A Working Man Pt. 02

I straightened my dress and hair and put on as fake of a smile as I could manage, then went back into the bar. I found Jesse with his dumbass jock buddies chugging beer. I took one out of Jesse's hands and took a big swig, then went over to lean against the rail, lost in thoughts of Phillip Anderson and what might have been.

Chapter 12

I took another sip of the beer. It tasted bitter. I guess whiskey and beer tasted better the older you got. I was trying to think of a way I could get home. Maybe I could ask the manager to use the phone and call home. I turned to my left and got the shock of my life.

Phillip was here, wearing a suit. I stared in disbelief as he walked straight in my direction.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as he stepped up next to me.

"I came for you," he said. "I'm sorry I was a bonehead. I made a mistake, and I came to fix it."

My heart leaped into my throat. My Phillip had come for me after all!

He loved me!

I wanted to throw myself into his arms and kiss him all over. Just then, I heard Jesse's rowdy laughter, and I remembered where I was, what I had done, and with whom I had done it. Why was life so difficult? Quickly, I shot a glance at my date, over my shoulder, to make sure he wasn't paying attention.

Oh, Phillip. Why hadn't you come to the gym earlier? Why hadn't you asked me to go in the first place? Now, I was no longer a virgin. Jesse had taken what I had wanted to give to you! - all these thoughts flowed through my mind.

"It's too late, Phillip. You can't just show up here and expect everything to be fine," I told him angrily. This was as much Phillip's fault as it was mine! "I'm with Jesse now."

Phillip looked as heartbroken as I felt. However, there was something else, a look of grim determination.

"I know," Phillip said, "Can I have one dance? Please?"

Before I could respond, he took my hand and started pulling me onto the dancefloor. If Jesse saw us, he'd get pissed and likely beat the life out of Phillip. I didn't want that, but I desperately wanted to dance with the love of my life. I shot Jesse another glance, but I needn't have worried. He was holding court with his group of sycophants.

I handed my beer to Elizabeth, who just grinned back at me. Phillip took me to the dancefloor, and we started to dance awkwardly. He seemed unsure of where his hands went, but I waited for him to make the first move.

"You look beautiful," he said, as he tried to strike some formal dance pose that I assumed he learned from his mother. Instead, I stepped closer to him and guided his hands around me, as if we were hugging.

"Thank you," I replied with a slightly drunken giggle. I guess the whiskey and beer were starting to affect me. "Who taught you to dance?"

Phillip blushed, then admitted the truth, "My Mom."

"I figured as much," I laughed. "Isn't this much better?" I pressed my body to his.

"Much better, plus you're not my Mom, which helps a lot."

I giggled, then nestled my cheek on his shoulder, letting out a gentle sigh as he held me close, and we swayed to the music. This is what prom was supposed to have been like.

"This is all I wanted. This is all I ever wanted," I whispered, mostly to myself. We danced slowly, holding each other tightly. As the song ended, we separated just a little and stared into each other's eyes. I was crying.

"What's wrong?"

"Why couldn't you have asked me to go with you? Why did you have to take so long to figure out how you felt?"

"It's not too late," Phillip said. "I'm here now."

I looked away, biting my lip. It was too late! I had wanted you to be my first! But now, I was no longer a virgin. Jesse had taken my flower. I had to tell Phillip the truth. He deserved to know that I was no longer pure. I knew he would never forgive me.

"It's too late, Phillip. Jesse and I... we..."

"Hey, what the fuck is this?" Jesse shouted as he grabbed Phillip by the shoulder and spun him around violently. Oh, Shit! Jesse was going to kill Phillip.

He shoved Phillip in the chest, knocking him on his ass. Jesse's posse started laughing, like the pack of hyenas they were. I had to stop this. This was also my fault, and I couldn't let Phillip be hurt more because of me. As Phillip tried to stand, to fight back, I stepped between him and Jesse.

"Come on, Jesse," I said, pulling on his hands. "Let's go dance. Forget about him." I led him away before he could do anything violent.

*****

I was reluctantly dancing with Jesse, trying to keep his hands off my breasts and ass. He seemed to think that having forced himself on me in the car, he now had a right to maul me in public. I hated him. I hated him for what he had done to me. I hated him for coming between the man I truly loved and me.

I wanted to wake up, and this entire night had been a bad dream. But, as Jesse squeezed my ass, I knew it was a real, living nightmare. I opened my eyes and saw Phillip across the dancefloor with Teresa. Teresa? Of all people, he had to be dancing with her.

