Wish Upon a Star

"Bryan, do you ever think about anything but getting laid?" I asked sarcastically. "You've probably never had sex in your life."

"No, I don't, and yes, I have," he retorted. "Why do you think I even came on this trip? I wanna get it on with some European chicks!"

"Oh, Lord," I muttered into my drink. "You actually think they're gonna go for you?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Bryan challenged.

"Never mind," I said, trying to defuse the situation. "I'm sure they would. You're very handsome."

That got a bit of a different response, from Brad as well as from Bryan.

"You think I'm sexy, huh?" Bryan asked, the leer returning to his face. "I knew you wanted me. You couldn't keep your hands off me on the plane yesterday."

"Really?" said Brad, egging Bryan on. "I wondered what you two were up to."

I was too tired for argument.

"We weren't up to anything, Brad... and Bryan, I'm amazed you even remember the plane ride."

"Oh, I remember it all right. I remember you saying you wanted a piece of this."

"Bryan, shut up. You were drunk as a skunk with altitude and alcohol. I wouldn't want a piece of you if you were the last man on earth."

Bryan leaned across the table toward me. I tried to evade him, but he snagged my shirt and pulled me to him.

"Come on," he whispered into my ear. "I know you want me. Why don't we head back to the room now?"

"Bryan, go to hell!" I muttered, pushing him back into his seat.

Bryan grinned, and Brad laughed like it was all some kind of a joke. Bryan leaned over and obviously told Brad what he had said, because Brad eyed me and chuckled again. Suddenly, my T-shirt felt too tight for my chest, and I crossed my arms to protect myself from Bryan's invading gaze. He and Brad grinned.

I had just about had enough. Everyone was done eating, and I saw no sense in sticking around subjecting myself to two boys imagining me in a compromising position.

"Dale, can we go now?" I asked pointedly. He and Jared had been having a quiet conversation of their own while Bryan had been picking on me, and I felt bad at having to intrude.

Dale jumped when I said his name, but he quickly recovered.

"Yeah, sure," he said. "Everything OK?"

"Ask them," I said, motioning to Bryan and Brad as I rose to leave.

Dale looked inquiringly at the offending pair. They glanced at each other and snickered. Jared stayed out of it.

We had to ride the tube back to the hotel, and even though it was after 9 p.m., the car was still crowded with people. We had to cram ourselves on, and I tried to stay behind Brad and Bryan so there would be no more staring at my chest. It didn't help, though. Once we boarded the crowded train, Bryan maneuvered himself directly in front of me and spent the entire ride staring at me. Once, when the train jerked, he 'fell' against me, brushing my breasts, and chuckled eerily.

"Oops," he said, grinning.

I looked away. Nobody else had seen him do it. I felt sick to my stomach, and by the time we disembarked and walked back to the hotel suite, I was shaking. My shirt and bra felt paper-thin, and I was beginning to wonder what lengths Bryan would take to get what he wanted, from me or any girl. It was a frightening thought, but I kept it to myself. I knew Brad would take Bryan's side, and I knew Jared would avoid the issue. I wasn't even sure if Dale would care. So I kept quiet and figured I could handle any situation on my own. After all, tomorrow was a new day, and we were going to Paris!

*****

CHAPTER FOUR: TO PARIS

The phone next to the bed rang bright (yes, bright!) and early the next morning. We had requested an early wake-up call to get down to the Channel and into Paris by lunch. The guys didn't move when the phone rang, but I staggered up and across the room to answer it.

"'Lo?" I mumbled into the phone.

"Good mornin', mum," said the polite attendant on the other end of the line. "This is your wake-up call."

"Thanks," I said, somewhat more coherently.

"Of course. Have a good day!" returned the voice as the phone clicked off.

I groaned. The guys were still fast asleep. I figured there was no point in waking them until I'd taken my shower, so I grabbed some clothes and headed for the bathroom. I also grabbed my razor. I hadn't shaved for a few days, and I was getting stubbly. I might have been going to ol' Paree, but I wasn't going to get Continental in front of Dale!

I took my time in the shower, soaking in the heat and steam and making sure all the hair was removed from the appropriate areas. At one point, I thought I heard one of the guys knocking on the door, but I wasn't sure, so I didn't worry too much. I finally climbed out of the shower to hear someone jiggling the door handle.

