Southern Hospitality Ch. 02

He pulls his fingers out of my dripping pussy, and slides his hand back, I’m thinking, to lift me onto his cock. He does this, but once I’ve mounted him, he slowly pushes a finger into my anus, making my eyes blink furiously by the sudden invasion. Before I can protest, he kisses me, pulling my lips with his teeth, whispering to me that he won’t hurt me.

I trust him enough to try this. We lie still for a few moments, so that I can get used to the feeling, before he starts moving his hips. I move along with him, noticing that his finger in my ass feels just as good as his cock in my pussy. Inside my pussy, his cock is grazing my spot, as well as sliding across my clit on the down stroke. Soon, my stomach is clenching involuntarily, and his finger is deeper into my ass, now, making me rock back and forth, like riding a horse or a seesaw. He’s still sucking and pulling on my nipples, sending a shock of pleasure through my body. He lets me move on my own, rocking myself to an orgasmic oblivion, making the car shift and shake.

He’s still hard and ready, flipping me over so that he’s on top. He whispers into my ear, making my toes curl, and making my nipples burn.

‘I just had to have your sweet sexy body one more time…’

‘I missed you,’ I breathe, letting him kiss me as he slowly grinds his cock into me. ‘I needed you, to fill me up, to stuff my pussy with your marvelous cock.’

He stops moving, looking down into my eyes before he asks me, ‘What about Wade. He’s back, isn’t he?’

‘Yes, he is…’ I don’t want to talk about Wade right now; I want John to fuck me.

‘Do you love him?’

‘Of course I do; why are you bringing this up, now?’ I’m pressing my hands into his back, to urge him to fuck me more.

‘Why are you going to marry him?’

‘Why do you think?’

‘Because you love him?’

‘John…’

‘I don’t think you really love him. You wouldn’t be here with me if you did.’

I stare at him, wondering where this is coming from. His cock is still partially inside me, still hard, and I’m itching for him to sink it all the way in, to finish me off.

‘John, it’s getting late…’

‘Why are you marrying him?’

‘Because it’s what’s expected of me,’ I blurt, frustrated to the hilt.

‘Since when have you done what was expected of you, Ingrid?’

‘You’re confusing me…’ I shake my head, trying to block out thoughts of reality.

He pushes his cock in again, just when I’m at the point of putting my clothes back on and getting out of the car. He knows that I’m upset, and he knows that I’m confused, but he nibbles my neck before he starts pumping me hard, making me scream from his furious pounding.

‘Is that what you want?’ he asks, breathless and panting. ‘Is that what you want from me? You want my black dick stabbing into you? Fucking your brains out? Is that all you want?’

He sounds angry, and with each word, he pushes harder, grabbing my arms so tightly that it hurts. He cums hard, so hard that he releases a rumbling growl. His spurting cock sends me off again. I’m angry with him, for being so rough with me, but my body jerks cruelly, betraying me by revealing my base pleasure in his rough fucking.

---

‘Honey, what’s wrong?’ Wade sits in the chair next to my bed. ‘Ingrid, you have to tell me.’

‘There’s nothing to tell, Wade.’ On the verge of tears, I turn away from him.

‘Ingrid, are you crying? I know something’s wrong now… you never cry. Come on, sit up.’

‘No, Wade!’ I panic, realizing that he’ll see the bruises on my arms. ‘Just leave me alone. I want to be by myself for a while.’

‘Are you pregnant, Honey? Is that what it is? And you don’t want to get rid of it?’

‘Wade!’ He’s making me angry now. ‘Just go.’

I’ve been up all night, wondering how I’ve gotten myself into such a mess. John made me realize, made me admit, that I’m not in love with Wade. I don’t think I ever have been. A woman is supposed to have a man, and Wade fit the bill. I’ve never been too particular. I like Wade; I like him immensely. And he doesn’t pressure me about anything. That’s what I like most about him. He’s not so great in bed, but I never expected much there, anyway. I’ve always thought that something was wrong with me; I always thought it was my fault, that I had some sort of blockage or dysfunction that wouldn’t allow me to enjoy sex. I’d been fully prepared to spend the rest of my days with a lackluster love life.

And why marry Wade? It’s because my family knows him. He’s always been around. He’s the one that they know. It’s too late, and I’m too old, to start them off with someone new. And if I have to get married, Wade’s not the worst candidate. He’s intelligent. Our children will be smart. And cute, too. I’ve been going through this whole thing without really thinking about what I really want, only concerned with what will appear to be normal. When John brought it up last night, it embarrassed me, made me feel ashamed, to be marrying a man that I don’t love.

