The Stray

We wanted to make sure she could do so with no problems and no hassle. Carrie had to leave to get some sleep before her next shift. Julie, Alissa, and I had a nice dinner together. I sprung for some Thai that we had delivered, and we had a nice meal, before Julie had to head back to Middleton. Alissa had cost me a little money, but I could easily afford it.

After Julie left, Alissa spoke. "While you were out of the room, Julie said she knew Carrie had talked to me but she wanted to make sure I really was trying to get away from my step father and really wanted to be here."

"She's a cop. She wants to make sure what she's doing is right."

"I feel bad though."

"Why?"

"I've cost you money for clothes and food, and you have to put me up here."

"I'm doing that because I want to help someone in need."

"I don't even have any money or a job. I'm just a burden."

"You aren't a burden to me. Besides, if you want a job, I think the company where I work is looking for a customer service rep."

"But they'd have my name."

"I'll tell them you're my cousin, Lisa Parker."

"And you think they'll believe that?"

"They know me and like me. You're from out of town, staying with me and planning to relocate here."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Why not? Besides, it'll give you some money of your own and mean you won't be stuck alone in the apartment all day."

Alissa hugged me and began to cry again. I tried to comfort her and held her, rocking us back and forth on the sofa, while stroking her back. I didn't want this to get sexual, but still wanted to help her feel better. We sat there for a long time, just holding each other, before she pulled back a little bit, looked at me, and bit her lip.

"I feel like I owe you so much."

"You really don't owe me."

"I want to pay you back -- whatever way you want."

Obviously, she was saying she'd sleep with me to 'pay me back', but I didn't want sex as some sort of payback. I'd been through my share of hookups and one night stands, not to mention short lived 'relationships'. I needed something more now -- something more than a 'thank you' fuck. I wanted love, whatever that was.

"I don't need you to pay me back -- in any way."

"Are you sure? You've been so kind to me, and I don't really mind."

"To me that isn't something that's payment for kindness."

"I understand, but you've been nicer to me than anyone since my mother died."

"I'm nice to you because you seem to be a decent person who needs help. That's all."

"I may not be as good a person as you think."

"Are any of us? You're quite welcome to my sofa, but I'm not taking you to my bed to do things."

Alissa leaned forward and kissed my cheek. I kissed her on the forehead, then got her the blanket and pillow that I had for her and went to my bedroom. Would I enjoy making love to Alissa? Most certainly, so long as there was more than just her expressing some gratitude, which she was trying to discharge in unacceptable ways.

....................................................................................................

We had a quiet Sunday at the apartment, talking and watching movies on the tube. Carrie stopped by to make sure everything was still going well. At one point, Carrie talked to me privately and said she understood that it was an imposition to have to put Alissa up. She said if I wanted that she could probably find another place for the girl to stay.

"I appreciate your concern, but it isn't really an imposition. I picked her up at the side of the road. I brought her here and offered her my couch to sleep on."

"You didn't think it was going to be more than a night or two."

"When she told me why she was running, I decided she could stay as long as she needed to."

About that time, Alissa came back in the room. "You guys look serious."

"It's not as serious as it looks. Carrie, did I tell you, I'm going to see if I can get Alissa a job."

"She mentioned that. Looks like it's good we got her some nicer clothes."

"I guess I'll make good use of them."

"She'll be my cousin, Lisa Parker."

"Great, as long as no one needs real ID."

"It'll work for now."

Carrie left and Alissa and I spent another quiet evening together. At times I felt like she was watching me, though I wasn't quite sure what her reasons were. As it got late, she mentioned that the last two nights we had spent a while hugging each other before we went to sleep. I felt a little bemused as we hugged, and I tried not to rush it.

"Lori, I can't figure you out."

"What do you mean?"

"You like women, don't you?"

"Yes."

"As in, you like to have sex with them."

"I've had women lovers."

"Yet you don't seem to have any interest in me, even though I offered."

"I didn't offer to help you because I wanted to sleep with you. And I don't think your gratitude for my help is a good reason for us to be lovers."

