Abby Ch. 08 - Gossip Spreads

Feedback and constructive criticism are very much appreciated and encouraged.

This story contains graphic scenes, language, and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words, and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racism, racial language, violence, rape, or violence against women. Any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.

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Chapter 08 - Gossip Spreads

I must have fallen asleep quickly because the next thing I knew was that my cell phone was ringing, its familiar chime pulling me from my deep sleep. Glancing at the clock, it said 5:30; I had been asleep for three hours. I looked to see who was calling as it rang again. My office manager, Brian. Brian was a family friend who helped me get started in real estate before I eventually went to work at the office he managed. He was friendly, but he was also nosy.

"Hi, Brian, what's up?"

"Hi, Abby. Ah, look, this is a bit awkward, but I will just come out and ask. Is everything all right with you and Dan?"

That bitch!

"What do you mean, Brian?" I answered, sounding confused. I knew exactly what he meant.

"Listen, I just heard a rumor today. I didn't just believe it, but I wanted to check with you and make sure everything was all right."

"Of course, everything is all right, but do you mind if I ask where the rumor came from?"

"Well, I probably shouldn't say, you know? I mean, I certainly wouldn't say anything to anyone else, but, well... you know."

"Of course, Brian. Thanks for calling, though."

"Uh, Abby? There was just one more thing..." he trailed off. I could guess what was coming next.

"Were you coming out of that new sex shop that opened up?"

Bingo.

"Well, to be honest...." I let my voice trail, pausing longer than expected, knowing it would leave him hanging. "To be honest, if I didn't, I would tell you I didn't. And if I did, I would still tell you I didn't because it's really none of your damned business now, is it?"

"Now, calm down, Abby. I didn't mean it like that. I'm not one to judge, and you know that."

As nice as he might be on the outside, he was exactly one to judge.

"But we do have a reputation to uphold at the office, you know? There are a lot of potential buyers and sellers in this town with very conservative values but deep pockets. You know that."

I remained silent, knowing the silence would make it awkward for him.

"Uh, Abby?"

"Yes, Brian?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way. Of course, what you do is your own business, and I'm not here to tell you what you can or can't do, but I also need to consider the office image and the other agents, right?"

"Of course, Brian. But maybe you should also consider if your source would have something to gain by spreading false rumors?"

"Look, I'm sorry I brought it up, OK? I have to run. I'll see you next time you are in the office."

"Fuck!" I cursed, throwing the phone down on the couch in anger. I hadn't exactly lied to him, but I had hopefully put enough doubt in his mind with my suggestion that Sheryl had something to gain. It was well known that she wasn't exactly over Dan and had it out for me.

Getting up to go to the kitchen to get a drink of water and start supper, I heard Dan's car pulling into the driveway. As I drank the cool liquid, I prayed that things wouldn't be a fight tonight with him. I really could use some support right now.

"Hey," Dan said as he came in.

"Hey."

"Did you sleep? You look like you just got up."

"Yeah, I did. Your ex spread the gossip to Brian."

"Goddamn it..." I braced for him to remind me again how I should have thought about things first. But he didn't.

"What did he say?

"Just that I needed to consider the office's reputation, or rather, he had to think of the office's reputation."

"What did you tell him?"

"That is was none of his damned business."

"Jesus, Abby..."

"What?" I said, breaking down, tears starting to flow as all the emotions from the past two days bubbled over.

"I didn't do anything wrong," I mumbled, "Why can't people just mind their own business?"

Dan quickly walked over, wrapping me in his arms as I sobbed into his chest.

"You're right, Abby, you didn't. It's just the way the world is. People are unhappy with their lives and like to point the finger at others to make themselves feel better."

I collected myself, pulling back from Dan and grabbing a Kleenex from the counter.

"I don't even know why I am crying," I said, my voice half muffled from the tissue. I couldn't help noticing that Dan seemed to have a slight distance in his demeanor as he stood there.

"Is everything OK with you?"

"Oh yeah, just some work stuff on my mind."

As we cooked, the air between us continued to hang thick enough to be noticeable to us. It might not have been apparent to anyone else in the room, but it was clear that something was a little off.

"You were a little late tonight. Did something go wrong at work?"

"Actually, I did get some news today," he paused briefly before continuing. "They want me to fly out to California tomorrow."

"Again? That's the second time in three weeks."

"Apparently, the new prospective client is having second thoughts, and they want me to smooth things out in person."

Dan had an uncanny knack for closing deals at work. He never went into specifics about his job, but the results showed. He always seemed to be able to smooth over any objections a prospective client had.

"How long will you be gone for?"

"Probably until Wednesday next week. That interferes with the party..." he trailed off.

"Yeah... actually, I've been thinking of not going myself."

"What? How come? I don't understand."

"I don't know, I didn't want to cause all this trouble, and I know you don't really want to go. I just... I don't know... I just wanted a break from the day-to-day grind, I guess."

We ate together in silence, the dark mood hanging over us. Dan seemed to be looking for the right thing to say, and I wasn't in the mood for small talk. I imagined he was at least a little relieved that he had an out not to go to the party. I kept glancing at him as we ate, watching him as he stared down at his plate, lost in his thoughts.