‘Ingrid, what’s this on your arm?’

I try to hide them, but Wade pulls them out again, turning my arms so that he can get a full view.

‘What happened to you?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Ingrid,’ he sounds serious. ‘You have to tell me. Who did this to you?’

‘No one. I just hurt myself, climbing in the apple trees again.’

‘When was this?’

‘The other day, Tuesday, Wednesday… I don’t remember exactly.’

‘I don’t remember you climbing any trees…’

‘Wade! Why don’t you believe me?’

‘You don’t have to be afraid, Ingrid.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Is that why you’ve been hiding out up here? Is that why you’ve locked yourself away? Has someone been bothering you?’

‘No, Wade. I’m just not feeling well. I told you…’

A knock at the door interrupts us.

‘Miss Ingrid?’ It’s Tillie. ‘I brought your breakfast.’

‘I’ll get it.’ Wade crosses the room and opens the door, taking the tray away from Tillie. ‘How come she gets a better breakfast than we got, Tillie?’

‘Because she’s sick, silly boy…’ Tillie voice fades away as she disappears down the hall.

‘Look at this spread…’ he picks a slice of bacon off the tray. ‘What do you want first?’

‘I don’t want anything.’

‘Come on, you have to eat something.’

Something on the tray catches my eye; at first, it looks like an extra napkin, but it only takes me a few seconds to realize that it’s a note, on the same stationery that John has used before.

‘What’s this?’ Wade beats me to it, pulling the small envelope off the tray.

‘I don’t know. Let me see it. It’s probably just a note of well wishing from Tillie. She’s sent them to me before,’ I lie.

‘That’s a nice gesture. I guess Tillie really likes you. I’ll read it to you…’

‘No, Wade! Just give it to me,’ I say a little too forcefully.

He gives me a strange look, and even though I’ve calmed down, he still won’t give it to me.

‘Don’t be rude. I don’t open your letters before you’ve had a chance to read them. What would your mother think, Wade?’

Surprisingly, this gets to him. He hands the envelope over to me, allowing me to tuck it underneath my pillow.

‘Aren’t you going to read it now?’

‘No. I want to eat now.’

‘I thought you said you didn’t want anything?’

‘Well, I’ve changed my mind. Am I not allowed to do that?’

‘Of course, Dear. Of course.’

---

John’s letter held a brief, two-word message: “I’m sorry”. I read it as soon as Wade left me alone, and it made me smile. Even though it’s not written anywhere in the note, I know that John wants me to meet him. I spend the long evening flipping through a book, unable to concentrate on anything, constantly thinking of John. I get so anxious that I decide to start out a little early, sitting on the screened porch until midnight.

As soon as the clock strikes twelve, I make my way through the trees again, moving slowly this time, because I’m sore. John’s car is already here; he must have been anxious as well. He’s sitting in the front seat this time, with the windows down and the radio off.

When I slide onto the front seat, he takes my hand and kisses it, before pulling me to him, so that he can kiss my mouth.

‘I’m sorry, Ingrid,’ he whispers into my ear. ‘Will you forgive me?’

I nod, resting my head on his chest, listening to his solid heartbeat as I drift off to sleep.

---

Wade and I are supposed to go to the movies today, and I’m almost ready, except for the fact that I can’t find my watch. I’ve looked all over the room, in the dresser, underneath the bed, behind the chair, but I can’t seem to find it anywhere. Finally, after I look in the night stand drawer, where I usually keep it, I find it, exactly where I’d placed it before going to bed last night.

Something else is missing, though. The book that I’d been reading, where I’ve been keeping the notes that John has sent to me, is missing. Soon, I’m looking around for that, knowing that I left it in that drawer when I’d last read it.

‘Honey?’ Wade’s at the door. ‘Come on, now. We’re gonna be late.’

‘I’m coming, Wade…’

He opens the door, standing against the wall for a moment, watching me.

‘Are you looking for these?’

I turn around to look at him, feeling my heart skip a beat when I see the little white envelopes fanned out between his fingers.

‘No,’ I say calmly. ‘I wasn’t looking for those. I was looking for my watch.’

‘Look’s like you’ve found it.’

‘Yes. So we can go, now.’

‘Not so fast. Do you think I’m a complete idiot?’

‘No, Wade. I don’t.’