"What is a good reason?"

"Love. Love growing out of shared affection, shared interests, spending time together -- more than two days -- and knowing each other better."

"And you had that with the other women you made love to?"

"No, but that's why they're no longer part of my life, and why I feel I need more than drew me to them."

"So we can't be lovers?"

"Not now. Maybe somewhere down the road, depending on what happens between us."

"How do you even know if you get there?"

"A feeling in my gut. It's not a matter of how pretty or sexy someone is. You certainly are as pretty and sexy as most of my lovers. And if I'd met you two years ago, and you'd been of age, I'd have taken you to my bed. I changed along the way, and I need more now than I needed then."

"If we can't be lovers, can you at least kiss me goodnight?"

I worried that somehow it gave the wrong impression, though I wasn't sure if I was worried about giving her the wrong impression, or giving myself the wrong impression. Still, I leaned forward and touched my lips to hers. I felt a need in her but I knew this was not the time or circumstances to satisfy that need. I wondered if part of the reason she was so repelled by her step father, was because she was attracted to other women.

No matter, I knew there was no way I was taking her to my bed that night or anytime soon. If I did, it would be for all the wrong reasons. I like sex, and Alissa was certainly attractive. There was a vulnerability and innocence about her that made me desire her, but I knew that I had to keep a lid on that desire.

I had a momentary desire to jill myself, but knew that if I did, I'd be thinking about Alissa, and that wasn't fair to either of us. I went in my bedroom, and got in bed. I had a fitful sleep some of the night and did dream about all manner of things, including Alissa. The goodnight kiss was a part of my dreams and played no small part in my restlessness.

Amazingly, I was rested when it was time to get up. I had to go to work and I planned to take my cousin Lisa with me. I guessed I'd have to get used to calling Alissa that, but they were close enough that if I slipped, it might go unnoticed -- at least I hoped so. I suppose I could have left her at the apartment, but she'd have been bored and still poor.

Getting two of us showered dressed and ready with only one bathroom was a challenge, but it wasn't like I was super scrupulous about my appearance. I tried to look professional, but wasn't trying to be any sort of knockout. We needed to do Alissa's makeup to have her a little less recognizable. With the cut and dye job she'd gotten, it was a start, but the makeup helped make her a little more different.

In spite of it all, we got there on time and I took her to HR and told them my cousin Lisa was relocating to town and looking for a job. I left her to fill out the paperwork and told them Lisa's wallet had been stolen while she was traveling and she'd have to replace her ID, but I'd vouch for her in the meantime. Since I was a good employee, they accepted that, which helped.

I started my day, leaving Alissa to the tender mercies of HR. I heard she had a couple of interviews and they were likely to hire her as a customer service rep. Besides giving her a little money, it would help keep her out of trouble, and hopefully even let her develop more self assurance. I caught up with her at midday and we had lunch together in the cafeteria.

She seemed pleased and surprised at how well everything seemed to be going. She also seemed amazed at how well people there thought of me. I might only be 24 but I was a project manager and while I might not be a senior project manager, still seemed to get some of the most critical projects. I was a decent analyst and programmer and worked well with the business folks, so that made me more effective than some.

I could keep the analysts and programmers on track and could tell when things were going astray. Since I communicated well with the business side, I made sure the project met their needs as well as possible. Last week, I'd been with one of our clients that we had to do some development for to make sure that what we developed was what they needed, within the budget constraints.

The nice thing about the job Alissa applied for was that it kept her a little more out of the public eye. Sure she had contact with the other customer service reps, but fewer people outside that. Since we had an in-house cafeteria, she didn't even need to go to a regular restaurant to eat lunch. I had told her a little of my family, so if people asked, she could credibly pose as my cousin.

I was pretty well known at the company, but we indicated that I hadn't been that close to my cousin's family, which was why I'd never mentioned anything. We concocted a story that after a bad breakup with a former boyfriend, she'd wanted to make a complete break from her former life. She had called me, and even though we weren't close, I said I'd help.

