Best Intentions Ch. 01

Back up the hall and past the couch room was the main area the party had been in the night before. She checked for people, a little embarrassed. Nobody was in the room though. She crept up to look out back, through the sliding glass doors, into the central courtyard. She saw several beauties sunning at the pool. Tatiana was out there as well, in a white blouse and pants. Ginger and Thi were talking to her, dressed in tight Lycra workout outfits. Bailey took a breath to steel herself against her near-nudity and stepped out of the house. Ginger saw her, smiled and nodded.

"Ah, I see you've come out to join us," Tatiana said. "Please, eat, relax." She gestured at a table that had a selection of fruits and muffins.

"Here, you must be thirsty." Thi handed her a glass. It had fruit juice in it, and by the smell it was a mix of raspberries and bananas.

"Could I please have my clothes?" Bailey asked, setting the glass on the table. "I have a few things I need to do."

"Oh please, dear, stay for a while," said Tatiana.

"I definitely want you to," said Ginger, getting uncomfortably close. She brushed Bailey's short hair off of her ear. "Maybe we could have a shaving party for you." She reached her hand towards Bailey's crotch.

"No, please, I really have to be going." Bailey felt this was getting a little too weird.

"But I haven't seen to you myself yet," said Tatiana. "At least have some breakfast before you go."

"No, really, I need to go now," said Bailey.

The other two women looked at Tatiana, who considered, looking a little irritated. She barely nodded. "Well, I'd hoped we could have a little fun," she said. "Thi, please get our guest her clothes." Tatiana walked away, talking softly with Ginger. Bailey stood, uncomfortably exposed. Thi came back and handed her her stuff, then walked over to Tatiana and Ginger.

Alone again, Bailey went to the bathroom to quickly change. She pulled out her cell as she walked towards the front door and called Navi. "Pick up pick up pick up pick up..."

"Hey Bails!" he said. "What's up? Enjoy yourself last night?"

"Pick me up right now, Navi."

"Woah, I take it you didn't," he said. "What happened?"

"This is just too weird for me. Get me out of here."

"OK." He sounded confused.

It didn't take long for him to arrive, but it felt like forever to Bailey. During the entire ride to her place, she didn't talk. He tried a few times, but eventually just let her be.

*****

A week passed. Bailey found herself staying away from the Shores since Tatiana's house, somewhat north facing on the hill, overlooked it. Ocean Beach worked fine though. It was more her crowd anyways. At least she was finding peace again in the waves and the lab. That night, even though it ended strangely, had really helped. She walked up out of the waves to the parking lot on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the surf her only church, to the sound of her cell buzzing in her car.

"Hi Bails!" Maya said, almost shouting into the phone.

"Hey sis," Bailey replied. "What's up?"

"Look, I've found the perfect woman for you," Bailey's younger sister said. "She hot, she's blond, she's tall, she's together, not some crazy bitch that's going to rip your heart out and leave me devastated for weeks that I can't help you out." Maya laughed. "So, tomorrow at eight, Kensington Cafe."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Yeah, just like that." Maya laughed. "Be there. Now I gotta run, see ya!"

"But, wait..." The phone went dead.

Just like Maya, Bailey thought. She tossed her board onto the rack on her car's roof, secured it, and drove home.

Maybe it was a sign it was time to try again.

*****

She headed into the cafe, a little late after losing track of time. A few of the equations just wouldn't work out like she wanted them to. Leaving them was difficult, but in the end she didn't want to let her sister down.

"Bails!" Maya called out, already seated outside. Bailey walked into the restaurant and onto the fenced sidewalk patio.

"Hey Maya," she said, hugging her sister.

"Hey Bails," Maya replied. "She called, she's running a little late too... oh, there she is." Bailey looked over and saw a statuesque blond entering the cafe. She seemed familiar. "I'll go get her." Maya walked back in.

Bailey looked over as the two came out onto the porch. Her jaw dropped as they walked up.

"Bails, Tatiana. Tatiana, Bailey." Maya was all smiles.

"Bailey," Tatiana said, offering her hand. Bailey took it and shook, squeezing a little tighter than she should have.