"I'm just worried about losing you," he finally said, looking up at me with an expression so sincere it melted my heart.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know, really. I just got a little nervous about it all. It started to seem like you were maybe turning into someone else. I got a little freaked out the other night when you wanted to get a little wild. I've never understood what people saw in dressing up in leather and whipping each other."

I really had wanted to tell Dan about some of the porn I had watched, but after his last comment, never mind how he had reacted before, I decided it was best to keep that to myself for now, especially the part about me becoming so turned on by the spanking.

"It's not that I really minded going to the party so much. I just thought, what if it's not a one-time thing? It's not that I wouldn't want to make you happy, but I don't know that I could."

"You're what matters most to me, Dan." I reached across the table, taking his hand in mine, "Really, I just thought it might be a fun time together. We would have a few laughs afterward, and that's it."

It was mostly true. I certainly was curious, but I honestly hadn't thought about anything beyond the party. And it was true. I certainly had lept before I thought about the impact of something like that getting out in a small conservative community. It would have affected not only my job but could have also affected Dan and my office. Not to mention that people would even view my parents differently, criticizing them behind their backs for how they had raised me.

It was wrong for people to judge others like that, but they still did it despite what their bible told them. "Judge not, lest ye be judged yourself," I remember growing up and hearing them preach it in church, knowing that most of them never followed it. But Dan was right; I couldn't change how people were any more than I could stop the river from flowing.

It could wait.

"Anyway, you'll be in California, so we can forget the whole thing."

"You could still go, I suppose."

"No, it's fine. I'll return the dress tomorrow, and that will be it."

***

We spent the rest of the evening snuggling on the couch, reconnecting after the turmoil of the last day and a half, mainly making small talk about nothing in particular and watching an old movie from the silver screen era, our talk during dinner having lifted the mood somewhat. Dan's flight out wasn't until late morning, so we agreed he would stay the night, and then I would take him to his place to pack before heading to the airport.

As we made love that night, I forgot about the recent stress. His kisses were deeper and more loving than usual, and his touch was incredibly gentle as he explored my body. As he entered me, we embraced each other tightly, his weight making me feel safe from anything that might try and come between us. Our climaxes came together as we pulled each other closer, not wanting the feeling to end.

Holding on to each other for a long time before saying goodnight, I finally cuddled up next to him as we drifted to sleep. I felt at peace with my decision not to go. I knew I would have to take some flack from Mandy, but she would accept my decision. I still worried about how the gossip stirred up by his ex would potentially hurt my real estate sales, but I knew Dan and I would weather any storm she caused.

Hearing his breathing shift slightly as he fell asleep, mine also slowed, matching his relaxed breaths as sleep overtook me. My last thought before falling asleep was a brief moment of disappointment at having to return the dress.

***

Again the wolf returned to my dreams as I slept; this time, a giant chasm separated us. The only crossing was a narrow rope bridge that looked like the ropes might snap at any time. The gusting wind knocked it back and forth as I looked down at what was at least a 200-foot drop to certain death.

The wolf paced in circles, whining and barking, agitated that he could not get to me. I took a tentative first step onto the bridge, hanging on to the rope as my other foot slowly followed. I took a second tentative step onto the next board, still gripping the rope as tightly as I could, my legs swaying as I steadied myself.

As I took the third step, the loose board immediately fell under me with a sudden crack as it broke in two. I screamed as I caught myself, watching the pieces of the board tumble end over end as it fell silently to the ground before I quickly stepped back to safety on solid ground. The wolf whined and barked louder, seeing me retreat, desperate to get to me.

"I can't," I yelled at him as a gust of wind threatened to drown out my voice, "It's too dangerous!"

He barked again as if he encouraged me to try one more time.

"No, I can't. It's too hard." I slumped down on the ground, the fear now replaced by despair.

Suddenly the wolf ran to the end of the bridge, lowering his head as he sank, pawing the ground and planning his steps carefully before rushing out onto it, the seconds turning to minutes as he navigated the rickety bridge. One step, two steps, pause; three steps, four steps, five steps, pause. He was doing it!

As he took the sixth step reaching the halfway point, a sudden strong gust of wind slammed into the bridge, thrashing it violently in the air. The unexpected movement threw him off his balance, his rear paw slipping off and dangling in the air as he let out a sudden piercing cry, franticly trying to pull himself up as he desperately fought both gravity and the wind. Finally, his front feet lost their grip as he plummeted to the canyon floor, letting out a final howl that ended suddenly stopped short as he hit the ground with a thud.

"Noooooooooo!" I screamed, jerking myself awake and sitting upright in bed, covered in a light sweat, my heart thudding in my chest as I slowly realized I had been dreaming. I turned to look at Dan, still sleeping beside me, as I sank back into the bed, exhaling loudly as I started to ponder what the dream had meant.

As I lay there, I looked over at the bag with the dress sitting on a chair in the darkness, and I thought of the wolf, recalling all the dreams I had been having, afraid that I knew exactly what they had been trying to tell me.