Jesse kissed me. He kissed me right when Phillip and I were making eye contact. I wanted to die. I tried to get out of his grasp, but Jesse again forced me to do what he wanted.

"Come on," Jesse said as he pulled me outside. "Time for round two."

"Round two?" I asked. I dug my heels into the gravel of the parking lot, and he had to stop.

"Hell, yeah," he said. "I broke you in. Now, I get to ride you long and hard."

"Jesse," I said, pulling my hand free. "I want to go home."

"Fuck that, we're going to go get in the back seat of the car, and we are going to fuck."

"No, we're not!" I shouted. "I'm not doing anything with you ever again!"

"Shut up, you stupid bitch and get in the car."

Jesse was drunker than I'd ever seen him before. He was scary, and I didn't know what he was capable of doing in this condition.

"Everything ok, out here?" came a voice behind me. I spun around to find the older woman from the restroom standing there.

"Shut up, you old bag," Jesse yelled. "This ain't none of your business."

"Boy!" she snapped, stepping around me to grab Jesse by the ear, twisting it hard. "I know your momma didn't teach you to talk to your elders like that. I otta beat your ass black and blue."

"Sorry, Aunt Jenny," he cried out. "I'm sorry."

She let him go and turned back to me. "Is this the jackass you told me about that forced hisself on you?"

"I didn't force her, she's a whore. She was sucking my dick. She wanted it."

Aunt Jenny turned back to Jesse, angrily. "You shut up before I take a switch to your backside. When a girl tells you no, you stop! You get that through your thick head!"

Jenny put her arm over my shoulder. "I'm sorry, honey, my nephew wasn't born smart and got dumber as he got bigger. He won't lay a hand on you now." She looked over her shoulder. "Ain't that right, Jesse?"

"Whatever," he said, rubbing his ear.

"If he touches you in any way you don't want, you tell me, and I'll see to it that he don't sit down for a week without feeling pain."

I hugged her. "Thank you, Jenny. I just want to go home."

She grabbed Jesse by the ear again. "Boy, you take this girl home, and don't you even think about doing nothing."

"Ok! Ok!" he shouted. Jenny let him go and went back inside. Jesse rubbed his ear more vigorously than earlier.

"Fucking bitchy old lady!" he snapped once she was out of earshot.

"I'll take your ass home, then I'm coming back here and have some fun. You ruined my prom, Maggie. Thanks a fuck of a lot."

"I ruined your prom? How do you think I feel? I told you to stop, but you did it anyway! I didn't want that!"

"Bullshit! You wanted it. Virgins always chicken out at the last minute. I just helped you get past your fear."

"I didn't want to do that with you, Jesse!" I snapped. "I was saving it!"

"For Phillip?" he asked bitterly.

"For the man I marry," I told him. I started crying again. "Whoever that is, but he sure as hell isn't you!"

"You were saving yourself for marriage? I thought you just wanted to give it to Phillip? That's why I did it. I didn't want that dumbass getting it."

"Fuck you, Jesse," I said as I walked to his car. "Just take me home."

He ran up behind me and stopped me. "Maggie, I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't realize, I mean, if I had known..."

"Just take me home," I said.

Just then, Jesse's crew burst out of the Roadhouse carrying a bucket of beers. They saw Jesse and came charging over shouting, "Chug! Chug! Chug!"

Instead of taking me home, the big jerk decided he had to participate in their infantile game and started chugging beers. I sat on the driver's seat, the door open, waiting for him to finish so we could go. After a while, I got tired of waiting and got up to get his attention. I put my arms around him and tried pulling him to the car.

"Come on, Jesse," I said. "We have to go. You've had enough."

"We'll leave when I damn well want to, woman!" drunk, angry Jesse shouted.

"Jesse, that's enough, now," I pleaded. "You don't need more."

Jesse pushed me back against his car, then grabbed my face in his hands as he snarled. "I'll fucking tell you when I've had enough." He shoved me back, and I fell onto the front seat of his car. The bottom of my dress flew up, exposing my thighs and my panties, dirty from the previous sex. I quickly tried to cover up, humiliated. Jesse stared between my legs hungrily, then let out loud laugh.

"Alright, I reckon it is time to go," he said as he turned back to his teammates. "Time to get laid, boys!"

He staggered in a circle and nearly fell. The car door kept him from landing face-first on the gravel.

Suddenly, Phillip pushed his way through the ring of onlookers. "Jesse!" he called out. Jesse turned to see who was calling him. Oh, God, no. Please don't let him hurt Phillip!

