to ask.

She was equally as quick to answer. "To my apartment, that is unless you want to go home?"

"No, I don't want my parents to see me, not just yet; besides I would rather be with you babe." I said to lighten the mood. What I was hoping for at that moment was a soft place to lay my head for a few more hours.

Cassie had taken a seat on the couch. She was looking at Adrienne with a warm smile. "Do you want us to wait for Sydney? It might be better if we all left together." I said to her.

"No. I'll be OK. I'll call my friend. I'm sure she can put us up for the time being. You two should get going."

"OK, but call me when you're resettled, OK?"

Cassie nodded her assent as Adrienne moved from my side and walked over to her. The two embraced again, leaving little doubt in my mind that they had met before, but I would get that story at another time. I had my own explaining to do when we reached her apartment.

Walking from the apartment to the car made me think of how cold it had gotten that morning. My every breath issued a smokescreen. I dreaded having to park my butt on those cold leather seats.

Adrienne seemed unconcerned with the cold. I started to wonder when she and Cassie had met. Their display a few minutes ago seemed too familiar. While we were waited for the heater to kick in I raised the question.

"So, what did you think of Cassie?"

"What do you mean?" She answered without looking at me.

"You've obviously met before. Care to tell me about it?"

"I had to meet my competition." She said sheepishly, her eyes never leaving the road.

I slid over a little closer. "You don't have any competition."

"I know that now."

"Hmph", I coughed to clear my throat. Was that the beginnings of a smile I saw on her face? It occurred to me that Adrienne was more devious than I gave her credit for.

The mood was more somber when we arrived. I was caught unprepared for the dark cloud that fell upon me.

I had tried to kill another human being; only their numbers and the lack of a suitable weapon had prevented the taking of a life, and yet I felt nothing, but I should have. I felt guilt for not being able to feel guilt. My next conversation with Father Murphy was likely to be a real drag.

Then there was Adrienne. She was due a more detailed explanation. But first I went looking for the telephone. It was close to 10am so I called home. My folks would be worrying about me since I was expected hours ago. Papa was the one who answered. At first I told him where I was, then a brief synopsis of my reason for my being there. After assuring him that I was in relatively good shape I told him I would be home later in the afternoon.

Adrienne had returned from hanging her coat in the closet and was now standing before me. My heartbeat began to quicken. Before I could sit she moved around me then stopped. "Ooh boy, hold a minute. Let me have your jacket."

I took it off and handed it to her. She then proceeded to inspect it from all angles. I now saw what she had seen. The back seam was partially ripped as well as the shoulder seam on one of the sleeves.

"I think I can fix this. Wow, the lining is in bad shape too. It must have been some fight", she said looking up at me, her eyes wide and her mouth closed as if she were biting her lip.

Folding the jacket across the chair she then put out her hand. "Let me see the pants." I started to turn around. "Oh, no, you'll need to take them off." I slipped off my shoes and proceeded to take off my pants standing there in my briefs, too tired to feel silly.

Adrienne was certainly playing it cool. It was undoubtedly not the first time she had seen me in my underwear, yet she went through a similar review of the trousers as if I weren't there. Aside from scuff marks on the knees they looked fine so she then began removing the contents from my pockets. That's when she saw it.

In her hand was a little blue box, the kind used to hold rings. By now I was sitting, ready to gauge her reaction.

She looked at the box and then at me, then back at the box, all the while trying to blink back tears. I took a deep breath, moved to her, and then took her hand guiding her back to the couch.

"The timing is lousy, isn't it? I wanted to really surprise you tonight", I said taking the box from her and removing the ring. "I know I haven't always shown it, and that I'm much too moody, and sometimes it takes me a long time to get what seems obvious to you. But please believe me that I love you with every once of my being."

I found my voice beginning to falter. I had not counted on this being so difficult. Taking a breath, I continued, "Adrienne Catherine Danas, will you marry me?"

Before I barely got the ring on her finger she hurled herself into my arms. "Yes, yes of course I'll marry you!"