Maya sensed something was up. She went between the two, trying to figure it out over the seconds of silence.

Finally Bailey said something. "How have you been since the party?"

"Fabulous," Tatiana responded. "And yourself? Ginger and Thi asked after you."

"I'm fine, thanks," Bailey replied.

"Oh, so you two know each other?" Maya asked, crestfallen.

"We met just last week, at a party I went to," Bailey said. "I believe she was the host."

"Yes, Bailey, I was. I'm having another get together this weekend if you would like to come over again," Tatiana said. "We'd all love for you to join us."

The double meaning wasn't lost on Bailey, but Maya decided it meant this match might not be a lost cause. "Oh, hey, yeah, Bailey, you should. It would do you good."

Bailey looked hard at her sister. "I'm not so sure, Maya."

The rest of the conversation was strained, until Bailey took her leave. She tried to be civil about it and stay for a while, but even her sister's forlorn look couldn't keep her around the crazy bitch any longer. She left Tatiana and Maya talking, laughing a little as she walked out. It might have been at her expense, but she didn't really care.

Later that evening she got a call. Her sister. "Hey Maya."

"Hey Bails! I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

"It's ok," Bailey said. "You couldn't have known."

"So what happened at the party? I tried holding out hope that it went well, but obviously..."

"Yeah, she's crazy. I ended up staying at her place, hooked up with a couple of her friends."

"A couple? As in threesome?"

"Yeah." Bailey blushed a little even though nobody could see her. "Not usually my thing. I'm not really sure what got into me."

"Aaww yeah! Way to go, sis!"

"Then in the morning, it got all weird. I woke up naked and my clothes were missing. There was only this string bikini..."

"Geez! I should have gotten a pic. Bailey in something other than shorts!"

"Or a wet suit." Bailey laughed.

"Yeah," Maya said, chuckling herself. "So, then what?"

"I head outside, and there are all these hotties hanging around the pool..."

"Like, my hotties or your hotties?" asked Maya.

"My hotties. All were in the same damn suit I had on, except Tatiana, Ginger and Thi."

"Were those the two you had fucked the night before?"

"Damn, sis."

"Well, were they?" Maya knew Bailey didn't like to talk about her sex life. It was private, just like her body. "Tatiana mentioned them..."

"Uh, yeah." Bailey sounded embarrassed. "They were in workout outfits and Tatiana was dressed in pants and a blouse. They kept trying to get me to stay, wouldn't give me my clothes, wanted me back in bed. It just freaked me out. I took off as soon as Navi could pick me up."

"OK, that is a little strange, but maybe you could loosen up." Maya said. "I had hoped ever since your friend Nia introduced the two of us and I found out... Oh, uh, just a sec, another call."

Bailey waited on the social butterfly. She loved her sister and would do anything for her - well, except sit through a night with Tatiana - but she hated how often she ended up on hold while Maya talked to her flavor of the week. She knew what was coming. "Oh, [Insert Guy's Name] is [Insert Activity]. He wants me to hook up with him *snigger*. I need to run. I'll call you soon. Love ya!" And it happened exactly as predicted. This week, it was Holt, and he was playing baseball. She was even bringing beer for the guys.

*****

Bailey's life settled back into its routine. Thesis, grade, eat, teach, sleep. Thesis, grade, eat, teach, sleep. She was naturally a morning person and preferred to get the hours spent on her research in early. The last classes were done at 5pm and labs at 9pm, so she finished grading the quizzes and such before eating and heading to the classrooms. She taught for a while and headed home. Then she'd get to bed early and wake up early and do it all again. There were some days it started at 3am. She liked that time of day; it was quiet.

A text interrupted her comfortable cycle. All it said was, "Check my Instagram!" The name came up as Ginger. She didn't remember putting any Ginger in her list. Thinking back, maybe someone had put a number in her cell when she'd stayed the night at Tatiana's. And unlocked her phone... how? But she sure as hell hadn't put it there.

