Charley

1.

Charley, Jordan, Nicky and Hal drank in the middle of an empty room – so empty that it couldn't be called a room at all. It was more like a space. It was due to be a kitchen sometime in the next seven weeks (give or take). Until then, the space, and therefore, Charley and Hal, were trapped in the purgatory of a home remodel.

The walls were stripped of paint and plaster, leaving pipes exposed. The floor was a row of raw wood planks. A water hose hung impotently from the wall where the refrigerator once stood. The wires dangled from the holes in the ceiling where lights were once hung. Erstwhile window panes tacked with glue left little doubt that something was missing.

The four of them congregated around a work table covered with rolls of electrical tape. Charley refilled Nicky's and Jordan's wine glasses, her own, then held onto the bottle, looking futilely for a place to sit it down.

"Counter?" Nicky asked, sipping from his glass.

"Yep," Charley said.

"Gone too?" Jordan asked.

"Yep," Charley said with a tipsy giggle.

"We had to," Hal said. "The whole thing was just outdated. And just... plain ugly." He wasn't drinking wine. Instead, he sloshed whisky and ice in a glass engraved with his initials.

"It was pretty pink," Charley said. "But not, like, pretty pink."

"It was like the color of a womb!" Hal announced.

Nicky and Jordan winced, while Charley just shook her head. "Oh dear." She ducked down to set the wine bottle on the floor.

"What?" Hal said, nudging Charley with his elbow. "C'mon. You know that shit is true," he said.

"So what's the final product going to look like?" Jordan asked.

"Um... I don't know," Charley said, taking a sip of wine. "Done?"

They all laughed.

"Dude, seriously," Hal said. "I'm already over it, and we've barely started." He spoke louder than the rest of the group, his voice bouncing off the empty walls. "It's a money pit, right? Right! Tell them!" he said to Charley.

"I mean," Charley said, "Maybe not a 'money pit.' I don't like to think of it in such negative terms."

"I bet," Nicky said. "Especially since it cost so much."

Charley put a finger on the tip of her nose, clinking glasses with Nicky.

"It's like, the most expensive meal you ever have is going to be delicious, no matter what," Hal said, spilling a bit of his drink on his hand. He looked up at Charley while he sucked the mess from his fingers. "No going back now, right, Babe?"

Charley pursed her lips and tapped her glass with her engagement ring.

2.

They headed out back. Jordan and Hal sat at a table on the porch, while Charley and Nicky explored the backyard. The house sat on a fairly large piece of land, with a yard, thick with growth, leading into wooded hills. Charley sometimes found deer wandering around in the early morning, drinking from the shallow pools left by the rain, sunlight crashing through the tree leaves. It was, by far, her favorite part of living in that house.

"I once found a trail that leads all the way through those woods," Charley said. "I don't know where it ends, though. I haven't gone that far yet. We should go for a hike in the morning, if you're game. See where it goes."

Nicky cut her a look. "Girl, please," he said. "You know Black men don't hike."

They both doubled over and laughed at this simple truth.

"So what's the deal with this girl, huh?" Charley asked. "She's cute."

"That she is..." Nicky said, waiting.

"Is she the one?"

Nicky shrugged. "You tell me."

"Why me?" Charley asked.

"C'mon," Nicky said. "You know I can't make that kind of move without your input. You're an important part of the process." He lowered his voice. "I need you."

"Is that right?" Charley said, looking at the ground.

"Yeah," he said. "That's right."

"Why?" Charley asked. "It's not like we ever see each other."

"And who's fault is that?" Nicky asked, titling Charley's head up by her chin. "Hmm?"

Charley and Nicky had known each other since college. They lived in the same dorm, knew many of the same people, and built a fast friendship on a steady diet of mischief and sarcasm. While they made cameo appearances in their classes, they spent most days getting stoned in each other's dorm room, indulging in some movie marathon or another – quizzing one another with trivia on this or that director, rating performances, quoting scenes as they played out before them on 20-inch screens propped atop their dressers.

To look at Charley now, she hadn't changed much since those days a decade ago. Her face was still youthful. Even more so when she smiled, looking like a kid caught watching TV past their bedtime. She dressed almost as casually now as she did back in college, though she had a little more money now, switching from sweatshirts to cardigans, her designer jeans clean and creased. She still had her long, thick curls, though she wore them tied up in a bun atop her head. And of course, she'd kept her lip ring - a small, silver O running through the center of her bottom lip. She still sheepishly toyed with it whenever she didn't know quite what to say.

