Love is for Suckers

Joe did tell me that I'd seriously affected a lot of the guys during the tour though.

"Mona, sometimes when you'd wash a car in a tank top or a T-shirt and you'd lean over the car with those big old titties trying to pop out of your shirt, I'd have to go take a shower," he said. "It's not like the models. Most of them are tiny little girls with fake tits that just don't move like yours. Those girls have more plastic in their bodies than the cars do and almost as much paint. Their smiles are as fake as their tits. But sometimes, I'd watch you waxing and the movement of your arms caused your ass to jiggle or worse cause those nipples to stick out. I'm telling you, if I wasn't afraid of what Matthews would do to my career, I'd have fucked you."

The funniest thing about it was that after having the conversation with Joe, I wasn't horny any more. As a matter of fact it was just the opposite. I started to realize that the guys I'd considered to be like brothers were just as bad as all the rest. I'd given them the benefit of the doubt because they hadn't made any moves on me and because we shared a love of cars. But in reality, they were just as bad as the other guys and maybe worse. These guys had so many hot, available women around them that most of them didn't value women at all. To them a nice car was something to be cherished and taken care of, but women were just another commodity to be used and tossed aside when you were done with it, like tire gel or car wax.

More and more my fantasies turned towards the only man who had ever treated me like more than that. Unfortunately, he was the worst person in the world for me to be hung up on.

Professor Matthews was what I considered a fool. He was just like my dad. He was so hung up on his wife that nothing would ever come between them. He didn't even travel with the tour. He just flew in for the major shows because he couldn't tear himself away from that bitch long enough. She'd come to a couple of the major shows with him. I hated her on sight. She didn't like or know anything about cars. I didn't even like the way she looked. She was thin to the point of being emaciated. Like one of those former runway models. The car show girls looked like aliens next to her. She was so tanned, she almost looked black and all of her clothes looked like they came straight out of a magazine. Even her shoes had patterns and she always looked like she was bored to death.

I guess if I had to be truthful, I was probably just jealous of her because Brandon Matthews followed her around like a lost puppy hanging on her every word. I hoped he ended up better than my dad did.

Fortunately, I didn't have to see her very often and the summer ended and with it the tour. I settled back into school and didn't run into Mr. Matthews again.

My second year of school was a disaster. There's no other word to describe it. As I've already said, I was on scholarship probation. I had to get my grades up or lose my scholarship. I tried, I really tried, but my academic foundation from high school was terrible. There were simply too many things that most students had learned that I hadn't. When the semester ended in January, my scholarship wasn't renewed. My only option was to get a job and try to pay my own way.

My classes were far more expensive than I'd ever thought. Couple that with the fact that, all of a sudden, I had more expenses than I'd ever dreamed of and you'll begin to see the problems I faced. At twenty two years old, I'd never been on my own. What might have seemed like good money when I was working in a gas station but living with my aunt was nowhere near enough to support myself and still go to school. Even when I got a roommate, it was sometimes a choice between paying my share of the rent and having enough money to buy food. I really began to miss my aunt. Even putting up with my cousins would have been better than what I was forced to endure.

By spring, my roommate had bailed on me and I couldn't afford the rent. I had enough money for food but I wasn't saving any and I didn't have a place to stay. I tried to find another job but on a college campus where every student is looking for a part time job, there simply weren't enough jobs to go around.

I thought I had gotten a break when one of the guys I'd worked with on the team the previous summer ran into me as he was coming out of a bar. He stayed in an apartment off campus and told me that I could sleep on his couch for a while.

I thought that I'd gotten lucky. I figured I'd keep his apartment clean and cook for him for a week or two. That would enable me to save up a couple of paychecks. I could use that money to get an apartment of my own and then find a good roommate.

He also thought that he got lucky. He didn't care about having his meals cooked or his apartment cleaned. He started hinting and rubbing against me. Finally he just came out and told me what he wanted. For the first time I started to balk.

"But what about what professor Matthews told you guys?" I asked him.

"Matthews doesn't matter anymore," he smirked. "He's a drunk, fuck him. He can barely remember his way to his classroom or his lab."

