Alex - 10 Days of Torment Ch. 24

"I do NOT!"

"What's the matter? Let me guess, you don't like rock and roll?"

"It's too loud!"

"Whatever," he responded dismissively as he got inside, putting his book bag on the floor.

"Whatever, nothing! I'm filing assault charges! Who is she!?"

Maggie offered, "I'm their guardian while their mom is out of town. My job is to protect them. Hence the mace. And just how were you assaulted?"

"You grabbed my arm and pulled me inside!"

"Yeah, right," Tommy scoffed, closing the door.

"She did!"

Tommy had seen his dad do this kind of thing a hundred times. He'd learned through osmosis, just being around him. "Really, Mrs. Cooper? She pulled your arm inside the car, and your body, while the door was closed."

"Yes!"

"While you were walking down the sidewalk."

"Well, no. Not exactly."

"Then how did you get in the car?"

"I told you, she pulled my arm."

"From the sidewalk?"

"No. No. I... I was leaning against the car. I hand my hands here," she said, putting them where they were before.

"Did you hit your head?"

"No, of course not."

"Okay. But if I pulled on your arm right now, your head would hit the roof. How did your body get inside without hitting your head?"

"I leaned down. I was a bit inside."

"So you put yourself inside. All on your own. I'm surprised she didn't spray you."

"What?"

"You do know what our father does for a living, don't you Mrs. Cooper?"

"He's a lawyer, if I'm not mistaken."

Maggie stepped in. "That's right. This isn't really his kind of case, but if you were stupid enough to file charges, he'd have me off in five minutes. Then I'll sue you for harassing me, and I'd win."

Tommy shrugged. "We call it bullying in school."

"It is, Tiger, but the legal term is harrassment. By the way, Mrs. Cooper, I'm not only their guardian... I'm their father's executive secretary. Now back the fuck up. The line is moving. I'd hate to run over your foot and have you accusing me of putting it there when the video will clearly show you stepped off the sidewalk on your own."

Three minutes later they were heading toward the freeway, the windows up and the music turned down. "You did good, Tommy," Sarah laughed.

"Are you going to be a lawyer?" Maggie wondered. "Because that was damn impressive. I can't wait to tell your dad."

"I really want to be a musician. Why'd you turn the music down? I like the Foo Fighters."

"I turned it down so we can talk. I need to blow off some steam. I'm still stunned it came to that. I really thought I was going to have to hit her with the pepper spray."

"It would have been funny," Sarah giggled.

"No. If I had done that, I might have been charged with assault. It wouldn't have stuck. Tommy's right. She was the aggressor. She had no business climbing into my car like that. I know the music was loud, but it wasn't that loud."

"Did you really pull her into the car?"

"Yeah. Once she leaned in, I wasn't sure what she was going to do, so I made sure I was safe."

"How?"

"I've had self-defense training."

"Wow," Sarah said in shock. "I guess you really are guarding us."

"With my life munchkin. I'd never let anyone hurt you."

Tommy became confused by the route Maggie was taking, changing the subject by asking, "Where are we going?"

"To Pomona."

"What's in Pomona?"

"Your apartment!" Sarah exclaimed excitedly.

"You remembered. Yes, my apartment is there. Your dad hired an expedited moving company today. They're there with a truck waiting to move some of my things to the pool house."

Tommy was puzzled. "You're not taking everything?"

"No. Just the things I really need."

"Does that mean you're going to move back there some day?"

"Yeah, does it?" Sarah seconded.

"No. I hope not."

Shaking his head, Tommy asked, "Then why aren't you taking everything?"

"Because I don't need it. Your dad has agreed to let me rent the pool house furnished. Which I'm sure your mother will appreciate. Most of my furniture is crappy, and Christina has incredible taste. So, I'm leaving the furniture behind. They're going to be packing up just the things I want and need... but I have to go there and show them what that is. I figure we'll do that, stop and get a bite to eat on the way back to Laguna Beach, and then you can do whatever homework you have."

"I don't have any," Sarah sang happily.

"What about you Tommy?"

He reached into his book bag and pulled out a paper and a text book. "Just math. How long 'til we get to Pomona?"

"It's Orange County, Tiger. As always, it depends on the traffic. This time of day on a Monday? Probably about forty minutes."

