Nine Minutes (11 page)

Chapter Nineteen

Grizz
was
wrong.

     
“Priscilla Renee
Celery?” I shouted. “You cannot be serious. There is no way in this world I am
going to use the name Priscilla Celery.”

     
I looked up at
Grizz
, who was smiling. What an awful last name—and going
from a fruit to a vegetable? Forget it.

     
“She’s right,
Eddie, it’s pretty bad. Give her a new one.”

     
Less than thirty
minutes later I was the proud owner of a Florida driver’s license that
identified me as eighteen-year-old Ann Marie Morgan. The physical address on my
license was in Pembroke Pines. I wondered if it was Blue’s.

     
I liked the name
and told
Grizz
I thought Annie would make a cute
nickname. He told me nobody would ever call me Annie. The driver’s license was
just a formality in the event I needed it. More back-up ID would be mailed to
the post office in Davie. A false birth certificate and Social Security card arrived
within the week.

 
    
I
asked him if he had an ID, and he told me he was Rick O’Connell. Of course, I
never once heard anyone refer to him as Rick, so I knew what he meant about me
never having a different nickname. I was Kit.

     
Chowder had fixed
the A/C unit by the time we returned to the motel. I thought it was a little
noisier than before, but it was cool inside and I couldn’t wait to take a
shower. My shoulders were sunburned and the water stung, but I was oddly
elated. I guess I was still a little high from the ride.

     
The next two days
passed uneventfully. I rarely went to the pit in the evenings. I honestly had
no use for anyone in the gang, not to mention the dirty looks I got from the
other women. There were always women coming and going. Other than Grunt and
Moe, I’d still not warmed up to anyone. Besides, I didn’t want to see Willow.
She still came around quite a bit, but thankfully, she stayed away from me.

     
I caught myself
starting to fantasize about my life with
Grizz
. I
guess that afternoon on the bike had something to do with it. I still had my
period and
Grizz
still had not tried anything in bed.
That was okay. I knew I needed more time.

     
One night, a
small crowd had gathered at the pit. I was bored. I went out and found Grunt.

     
“Do you mind if I
go in your room and listen to some records?” I asked him.

     
I had only seen
Grunt a handful of times since the day we got my helmet. I got a few chess
lessons from him and he was impressed with how quickly I took to the game. He
was always coming and going. It was summer, so I wasn’t sure if he was taking
classes. Grunt looked over at
Grizz
who gave a nod. I
wanted to roll my eyes, but didn’t. Grunt jumped up and said, “Sure, c’mon.”

     
“I didn’t mean to
take you away from the pit,” I stammered as we walked away. “You don’t have to
come with me if you trust me to be in your room.”

     
“No problem. Bugs
are eating me alive anyway. Let’s go.”

     
I followed Grunt
to his room and spent the next couple of hours listening to his albums and
continuing with my chess lessons. While we talked and played chess, I perused
his bookshelf and settled on two books to take back to number four with me.

     
Grunt was the
perfect gentleman, and I found myself a little disappointed that he didn’t
flirt with me. I didn’t flirt with him either, though. I don’t know if it was a
growing loyalty to
Grizz
or my embarrassment of our
night together, or a combination of both. I told myself I was glad he didn’t
like me that way because it would certainly complicate things.

     
It was starting
to get late. I was actually surprised
Grizz
hadn’t
come looking for me. I yawned and picked up my books.

     
“Thanks for the
books and for putting up with my record choices tonight.”

     
“You can borrow
any books you want any time. And remember, you picked records from my stash, so
I liked listening to everything you picked out. Need me to walk you home?” he
teased.

     
“No, I think I
can get there all by myself.” I answered. We both laughed, and I was still
smiling as he closed the door behind me. I got to number four and went in.

     
I almost dropped
my books at the sight that greeted me.
Grizz
was
laying
back on the couch with his eyes closed.

     
And Willow was
crouched between his legs with her head bobbing frantically.

