Brownwood: Tommy Boy Ch. 03

Shit! I thought to myself. I'm headed for the edge of the abyss again but this time I've got little to gain since it would cause a bad situation for Angie to get worse.

"I am surprised though," he continued, "I thought you'd be, I don't know, bigger, hairier, and more scary, not some big fluffy teddy-bear."

"What can I say, I'm not into scaring and breaking little girl's hearts. I'll say you're not what I expected, either. I expected someone more... slimy. Someone everyone could easily look at and know was a piece of shit who abandoned his wife and baby daughter to chase after some old rich piece of pussy."

Okay, so maybe I needed to work on my tact.

"At least I didn't have to beg her to fuck me by promising to lose my fat ass. I heard about your arrangement, pretty damn pathetic!"

"Well you must've heard wrong, the only reward I got for losing all the weight was to get to hold your ex-wife as we danced at the Christmas Ball, but I'll admit the kiss goodnight was worth it.

"Shit, what a loser," he sneered. "You could've been banging that sweet ass of hers and watching those big titties sway back and forth if you'd played your cards better. Hell, all you'd had to do is put some money down and the bitch would've given you a lap dance. Behind those big tits and killer body is a cold-hearted whore who cheated on her first..."

Fuck the abyss!

I hit the arrogant prick right in the stomach. He dropped to his knees, gasping for air. I reached down and grabbed a handful of his black curly hair. With a hard yank, I had his head bent back and his face looking right up into mine.

"Listen up, motherfucker," I hissed. "One more shitty comment about Angie, in her own place, and I'll truly fuck you up! Understand me, princess?"

"Black belt..." he wheezed. "I'll... kick..."

"Maybe, asshole," I sneered as I pulled harder on his hair, causing his eyes to water, "but I'll guarantee you I'll fuck up your pretty face so bad you'll have to go find some half-blind old dried-up pussy in a nursing home to get fucked again."

He stared silently up at me with hatred in his watering eyes. There was an eerie second of silence, like the one that occurs right after a flash of lightning and the following thunder.

"Aw fuck it!" I said, and drew back to hit Eric in the face. His eyes grew large as he saw it coming.

"Tommy Boy!" Brandon yelled out. "Be cool man!"

I turned and looked at him. The expression on my face made him take a step back.

"Holy shit, Tommy Boy!" Brandon said, forcing a laugh. "You got PMS or are you still trying to find a way into Angie's tights?"

"Like that would ever happen," I breathed, then snorted a laugh as I let go of Eric.

"Damn dude," Brandon continued, trying to break the tension, "you said you didn't do that for your ex-wife. Why Angie?"

"My ex was a slut who fucked just about anybody. I never found out exactly who," I seethed, "With any luck she gave them AIDS before we divorced. If I ever find out for sure, I'll make certain I show them my appreciation."

I looked over at Rob and Marcus. Rob looked like he was about to run but Marcus grinned back at me. I doubted even being in the best shape of my life I could take him, but at the time, I would've tried. Neither one said anything.

"I'll be in Angie's office until she gets back or the cops arrive."

Damn, I sure messed up my immediate future, I chided myself as I walked away. It was for a friend, but did I need to throw my job away?

Sitting in Angie's office, I'd plenty of time to think. I came to the realization that I hadn't done this for Angie or Erica. I'd done this for me. I couldn't have looked myself in the mirror if I hadn't done something. Granted, hitting him and then threatening him was a bit extreme... but.

A little less than an hour later, I heard Angie open her office door. She walked quietly over to her desk and sat down. She stared at me for a moment then sighed.

"Seems I go out to run an errand and I miss all the excitement," she said, deadpanned. "I was met at the door by several women who simply had to let me know what happened.

"I'm sorry, Angie. I lost it there for a moment. I don't want to cause you to lose your gym so I'll pack up my stuff and leave. That way, if Eric tries to make trouble for you, you can state legally you kicked me out. That should help cover you."

"Okay," she said softly, staring at me oddly as if studying me for some reason. "It seems unnecessary but probably wise, just in case. Tommy Boy, I can't see Eric pressing any charges."

She saw my confusion.

