The Firefly Effect (19 page)

“No, I don’t think so. Bill Chamberlain…oh, wait! Wasn’t he the rich kid who drove that bright yellow Corvette? The one that got stolen and turned up in Karick Lake?”

“Yep, that was him.”

“I didn’t really know him, but I knew who he was. Anyway, go on.”

“What happened was, Stephanie found out he was cheating on her less than a week after he gave her a promise ring. Obviously she was heartbroken because – I don’t know if I should be telling you this – but she had given him her virginity. And what made it a million times worse is that she actually
witnessed
him cheating. See, close to the end of the school year he threw a big pool party at his house so of course she and I were there. Then at some point during the night he just disappears so I’m helping her look for him, right? And since he’s apparently too stupid to lock a door we both walk in on him in the pool house bathroom with his stubby little prick jammed down some slutty girl’s throat.”

I’m trying not to laugh at her rather unflattering portrayal of the guy’s anatomy. “Damn. This Chamberlain punk sounds like a real piece of shit.”

“He was. Neither of us even knew who the girl was – I think she came there with someone else. But can you imagine walking in on something like that? So of course Stephanie is hysterical and I was
beyond
pissed because that’s just wrong on so many levels, what he did to her.”

“No kidding.” Something about this story rings a vaguely familiar bell with me, like maybe I got wind of the rumors after it happened.

“Anyway…she spent the weekend with me crying and pouring her heart out and I was so mad at him, I came up with this crazy revenge scheme. If you knew Bill you’d know how he was always bragging about that fugly yellow car of his, and it just so happened she knew where he kept a spare key, so…” Here she pauses.

The math is suddenly starting to add up. “You didn’t.”

“Um…yeah. We both did.”

“That was you?”

“That was us.”

“Bullshit! You’re telling me you and Stephanie took his car for a joyride and accidentally drove it into the lake?”

“Oh, no. Driving it into the lake was not an accident.”

She smiles sweetly up at me as I gaze down at her, dumbfounded. I cannot believe she would do something so reckless, so irresponsible, so…potentially dangerous! “What the hell, were you on heavy medication or something? First you steal a car, then you decide to drive it off into a
lake?
How…what…do you realize you could’ve
drowned?
”

“Oh, please. I’ve known how to swim since I was four. Besides, we made sure the windows were down.”

“Did it not occur to you that his family might have security cameras? What if you got caught?”

“What am I, stupid? We both wore ski masks. Gloves too, just in case. We made a plan to sneak out in the middle of the night and meet at his house the Wednesday after the party. This way we’d have an alibi – the two of us were tucked in our beds sleeping like little darlings. Which is what our parents told the police when they questioned us.”

“The police questioned you?”

“Uh-huh. I wasn't surprised since I figured Bill would probably point a finger our way right off the bat. But nobody saw us and he couldn’t prove a thing. As a matter of fact, Stephanie put up such a good act, she had Bill and everyone else feeling bad that they even dragged our names into it. He actually wound up apologizing to her in the end, if you can believe that.”

“What I can’t believe is that I never heard about this. I’m pretty sure I would’ve remembered if your name had come up.”

“Have I never mentioned what my father does for a living, Shane?”

“No, but what does that–”

“My dad’s a lawyer. Bill was politely warned that slandering either my name or Stephanie’s would constitute defamation of character and would be dealt with as such in a court of law.”

I’m speechless for a moment as all this sinks in. And when it does, when I stop and picture Melanie in her little Mission Impossible getup, slinking around in the middle of the night committing grand theft auto – well, it’s a futile effort to keep from laughing.

“Damn, girl!” I choke out after I’ve composed myself somewhat. “Remind me never to get on your bad side!”

“Don’t worry,” she giggles. “Your car is safe with me.”

“Yeah, but is my house?”

“I think the hurricane’s more likely to drown your house than I am!”

She has a point there. Another feeder band moved in a little while ago, bringing a deluge of rain so thunderous it sounds as if Victoria Falls is cascading down on our roof. It’s amazing to me that the cable hasn’t gone out. But it’s still clear as a bell and the movie is going strong, not that anyone is paying any attention to it. “I never knew what a badass little gangster you were! Any more brushes with the law you’d care to share?”

“No! And you promised you’d keep this a secret. Don’t forget.”

“
I’m
not saying anything. But on an unrelated note, do you happen to have Bill Chamberlain’s phone number?”

Without missing a beat, she counters, “Why? You wanna give him a BJ in the pool house, too?”

“I think not,” I snort.

“Good to know. How about we just forget all about the yellow Corvette incident and pretend it never happened?”

“What yellow Corvette?”

“Thatta boy.” Patting me playfully on the chest, she asks, “So are you ready for the one last thing you don't know about me?”

“If it's anything like that last exposé, I can hardly wait.”

“Oh, it’s even better.”

The roof could blow off at this point and she’d still have my undivided attention. “Let’s have it, then.”

Scooting her body up a few inches, just enough that her soft mouth hovers over my ear, she trails a finger across my lips while whispering into my hair.

“I’m not wearing any panties.”

~ Chapter Seventeen ~

I’ve never been this insatiable for sex before.

I don’t know what it is about Shane Becker – don’t know how he managed to transform a sexually passive woman into a shameless nymphomaniac – but whatever his secret, he could make a mint if it was bottled and sold.