"Jesse," Phillip repeated. "You're in no condition to be driving. Give me your keys."

"Fuck you, asshole," Jesse replied. "I got a date, and she's hot to trot!"

I tried to get out of the car, but Jesse pushed me back in. "Move over, bitch, and make room for your lover boy," he yelled at me. I struggled, trying to get him to stop pushing me, but he was too strong.

"Jesse!" Phillip shouted again. Jesse spun around to face him.

"I already kicked your ass once tonight, Phillip. Don't think I won't do it again!" He tried to poke Phillip in the chest but missed and nearly fell. He was so drunk, he could barely stand. I didn't want to go anywhere with him driving and tried to get out. Jesse pulled the car keys out of his pocket and turned back to get in the car.

Phillip grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around. Jesse took a swing at Philip but missed, exposing himself. Phillip punched Jesse hard on the chin. I watched as if in slow motion, as Jesse fell back on his ass, staggered to get up and fell again.

Stunned, I sat there. Phillip reached into the car and took my hand. "Come on, Maggie; he's drunk off his ass. I'll take you home."

I quickly scrambled out of Jesse's car and got behind him as Jesse managed to stand back up.

"You son of a bitch! She's my date! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Jesse lunged for Phillip again but landed face first in the dirt.

Phillip and I ran to his car. I glanced back at Jesse, who shouted, "Go on then! Take the fucking bitch! She's a sorry lay anyway!"

I looked back and saw Teresa and Jesse kissing. She didn't waste any time. They climbed in his car and took off out of the parking lot, spewing gravel.

I couldn't believe Phillip had come back for me. I started crying.

"You alright, Maggie?" Phillip asked.

I kissed him. It felt right. It felt perfect. He kissed me back, and I felt my heart swelling with love. This is what it was supposed to be like to kiss someone! This is the man I love. This is my Phillip!

"I love you, Phillip Anderson," I said, declaring my long-secret love for him.

Phillip grinned and told me, "I love you, too, Maggie Gentry."

I was so happy; I almost cried. I wanted to forget what Jesse had done to me. I wanted Phillip to be my first. In a way, he would be. Jesse had raped me. There was no love, no caring. I never gave myself to Jesse, he just took what wasn't offered to him. With Phillip, it would be different. In my mind, I had not had sex with anyone.

"I need you to make love to me, Phillip," I exclaimed, suddenly. "I need it more than I need air. I've waited my whole life for you to love me, and now I need you to take my virginity. I never wanted anyone else to have it. I desperately want you to take it. Please, make love to me."

It wasn't a lie, not really.

"I-I don't have any condoms," Phillip said nervously. Jesse hadn't even hesitated to take me without a condom. Phillip respected me. He loved me. I figured at this point, it didn't matter anymore, and I'd rather have Phillip's seed inside me, just in case, than Jesse's.

"I don't care," I replied as I reached over and felt the growing bulge in his pants. I was surprised that it felt much larger than Jesse's had. I knew how much Jesse had hurt, and I started to get nervous. "I love you. It'll be ok." I think I was saying that to myself as much as to him.

Phillip was wonderful. He was gentle. We climbed in the back seat and took our time, kissing and touching, taking off each other's clothes until we were both completely naked. I lay back and spread my legs, pulling him on top of me. Phillip was still a virgin, but he knew what to do. I held back a moan as he rubbed the head of his dick against my labia, gently working them apart. He lined up the tip with my entrance and gently pushed. I winced from the slight pain I felt, and he froze, afraid to be hurting me.

"It's ok!" I reassured him, "Don't stop, but go slow."

We made love, slow and tenderly, kissing and feeling each other as we did. Gradually, we became increasingly aroused, and the pleasure I was feeling climbed higher and higher. Phillip felt it too and began to thrust harder, driving his long, thick cock into me over and over. I couldn't remain quiet any longer and cried out in pleasure. He seemed to think he'd hurt me, so I let him know it was a cry of pleasure, not pain.

Phillip pumped his hips harder. I could feel all of him inside me, thrusting inside my vagina, filling me and giving me such pleasure that I couldn't believe. It felt divine. Nothing had ever prepared me for this. I spread my legs and dug my heels into his ass, urging him to do it harder, to plumb me deeper.

"Oh, God, yes, Phillip!" I cried out. "Do it! I love it! I love you!"

I had this strange feeling growing inside me. It was like a nest of hornets was whirling around inside my vagina, wanting to get out, but they were trapped. Suddenly, everything went white. I stiffened, unable to move, unable to breathe, then the world exploded.

