Trust Comes Easy Ch. 03

Kaye was staring at me, and I started to worry that she was getting angry again. Finally, she licked her lips and said, "When you were...escorting...what was the weirdest thing you ever had to do?"

I laughed out loud, if anything just because the tension broke so quickly. Then I covered my mouth. Kaye wasn't sure how to take it so I moved my hand and smiled at her. "Sorry, it's just...God, there's a lot to choose from. But I think that honor would have to go to the woman who asked me to dress up like a clown."

Kaye's eyes widened. "Okay, that's beyond strange."

I shrugged. "She had this weird fetish with clowns. And she turned into a regular too, so I had to do it a bunch of times."

"A little scary there."

"Went with the territory."

Kaye's eyes narrowed. "So you weren't scared? Ever?"

I shrugged. "I was as careful as I could be, kept my knife in my purse. But there's only so much you can do. It was something you couldn't dwell on, otherwise it would affect your performance."

Kaye looked skeptical. "So nothing ever happened that scared you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, you want a scary story? I got friendly with this one girl, Caroline. She moved here to be an actress, and she was good, even landed some bit parts in TV and stage stuff. But she was still tight on money. Needed new headshots, acting coach...thousands of dollars to keep moving up. Escorting paid for what being a waitress didn't. So she calls me one night, said she had a client who wanted to see some girl/girl action. I reminded her I didn't do men and she said he just wanted to watch. I was ready to say yes, but I had this huge exam to study for, so I turned her down. A few days later someone from the agency calls asking if I'd heard from her."

Kaye's eyes widened. "She disappeared?" I nodded. "Did they ever find out who did it?" Kaye asked.

"Oh yeah," I said, my face with a look of sarcasm. "The cops put a missing hooker right on top of their 'To Do' list." '

Kaye shot back a nasty look. "And you kept escorting after that?"

"Yes, in retrospect not one of my smarter decisions. But it was definitely a factor in leaving when I did." Suddenly I remembered my own murder scheme. I'd become so caught up in the conversation that, unbelievably, I forgot about it. "Listen, I came up with something." When Kaye stiffened and her hand reached out and touched my arm I said, "No, wait, you need to listen to this. It's about Amanda..."

"What about me?"

I turned. Amanda was standing there.

This was one of those moments in life where your brain freezes and a good excuse never seems to come. I opened my mouth and out came, "I know why you're here. And why you keep looking at that Rembrandt print. You're going to steal one, aren't you?" Luckily, this wasn't one of those times.

"Exactly," Amanda said. I was temporarily stunned, and I'm sure Kaye was too. But then Amanda added, "And I came here because there are no Rembrandt works currently in New York."

I felt my shoulders sag. "Well, it sounded good at the time."

"I found this in your closet." Amanda held up my old strap-on. "It was kind of buried, looks like you haven't used it in a while. Why is that?"

I was in front of Kaye, slightly blocking her from Amanda's view. Kaye's hand touched my back, and I felt every nerve in my body tense up. "It's me," I said. "After you left I had a girlfriend that liked doing it au natural, you know, no fake man parts involved. I got into it." I cocked my head towards Kaye. "Got her into it too."

Amanda smiled and took a few steps until she was right in front of me. "Okay, sounds plausible enough." Then she smiled her wicked smile. "At least that's what anyone would think. But I'm not anyone."

Then Amanda stepped around me and stood in front of Kaye. "I think you're the one with the dildo problem." Kaye tried not to react, but a nervous movement of her eyes gave her away. Amanda continued, "I've heard about dykes like you. So hardcore you don't even like having a fake one inside you."

"It's not about being hardcore," Kaye said. "I just like it au natural." Kaye smiled her 'screw you' smile.

Amanda smiled back. "Uh huh." She brought the plastic phallus up until it touched Kaye's chin. "Maybe you just haven't tried it enough."

"Stop it!" I yelled.

Amanda turned to me with a look that literally gave me goose bumps. It was hard to believe someone so beautiful could be so evil. "Looking to take away my fun?"

I stared at her, and with steel resolve in my voice I said, "Fuck your fun."

"You think so?" Amanda smiled. "Both of you, in the living room, now."

She stepped aside and Kaye went out first while I followed. When we got there Amanda said, "Move the coffee table away from the front of the couch."

