Laura's Fire

At this point Tommy was gesturing to her to shut up, and she was confused but steered the interview away from him.

No, she didn't want to be photographed for the paper. Yes, they could go and photograph the place where her house had been.

"It's best if they don't write anything about me," Tommy said as she ended the call. "I'm not sure it would be good for you."

"Oh?" she said. "But you did save me."

"Yeah. But Billy Thompson for one won't be pleased if he finds out you're staying in my place."

"Really?" she asked. "Isn't that a bit paranoid?"

"I hope it's just that," he said gloomily.

She had another nightmare the following night. She couldn't remember the dream, but woke up sitting in her bed again, terrified. Apparently she'd also been screaming again, because he came to her just as he'd done the previous night.

"It's alright, Laura," he kept saying. "It was a dream, you're alright."

She didn't cry, this time, but she was shivering and it was difficult to let him go.

"Would you come sleep with me?" he asked. "My bed is bigger."

"Well, okay," she said and they padded along the dark corridor to his bedroom and curled into his bed together. He fell asleep quite quickly, but she laid awake in the dark for a long time, listening to his breathing, feeling the warmth of his body so close to hers.

On Sunday they talked of things that needed taking care of. Laura needed to have a locksmith to come open up her car and make her a new set of keys, because her previous ones had perished in the fire. That would give her her own set of wheels to run errands with. She needed a new ID to be able to withdraw money from her account and then there was a shitload of everything to buy, clothes and toiletries to begin with. Tommy offered again to buy it for her and she declined again.

In the evening he asked if she'd like to come sleep in his bed instead of the guest room. She hesitated, feeling it made her seem a little clingy. Then again she seemed to have nightmares and it was probably more of an inconvenience to get up in the middle of the night to come to her, right? So she accepted.

He was reading a book she'd read earlier, and she commented on it.

"Oh?" he said. "Will you spoil the end for me now?"

"I wouldn't do that," she said. "But it is interesting, maybe we can discuss it afterwards."

"I'd like that," he said. "I haven't had anyone to talk with in a while. About books, anyway."

"Yeah, we've read loads of the same ones," she said, then realized she had exposed herself and continued, "Yes, I've been taking notice of what you've been borrowing. I guess I've been interested in you, as well."

He seemed a little shaken by this and didn't immediately reply. Laura thought of the library, and then she moaned in exasperation.

"What is it?" Tommy asked.

"It's stupid," she answered. "You know I've ordered a few magazines to the library, and I had the latest issue of one home with me, and now I realized it's burned and I have to process the loss of property. And it's...it's a bit embarrassing."

"Embarrassing how?" he asked, totally oblivious.

"Well it was an...adult entertainment magazine," she said and nearly blushed.

She wasn't ashamed of her sexuality but she definitely didn't want to discuss it with Molly or their boss Michael. Leaving a mark of it in the form of lost property notice felt uncomfortable, even when they weren't likely to ever read it.

"Oh, right," he said. "Well what if you replace it? Buy a new one?"

"Well going to Karen's bookstore to ask for one isn't much of an improvement, is it?" she asked and smirked.

"What about somewhere else, then?" he asked. "You know I'm going to Cleveland on Thursday, what if I'll bring you one from there? Or you could come with me if you wanna."

"Oh, maybe I will," she said.

She thought she'd rather buy it herself, it would be embarrassing enough. And the thought of driving to Cleveland with him didn't feel bad, either.

He had a few other books on his nightstand as well. A few of them she hadn't read and she asked him to recommend one to her. He recommended a book called "Darker Matters" and she accepted. It turned out to be very good, and they lay reading for an hour or so before turning out the lights. It was really nice, it was what she usually did by nights but nicer. It was easy to be with Tommy, he was present but didn't suck the oxygen out of the room the way some people did. He was also accustomed to being alone and was capable of minding his own business, not having to maintain constant conversation over nothing the way for example Molly did.

They switched the lights off and settled down.

"Can I hold you?" he asked.

"Think I won't have a nightmare if you do?" she asked.

"I don't know about that, but I would still like to," he said. "I kinda like not sleeping alone."

"Oh," she said, surprised. "Well, sure. I'm just not used to sleeping with anyone."

