In This Country Act 02 Ch. 01

"River," she replied immediately. "Only my dad can call me Marine and get away with it."

"Did you grow up with him?" Maurice asked, interested now.

"For most of my life, yeah," River nodded. "I mean, I had my mom too, but she was out traveling on business trips most of the time and I'd really only see her about once a week. So I whenever it was just me and my dad, I was Marine."

"What was he like?" Brenda asked.

"Encouraging," River thought back. "I'd used to get in trouble when I was younger but my dad would only get mad at me if I did something stupid or irrational. He was big on fighting with your head and taught me as much as he could. Since I didn't have much friends, that was my dad's excuse to train me and take me to other people who knew how to professionally fight."

"Did you fight?" Brenda inquired, engrossed in River's life story.

"No, there was a tragic accident in the city we lived in," River denied, "and my dad was among the casualties."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Brenda grimaced.

"Thanks Brenda," Grey frowned. "You just had to press her to remember a bad memory."

"I said I was sorry," Brenda huffed.

"I don't mind," River smiled. "It's a nice memory."

"Good, let's keep that going and make some more," Maurice suggested. The four of them piled into his car and he started driving to the tournament. "Hey Grey, did you tell River about the girls?"

"Damn, I totally forgot about them," Grey sighed.

"What girls?" River asked.

"Eddie and Reggie's girls have a thing against Grey," Maurice informed.

"Why?" River asked as she hugged her boyfriend. "Grey is a great person to be around."

"We know," Brenda smiled. "Sadly, those girls don't think so, or won't, in my opinion and they almost always have something negative to say about him."

"So essentially, just take everything they say with a grain of salt?" River guessed.

"You're catching on quick," Maurice nodded. "I think you'll fit in nicely."

They turned into the arena's parking lot and, with instructions passed from Reggie to Brenda, Maurice found the two cars their friends were in.

"Brenda!" Debbie, Reggie's girlfriend, called as she and the others got out of their cars. "It's been a while."

"Hi Debs," Brenda said.

"Brenda?" Paige said. "It's about time you joined us again. You missed the last couple of times we went out."

"I had to work," she replied.

"That's the only argument I'll concede to," Paige rolled her eyes.

"It's not just me though," Brenda said as she pulled River to the front. "Meet River, Grey's girlfriend."

The smile that was about to form on the girls' face just about vanished as Brenda made the introduction. On the contrary, Eddie and Reggie were stoked about finally meeting her in person.

"No way," Eddie said. "I thought you were just a figment of his imagination. I mean, he wouldn't even give us your name."

"That's because I knew you'd look her up and try to meet her," Grey said defensively.

"It really is nice to finally meet you," Reggie greeted. "I was wondering who the extra woman in the Maurice's car was."

"Hey look, I know you guys want to chat and get to know her," Maurice said, "but the game is already underway and I don't want to miss any more than I already have so let's move it."

With Maurice leading the way, the group made it to the arena. As they entered, the guys went to go buy tickets for them and their ladies' seats while the girls went to get snacks.

"So River, where did you first meet Grey?" Paige asked.

"We met at a fundraiser a while back and really hit it off," River replied.

"Did he tell you he was a gangster?" Debbie asked next.

"Yeah, we talked after we visited a few booths," River answered, "and I told him that was a Committee member, or at least, I'm training to be one."

"I don't think that's a wise idea," Debbie shook her head. "What if he tried to influence you to do something bad?"

"Hey, stop trying to ruin their relationship," Brenda glared.

"Nobody's trying to ruin anything," Debbie smirked. "I just want her to know what she's getting into."

"I bet you do," Brenda said angrily as she pulled River closer to her side.

When they've gotten the snacks, the girls headed back to where the guys were and went to go find their seats. River could see that at all times, Paige and Debbie were on the opposite side of the group from where Grey was. If they ever found themselves near him or even getting close to him, they'd change pace to move away from him.

