Louise Ch. 11

The meeting had ended in a shouting match with the manager putting Gene on suspension for insubordination.

"Get out Gene and you're suspended for thirty days without pay."

That caught Gene's attention.

"What? Come on! You're suspending me because I disagreed with you?"

"I'm suspending you because you've used up all of your chances." The manager replied. "I've talked to you time and time again about being late and your attitude. Even now, when I'm telling you that your job performance isn't up to par instead of asking how to improve, you argue with me. Now get out before I call security."

Gene opened his mouth to argue.

"Shut the fuck up or you're fired." the manager said not backing down.

Gene stormed out of the office, went to his own office and grabbed his coat. He avoided looking at anyone certain that they knew what happened. On the way home, he stopped at 'Harvey's for a beer before going home. If he hadn't run out of money, he would have had more than four beers.

Instead of going to his room, the one that had been his mother's, he sat on the couch and tried to figure out what he was going to do for the next month. It didn't occur to him that he could make use of the employee assistance program for help in controlling his temper or for financial assistance.

In his mind, he had been wronged. It was time to find another job where he and his talents would be appreciated and put to good use.

*******

Leon Yancey stopped at the 'Super Wal-mart' on the way home from work to buy flowers for the gravesite of his parents. He was off on Sunday and decided to go to the gravesite before going home to sleep. When he got up, he would run to 'De Luigi's' for a large cheese steak with hot sauce, hot peppers, cheese and mushrooms with a large order of fries and eat it while he watched the basketball game.

When he got to the 'Wal-mart', he picked up two bouquets of flowers and a twelve pack of grape soda. He had given up drugs and alcohol years before and had worked his ass off at the steel factory until he reached the position of night shift supervisor. The people working under him found him to be fair and knew that he didn't ask anyone to do anything that he wouldn't do himself.

If he found someone struggling with their duties, instead of berating them and adding to the problem, he helped them until they caught up. His small office walls were filled with plaques and awards that he had gotten over the few years that he had worked there.

He had never married and didn't have the desire. It was a woman that had started him on the path to near destruction. He didn't blame her exactly. All he had to do was walk away from her but he couldn't. It started with a little weed and then progressed from there. Waking up naked and bleeding in an unfamiliar place had been his wake up call.

He dumped the woman, checked into a rehab place and never looked back. As he drove home from the 'Wal-mart' to the cemetery, he thought about Louise and felt a pang of guilt. They should have helped her more... "I should have helped her more." he murmured accepting the responsibility for his perceived lack of action.

It was early yet so he pulled into a 'Denny's', got out of the car and went in. He grabbed a paper and perused it while he waited to for a table.

"Lee?" a familiar voice from the distant past called.

He looked up to see Janet Duncan, the woman who had been a part of his near destruction.

"Janet?" He asked shocked. He barely recognized her. She looked older than her years.

"You're looking good." she said as she moved closer.

"Thanks... I managed to get clean..."

"Good for you... you got any money for an old friend?" she asked laying a too thin hand on his arm.

"Umm no but I'll be glad to buy you breakfast." he replied.

"Thanks but I need the money." Janet replied. "I'll give you something in return."

"I....."

"Hey you!" the manager on duty called. "Come get your coffee and get out."

Leon looked at her and then at the manager.

"Can you add a sandwich and a juice to that order? I'll pay for it."

"Keep your damned charity!" Janet snarled as she took the cup of coffee and unsteadily walked out of the restaurant.

Leon watched her leave and felt a mixture of sorrow and relief as he realized that had he not changed, that it could have been him begging for money for the next fix. That thought triggered a memory.

When he got out of rehab, he had nowhere to go. Kevyn was already in California, Gene was married but was having problems, Barb knew that he needed help but hadn't offered to help him and Juliette was having her own issues. Victor Yancy was still alive then and was very disappointed in him. However, Louise had stepped up for him.

"We have the space so why can't he stay here with us?" She asked. "He can help with the yard and things like that."

Finally, Victor agreed but gave a stern warning.

"Alright but I swear, if I smell alcohol on you or you come through that door high, you're out. Do you understand?