As close as they were, they'd spent much of their 20s chatting only sporadically and seeing each other rarely, convincing themselves that popping up in each other's Facebook newsfeeds counted as "keeping in touch." Indeed, this was the first time they'd seen each other in years.

"We both gotta do better," she said.

Nicky conceded with a nod. "To doing better," he said, raising his glass.

"To doing better," Charley said, clinking her glass with his.

"Speaking of doing better," Nicky said, "you've done well for yourself."

"Have I?" Charley asked through an unsure smile.

"I mean, you know," Nicky said. "You got the full package, right? The job..."

"Killing me, one 60-hour week at a time..."

"The house..." he said.

"Eating my savings..."

"The husband..." he said.

Hal's laughter cracked in the dark, undoubtedly at a joke he had told himself.

"...Fiancé," Charley corrected, downing the rest of her wine.

3.

Jordan's eyes perked up at a returning Nicky. "Hey!" she said over the sound of Hal's voice. "How was it?"

"Green," Nicky said, pulling up a chair next to Jordan and giving her a kiss. "Speaking of which..."

"Uh oh..." Charley said.

Nicky reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic tube. Inside was a neatly rolled joint.

"I don't know," Charley said.

"C'mon, now," Nicky said.

"I really don't smoke much anymore," Charley said. "It's been a while, actually."

"Hey, you don't have to ask me twice!" Hal said with a Southern slur.

Nicky's eyes cut to Hal, then back to Charley. "I hope I didn't come all this way for nothing."

Jordan gave Nicky a nudge. "Leave the poor girl alone," she said, giving Charley a sympathetic smile. "Don't make her do something she doesn't want to do."

"Baby," Nicky said, "I'm not making her do anything. She's a grown woman. Isn't that right?"

Charley shrugged. "Jury's still out."

Nicky placed the joint between his lips and patted his pockets. "Shit," he said. "Who's got fire?"

Hal groaned and threw his head back dramatically. "Ah man!" he said to the sky. "I'll go find one, I guess."

Charley gave Hal's shoulder a pat. "I got it, don't worry."

"Thaaanks, Babe," Hal said, relieved.

"Oh, actually," Jordan said, gathering her purse, "I need to use your restroom."

"Sure, sure," Charley said. "Follow me."

"I'll be right back," Jordan said, giving Nicky a kiss on the forehead. "You two behave yourselves."

4.

The bathroom light switch flipped on with a loud, plastic click. Charley grimaced as she guided her guest inside.

"This is the next renovation project," Charley said. "I swear." She scanned the room for all the changes she'd make when she had the chance: the tiny bathtub, the kitschy tiling, the outdated fixtures, the warped mirror that failed to display your true reflection.

Jordan shook her head and waved off Charley's embarrassment. "Please," she said. "This is bigger than my first apartment."

Charley, disarmed, made her way to the sink. "One thing," she said, pointing to the faucet handles, one marked with an H, the other with a C. "Don't be the fooled by the labels."

"Hot and cold switched?" Jordan said, twisting her fingers in a flipping motion.

"Worse," Charley said. "Both are lukewarm."

"Oh no," Jordan said with a laugh.

"'Fraid so," Charley said, joining in the laughter. "Next project. I swear."

When the laughter stopped, they were left standing wordlessly in the bathroom. Charley tongued at her lip ring.

"So," she said, finally.

"So," Jordan said.

Charley made for the door – "I guess I'll just get out of your..." – when Jordan wrapped her arms around her neck, pressed Charley's lips to hers, and swallowed the end of her sentence. Charley's eyes opened wide in surprise, her hands grasping at anything in reach – the sink, the shower curtain, towels hanging on the rack that she yanked to the floor.

"We can't," Charley said futilely, tasting the wine from Jordan's lips, inhaling her perfume - gardenias. "We... we..." But at no point did she make for the doorknob.

Jordan spread her hands across Charley's back, clawing at her sweater. She made her way to Charley's chest, down her stomach, to the top of her clean and creased designer jeans.

Charley gave Jordan a permissive pout as her houseguest hastily unfastened the button to her pants, pulling the zipper apart. She wasn't wearing any underwear (she never did, and couldn't understand how most people could). Jordan cocked an eyebrow at the sight of Charley's vagina dressed in only a thin layer of dark curls. Charley leaned against the sink, letting her jeans fall to the floor - with Jordan's help.

