Nightingale

She felt eyes on her and glanced behind Victor to see Gerry Jackson watching her. JJ, as he was called behind his back, always seemed to be watching her, which made her feel uncomfortable. He knew she was Victor's girlfriend. He really needed to find a girlfriend of his own, she thought.

Gerry held up his test as well with a smile. She smiled politely at his seventy-five percent, then looked back to Victor, who had a sneer on his lips as he whispered something to Wally. The big guy sat in front of Victor to block Mr. Haley's view of him.

She glanced to where Victor was looking and saw Raph Graves talking with Mr. Haley. She'd heard Victor go on about what a loser he was. According to him, Raph's mother was a stripper and a prostitute. He also worked shit jobs after school, so he couldn't join the football or baseball teams, which to Victor was the definition of a loser.

When Mr. Haley announced he was giving extra points for question four if they hadn't been earned already, she looked at what she'd received for her answer and grinned as she saw her grade would now increase to ninety-six percent.

Victor was frowning as he'd already gotten the points. Wally was cheering his pass, and JJ was shaking his seventy-seven percent at his big friend.

Raph was returning to his chair, and she quickly let her eyes slide down his body. Even though he didn't join any organized sports, his body was lean and hard. She admired his powerful hands. She caught his eye and smiled, but he just slid his eyes away from hers and sat with his back to her. She was a little surprised by how standoffish he was. Couldn't he spare a smile? What would it have cost him to smile in return? I mean, really?

Contrary to her boyfriend's opinion of him, she knew Raph got top grades as she'd spied on his test results in each of the classes they shared. Especially for pre-calculus, where she was desperately struggling. That course was her biggest worry. If she didn't do something quickly, it was going to drag her grade point average down.

"Hey! Space Cadet! It's time to go!" Victor teased her as she was lost in thought. He was giving her that look, which told her he thought she was a flake. She frowned, and his expression immediately cleared as he knew she'd caught him.

"Did you complete your calculus assignment?" she asserted as she stood with her books clutched to her chest. This prevented JJ from ogling her breasts.

Victor squirmed and shook his head. "Nah. I'll work on it later."

"It's due tomorrow!" she exclaimed.

"I got enough of it done to get a passing grade," he said confidently. "Come on; I'll drive you home." He glanced back at JJ and Wally. "See you later, losers."

"Bite me!" JJ replied with a grin.

"Loser? I passed!" Wally complained.

Sam let Victor guide her out into the hall with his arm possessively over her shoulder. They made their way to his locker, then hers. She exchanged her books and gathered her homework, then they went out to the parking lot. Victor's car was a sweet, customized Civic. She knew he and the boys worked on it constantly to get extra performance out of it. All she knew was that it looked good, and they looked good in it. It also beat riding the bus.

Victor had tried to get her into the back seat a few times, but so far, she'd fended him off. She wasn't ready, and he said he'd wait.

She felt a thrill rush through her as he drove them through the quiet back streets to get her to her house up on the hill. The homes up here were grander than those in the surrounding community and more secluded. They passed Victor's place on their way to the top. He pulled into her driveway, turned off the ignition, and turned to face her.

"Hey, are you available to go camping with us this weekend? A bunch of us are going," he looked at her hopefully, his eyes full of innocence.

"A bunch? Who?" she asked with a smile on her lips.

"Some guys from the team and some ladies from the squad," he said, running his fingers through her hair in the way he knew she liked.

She gently eased his hand out of her hair before the tingles he was giving her made her make a poor decision. "It's Wednesday; I didn't hear any of my ladies say they were going camping this weekend." She was the head cheerleader, after all. The squad did nothing without her say so.

Victor's eyes slid away to some invisible spot on the interior ceiling as he changed his approach. "Well, if you said you were going, I'm sure a bunch of the others would come along."

"Ahhh, there it is," she smirked as his ploy was revealed. No doubt, he and the team would expect to get lucky while inside those tents. "No. I have to study this weekend. Next week we have midterms! Starting with chemistry! Besides, it's going to be cold this weekend. It isn't summer yet."

"Cold weather camping is the best! You can snuggle in the sleeping bags to stay warm," he insisted.

She grinned at him. "Right. Snuggle. That's what you have in mind."

