PUNKS Ch. 19: Truth & Consequences

"Danny, what the fuck? Why are you so early?"

"My ex threw me out." Danny was sitting on the floor. He picked himself up. "I'm sorry I woke you. I had no other place to go." He was clearly embarrassed.

"How long have you been crashing on her couch?"

"Ten weeks, I think. Maybe more."

"Can't say I blame her. Did her boyfriend have something to do with this? You guys almost had a fight a few weeks back, right?"

"Fight? I would knock that little weasel's head off. He's a cunt."

"Alright, tough guy, take it easy."

Joe noticed a backpack and a canvas bag. "So what did you do to get your ass booted? Joe smiled. "Did you fuck one of her roommates?"

Danny didn't answer.

"You dog. You did, didn't you?"

"For two months Gloria and June paraded their pussies in front of me. They'd make noise to wake me up... and there they are, in bras and panties like I'm not in the room."

"Who made the first move?"

"Gloria sat on the edge of the couch talking to me, a few weeks ago, the day after I had the beef with Ryan. She said he's a little asshole and she's okay with me staying there. Then she put her hand on my junk. What would you do?"

"Is she hot?"

"Smokin."

"I would have fucked her too."

"I know!"

"That was three weeks ago? How many times did you hit that?"

"How many times can you fuck in three weeks? I hate to be a bother, Joe. You've been good to me, but can you drive me to Westwood to get my shit. I can't take all that stuff on the city bus."

"What do you have there?"

"My clothes, two guitars, and an amp."

"That's it."

"And a box of assorted stuff."

"Give me twenty minutes. We'll go wake those bitches up to move you out. Then I'll buy you breakfast."

"Thanks, man. You're the best."

Joe liked this kid, but his life was a mess. He needed to get his shit together. On the way over, Danny told Joe that these UCLA grad students were fans of Joe's band. He had told them he was working for Joe, but they thought he was full of shit.

Outside the apartment, at 6:10 AM, Joe pounded on the door, once, twice, three times, then he heard female voices.

"Rise and shine campers. We're here to collect Danny's guitars. You threw him out. He needs his stuff." He turned to Danny. "What's your ex's name?"

"Michelle, she's the tall brunette. Glo has the chest. June is the blonde.

There was a man's voice and stirring inside. Joe pounded again, "You can't kick him out and keep his shit. I'm not leaving until we have it."

The inside locks clicked and the door cracked open. One eyeball peaked out. "Holy shit," the man said. Joe jammed his foot in the door so Ryan couldn't close it and pushed hard knocking him back and the door open. He held Danny back with one hand, keeping him in the hallway

Joe quickly scanned stunned roommates. Michelle, Gloria, Ryan, and June. As Danny had stated, Gloria and June were in bras and panties.

"We're here to collect his belongings. There will be no trouble, and we'll be gone as fast as we arrived."

"You're Joe Theroux." Ryan said.

"Yeah, I know who the fuck I am. May we come in?"

"Yes," Michelle said.

Joe stepped through the door. Danny followed.

"Go grab your shit, kid. Pile it up in the hallway. Don't forget anything, cuz I'm not coming back."

"Michelle?" Joe pointed at the tall brunette.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for giving my boy a place to crash. Being an ex and all, you didn't have to do that. He overstayed his welcome a bit. He's sorry."

"He slept with my roommate?"

"Gloria?" Joe looked at her big tits.

"Yes?"

"How many times did you fuck Danny?"

She stood silent, a little embarrassed, while Danny moved his guitars into the hallway.

He looked back at Michelle. "Are yu gonna kick her out too? Sex is a two way street."

Michelle looked at her feet.

"People fuck! Big deal. Look at you, cute girls in underwear. What did you think was going to happen? Grow up for fucks sake. It's just sex."

Danny kept moving, placing his heavy tube amp by his guitars. Joe just stared at the roommates as they stood speechless. The girls were hot. Gloria had an impressive rack and a very cute face. She looked like a deer in headlights, more so than the others. Joe looked them up and down as Danny moved clothes into the hall."

"All set, kid?"

"One more thing."

Joe smirked at the roommates as Danny carried a large box to the hall. He looked at Joe as he passed, "This is everything."

"Say your goodbyes. You're never coming back."

Danny stepped inside and hugged Michelle. "Thanks, Chelle. I'm sorry we woke you."

"I'm not sorry," Joe said. "You could have freed your couch by letting him sleep in Gloria's bed. Instead, you got all prudish on your friends."

Joe grabbed the two guitar cases and looked back, "Ryan, he would have kicked your ass all over Westwood, you insecure fucking cunt."