That put me into shock. I started thinking about it. I hadn't actually seen him in a long time. I wondered what could have sent him over the edge. In the back of my mind, I had an idea, but I hoped that I was wrong.

I gave in and let the guy have what he wanted. After all, it earned me a spot on a nice soft warm couch. But as he drooled and humped away at me, my mind was miles away. My plans to stay with him for a couple of weeks were also uprooted. The second night, he had a few friends over. They were really nerdy guys so I felt safe. I went out and told him that I'd be back by around midnight, thinking that his friends would be gone. When I got back most of them were drunk. He was also pissed at me. I wondered why he was pissed.

"Uhm, I need you to do me a favor," he said.

"Like what?" I asked.

"Like you did for me last night," he said. "No one will ever know."

I sighed. "As soon as your friends leave," I said, hoping they'd leave and we could just get it over with.

"That's not it," he said. "It's not me. It's them. Just hang out with us for a little bit and let's see what happens."

What happened was they got me drunk and fucked me. I don't remember any of it. I was never big on alcohol but even so, they might have put something in my drinks because I had no memory of anything that happened. I just woke up the next morning feeling awful. I was sore between my legs and I had a headache. My roommate couldn't even look me in the eye.

I didn't say a word. I just went to work since I couldn't afford to get fired as well. When I got back that night, he gave me the bad news. He'd offered to let me stay with him because he'd broken up with his girlfriend. They were getting back together so I had to leave the next day. I wanted to cry. It just seemed like I couldn't get a break.

After work the next day, I hung out at a bus stop for the whole night. I put my things in one of the large lockers and kept the key in my pocket. I kept getting up and checking the schedule every time one of the guards would come by. I had to find a place to stay.

The next night, after work, I was walking by a restaurant and a guy came running down the street after me. He was one of the guys from the impromptu party the other night. While he was talking to me, the guys that he'd been hanging out with came up behind us too. They asked me if I wanted to hang out with them and I told them no.

"Why not?" he asked. He actually looked hurt.

"You only want me to hang out with you so you can try to get me drunk and rape me again," I said, louder than they were comfortable with.

"That wasn't rape, you loved it," he snapped.

"I was so drunk that I couldn't object to it," I said. "Is that the only way you losers can get a girl?"

"No, I'll show you another way," he said. He grabbed my arm and pushed me into the alley. One of his friends grabbed my other arm and put his hand over my mouth so I couldn't scream. I kicked and bit and scratched at them but there were three of them and all of them were bigger than me.

They knocked me down onto the ground in the alley but I kept fighting. They started trying to pull my jeans down and then it happened. A voice came out of the darkness of the alley. "Hey, you assholes, leave that girl alone."

They looked up in surprise and ran off into the night. The man who'd yelled at them staggered over to me. He didn't look nearly as solid as he'd sounded. I think that if they'd gotten a good look at him, they probably wouldn't have stopped what they were doing.

I was so grateful for his help that I didn't care who he was, I wanted to hug him, drunk or not. Then I took a closer look at him and wanted to cry.

He looked like he hadn't shaved in three or four days. His clothes were disheveled and unkempt. He had a paper bag in one hand that obviously contained a bottle of liquor of some kind. But it was Brandon Matthews or what was left of him.

He fell down beside me in the muck of the alley. "Professor Matthews. Thanks," I said.

"M not a professor," he said. "My friend the Dean tol' me t' take some time off, maybe a month an' get it together r' else," he slurred.

"Well, you're still a professor to me and a hero," I said.

He gave a little salute and then stared at me. "You're cute," he slurred.

"Professor, don't you recognize me?" I asked. "I'm Mona Fullerton."

"Mona Fullerton has incredible breasts," he slurred. I looked at him and he was asleep in the muck of the alley. I reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. His driver's license had his address on it. I vaguely knew where his house was but having the address helped. I reached into his other pockets until I found his keys. There was a key fob for a car on the ring. I pushed the alarm button and didn't hear anything. I ran to the end of the alley and tried again. Then I heard a chirp-chirp sound.