Chapter Twenty

Neither one
had heard me open the door. I guess that’s because the A/C unit was much louder
than before. To my right was a shelf unit that held the TV. I slammed my books
down as hard as I could on it.

     
Grizz
opened his eyes, and Willow stopped and turned around
to look at me.
Grizz
grabbed her by the hair and said,
“Finish.”

     
She gave me a
toothless smile and went back to what she was doing.

     
I turned around
and ran out the front door, and before I even knew where I was heading, I was
pounding on Grunt’s door. He opened it and I fell into him, wrapping my arms around
his back. I wasn’t crying, but I was on the verge of tears. I didn’t know why.

     
Why should I care
what
Grizz
and Willow were doing? I certainly hadn’t
done anything like that with him, and I had been telling myself for the last
month I didn’t want to.
So why this feeling of betrayal?
No matter what I told myself, the truth was it stung.

     
“Hey, hey, hey,
what’s wrong?” Grunt asked as he held me closely. “Kit, what’s wrong, what
happened?”

     
All of a sudden
something dawned on me. There was no way in the world I was going to tell
Grunt, or anyone for that matter, that catching Willow performing oral sex on
Grizz
bothered me.
Absolutely no way.
I caught myself then and stood back. Thank goodness there were no tears yet. He
had his hands on my shoulders.

     
“Nothing’s wrong
really.” I stammered. “I walked in on
Grizz
and
Willow and I’m embarrassed, is all.”

     
He gave me a look
that said he knew I was lying, but being the gentleman he was, he didn’t press.

     
 
“You know, he’s been waiting for you
awhile. I’m the only one who knows that. I don’t even think Blue knows.
Grizz
is very prideful. And he’s only human and she’s only
too willing. Besides, he was drinking before you even came out to the pit. He’s
probably pretty hammered by now.”

     
“I know. Like I
said, I’m just embarrassed. Let’s forget I even came here.” I paused. “
Ummm
, how long do you think I should wait before I go back?”

     
My inexperience
was showing and I started to blush. Before Grunt could answer, his door flew
open and
Grizz
came in.

     
“Thought I’d find
you here. Let’s go.”
Grizz
nodded toward the door.

     
I immediately
pulled myself together and said a little too haughtily, “Just wanted to give
you some privacy.”

     
With that I
strode past him and was reminded of my first night at the motel. The night I replaced
Willow
and she’d proudly flounced away from the pit.

     
I went back to
our unit and changed into my nightgown. I washed my face, brushed my teeth and
hair and climbed into bed. I’d taken the borrowed books into the bedroom with
me. I picked one up and pretended to read. I looked away as he undressed and
slid in next to me.

     
“It shouldn’t
have bothered you, Kit.”

     
“It didn’t bother
me,” I replied too quickly. “I was just embarrassed to interrupt, that’s all.”

     
I was lying on my
back and he was on his side facing me with his head propped up on his right
hand. He raised an eyebrow.

     
“Didn’t bother
you, huh? So I guess I could’ve been getting head from Willow this whole time
and it wouldn’t have bothered you?”

     
I looked straight
at him. “How do I know you haven’t been doing that with her this whole time?
What’s it to me?
None of my business.
I’m sure you do
what you want anyway.”

     
“Damn right I do
what I want.”

     
I didn’t say
anything and continued to feign interest in my book.

     
“Look, she
followed me back to number four and asked to use the phone. You know how Willow
can be. I guess she had something to prove and I was horny enough to let her.
That whore doesn’t mean anything to me.”

     
“I don’t care if
she means anything to you.” I looked at the pages of my book coolly. “Of
course, it was really rude of you to let her do that while I could have been in
the other room.
”

     
“But I knew you
weren’t. I watched Grunt’s room all night. I knew you hadn’t come out.”

     
“How convenient
for the two of you.” I kept my tone even. “Well, like I said, I don’t care. So
keep doing what you want. Doesn’t matter to me.”