"Sure! Snuggle. If that leads to anything else, I'm sure that would be wonderful too. Come on; it'll be fun!" he pleaded.

"Not gonna happen," she said with a sweet smile. When he pouted, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his. His arms went around her, and the kiss deepened until she pushed back on his chest. She gasped as her head was spinning, and her body was screaming at her to keep going. She knew she had to nip that in the bud as if she gave in to her lust, all her plans would derail. That wouldn't do.

"Why did you stop? I can tell you wanted more," Victor sighed as he looked at the heat in Sam's blue eyes.

"I want a lot of things, but they have to come in the right order, or they cause a lot of problems. Of course, I want to keep kissing you—AH AH! No." She pushed him back. "You're a great kisser, and I look forward to enjoying more of that, but right now, I have to go inside and get started on my calculus assignment."

He snorted and grinned at her. "Get started?!? You were scolding me, and you haven't even started?"

It was her turn to pout. "You could always help me with it."

"Sorry, babe. I have to... help my old man with some shit tonight. Off you go! Getter done!" he teased.

Sam eased herself out of his car with a sigh and stood back as he reversed quickly out of the drive and sped away. With another pout, she went inside. She smiled at Maria, their housekeeper, as the woman put on her coat to leave.

"Did you have a good day, Ms. Harris?" the older woman asked.

Sam couldn't get the woman to use her given name and stopped trying. "Yes, and you?"

The Hispanic woman grinned and nodded, then she glanced dramatically from side to side. "I believe Mr. Harris is smoking cigars in his study again. I had to clean the smoke from the window glass, and there is a burn mark on the window sill. But you didn't hear it from me."

Smiling widely, Sam nodded to the housekeeper and opened the door for her. "Have a good night."

The woman stopped on the doorstep. "Oh! Mrs. Harris called to say she would be late at the hospital, and Mr. Harris said he is entertaining out-of-town guests and will also be late." She gave Sam a sympathetic look but just got a shrug in return.

"Good thing, I have all this homework. You wouldn't happen to know anything about calculus, would you?" Sam asked.

Maria burst into giggles and patted Sam's arm before she turned and walked away. Sam closed and locked the door.

First things first. She walked into her father's office, and sure enough, she smelled the stench of a cigar under the cloying scent of air freshener. She walked over to the window sill and there was the small scorch mark from where he set the cigar down. She'd talk to him later after she spoke to mom.

She made her way upstairs to her room and got her homework out. It sucked that Victor wouldn't even try to help her out with this as she really needed some assistance.

Thinking about him, she recalled the kiss in his car, and her nipples stiffened as a tingle started below.

Shit. She'd never be able to concentrate on her assignment now. She needed to take care of this first.

She went to the bathroom and collected the laundry bag. Carrying it down to the laundry room off the kitchen, she loaded the clothes into the washer. She set the machine to heavy-duty cycle and listened to determine if she was, indeed, alone. Nodding to herself, she started the washer.

The machine hissed as water began to fill the tub, and while she waited, she slowly rubbed her fingers over her tingling nether regions through her jeans. She sighed and closed her eyes. Soon, the machine began its slow roll and thump, so she pressed the corner of the big appliance between her legs.

"Ohhh yesssss..." she sighed as the vibrations spread through her tender flesh.

The machine began to speed up, and the sensations strengthened to keep pace.

"Mmmm, fuck!" she moaned and leaned forward a little more to press the hard surface more firmly against her sensitive nub. "Oooooo—fuck!"

As the vibrations brought her closer and closer, she replayed Victor's kiss in her mind and felt her body respond. She pinched a nipple through her top and gasped, wishing it was Victor doing that.

No! She couldn't talk herself into compromising her plan. Fuck, she was so close!

His lips on hers. His hands on her body, his tongue, oh FUCK!

The washer was buzzing along happily, and she rode the corner hard, grinding herself up and down, feeling herself gush in her panties. She closed her eyes again and felt him against her, his hard muscles, his... Hah! Ah!

Unbidden as she crested through her release, her mind flashed an image of a dark-haired man with smooth tanned skin, dark eyes, and a sensual mouth. Those eyes were watching her with an intensity that sent sparks shooting through her limbs. She threw back her head as her mouth dropped open.

