Turn the Page: Pt. 04

TURN THE PAGE: Part Four

Preface:

The tale of Theresa 'Terri' Murphy continues with her leaving her hometown of Medford NJ to cross the country, moving to Los Angeles CA to await her husband Dean's return from Tokyo Japan. Her love of literature, and her meddling family, had caused Terri to join a creative writing class in NJ. It was there she met Abraham, a writer turned lecturer, who opened her up to another type of sexual experience along with cementing her desire for black men. He also encouraged her to take ownership of her base desires by writing up her sexual adventures and learning from them.

Mid-March has found Terri moving into Dean's rented apartment in the Playa Vista area. It was quiet, safe, and best of all only a short run to the beach. Her contact with Dean in the week since he had left for Japan was sporadic at best and had only entailed texts and emails because of his workload. If Terri had been suspicious, she might have thought he was avoiding her but since she was the one who had been cheating on him, she assumed it was her own guilty conscience twisting an innocent situation.

There had been one final parting gift from Abraham before Terri flew out to California, she now sported a barbell nipple piecing on each breast. The procedure had been quite painful for Terri, but she had to admit she liked the effect and how they looked under a tight t shirt. The healing process was underway but there was still sometime to go.

Waiting for Dean's return, a complete stranger in this new city, Terri had already fallen back on her old habits of solitude, but she was trying to mitigate it through achievements. She would rise early, go for a run on the beach for a few hours. Her physical appearance had now become very important to her since Abraham had admired it so much. After her run and lunch, she would write for a few hours, quickly reread, and edit her work before sending it on to Abraham. This writing routine had been in place for a few weeks now and she felt she was improving all the time; Abraham had also been very complimentary about her submissions to date.

Chapter 1:

Terri stretched out at the end of Venice fishing pier. It was still early, just after 8am on a beautiful Friday morning, so the foot traffic was still fairly light. There were a lot of negative things someone could say about living in this city but the view of the Pacific early in the morning as the sun rose behind the city, adding a sparkle to the waves, that was certainly worth living here for.

It was her fourth day exercising, her fifth day in total in LA. She normally took a leisurely stroll from her apartment down to Venice beach before warming up by stretching and then running the length of the beach from the pier to Crescent Bay Park and back again, a distance of nearly 5 miles.

She took her time on the runs, enjoying the sights and smells of the beach community. There were a few others like herself who preferred a run at this time of the day, and she exchanged nods of greeting with those she had passed before. It was a lot warmer than home at this time of year and a sheen of perspiration covered her skin by the midpoint of the run, alleviated slightly by the light waft of wind from the Pacific. However, once she got back to the pier and started to cool down, she found the cool ocean breeze to be less beneficial than it had been during the run itself.

Terri carried a small backpack with water, a towel, and her sweats to cover her running gear. Both her shorts and top were form fitting and perfect for running, just not so much for wandering the boardwalk afterwards. Terri had noticed more than one man staring at her breasts, the piercings quite visible, as she exercised.

After a warm down stretch, she would put on her sweats and wander down the boardwalk, getting a drink and maybe something light for lunch. As she had each day before, she gravitated towards a small informal chess area, just some picnic tables that were being used by people to play on. There were a lot of older men here, a large proportion of them black and each day Terri had found herself relaxing, looking on as they played.

There was one man in particular who had caught her eye and she thought, well hoped actually, that she had seen him glancing at her as well.

He was sixty she thought, perhaps even a couple of years beyond that. His head was shaved clean although he kept a well-groomed goatee of grey/white hair. Physically, he could only be described as a handsome man. Tall, unbent by age, he wore a sleeveless top that showed still strong arms and a torso that hadn't surrendered entirely to middle age spread. Although to be fair she couldn't deny that he had a thicker build now than he probably would have sported in his prime. He didn't appear to have any tattoo's which again made him stand out from a lot of his peers who were gathered there, however Terri could see a puckered scar, just above and lifting his right eyebrow, giving him a slightly sardonic expression. Overall, he looked every inch the older Alpha she was drawn too.

