Down Bad In Dayton: Prelude

Mood: Wicked Games by The Weeknd

"So... you're serious?" Sean asked after sitting there in silence for several minutes.

"Yes Sean. I'm Serious." Angela said, her voice nervous and hands fidgety.

"So, who is he?" Sean's question was framed in a calm and almost detached manner. While there was part of him that raged against the words she had spoken, he had shoved it into a corner of his brain, keeping mental guard against letting it out.

"What do you mean wh--" Angela started, her eyes wide. Sean interrupted her.

"Don't bullshit me, Angela. The only time women suggest an open relationship is in three circumstances. The first is when they want to cheat, the second is if they are already cheating, or the third is if they are bored in the relationship but are too lazy or scared to stand independent in divorce."

He could see Angela swallow hard, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times before finally remaining close. Someone who witnessed this would think that Sean was on the edge of exploding in violence of some sort. However, Angela knew what this was, and she hated it. Sean was attacking the problem with logic. His form of logic, but logic nonetheless.

"So, there is someone, but you're afraid I'll kick his ass. Is that it?" He asked in that detached, gravelly baritone. He reached over and grabbed hold of his pack of Newports, pulling a cigarette and sticking it between his lips before lighting it with the zippo. Taking a drag from the smoke, before exhaling it.

"Well?"

Angela could only give a single nod of her head to his question. She knew what was coming. You could see it in her face. She knew how Sean thought, and when he stood, she immediately started crying. "Please Sh-" She croaked out. However, she was again interrupted.

"Ok. I agree. You've got what you asked for." He towered over her at his 6'4" height. Her height had peaked at a foot less than him, and he was easily two of her at 250. While he wasn't cut, he was solid. His looks belied the intelligence that he had, as well as his tender nature.

His words though. They weren't loud and angry. They were soft, firm and disappointed. It's why everyone called him Dad. He then walked out of his office, made his way toward the door, and after a few moments, disappeared into the night behind the wheel of his Monte Carlo SS.

***

Sean and his cohort gathered at The Jukebox, a local haunt known for its mix of country and hip-hop tunes. They were there to commemorate their recent college graduation, a moment to relax and applaud their achievements.

In their midst, Eric, Keith, Phillip, and Jason each had their distinct quirks. Eric, with his slight frame and thick glasses. Keith, towering and somewhat awkward. Phillip, a bit on the heavier side but with a friendly demeanor. And Jason, well, just your average guy with a hint of eccentricity.

But tonight wasn't merely about merrymaking. For Sean, there was an underlying sorrow, a desire to escape thoughts of Sarah. Thus, he rallied his friends, suggesting they celebrate their academic feats. Despite their varied majors--ranging from writing to mathematics to business management and graphic design--they had formed tight bonds during their college years. Their standout achievement, a collaborative video game project, showcased their collective talents.

However, Sean's recent breakup cast a pall over the festivities, tempering his enthusiasm despite the energy that surrounded them. Conversation had died after an hour, baskets of hot wings, and a couple of pints of beer. It was Jason that finally said something.

"Look, dude. We know why we're here. You and Sarah." Leave it to Jason to just blurt it out. The others started looking uncomfortable, but they nodded their agreement.

"Yeah. You're kind of not hitting your targets." Phillip the business manager said. "You're about a week or two behind schedule, and you know how tight this is. We have a limited budget and need to show clear progress each time the investors call us in, or else our funding is cut."

"I mean, I was ahead by a few weeks because I have to be." Eric spoke up after taking a sip of liquid courage. "But with you dragging behind, I've decided to start making money for the business by doing commission work for other devs."

"And I've been balancing systems to such a fine point that I've started bugging Eric about hitbox precision." Keith put in. "So that they can be as accurate as possible, you know. Without blowing up people's potato level computers."

Sean sort of sat there quietly, eying all of them before speaking. "Ok. So, what do you want?"

"We want you to get laid, and forget about the bitch." Jason said as he signaled for another beer. "I mean, I know you caught her talking to some guy, but they hadn't fucked yet. So, that's a plus."

"Sort of." Sean replied.

"Besides, we all knew Sarah was a hoe. Even you." Phillip put in. "Hell, you were hoeing when you met her."

"True." Sean replied.

"So, wouldn't the smart thing be to go back to being a hoe?" Keith asked.

"I mean... maybe?" Sean both questioned and acknowledged at the same time.

"Look. You need to get over this." Eric said. "So. I'm going to revoke the bro code for one instance."

Sean looked at Eric with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm going to set you up with my sister."

Angela. The complete opposite of Sarah. Where Sarah was a redhead with pale skin and freckles, Angela had braids, and flawless skin that was the color of creamed coffee. Where Sarah's body was lithe, Angela's figure was full in all the right places. Sarah's personality was stereotypical suburban college girl, and Angela's was more down to earth. Of the two, he related to Angela easier considering his own upbringing.

"You sure?" Sean asked. The dark tunnel he had been in suddenly had a glaring light at the end of it.

"Yeah. That's why I told her where we were going tonight. So that she could --"

At that moment, they were interrupted by Angela's familiar, husky voice. "Hey Sean. Guys. What's up?"