The computer was up with her thesis paper and her grading was scattered on the table. It had been a typical Tuesday up to that point, and she would be off to campus in an hour. A few short months and she'd be in front of the advisory committee. That wasn't really on her mind now. Soon Instagram replaced the thesis. She had a follow request from "ginger". She wasn't really sure she should accept, but she could always block Ginger later if it became a problem. Anyways, she had very little that was recent up online. Sure, she'd updated with the best of them in high school and even into college, but she was over that.

She clicked over to Ginger's feed. There were a bunch of recent pictures. Bailey looked a little closer. Maya was in them. "What the fuck..." Maya, next to Ginger. Maya and Ginger dancing. Maya and Thi dancing. Thi pretending to spank Maya. In all, there were more than 20 from various clubs around town. The last one was the most disturbing though. It was Maya up at Tatiana's place, lounging by the pool. She didn't have a red bikini on, instead wearing her own, but it wasn't a place Bailey ever wanted her younger sister to be.

Another text came from Ginger. "Hey Bails! Thanks for accepting! I thought you might be interested in the pictures. Think your sis will look good in red?"

Bailey seethed. She typed back, "What the fuck are you doing to her?"

"We're not doing anything. She's just having a little fun with us. Maybe there's something you can do, though."

"I can do? You stay the fuck away from her or I'll sick the cops on your asses for harassment!"

"Oh, come on, you know the police can't do anything about this. Tatiana has an offer though. Stop by the house tonight at 8."

"What? So you can play with me again?" Bailey shouted as the line went dead.

"God fucking dammit!" Bailey cursed at her computer and nearly chucked her phone at the wall. She held the bridge of her nose and settled down. Fuck. Should I go? She grabbed her phone and punched the speed dial.

"Bails!" said Maya.

"Hey Maya! What's up?" said Bailey.

"Studying."

"What? You studying?" said Bailey incredulously. "Call Ripley's!"

"Hey! I do it sometimes too, Miss Social Outcast. It's all that you ever do."

"Okay, Miss Social Butterfly. I didn't know you were ever up this early. You know, before noon."

"Hey, it happens occasionally. So what's up?"

"I got a strange text," Bailey said. "Kinda freaked me out."

"Like how?"

"Like there's a psycho woman out there stalking me. And maybe you, too."

"What?" said Maya, a little surprised.

"It was from Ginger. She wanted to let me know that you were hanging out with her and Thi up at Tatiana's."

"Oh. Well, yeah, it's how I met her, you know? Ginger and Thi were at this party, and Nia was there, and she introduced them, and they were pretty cool, you know? I had fun with them. They all introduced me to Tatiana, said she was into smart chicks, maybe I should hook you two up. Seemed like a pretty good idea to me," Maya said. "I think Ginger liked you too; she said she was bi and she'd like to give me a try. I told her no, cuz, you know, I like dicks."

"Yeah, I know, sis," said Bailey. "But I told you they're freaks. You're going to get raped up there or something, like I was."

"Sorry sis, you weren't," said Maya. "You totally went along with it. You had fun. She's probably just letting you know that I'm up there and everything's cool and that you should stop by again. Or maybe hang out with the three of us. It'd be fun!"

"Look, they're psycho. You haven't been stuck in a red bikini with a bunch of arm candies and them holding your clothes hostage," Bailey said, with some bite in her words.

"Bails, I know you think you went through something fucked up, but really, they're not axe murders or anything. Maybe Tatiana is a little stuck up, but all of us are having a lot of fun together," Maya said, letting frustration slip into her voice.

"Maya, you weren't there," Bailey said in her stern, older sister voice. "You don't understand..."

"Bailey, I'm not a kid anymore," replied Maya, obviously irritated. "Don't try to protect me."

"Maya, you know that sometimes you get yourself into trouble..."

"Stop it, Bailey! I hate it when you do this!"

"Listen to me! She's one fucked up person..."

"I can't fuckin' believe this!" Maya hung up.

"Maya! Maya!" Bailey shouted into the phone. She slammed it on the couch. "God fucking dammit!" She stood up, ran her hands through her hair, turned around a few times, and kicked the coffee table. "Fuck that hurt!" She hopped around before falling back on the couch. She concentrated on breathing through the pain. It helped her settle down a little. Now what?