Curiously, unlike the others seated playing, he tended to play either alone or with one of several young men, all black, who would occasionally wander over, play a quick game, and then leave. The others tended to play with their own age groups.

The first three days that Terri had seen him she had hung back, content to watch while she drank and ate some snacks. She had kept her sweats on and her head down mostly, feeling less than attractive after a 5-mile run. This day was different though.

Terri hurried through her warm down stretches, eager to get changed. As she worked her Quads a young man approached her. Like Terri he was dressed for a run although he appeared to be getting ready to start rather than finishing up. He was good-looking, reminding Terri of the poster type for Californian surfers with his long blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Hi" he began cheerfully as he walked over to her. "I see you are just finishing up, do you run here every day?"

"Yes" she replied continuing to stretch, "Same time, same place so far."

"Maybe you'd like some company next time? I could..." He trailed off as Terri firmly shook her head.

"Sorry, not looking for company." She said and flashed her wedding band towards him.

Crestfallen he moved off, starting his own warm up routine a bit further down the beach. Terri walked over to a café she'd been frequenting on her days by the beach. She waved to the guy behind the counter and went straight to the restroom. She had added some makeup to her backpack and Terri tried to fix her damp hair, added some lipstick, and generally tried to look less sweaty and dishevelled. She had also fitted the Q pendant to her navel piercing, the first time she had worn it in public since arriving in Los Angeles.

Terri felt a flush of pride as she regarded herself in the mirror. The shy uncertain girl from New Jersey was barely to be seen in the reflection. The old Terri was a pale shadow on her memory now, this was a new Terri, more confident in her life, her looks and her desires.

She collected her drink and smiled her thanks to the café attendant and headed out to the Chess area as she had come to think of it.

Moving past the few casual onlookers around the tables she found a position on the edge where he couldn't fail to see her, she also opened the front of her sweats so that her tight top, which was cropped in order to expose her bare midriff, could now be seen.

He was still studying his board, absently stroking his chin, and talking softly to the younger man across from him. To be honest, even standing this far away from him, Terri found him intimidating. He had a presence and it wasn't just her, she had seen how others had given him a wide berth when walking through the area and no casual passers-by had tried to strike up an impromptu game with him when he was alone.

While she was engrossed in studying him, she had failed to notice his companion had left, so that when he looked up from the board, he caught her openly staring at him. Terri swallowed nervously, she couldn't look away, just like a deer caught in the headlights. He smiled but it didn't seem to reach his eyes. The man then swept his hand towards the now empty chair, clearly inviting Terri to join him at the table.

Hesitantly she walked over and delicately sat down. With the dead smile still in place he asked her "Do you play?"

Terri had rehearsed this scenario a few times over the previous days. But in her rehearsals, he had a clear double meaning with his question which she would then alluringly respond to. Reality rarely reflects one's dreams. Terri managed to stammer out "Not really, not since high school."

He nodded, almost as if he had lost interest, then he made an opening move. Terri did her best but with her imagined plans for the meeting now dust in the wind she was too distracted to play properly and it was over quickly.

"Again" he said.

This time Terri tried her best, doing her best to remember games she had played in school. She did better, at least she felt she did, the game lasting at least twice as long.

"One more time" he said.

Terri tried to draw him into conversation, introducing herself as she moved her first piece. The man however was totally fixated on the game. Once more Terri lost, her performance this time fell short of the last but still better than the train wreck of an opening game.

"You are a reactive player," he said as he gathered the pieces up. "You respond to the other persons moves, don't think enough about your own, about their consequences. You need to think ahead if you are to win." Instead of replacing the pieces on the board he started to pack them away.

Disappointed with how things had worked out, Terri began to rise. "It was nice to meet you Terri" he said as she began to leave, stopping her in her tracks. "I think I've seen you out her before, maybe running on the beach?"

