Savannah Ch. 01

"Hello? Anyone in there?" Chase rapped his fist against the door again.

Grace bit her lip with worry, standing right behind Chase.

"I don't think anyone's up here," Chase listened.

"Wait, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Grace lifted a finger to her lips.

A faint voice came from beyond the locked door. "...Grace...?"

Grace panicked, "Chase, she's in there!"

"Hang on..."

Before Grace could even think about what to do next, Chase hurled his shoulder against the door and busted it wide open, revealing a large bedroom.

Ashlee lay on a bed, her buttoned blouse open to expose her bra. One of the boys Grace had seen her talking to already had his shirt off and looked like he was either about to take his pants off, or scrambling to put them back on.

"What are you doing!?!" Grace screamed, rushing into the bedroom.

"Hey!" the guy scowled, buttoning his pants. "Get the fuck out of here! Can't you see we're busy?"

"Like hell you are," Grace growled, moving to Ashlee's side.

Chase recognized the guy from his high school, remembering him to be trouble, "King, you asshole, you're raping girls now? You've really moved up in the world."

"Hey man, fuck you," King sneered. "This girl was begging me for it."

"She's out of it," Grace worried over Ashlee, who seemed barely cognizant of her surroundings. "Ah think he slipped her something."

"I didn't give that bitch nothing," King sounded defensive.

Even though King was two inches taller than Chase, who was six feet tall himself, Chase easily overpowered the skinnier King by grabbing him at the neck and slamming him back against the bedroom wall, "You piece of shit! What did you do?"

King struggled against Chase, but earned a knee to the groin for his efforts and doubled over. "...nothing... didn't touch her..."

Grace noticed that Ashlee still had her pants on, not even the belt was unfastened. It appeared the worst Ashlee might have received was a groping, "Ah don't think he raped her... yet."

Chase moved to help Grace, "We better get her to the Emergency Room, who knows what this son of a bitch gave her."

"No! Chase, if her parents find out she's been out drinking..."

Chase slipped his arms under Ashlee's knees and shoulders, picking up the petite girl easily. "If she's been drugged, we don't know what that could do when mixed with alcohol. Are you sure you want to risk it?"

"Grace..." Ashlee muttered in Chase's arms, "can we go home now? So tired..."

"What did you give her!?" Grace suddenly barked at King, who was still recovering from Chase's well-placed knee.

"...nothing, I promise...!"

"If you're lying, ah swear to gawd a sore set of gonads will be the least of your problems."

"The girl's just wasted," King sneered.

Grace gave King one last glare before turning back to Chase, "Please, ah think she just needs to sleep it off. We can bring her to m'ah house. She sleeps over all the time; her parents won't think twice about it."

Chase nodded, "All right, let's just get her out of here."

=====

Grace sat with Ashlee in the backseat of the car, making sure her best friend was okay, while Chase followed Grace's directions into Ardsley Park. Grace lived with her parents in an old three-story Victorian mansion and indicated for Chase to drive around to the back of the house near a large garage.

"What about your parents?" Chase asked, carrying Ashlee towards a back door amidst the moonlight and chirping crickets.

Grace unlocked the door, "They went to our island house after the dance."

"Your parents have two houses?"

"It's just a cottage in The Landings, near the marina. Daddy likes to go boating on the weekends."

Chase glanced at the elaborate furnishings as Grace led the way upstairs to her bedroom. The wealth was beyond anything he had ever experienced, given his lower-middle class upbringing. Grace's bedroom alone was nearly as big as Chase's whole apartment.

Waiting while Grace got Ashlee settled into a massive canopied bed, Chase took a moment to look around. The bedroom was large enough not only to fit the bed but an entire seating arrangement as well, complete with a couch, loveseat, and breakfast table. Grace had two dressers, a tall armoire, a walk-in closet, and a walk-out balcony. Everything was tastefully decorated and a slight hint of perfume decorated the air.

"Ah don't know what ah would have done without you tonight, Chase."

Chase turned from the balcony window, "If it wasn't for me, you two wouldn't have even been at that party. I feel responsible."

Grace pulled a comforter to cover Ashlee, "It's not your fault. Trust me, hon - this isn't the first time Ashlee needed to sleep one off. She can get a little rambunctious with the booze."

"I'm just glad we found her before anything worse happened with that asshole King."