Jordan slid her fingers slowly up between Charley's naked legs – starting at her ankles, her calves, her thighs – parting them with minimal effort. She stopped once she found Charley's slit sticky with anticipation. Charley stared at the ceiling and trembled at Jordan's touch.

"Look at me," Jordan said.

Charley reluctantly caught Jordan's gaze. Once locked, she couldn't look away. Not while Jordan ran her thumb in a wet circle around Charley's clit; not while Jordan split Charley's lips with her middle finger sliding back and forth; not while Jordan lifted Charley onto her toes, slipping her fingers in and out of her two at a time.

Charley furrowed her brow, then her whole face tightened, followed by the rest of her body. Her rising orgasm threatened to pull her eyes shut, and she resisted, as though she would fall to the floor if she looked away – as though Jordan were propping her up with the sheer force of her unblinking stare alone. But Charley could only resist so long, and she finally gave in. Her eyelids shut tight as she let out a deep, muffled scream into the new darkness – and into the palm of Jordan's free hand, which had covered Charley's mouth just in time.

5.

When Charley returned, the boys were in the living room, on their feet, vocally watching Rocky III on the big screen. Hal talked with his hands, waving broadly as he playfully lectured Nicky. He spun around the room searching for the whiskey bottle. Once he found it, he refilled his glass. Charley buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath before joining the two.

"Look," Hal said, pouring whiskey, "I don't wanna sound racist, but..."

"Hey!" Charley said loudly with an anxious, toothy grin. "Here you guys are."

"Hey yourself," Nicky said with a smile of his own.

"Where you been?" Hal asked.

Charley reached into her pants pocket – ignoring the breeze from the broken zipper – and retrieved a lighter. "Tracking this down," she said. "How is it we only have one lighter in this whole house?"

"Well," Hal said, "It's not like we smoke cigarettes anymore." He turned to Nicky. "She made me quit last year. Can you believe that? Huh!" He grabbed Nicky by the shoulder, hard, and leaned close into him. "Hey, welcome to marriage, pal."

"You quit again, huh?" Nicky said to Charley. "Old habits."

"I like to think that I returned to quitting after an 18-month hiatus," Charley said with a shrug.

Nicky gingerly took the lighter from Charley's outstretched hand. Their fingers touched for a moment so brief, neither was sure it had happened. Without looking to Charley for confirmation, Nicky sparked the joint. He took a few deep drags and handed it off to Charley (ignoring Hal's reach). She took it only after much professed trepidation, and an urging nod from Nicky. She placed the joint between her lips, taking a hit. She quickly handed it off to Hal, and held the smoke in her lungs with a familiar ease. She shared a look with Nicky, holding his own hit, smoke trickling from his nostrils.

"So," Hal said, taking his long-awaited hit off the joint. "You guys ever fuck or what?"

Nicky and Charley exhaled, though she with far less finesse. "Hal!" Charley said, bent over, choking out smoke.

"What?" Hal asked, cracking up. "We're adults, right? Right?!" He turned to Nicky. "Don't tell me all these years you guys never hooked up."

Charley was red-faced, her eyes watering, "That's not alright!"

"Aaaaa, stop overreacting" Hal said, taking another hit. "I was just curious."

"I have to admit," Jordan said, rejoining the group, turning everyone's head. "I was curious about that myself." She fell into Nicky's embrace, giving him a sweet kiss and a teasing look. "How 'bout it? Hmm?"

"Can't say that we have," Nicky said.

"Really?" Jordan said.

"Really?!" Hal said, louder.

"Really," Nicky said.

Charley chewed on her lip ring.

"Why is that, I wonder," Jordan said. She kicked off her shoes and moved about the room on her toes, flexing the muscles in her long, smooth calves.

"Too good of friends, I guess," Nicky said, looking at Charley. "Why take that risk?" He held the joint up to Jordan's lips. She took at long hit and blew out a cloud of smoke that spread over everyone.

"Don't tell me you've never been just a little tempted?" she said softly, to no one in particular.

6.

Charley couldn't sleep. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, Hal curled up in a ball next to her, snoring hard. She tossed the blanket off of her and slid out of bed. She moved quietly, though it was unlikely that Hal would hear her regardless, thoroughly drunk as he was. Throw in the surprise THC fix and he was as good as tranquilized.

She walked down the hall and stopped outside of the guest room. The door was cracked just so, but all the lights were out, her guests presumably sound asleep. She touched the door handle, but just stood there unmoving, struck by her second thoughts. Thinking better, she let go and made her way downstairs.