He walked out and went to his car. Danny had to make four trips to the car. As they were leaving, Gloria came running out in a T-shirt and panties. She hugged Danny.

"I'm so sorry. Where are you going?"

Joe pointed, "Glove box. Card."

Danny opened the glove box and handed Gloria a Guerilla business card.

"If you want to come and visit Danny," Joe said, "you're welcome, but only you, not them."

"Thank you." She said, looking at the card as they drove away.

Driving west on Wilshire Blvd in silence, the wind blowing hair back. Danny looked over at Joe. "That was the coolest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you, Joe."

Joe smiled. "Did you see the look on Ryan's face when I called him an insecure cunt?"

They laughed.

"You hurt him, man. Ryan loves your band."

"Fuck Ryan!" Joe said as they turned south on Sepulveda Blvd.

Sitting in the Eldorado at Randy's Donuts, they sipped coffee and ate donuts. Danny apologized again for waking Joe at 5 AM.

"Don't worry about it. So what's your plan?"

"Plan?"

"What are you gonna do?"

Danny stared at Joe.

"That's what I figured." Joe took a bite of his donut and a sip of coffee. "Okay, the couch in the studio is a pull-out. You can crash there for the time being. You've got the bathroom, a shower, and the office fridge. It's the bare minimum."

Danny nodded, "Thanks. Joe. I appreciate it."

Joe glared at Danny to make sure he had his full attention. "The deal is this; get your shit together, man. If I'm not charging rent you should be able to save money. You're working for me and Grant is giving you work. You need to stash cash to get your own place."

"I've already saved a little."

"Good." Joe sipped coffee. "I'm gonna talk to my partners about putting you on the payroll. This way you'll have a job and references when it's time to find a place."

"That'll be great."

"I trust you, kid. Don't make me regret it."

"I won't."

Joe started the engine and put the Caddy in reverse. He looked over his shoulder to back out.

"So that couch is a pull-out bed" Danny said. "I wish I knew that when I painted."

-- Surprise Visit --

When Tina skipped another Monday phone call, her third in a row, Joe called the gallery. Casey did not answer. It was a different girl. She informed Joe that Mrs. Giacomo was out of the office. Joe had just booked his flight for November 10th, only a few days away, and wanted to let Tina know he was coming to town. He did not leave a message.

Joe arrived at Amethyst Gallery before noon with a plan to surprise Tina and take her to lunch. He knew seeing her was going against Jenna's Plan B, but he hadn't spoken to Jen in weeks. He was hoping to patch things up with T, have a frank talk with Casey, and catch up with Jenna. When he arrived, there was a new girl in reception. Joe's heart sank.

"Mrs. Giacomo's out of the office through next week," the new girl said.

"Is she out of town?"

"Yes, she and her husband are in Aruba celebrating their wedding anniversary."

Joe almost laughed, but he held back. "And where's Casey?"

The new girl shrugged, "She left."

"She quit? Was she fired? What happened?"

"She left on her own."

"And who are you?"

"I'm Brittany," she stiffened up, proudly, "and who are you?"

"I'm Joe, Mrs. Giacomo's ex."

"Oh," Brittany said, "I see."

"Is Jenna here?"

"Yes. Would you like me to call her up?"

"No. I know where she is. I'll just go down." Joe nodded and walked towards the stairs

"Sir, can you please sign the visitor's log?"

"Visitor's log?" Joe chuckled. "This is a new policy." He returned and signed the log without a word to Brittany. When he walked down to Jenna's office, she smiled, rose from her desk, and gave him a hug.

"You realize she's not here, right?"

"I just found that out," he said. "Aruba huh? I didn't think she'd ever return to the scene of her biggest mistake in life."

"That's harsh," Jenna said.

"The truth is cold like that."

"Have a seat. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Where's Casey?"

"You haven't heard? She left."

"She quit? Was there a problem? Why didn't you call me?"

"Of course there's something wrong, but I'll be damned if I know what it is," Jenna said. "And why would I call you? Do you know something I don't?"

Joe shrugged lightly, too much of a coward to tell Jenna what happened.

"She and Tina had a rough couple of weeks and I have no clue why. Then Casey started calling in sick. When she gave her notice Tina was upset, for one day - then she was rather cavalier about it. Honestly, Joe. I was blindsided... and far more hurt than Tina was."

"This is not good." Joe sighed. "How about I buy you the lunch I had intended for her?"

Jenna furrowed her brow. "Do you know something? You obviously didn't tell T you were coming?"

"No. We haven't been talking."

"Really? She told me last year that she'd never let that happen again. For how long?"