"I'll be done in thirty," he boasted.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Monday Evening, May 20th -- DAY 4

Maggie slowed down, and lowered the volume on the stereo system as she approached the gate of the oceanside development she was going to be calling home. The windows were already down, she and the kids jamming to the Wasting Light album by the Foo Fighters that was still playing on her Spotify. Tommy had asked her to restart it after they had dinner.

Once she'd been cleared, they made their way to the Edwards home. A thrill went through her as she realized some of the tasks she'd be completing in the next day. Starting with forwarding her mail to a new address. It was still hard to believe that she was going to be living in a pool house behind a palatial home in a private neighborhood literally bordering the Pacific. While she wouldn't be able to see the water, she would be close enough to hear it every night, and there was a hidden private gate that led to the beach just five hundred yards away from the back of the property.

And calling it a pool house was a slight. It was an actual residence that was every bit of three and half times the size of the two-bedroom apartment she was leaving behind in Pomona. It seemed too good to be true, which she actually said out loud.

Tommy looked in her direction, saying, "Didn't you just tell me earlier today that this time that saying is wrong?"

"HA! Yeah, I did. Thanks Tommy."

"You're welcome. When will your stuff be here?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, when you get off school. I'm going to have to work late because I didn't work that much today. I'll take you to school tomorrow, but your dad is going to pick you up."

"Hope he doesn't play his music too loud. I'm not sure he has a can of that stuff you have."

"The mace?"

"Yeah. I'd hate for him to have to deal with Mrs. Cooper without it."

"I'm sure he can handle himself. You certainly handled her. Thank you for that. A lady loves when her man comes to her defense."

"I... I'm your man?"

"Mmm hmm."

"You mean, like a boyfriend?"

"Well, no. Because I think of you both as my kids."

"I think I'd rather be your boyfriend," he said honestly.

"Probably not a good idea. Your father might get jealous," she whispered.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot what you did last night?"

"What did you do, Maggie?" Sarah wondered.

Maggie was taken aback, unsure of how she was going to respond. After all, Tommy had figured out she'd spent the night with Alex in the master bedroom. And she was honest with him when he asked about it, admitting in a very round about way that she'd been intimate with Alex. She wasn't sure how to answer the question.

She was just about to tell her the truth, because she didn't want to keep secrets from them. She would have shaded it in a way that wasn't an outright confession, but she felt compelled to be honest. That is until Tommy came to her rescue again.

"She was up late with dad figuring out how to make it work with her living with us."

"Oh... okay," she replied happily.

Maggie looked at him, a loving smile coming easily. "See. You're my man."

"But not your boyfriend?"

"What?" she laughed.

"I'm ten. I know I'm not old enough. I just like --"

"If you want to call me one of your girlfriends, I'm okay with that, Tiger. As long as you respect me and understand that you need to follow my rules."

"One of my girlfriends?"

"You're too young to settle down into a serious relationship. So am I. So, you can be one of my boyfriends, and I can be one of your girlfriends. You're going to be looking at other girls at school."

"He already does," Sarah said. "He likes Janey Kincaid."

"SARAH! That was supposed to be a secret."

"It's not much of one. Everybody in school knows it. She likes you too."

"She does!?"

"That's what Ellie told me, and they're best friends. Janey wonders why you don't talk to her anymore."

"Because I like her. I don't know what to say."

"Tell her you like her, stupid."

"Now, now... no name calling, Sarah. I won't stand for it. And Tommy, your sister's right. Talk to her. Don't be shy around girls. Let them know you're interested in them. You might be surprised how the respond."

"What if she tells me she doesn't like me back?"

"I just told you she does," Sarah said with a roll of her eyes.

"I know. But what if she changes her mind."

"Stop being a wuss."

"Where did you hear that word," Maggie laughed.

"In school. Where else? I didn't say what he would have been called by his friends if they knew."

"I'm afraid to ask what you mean by that."

"The other word still means he's a wuss. It's just like... more mean. That's why I didn't say it."

"Man! Grade school," Maggie said under her breath. "The world is crazy for kids these days."

She looked at Tommy, who was a bit embarrassed. Not by what his sister insinuated, but by not having the courage to tell this Janey how he was feeling about her. Softening her eyes, Maggie said, "It takes the brave among us to be honest about their feelings. That's what your mom and dad are finally doing. And I know it may seem scary. But you know what's scarier? Not knowing the answer."

"I don't understand."