"Hey, Sarah, you done yet? I gotta go!" came the pleading voice on the other side of the door. It was Jared.

I groaned. I was completely naked, and my hair was a mess. I quickly pulled on a pair of underwear.

"Give me one second," I said, hurrying as much as humanly possible.

"Come on!" he begged. "That sausage from yesterday is barkin'."

"All right, all right!" I exclaimed as I wrapped a towel around myself and unlocked the door. "God, we don't want a mess. GO!"

Jared shot in, rushing for the toilet and practically shoving me out the door.

"Shit," I muttered. "Jared, my clothes are in there! Can you hand them to me, please?"

A muffled moan was all I got in return. I turned around to see three more guys staring at me. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized exactly why. As far as they could tell, I was wearing nothing but a white hotel towel, and my water-darkened hair was straggling down my back nearly to my waist. I tried to manage a smile.

"Mornin'," I said as I worked my way to my chair-bed and sat carefully down. Three pairs of eyes followed my every move.

"What's under the towel?" Bryan was the first to ask... naturally.

"None of your goddamn business," I shot back. "If I want you to know, I'll show you."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Bryan chuckled.

"Nice try, but not gonna happen," I replied. "What are you, ten??"

"Nope, just horny," Brad answered for him. "I'll show you mine, too, if that would help."

I couldn't help but laugh internally. If I had been a slut like the kind they were used to dating, I could have cuckolded them all then and there, but that just wasn't my personality.

"No, Brad, I don't want to see yours, either," I rolled my eyes and stared out the window, shivering in the cool room air.

I glanced over at Dale. His eyes hadn't moved from the towel, but he hadn't spoken a word, either. I wondered what he was thinking as he repacked his backpack for the day ahead. He saw me staring at him and – though I couldn't believe it – he flushed deep red and turned away, holding his backpack in front of him. It was as he turned that I saw why he must have been blushing. His boxers were bulging out visibly in front.

It took all my strength not to giggle when I saw his hard-on, but I also felt incredibly flattered. At least now I knew I had what it took to make him horny. I knew Dale was a virgin, as was I, but we had never discussed what turned each other on. It was one of those conversations we had never had, despite our closeness. I ducked my head, letting my hair fall in front of my face, and beamed silently.

Jared came out of the bathroom, temporarily recovered, and someone else walked in for his shower.

A moment later, I heard footsteps softly approaching behind me. Because of my hair, I couldn't see who it was, but I could feel anticipation growing inside me, and I silently wished that this would be the moment where my friendship with Dale turned to something better.

I waited patiently. A male figure softly seated himself next to me, and a pair of hands began to snake around my stomach. I looked down at them and tensed. They weren't Dale's hands; they were Bryan's.

"Let me go," I stated softly as Bryan scooted closer and tightened his grasp.

"Come on, sweetie," he murmured into my ear. "Lemme have a feel."

"No," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "Please stop."

Bryan didn't listen. His right hand began to slip up my ribs toward my breast. I tossed my hair out of my face and looked desperately around the room. I just couldn't believe that Dale would allow Bryan to behave this way. Dale wasn't around; he was the one who had gone into the bathroom. Jared and Brad were pretending to be occupied on the far side of the room. Bryan's hand continued its slow ascent. I curled my arms over my chest, trying to cover my body.

"Bryan, stop," I pleaded softly. "Don't touch me."

Bryan grunted dissent, and at the same time, his right thumb touched the bottom edge of my breast. Somehow, this invasive contact broke my trance.

"STOP!" I cried. "Stop stop stop!"

Bryan jumped back as Jared and Brad stared from the other side of the room.

"What's up with you?" Bryan inquired menacingly, rising from his seat and holding his hands up innocently.

I didn't want to answer. I didn't want to do anything but disappear. I had never felt so alone, so abandoned, in my life, and Bryan was still standing over me, laughing.

"Just... stop," I repeated, curling my body in half and rocking back and forth. "You know what you did. Just stop. Just stop."

Brad and Jared apparently considered the situation under control, so they went back to their conversation. Bryan glanced at them and then leaned over. Instinctively, I turned away, but he grabbed my head and placed his mouth near my ear like he had done the night before.

"Ialwaysget what I want," he hissed, "and right now, I... want... you."

He flipped my head away, leaving me numb with fear and dread. Bryan stalked away just as Dale came out of the bathroom.