Pleasure erupted inside me and burst out of me as the nest of hornets was released! I clawed Phillip's back and held on tightly, my entire body shaking with the intensity of my orgasm. I heard Phillip call my name, then he started cumming, shooting his seed deep inside me, over and over. I could feel his cock swell and release, swell and release, with each shot of sperm. That did something to me, and I came again, harder and longer than the first time.

I closed my eyes. I felt Phillip holding me, and all was right with the world. I heard his voice faintly, telling me he loved me. The next thing I noticed, was Phillip shaking me and his frantic voice saying, "Maggie! Wake up! We fell asleep!"

My eyes shot open, and I glanced around, confused. "Oh, no!" I blurted out as I sat up, naked. I frantically tried to get dressed. I was repeating, "Oh my God," over and over. Phillip climbed into the front seat and started the car, but I couldn't get dressed in the back. I had to open the door and step out so that I could pull my dress back on.

Once dressed, Phillip drove to my house as I tried to fix my hair. I realized how bad we looked and started giggling. That caused Phillip to laugh, and we both just couldn't stop. We laughed all the way home.

That is until we saw the police car parked in front of my house.

"Oh shit!" he said. "Your dad called the cops. I'm dead."

I didn't want Phillip to get in trouble, so I jumped out of the car, kissed him hard, and said, "You should go!"

Lucky for us, they were not mad at Phillip. In fact, they were not there for us, not exactly. It turns out that Jesse Milner, who had been my date, had been in a car accident last night after leaving the Roadhouse. He was in critical condition in the hospital, a girl riding with him was dead, as were three passengers in the other car that Jesse had struck.

They had initially thought the girl was me when I didn't come home. But, my father went to identify the body and recognized Teresa. They were just happy that Phillip had kept me from getting in the car with Jesse.

In the aftermath of prom, Jesse went to prison for twenty-five to life, Teresa and three people I didn't know were dead, and I was pregnant. But, at least I had my Phillip.

Chapter 13

When we found out I was pregnant, Phillip asked me to marry him. He insisted on getting married right away, so we did. He decided to defer going to college, and instead, continued working at his father's hardware store. His parents let us convert their free-standing garage into an apartment.

One night, as I was heavily pregnant, Phillip was rubbing my feet, and he brought up the topic of baby names.

"I was thinking," he said, "if it's a girl, we could name her Teresa."

I thought about it and was happy with the idea. I would love this Teresa and cherish her, and never let her be victimized like my friend had been. "I'd like that," I said and gave Phillip a warm kiss.

"And," he continued, "if it's a boy, we name him Jesse."

"Hell, no!" I said.

"Seriously? Why not? Jesse was our friend, too," Phillip said. "I mean, at some point, he was."

"There is no way I am naming your son after a drunk who killed four people and ruined people's lives." I caught myself almost saying, "raped me," but managed to salvage it.

"Ok, I guess you're right," Phillips said, then chuckled. "Yeah, plus we wouldn't want people thinking it was Jesse's kid or something.

I choked on my cup of tea.

"You alright?" Phillip asked, looking at me with love in his eyes.

"I'm fine," I said, then changed the subject. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure she's a girl. I can tell."

"Really? How can you tell?"

"Because when I talk to her, I can tell she is listening. Men never listen."

"Haha. That's funny," Phillip said and rubbed the bottom of my foot harder. "My mother says that you can tell if it's a boy if the belly is really low, but your bump is very high. So, Mom agrees with you."

"Your mother is a smart woman," I said. "She just drinks too much."

The baby came a week early, and Phillip's mother was right. It was a girl, and we named her Teresa. Even though I never could bring myself to call her that, so she became Terri to us. I loved her with all my heart, even though when I looked at her blue eyes, I knew who they belonged to. Phillip had brown eyes, just like his parents. That was something I swore to never let Phillip know. Terri was his daughter. Nothing would change that.

He loved her to death, which was a good thing, and he doted on her. Spoiled her is more like it. That girl never wanted for anything, not love or any material thing. She was Phillip's "little Princess."

Phillip, as usual, worked hard to restore the garage. He made it into a very livable, two-story home. Downstairs had a family room, eat-in kitchen, and half-bathroom. Upstairs we had a master bedroom, full bathroom, and nursery.

When he wasn't working on our house, he was working at growing his hardware store business. His father had retired, leaving the company to Phillip, who got the wild idea of opening a second location across town. His store was a very traditional hardware store, with experts there to help you buy what you needed, even help you with projects. It carried higher-end goods and catered to the more affluent community.