"FFFFUUUUCCCKKKK!!!!" she wailed as bliss surged through her body.

As quickly as it popped into her head, the image was gone, and Sam's guilt came crashing down on her. She was Victor's girlfriend and should've been thinking of him! Stupid brain!

She gasped and panted until her body began to settle down. She realized she was a mess, so she stripped off her jeans and her soaked panties. She wiped herself as best she could with her shirt then threw it all into the washing machine. She wrapped herself in a towel and rushed upstairs on wobbly legs.

A quick and hot shower later, she slipped into her jammies and settled down at her desk. Dragging open her text, she reviewed the questions. It still felt like some strange, indecipherable code. She turned to her computer and began to research how to answer the problem.

Hours later, she heard the sound of the front door opening. She glanced at the clock and saw it was almost midnight. She groaned as she wasn't finished the bloody assignment.

She dragged herself over to her door and pulled on her dressing gown. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw her father, wearing a stupid grin and an oversized Re-elect Mayor Harris button on his coat. He had a handsome face, great hair, and a great smile. Very photogenic and right now, very drunk.

"Hiii, Bunny! Wutryou doing up this late!" he slurred.

"Daddy, why are you so drunk?" she scolded.

"Guests! I had company from outa town! They're lookin' to invest in our fair town! They also like to partay!" he cheered. Seeing his daughter's scowl, he frowned at her. "Oh, don't be such a stickamud..." He grimaced at his slur and tried again. "Stick in the mud. Woo! I am a little pickled. Goin' ta bed."

He gave her forehead a poorly aimed kiss and walked up the stairs to his bedroom.

"Where's Suzanne!" he bellowed from upstairs.

Sam sighed. "She's still—" she stopped when she saw headlights coming up the driveway. "She's just getting home now."

Moments later, a tall, blonde beauty in a tailored jacket and skirt came in the front door. She looked like a mature version of Sam, and her daughter took great comfort in knowing what she had to look forward to when she got older.

Even at forty, Suzanne Harris' beauty shone through. She was five-foot-ten, an inch taller than her daughter. She was fit with sleek curves, the source of Sam's big blue eyes, full lips, and blonde locks, but she tied her long hair back in a braided ponytail, courtesy of Sam each morning.

The most significant difference between mother and daughter was the air of calm confidence and authority that Suzanne exuded. As a hospital administrator, she managed a group of prima donna surgeons and doctors and kept the hospital functioning at peak efficiency. She likened it to wrangling cats, but she was expert level.

"Hi, baby. What are you doing up?" she asked with a gentle smile.

Sam could see her mom was tired. "Just finishing up some homework."

"Well, it's time for bed," the mother said in her no-arguments voice.

"Yes, mom." She glanced up the stairs. "Daddy just got home, and he's pretty drunk. He was also smoking cigars in his office sometime yesterday."

Suzanne sighed and hugged her daughter before sending her on her way to bed.

Sam entered her bedroom and closed the door. She looked at her homework and sighed wearily. She'd made good progress, but she wasn't sure she had enough completed to get a grade in the nineties. She dragged herself over to her chair and plunked down in it. She needed the points more than a little sleep.

She was unaware when she eventually fell asleep face down on her notes that she'd forgotten to set her alarm.

-=-

Suzanne watched her daughter head upstairs before she walked into Malcolm's office and smelled the poorly hidden cigar stench. She next went into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. Her throat was parched from talking all night, though the meeting had gone very well. They'd be getting the needed funding for the burn ward after all. She'd get that started right away.

Delaying her confrontation with her husband, she went into the laundry room when she saw the light flashing on the washer. She opened the lid and moved the damp clothes to the dryer. Leaning over the machine to get the last items at the bottom, she rested her palm on its corner, and her hand slipped, knocking her against the machine's top. She stood up and scowled at her palm as she felt something slick. She sniffed and picked up an unmistakable scent.

Ah! That's why Sam was doing a load of laundry. She washed her hands in the sink and grabbed a paper towel to clean off the machine. She'd talk with the girl tomorrow about cleaning up after herself to be a little more discreet. Not that Malcolm ever found his way into the laundry room, but just the same.

Sighing, she finally made her way up the stairs and into the dark master bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her.