"I understand and dad? Thank you!"

After they were alone, Leon hugged Louise and thanked her.

"You won't be sorry." he told her.

"I know and you know what?" she said, "it's going to be alright, I can feel it." And it was. The question that he asked himself was, "why didn't I step up and help her more than I did?" That one question would keep him from sleeping the way that he wanted and needed to.

*******

Juliette checked her bank account to see if she had enough to cover the expense of shipping Barb's clothes and other personal items.

"The account ending in 0077 has an available balance of two-hundred dollars and twenty-one cents..."

Juliette hung up and sighed. There was no possible way that she could afford to send Barb her things and buy Wanda what she needed for her next science project. Her only option was for Barb to pay for it herself. She refused to deny her children something that they needed in order to help her sister.

Juliette glanced at the clock.

"It's four am here which makes it one am there." she murmured to herself. She wasn't sure of when Barb got up and decided to call her around three pm Pittsburgh time. She could almost hear the conversation.

"What do you mean you can't pay for it? When does Wannie need her stuff? Just pay for it and you'll have your money back in a few days."

In the past, Juliet did whatever Barb wanted; it was easier that way and it hadn't interfered with anything that the kids needed as it did now. Barb, she decided was just going to have to get over it and pay for the shipping herself if she wanted her things.

Juliet wondered how things were in California. She knew that Barb had been angry and then jealous when Kevyn took Louise back with her and all of them noticed how she had drooled over Kevyn's man. Juliette shook her head at the memory but was honest with herself. If a rich man came along and promised to take care of her and the kids, she would jump on it but she wouldn't sell her soul for it.

She set her alarm and made a last check around the house to make sure that the windows and doors were locked. The kids father Angel Mendoza was picking them up at nine to take them to spend the day at his house with his wife and her son. She and Angel hadn't gotten along as a couple but they made good friends because of the kids and besides, his wife Anna was good to them. He loved them and she knew that if she were to ask him for the money for Wanda, he would give it no questions asked. But she wasn't going to ask. She wasn't going to ask for money just to help Barb.

Satisfied that the apartment was secure, Juliet went to bed thinking about Kevyn and Louise.

"Kevyn, you're one lucky ducky." she murmured as she fell asleep.

*******

Louise wiggled around in the seat. The heat was back worse than it had been before. Her clothes felt tight and the panty hose made her legs itch. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She unbuckled her seatbelt, kicked her shoes off and ripped the pantyhose off. The relief that she felt was minimal, removing the pantyhose did nothing to ease the burning in her stomach and the rest of her body.

Nathan gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and murmured something. Immediately her body cooled and the itching went away.

"You have got to teach me how to do that." Louise said sighing with relief.

"I will but it's only a temporary fix. It'll be better in a day or two I promise." Nathan replied.

"Thank god!" Louise said. "Are we almost to Patrick's house?" she asked.

"Yes but we'll go in through the back unless you need to see Kevyn for something." Nathan replied.

"No, I'm good. I just want to get out of these clothes and into my tee shirt." Louise said beginning to squirm again.

Nathan inwardly groaned. He hated anything that kept his skin separated from hers. When they got to their suite, he would bring up the offending item.

Five minutes later, he was parking the car in the garage located in the back of the house.

"How are your feet?" he asked before he got out.

"Much better since I took my shoes off." Louise replied and then added, "I can walk so don't even think about carrying me."

Nathan chuckled as he got out of the car. "Thank you" he murmured to whatever fate or god who happened to be listening.

A few minutes later, they were in their suite and Louise was undressing. Nathan sat on the bed and watched her as she undressed and carefully hung her dress. When she was about to take her slip off, he stopped her.

"Sweetheart, wait."

Louise stopped and turned to look at him.

"Come here." he said.

By the time she reached him, he was naked and his cock was pulsing. He pulled her so that she was standing between his legs and ran his hands up her thighs massaging them with the soft silkiness of her slip. His hands moved to her ass gently kneading the cheeks as he pulled her even closer.

"Nathan?" Louise breathed.