She stood in the living room, looking out the big sliding glass door that led to the backyard and into the woods. The moon was full, and the recent rains had cleared the skies, making for a remarkably bright view for so late a time of night. There wouldn't be any deer out now, though. Coyotes, maybe. Mountain lions. The night required sharper teeth.

Then Charley caught sight of a figure in the reflection of the glass, as though a spirit were emerging from the woods. It hardly made a sound at all, its movements stealth and deliberate. Charley waited before turning around, before permitting the spirit to become corporeal. For now, it was but a silent figure haunting Charley's home, filling the room with the faint, but alluring scent of gardenias.

Charley closed her eyes while the scent grew stronger and the spirit wrapped itself around her arms; crawled up her neck and caressed her scalp; crept underneath her t-shirt and caressed her bare skin. Charley gave herself over to the spirit, and for the second time that night, allowed herself to be lifted off her feet.

Only then did she open her eyes to Jordan's hungry gaze, her mouth open. She had Charley pressed against the glass door with her arms above her head, kissing her face, rolling her tongue along that silver O. She pulled Charley's shirt over her head, and wrapped her hands and lips around Charley's tits, licking and sucking her nipples.

Charley ran her hands along Jordan's bare back, down her spine, sliding into her panties (the only clothing she had on) cupping Jordan's young, firm ass. She took off own her shorts (still no underwear) and pulled Jordan's tight little body against hers – her breasts flat against Charley's, her stomach heaving, her wetness seeping through her panties, gliding up and down Charley's naked thigh. Charley was so wrapped up in Jordan's appetite – unrelenting, as she kissed Charley's shoulders and nibbled at her neck – that she didn't notice the dark figure posted at the bottom of the stairway. Watching.

When she did spot him – Nicky, wearing only a pair of knit boxers that failed to hide his hard-on, even in the dark of night – she froze, while Jordan continued her tour, covering Charley with thin trails of saliva from chin to navel. She held the back of Jordan's head when the girl dropped to her knees and moved the tour even lower on her body. Charley's legs buckled, with Jordan's tongue firmly fit between her thighs, flicking her clit. She rubbed her breasts, pinched her nipples, and watched Nicky fondle his cock.

Charley grabbed Jordan by the hair and picked her up off the floor. She opened her mouth and gave Jordan her tongue to suck on. Jordan obliged, moaning into Charley's face. Charley dragged the girl across the living room, to the couch, where Jordan shook herself free, turned around, and noticed Nicky for the first time. She didn't seem surprised to see him, standing silently with his eyes on the both of them and his hands buried in his shorts.

"Hey, Baby," Jordan said.

"Hey, Baby," Nicky said.

"How am I doing, Baby?" she asked.

"You're doing fine, Baby," he said. "Go ahead."

Jordan crawled onto the couch, and lay prostrate with her face in the cushions, her ass in the air, and her pussy – pink and throbbing – right in Charley's face.

Charley looked up at Nicky, who gave her a sly smile and a nod. You're doing fine, Baby. Go ahead.

And with that, Charley climbed behind Jordan and grabbed her roughly by the waist. Jordan let out a gasp, caught off guard, perhaps for the first time that night. Charley took her own hand and shoved almost all her fingers into her mouth, nearly gagging herself. When she removed them, glistening with spit, she turned to Jordan's sweet sliver and swirled each finger around the opening before going inside. She started with one finger, nice and slow, almost teasing Jordan with her gentleness, eliciting satisfied moans. Then two fingers, faster now, harder, twisting inside of her. When the third finger went in, Jordan's moans became almost growls as she sunk her teeth into the pillow. The look on Charley's face was serious – determined – as she held tightly onto her houseguest and massaged her pussy from the inside.

"More?" Charley asked.

"Uh huh..." Jordan managed to say, unaware that Charley had actually been speaking to Nicky.

Charley tickled Jordan's pussy lips with her pinky.

"More?" Charley asked again.

"Uh huh!" Jordan said into the couch.

On Nicky's cue, Charley placed her pinky gently inside of Jordan, where it joined three other fingers tucked into her cunt. Charley slowly pushed her hand in further as Jordan screamed silently, tearing the upholstery with her fingernails.

"There we go," Charley said, closing her eyes, focused. The feeling of Jordan clinched around her hand turned Charley on. She felt her own twat throbbing as she moved her hips along with Jordan's, as though she were fucking herself.