Straddled over him, I lower myself down on the beautiful erection he’s just freed and welcome it deep inside me. It feels so incredible I want to keep it there forever, just ride him until the end of time or until I pass out from exhaustion, whichever happens first. I’ve never craved a man so much in my life. He is addictive. I don’t even want to think about the withdrawals I’ll have to suffer through after he leaves.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” he breathes, gripping my hips with both hands to guide my rhythm. “Nice and slow…mm, that’s right, just like that…” His eyes languidly fall shut only to reopen slowly, like the lazy blink of a cat, before fixing on me. He watches my face, and I can’t tear my eyes away from his hypnotic gaze. “Take off your dress,” he commands in a husky voice.

I pull the sundress over my head and drop it on the floor, then quickly add my bra to the pile before he can order that off as well. His hands automatically leave my hips to reach for my breasts, and I whimper with pleasure as he rolls my pebbled nipples between his fingertips.

I follow the tempo he sets for me, raising my hips until his cock is all the way out and the silky tip is just barely touching my wetness, before sinking back down on him slowly…frustratingly, agonizingly slowly. It’s the most delicious form of torture. What I really want is for him to fuck me hard and fast, but prolonging the bliss isn’t such a bad thing.

“Come here,” he whispers, and I lean forward so he can kiss me. I love the way he tastes, like minty toothpaste and warm sunshine if sunlight had a flavor. I’ve never been that much into kissing – it’s just never been my thing – but it’s different with him. Sweeter and more deeply intimate, somehow. Less invasive. No matter how excited the rest of his body gets, he’s always so gentle with his mouth.

Oh, dear
God
…from this position my sensitized clit is rubbing against him and I slide up and down, aching for more stimulation. Screw taking it slow – this is what I need right now. His hands reach behind me to squeeze the globes of my ass as he lifts his hips to meet each bounce, tearing a moan of ecstasy from my throat.

“Ah, yeah,” he groans against my lips. “That’s the way. Ride that cock, baby.”

“You like this?” I purr, struggling to keep my voice steady as I approach climax faster than a spark traveling down a fuse. My whole body is tensing with the anticipation and I’m clenching his shoulders so hard I’m afraid my nails might leave marks.

“I. Fucking. Love. This,” he grunts with every thrust. “Love. Every. Damn. Thing. You. Do.”

Straightening, I arch my back and bounce harder, gasping as his thumb presses against my clit, gliding over the slickness there and nearly driving me to madness. No more teasing – he’s plunging into me nice and deep now, bringing me to dizzying heights of rapture that I wouldn’t have believed possible. I never knew sex could be this good.

Panting, I toss my head back as I reach orgasm with an almost primal cry. Wave after wave of decadent pleasure shudders through my quaking body, but I don’t stop impaling myself on him. The fullness of his massive cock inside me feels too good and besides, he’s on the brink himself. Just knowing he’s about to ejaculate gets me perversely hot. I love the idea of his cum inside me, though I’m not entirely sure why.

Maybe I’m more of a freak than I thought.

“Ahh,
yesss
…” he hisses, gripping my hips and plunging himself deep within me as he comes, groaning with every surge of pleasure. It is fascinating to watch him lose control this way, and I marvel that this beautiful man is the same person whose yearbook picture has
ASS
scribbled over it in permanent marker. Courtesy of me.

Drained and spent, we lie together quietly for a while, though I’m careful not to shift my position. He is still nestled inside me, and I want to keep him there as long as I can. I want to remember this feeling long after he’s gone and I am once again alone. The way I prefer it.

Well, the way I
thought
I preferred it.

Right now, nothing seems certain.

Stirring beneath me, Shane murmurs, “You know, if this keeps up, we won’t even notice the hurricane.”

“Oh – was there supposed to be a hurricane?” Pushing myself upright, I gyrate my hips suggestively and smile down at him as his grin widens.

“I used to think you were the devil. Now I know you are.”

“Yeah? I see your own halo is starting to slip a little there, pal.”

“Dirty girl. You’ve never been anything but a bad influence on me.” He cracks one hand across my bottom and the tingle spreads all the way down to my toes. “I might have to turn you over my knee and show you what happens when you don’t behave.”

“Now that’s funny,” I muse. “A little while ago, I got the feeling you didn’t
want
me to behave.”

“I wouldn’t know how to act if you did. You’ve done nothing but misbehave since I got here.”

I give him a look of consternation. “And you’re just going to let me continue to get away with it? Honestly. What kind of disciplinarian are you?”

“Don’t tempt me, sweetheart,” he threatens, and I honestly cannot tell whether he’s serious or not.

Lowering my head just long enough to give him a quick kiss, I reluctantly climb off him and start gathering up my clothes. I’m starting to wonder why either of us bothers getting dressed at all. “The cable’s out,” I announce, gesturing to the blank TV screen before pulling on my black silk panties.

“We can always watch something on Netflix.” Sitting up, he pulls the blanket over his lap, obviously not worried about getting dressed himself. Maybe he had the same thought I did. That getting dressed is a waste of time.

“Yeah, we could.” Fastening my bra, I squirm into the crumpled turquoise sundress and comb my fingers through tousled, just-fucked hair. “You want a drink or something?”