"First off," she continued, "his pride won't let him. It would be a public record that someone kicked his ass. At least this way he can say you sucker punched him and try to save face. Besides, he's already trying to get me to sell the gym back to him. It would look bad for his macho image if this got legally messy.

"Yes, he's offered me a very good price for the gym. Seems Sugar Bitch either gave him a lot of money to leave, or he's pawned all the gifts she'd given him. Either way, it looks like he has enough to buy me out and let me start again. He believes his bad boy gigolo image will draw in a lot of women, and a lot of pussyhounds will follow. He may be right; I don't know."

"Are you thinking about selling MS Fit?"

"Yes, very seriously. I think I'm going to take the advice of a very good friend and pursue my original dream of being a physical therapist."

"Well you need to do what's best for you and Goldilocks," I said, fighting back the disappointment of realizing Angie and Erica might soon be leaving Brownwood.

"Well, it wouldn't happen until this summer," she said softly.

"And then what? Will you and Erica start over somewhere else?"

"No, with the money from selling the gym I can go to school full-time for a while. It looks as if I could pass my state Physical Therapy Assistant certification by the end of July, and earn my bachelor's degree at St. Catherine's by next spring. Bree is certain I can get on at Sacred Heart as a PTA and work there until I complete my DPT at St. Catherine's.

"That means Erica and I would stay in Brownwood for at least four more years," she said, smiling warmly, noticing my obvious relief.

"I'm glad. I'd miss you both more than I care to imagine. Now, I better go clean out my locker."

I stood up quickly and left silently. It only took me a couple minutes to clean out my locker. As I came out of the men's locker room, I noticed Angie standing there with a good dozen or more people standing behind her. I guess they were expecting a show of her kicking me out or something. What they got was an 'or something.'

I froze as I stood in front of her. She had her hands on her hips and was peering at me. She'd an odd look on her face, a combination fear and excitement.

"Tommy Boy, you need to go put those back in your locker. I know I can act like a bitch sometimes, but you were defending me and I'm not going to kick you out for that. Besides, I told you I was taking a good friend's advice."

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. The kiss she laid on me was reminiscent of our night together. Her warm lips crushed into mine and our tongues sought to entwine with each other. I felt the warmth of her body as it tried to meld with mine, and I dropped my duffel bag and wrapped my arms tightly around her.

It wasn't until we heard a few whistles and catcalls that we broke our kiss. As I stared down into her baby blue eyes, I knew I could forever lose myself in them.

"Mrs. Harper told me I needed to pull my head out of my ass and admit what I really felt," she said, staring me in the face. "Tommy Boy, I love you, and a hell of a lot more than just as a friend!"

****

Angie's kiss and declaration of her feelings for me started the rumor mill working overtime. I received countless congratulations from guys at the gym I'd never met.

How was I supposed to respond to that? I questioned myself frequently. "Thanks?" Like I'd somehow done something to earn her love?

I struggled to fully accept my good fortune. It helped when people around the gym began to good-naturedly start referring to us as Beauty and the Beast. When Angie asked me if I was okay with it, we came to a quick understanding.

"Baby, are you sure it doesn't bother you?"

I smiled and took her in my arms.

"Angie," I said calmly, "I've never thought of myself as a pretty boy, but I am surprised so many people have seen you when you've had PMS!"

"Asshole," she laughed.

"Tea..."

She elbowed me in the ribs, then stared into my eyes and shook her head slowly.

"You don't get to call me that anymore," she whispered, while peering into my soul, "At least not where you're concerned."

I pulled her close and kissed her passionately until I felt her softly sigh.

"Okay, Angel," I whispered, "but I happen to know my Beauty loves to tease her man. I also know he loves it, too."

"Well," she said grinning evilly. "Erica may need to go over to Mrs. Harper's tonight. You think the Beast might be able to come out and play?"

"Oh, I definitely think it can be arranged!"

I found out quite a bit about my Beauty over the next few months. The most surprising was that even with all her teasing and blatant sexual innuendos, Angie was very conservative in the bedroom. Missionary, cowgirl and doggie were about it, along with oral. Cowgirl, with her being in control, was her favorite... go figure.

I suggested and tried to coax her into anal one time. She wasn't shy about letting me know her feelings.

