Art and Orgies and Che

"Hey, sleepyhead," Che called, as he padded into the sunny room, holding a mug, "You want some coffee?"

"What...am I doing...here?" Lara rasped through her parched mouth, "I can't remember."

"I didn't feel comfortable leaving you alone, last night." Che smiled, "Besides, you couldn't remember your address. So I brought you home so I could keep an eye on you. Did you know... you snore?"

"Nuh uh! I do not," Lara grinned back, sipping the rich brew. "Thanks a lot. I guess...I had too much to drink, or something."

"That's okay. You're better now, and that's all that matters. Did you want to shower or anything? Or do you just want to go home? I'm good with it either way." Che smiled shyly at Lara, thinking, "She's so pretty... even first thing in the morning after a rough night. What's not to like?"

"If you don't mind, I'll just have some coffee for a minute," Lara smiled back, "My...brain hurts."

"Cool. I'm gonna take a shower," Che said as he turned toward the hall, "See you in minute. If you want it, there's more coffee in the kitchen."

Lara sipped coffee, her head clearing as the flood of memories from last night raced through her mind. Her hand strayed to her sex, still sore from the wild debaucheries.

"What a fucking night," she thought deliciously, "What a crazy fucking...night." After a seemingly long while of listening to Che splash and sing in the shower, Lara mused,

"Jesus, he sure takes along time in the bathroom, and they say...women are slow. I wish he'd hurry up, I gotta pee."

"Hey, can you hurry up?" Lara crossed the room and called through the door, knocking, "I really...gotta go, if you know what I mean."

Che opened the bathroom door, a cloud of steam welcoming her. He was wrapped in a towel with another covering his head, and he was shaving. He didn't seem to make any effort to leave the bathroom, intent on his grooming, so Lara quickly pulled down her sweats to relieve herself, suddenly self-conscious. "Good god, why are you embarrassed to pee in front of him?" her mind scolded, "You let him fuck you last night."

Rising quickly and flushing, Lara fled the bathroom and poured herself another cup of coffee, settling on the couch. She drowsed in the warm, sunny room, sipping coffee, feeling relaxed and glowing. "I'm finally...a real artist," she thought, "Accepted in the community! A liberated...free thinker, who's not afraid...to express myself. How very awesome!"

Lara's eyes opened from her reverie, noticing Che standing in front of her, blocking the sunlight, dressed in a tight white t-shirt and clean, dark jeans, his arms sinewy and tan, his feet bare. He looked...different?

"Hey, Che," she started, noticing the change in him. "You've shaved...And cut...your hair."

"Do you like it? I did it myself, with a clipper," he grinned, running his fingers through his close-cropped hair, "And I shaved off the goat. See?" He continued, as he swiveled his face towards the window, "I needed...a change. What do you think? You can be brutally honest. I can take it."

Lara cocked her eyebrow, surveying him quizzically. If anything, the lack of shaggy waves and facial hair only highlighted his rugged features. He looked a bit like something out an ancient roman fresco, actually. "I like it," Lara said softly, "You don't look like yourself, but, whoever you look like, he's...handsome. Honest."

Che pulled up an old wooden chair directly in front of Lara, sitting astride it, resting his chin on his muscled arms, looking directly, deeply into her eyes. "Now it's my turn to be brutally honest. Can I ask you a question?"

Lara nodded, her eyes searching his dark, sparkling eyes, "Sure, anything."

"Why did you come to...one of Ash and Richard's "special" parties? You can tell me, I won't be shocked. I've just...got to know. You don't seem like one of their "usual" friends." Che's searching eyes never left hers, daring her to honesty.

Lara stared back at Che, taken aback. "Why does he care?" she thought to herself, lost in his magnetic gaze. "I suppose he's just...curious?" She started, her voice hesitant, "The honest answer? I just wanted to...be a real artist, I guess. You know, part of a serious community. I mean, real artists express themselves this way, they're liberated and free...you know, and open to new experiences. Like you, right? And," her voice lowered to a whisper, suddenly shy at her revelation, "I wanted to...I mean I wondered about...other women. I guess I have for a long time. Oh, and one other thing. You. I wanted to meet...you."