"So River, are you a Matriarch or a Hurricane fan?" Reggie asked once they found their seats.

"I'm a Hurricane through and through," River declared proudly.

"That's too bad," Eddie smirked. "Brenda is a Matriarch in spirit, mind, and body, or so she says."

"Grey, I don't mind if you turn against me in favor of your girlfriend," Brenda joking said.

"Thanks Brenda," Grey laughed dryly. "I'll try not to cheer too hard."

"I suppose you want everyone to be a Matriarch fan, right Brenda?" River guessed.

"Damn right," Brenda proudly nodded. "I was a Matriarch girl for eleven years, took them to the playoffs four times, and won three times before I got sick and had to quit. So I'm a bit enthusiastic about their games."

"Is Maurice a Matriarch too?" River inquired.

"He better be," Brenda said as she pointedly looked at him, who purposely developed an interest in his bag of popcorn. "Maurice, you're a Matriarch, right?"

"Of course, baby," Maurice forcibly smiled.

"Maurice is only a Matriarch because he doesn't want to sleep on the couch," Eddie whispered not so quietly, to which Maurice lunged at him.

"But back to the point," Brenda continued, "I'm not pushy or adamant about many things but if it's about my Matriarchs, then I'm going to go all out for them."

"Yeah, don't let her catch you saying anything bad about her team," Eddie chuckled. "There was a day when Grey asked if they were any good and I swear to you he was a Matriarch fan the next day."

"I still have dreams with her showing up every once in a while," Grey added on.

"You dream about Brenda, too?" Paige gasped.

"If you must know, Grey has dreamed about all of us," Debbie informed as she backed away from him, "doing various and unspecified things."

"Stop trying to twist his words, you two," Maurice chastised.

"It's okay," River shrugged. "Grey has told me a few times that I've shown up in his dreams too, doing various and unspecified things. I've always thought it to be romantic since I'm on his mind even when he sleeps."

As the others joked on Grey about his perverted dreams, Paige and Debbie took a quick glance at each other. They were beginning to realize that River might not succumb to their attempts to dissuade her from going out with Grey. It was becoming a problem for them since everything they said was either rebuffed or redirected into a loving comment about Grey.

"I'm going to go get some more drinks," River offered.

The two girls looked at each other and nodded discreetly; this was the best chance, possibly the only chance they'd get to split River and Grey up. Waiting for a few minutes, Paige squirmed a bit before excusing herself to go to the bathroom. Once she was out by the bathroom, she called Debbie, who excused herself to take "an important call."

They quickly spotted her at the end of the line and hurried to get by her. River, having already seen them coming, smiled grimly since it was apparent that they weren't going to give up on their propaganda just yet.

"Is there a specific drink anybody wanted?" River asked.

"I don't think you understand how dangerous Grey is," Debbie said, dismissing her question.

"Gangsters are like mad dogs," Paige explained. "They're bred, raised, and cultured to be merciless criminals."

"Okay, okay," River replied. "I get the picture. You guys think Grey is using me for his own fiendish plans."

"Absolutely," Debbie agreed. "And it's not just you, it's everyone that he's trying to manipulate, and actually succeeded now that I think about it."

"Then what do you expect me to do?" River sighed.

"Expose him," Paige demanded. "Help us reveal his true intentions and keep him from bringing others down with him."

"And what if he has no intentions?" River asked.

"No intentions?" Paige scoffed. "Of course he has intentions. He's a gangster!"

"Former gangster," River corrected her.

"What makes you think he's changed?" Debbie inquired.

"I have no reason to believe he hasn't," River replied.

"Then have you introduced him to your family?" Paige glared.

The lie was about to roll off her tongue as fast as a blink, but it suddenly stopped. Her current father figure had wanted to see her boyfriend too and, despite telling him they'd meet, she has neglected to do as she said in fear that her father figure disliked Grey for the same these girls did.