"You wanna go get dressed now?" Dale asked nonchalantly.

I rushed past him and slammed the door, then leaned against it and shuddered uncontrollably. I couldn't believe what had happened. I knew now that Bryan was a violent, controlling person – much worse than I had ever thought him to be, and I knew that if he ever caught me alone, I would be at risk. A soft knock at the door made me jump.

"Who is it?" I asked, trying to control my voice.

"It's me," Dale said. "You OK?"

"I'll be fine," I said, staring at my reflection in the mirror. "Just give me a second to get dressed."

"Are you sure?" Dale asked.

He did sound genuinely concerned, but I knew that Bryan would deny any wrongdoing, and it would come down to my word against his. If I had been confident that Brad or Jared would back me up, I probably would have said something, but they had sat silently by and let Bryan do... what he did..., and so I couldn't trust them.

"I'm sure," I replied, my voice slightly stronger.

"OK, if you say so," Dale said dubiously. I heard his footsteps walk away from the door.

I let the towel fall and almost instinctively covered my breasts with my arms. It was frightening how much influence Bryan was exerting over me, even though he wasn't in the room. As I dressed, I began to notice how my clothes fit. My V-neck shirt suddenly seemed very low-cut, and my shorts suddenly seemed too short. But I had to get dressed, and I couldn't make everyone late for the Tunnel because I had wardrobe dilemmas. I shuddered again before I hurried out of the bathroom. I curled up silently on my chair while the rest of the guys showered, shaved, and dressed. Dale could easily tell something was still upsetting me, but he knew better than to ask in front of everyone else. Bryan kept shooting me menacing glances which I tried hard to ignore.

As we boarded the bus to Kent and the entrance to the Tunnel, I hung back, waiting to see where everyone sat. Unfortunately, Dale, in his capacity as leader, boarded first. Bryan, with yet another meaningful glare, sat next to him. The other two sat together, so yet again, I was left on my own. The trip to the Tunnel was uneventful, and I spent most of my time staring out the window at the English countryside. It probably was quite beautiful – it was on the way back, anyway – but I can't say I remember much of it. My mind was racing. I desperately wanted to tell Dale what had happened, but I wasn't sure how to even begin to tell him. Before I had come up with a plan, it was time to board the train through the Tunnel.

For once, I got lucky. I was seated next to the 'window,' and Dale sat next to me. Bryan was on the other side of the train. My relief must have been visible to Dale, since we had barely seated before he turned to me.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "And don't tell me nothing. I can see it written all over your face."

I could feel the fear coming back, and as the last of the passengers boarded the train, I began to shake again. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I had to bite my lip to keep from sobbing audibly. It was such a relief to know that Dale was still my best friend that it took most of my strength not to collapse into his arms.

Dale saw my emotional outpouring and reached for my hand, something he had never done before.

"Hey, hey," he whispered gently. "Are you still homesick? Is it about Amsterdam? It's ok, you know. I'm here."

His gentle words, although misdirected, were exactly what I needed to hear. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it so hard I saw him wince. His visible pain brought me back to reality.

"I'm sorry," I whispered hoarsely. "I'm sorry. I'm not homesick – I shouldn't have come – Bryan – it's not Amsterdam – I'm so sorry."

The words tumbled out before I had a chance to check them, but Dale didn't miss a single syllable.

"Bryan?" he asked gently. He took a surreptitious glance in the direction of the offending party. "What about him?"

"He... he... I can't tell you. I don't know what he'll do. I'll be ok," I replied more confidently, wiping my eyes.

I was beginning to regain my composure as the train jolted out of the station and began racing away from England.

"What he'll do...?" Dale was obviously confused. "What..."

I cut Dale off with a shake of my head.

"Can I talk for just a sec?" I asked, trying to work out the best way to approach the subject.

"Yeah, sure," Dale said, waiting patiently for me to begin.

I laced my fingers through his for a moment, wishing I could enjoy the physical contact in a more romantic setting. Then I began my tale of fear. I told him about the plane ride, continued with the fish & chips shop, and ended with the escapade of the morning. I avoided looking at Dale as I spoke, and he sat in silence. Once I was finished, I waited a few moments, and then looked up at him, holding my breath, to gauge his reaction.

"Omigod," he finally said, his eyes blazing.

I exhaled. He believed me. He believedme... and I had never seen him look so angry. His face was white and contorted with rage.