"Me too." Grace stepped over to her vanity mirror and started pulling the coils of her blonde hair loose, letting the wavy strands fall to her shoulders, "Can ah get you something? There's soda and beer downstairs; ah'll be up for a while if you want to hang out?"

Chase watched as Grace ran a tousling hand through her gorgeous hair, momentarily mesmerized by her natural beauty, "Um, yeah... okay - I could hang out for a while. You think Ashlee will be all right?"

Grace kicked her heeled shoes off and padded across the carpeted room on bare feet, "Ah think so, we can come up and check on her after a while."

Chase followed Grace through the wide halls and down a curving stairway into a massive kitchen, "This house is amazing."

"Thanks," Grace replied, pulling open a refrigerator. "M'ah great-granddaddy built this house right before the second World War. You want a beer?"

"A soda is fine," Chase replied, "I still have to drive home tonight."

Grace pulled out two cans from the fridge, "You could stay here. We have five guest rooms, after all. M'ah parents won't back before Sunday and the staff is off on weekends."

"So it's just you here for the whole weekend?"

Grace handed over one of the sodas, "Just lil' ol' me. And probably Ash - she likes to avoid her parents as much as possible. What about you, do you still live with your parents?"

"It's just my mom," he answered. "We moved here after my dad died. But no, I have my own apartment uptown." Chase snapped open the can of soda and joked, "It's only slightly smaller than this place."

Grace grinned softly, "Ah bet it's nice."

"Not really," Chase was smiling right back.

Grace led Chase into another room and indicated he should sit beside her on a comfortable looking couch, "At least you're on your own, with no one to tell you what to do or what time to be home."

"I don't know, you don't seem to have it so bad around here. You have this incredible house to yourself all weekend, after all."

"Ah don't need all this," Grace said, curling her legs beneath her.

"Easy to say now. Try working five nights a week and still not having enough for rent and school."

Grace blinked at Chase, "Forgive me, ah didn't mean to suggest -"

"You didn't," Chase interrupted. "I'm sorry; it's sometimes hard to let my guard down after work. I encounter a lot of upper-class snobs."

"You think ah'm a snob?" Grace didn't sound as insulted as she did surprised.

"Oh, no... no, I just meant..." Chase made a mental note to kick himself later, "You're not a snob at all. You're one of the nicest people I've met in a long time, actually."

Grace made a flattered smile, "Really?"

Chase nodded easily, "Yeah."

The two teenagers stared at each other silently for several long moments, each one wondering what the other was thinking.

For the first time that night, Grace realized how perfect Chase's brown eyes were. He also had the cutest little dimples that she missed when he wasn't smiling. She was reminded of the ease with which he smashed open that bedroom door earlier in the night, and how easily he carried Ashlee. She suddenly wondered what his arms would feel like around her.

The words caught in Grace's throat as she tried to think of something to say and break the silence, "I-if you want to stay, ah'm sure Ashlee would want to thank you herself in the morning. She really likes you."

Chase continued to look Grace in the eye, "Ashlee seems like a really fun girl, but she's not why I invited you two tonight."

"She's not?"

Chase shook his head slowly, "No, you were."

Grace swallowed, "Ah thought you were still getting over your ex?"

"I was," Chase replied honestly, "until about five hours ago."

"What happened five hours ago?" Grace asked in a soft voice.

"I saw you for the first time."

Grace had no control over herself for the next few seconds as her form leaned towards him.

Their lips found each other like a pair of attracting magnets. The kiss started softly, but before long Grace noticed her arms were around his neck and his were around her torso; the pair fell into a passionate and easy embrace. Grace closed her eyes and pressed her body against his, thrilled by the experience of being held in Chase's gentle but firm grasp. After Chase broke the kiss, Grace's mouth hung open a little wantonly and she nuzzled her nose against his.

"Damn, sugah," she murmured in a heated whisper, "you're a really good kisser."

Chase was reluctant to let Grace out of his arms. Her warm form felt amazing against his and her breasts were like two small pillows against his chest, "Do you want to do it again?"

Grace tucked a stray blonde strand behind her ear and nodded.

The seconds turned into minutes as the pair made out amidst the silence of the late hour. Grace had an amazing method of licking Chase's upper lip before clamping onto it with her own soft mouth, driving him crazy with desire. Before long she had worked her hands under the hem of his tee shirt and Chase could feel her fingers sliding against the bare skin of his back. He did the same, slipping his own hand under the thin material of Grace's top. She didn't discourage him, kissing with hunger when Chase's hand found the back of her bra.