"I knew it," Paige smiled from the look on River's face. "You're embarrassed that your boyfriend is a gangster."

"Former gangster," River repeated through clenched teeth. "Ok, you're right. I haven't introduced Grey to most of the people I know. But it's not like I won't, I just want to spend time with him as much as possible until then."

"He'll have you eating out of his hands in no time," Debbie shook her head. "I'm telling you, save yourself the trouble of a heartbreak and expose him."

"And then what?" River demanded.

"Keep him from manipulating others for his own purposes," Paige answered confidently.

"And then what?" River demanded again.

"That's it," Debbie said. "We just make sure he stays single."

"So you don't go after another relationship with one partner being a gangster, no matter what their status is?" River asked.

"Um . . . well no, that's absurd," Paige gulped.

"Really?" River gasped. "Then what would you do if Grey was an actual gangster, never been to prison, and never had a change of heart?"

"That's not—," Debbie began.

"That's not important, right?" River interrupted. "To be honest, it really is. Even now, as I defend his character from your accusations, I can't help but think to myself, 'What if they're right? What if I am being played by my boyfriend?' And it pisses me off that I have to doubt him."

"But-," Debbie began again.

"But that's a question you two should be asking yourselves," River told them. "What if you're right? What if Grey lied about being a changed man, or reverted back to being a gangster? If he chose either route, I'm sure the first thing he's going to do is come after the ones who exposed his secret if he never changed or made him believe that no matter what he's done to distance himself from that title, he's still nothing more than a gangster. But to do that, he'll go get others like him, other gangsters and then come for you. And I'm sure I don't need to describe what's going to happen when he catches you."

The look of disbelief and fear came out of the girls like a sponge being squeezed, removing all the water it held. Satisfied with their reaction, River went to the counter, bought drinks and snacks for the group, leaving the ladies standing in disbelief and fear. Once she was back with the group, River passed out snacks and drinks to everyone and took her seat next to Grey.

"Are you okay?" he asked when he noticed she wasn't cheering for her scoring team.

"Yeah, I just had to deal with a couple of nuisances," River replied, rolling her eyes in Debbie and Paige's direction as they came in.

"Do you want me to do anything?" he asked.

"No, I think I handled it," River shook her head, determined to have a good time.

*****

"I can't believe we lost," River shook her head, "because of a shoelace."

"I know right," Brenda giggled. "I thought you guys might actually beat us."

"And then the new girl trips over her own shoelaces," River sighed, "and hits the ball into the net."

"Did you see her face though?" Eddie struggled not laugh. "It was like you could see her thinking, 'Oh shit'."

"Forgetting that though," Brenda pushed him away, "the Hurricane gave us a good run for our money. I don't praise the other team if they don't deserve it and the Hurricanes deserved it."

"Thanks Brenda," River smiled.

"But it does feel good to win," Brenda whispered in River's ear.

"Thanks for reminding me, I completely forgot," River laughed.

The group split up when they made to their cars, giving each other their hugs and handshakes before driving away in their respective vehicles. The ride in Maurice's car was quiet as everyone wanted to rest their throats a bit from all the cheering they did. As a result, they got to Grey's apartment in no time at all.

"Thanks you guys," Grey said as he and River stepped out of the car.

"No problem," Brenda replied as Maurice had surprisingly fallen asleep. "Thanks for joining us, River."

"Thanks for having me," River replied. "It was a pleasure to be with you all."

"So, did you have fun?" Grey asked once they were inside.

"I did," she answered. "Everyone was quite interesting to be around, but to be honest, I kind of enjoyed being around Brenda the most. The other two ladies kept complaining about you a lot."

"That's why the rest of us try to ignore their remarks," he shrugged.

"Trust me, it'll get annoying soon," she promised.

"Honestly, I wasn't paying attention to them," Grey informed, then smirked right after. "Instead, I was sneaking glances at you in those pants."