"I can't believe he would... well, yes... THIS morning?" Dale continued.

"While you were in the shower," I confirmed.

Dale looked down and rubbed my hand like he was trying to warm me up. He shot a quick look across the aisle to make sure the others weren't listening. Bryan was absorbed in looking at a girlie mag with Brad.

"Shit, Sarah. I had no idea he was like that. You have to know I would never let anyone do that to you. He's talked before... about other girls... he calls them his 'conquests,' but... I never thought it was a literal term. I'll kill him... If he ever touches you again, I'll kill him."

Now Dale was the one shaking, and suddenly I was the one in control.

"Dale, don't go nuts," I begged, still clasping his hand. "If he finds out you know, he's likely to get even more desperate."

Dale wasn't in the mood to listen.

"And Brad and Jared didn't stop him, you said?"

"Like I said, I'm not sure they knew what was going on."

I tried to explain, but Dale wasn't buying it.

"Oh, I bet they knew. Brad knew, at the very least. Holy shit... I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

He gave my hand a squeeze before letting go. I didn't want to give up my prize, but I didn't think this would be the time for any more earth-shaking revelations. His words, though, warmed me to the very core. I felt so much better, I actually smiled.

"I'll have to go pee eventually," I joked, "and take a shower... and so will you, for that matter. But please, don't go nuts. I'll be OK... it was just a bit of a shock."

Dale's face clouded as he studied me carefully.

"Don't say that," he said flatly. "God, Sarah, he... hemolestedyou. How can you say 'don't go nuts?'"

The train shuddered to a halt in Calais, and we rose to collect our gear and head to a bus waiting to take us to Paris.

"Just don't, please," I said yet again. "If he knew you knew..."

I trailed off as I caught Bryan's eye. Dale intercepted the look grimly, but kept silent. As we walked off the train, Dale rubbed my arm.

"Thank you for telling me," he whispered. "I won't go nuts... I'll just keep a better eye out. I gotta take care of you, you know."

I blushed softly. I had never been one who needed 'caring for' by anyone. Past boyfriends had always commented how independent I was, but now Dale was acting like I was a precious commodity that had to be protected. It was a sexy feeling.

*****

CHAPTER FIVE: PARIS (DAY ONE)

Once in Paris, the atmosphere of our group changed. In England, everyone spoke English; in France, lots of people spoke English, but you didn't know it until you started talking. We were dependent on our translators. Dale was the most proficient in French, but Jared and Bryan knew enough to impress some of the locals.

Since it was still morning, we couldn't check into a hotel yet, so we decided to do some sight-seeing first. Specifically, we decided to hit the Louvre. We knew we would never make it through the entire museum, but we figured if we spent most of the day there, and then checked in and saw the Eiffel Tower at night, it would be a good first day in Paris.

The day passed quickly. We found a hotel easily enough, but we had to book two adjoining rooms instead of a suite. Each room had two single beds, so someone was going to wind up sleeping on the floor, but we had all figured that would happen sooner or later.

We grabbed dinner before heading out to the Eiffel Tower, about 9 p.m. It was a weeknight, so there probably weren't as many people out as on the weekend, but there were still hoards of locals out whooping it up in the restaurants.

The cacophony of a foreign language had my ears ringing, but Dale and Jared kept us well-apprised of any pertinent conversations. Bryan had been moody and silent all day, and he or Brad had been eyeballing me every time I turned around. I tried to shrug it off, but I had a bad feeling developing in the pit of my stomach. I stayed as close to Dale as possible.

The Eiffel Tower was a beautiful sight in the late May evening, rising high up into the sky, bright with lights. The wait for the lift wasn't too long, luckily, and when we reached the second floor, we were told that there would be a wait, but we would be able to make it to the top.

I assumed that meant we would all go together, but it was not to be. Our group was split into two. The crowd waiting for the lift to open pushed me forward with Jared and Bryan, and before I knew it, I was on the lift with them.

"Wait! Attente!" Dale tried to tell the lift operator as the doors closed, but nobody paid him any attention.

As the elevator began its slow ascent to the top of the Tower, I turned to the windows to view the stunning scene below – I instantly understood the nickname "City of Lights" – but I was also painfully aware that Bryan was moving up behind me.

I checked to see what Jared was doing, and naturally, he was ignoring the situation, gazing out the windows like they were the only interesting thing around.