I looked around and found the car that had issued the sound. It was a beautiful black Mustang GT. I got in the car and started it up. I'd never driven a car like that before. I'd washed a few hundred cars like it over the summer but driving it was another matter. I eased the beast into the alley and dragged Matthews into the passenger seat. Then I backed out of the alley and started for the main roads. As Matthews snored in the seat beside me, I noticed something that might help. The car had a nav system. I turned it on and looked at his stored locations. I pushed the button next to the one labeled home and got directions. I followed the directions and came to Matthews' house. It was a beautiful split level ranch. I pulled the car into the driveway and went up and rang the bell to wait for his wife. I was really not looking forward to arguing with her or explaining why I was bringing her husband home drunk. But after five full minutes when she hadn't come to the door, I realized that she probably wasn't home.

I dragged Matthews out of the car and with one arm around him, got him walking towards the porch. He tripped and fell a couple of times but I finally got him into the house. I put him down on the sofa and went back to lock the car.

I looked around the house until I found the linen closet and brought a blanket to cover him with. The house was slightly cold. It wasn't like there was no electricity more like the furnace was turned down for the night. I looked around the house and finally had to admit that we were alone. I decided that I was at least entitled to something to eat and a place to sleep for the night.

After all, I had managed to get him home. On his own, there was no way he'd have been able to drive that car without possibly killing someone. On the other hand, even drunk, he'd saved me from being gang raped. So maybe we were even.

I looked through the refrigerator and was surprised. The fridge was almost empty except for a bunch of TV dinners and frozen stuff. I wondered why they didn't cook. His wife probably couldn't cook. She definitely didn't seem like the domestic type.

I got a single-serving Stouffer's lasagna and a warm coke. I ate in silence and then joined the sleeping Matthews in the living room.

When I awoke the next morning, he was still asleep. I grabbed the keys from the counter where I'd left them and drove down the street to a convenience store. I bought a dozen eggs, a loaf of bread, a package of bacon and some margarine. As I drove back down the street to the house, I saw an old lady from across the street staring at me as I went back inside. I waved at her and she closed her door quickly.

I started to clean the kitchen and then started making breakfast. I made the eggs on the stove and the bacon in the microwave. I also started the coffee. I called my job and told my boss that I'd been attacked the previous night and probably wouldn't be in. He was fine with it. I know he'd just give the girl that he was screwing extra hours. It was a win-win-win situation. He got more pussy, she got more hours and hence more money and I got more time with Matthews.

It was probably the smell of the food cooking that woke him. But more than likely it was my nearly silent attempt to throw out all of his liquor. Drunks have some sort of special radar when it comes to the sound of their liquor bottles being jiggled or moved.

He staggered into the kitchen looking confused. "How did I get home?" he asked.

Then he looked at me in shock. "Oh please tell me that I didn't..." he said. "Wait a minute. I'm still dressed."

"No professor," I said. "You didn't do anything wrong. In fact you saved me last night."

"I know you don't I?" he said. "But I've never had you in a class. You're Mona right?"

"You said some interesting things about me last night," I smirked. "But I took it as a compliment." He looked away from me.

"Why don't you go and have a shower," I said. "Breakfast is almost ready." He nodded and started looking in cabinets.

"It's all gone," I said. "I already poured most of it down the sink while I cooked. There are a couple of bottles left though."

"I just need one drink, Mona," he said.

"No you don't," I answered. "You need to shower and then come and eat breakfast with me." He nodded like a child and started up the stairs.

I finished making breakfast and set the table. When he came back down the stairs he sat down at the table across from me. He had shaved and cleaned himself up and put on fresh clothes. He looked a lot better.

"Mona, thanks for...for everything," he said.

I just smiled at him and nodded. He ate and looked at me again. "This is really good," he said.

"From the looks of things you're just hungry," I said.

"Mona, what happened last night?" he asked.

"Do you mean between us...?" I asked. "...Or do you want the whole story?"