Kaye and I did as ordered and Amanda lay down on the floor. She tossed me something and I caught it -- a piece from the roll of twine we use to tie up newspapers. "Tie Kaye's hands behind her back."

I had a bad idea where this was going. "No," I said. But Kaye stepped in front of me and turned around, putting one wrist over other. "Just do it," she said. So I tied Kaye's hands, not too tight.

Amanda tossed the strap-on and it landed at my feet. "Put it on."

I hate it when I'm right. "No. No fucking way."

"Put it on or the best teaching job your girlfriend will ever get is at a women's prison."

"No," I said, shaking my head vigorously.

Amanda was about to say something when Kaye wheeled around to face me. "Maggie."

"Kaye, your career is not worth this. I am not doing this to you!"

"Maggie! Put the fucking thing on! Now!"

The look in her eyes and the tone of her voice took the wind out of my sails. I picked up the strap-on and slid into the harness. Amanda said, "Kaye, on your knees in front of me."

Kaye did as she was told, and Amanda spread her legs and used her fingers to pull apart her lips. "Feast," she said, or ordered.

My girlfriend bent down, causing her ass to stick up in the air, and started licking. Amanda moaned and brought her other hand up to her breasts and began playing with them, squeezing her large globes, running her fingers along the hard nipples, bringing one up to her mouth and sucking on it. It was hard to believe there was a day I thought I loved this woman. I realized that was another decision I'd made badly.

Amanda moaned again. Kaye swirled her tongue around Amanda's folds, occasionally using her lips to kiss and suck on them. Kaye was getting into it, more than I thought she would be. I wasn't sure why, maybe she thought pleasing Amanda would help guarantee we got the tape. Maybe it was to keep what was about to happen off her mind. I looked down at the fake phallus. At least it was narrow. I'd had three fingers inside Kaye the night before Amanda came, and that, along with all the other sex we've had this weekend, would hopefully keep this from hurting her.

Amanda's eyes looked up at me, and there was a gleam in them. "Maggie, get on your knees behind Kaye."

My mouth felt dry. Suddenly I remembered, "This thing is dry. In our nightstand we've got some—"

"No lube."

Amanda's words made me cringe. Kaye stopped what she was doing and looked up. "What?" I said.

"I said no lube. Stick it into her."

I felt bile from my stomach shoot into my throat. Bad enough I was being forced to do something to Kaye that she didn't like, now I was going to hurt her doing it. My voice cracked when I said, "Amanda, please."

Calmly she responded, "Do it now." She looked back at Kaye. "Did I say you could stop?"

Kaye went back to what she was doing as I stepped up behind her. When I knelt down it felt more like my knees buckled from under me. My hands ran over Kaye's ass and I looked at the butterfly tattoo.

Amanda spoke as she enjoyed what Kaye was doing to her. "Don't do anything...to get her started. Just spread...her...uh open and stick it in."

My hands went underneath and I spread Kaye's outer lips a little. They felt dry. My eyes weren't.

"Maggie," Amanda said through gritted teeth. "Do it now."

Using my hands I guided the dildo to Kaye's hole and slowly started to slide it in. The second I met the slightest resistance I stopped. Kaye hadn't reacted so I moved a little further. Amanda was moaning loudly as Kaye kept her going. I was hoping my girlfriend would stop what she was doing if I hurt her. Slowly pushing further until I hit a little resistance again and stopped. Still no reaction from Kaye, and her fingers were pumping in and out of Amanda and she was licking and sucking like nothing else was happening. Very little of the dildo was in, and we had much more to go. But I was going to take it as slow as I could. I pushed a little more and...then it slid in effortlessly. Suddenly it was like a tube of lube was in there. I pulled out quickly and put my finger to Kaye's slit and pushed in slowly, but I didn't need to go slow because there was juice galore. She was soaked.

Amanda saw my shocked expression. Between grunts and groans she said, "Kaye's wet in there isn't she?" All I could do was look at Amanda. "I knew she would be, I knew and you didn't. Maybe you should have done what I did and read her diary. Then you'd know your girlfriend gets off on being forced to do things during sex."

Suddenly Kaye stopped and her head popped up. I couldn't see, but I heard her crying. "You bitch!" she yelled. She jumped up and ran to the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

Amanda laughed, a deep, jovial laugh. She threw her head back and hugged herself. "I can't fucking believe you two." Her laughter died down slowly, and she started to catch her breath. "Kaye spent the whole dinner Friday night telling me how you two seemed to know everything about each other after the first date. Pretty sad, huh?"