Everyone seemed to buy that, and that afternoon, they began training her for her customer service position. Since my cousin had no car, she'd be coming to work with me for the time being. That meant she got a day shift, since I mostly work during the day. I sometimes have to put in long days, but can do some of that remotely, so that worked out.

Apparently, a couple of guys showed some interest in Alissa, but she said she was still getting over her bad breakup and not ready for anything more. At least for now, that kept those men at bay, which helped. By the end of her day, Alissa was quite pleased with how it had gone, though she admitted she'd had to learn a lot and realized she'd have a lot more to learn still.

The quiet little thing that I'd seen the last two days, almost became a chatterbox on the way home, as she talked about everything that had happened. We still needed to keep her so called step father unaware of where she was or what she was doing, but she was becoming more of the person she actually could be.

We ate dinner at the apartment that night. I cooked and Alissa cleaned. By doing some cleaning, she was at least helping to carry her weight. Carrie and her friend Julie came by to check on things. They indicated that first Julie's indication that Alissa had headed south was throwing off anyone looking for her. In addition, the reports that she'd been fleeing an abusive situation put the damper on any search.

We could not take anything for granted though, so it was better for Alissa to keep a low profile. For now, she'd be my cousin Lisa who was staying with me. As we went along, Alissa had stray remarks about the sofa being cramped and how we didn't have to be intimate even if we were in the same bed. I kind of tried to sidestep that, saying this was better for the time being.

We settled into a routine of going to work together, then hanging out mostly at the apartment in the evenings. Both Carrie and Julie checked in on us regularly to make sure everything was fine. We didn't go out much, since Alissa couldn't drink alcohol and it was better to keep her out of public view. We did go to the park for a picnic on weekends. We even went canoeing one Saturday.

Things seemed to be going well, perhaps too well. Then three weeks later, one Saturday, there was a knocking on the door. I opened it to find a man who pushed his way into the apartment. I stood there shocked as I had no idea of what was happening or why that man was there. I heard a shriek from Alissa, then saw a nasty smile on the face of the man.

"I've come for my daughter."

"You aren't my father, and since my mother died, you aren't even my step father."

"Cut the shit, girl. You're coming with me."

"Like hell I am."

"Give me a hard time and you'll find out what hell is."

I spoke up. "You need to leave now. She's not going anywhere she doesn't want to go."

He swung and hit me in the face. Alissa screamed and before I could really react, I saw Carrie in my doorway. She was in civvies, but had a gun and taser, along with her badge.

"Mister, you're under arrest for assault."

He turned and swung at her, which she ducked, then she pulled her taser and tased the son of a bitch. He fell on the floor and lay there with nothing more than twitches. Carrie rolled him over and handcuffed him. She got on her radio and called for assistance. As the man recovered from being tased, he was cursing and struggling, though lying down and in handcuffs made it hard for him to do anything.

Two other officers showed up and Carrie told them to book him for assault, attempted assault on a police officer, and resisting arrest. The other two officers got the man to his feet and took him away though he cursed and made threats all the way. Alissa was badly shaken up and I was going to have a black eye from where he'd hit me.

Another police officer showed up and took Alissa to another room to get a statement from her. He then came and got a statement from me, though Carrie had witnessed much of what happened. She would file her own report, in addition to the reports from this officer. Once he was done, I sat with Alissa on the sofa and tried to calm her.

Carrie stayed a little while with us, but had to go in to file reports of her own. Alissa leaned against me and wept, much like she had the first night she told me about her previous situation. I made sure everything was locked up thoroughly and even put a chair against the door, in case someone tried to break in. I expected him to be in jail at least tonight, but it was safer that way.

I sat with Alissa for a long time trying to get her calmed down again. Obviously, the bastard who had been her step father had found her and was willing to get violent to try to get her back. They were likely to keep him in jail over the weekend, and I assured her that we would go to court Monday to get restraining orders against the asshole.

Restraining orders will only do so much, but it does give some additional level of protection in case he gets out on bail. From what Alissa told me, he had the financial resources to make bail, so we couldn't be certain of being clear of him until he was convicted. We at least had a respite from his attention. Now that he knew where she was there was no more reason to hide her identity.