Grace giggled softly against Chase's mouth when he fumbled with the clasp, "How you doing back there darlin?"

Chase grinned, a tint of color appearing on his cheeks. He explained shyly, "It's been a while."

Grace offered him a soft look of encouragement, twisting an arm around so she could help him unhook the bra. "Ah want to feel your touch."

Chase nodded quietly.

Grace lifted a hand to his cheek, "But we can't go too far, if that's okay?"

"We're already way past my best expectations for the night," Chase whispered.

Grace smiled and leaned in to continue kissing. She didn't press too close, allowing Chase enough room to put his hands upon her breasts. She nibbled his lip to let him know she was enjoying his touch and that he wasn't being too familiar.

A soft whimper escaped Grace's throat when Chase gently glided his fingers back and forth across her nipples. She jutted her chest forward into his hands, letting him knead his grip into her soft flesh. Chase loved the way Grace's chest felt. Her breasts were just large enough to fill his hands, pillowy and smooth. He hadn't been with a girl since the last time he saw his ex-girlfriend, so he quickly grew excited. He was embarrassed at first by the erection pressing against his jeans, but Chase quickly got over it as Grace clutched it in her hand through the denim material. Her hand gripped his bulge firmly, causing Chase to wonder what 'too far' meant to Grace.

"This is going to get intense in about another thirty seconds," Chase warned breathlessly, breaking off their kiss.

Grace's blue eyes were full of lust, "Ah guess we're going kind of fast, huh?"

Chase nodded, taking a deep breath and removing his hands from beneath Grace's top.

Grace pushed a hand through her hair and did her best to look composed, even though she was far from it. If Chase hadn't have stopped, she didn't know if she could have.

"Ah should go check on Ashlee," Grace said in an attempt to break the sexual tension.

"Yeah. I should go, it's getting late and I have to work tomorrow."

Grace didn't want Chase to leave but nodded reluctantly, "Can we trade phone numbers?"

Chase smiled, "I was just about to ask."

=====

Ashlee woke the following morning to a murderous headache, slowly rising in Grace's bed. She squinted at the sun coming through the patio door and realized she was still wearing her clothes from the previous night. Without any memory of how she got to Grace's house, Ashlee simply assumed it had been another fun Friday night.

Then she smelled coffee.

Grace lifted a hand to cover her laugh when Ashlee shuffled into the kitchen, "Y'all look like the walking dead."

"Very funny," Ashlee mumbled miserably, her dark hair a mess and sticking out in every direction. "I need some aspirin."

"Already on the counter," Grace said, pouring a cup of coffee.

The large kitchen had a center island counter with two stools; Ashlee claimed one of them and pressed a palm against her forehead, "How did we get home last night?"

Grace placed the coffee in front of Ashlee, "Chase drove us."

"I didn't make a fool out of myself, did I? I really like him."

Grace winced as she turned around to pour her own coffee, "Um, actually, he rescued you."

"What do you mean?"

"You had a lot to drink, hon. You ended up in a bedroom with this scumbag who almost took advantage of you."

Ashlee turned white, "Oh god, seriously?"

Grace turned back around and blew some steam off the top of her cup, "We were at the party and couldn't find you anywhere. Chase and ah were looking when we heard you calling for me from a bedroom. Chase busted the door open; he even hit the guy trying to take advantage of you."

"Seriously?!"

"Right in the jimmy," Grace confirmed.

"Oh my god." Ashlee let her face fall into her palms, "How embarrassing! Grace, I'm so sorry."

"Wasn't your fault, hon. But you really had me scared for a while. How many beers did y'all have?"

"I didn't think I had that many...?"

Grace frowned, "Ah think that lowlife asshole might have slipped you something funny."

"Chase will never go out with me now," Ashlee whined. "He must think I'm a total idiot."

Grace immediately felt guilty. She had forgotten all about Ashlee when she was making out with Chase; afterwards, she assumed Ashlee probably hadn't been that serious about liking him. Boys were like candy to Ashlee, in that every piece looked just as yummy as the previous. Rarely did Ashlee fixate on one guy for longer than a night and usually forgot all about them by the following morning. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, Grace would just walk away, but she really liked Chase and wanted to see him again. She had been thinking about him all morning.

She tested the waters, "You really like him that much?"