Kill her right now, I thought. Just jump on top of her and do your best to strangle the life out of her. She's done everything to deserve it. But instead I gave Amanda a cold stare. "At least I know Kaye won't ever leave me with her mess."

Amanda's smile dropped. I got up and left her there, walking to the bedroom door where I took off the harness and tossed it to the floor. Then I slowly cracked open the door, slipped in and shut it behind me.

16.

The last time I saw Carla Fuego we were on her estate on Long Island. We had made love and fell asleep afterwards. When I woke up I was alone in the bed. I turned over and saw that she was standing out on the small balcony that looked over the grounds. Carla was wearing a sheer white slip, and her olive skin made such a contrast that it was easy to see her naked body underneath. She turned and noticed that I was awake.

"So this is the last time, yes?" Carla asked. The heavy Spanish accent in her thick voice always made me a little wet.

"Yep." I said as I got up and walked towards her. Carla walked away from the balcony and we met in the middle and stared at each other.

"And this is because you are graduating college? Because you no longer need the money?"

"Uh huh."

"So now you go to get a job and have the life of everyone else?"

I nodded. Carla nodded back, then looked thoughtful.

"What would you say if I offered to take care of you?" She put her hands on my chest and started to slowly rub them in circles. "You could live here. And trust me, you would want for nothing."

Her hands felt good. Carla's touch was always intoxicating because she took such good care of her skin and she knew how to touch someone. I closed my eyes as she slid her hands down my chest, moving them delicately over my nipples until they reached the bottoms of my breasts. That's where she dragged her fingers along the sensitive undersides of my globes. I took in a breath and opened my eyes. "I'd say thank you for the offer, but no."

Her eyebrows rose. "That would lead me to ask why."

I chewed on my lip to delay the moment, until I finally said, "There's someone else."

"Another client?"

"Yes."

"And she can offer you more than I?" Carla smiled and made a sweeping gesture with her hand. The room was large, with a high ceiling painted in rich styles over a hundred years ago. There was artwork and pottery and sculpture. The bed was a four-poster job with a mattress that made you feel like you were lying on a cloud. More than that, we were in a mansion that stood on several acres and included two pools, a horse stable, and it's own private beach.

I swallowed. "What you're offering isn't what I'm looking for."

Carla's smiled dropped slowly until it was half a grin. "Ah. I see. And is she as in love with you?"

"Yes."

"Then I am very jealous. You have something I do not."

Softly, I said, "Hard to believe, with all you have."

She shook her head. "It is the greatest misconception of all time that people with money have it easy. Maybe with some things, but with others we only wear more expensive shackles. A poor man or woman can find love just as easily as a rich one. In that area of life, everyone is on equal ground. Everyone has the same chances no matter who you are or what you have."

I stood there amazed, as I always had been, by Carla's humility. The daughter of a man known as the shipping king of the Mediterranean, she had lots of money and too much time on her hands, but she managed to never let that get to her head. With a good amount of regret in my voice I said, "I'm sorry I can't stay with you."

Her face soured. "Don't be. Don't ever be sorry for love." She sighed and looked around the room. "It is something money cannot buy. Not truly." Her eyes came back to me. "You must hold onto it, protect it, and fight to keep it. Because no matter how much money you have, love is something you cannot buy. Not true love."

She stroked my cheek and led me back to the bed, where we made love one last time. Afterwards I looked over and saw that Carla had fallen asleep. As I dressed quietly I noticed the white envelope on the bedside table where she always left my fee. I looked at Carla sleeping there, blew her a kiss and slipped out without saying goodbye. It would be better this way. And I left the envelope on the table. I wasn't for sale, not anymore.

17.

That memory shot through my brain as I saw the scene in front of me. My true love was on the bed, her face buried in the pillows. Her hands were still tied behind her back, and I could hear her sobbing. No, she was bawling. Seeing and hearing her like that pierced my heart worse than anything I have ever felt. A few minutes ago I was worried about hurting her physically, but this was so much worse. Kaye was humiliated; hurt in a way that broke down the strongest woman I know.

It was that moment when I decided Amanda was going to die by my hand, and that Kaye would have nothing to do with it.

I walked over to the bed and gently untied the rope binding Kaye's wrists. Somehow she didn't notice it, because when I got on the bed and tried to spoon my body behind hers, Kaye's head turned with a surprised look on her face. She scurried over to the other side of the bed. "No!" she said, her face turned away from me. "Please no!" She started bawling again.