"Let's go for the deluxe package," he said. "But keep your voice down. You know how loud and animated you get when you're excited." That was a step up. He was beginning to remember things.

"You won't have to worry about that," I told him. I don't have much to be excited over. I told him the whole story of my last few months starting with losing my scholarship and everything leading up to that moment in graphic detail. He just shook his head.

"Who were they?" he asked about the boys from last night. "Do you remember any of them?"

"I could probably find them," I said. "But what's the point? Getting them in trouble won't make my life any better. And thanks to you, nothing serious happened. Even if they had succeeded, they would only have taken by force what others have taken through coercion anyway."

"Do you know Mr. Matthews, up until this point in my life; I don't think I've ever once had sex because I wanted to." He looked at me strangely.

"I guess I'm going to have to re-evaluate the way I think about my mother." He gave me another strange look.

"So what's next for Mona?" he asked. Now it was my turn to look at him.

"Huh?" I asked.

"What's the next step in your plan for world domination, Mona," he asked smiling.

"I don't have a plan," I said quietly. "I was just making it up as I go along."

"How much do you make at your job?" he asked.

"Seven fifty," I said.

"Wow," he said. "Is that gross or net?" I looked at him crazily.

"Is that what you make before taxes or take home?" he asked.

"Uhm before taxes, I guess," I said why.

"So that's still about five to five fifty, take home right?" he said. "That's way more than I can afford."

"What are you talking about Mr. Matthews?" I asked.

"Well Mona, I had an idea," he said. "Actually a couple of ideas but you're way out of my price range. Why the heck are you in college anyway if you're making that kind of money?"

"Mr. Matthews, are you joking with me?" I asked. "Seven dollars and fifty cents per hour is not good money at all." He started laughing at me. Then he handed me the phone.

"I thought you were talking about seven hundred and fifty dollars a week," he said. I laughed too. "Call your boss," he said.

I dialed the station. "Is it ringing?" He asked.

"He just answered," I said.

"Tell him you quit," he said.

"I can't do that," I said, hanging the phone up. "Do you know how hard it is to get a job these days?"

"Mona you don't need a job," he said seriously. "You need a life. I'm giving you two options. Plan A, you move in here with me and take care of the house for me. Your problem so far is that you can't find a job that pays you enough to both pay your rent and eat and pay for your incidentals, right. Here, you'll have room and board, plus I'll pay you a hundred and fifty dollars a week that you can use to buy whatever you want or save towards returning to college in the fall. The winter spring courses are almost over anyway." I looked at him like he was crazy, my mouth just dropped open but I couldn't say anything.

"Plan B," he said. "Is similar, but instead of giving you a certain amount of money, I just cover your costs for school next year. We have probably five months until school starts again. In plan A, you'd probably end up with about thirty six hundred dollars saved which might be enough to cover your tuition and books but at least you'd have the money. Even if you decided not to go back to school, you'd have the cash. With plan B, if you decided to go back to school you'd probably be better off because I'd have promised to cover all of your expenses for a full year of school. You'll have to pick the one that's right for you."

My mind was working at more than a mile a second. I was ready to negotiate how many times a week I'd have to fuck him. Either plan seemed great to me, there was no possible way for me to lose. And for once, I didn't mind having to sleep with the person giving me the offer.

"How is Mrs. Matthews going to handle this?" I asked. From the look on his face I knew I'd screwed up royally. In less than a second, he went from being very close to his former self, back to the broken man I'd seen in the alley last night. It was actually worse because at least last night he had the excuse of being drunk.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I don't know what I said that hurt you. If you tell me, I'll never say it again."

"Mona, Miriam left me a few months ago," he said. "I'm just nothing without her. I guess that's why I started drinking in the first place. I know what it was doing to me. I know that it's wrong, but I just really didn't give a damn. I didn't want to be around people. I didn't want to try to get help, I just wanted to..."

"Fuck that!" I said sharply. I was pissed. "I hate that bitch." When I said it I really didn't know whether I was talking about his wife or my mother. Both of them were really stupid bitches who just didn't know how well they had it. They had both pissed away what most women would die for.