"Hey, beautiful!" came a slurred voice from the bed. "Sa-bout time you got here. Come to papa."

Suzanne shuddered. She hated it when he was drunk as he became creepy too. "You're drunk."

"Juss a liddle. Come ta bed, baby. Papa's got somethin' for ya."

Ugh. That killed the mood for her. "Go to sleep."

"Aww, don't be like that!"

Suzanne got undressed and slipped her nighty on before she felt hands grab her ass. She slapped them away. "Don't!" she growled.

"What the hell! Can't a guy appreciate his woman?" he growled in return.

"Not when he reeks of whiskey and cigars. Couldn't you at least take a shower and brush your teeth before trying to paw me?"

In the dim light of the room, she saw him turn away and head back to bed.

"Fuck it. I tried. Way to kill the mood," he grumbled before dropping face down onto the bed.

She made her way into the bathroom with shaking hands. She clasped them together to still them, then washed her face and brushed her teeth. Coming back out into the bedroom, she heard the buzz of his drunken snores, and another tremor went through her body. She left the room and went to sleep in the guest room. Closing the door, she moved to the bed and got under the blankets.

As she lay staring up at the ceiling, she once more wondered what happened to the man she married. He'd been smart and ambitious but also had integrity and class. His smile could win over almost any opponent, and when that didn't work, he could talk his way out of most situations with his intellect.

These days it was his ambition that seemed to be overshadowing his other traits. He was still a great talker, but what he was saying was less about improving the community and more about increasing his status in it.

They hadn't made love in months, and when he'd come back from these drunken binges, he was always horny. She was starting to wonder if he'd cheated on her, but she had no evidence of it.

Sighing, she flipped onto her side and tried to get to sleep. She had to ignore her own needs once again.

She wondered if there was any more laundry left to do and snorted to herself.

Chapter 3

Raph was on his way to the bus stop when he heard his name called out. He glanced back and sighed. It was his neighbor, Roxanne Sparks.

She caught up to him and jumped up against his chest to kiss him. While she stood only five-foot-four and her petite body was pretty light, he was caught by surprise by her leap. He dropped his backpack to hold her against himself with both arms. She purred into their kiss as she felt his hands on her body.

When he managed to pry her from his chest and get her tongue out of his mouth, he slid her down his body to put her back on her feet. She was grinning madly up at him, and he wondered just how accurate that phrase was for her. He knew from experience that her mood swings were as violent as they came. She'd dropped him as her boyfriend with a tirade of raging screams as many times as she'd suddenly announced he was now hers once more with the sweetest of voices.

He'd told her straight to her face that he wasn't interested in having a girlfriend, but his protests fell on deaf ears... or potentially crazy ones.

She was petite all over, had crazy black hair in a cut that just reached the top of her shoulders, soulful (if sometimes mad) brown eyes, deep dimples on each cheek when she smiled, and a perpetual smirk on her lips like she'd just played a cruel prank on you that you hadn't discovered yet.

Raph picked up his backpack once more. "I'm going to be late for school, Roxy. What do you want? And didn't you break up with me two days ago? I think this time, you called me a heartless bastard."

Roxanne rolled her lovely eyes and grinned at him. "Silly man! You know I wasn't serious when I said that!"

He frowned then turned to keep walking to the bus stop. She quickly moved to walk next to him.

"You aren't mad at me, are you?" she asked cautiously.

He sighed. "No, Roxy. Not mad. Just tired of dealing with your shit."

"I'm sorry, baby! You know I can't help getting a little mixed up from time to time. I missed you!" she said as she clung to his free arm.

He looked down into her wide eyes and knew she was right. She did have a lot of emotional baggage from all the shit she went through when she was younger. Bad shit. Cancer, probably from her parent's heavy smoking. She lost some important inside parts to the disease and wouldn't ever have kids of her own. Then her Dad died and her fucking step-dad raped—

Raph closed his eyes and took slow even breaths to calm the rage surging through him.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Roxanne asked, feeling his hard muscles tremble with unspent adrenalin. She bit her lip as his body did things to hers. God, she thought he was so fucking hot! She wanted to feel him inside her again!

He opened his eyes and looked down at her once more. She had that hungry look in her eye again. Shit. He couldn't do anything about that. He was going to miss his bus!