I know that he can’t tell the whole story just by reading the notes. None of them consist of more than five words, yet the look on his face tells me that Wade has somehow figured the whole thing out.

‘What are these?’ he asks.

‘They’re notes from Tillie, like I told you…’

‘Don’t lie to me, dammit!’

‘Why would I lie to you?’

He moves closer to me, laying the notes across the bed.

‘I want you to tell me again. What are these?’

‘I’ve told you, Wade…’

He slaps me hard, making me lose my footing. I hit my head on the side of a table as I fall to the floor.

‘You bitch. Always so cold and cocksure of yourself. You’ve been fucking that nigger every night, haven’t you? Debasing yourself, getting fucked in a car. What happened last night? Were you just too tired from the night before?’

‘Wade, I…’ the room is spinning and his voice sounds extremely loud.

‘Did you suck his cock, too? Huh? Did you put Tillie’s preserves all over his dirty black cock?’

‘Wade!’ Mr. Harper rushes into the room, along with the rest of the family. ‘What the hell are you doing?’

‘She’s nothing but a whore, Daddy.’

‘Wade!’ Mrs. Harper is shocked. ‘Don’t use such language…’

‘What’s going on?’ Alice asked.

‘She’s been sleeping with John.’

‘Oh, Wade!’ Mrs. Harper is about to faint.

‘That’s ridiculous, Wade…’ Alice scoffs.

‘I saw her with him,’ Wade screams.

Jill gives me a dirty look, as a revelation presents itself to her.

‘That day, when the car broke down… those mechanics told me that a colored man dropped you off, but I didn’t believe them…’

Wade lunges at me again after hearing this. I duck behind the table to avoid him, but he grabs my arm, pulling me to my feet.

‘Pack your things. I want you out of here.’

He storms out of the room, leaving the others to gradually drift away after they’ve finished staring at me. I’m in so much shock, that I can’t even cry. I mechanically stuff my clothes into my suitcase, not bothering to look for any extras that might be in the closet or in the laundry, downstairs. The only thing that I don’t want to leave is my collection of notes from John, all spread across the bed. In one moment of clarity, I am grateful to Wade, surprised that he didn’t take them and destroy them.

I’m prepared to walk all the way to town with my purse and my suitcase. The Harpers are all standing by the door, as if they’re guarding it, glaring at me as I walk past them on my way out. It takes me until nightfall to get there, and when John answers the door, all I can do is collapse into his arms, telling him the whole story. He inspects my wound, cleaning the cut on the side of my face, and putting ice on my eye.

‘We’ll have to leave,’ he warns me. ‘Now.’

I watch him as he packs a few essentials into a suitcase, including a portfolio of important papers.

‘Where are we going?’ I ask, confused.

‘Away from here. Do you have any money left?’

‘I have a little.’

‘Enough for a hotel?’

‘Yes.’

‘I’ll drive you to Memphis. You can stay in a hotel until tomorrow, then you can make your way home from there. I’ll give you more money if you need it…’

‘What about you?’ My heart sinks at the thought of not being able to be with him.

‘I’ll go somewhere… Chicago, maybe.’

‘I want to go with you, John.’ My eyes are filling with tears.

‘No. Not now.’ He stops rushing around long enough to grab my arms gently, wiping my tears away. ‘Maybe I’ll come to visit you, sometime. I’ve never been to New York.’

‘John, I…’

‘Shhh. We have to go now.’

‘I’m sorry, John. All of this is my fault…’

‘Don’t worry about me, Ingrid. I’ll be all right.’

‘Will I ever see you again?’ I look at him, trying once again to commit everything about him to memory.

‘I don’t know. I hope so…’

We drive out of town in silence. I can tell that John is scared; he’s left everything, and it’s all because of me. He didn’t even tell Tillie that he was leaving. He scribbled a quick letter to her, mailing it when we arrived in Memphis. He dropped me off near a hotel, sitting in the car, watching me, until I reached the lobby doors. I almost burst into tears at that moment, at the thought of not ever seeing him again.

I’m wondering what my family will think of me, now that I’ve been disgraced in such a way. I’m sure that Wade has notified them already, telling them what a filthy whore I am, and how I’ve embarrassed his family and hurt Wade. I don’t know how they’ll react when they see my face, all battered and bruised, and if they will turn me away, too. Maybe I should have refused to leave John. I don’t know what I’ll do know, without him. And I don’t know how I’ll live with the guilt of what I’ve done.

To be continued…