I decided to wait her out. I stayed on my side of the bed for a while, lying on my back, trying to figure out the details of killing Amanda and hiding her body. But my mind wasn't working with it because I kept coming back to the same old things -- rent a nuclear reactor suit, kill her with a knife, and hope Kaye doesn't notice the body under the couch.

Kaye's sobbing finally died down. I took a chance and reached over to touch her back. She didn't jump, so I moved closer and hugged her to me. We stayed like that for a while, and I could feel her heartbeat slowing down. Finally she said, "Do you hate me?"

I made a face. "No. Why would I hate you?"

"Because I'm a hypocrite. I yelled at you before about not telling me everything about yourself and I..." Kaye sighed. "I didn't even think..."

I thought about that for a moment, and then I said, "Have you ever had anyone, um, fulfill your fantasy before?"

Kaye sighed. "No."

"Okay, so there is a difference. Between you telling me about some fantasy floating around in your head, and me telling you about some of the more defining moments of my life."

She sniffled. "Thin line there."

I sighed, closed my eyes, swallowed, and barely got out the words, "I have a thing for Aviril Lavinge."

Kaye's head popped up. "What?! You hate that bitch!"

"I hate her music, fucking wannabe punk. But for some reason I have...dirty fantasies about her. I don't know why, dammit, but I do."

"Huh." Kaye's head dropped onto the pillow. "Never would have thought that."

We were quiet for a time. Then I worked up some courage, and said, "This, um, fantasy of yours. Is it like bondage, or S&M?"

In a very small voice, Kaye said, "No."

"Are they, like...rape fantasies?"

Kaye sighed and sat up. "No...not exactly. I just get off on being forced to do things during sex. I know it sounds weird. Hell, it must be weird; I can't even find a group for it on the Internet. But it's just a fantasy, and I'm embarrassed about it, okay, that's why I never brought it up."

I said, "But then you're not happy." Kaye gave me a questioning look and I continued. "If you like doing something, or get turned on by something, then why not bring it up to me? Maybe I'll be into it?"

"Or maybe you'll think I'm a freak and leave me. It's not a chance I'm willing to take."

"If it's who you are, then why not?"

"Because being with you is more important than some fantasy I have."

That stopped me cold. Suddenly I leaned over and kissed her. Kaye kissed me back. It wasn't a sexual kiss, it was romantic and bonding and afterwards we just lay down and held each other. Somewhere in there Kaye fell asleep and I got up and went back to the living room. Amanda was sitting on the couch, a bottle of wine open on the table. Her gaze turned to me and she looked sullen and a little drunk. "Just so you know, I really did love you."

I didn't respond.

"Do you think we would have been happy together?" she asked.

I sighed. Somehow I felt the need to give her one chance to get away. "Amanda, why don't you just leave? Give us the tape and leave."

She stood up and spoke like she didn't even hear me. "I keep thinking about what it would have been like if that little scam worked four years ago. I didn't want to leave you, you know. I wanted to keep you."

"And that right there is the problem," I said, pointing at her. "Your idea of loving me is wanting to own me, and back then I was so desperate to replace my family that I didn't see it for what it was."

Amanda chuckled. "Now you know why I love sleeping with women over men. Men want to control you. From the moment they spot you, their intention is to dominate you. But women, they aren't like that at all. They want to share and be equal. Most women, they don't enter a relationship or a bedroom with the intention of controlling you. And I like that, because it gives me an advantage. I don't have to fight for power when the other side isn't even looking to do battle."

Suddenly I burst out laughing. Amanda looked at me and said, "What's so funny about that?

When the laughter subsided I said, "Oh God, here I was thinking you were probably going to leave and then send the tape out anyway. Just for spite." I closed my eyes and shook my head. "You're never giving us that tape, are you? You're going to leave with it in case you need to use us again."

Amanda smiled. "Smart girl. Not so fast on the uptake, but you get there eventually." She shook her head. "But you're wrong. I plan on leaving the tape for Kaye when we go."

It took an extra second for me to register what was wrong about her statement. "We?"

"As in you and me, are leaving the day after tomorrow. In the morning you're going to go to work tell them it's your last day there. Then on Tuesday, when Kaye leaves for work, you and I will head to the airport."