Incident in the Library Pt. 02

"Oh!" Sarah uttered. "Sorry, I didn't know you were still here, Theresa. You surprised me."

Theresa set down the stack of reference books, and Sarah started scanning them into the computer and pulling the cards from the books.

"Sorry to startle you," Theresa said. She looked around the library to make sure no one would overhear, and then she leaned close to whisper, "Could you tell Frank I'm still interested?"

Sarah's eyes were huge when she stopped with one card shaking in her hand. "What?" she asked.

"I think I gave Frank the wrong impression," Theresa said. "I guess he thought I was just kidding and being flirty, but I really do want to have sex with him, if you don't mind."

Sarah's mouth worked open and closed without making a sound. She involuntarily looked Theresa over and shivered. Theresa misinterpreted that look—she thought Sarah was checking her out.

"If you want to watch, I wouldn't mind," Theresa whispered, licking her lips and looking at Sarah suggestively. "It's been a long time since I've done a threesome. I think I would love it if you joined in."

It really did excite Theresa to think about it, once she'd said it out loud. She could only imagine how much fun it would be to share a bed with Frank and his obviously inexperienced girlfriend. Sarah blinked and nodded. Afterward she wondered why she had done it.

After Theresa left the library, she started to get upset. "Jesus, Frank," she muttered to herself. "How many women are you having sex with, anyway?"

It didn't get any better when she watched through the glass doors of her library. She watched Frank and Mark walk back inside the building. They were talking, grinning and shaking their heads. Sharon said something to them as she left, and both men turned to watch her walk out the front door. It was obvious from Mark's expression that he thought Sharon was sexy. Sarah shook her head.

Nobody ever looks at me that way, she thought sadly. Nobody but Frank. And now he's looking at Sharon the same way.

In fact, Frank's back was to her. She couldn't see the scowl on his face as he watched Sharon strut out the door. He managed to clear that expression from his face before he resumed talking to Mark.

Just a few seconds later, Theresa approached the two men. She was obviously laughing as she rested her hand lightly on Frank's forearm. He smiled back at her and shook his head. Both men's heads turned to follow Theresa out the front door, and Sarah shook her head in frustration. She had felt so special when Frank had given her a key to his apartment. Now she had to wonder.

How many other women had a key to his place?

She looked up a few minutes later, and shook her head in disbelief after watching for just a few seconds. Desiree was leaving, but she pulled Frank aside to say something where Mark couldn't hear them. The two of them exchanged a smile, and Desiree touched him lightly on his chest before she left.

"Oh, come on!" Sarah blurted. When she realized she'd said it out loud, she quickly looked around, but she was alone in the library.

* * *

The next part of Sharon's plan was dangerous. She knew where Frank lived, and she had heard Sarah had a key to his place. After she left the school, Sharon drove over to Frank's apartment complex and parked around the corner. She waited until Frank arrived and went inside before driving over to the parking lot and parking next to his car.

She didn't want Frank to see her. It could ruin everything if he did. If he thought she was stalking him, he might call the police. He certainly wouldn't turn to her after Sarah broke up with him if he suspected she had played a role in breaking them up. She warily made her way over to his apartment and listened carefully at the door. When she heard his shower start, she blew out a relieved breath. This could work out perfectly.

When Sarah pulled into the parking lot twelve minutes later, Sharon mussed her hair and pulled the right side of her sweater out of her skirt. She tugged the collar to the right as she looked at her reflection in the window, and then smeared her lipstick slightly with the back of her right hand. It was perhaps a little too much, but she didn't have time to worry about it. Sharon thought about how amazing she had felt when Frank had been with her that one time, and kept that blissful expression on her face.

That was what Sarah stepped out of her car to see—Sharon looking blissful and disheveled as she walked from Frank's front door to her car. Sharon never looked her way. She just got in her car and drove away.

Sarah struggled to maintain her composure as she walked briskly over to the apartment and let herself in. Her heart sank when she heard Frank humming in his shower. The only thing she could think was that he was cleaning the evidence away that he had been with Sharon. Sarah bit back a sob when she set her key on his dining room table. She sniffled and quietly pulled the door closed, staggering slightly as she returned to her car.