"Me neither," he said and crawled closer to cuddle with her. "But I still like to."

It was nice. It was the same easy tenderness they'd shared that morning, and somehow being in the dark made it even nicer. She settled close to him and thought she could get used to it. It made her restless, it felt like too much to ask, but she was tired and so she didn't fight it but fell asleep with him.

She did have nightmares. She kept waking up with a jolt and a whimper but he was always close, he stirred and pulled her closer. He murmured softly something not really intelligible, but the intent was clear, and he was so comforting she let go of the dread easily and sank back under.

-#-#-#-#-#-

The next week started off bad and turned worse. The story about her fire was on the Monday issue of the local paper, and it mentioned Tommy as the one who rescued Laura and called the fire department to rescue. The locksmith Laura got for her car turned out to be Billy Thompson's cousin. They went to town together to run errands, and the reception alternated from unfriendly to openly hostile wherever they went.

On Tuesday they were at the library when Billy showed up. He was mean and demeaning, provoking Tommy, trying to pick a fight. Tommy stayed silent. Billy didn't want to get into an open altercation inside the library and finally he left, but when they got to the car it had a lump of his snot on the windscreen and to the dust on the back window he had written "Get Lost!!".

Tommy was gloomy and discouraged, Laura was bristling with anger. She had never liked Billy, who was a bully even as he hadn't been among her bullies being five years older, but she had never had such an open trouble with him before.

"It's best if you go alone," Tommy said on Wednesday morning when Laura needed to get to the police station for her new ID. "There's just going to be trouble if someone sees you with me."

"Well, okay," she said although she wasn't happy about it. "Need something from town?"

"Nah, I'm good," he said and so she left.

Everyone treated her much the same way they usually did, like she was invisible. There was some whispering behind her back, though. She stopped by the library to have a word with Molly.

Molly's opinion seemed to be that she just shouldn't fraternize with ones like Tom. Laura almost got angry with exasperation, snapping that she would be dead if Tommy had decided to keep his distance. Molly didn't have a comeback to that.

She got her ID, cash, new credit card. She had thought of getting some clothes but now she was so annoyed she just drove back home.

Wait. Not home. Tommy's place.

He suggested they'd drive to Cleveland already that night. He had quite an early appointment with his parole officer and they would need to leave really early to make it, if they waited until Thursday.

"Will Patchy be alright here alone?" he asked.

"When are we coming back?" asked Laura, touched that he'd be concerned for Patchy. "Tomorrow evening? Sure, he'll manage. Are we taking Goldie with us?"

"Yeah, she usually comes with me."

"Alright, I'll just set some food and water out for Patchy and we can go."

They took Tommy's car. Goldie hopped to the back and they started towards Cleveland. Laura noticed a change in Tommy's demeanor, he relaxed, smiled more and got more talkative as they put more distance between them and their hometown. He wanted to listen to the radio and sing along. He was so goofy it made her smile, and soon she was singing along as well.

As they were nearing Cleveland he suggested they'd go by the motel first, he had a place he frequented that was dog friendly, and they could leave Goldie there and go to the mall to buy some clothes for her. She thought it was a good idea. The clerk at the motel signed her up as "Mrs. Holstein" and it made her smile, although she suspected this was the kind of joint where a man could come with a different "Mrs" every night and the clerk wouldn't raise an eyebrow.

Tommy seemed to have the same idea, as he asked apologetically if she would've wanted to go somewhere neater.

"I mean, I know it's a dump, but it's cheap and the sheets are clean," he said. "And they allow pets. It's been good enough for me and Goldie, I didn't think it through."

"Nah, it's alright," she said. "I'm not fussy."

They had fun at the mall. They bought her all the essentials and he lavishly complimented everything she tried on. She noticed how tangible the difference was when nobody was suspicious or hostile towards him, and while she was at it she realized nobody paid much attention to her birthmark. She was usually so self conscious about it she scurried around hunched, focused only on herself, thinking everyone was staring at her. Now that she had started to observe clerks and other customers for their attitudes she noticed they didn't really care. They registered it, their eyes went from her eyes to her cheek and back, but they were indifferent, disinterested.

They ate at a restaurant at the mall. The waiter said they were "a cute couple," and it made her blush a little. She was sure it was just an empty compliment in hope of a larger tip, but it made her happy anyway.

