Kathy's World (4 page)

Kathy had been afraid. She hadn't trusted herself or her feelings, holding onto a vain hope that this wasn't happening. Some part of her wanted it to be a misunderstanding, like he had said in that long oh-woe-is-me letter. The words from his own lips washed away all doubt. The way he talked about her was contemptible, so hurtful; why hadn't she figured out before that he didn't really care about her? The world was not going to return to normal, ever. He wasn’t the boyfriend she had known for a year, and maybe he never had been. She would never trust him again, and the loss of so much was going to hurt for a long time.

The mountain would have to be moved out of her way if she was going to get on with her life. The only way to do it was to make the cut clean. She tapped the button to stop recording, and stepped out from behind Eddie. “I think I know who to believe,” she said.

Mark stared at her in complete shock. Kathy handed Gina's phone back to her, and got a huge grin in return. She glared witheringly at him, daring him to say something in defense of the indefensible, but inside she felt almost empty.

“You set me up!” he shouted, pointing at Gina.

“
We
set you up, Mark,” Kathy said frostily. “Here's what's going to happen: you're going to leave, right now, and not say another fucking word. I'm going to take all your stuff in my house and put it outside for you to collect in the morning. If you don't pick it up by tomorrow night,
I am going to set it on fire.
”

He cringed away from her like the coward he was. Kathy nodded at Eddie. “Now you can throw him out if you want.”

Eddie cracked his knuckles loudly. Mark stumbled backwards, falling over his chair in his haste to get away. He sprinted out of the bar as fast as possible.

Kathy sagged in relief as soon as he was gone. It was done. She'd get over it. If the world was going to stay skewed, she'd have to adjust.

She wanted to slump into a chair, but was held up by a bear hug from Gina. “You were awesome! Did you get it all? I will totally send you the file and you can post it online, and that asshole is going to regret fucking with you and me for the rest of his life!”

“Okay Gina, that's enough,” said Eddie, and he pried her off Kathy. “I think I should take her home now, before the band starts up.”

“Hah, sure you do,” she smirked, and patted Kathy on the arm. “I'll come by tomorrow if you want and help you throw his stuff out.”

“Okay, yeah,” Kathy said, feeling too worn down to argue. “Thanks, Gina.”

Eddie took her hand and lead her out through the employee's entrance. Her Prius was where she had left it, but he pointed at the pickup truck. “We can collect it in the morning, don't worry. This place is locked up tight every night. I'll drive, you tell me where to go.”

“Does this mean you're staying with me tonight?” she asked.

He slid a hand around her waist. “Means I think you're owed a good time, what with the shit you've had to put up with tonight,” he said next to her ear, with just enough of that low growl to make her breath catch in her throat. “And I'll deliver, if you want me to.”

“Ah... yeah,” she managed, feeling her knees wavering again. “Yeah, let's do that.”

*****

They pulled up past Kathy's house and parked further down the street. “Don't want to let anyone know you're having company,” Eddie said. He locked up his truck, and she took his hand as they walked back towards her door. It took her a few minutes to dig out the new keys from her pocket.

Eddie whistled as she switched on the light in the hallway. “Wow, this place is really nice. I guess the business analyst thing pays well?”

“Yeah, it does. C'mon into the kitchen, I'll make some coffee.”

“Getting invited in for sex and having coffee instead? Man, that has to be a first.”

Kathy laughed with him, but her stomach was starting to churn with nerves. She went into the kitchen, turned out the coffee grounds from the morning, and set a new pot brewing. Eddie shouldn't make her feel nervous – this wasn't anything serious. It was something to take her mind off Mark, she told herself.

Maybe it was being with someone so very different from him. There was a little fear there. She leaned on the counter and stared at the coffee dripping, lost in thought. Before Mark, she had had a few short term boyfriends in college and not much else. Work took up too much of her time. She had just been lucky that he showed some interest in her when they met at a networking event last year.

She was over-thinking it again. Kathy sighed, and pulled two mugs out of the cupboard.

“You're not comfortable with this, are you?” Eddie asked. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, watching her with his arms folded. “You know we don't have to...”

She leaned against the counter and wondered how she got herself into such a strange situation. “That wouldn't be very fair to you, though. You know, with your bad luck and all.”

“Kathy, you don't owe me anything just because I drove you home,” he pointed out. “I said I'd show you a good time. If that means just sitting around and drinking coffee, well, there are worse ways to spend an evening.” He shrugged. “Yeah, bad luck or whatever, but I ain't that hard up that I need to convince a woman to sleep with me. It's up to you, okay?”

She nodded. “I know. It's not you, Eddie – I just didn't think I'd be spending my weekend like this. Have you ever had anyone cheat on you? Someone you really trusted?”

“No. I broke up with my last girlfriend a few months back because she wanted to settle down and I wasn't interested, but I've been lucky. No really big emotional stuff so far, just the usual relationship drama.”

“So you're not into commitment?”

“Nah. I hate kids and having to wear a suit, so I'm not exactly husband material.”

That made her laugh. “Oh, I don't know, I think kids would get a kick out of their dad being in a metal band.”

At that, he walked over and picked up the mugs. “And that's enough of that topic, I think. C'mon, beautiful, let's see what's on TV.”

Kathy got the cream and sugar and pointed him at the living room. Her TV was a bit small, but she only used it for watching a few shows during the week and it worked well enough for that. She especially liked her couch, as it was big, comfy, and great for reading books.

Eddie put the mugs down on the table and sat down while she fished around for the remote. She put on some late night movie, and kept the volume low. Kathy paused as she observed how he sat: lounging with his arms on the back of the couch, completely at ease, in a way that made his thick muscles stand out.