He stood up, took the slip by its hem and slowly pulled it up and over her head leaving her only in her bra and panties. He reached behind her, undid the clasp that held her hair in a simple bun and pushed her back so that he could look at her.

"Beautiful." he said as he looked at her starting at her head, his gaze lingering on her breast, soft stomach and between her legs. He lowered his shields and let her see herself as he saw her.

Tears stung Louise's eyes at what she saw. While she had never considered herself ugly, she never thought of herself as beautiful. However, that was how Nathan saw her.

"That's really how you see me?" she whispered a little of the old insecurity showing.

"That is how I saw you the very first time I laid eyes on you and it is how I will always see you." he replied as he stepped closer to her and touched her face.

"You're crying. Why?" he asked as he wiped a tear away and tasted it.

"I... no one outside of Kevyn and Leon has ever taken the time to see me... that didn't sound right." she muttered. "I've never seen myself the way that you do and it feels good. I also realized that for the first time in a long time that I'm happy. I also wish that my parents were still alive, they would have loved you and I wish ..."

Nathan held her as she cried. She was missing her parents.

"I would have loved them too." he said. "But Lou, I believe that they've been watching and they are as proud of you as I am."

They stood there with their arms around each other for several minutes.

"Lou, do you want to go back to visit the gravesites?" Nathan asked.

"It's all the way in Pennsylvania."

"That doesn't matter." Nathan replied, "But you do and if you want or need to go back to Pittsburgh then we'll do it."

Louise hesitated before replying.

"I'll think about it."

A second later, Louise was as naked as Nathan was. He cupped her large breasts in his hands and stroked the nipples until they were hardened peaks. He stepped backwards still holding on to her breasts and flicking at the nipples with his thumbs.

Warmth filled Louise as moisture gathered between her legs accompanied by a dull ache. Nathan's nostrils flared as the scent of her arousal hit him. He was torn, he wanted to be inside of her but he wanted to taste her too. In the end, the desire to taste won out.

He laid her on her back and parted her legs. He kissed and then licked the inside of each thigh before reaching his goal. He licked the clear fluid that ran from her savoring it as if it was the most precious liquid on earth. His cock throbbed painfully but he ignored her. She and her pleasure would always come before his.

He could hear her whimpering and knew that she was going to come even though he had yet to touch her clit. He was thrilled by the knowledge that he affected her so strongly. He slipped two fingers inside of her and began to slide them in and out while he watched her clit fill with blood and harden. He fought the temptation to take it into his mouth. He wanted to watch it spasm and throb as she came.

He took a quick peek at Louise and almost came when he saw her pulling on her nipples. Even when they had made love almost non-stop after the turning, she hadn't touched herself. His gaze went back and forth from her face to her breast and then to her clit.

He was watching her face when the orgasm began. Quickly his eyes snapped to her clit, which was protruding from beneath its hood and pulsing wildly. The moan had become a low scream as the pulsing of her clit increased. Unable to help himself, Nathan took the hardened bud into his mouth and grazed his teeth across it careful not to cause her pain.

"Nathan!" Louise screamed as she bucked and ground against his face.

The calling of his name was his undoing. Even as he suckled her and pumped his fingers in and out of her, he came. The friction of the comforter increased his pleasure as he writhed against it his semen adding lubrication.

He didn't want to move his mouth from her clit so he screamed for her telepathically. When her orgasm ended, he was still hard. Without missing a beat, he got to his knees, lifted Louise's shaking legs and slid in clear up to his balls and then he stopped to catch his breath.

The thought that this lovemaking session was every bit as intense as the twenty-four hour lovemaking session had been crossed his mind but disappeared when Louise began to move beneath him. He lasted longer only because of the previous orgasm but the one that was coming promised to be every bit as intense.

Louise reached for him wanting and needing to be held as they came. Taking her hands, Nathan pulled her up to him, pressed his lips against her neck and bit just hard enough that there was a thin trickle of blood.