"Think of it this way. If you're eight years old..."

"I'M eight!" Sarah exclaimed.

"I know. That's why I picked it. Let's say you're eight years old, and you're afraid that there's a monster hiding under your bed. Would you rather hide under the covers worrying about it, or would you rather get out of bed, look underneath, and prove it's not there so you can sleep?"

"What if it's there?" Tommy asked rather innocently.

"If you're Sarah, you're a princess. But... there are many kinds of princesses. Maybe she's a warrior princess. Have you ever thought of that?"

"That sounds cool!" the little girl cheered.

"It is! So, you're a warrior princess. Which means, if you find the monster, you're going to be strong, and brave, and you're going to kick it's ass."

"Ha. Okay," he smiled.

"Here's the thing, Tommy. If you don't tell Janey how you feel, you might as well be under those covers hiding. You're always going to wonder if she likes you back. And if you tell her and she doesn't? It hurts. It's like a flesh wound when you're fighting the dragon under the bed. But you know what? You'll heal, and you'll live to fight another day. And the next time you talk to a pretty girl, maybe she knows what kind of warrior you are because you weren't afraid to take that risk and ask the last girl."

"Huh. I never thought of that. Thanks Maggie."

"You're welcome, Tiger."

"Are you going to ask her, Tommy?" Sarah wondered.

"Yeah. Tomorrow a lunch."

"She's going to say she likes you back."

They pulled around the corner to the house, and Sarah was quick to notice a vehicle she didn't recognize in the driveway. "Whose Jeep is that?"

"It belongs to my friend, Kalinda."

"Isn't dad still at work?"

"Probably. He was going to work late tonight so I could go to my old apartment."

"Where is she?" Tommy wondered as they passed the Jeep, pulling into her new space in the three-car garage.

"She's inside with Billy."

"Billy? From the front gate?"

"Yes. Kalinda is a private investigator. I use her a lot doing stuff for your dad's clients."

"Oh... like on TV," he nodded.

"Yes. That kind of thing really happens. Since we're going to be working a lot from home this week with your mom gone, we're having to improvise. And Kalinda is working on a really important case for us, so your dad gave her the code to the garage. They're using the house as kind of our home base right now. They're probably going to be in and out a lot this week."

"Billy too?" Sarah asked, confused by his inclusion.

"Billy wants to get into that field. He actually graduated from college with a degree in Criminology. He wants to be a state police officer, and he started out by running security here at the front gate. Kalinda is thinking of making him her partner now. I introduced them yesterday and they really hit it off."

"I like Billy. He's cool," Tommy grinned.

"He is. And, Kalinda likes him too. He's going to help us on this case and see how he likes investigative work. Who knows, he might end up doing that instead of becoming a cop. We'll see. C'mon. Let's go inside."

Sarah went running up to Billy yelling his name. She loved him, and he had a sweet affection for her. He lifted her up and threw her high into the air, taking advantage of the vaulted ceiling. She laughed hysterically as he snagged her and spun them around, the two sharing a big hug afterward.

"Are you going swimming tonight?" she asked.

"I didn't bring a swimsuit Sarah," he laughed.

"We're allowed to skinny dip. We don't even have to wear clothes at our house if we don't want to."

"Is that so," he smiled, glancing at Maggie.

"Yes... Mommy made the rule."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that, munchkin."

"Oh. Okay. We still swim, can't we Maggie?" she asked.

"You know what, it's late enough that I don't even think you need to wear sunscreen. The sun is behind the trees now."

"Is that a yes?" Tommy wondered, already taking off his shirt.

"You can swim for an hour. Then you're going to have to shower and get ready for bed. I'm sorry I took away all of your play time running you out to my apartment."

"Your old apartment," he corrected. "That's what you said earlier. And we had fun, right Sarah?"

"YEAH!" she said a she started taking off her school clothes too. Racing toward the stairs, Tommy asked where she was going. "To put on a suit. Billy doesn't want to skinny dip, so we need to make him comfortable."

He took off with her, but Billy said, "I still don't have to a suit of my own."

"You're wearing compression shorts," Kalinda offered. "Damn near the same thing."

"Goodie!" Sarah yelled out from the stairs.

"Go ahead, Billy," Maggie said with an impish grin. "They're excited you're here. They aren't going to stop begging you."

"You're sure this is cool," he asked. "Kal? We do have work to do."