"It's been almost a month," he said.

"Okay. We need to talk. Let's have lunch."

During lunch, Jenna explained that Tina was fine, with no obvious problems and she had never alluded to losing touch with Joe. She explained that Casey took a job with an uptown gallery. It seemed like a lateral move, which puzzled Jenna.

"Why would you leave your friends and mentors for the same job?"

Joe had an explanation he couldn't reveal.

"So, what are you doing in town?" She asked.

"We're releasing a live album from our last tour and doing some remixing and changing a few tracks. I thought I'd take T out for lunch and find out what happened with us."

"I think some of it has to do with the honeymoon," Jenna said. "I don't know if she's working on her marriage again or just throwing Troy a bone. He wanted this trip, T did not. She eventually agreed to go."

"I can definitely see her wanting to keep this from me."

Jenna laughed, "For sure. The last thing she wants is you busting her ass for taking a vacation with her husband."

"Not just a vacation," Joe added, "a second honeymoon."

"I know," Jenna shrugged. "I don't get it. What are you gonna do with your free time here?"

"I have no clue." He said. "That's always a problem. It's not like T was available. Aside from the punks, everyone I know in town is married, some with kids."

"I have the same problem. I haven't traveled that road, so my social life is hampered by friends being married, a couple have kids."

"You have a boyfriend, so it's not like you're single-single."

"Well, we're not in the best place right now. You know he's in Boston on the Big Dig. It's not good."

"I didn't know it was a problem. You were up there visiting him the last time I was here."

"It's not a problem... well, not really, but this long-distance thing sucks. I hate it."

"I see. That project is massive. He's probably gonna be there a while."

She took a sip of her drink. "We see each other one or two weekends per month. It's not enough. Two if I'm lucky."

"Does he feel the same?"

"I think so, but he's got family and friends up there. He's not alone on an island."

"You're never alone in Manhattan."

"It was a metaphor, Joe."

After lunch and a couple of cocktails, they walked back to the gallery. Joe was about to excuse himself, but Jenna invited him inside.

"If you have nothing to do, you can hang out and watch me work on my new project."

"Okay, I can hang."

Jenna put on a lab coat and got dirty with plaster to create a rectangular mold that would later be sculpted. Joe observed. He'd seen the process a few times. She showed him her previous work, related to this new mold.

"It's the stages of the female form. This is the infant, then the child, here's the young adult, and next is pregnancy. After that, the woman with a child, and finally an elderly lady."

"I like how there's a clear resemblance in the face. I can tell it's the same woman."

"That's the hardest part. Showing age is easy. Maturing her features while leaving similarities is not."

There were other artists working. Joe knew most of the young people there from his many visits. He checked out their work and then got out of the way. When Jenna's was done they retired to her office where she dealt with class scheduling.

Jenna made an observation. "Ya know, this is the longest we've ever talked."

"I don't know about that. We took you out for your college graduation, then to a club. That was an all-nighter. We had breakfast at dawn. We hung out a lot in those days. We talked all the time."

"Not like this," she said. "a one-on-one conversation. It was always the three of us."

"C'mon. You and I have had many chats."

"Yeah, a half hour here and there. Not like this."

He nodded. "If you say so."

"Do you want to know what I hate?" Jenna asked rhetorically, "I hate that Tina's moods and going back and forth with you affect our friendship. If you guys aren't okay, I don't see you."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't know if you realize it, because I never told you, but when you left in eighty-four I was hurt too. You and Tina were my best friends."

"I know, Jen. You did tell me that I hurt you. I'm sorry."

"Maybe someday we can talk about that time. I know it's not an easy topic for you, but I'm not Tina, so maybe we can talk without you getting butt hurt."

"I don't know, maybe."

Jenna looked at the clock. It was 4:44. "I have to prepare for a class I have tonight." She stood up. Joe stood and hugged her.

"This was really nice," she said, "Maybe you could carve out some time for me the next time you're in town."

"I would like that, Jen."

-- Surprise Visit 2 --

Joe did not go back to his hotel. He grabbed a bite to eat and thought about the mess they had made of Casey's life. Then he jumped on the subway to Brooklyn. He wanted to hear from Casey herself exactly what happened at the gallery. He walked up to her building and buzzed her apartment at 8:25 PM.

Her voice came on the intercom, "Hello?"

"Casey, it's Joe. If you'd like to talk, buzz me in."

"Oh my God, yes." the buzzer sounded. He entered the building. Joe walked up the flight of stairs and when he turned into the second-floor corridor, she was coming his way. Casey flung her arms around Joe and kissed him. Joe kissed her back.