Che stood, pushing aside the chair, his arms reaching for Lara as he pulled her to him in a hug. "Thank you," he breathed in her ear, "For your honesty. I just heard what I needed to know." He kissed her, her hands stroking his cheek, her fingertips delighting in his newly-shaved, baby smooth skin, his scent warm and comforting. Lara realized, lost in his fresh, spicy scent, she probably smelled a bit, well, worse for wear and tear.

Lara, her face buried in his neck, murmured, "I'll take you up on that shower. I must...look a wreck. I sure feel like one."

"Go ahead," Che said softly as he patted her back, "I'll be waiting. Maybe we'll have some breakfast or something? I'd love...that."

She padded away, disappearing into the bathroom. Che heard the shower start, as he sipped coffee, his mind faraway, all his questions answered. Last night, after he'd settled

Lara on his couch, he watched her sleep, making sure that she was okay, while he reflected on his past, her future. Their future.

"Fuck this," he sighed to himself as he stabbed out his last cigarette of the night, "I'm going to tell her. Everything. She's...too good for them." In his bed, he fell asleep, assured that Lara would be okay, that he'd be okay. "I'm going to tell her...and it's going to change. I'm...going to change. Change everything."

Sitting on the couch, he sipped coffee in the warm sun, rehearsing what to say. "Ash and Richard are getting bored with the usual suspects," he mused, "and she's their next target, just like...I was, once upon a time." He remembered back to when he met them, when they were first year students, avant-garde and fresh, their sexual games and potent drugs wildly exciting.

He'd been their favorite, especially of Richard's, for quite a while. Richard preyed on his sexual confusion, skewing it to his needs, his desires, unconcerned of the consequences. There were others, of course, many others, a parade of lost boys and girls to be seduced and discarded when the novelty wore off or when they had the audacity to question Richard and Ash's motives.

Like Jenni. He'd seen her turn from a bright-eyed, bookish geek to a cock-hungry come-slut, begging on her knees to be used and abused. And most likely, eventually abandoned. "It's not going to happen to her," Che thought, "When she knows the truth. About Ash and Richard, about me."

"I'm going to tell her. All of it, every last sordid secret. And maybe then, I can tell her. That she just might be...the one."

Che had asked his Dad, long ago, when he'd know if a girl was...the one. His Dad answered back, smiling knowingly, "Just find one that "fits." That's all you need to know. She "fits."

"She certainly "fits," Che smiled inwardly. "In all the right places. With me."

Lara stepped back into the room, re-dressed, her hair wet and shining, and joined Che on the couch. "That's better," she sighed, "I think I feel human again."

"Lara?" Che started as he turned to face her, "I'm glad you're sitting down. I've got a confession to make."

He began explaining, haltingly at first, his story. The sex, the drugs, his troubled history, his involvement with Richard and Ashley. She nodded, her eyes wide, as it spilled out, tales of his confusion, tales of his experimentation, tales of his past. He spelled out in detail the ways, the plans, how Ashley and Richard chose and captured and manipulated their pawns. "They're not nice people, Lara," he intoned flatly, "They sell drugs. They use people up and discard them. I can't let it happen to you. I...like you too much for that."

Lara's face turned white, suddenly shamed. "You're sure?" she whispered, fighting back tears, "They really don't like me...for me? Or for my art? I feel like such an idiot."

"You're no idiot," Che turned to her, his face close, his lips brushing hers, "I would never want to be involved...with an idiot. You just wanted to fit in, you were just curious, and they used it against you. The only thing you're guilty of is that you can be...seduced. Not like that's a ...bad thing, necessarily!" Che laughed, his voice low and musical.

"Hey... I've...got an idea. Let's start fresh. Like we just met today." Che pulled back a little, his dark eyes shining, offering her his hand. "Lara. It's so nice to meet you. You're pretty. Would you like to go out on date or something?"

Lara, her blue eyes shining, shook his hand and giggled, "Nice to meet you, too. I'd love to go on a date with you, Che."

Che crushed her to him in a hug, his strong arms holding her close, his hands stroking her damp hair which smelled of... his shampoo. He could get used to that. "Let's go get some breakfast," he breathed into her ear, "Just me and you. Oh, and some...waffles. I really like... waffles. And you. Maybe... even more than waffles."

"And there's just one other thing you need to know," Che released his embrace, holding her at arm's length, his dark eyes smiling into hers, "Don't call me Che. Che's... he's...gone. That's the name, "they" gave me." His dark eyes sparkling, he continued...

"My name is...Daniel."

END