That embrace was relatively short. The ring seemed to reanimate Adrienne, for she rose quickly from the couch pulling me up with her. By then, I was the one in a daze. When I recovered I found myself being led to her bedroom where she began to undress.

"You'll sleep in here with me."

"We don't have to do this. If you're not ready I'll wait."

"But I am ready. I've been ready for months and on the pill just as long." As soon as she said that she unhooked her bra and tossed it on the chair. Next went the skirt and pantyhose. When she was completely naked she came up to me and began unbuttoning my shirt.

I had never seen her so focused, so completely absorbed in the simple tasks she was performing. She was so free and open with me, and not showing any hint of shyness. Of course I couldn't help memorizing every inch of her. First I reflected on her hands. They were delicately formed with long graceful fingers and relatively short nails.

Her arms weren't muscular but they had clear definition as did her shoulders which now appeared even broader than I recalled. And while I had fondled her breasts on many occasions over the months I was surprised to see how large they were and how the nipples stood out. Her arousal could be seen in the Goosebumps spread across her areola.

At one point she moved in close to slide my shirt over my shoulders. When she did this I looked over and down her back to the graceful curve of her butt. The globes flexed with her movements begging me to squeeze them.

She took a position by the side of the bed waiting for me to join her. I noted that her hips were wider and that I first thought, and the vee of her sex was covered in a dark bush under the small swell of her tummy.

Adrienne then sat down and patted the seat next to her. When I took my place beside her she pulled me in for a gentle kiss. That kiss woke me from my trance. I rolled her onto her back. Her head rested on one of my hands as the other sought out her breasts.

My girl puts her entire being into a kiss and I could have kissed her for hours. Instead I moved down to her breasts and began suckling on the closest one. When she began making whimpering sounds I shifted down to her belly button. It was at that point she began pulling me up. She had made a decision; there would be no preliminaries, no foreplay to sap her strength, no teasing to test her patience.

I moved her unto her and shifted my body so that I was positioned between her legs. After I probed her sex to ensure she was lubricated, I watched her face careful to see if I was hurting her. She responded with the most angelic smile, one of pure innocence. That smile made me press onward.

My dick journeyed less then an inch into her sex. With discipline I teased her with thrust and parry, feint and lunge, barely penetrating her vagina. And with each withdrawal I measured her response. Over and over again I concentrated on entry and exit feeling the passage loosen to accommodate my further advance. I started silently counting trying to divert attention from a premature release.

Then it came, a jerky movement from her signaling it was time. My next thrust was balls deep. Her virginity taken, her body jerked, there was a sigh, her embrace became frantic, and I remained still holding her tight, her breath moving quickly upon my ear.

After a moment's rest, we began again, but this time the thrusts were slow and strong.

Searching for another sign I instinctively felt what I was seeking. Surrender. It was at that point that I drove onward with more force, gradually thrusting harder and deeper. I slid an arm under one of her legs and pulled her hips hard against me as I plowed into her love core.

She began humping again eagerly, matching the strength of my thrusts. She was speaking Before long I was really pounding it to her, slamming her butt down into mattress, yet she kept bouncing right back for more.

Her body jerked then seemed to fall back and vibrate. I couldn't hold back any longer as I dove as deep as I could to release my seed. She sought out my mouth after she found her voice, making my own movements more erratic. Several minutes later we were bringing our dance to a halt.

Somewhere in the early evening hours she awoke before me eager to resume our lovemaking. This time the dance was slower, more plodding, and more purposeful. For the first time in her life she felt lips upon her sex and tongue in her vagina as she struggled to evade my sucking as well as the hold I maintained on her nether cheeks.

It was very late when I finally awoke. There was a feeling of calm that permeated the room. The first thing I saw was Adrienne staring at me.

"Do you know that you laugh in your sleep?"

"What?" I said as I boosted my myself upon a pillow.