Sarah sat in her car, shaking uncontrollably. There was a part of her that wanted to run back over there, to beg Frank to take her and do whatever he wanted. I can't do that! she told herself. I can't go in there and throw myself at Frank. I can't be just another slutty girl he's having sex with. I thought what we had was special.

She sobbed as she started up her car and pulled out of the parking lot. She was in tears when she got back to her own apartment. Her phone rang half an hour later. She sobbed and let it go to voicemail when she saw it was Frank. An hour later, she finally called her mother. Sarah was still in tears when she blubbered, "Oh, Mom, how could I have been so stupid?"

* * *

Janice was Sarah's mother. She never thought of herself as controlling. She loved her husband and her children, loved being a part of her community and her church. Two weeks earlier, it had shocked her when Sarah told her about her developing relationship with Frank and admitted it was the first time she'd had sex. Janice had just assumed that her daughter had done it before and simply kept it to herself.

She knew both of her sons had been with young women, since she had overheard enough to be certain of it before she charged in and put a stop to it.

Now she was worried about her daughter. Frank was quite a bit older than her innocent daughter, and Janice was certain this guy was going to break her heart. One of Janice's older brothers had been in the navy, and she had overheard enough bawdy stories about his exploits in Thailand, Korea, and the Philippines that she was certain Frank was just as promiscuous as her brother had been.

Like so many Americans who had never been outside the country, she just lumped all those countries together as "Asian" and assumed they were all alike. She also assumed all those Asian women were promiscuous sluts and heathens. Oh, she never consciously thought about it in those terms and certainly never thought of herself as racist or prejudiced. But it was what made her so horrified to discover her daughter was dating Frank.

Frank's parents were members of the same church, and they were fine enough people. The fact that Frank hadn't been attending their church just confirmed for Janice that he wasn't to be trusted with her precious daughter. Then, Frank had actually showed up at church the past weekend with Sarah. Janice thought it smacked of insincerity. He was obviously trying to put on an act while he used their poor daughter for sex.

It never crossed her mind that Janice was as closed-minded as she was. She expected her daughter's relationship to fail, expected to comfort her, and then looked forward to setting her up with a more "appropriate" young man from their church. When Sarah called her in tears, Janice assured her, "I'll be right there, baby."

She smiled and hummed happily as she made the drive to her daughter's apartment.

Sarah sobbed and hugged her mother as soon as she arrived. Janice patted her back and the two of them got coffee before sitting at the dining room table. "Where's Denise?" Janice asked.

"She and her boyfriend went out of town," Sarah replied. She had been crying ever since she got home, but after letting all that emotion out she was starting to think more clearly. Still the thing she kept thinking was, "I just feel so stupid, Mom."

"Oh, honey, you can't blame yourself," Janice said, reaching over to squeeze her daughter's forearm. "I'm sure he made all sorts of promises to trick you into bed. I just wish I'd been around to warn you before that happened."

Sarah slowly shook her head. "No, Mom, it wasn't like that at all."

"Well, I'm sure this is all for the best," Janice continued blithely. "He was too old for you anyway. Sure, he's all affectionate now, but in ten years..." She shrugged, letting it hang in the air. "You'll be better off with a young man your own age."

Sarah looked at her mother closely, narrowing her eyes. "Gee, Mom, did you have anyone in mind?"

"As a matter of fact," Janice replied, smiling brightly, "Do you remember Todd?"

Sarah nodded, but she pretty much tuned her mother out after that. Frank hadn't promised her anything, other than giving her that key to his apartment. He certainly hadn't "tricked her into bed." She realized that her mother was comparing Frank to Sarah's father. She knew from old family photos that he had really let himself slide, physically, after they had gotten married. She couldn't imagine that happening to Frank, but even if Frank did let himself go, he would still be far more attractive and fit than Todd.

The fact that her mother seriously considered Todd an appropriate match for her was insulting. He was a moron, and that was being generous. She couldn't even consider letting him touch her without feeling disgusted. He was just gross. Sarah looked at her mother again, realizing that she was still rattling on.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked.

"I said I was surprised you managed to talk him into coming to church. Frank only came that one time last year, right after he got back from Japan."