Ashlee nodded before swallowing her aspirin and washing them down with a tentative slurp of coffee, "He's so cute, and he seemed so nice. Plus, he's way more mature than all the idiots we go to school with. But I've got no chance with him now, guys aren't exactly attracted to rape victims."

"You didn't get raped, thank gawd."

"Chase really hit him?" Ashlee asked, cradling her cup of coffee in both hands.

"Then carried you out in his arms," Grace added.

A tiny smile broke through the fog of Ashlee's hangover, "That's actually sort of romantic."

When she noticed a small slip of paper on the counter, Ashlee squinted towards it, "What's that?"

Grace glanced, suddenly panicking she had left it out.

Ashlee slid the paper along the counter, "His phone number!?"

"Yeah, ah got it last night," Grace replied. Then she lied, "You know, in case we all want to hang out again some time."

"I love you!" Ashlee beamed excitedly, "Do you think I should call him?"

Grace tried to answer that question honestly, "Ah'd wait. You don't want to seem too desperate." The truth was, Grace was wondering herself how long she should wait before calling him.

=====

Ashlee stayed until noon before going home, but before leaving she had hardly spoken a sentence that didn't involve Chase. Grace felt insanely guilty and had been on the verge of telling her best friend that she and Chase had kissed, but the words had been hard to find. She wanted to see Chase again, she wanted to kiss him again, but Grace knew that if she did Ashlee would eventually find out. Grace worried it would drive a wedge through their friendship.

Once alone, Grace found herself pacing back and forth in her bedroom, trying to think of a good way to tell Ashlee, when her cell phone rang. Picking it up from her vanity, she saw that it was Chase and felt a surge of excitement.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"Hey," Grace smiled at Chase's deep voice. She had forgotten what he sounded like and was thankful for the reminder.

"What are you up to?" Chase asked.

"Thinking about you, actually."

Grace closed her eyes and winced, worried she had come across as clingy.

"I was just thinking about you, too."

"Really?" Grace's smile stretched across her whole face.

"Yeah, I'm on break at this luncheon we're catering and I wanted to see if you were busy tonight."

"No, not really. Ashlee mentioned a party somewhere on the islands, but ah'm not sure ah want to go."

"Do you want to hang out?" Chase asked.

Grace closed her eyes again, fretting. Of course she wanted to hang out! But she was still feeling guilty about Ashlee. "Ah don't know, Chase. Ah feel terrible."

"What's wrong?"

"It's Ashlee, ah think she really likes you."

"And you feel guilty," Chase surmised.

"Yeah," was all Grace could say.

"It's okay, I get it," Chase replied. "I wouldn't want to come between you two."

"How did you get to be such a sweetheart?" Grace asked.

Chase chuckled, "Uh, I don't know."

Grace could almost hear the blush in his cheeks. Screw it, she thought, "Yes, ah want to hang out tonight."

"What about -?"

"Ah don't care. It's not like we're cheating or anything. Ashlee barely knows you."

"Good enough for me, I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Perfect."

=====

At six o'clock Grace realized she hadn't asked Chase what 'hanging out' meant and had no idea what to wear. Would they be outside? Would she need to dress warm? Grace didn't want to cover up too much, as she wanted to be alluring.

Entering her closet as though on a mission, Grace began a search for clothing that was both all-purpose as well as sexy. She chose a black skirt which fell just past the knee; it hugged her hips and legs tightly. Her favorite black leather boots rose to the calf, exposing just enough leg between the hem of the skirt to draw the eye. Next, Grace scrounged for the right sweater; she wanted something tight, but only heavy enough to keep her warm. A thin brown sweater with long sleeves was her choice; after checking herself in the mirror Grace found that she liked the way the sweater made her chest look. Leaving her blonde hair down, she parted it across the middle which let the wavy strands fall just past her shoulder.

While tweezing her eyebrows, applying some light make-up, and hunting for the right perfume, Grace lost track of time. Before she knew it a honk came from outside. Snatching up her small purse, Grace hurried out the door. Chase was waiting in his car, a classic-looking Mustang covered in dull, flat-black paint. The engine was loud, which turned Grace on more than she'd ever be willing to admit.

Climbing into the passenger seat, Grace smiled brightly, "Hey, sugah."

Chase smiled right back, "You look fantastic."

"Thanks, doll." Grace saw that Chase was wearing a pair of brown denim pants and liked the way his arms looked in a black tee-shirt, "Did ah tell you last night how much ah like your car?"