We'd let the law run its course and sit tight in the meantime. I made something easy for us to eat. I didn't even want to get a delivery of food, after having that bastard at the door. I put an ice pack on my eye to minimize the bruising. After dinner I sat and continued to hold her until it was about time for bed. As that rolled around, she looked at me with a fearful mien.

"I know they arrested him, but I'm still scared. Can I sleep in your bed beside you tonight? We don't need to do anything but sleep, but I'd feel a lot better."

It was kind of hard to argue with that. It had been pretty harrowing, and frankly I was not wholly comfortable that evening. I have a king size bed so there was plenty of room for the two of us. We both changed for bed and climbed in, once I'd checked to make sure everything was locked and secure. Alissa had another request once we were settled.

"Could you hold me? Nothing sexual -- just hold me."

She rolled onto her side and I spooned her, putting my hand on her stomach. She giggled and squirmed, which made we wonder if that had been such a great idea. She quickly settled down though and before long she was quite asleep. I laid awake longer running the events of the day through my head. I had let him catch me by surprise when he hit me, which disturbed me.

I actually slept quite soundly. I hadn't slept cuddled up to anyone in quite a while and it felt good. I still didn't think Alissa and I should be lovers, but the feel of holding her was nice. When I woke up the next morning, I was still holding her, though she had her hand on mine, and somehow it had moved up to the underside of one of her breasts.

That was far more sexual than I really wanted, so I tried to extricate my hand, which ended up waking Alissa. She rolled over and gave me a quick kiss on the lips, then got out of bed before I could make any sort of protest. Yes, it was pleasant to hold her and very nice to kiss her, but it threatened to escalate into something I'd been trying to avoid.

I got up and called Carrie, who told me that John, the step father, had called his attorney but that the arraignment was set for Monday afternoon and he'd be locked up until then. They might have tried to do something sooner but with charges of assault and resisting arrest, they were in no hurry to give him a chance to get loose.

I called an attorney friend who said he'd meet us at court, and file for the restraining orders to keep him away from both me and Alissa. Carrie came by and told me that she'd talked with other people in the local police force, and they'd be keeping an eye on our apartment, just in case. Even if John was locked up, Alissa and I just decided to stay in the apartment all day.

We ate, we talked, we sat together on the sofa, and occasionally watched some things on the tube. Basically it was a quiet day, but then we needed that after the excitement of yesterday. At one point, we did get a visit from a police officer, wanting to ask more questions about what had happened. There was no longer any doubt as to why Alissa had run, or whether doing so was right.

At bedtime, Alissa wanted to sleep in bed with me again. Even though there was no sex, I wasn't sure that was what we should do, but somehow I got the feeling that was going to be the norm from now on. When we got in bed, she turned and gave me a kiss. Now we had been kissing before bedtime before, but she was sleeping on the sofa then.

This seemed to up the intimacy level and there was no doubt this seemed to be what she wanted. Part of what bothered me was that I found it was also what I wanted, even if I didn't want to admit it to myself or to Alissa. How long was it likely to be before things went even further? I found her sexually attractive, and was beginning to fall in love with her.

After the kiss, she had me spoon her. I put my hand on her stomach again, but she grabbed my hand and moved it to the underside of her boob. We were skirting the edge of sexual contact, even though we were still on the safe side of that. It seemed to be getting ever closer and I wasn't sure that wasn't what I wanted. I wasn't sure we should be doing that though.

My dreams included Alissa, of course, along with John, but then Saturday's confrontation had still left its impacts on me. My dreams of Alissa include kissing and a lot more. I'd made love to several women and in my dreams relived some of that, though with Alissa as the woman. I'd been trying to keep my relationship with Alissa from going there, but it was looking like I failed.

In the morning, we showered, dressed, and went to see the attorney. We each called work to tell them what happened and what we were doing. I found that Alissa had done something very smart. When she applied, she told them her legal name was not Lisa Parker, but that she was trying to hide from an abuser who was pursuing her.