"You were getting a bit handsy too," Crystal grinned back. "I really hadn't noticed you were looking for a chance until I sat on your hand."

"I had no idea how it got there," Grey replied, trying, and failing, not to smile.

"Yeah, I bet you didn't," she said, giving him a quick peck on the lips. She then leaned against him and whispered, "But if you want, we can continue where you left off."

Before he could respond, Crystal pressed against him and placed his hands on her ass. Message received, Grey fondled and groped her cheeks as if he was her personal masseur. He'd push and separate her perfect cheeks, then occasionally run his hands down the crevice between them. To show her approval, Crystal rubbed her chest slowly against his and felt his response rising in his pants.

Passionately, Grey turned her around and clasped his hands on her bosom, pulling her back into him so she could gyrate her glorious ass on his rocky dick. Similar to how he worked her ass, Grey squeezed and pressed his hands into her boobs, differing only to fiddle and tweak her nipples any way he desired.

"Ooh, you're making me wet," Crystal moaned.

"Good," Grey snuggled against her, "I've been dying to drink some real water all night."

"You has some water, remember?" she reminded him.

""Tasteless and bland, if I can recall," he told her. "They should've left that water wherever they found it."

"You has four!" Crystal laughed.

"And I'm still thirsty," he scoffed. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to sample what you're hiding in these pants."

"Don't get addicted ," she warned.

Using one arm, Grey locked both of Crystal's arms between their bodies so that he'd have unrestricted access into her pants. With the other hand, he let it slide down her body, underneath her pants first, then digging further beneath her panties to discover her hidden treasure. When he found it (of course he would), Grey rotated his fingers over her lubricated slit to get more sweetness flowing out of her.

Her knees began to shake from his stimulus but it wasn't enough to draw the strength from her legs. It wasn't as if he was done though as Grey continued to stroke her pussy with tender care. Once he was satisfied with his work, he spread her puffy lips and stuffed a finger inside her tight tunnel. He swirled his finger around as best he could in what little space he had to work with and switched to rapid thrusts alternatively.

"I think I got enough to sample," Grey grinned as he took his finger out and tasting it.

"No," Crystal whined. "Don't stop now."

"Fine, Mrs. Greedy," he laughed.

He led Crystal to the couch and had her lay down on the furniture before he resumed his sexual pleasing. Instead of just putting one finger in though, Grey put in two and got a groan of satisfaction out of her. He also used his thumb to press against her clit to rub the little bump endlessly. Her cries of pleasure were melodic symphonies to his ears as her body bucked and trapped his arm between her legs.

"You gave me too much," he teased, slipping his arm from her sexy thighs.

"Not my . . . fault," she panted.

"Well if you must know," Grey said as he licked his hand, "you do taste delicious."

"Do you want to drink straight from the source itself?" Crystal asked as she wiggled her hips weakly.

"It would be an honor," Grey licked his lips.

Slowly, Crystal stood up and let Grey lie on the couch and get comfortable, then climbed on him and sat on his face. From his position, her entire self began to fill his senses and his mind. All he could think, see, hear, feel, smell, and taste was her. Almost instantly, he went after her clit first, licking and sucking the little button as Crystal twitched in ecstasy. Wrapping his hands around her thighs, Grey tried to keep her still as he began to focus on her pussy lips and lick the juices that ran over them. It wasn't easy, but that's what made it all the more enjoyable.

Despite her best efforts, Crystal came again, feeling the strength throughout her body sucked right out of her as she slumped over the armrest. Grey pulled himself from underneath her and gave her a kiss so she could taste herself on his lips. The clock beeped next to Crystal, declaring it was almost midnight so Grey helped her walk to bed to get some sleep.

*****Alright, so that is the long awaited chapter to kick off the second story arc. I do apologize for the length of time it took me to get a chapter done but I hope you enjoy it regardless. As always, let me know what you think, good or bad, and look forward to the next chapter. -DM23*****