On the way back to the car they passed a bookstore.

"Want to ask if they have your magazine?" he asked.

"Yeah, right," she said. "Might as well. Wanna wait here? Or go to the car?"

"Why? Can't I come with you?" he asked, puzzled.

"Well, I," she stuttered. "I thought it'd be embarrassing."

"For you or for me?" he asked.

They shared a look.

"Well it's a...lesbian magazine," she said. He smiled.

"So? Getting prudish?" he said.

She laughed and turned to the bookstore, taking him by the hand.

They did have the magazine. The clerk wasn't that interested in who was buying it.

They got back to the motel and went to take Goldie out for a walk. There was a path behind the motel leading to a suburb of small houses, not grand and flashy but well kept anyway. Nobody paid any attention to them and they walked for half an hour before getting back to the motel. It was nice to walk with him, nice to be out and about in general now that she had proper shoes again, and a jacket and accessories to shield her from the cold. They matched their steps to one another and chatted about this and that.

They were lounging in bed, just about getting ready to sleep when there started to be distinct voices from the adjacent room. It sounded like a couple having sex loudly and boisterously, and they looked at each other, first raising their eyebrows and then starting to giggle.

"Oh, God," said Tommy. "I'm sorry. I definitely should've picked something classier now that you're with me."

"Oh, don't worry," she said. "With that pace they won't last very long."

They listened. With all the moaning and wailing Laura thought she must be a prostitute, it sounded so fake, exaggerated.

"Spank me daddy!" she squealed. "Harder!"

Laura tried to keep from laughing and Tommy seemed embarrassed. She had been right in her prediction, though, and it wasn't that long until the voices went quiet and soon they heard the door open and close.

"Oh, wow," Tommy said. "Not really a turn on, was it?"

"No," she agreed. "Sounded all kinds of fake."

"Speaking of sex, can I see your magazine?" he asked.

"Well if you want to," she said and got up to get it.

Tommy paged through the magazine. There were sensual pictures of women with women and short stories of the same subject matter. He eyed through them and occasionally he glanced at her curiously.

"You into women?" he asked.

"Maybe," she said. "I like that magazine, anyway. It's not difficult to identify with female satisfaction. And so much of porno is so...pornoish."

"I won't argue with that," he said. "And it's true this is beautiful."

He looked at one picture. There was a woman posing in the nude, her arms behind her head, back arched, hair flowing down on her breasts.

"That looks like you," Tommy said.

She snorted. "Like hell it does."

"It does," he insisted. "It's just professionally lighted. Want me to show you?"

"Show me what?" she asked curiously.

"Come here," he said, getting out of bed.

He went to the long mirror near the door, then glanced at the window.

"Oh, yeah, better close the curtains," he said. "Or do you like to be watched?"

"Definitely not," she said. "I don't even like to be watched fully clothed."

He let it slide, he just looked at her nicely. He closed the curtains and walked back to where she was standing by the mirror. He killed the main light and only left the small bedside lamps on, and then he turned her towards the mirror, standing behind her.

It was a strange feeling to have his eyes on her via the mirror when she could also see herself looking at herself. He slid his hands under her sweater, it was one of his, she still had his clothes on and not the new ones from the mall. He caressed her abdomen slowly, then slid his hands upwards and took the sweater off, dragging the t-shirt with it, his clothes were so loose on her they came off easily.

Her skin looked smooth and peachy in the dim light. He reached for her hair and gently removed the loop holding her hair up, she always wore a ponytail with some hair left loose to frame her face in a futile attempt to cover her birthmark. He let the hair flow free, combing through it gently with his fingers. Then he looked at the mirror and put his hands back on her hips.

He kept his eyes on her in the mirror and started to alter her posture. His hands were heavy and gentle and slow, he slid them up her sides, touching the side of her boobs but not her nipples. They got harder anyway, maybe they were hopeful. He continued up to her armpits, guiding her arms up, bending them behind her head like the model in the magazine. He swept down through her hair, guiding it to hang down to her breasts, and while hers wasn't as long as the model's the effect was much the same. He turned her head a little up and to the side, tilted it just a little, slid his hands down again, turning her a little sideways towards the mirror. Finally he slid down to her waist and made her arch her back a little, so that her breasts stood out more and her stomach suddenly appeared smaller.