"Yes, that's right" Terri answered, "I like to get out early in the morning to exercise, it clears my mind for the day."

He looked down at her bare stomach, her Queen of Spades symbol evidently the focus of his gaze. Looking back up at her face he smiled once more, the same dead smile, his arched eyebrow adding menace to it.

Picking up his chess set he said in parting "I'm driving up the coast for the weekend, getting an early start. Maybe I'll see you here Monday." And with that, he left.

Terri wandered over to a food stall to get something to eat. She was utterly confused by his mixed signals. He plainly recognised what her choice of jewellery had meant but his cavalier manner indicated he wasn't that interested in her, or was he? She shook her head in bewilderment, opting to just get some fruit to eat back at the apartment.

It took Terri about 30 minutes to stroll back home. When she went to put her key in the door, she noticed it was unlocked. She felt sure she had closed it behind her when leaving, so she warily entered, checking each room. Satisfied the apartment was empty and nothing seemed out of place Terri promptly forgot about the door and instead sat back at her laptop, still open on the story she was writing for Abraham and began typing.

Chapter 2:

The weekend had been quiet which was no surprise for Terri. Dean remained elusive, answering texts but not quickly and obstinately avoiding an actual phone conversation with her. She had taken the weekend off from both running and writing, instead she'd spent the Saturday doing the tourist thing, taking an open top bus tour around Beverly Hills looking at the homes of movie stars both current and from the golden age of Hollywood.

Sunday, she had decided to stop eating take out and had fixed herself a home cooked meal, not because she was a little homesick for her Grandmothers of course, or at least that's what she attempted to convince herself of.

On the Monday she rose later than normal. She was resolved to go for a run again but a shorter one this time so that she wouldn't appear as damp and dishevelled as she had on the Friday. Maybe then this bull of a man would be more responsive? Bull, yeah, she thought, that suited him.

She dressed quickly, plain white cotton panties and off-white polyester sports bra, lightweight loose black running shorts with a white full-length tank top over them. Terri felt she had already sent a message on the Friday by wearing the crop top and Queen of Spades symbol in her navel piercing. The charm with its silver Q was still in place on her piercing but she didn't want everyone seeing it as she exercised so the longer tank top seemed best. She packed her usual items into her backpack, including the makeup and brush she had used on Friday. Lastly, she packed her light sea green hoodie with matching sweatpants as she wanted to start her run from the apartment, not wait till she reached the beach.

It took just ten minutes for her to make it to the sand, the day was promising to be glorious, Terri had come to appreciate the warmth of the sun on her face despite her pale delicate skin. She pounded along the beach, a mile eating pace to her exercise. Passing the section of the beach that the chess area looked out upon, Terri resisted the urge to slow and look to see if he was there, instead she picked up pace slightly.

She soon realised that her plan to run less that day had been forgotten in her exhilaration and she slowed as she reached her normal midpoint. Terri came to a complete stop and took a long drink from her bottle. There was a nice breeze out, not as biting as it had been last week, so she opted to walk back along the sand to cool down properly and she'd towel and change then.

After she had changed and tidied herself up, she ordered herself an iced tea as a momentary pang of regret for how things ended with Dontrell hit her. Iced tea in the mornings had been their little tradition. It was best not to dwell on things like that so Terri wandered towards the chess games, a quick glance at her watch showed her that her that getting up late this morning and then the stroll back from Crescent Bay Park had meant she was over an hour later finishing her exercise than usual.

The picnic table he normally occupied was empty. Terri quickly scanned the other tables and players to see if he had just switched positions but there was no sign of him.

"Looking for me or just looking?" She heard from behind her.

He was leaning with his back against one of the palm trees that dotted the length of Venice beach. A short leash in his hand was attached to a small dog lying basking in the sunshine at his feet.

"Yes, I was looking to say hi" Terri answered.

"Well...hi then" he replied with that same dead smile slowly creeping over his features. He noticed Terri look at his dog. He gave a small jerk on the leash and explained "She belonged to my late wife; I was just taking her back from a walk. Want to join me?"