"Okinawa," Sarah corrected her.

"Whatever," her mother said dismissively. "Clearly he wasn't comfortable being there. That's why I was so surprised to see him there this last weekend. Obviously he was just doing it because you asked him to come."

"I didn't," Sarah murmured, shaking her head again. "That was Frank's idea."

Her eyes widened again. She had wanted to skip church entirely, to spend the day in bed with him. Why would he want to take her to church instead? Frank had tried to call her earlier, and she had refused to take the call. Now she feared she had made a terrible mistake. She leapt from her seat at the table and grabbed her phone off of the counter.

"What are you doing?" her mother asked.

"I'm calling Frank," Sarah replied. When her mother shook her head and looked confused, Sarah reached over and gently patted her hand. "Thank you so much, Mom. I nearly made the biggest mistake of my life."

"You're welcome, dear," Janice replied. She was smiling as she took a long sip of her coffee.

Of course, she assumed Sarah was calling to break up with Frank.

* * *

Frank fumbled his phone when it rang. He had been impossibly tense ever since he walked out of his bedroom and saw Sarah's key on the table. It only got worse with every passing minute after he'd left that message on her voicemail. What the hell was going on?

He bounced his phone into the air twice before managing to catch and answer it. "Hello?" he said. His voice sounded a little strangled when he said it.

"Frank, we need to talk," Sarah said. "May I come over?"

In her dining room, Janice shook her head. "Oh, don't do that, dear," she hissed. "It's a bad idea."

"Of course," Frank replied, but he swallowed heavily. "We need to talk" sounded too much like "It's over."

Janice was still shaking her head after Sarah hung up. "You should just call him back and tell him it's over," she urged. "He'll try to trick you again, sweetie."

"Mom, I thought you raised me better than that," Sarah said. "I need to talk to him face-to-face, so there is no misunderstanding. That's what you told me once, wasn't it?"

"Well, yes, but that was—" Janice spluttered.

"It's okay, Mom," Sarah assured her, reaching out to pat her mother's cheek. "This will work out for the best. You'll see."

Janice let out a relieved sigh. "Okay. Well, let me get you Todd's phone number."

"Oh, I don't need it, Mom. I've already got Todd's number." Yeah, he's a big, fat zero. Sarah just smiled at her mother as that ran through her head.

* * *

That confidence lasted until she got within sight of Frank's apartment complex. Then she abruptly remembered why she had driven away in tears in the first place. Frank was obviously having sex with Sharon. She swallowed as she pulled into the parking lot and parked her car. She saw Frank open his apartment door. He looked...it was tough to read his face, but he was obviously troubled.

Sarah sighed as she got out of her car. She prayed this would all turn out for the best, as she had assured her mother. Now that it was time to face Frank in person, her confidence was not nearly as high. As she drew closer, she saw the sadness in his expression. She stumbled a bit. Was it already too late? Was it over?

Even though he was only wearing socks, Frank leapt out the doorway to catch her when she stumbled on the damp pavement. She wasn't really in danger of falling, but it meant a lot to her that he cared so much. He really was a sexy superhero in her mind. Could she really complain that she had to share him?

"I'm okay, Frank," she murmured.

They went inside, and he promptly peeled off his wet socks. "Excuse me just a second," he said, giving her a soft smile and retreating into the bathroom.

She followed and watched him step into the tub to quickly rinse off his feet before he dried them. Sarah couldn't help but recall that first time he had lifted her into the tub, after that incident in the library. When he looked at her face afterward, though, he still just looked sad.

"I saw you left your key," he said. "Why?"

"I found out about you and Sharon," she said. "And then I saw you with Desiree this afternoon. I don't know what you and Theresa have been up to, but she said..." She shook her head and blew out a frustrated breath. "She said to tell you she wasn't just being flirty. She wants you...and me too, from the looks of it. Frank, how many women are there?"

Frank shook his head, reeling as he tried to comprehend what she was saying. "Sarah, there's just you. I'm not seeing any of those women." He shook his head again, angrily. "I mean, I'm not sleeping with, having sex with, or fucking any of them. Obviously I 'see' all of them at work."