He looked at her via the mirror, his eyes heavy and dark. "You see it now?"

She did. It was the same pose as in the picture, the light was low enough to create shadows on her skin and make it look flawless, soft, peachy. She still didn't think she looked the same as the model, but she did look breathtakingly beautiful. Completely not like herself.

She met his eyes in the mirror. He slid his hands over her abdomen, pressing closer to her. When her back was arched like that her ass was pushed out, and he pressed his pelvis against her. She could feel he was hard.

He moved her left arm down from behind her head slowly, his other hand still on her lower abdomen, and kissed her shoulder from behind. She let out a small sigh and pressed closer against him when he kissed slowly towards her neck.

It was really arousing to see them in the mirror, see him kissing her neck while feeling his lips on her skin. See his big hands on her body, see and feel how he slowly approached her breasts, pushed them up and together gently. See how he cupped them, searched for her nipples with his thumbs and index fingers and tweaked them, lightly but just enough.

She looked at her own eyes, amazed at the lust showing from them. So that was what she looked like when she was aroused.

She realized he had molded the pose so that the cheek with the birthmark was turned towards the mirror. And that her hair, flowing down her neck and to her upper chest above her breast circled around the birthmark, leaving it in plain sight. And that this wasn't even like it had been in the magazine but the reverse, so he hadn't even done it to just simulate the photo.

She turned to him sharply and kissed him so passionately he was lost for a second, but then he matched her haste. She tore the clothes off him and kicked her own trousers off as best she could, it was relatively easy, as they were his and loose around her smaller frame. He pulled her body against him, his hands on her back, ass, everywhere, his mouth hot and hungry.

They scrambled towards the bed, groping each other, so urgent. They keeled over and she spread her legs, searched for him with her hand, guided him, she wanted him inside her right now. She was so wet and he was so hard, it was a perfect match, he pushed in with one long, slow stroke, and they both moaned. He pulled out and pushed back in, faster, then faster still, she arched her head back and panted, "Yes, oh my God, yes".

He yelped and made a sudden half thrust in the middle of pulling out, she let out a surprised little sound, and then he did pull out, all the way.

"Goldie, goddamn," he said, exasperated. He got out of the bed and commanded the dog into the bathroom, closing the door after it. He turned back towards her and said, dismayed, "She put her nose to my ass!"

"What a nosy bitch!" she said and then they burst out laughing.

He walked back to her, he wasn't laughing anymore but smiling brightly. He looked at her, she was still laying down, although she had pulled her legs together when he left the bed. He put his hand out and pulled her up.

She rose, curious, and he guided her back down but on her hands and knees. He got on his knees behind her and searched for her with his cock, and she tilted her hips when he started to push in. He pushed in slowly, all the way to the bottom of her, then out as slowly, until only his head was inside. It touched a whole range of different spots now, and it felt like it went deeper. He held her hips with his big warm hands, his grip firm but gentle.

"This alright?" he asked and pushed slowly back in.

"Oh yes," she said. Or sighed.

He kept the movement but picked up the speed, long strokes, all the way. She whimpered and pushed back against him, it felt so good, so very good. Her breasts were swinging from the power of his thrusts and she lowered her upper body. Her stiff nipples rubbed against the fabric of the blanket and it felt absolutely wonderful. It also made his penis feel in yet another way, and she moaned softly. He was breathing heavily, almost panting.

She remembered the couple in the next room and how different they had sounded. But it brought an idea to her mind, and she said, playfully, "Spank me, daddy!"

She wasn't all serious, it was just a joke from the earlier couple. He chortled and slowed down a little, his hands still on her hips. He slowed to a very slow rhythm and massaged her buttocks, and then he slapped her right cheek a little.

It wasn't that hard, he didn't really hit her, but it wasn't a caress. It stung a little, and she jolted. She didn't feel violated, but whatever feelings erotic novels used to associate to spanking weren't there for her. He put his hand on her butt cheek again, and then he stopped moving altogether. He pulled out of her and she let out a disappointed little grunt. And then he leaned closer and kissed her ass, right where he had slapped her.