"Yeah, but we have all night. The kids are only going to up another hour or so. Entertain them while I debrief Maggie on what we found out today."

Sarah came back down and grabbed him by the hand, literally pulling him toward the door, Tommy close behind. Billy shook his head. "I cannot believe I'm going to do this."

"That happens a lot at this house, Billy. Get used to it," Maggie chuckled.

Maggie and Kalinda watched as he took off his clothes and jumped in, the compression shorts looking exactly like a tight swimsuit. The three of them started throwing a ball back and forth. It was all innocent fun, and it thrilled Maggie that it reinforced what she'd just got done explaining to the kids. There was nothing wrong with nudity, or with being that way outdoors. But them respecting Billy's feelings was incredible. That didn't mean she wasn't stunned when she felt Kalinda unzipping the back of her miniskirt.

"What are you doing?" she said, looking over her shoulder.

"I'm debriefing you, like I said I would. Although I'm pretty sure you're not wearing any underwear."

"Of course I'm not. The question remains, why?"

"Why are you not wearing underwear? Because you're the biggest slut I know besides me."

"No. Why are you undressing me?"

"Because I'm the biggest slut you know besides youself," she giggled. "That, and Sarah said we don't have to swim to be naked here. Seems like a rule I'd like to take advantage of."

"Thinking of taking advantage of me, are you?"

"Once they're in bed. I really do want to tell you what we found out so far about Gerard."

"And Brandi, I hope," she said as she began taking off her outfit on her own, which allowed Kalinda to do the same.

"Unfortunately, not yet. Bill's right. There's something seriously mysterious about her. Before college, she's a ghost. Not a trace that she exists. That's troubling."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Late Monday Night, May 20th -- DAY 4

Christina stood on the dark street corner, her back up against the wall as she waited for someone to approach. Brandi was inside a car along the curb nearby, sucking the cock of some out of state tourist that was taking the risk of his lifetime to live out a forbidden fantasy. Reaching into her small purse, she pulled out another cigarette, lighting it up and taking a long drag as she remained in the shadows of the sidewalk.

Brandi emerged from the car five minutes later, barely having closed the door before it sped off. Walking to Christina, she held out her hand, a cigarette for her placed in it a few seconds later. Christina lit it for her, and she closed her eyes as she inhaled the smoke deep into her lungs.

Exhaling, she groaned, "Thanks, Chris. I needed to get the taste out of my mouth. That was some nasty ass cum. Not to mention watery."

"You're complaining about the taste of cum? I'm going to have Alice's pussy on my palate for the next week. Not to mention Marvin's ass. I have to tell you, halfway through that nightmare I thought I was going to puke. It would have been better if one of those hippos would have smothered me."

"I know what you mean. You have to admit though, they might be huge, but the own it."

"Yeah. That was mean of me. I should know better than to bitch. At least they both know how to fuck. Marvin's cock is as big as a hippo, and Alice's strap-on wasn't much different."

"Hell, she was actually better than he was, at least to me. Must be something about being a dominant lesbian."

"She's definitely that," Christina sighed. "Still doesn't get the taste of her nasty snatch out of my mouth. Thank God for cigarettes."

"Getting used to them?"

"By now, yeah. I still don't like that you're making me do it, but..."

"I'm not. Gerard is. And I'm doing it to. How do you think it feels to be a proponent of healthy living, doing what I do, and I have to smoke these fucking things for appearances?"

"I'd ask if we really have to, but somehow I know he'd find out if we didn't. There's probably a security camera on us that he's figured out how to tap into."

"Sweetie, if there were cameras here that worked, we would be somewhere else. That's why we're here, so no one will be able to see us, swing by and bust us. But I get your point. He'll find out. He's like a mother that way... always knows the shit you're doing or not doing. Better to just do what he wants than take that risk."

"At this point I'd be up for chewing tobacco. Seriously, that cunt of hers had some funk to it. There has to be something going on up there I don't want to know about. I'm praying we make enough money to go somewhere else tomorrow. I don't think I can do that again."

"I've made sixty. What do you have?"

"A hundred so far. How much do you think we need?"

"Probably twice that if we want to make sure. Plus we're supposed to be two hundred in the clear. And we're going to have to pay off someone at the strip club to add us to their dance schedule. And that's not including whatever sexual service they want first."

"Does everything here cost pussy?"