     
I turned back to
my book and tried to concentrate on the pages.

     
“Doesn’t bother
you, huh?”

     
“Nope. Doesn’t
bother me at all.”

     
“You sure about
that?”

     
“Yes, I’m sure,
Grizz
. Why would you even think something like this would
bother me?” I asked a little too smugly.

     
“Because your
book is upside down.”

     
With that I
slammed my book shut and sat straight up to face him. “Gosh,
Grizz
, of all the girls, it had to be
Willow
? I mean
,
even
Chicky
and Moe would’ve been easier for me to handle because they don’t hate me. I’m
sure she thinks she has one up on me now. Not that I care. I don’t know. I
guess it’s a woman thing. I don’t expect you to understand.”

     
“So it would’ve
been okay if you came in and it was
Chicky
or Moe?”

     
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t fathom my own reasoning. Was I upset he was engaging in sexual
activity with another woman, or was I upset because the other woman was Willow,
a woman who had become my instant enemy?

     
“You want Willow
gone? If you want her gone, all you have to do is say so. You’ll never see her
again.”

     
“Yeah,
Grizz
,” I said quietly. “I want her gone.”

     
That was the end
of the conversation. We both fell asleep, and when I woke up the next morning
he had his arms wrapped around me. I had my back to him and I started to gently
lift one of his heavy arms off of me. Then I stopped myself. I closed my eyes
and fell back to sleep.

     
Grizz
was true to his word. I never saw Willow again.

Cha
pter Twenty-One

Grizz
became a little bolder in the bedroom after that night, but he still never
pressed me. He also started insisting I sleep in the nude like him. I always
made sure I had a towel wrapped around me as I climbed into bed, and once I was
under the covers I would take it off. This didn’t provoke or anger him, though.
He thought it was funny and would just shake his head as he wrapped his arms
around me and pulled my backside up against his front.

     
I actually slept
very comfortably in
Grizz’s
arms.
Maybe
a little too comfortably.
One particular night, not long after the
Willow incident, I was enjoying an especially erotic dream.

     
I was dreaming
about the night I lost my virginity to Grunt. The only difference was that I
was not drugged and I was thoroughly enjoying our lovemaking. “
Nights In White Satin”
was
playing in the background. He was on top of me and inside me, and his thrusts
were rhythmic and I was meeting him each time. I felt his breath at my ear and
he was saying to enjoy it, to let go. I had a quick and powerful orgasm. So
intense it actually woke me up.

     
I was disoriented
at first, not remembering where I was or who I was with. I was on my back and
looked over to my left. And there was
Grizz
, smiling
like the cat that ate the canary. He had his hand between my legs and was still
touching me.

     
I pushed his hand
away and sat up, aghast. “Stop it. What do you think you’re doing?”

     
“Lighten up, Kit.
It’s not the end of the world if you let yourself enjoy it a little. Was that
your first one?”

     
“That is none of
your business!” I spat as I lay back down and rolled onto my side.

     
He pulled me
against him, and I could hear him chuckling as I tried to fall back to sleep. But
I was worried. Why was I dreaming about Grunt?

     
I spent the rest
of the week in a crush-induced fog. I couldn’t get that dream out of my head. I
found myself making excuses to be near Grunt. I continued to borrow books, play
chess and ask to listen to his records. He would let me hang out in his room
when he wasn’t there, and once or twice I tried on his jacket and checked
myself out in the bathroom mirror.

     
It was funny. I
felt so differently than I had the first night I tried on Grunt’s jacket. The
night I got
Gwinny
. It was different now. I liked how
I looked in it, and I wondered if I would ever get to ride on the back of his
bike. I even started to fantasize I was there to be with him, not
Grizz
.

     
After a couple of
days of making excuses to be in Grunt’s room to listen to his music, I found a
brand new stereo system set up in number four.
Grizz
told me to borrow some of Grunt’s records until he got me my own. You would
think I would be excited to have my own stereo, but I found myself disappointed
that the main reason I had to hang out in his room had been taken away.