Sean stared at her, Eric sighed, and the others sat there with their mouths hanging open. Angela had somehow shoved herself into a skin-tight black leather dress that was a halter top and mini skirt joined together by a ring of metal at her navel. It most definitely accentuated her figure: Thick thighs, wide hips, toned tummy and large breasts.

She slid into the booth alongside Sean, a smile on her lips.

"You all can quick gawking. We're at a club, and I'm dressed for it."

"We're at a bar..." Eric groaned as he continued facepalming.

"Club, Bar. What's the difference?" She retorted.

"Clothes, drugs, body count." Her brother said.

"Fine. We all know why I dressed like this." She looked at the other two. "Stop staring."

"Sorry." They spoke in chorus.

Sean was finally able to speak, and his expression was flat.

"Ok. So. We all know why you dressed like this. We don't need to say it. So, let's cut to the chase. Your place or mine."

"Yours."

Sean coaxed her out of the bench, and took her hand. "Later guys."

As soon as they hit the door to his house, they were both naked, and he had her bent over the arm of the couch pounding her from the back while her hands were pressed to the floor. Once she came, he flipped her over, and mating pressed her into the couch while pounding away at her, the fingers of one hand wrapped around her throat. Before he came, she had two more orgasms, and a third was had when he finally climaxed.

He collapsed atop her, and breathed heavily, her legs wrapped around him.

"If I get pregnant, we're keeping it."

"Whatever." He said, drifting off to sleep.

In the morning, he woke her up with even more sex, though this time it was slow, sensual, and lazy. Once she climaxed, she lay back on the couch trying to capture breath as she looked at him.

"You need to warn me before you do that shit again. You had my toes curled."

"I know." He replied before he chuckled and shoved up off of her and the couch. Of course, he was rewarded with a slap against his bare ass.

***

For months, things were normal. He and the team continued on expanding their game, until they were unable to unload it on a major company for a large amount of money, with royalties. One caveat of the negotiation was that they all promised secrecy, on threat of losing their royalties to the other members of their team. The other was free use of intellectual property rights by all members of their company, so long as they didn't use them for another game, or substantially alter the lore of the game.

It was a year later when the problems started. She began to spend more time at work, and then started going out with her girlfriends. Sean had gone through this before, and in response, he returned the behavior, coming home even later and going out to the bar on weekends with his friends.

It all culminated in Sean returning home late one night, completely plastered. Angela was sitting up, and she had obviously been crying. As soon as he entered, she jumped up and started shouting at him.

"Where have you been all night?!"

"Out with my friends. I told you." His speech was slurred, and his eyes were squinted.

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Because. I didn't want to interrupt you and your boyfriend." Sean quipped, taking a shot in the dark. However, when she fell silent, even his pickled brain knew he had hit pay dirt. He merely scoffed at her and said, "I knew it."

"I want an open relationship." She retorted, a bit too quickly.

"I kind of figured you would say something like that." He said as he moved to take a piss. He was blocked by her, and she looked at him as if expecting an answer. He was getting a bit dizzy, so he half sat, half collapsed onto the couch in silence. After a moment, he looked up to her.

"So... you're serious?" Sean asked after sitting there in silence for several minutes.

"Yes Sean. I'm Serious." Angela said, her voice nervous and hands fidgety.

"So, who is he?" Sean's question was framed in a calm and almost detached manner. While there was part of him that raged against the words she had spoken, he had shoved it into a corner of his brain, keeping mental guard against letting it out.

"What do you mean wh--" Angela started, her eyes wide. Sean interrupted her.

"Don't bullshit me, Angela. The only time women suggest an open relationship is in three circumstances. The first is when they want to cheat, the second is if they are already cheating, or the third is if they are bored in the relationship but are too lazy or scared to stand independent in divorce."

He could see Angela swallow hard, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times before finally remaining close. Someone who witnessed this would think that Sean was on the edge of exploding in violence of some sort. However, Angela knew what this was, and she hated it. Sean was attacking the problem with logic. His form of logic, but logic nonetheless.

"So, there is someone, but you're afraid I'll kick his ass. Is that it?" He asked in that detached, gravelly baritone. He reached over and grabbed hold of his pack of Newports, pulling a cigarette and sticking it between his lips before lighting it with the zippo. Taking a drag from the smoke, before exhaling it.

"Well?"

Angela could only give a single nod of her head to his question. She knew what was coming. You could see it in her face. She knew how Sean thought, and when he stood, she immediately started crying. "Please Sh-" She croaked out. However, she was again interrupted.

"Ok. I agree. You've got what you asked for." He towered over her at his 6'4" height. Her height had peaked at a foot less than him, and he was easily two of her at 250. While he wasn't cut, he was solid. His looks belied the intelligence that he had, as well as his tender nature.

His words though. They weren't loud and angry. They were soft, firm and disappointed. It's why everyone called him Dad. He then walked out of his office, made his way toward the door, and after a few moments, disappeared into the night behind the wheel of his Monte Carlo SS.

--

This concludes the prelude. Each of the characters mentioned here will be used in future stories, their lives expanded and fleshed out. I already know the details involving each of them, their interactions, and what comes of it. I hope that you'll follow along on the journey.