"Yes, you woke me up. I couldn't believe it." The little minx was teasing me. "I never heard of anyone doing that. I'm not so sure I want to marry you now; we may not be able to sleep in the same bed."

With that comment, I pounced on her causing a giggle. "We're sleeping in the same bed, get used to it." I responded before stealing another kiss. The kiss was long and sloppy. When we separated, I saw that she was crying.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. I was just so worried after Cassie called. If anything ever happened to you..." We were suddenly back in each other's arms, holding on tightly. It was at that point that I knew my working days at the club were over.

Chapter 13: Forms of Severance

My first obligation upon returning home was to speak with my father. If my troubles could even remotely spill over onto the family he had to know. I used Adrienne as a diversion. Once our engagement was known and the ring displayed to my mother and to Gina (who was visiting again), they became occupied discussing engagement and marriage stuff. This allowed me time to speak alone with him.

Explaining the events of the previous night to Papa proved easier than I originally expected. He sat impassively through the entire retelling, concentrating on my every word, not asking a single question until I was finished. Even then, his questions were few.

"These men who attacked you, did Cassie know them?" He asked soberly.

"I don't think so Papa; she would have said something, and she didn't seem to react to them." My father gave me a brief questioning look when I said that, but I ignored it and continued. "The only person she said she recognized was the leader, Wes."

"You trust this woman David?"

"Yes sir. I don't think she was lying about what she told me."

"And what is her relationship to your boss, this Rui person?"

"Nothing, he's the boss. We rarely talk about him. She's worked for him for a long time though and I know she asked for his advice about things in the past. I know he helped her in getting her apartment house."

Papa was silent again as if her were thinking about something. As the seconds ticked by I couldn't read his expression. I had expected some admonishment, some words about how dangerous this job had become or how I might have inadvertently endangered the family. Instead Papa said nothing. Our talk ended when my mother called to him.

He never asked me again about the situation. There was also an unspoken agreement between us that my employment had ended. He managed to take only one other action after that, and to this day I've never asked him to give details on what he did.

The rest of the week was taken up with Adrienne and I making the rounds of all her relatives. I can honestly say that my future in-laws were overjoyed with our engagement. If any concerns were shown it was because Adrienne was so enthusiastic about us getting married as soon as possible.

She was ending her freshman year and there was some fear, voiced by her father (who now wanted me to call him Nick), that we would not wait until she graduated. His anxiety was being fueled by Adrienne who refused to promise anything. Seeing this as my first act as her intended, I feigned the lack of any influence in the matter (something I've learned to do well in later years).

Her mother, Marina, was more agreeable, as were her aunts, cousins, and my sisters. In fact, I can't think of anyone who was not very enthusiastic about our engagement. It really was touching to think that so many thought so well of us.

However, regardless of the smiling faces and well wishes, I did not sleep well that week. Starting a new life brought home to me that I barely survived losing my old one. It gradually came to me that I could have been killed and Cassie too. The very thought of that gave me the shakes at night and I awoke to cold sweats. While I hid it well during the day, it took many months before those images stopped invading my dreams.

While we were celebrating our engagement, Cassie took off that next week and she and Sydney went on an impromptu vacation at the shore. She called me to let me know where they were staying and I phoned every day to make sure they were OK. I also checked the newspapers each morning for notice of any unusual homicides. I was somewhat relieved when none were reported.

When I returned to work on Thursday to pick up my last check Albert was waiting for me. I had barely exited my car when he handed me large envelop.

"David consider this Worker's Compensation or a graduation present, whatever your pleasure. And please tell your father that my uncle sends his regards", he said in a rather friendly manner.

"My father?" I thought before taking the envelope. I was brought back to reality by Albert's stare.

"Thanks Al...for everything", I responded offering my hand. We shook briefly. His grip was strong and sure, his eyes serious. When he started back to the club I got the distinct impression I wasn't expected to follow. It was an odd feeling. There were friends behind those doors to whom I wanted to say goodbye. That message would have to be conveyed in another way. Since there was no point in hanging around I drove home.