Louise screamed his name again, let her fangs descend and bit him on the shoulder. The bite was considerably harder than the one Nathan had given her but he didn't seem to mind. If anything, she felt him swell inside of her and when she fastened her lips around the bite and sucked, he came with a roar that she was sure Kevyn and Patrick must have heard on the other side of the house

As Nathan eased Louise back onto the bed, he again wondered about the intensity of the orgasms. They wouldn't be the first or last couple to conceive so soon after mating. He would just have too wait and see but in the meantime, he wouldn't say anything to Louise who was snuggling against him already half asleep.

********

"There you are!" Kevyn said when Louise finally made it to the kitchen. "I've already started but to be honest with you I think that this is a lost cause."

"Why is that?" Louise asked.

"Well, I made two of those breakfast casserole things and Patrick already ate half of one." Kevyn replied. "The other half is in the oven for you and Nathan."

"He'll like that." Louise replied sitting down. "So what are we doing? Are we going to try to cook ahead or not?"

"I'm game if you are." Kevyn replied. "And we have to make dinner anyway, Joseph is coming." she added.

"What about something like chicken?" Louise asked. "I don't think that my stomach can handle any more rich foods."

"How about that corn flake chicken you make?" Kevyn asked.

"That's easy enough." Louise said. "We can make macaroni and cheese and a veggie. The question is do we have what we need?"

"Good question, but the chicken will be frozen even if we did."

Louise looked at the clock.

"It's only one but we have a couple of options. We can thaw it out and let them eat the casserole as a snack or we could have the grocery store deliver it. The delivery would be the fastest and the easiest way to go."

"Agreed." Kevyn said. "Lets make a list and we can place the order online. After that we can start making phone calls."

Twenty minutes later the order was in.

"According to this it should be here by four." Kevyn said. "So who do you want to call first?"

**********************

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Gene was sprawled out on the bed still fully clothed except for his shoes when he woke up. His mouth felt and tasted like dirty socks. His head pounded and he wondered what he had been thinking in getting buzzed as he had and thanked god that he hadn't gotten into any fights and that he had run out of cash.

He reached for the bottle of water that he kept by the bed, guzzled it down and got out of bed fighting nausea. He stripped while he was in the bathroom, turned on the cold water of the shower and stepped in.

"Son of a bitch!" he cursed when the cold water hit his body. After a few minutes, he gradually adjusted the temperature of the water until it was comfortably warm. By the time he got out, he felt good enough that he thought that he could eat something without throwing up.

He threw on a pair of lounge pants and a tee shirt and made his way to the kitchen. He was going to settle for a bowl of cereal but he was out of milk which left eggs and toast as his only viable option. As he cooked, he cursed himself for not being able to keep his mouth shut. He couldn't afford a month's suspension and would have to use all of his vacation time if he wanted any extra money to live on.

Breakfast made, he turned on the television and wondered what Leon was doing. There was a basketball game on that he wanted to see but he had cut all but the basic cable off. After breakfast, he got dressed to go buy the Sunday paper. There had to be other firms that were hiring. Before he left he called Leon.

"What's doing?" he asked.

"Not much." Leon replied. "I went to the grave sites this morning on my way home. Why?"

"Are you going to watch that game today?"

"Yep... you want to come over? I was going to get a cheese steak from 'De Luigi's', I can make it two."

"That would be great; I can pay you when I get there." Gene replied.

"Nah, my treat... see you in an hour... And Gene? You know that I don't drink anymore right?"

"I know... I'll bring some soda or something." Gene replied.

He grabbed his car keys and left the house. The phone rang just after he left.

**********

Juliette steeled herself for the conversation with Barb. The kids were already gone a fact for which she was grateful. She didn't like them to hear that she was having problems with money. She especially tried to keep any money issues away from Wanda. At eight years old, she always felt guilty whenever she asked for anything. On the occasions when money was tight and Juliette didn't even go out, an extra one-hundred dollars or more would come from Angel and always with a note.

"Julie,

This is for whatever the kids need. If you need more, please ask. They are my children too and I want to help in any way that I can.

Angel."

It was times like that when Juliet wondered why they couldn't make it work. Angel was a good man and father. He never cheated on her and never abused them in any way but they couldn't make it work. Part of the problem was that they were young when they had Wanda. He was nineteen and she was barely sixteen but they loved each other. The next year Victor was born and after that Celeste.