     
The fog lifted
soon enough. It was a Saturday morning a few days later.
Grizz
told me he had to spend the day away from the motel. He said I could go off the
grounds again with Grunt, but not to familiar places and to make sure I wore
the baseball cap and sunglasses.

     
I was elated.
This was perfect. I would ask Grunt to take me to the beach. With the thousands
of girls my own age, I was certain I would blend in even if I didn’t wear the
baseball cap and sunglasses. I put on my yellow bikini and cutoff shorts,
slipped my feet into sandals and put my hair in a high ponytail. I headed for
Grunt’s room.

     
I had my hand
raised to knock on his door when it swung open. I stood there with my hand
still in the raised position. Grunt was coming out of the room and stopped
short when he saw me.

     
“Hey, Kit. You
here for books, albums or chess lessons?” he said, laughing.

     
Grunt was not
alone and I had obviously interrupted a private joke. He had his left arm slung
around the shoulders of a girl.

     
Before I could
answer him he said, “Kit. This is Sarah Jo. Jo, this is Kit. Kit lives here
with
Grizz
.”

     
I thought I saw a
flash of recognition in Sarah Jo’s face. Did she place me as the girl who went
missing back in May?

     
She held out her
hand to take mine and said, “It’s so nice to meet you, Kit. I cannot believe
how much you look like my best friend, Kelli. She just moved to North Carolina.
I’m supposed to go visit her sometime this summer. You could be her twin
sister.”

     
As she spoke, I
sized her up. She was tiny. I mean, all the women at this motel seemed to be of
small stature, except for
Chicky
who was on the
voluptuous side, but this girl wasn’t little. She was miniature. She must have
been only four foot eleven. She had a cute figure and seemed very well
proportioned for someone so small. She had brown hair with gold highlights,
blue eyes, a nice tan and a sprinkling of freckles on her nose.

     
She was adorable.
It was hate at first sight.

     
“Jo is Fess’s
daughter.” Grunt was saying. “She’s your age. You should have a lot in common.”

     
She giggled then
and looked up adoringly at Grunt. “Can
Kit
go with us
to the beach? We don’t have to take your bike. We can take your car.”

     
“Yeah, sure. Kit,
wanna
come? Looks like you’ve
already got your bathing suit on.”

     
“Uh, no, I was
actually just coming down to pick out some books if it’s okay,” I stammered.

     
“Oh, please come,
Kit. It’ll be fun,” Sarah Jo begged.

     
Was she really
this sweet or was it an act?
I’d already been fooled by Blue’s
wife
, Jan. I wasn’t sure how I was feeling and didn’t trust myself to
spend the day with them.

     
“Maybe another
time. I’ve got a bad headache and the sun probably wouldn’t help,” I lied.

     
“Well, don’t read
too much, then.” Grunt gave me a funny look that said he wasn’t sure if he
believed my excuse. “Reading won’t help a headache. But I don’t keep the door
locked. Help yourself.”

     
Then he turned to
Sarah Jo. “C’mon,
Littlin
. Got your helmet?”

     
“Right here,” she
said as she held it up with her left hand. Her right arm was draped around his
waist. She waved to me as they started to walk away. “I’m sorry you don’t feel
good. Maybe another time?”

     
“Yeah. Sure.
Definitely.” I answered as they walked off, leaving Grunt’s door open.

     
Definitely
never
, I thought, staring
through the open door without going in as I tried to figure out what I was
feeling.

     
I wasn’t really
troubled by her cuteness. I was cute too. Her blue eyes and bubbly personality
didn’t really bother me either. I was always receiving compliments about my
big, brown eyes. People always told me how smart I was. I closed Grunt’s door
and continued to think about it as I made my way back to number four. I heard
Grunt’s bike start.

     
And I stopped
dead in my tracks. That’s what bothered me so much. Sarah Jo was wearing his
jacket.

____________