"Tommy, my love," she cooed softly in my ear. "That finger tries to go somewhere it shouldn't again and I'll accidentally bite your left nut off. We clear baby?"

We were. As I said, I can be taught.

And they lived happily ever after... the end.

Yeah, right.

You would think after the ogre got the princess the movie would end, but life isn't like that, now is it? Unfortunately, there's the reality even the best fantasy can't hide. There's life after the Happily Ever After.

The fact is, being in love with a beautiful woman for an average guy is both ego boosting and ego shaking at the same time. There's no way to describe the feeling of having a beautiful woman on your arm, giving you daily public displays of affection. It'll make even the most timid mouse of a man into a roaring lion.

On the flip side is the ever present knowledge she could upgrade anytime she wanted. That knowledge is like a poison, constantly eating away at a man's ego. Hopefully, his beautiful lover never gives him reason to be jealous, but what if she's a bit of an exhibitionist? Yeah, my insecurities were working overtime!

It wasn't long before it became evident we had trust issues. Angie and I had to fight to get through those initial obstacles. There were some very ugly conversations, which tended to spring up at the worst times.

Once, while we were out on a date I noticed Angie was drawing even more attention than normal. She was wearing a form-fitting blouse that she liked to wear with a sheer balconette bra that basically displayed her breasts for everyone to see. If that wasn't enough, she'd paired it with a short skirt, which showed off her incredible legs. It was an outfit she liked to wear that tended to stop traffic, but that night, the sharks were swimming even closer. When I mentioned it to her, she grinned.

"Well, I do like how this outfit draws attention," she said sweetly. "I suspect it's the fact I'm not wearing panties that might've something to do with it, as well."

I almost spit out my drink as she batted her eyes innocently at me. I'd like to say it was the beginning of an incredible, sexy night, but it didn't turn out that way. Angie never overtly flashed anyone, but she did make sure her skirt rode up her thighs every chance she got. While she was having a wonderful time, I was fighting off my demons. Usually, I was fine with her little ventures into exhibition, but that particular night I was especially insecure.

Sure, I was incredibly turned on, but so we're the sharks around us. Most of her admirers couldn't take their eyes off her nipples, which were trying to poke through the thin fabric of her bra and blouse. Those that could, kept trying to position themselves to get another flash of her shaved pussy. Slowly, my irritation became more than I could hide.

Angie noticed it immediately, and at first found it amusing, but soon, it turned to annoyance and our evening deteriorated into an artic wasteland. Each time some guy came too close, it was like another needle under my skin. We ended up cutting the night short. Angie waited a whole block before she jumped all over me.

"Dammit, Tommy Boy, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," I snapped back, both of us knowing it wasn't true.

"Bullshit. Now tell me why you moping around like some little boy who's had his toy taken away from him."

"I don't know," I growled, "Seems like you were offering what I thought was mine to almost everyone in there."

I watched her anger begin to build as she sat in stunned silence.

"Fuck you!" she finally yelled, with tears starting to well up in her eyes.

She sat back and stared out the front windshield, making sure not to look at me. I shot quick glimpses over at her as I drove. I could see a tear starting to run down her cheek and my heart and mind raged as they battled each other.

"You asshole," she said, her voice choked with emotion. "I've never given you a reason to think I'd cheat on you!"

"No," I said flatly, "but dammit, Angie, we've just started dating exclusively. Some days it's hard enough to believe you're with me. I know I don't deserve you, but dammit, I don't need to be reminded you can have any guy you want."

"Tommy Boy, you need to grow up and get over this insecurity bullshit!" she barked. "I'm with you because I want to be with you. You need to man up and stop acting like a child!"

I turned and glared at her. I felt the rage start to overwhelm me.

"So let me get this right," I seethed. "You have a bad day, you feel down, or you're unsure or even scared; you run to me and I'm supposed to provide a safe place and give you comfort. Now if I have a bad day, or I'm insecure or confused, I get "grow up," or "be a man and get over it"? Am I fucking hearing this right?

"So those times you were over at my apartment angry, hurt and afraid because your asshole ex-husband was back in town, I should've told you to grow the hell up and act like an adult? Instead of holding you, I should've simply told you to get a backbone and just do it?