I thought I'd never see you again," she said in a squeaky, excited voice. She kissed him again, then led him back to her place. The moment the door closed behind him, Casey was kissing Joe again, and again. He did not resist. When she reached down and grabbed his junk, Joe picked Casey up and carried her to her bedroom.

Clothing flew in every direction. Casey's baby blue cotton pajama bottoms hit the floor along side Joe's Allstars and Levis. Her top draped over the side table. She pulled Joe's T-shirt over his head and tossed it over her shoulder. Then she ripped his underwear down and webt to her knees.

Casey took Joe's semi-hard cock in her mouth, going straight to sucking him hard, and deep, because he wasn't fully erect. As he stiffened, she slowed down, working his crown, suckling on just the top few inches. Her hand gripped his base while she went down on him. Suddenly, she stopped and stood up, stepped aside and pushed Joe onto the bed.

"Lay back," she pointed and then pounced on Joe, taking his shaft in her hands and his knob in her mouth. She sucked hard, deep, with purpose.

Joe watched her, loving her eagerness. "Oh, my God, Case. You're a wild-woman."

She stopped and looked up at Joe, his throbbing tower in her hand, "I'm so fucking happy you're here." Casey returned to duty, taking him deep, his tip poking at her throat. Joe leaned back and enjoyed the show. She was amazing, and so damn sexy, her blonde hair swaying wih her bobbing.

Casey was sideways, perpendicular to Joe. Her ass propped up. Joe wanted it. He tapped her hip. "Bring this up here. C'mon, turn. Give me your pussy, baby."

Casey didn't miss a stoke and she turned and swung her leg over Joe. Her pussy and ass staring him in the face, he pulled her and an began sucking her pussy. Casey moaned and pushed deep, taking his head in her throat, she gagged and pulled back, then found a long, sensual rhythm enjoying Joe's cock and tongue.

She filled Joe's senses, her taste, her scent, her soft pink flesh on his face, her squeeks and moans and his tougue worked on her pussy, licking and probing. He wanted to fuck her tight little muff, but this was so good.

Casey again took charge, lifting her leg over Joe, spinning and swinging it back over him. She straddled him, using her hand to aim his rock hard cock at her pussy. As she slid down his shaft, she moaned, her pussy stretching around his girth.

"Oh. My. God! This is in-cred-i-ble. Oh, yes!"

Joe moaned, "Oh baby, your pussy in heaven. Oh, you're so damn tight."

Casey started grinding on his dick, not hard, moving her ass, wiggling, feeling him deep inside her, allowing her vagina to adjust to being filled with cock. She sat tall in the saddle, Joe's hands went to het perky tits, ad Casey commenced riding. "Ah," she sqeaked. "Oh, Joe. Ah."

The race was on, who would cum first? After a minute of slow and sensual riding, Casey seemed determined to cross the finish line first, bouncing hard. Joe fat knob pounded her depths, hitting hard as she dropped, she squealed, then screamed. It was almost too much cock.

"Holy fuck, baby," Joe panted, his cock feeling her vagina gripping, and sliding, sending waves of sensation through his loins. "You are magnificent."

She fell forward, putting her tits in Joe's face, he took her nipple in his mouth. Casey's G-spot rubbed hard on the wide base of his shaft. She moaned, adjusting her rhythm, hard but under control. Joe felt her body reacting, her snug snatch grabbing him even tighter, milking his cock.

Joe's hands went under her. He grabbed her little ass, and squeezed. Casey moaned, then squeaked. "Ohhhhh, yes!" She pushed up, her hands on Joe's chest, bouncing again as her orgasm hit hard. She screamed, "Ohhhh, yeah, my God!" Casey slammed her pussy down on Joe, fell forward and fucked him with short, quick strokes, squeaking and squealing until she was spent.

She kissed Joe as she gradually slowed to barely fucking him, hold his cock deep, clenching him. Her lips lighting caressing his. "I love fucking you, Joe."

Joe exhaled, "You're so beautiful. Just stay like this. Let me feel you. It's so good."

"What about you?"

"Oh, I trust you'll take care of me."

"Yes, I will."

At 10:40, they lay in a twist of arms, legs, bed sheets, and pillows. She gave Joe a long, loving blow job - hand job combo. He then got her off again, licking her soft pink vulva. She bucked on the bed as she cam. Her breathing had just returned to normal, relaxed, they were spent.

"I love how you talk to me and tell me I'm beautiful," she kissed his shoulder. "and how good I am. It just feels nice to hear that."

"Just for the record," he said, "I didn't come here to fuck you."