"Oh, come on, Frank. Sharon told me how much she loves it when you take control and fuck her in the ass. Are you really trying to tell me she just made that up?" When she saw the look on Frank's face, her knees felt weak. He had been with her, had fucked her in the ass. Sarah almost walked right out of the apartment.

Frank saw that on her face. However, he was a fighter. He wasn't about to give up on their relationship, now that he knew what was going on. He quickly took the two steps over to her and held her arms as he kissed her. Sarah struggled in his grasp, worried what he might do. Her struggles ceased when she saw him smiling lovingly at her.

"I can explain everything, Sarah," he said.

* * *

Sarah followed him out to the dining area, then put her hand on her tummy and murmured, "Excuse me," when her stomach growled.

Frank turned and gave her an understanding smile. "Have you eaten anything since lunch?"

She shook her head. "I had some coffee," she offered with a shrug.

"Here, have a seat at the counter. I can explain some of this while I cook us some dinner."

Sarah stepped up on the bottom rung of the bar stool and wiggled her butt back onto the seat. Frank got out a skillet and a sauce pan and turned on two burners to let them warm up. He opened a can of corn and dumped it into the sauce pan, adding a bit of pepper before putting on the lid. While he was doing that, he started his explanation.

"Let's see...I guess I need to start with Theresa," he said. "I flirted with a lot of the teachers right after I started. I knew Theresa was married, but she actually started flirting with me first. I figured it was just fun for both of us, and I never expected anything would actually happen. So I guess that was the most surprising thing you told me. She really said she wanted me?"

"Mmm-hmm," Sarah nodded.

"And she wants you too, you said," he continued. He couldn't hold back his grin as he pictured that exchange. "What did she say, exactly?"

Sarah had to shudder as she recalled the way Theresa had looked at her. "She was clear that she wanted you. Blunt, even. Then she added, 'if you don't mind,' like she was under the impression that I was sharing you with other women. Then she looked me over and licked her lips, like she was hungry, and she added that she wouldn't mind if I wanted to watch or join in. She said it has been a long time since she had a threesome."

Frank stopped in the middle of peeling carrots and looked up at her. "Whoa. Really?"

Sarah nodded again, and Frank shook his head. He finished peeling that carrot and he looked at her again.

"Is that something you would be interested in?" he asked.

"It never would have crossed my mind," she replied. She realized she was blushing, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Frank, I don't know if I could do that, even for you."

Frank continued preparing the vegetables as he continued. "I don't think that would be a good idea anyway," he said. "She's married, and she'd be cheating on her husband. It's not something I would want to try. That brings me to Sharon." He shook his head unhappily and set the chopped carrots aside so he could look right at her face.

"I had Sharon over here once, before I met you. I didn't know she was engaged, or I wouldn't have invited her."

Sharon frowned unhappily. "Frank, please don't lie to me. I saw her coming out of here this afternoon, and you'd obviously been with her."

"What?!?" His mind worked quickly. "Sharon was in the apartment? You're sure of that?"

Sarah opened her mouth to say "yes" but then she closed it and thought carefully. "Well, I saw her walking from the front door to her car just as I pulled up. Her sweater was all uneven, her hair was mussed up, and her lipstick was smeared. She looked like she had just been with you, Frank."

He shook his head. "I never saw her, Sarah. I came home right after work and hopped in the shower. I was looking forward to being with you." He glanced down and turned down the burner beneath the corn. "Just a second."

He was thoughtful as he got pork chops out of the refrigerator and trimmed the fat from them. "She came up to me in the hallway earlier today," he said carefully. "I knew I shouldn't have talked to her, but I went to her classroom to hear her out. She thought I knew she was engaged when she came over here that one time. I didn't know until—"

He sighed and looked at Sarah apologetically, "I was licking her pussy and she said her fiancé never did that for her. That was the first I knew, and it really pissed me off. Instead of kicking her out, I just figured I would give her the fucking she wanted. It was the first time I'd been with a woman since I got back to the States. Maybe I would have been thinking better if I wasn't so horny. Anyway, I fucked her and afterwards she just got dressed and left."

Frank flipped the pork chops and added in the chopped vegetables. Everything simmered loudly for a few seconds and he looked at it critically as he added spices.