"Is this what I'm expected to live with? My penance for dating a hot girl? I sure as hell better be there for her if she falls, but tough shit, I'm on my own if I'm the one who fails? Is that what I have to look forward to if we continue to stay together? How much worse will it be if we actually stay together long-term?

"Shit if that's the case, I need some time away from all this. I need to reevaluate if this is worth it or not."

Angie stared at me silently. I could read anger, then shock, then something else in her face. We drove the rest of the way to her house in silence. When we got there, I pulled into the driveway, but made no effort to get out and get her door. As she slowly got out, she turned and looked at me.

"Tommy Boy," she started softly.

"Please, Angie," I interrupted. "I need some time to think. I'll call you in a few days."

I drove off leaving her with her jaw hanging.

I wasn't back in my apartment for more than ten minutes before there was a knock at my door. I was tempted not to answer it, but knew it was immature on my part.

When I opened the door, I was shocked to see a face which exuded such incredible pain that I instinctively reached out for her. She embraced me as if she was clinging to a life preserver.

"Don't, Tommy Boy," she whispered. "Don't shut me out, not for days. Tell me what your heart needs to say. I may not want to hear it but I'm a big girl; I'll deal with it. Just...

"Please, Baby," she said softly, as tears started to slip down her cheeks. "Please don't give up on us. Don't give up on me! I'm so sorry, Tommy Boy."

"I am, too," I whispered back to her.

She leaned back and took my face in both of her hands. Peering into my face, she spoke softly.

"Tommy Boy? You were right. I was leaning so heavily on your strength and your security I failed to be safe for you when you needed it. What's worse is when you needed reassured, I acted like a cold-hearted bitch. I'm sorry; you didn't deserve that.

"Please understand; this isn't an excuse, but it is how I've been treating the world since Eric left us. It's my defense and my way of protecting Erica and me. Please, Baby, please understand this is new to me. I'm not good at this."

"What, apologizing?" I said softly.

She snorted and stared back into my eyes. I could feel the overwhelming emotions pouring out of her as they wrapped caringly around me.

"Well, that, too," she smirked, "but I meant us. It's been over three years since I tried to have a real relationship with a man. It's been even longer since I've had a good relationship with one.

"Tommy Boy, there are a few things you need to come grips with if we're going to have any type of a relationship. The first is I'm not Leah, I'll NEVER cheat on you. I did that to someone I cared about a long time ago and will NEVER do it again. We'll end whatever relationship we have before I'd ever do that again. I know you still hurt; so do I, but if you give me, us, a chance, you'll see that you can trust me.

"Secondly, you need to realize I'm going let you down sometimes. It won't be intentional, but I'm going to screw up. I need you to love me enough to forgive me when I do. If you can't, then I'm afraid we're doomed as a couple.

"I promise you I'll love you enough to forgive you when fail me, and I know you will. It might take me awhile to work through my anger and disappointment, but I'll get there. I'll be able to do it because I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt me.

"Last, I know this seems harsh, but you need to pull your head out of your ass and accept facts. Yes, I can easily go out and find some guy to sleep with. It also wouldn't take much to find some guy who'll swear he'll love me forever. Tommy, I choose to be with you. It's your arms I want to hold me. It's your voice I want to hear during the good times and the bad.

"I think we could have something real here. You seem to think you're not worthy of me, but that's just bullshit! You're a good-looking guy who's even more handsome inside! You've no idea how lucky I know I am to have you.

"Tommy, I found in you something I'd thought I'd lost forever: my dreams. Baby, if we keep going the way we are, we could have something I'd dreamed of as a little girl. I know there are no guarantees, but just the possibility that it could actually happen is what I felt I'd lost.

"I know sometimes my teasing bothers you. The longer we're together, the more you'll learn to trust me. Until then, I'll try to stop..."

"No," I interrupted. "That's unfair to you, and besides, it doesn't always bother me. It's just some days I get so down. I realize that, and I'm trying not to be so insecure."

She smiled up at me and then kissed me.

"We'll have to do this together, Baby. I need to be more observant of where your head is at when I tease, and you need to work on becoming less jealous. We'll both need to work on making you less insecure."

I couldn't help but grin. Angie groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Sex doesn't fix everything." She laughed as she molded herself into me.