Her stomach flopped over again. It wasn't nerves. Kathy sat down and unzipped her boots, then tucked her legs up under her. Eddie watched her as she sipped her coffee, a curious smile on his face. “What?” she asked.

He crooked his finger at her, summoning her over to his side of the couch. Kathy put down her coffee and shuffled towards him until she was close enough to lean on his chest, and he draped his arm over her shoulder. “Better?” he said, nuzzling her hair.

“Ah... yeah. Better.” She forgot about the coffee.

They watched the movie – or Kathy pretended to. The attraction hadn't gone away. The thought of sex, with him, hadn't gone away. The roller-coaster had stopped for a while, but now it was getting back up to speed, and soon it would tip over the next slope and send her flying.

Eddie was stroking her arm absently with his thumb. The small motion made her heart thump painfully, and made her think of where else his hands could go. Where her hands could go...

Just do it, part of her said. He wanted you before. He'll make it good. You're owed some guilt-free fun after what Mark did to you. This is what people do, after they've been hurt – they go and have sex with strangers. Well, maybe
you
don't do that, but we're living in an alternate universe now, and anything goes here...

She turned just a little, and grabbed his hand. She moved it over a couple of inches and onto her breast.

There was a slight shift in how he was sitting, enough to tell her that she had his full attention now. His thumb moved again, flicking over her nipple through the thin fabric of her top and the lace of her bra. It felt so deliciously good, made every inch of her body more sensitive, and she rose unconsciously into the touch. Eddie kissed the side of her head and murmured into her ear. “Is that a green light for everything?”

Oh yes, yes, yes, though she had no idea what he meant by 'everything' at this point. He'd stop if she said so, but why not let go for once? Just hold on to the roller-coaster. Kathy nodded.

He pulled her chin around and kissed her, and slipped his hand inside her top. On the outside it was lovely; on the inside, squeezing and stroking, it made her whole body ache with arousal. His other hand started on her thigh and wandered in under her skirt, hot and heavy and suddenly curled into her underwear.

She moaned and grabbed at his T-shirt. His fingers just seemed to know where to go, rubbing over her clitoris and down further into her. It was so easy for him; what the hell had Mark been doing, all that time, when he said he couldn't find it? She was already wet and in desperate need of more, and whether they did it right here or in her bedroom, she hardly cared at all.

He dragged her around and she ended up crushed against his chest with one leg pressed into his crotch. She kissed him furiously, rocking against his hands and trying to pull his shirt up. He stopped her, then untangled them for a moment and stood. “I'm not doing this here when there's a bed nearby,” he said, and Kathy almost groaned in impatience. She started to drag him towards the stairs, but not before he had the presence of mind to switch off the TV.

They almost fell into the bedroom. Nothing had changed since she chased Mark out the night before. The sheets were still in complete disarray, and that condom was still on the floor, but her former revulsion seemed miles away. If Eddie saw it, he didn't show it; he just picked her up and dumped her on the bed, and then pulled his T-shirt off.

“You are not naked enough,” he said, in that voice that made her toes curl.

“Neither are you!”

“That I can fix pretty quickly. I just want to see what you look like without clothes.”

Oh, she liked this idea. Kathy got onto her knees and lifted her top, letting it peel off her body and over her head. It went on the floor, followed by her bra. Her skirt proved a bit of a problem, but she slid it down off her hips and then rolled onto her back to take it off completely. Eddie watched her with a huge grin on his face, and took his time about kicking off his shoes, undoing his belt and letting his pants and boxers hit the floor.

He was really hairy, and a hell of a lot bigger than Mark in every way.

Kathy set her feet flat on the bed, lifted her ass, and pushed her underwear down. He could certainly see all of her now, and it looked like he enjoyed the view. She suddenly laughed, and threw her panties at him.

He caught them and tossed them to one side. “I really hope I get to keep those,” he said, and dived onto the bed on top of her.

The pressure of his body was intoxicating, and her legs automatically came up around his waist. His hands wandered everywhere; around her breasts, where he sucked and kissed her nipples, across her thighs and ass. She could barely do much more than moan, gasp for breath, and kick against him with her heels.

The rock-hard head of his erection jabbed into her groin painfully. She felt a stab of panic that they might not have any condoms; she probably couldn't stop herself from doing something very stupid if they didn't. “Eddie – oh god, I need you, but – protection -”

He let out a heartfelt groan. “Dammit, hang on.” He left her for a moment and grabbed his pants from the floor. She watched him search for his wallet and finally retrieve a familiar silver packet.

“You always this prepared?” she asked jokingly.

“Always.” He returned to her, kissed her soundly, and then rolled over next to her. “You're gonna want to be on top, trust me on this.”

She sat across him and snatched the condom out of his hand. This was another thing she never usually did, but when in an alternate universe... She slid down his legs until her chin was level with his belly button, and unrolled the condom over the tip of his cock. As she spread it down his length, she slipped the head into her mouth and sucked, just a little. He was so big that there wasn't much she could do without dislocating her jaw, but she made up for it by stroking and touching him; between his legs, around his ass, and across his stomach.

She dropped her shoulders, stretched her arms out to run her hands up his chest, and tried to take as much as she could, but... no. He was too big. Any more and she'd bite him by accident. She'd have to be content with the feeling of holding him like this, of sensing the twitch and pulse of arousal on her tongue, of knowing that she had his whole world under her control.

The taste wasn't exactly great, but the way Eddie swore was sweet music to her ears. “Holy
shit
, that's hot,” he groaned. “Your ex-boyfriend... is the biggest fucking moron on earth...”

She giggled as she kissed her way back up his body, enjoying the feeling of his chest hair tickling her breasts. “He doesn't ask for it much.”