"Sure, that'd be nice" Terri said. She quickly gulped back the remainder of her drink, depositing it in a trash can beside her before hurrying to catch up with him as he began to walk off the boardwalk and back towards the Ocean Park section of the city.

They walked in silence for a while. Terri was unsure what to say, he seemed to be acting friendly, but she had an inkling that acting was the key word.

"So, are you in LA alone?" he asked her.

"No, my husband is based here now" she replied, a half-truth she figured.

"That's good. You both liking it?"

"Yes, I grew up on the East Coast, nice to experience the Pacific lifestyle" Terri smiled in answer.

"MmmmHmm, so you like the ocean and you like running. What else are you into Terri?"

Again, Terri had hoped that such a question might be a leading one, urging her to confess that she was attracted to him. But the flat manner in which he spoke just made her think it was a banal request for personal information. Taking it as such she answered, "Reading mostly. That's my passion. But I've started writing recently."

This got a reaction from him, if only a slight narrowing of his eyes. "Writing, like articles and such?"

"No, no. Nothing like that." Terri said, "Mostly I am writing, well it's a cross between a diary and an autobiography. It's just a project I started after a creative writing course."

"Mmmmhmm Good girl". This last statement seemed to be aimed at his dog which was yipping at another dog tied up on a front lawn they were passing by.

Another few minutes passed and Terri had decided to just ask him his name, if he didn't answer she'd make her excuses and turn back for home. However, as she opened her mouth to speak, he said "This is me."

They had stopped in front of a small single storey house. Painted power blue it had a nice lush lawn visible at the front and side and seemed to stretch around the back of the house. There was no driveway but there was a small path that ran from the sidewalk towards the house, splitting to lead to the front door and on around the side. Secured to the side of the house was a large expensive looking motorbike that Terri assumed he had used for his coastal trip that weekend past.

"Come on girl".

Terri looked up to see him leading his dog towards the house. She wasn't sure if he had been talking to her or his canine, but she followed him regardless.

Inside the house was pleasant. Pictures of the man and an older woman dominated the walls and also lined the cabinets and shelves in the living room. Terri felt like an intruder here. It was as if the eyes of his late wife were staring at her from every angle, furious at Terri for coveting her husband. She also noticed that the man wore the same dead smile in the pictures as he had when talking to her, so at least she felt a bit better knowing it wasn't purely his reaction towards her in particular.

She stood awkwardly in the room watching as in the kitchen the man fixed bowls of food and water, placing them on the floor for the dog to slobber over. He walked back to the living room and beckoned Terri over.

"Let me show you something you'll appreciate" he said before moving to a low door set into the back wall. He opened it and turned on a small overhead light illuminating a small flight of stairs heading down.

"Oh wow" Terri exclaimed and followed him down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs, Terri found herself at one end of a large basement, easily the size of the house upstairs. From the dim illumination of the small light behind her she could only make out the first half of the area but that was enough to set her heart pounding.

"Oh wow" she repeated as she scanned the room. In what looked to be the centre of the room there seemed to be at least two king-sized mattresses laid out side by side. Near them and closer to where she stood was a familiar sight, a sex swing hung from a beam in the ceiling. Closer again there was a small stool and opposite it there was a large, wide, padded chair. The chair had black padding on the seat and back, bare wooden arms and, curiously, the legs were half again as long as a standard chair. It looked like a mating between a regular chair and a bar stool.

"Have a seat there" he said indicating the chair. Terri hopped up into it and while it was comfortable, she did feel odd being elevated like this.

The man sat down on the stool opposite her. He fished inside his pants pocket for a packet of cigarettes. He proceeded to light one, inhaling it with the joy of a lifetime smoker before addressing her again.

"If I was going to be a character in a book, know who I'd be?" he asked.

"No, no clue" Terri answered.

"Well, I would be Fagin, from 'Oliver Twist' by Dickens" he stated very matter of factly.