The Manga Girl (7 page)

     
Nick opened his eyes. He was still naked on the mat and through the open drapes he saw that it was getting dark. Lucy was asleep, clinging to him like a monkey, her arms around his chest, her leg draped over his.

     
Holy shit!
he thought.
I had no idea it could be like that.

     
He still wasn’t comfortable about this aggressive foreplay that Lucy seemed to crave, but he had to admit to getting a certain erotic buzz out of spanking her bare ass. And if his reward was wild animal sex like that, then he was more than willing to play her games. He could smell her dried extracts in his nostrils and his dick was again sticking up like a red hot poker. If they didn’t show some restraint, this thing could get way out of control.

     
He lay still, trying not to wake her, and let his eyes roam over the undulating curves of her body. He would have been content to stay like this the whole night but Lucy must have sensed he was awake because she opened her eyes and kissed him.

     
“I’m hungry,” she said.

     
“Do you want to come with me to Jenny’s Tavern?” Nick asked her. The question sounded clumsy because even after what had happened he still wasn’t completely sure if they were a couple or not.

     
“Do they do food?”

     
“Uh-huh.”

     
“Can I ask Summer?”

     
“Sure.”

     
She unraveled herself from him and sat up and saw his erection. She stroked it, as if petting a cat and then sniggered and shook her head.

     
“What?”

     
“I’ve never done that before.”

     
“Done what? Made love upside down?”

     
“No. Squirted like that.”

     
Nick found himself blushing at the memory.

     
“Did you drink it?” she asked.

     
“Yep.”

     
“All of it?”

     
Nick nodded.

     
“How was it?”

     
“Nectar.”

     
Lucy leaned down and kissed him on the forehead.

     
“I’m going to take a bath,” she said. “What time is it?”

     
“Nearly seven,” Nick said, watching her naked rear as she minced towards the door. He stood up, his cock still proud, and went and closed the drapes. Then he stood on Lucy’s exercise mat and stretched. He felt good; better than he had in a long while. At first, he put it down to the sex, but then decided there was no point in kidding himself - he had tumbled for Lucy, big time.

     
He went up, and heard her humming in the tub. He paused by the door and listened.

     
I’ll bet she hasn’t locked it,
he thought, and tried the handle. She had.

     
Through the door, he heard Lucy say, “If I let you in, we’ll end up doing it again and then we’ll be late.”

     
Nick flushed, and said, “Good point. Glad one of us has some sense.”

     
“I won’t be long, then it’s all yours,” she called out.

     
Nick smiled to himself and then went downstairs and put on his boxers. He cleaned up the shattered objects and folded Lucy’s mat and put it on the coffee table. Then he poured himself a Jim Beam and flicked on the TV.

     
Twenty minutes later, Lucy yelled “All clear!” and he went up to the bathroom. It was hot and steamy and smelled of Lucy’s fragrant soap and shampoo. He stood under the shower head and let the water wash Lucy’s bodily fluids off him.

     
When he was showered and dressed, he went down to find her sitting on the sofa talking on her mobile. She was dressed in a red halter top, Levis and white sandals. Her hair was tied back with a pink band and to Nick, she looked absolutely stunning. Sid and the boys were going to freak.

     
She stood up and put her phone into her handbag and said, “Summer will meet us there. She’s bringing another friend from college.”

     
“That’s great. I think it’s going to be a good night out. I’m looking forward to it,” Nick said. And he really was.

***

     
They took the Green Line into the city again, Lucy sitting close to him, chatting excitedly like a little girl on her first date - Lucy, the wildcat who liked being roughed up so that she could get turned on for sex. She was such an enigma and yet Nick already felt that he could never spend a moment without her. It was childish and silly and yet, there it was - she made him happy.

     
Jenny’s Tavern was a popular watering hole, but it was still early and there were plenty of tables free. Nick spotted Sid and the boys, and they made their way over.

     
“Hi, guys,” he said. “Meet Lucy, my new tenant. Lucy, this is Sid, Rob, Jason, and Andy.”

     
Lucy was greeted and they took their seats, Sid on Nick’s right, Lucy on his left.

     
“Lucy’s got some friends coming to join us,” Nick informed them.

     
“Yeah, I’d better just call and check,” Lucy said. She took her cell out of her bag and everyone watched her as she went to the lobby.

     
“Well,
she’s
a sweetheart,” Rob announced.

     
“Are you’re nailing her?” asked Jason.

     
Nick didn’t respond and Rob said, “Yeah, he’s nailing her.”

     
“You lucky shit,” said Andy.

     
“And her friends, they’re female I hope?” said Jason.

     
“Yeah,” Nick replied.

     
“Well if they’re anywhere near as hot as Lucy, we could be in for a good night,” Jason said.

     
This was typical Jason. He was a handsome, well-built guy, with plenty of money who, unlike the rest of them, had little trouble attracting good-looking women. The problem was he seemed to think he had a monopoly on all of them. With a mixture of pride and anxiety, Nick sensed that by turning up with Lucy, he had dented Jason’s ego.

Nick hoped Summer would show - there was too much Yang here and not enough Yin.

     
“So Nick,” Jason asked. “Is your car fixed?”

     
“Next week, they say.”

     
“How did you come into town?”

     
“Green Line.”

     
“Little honey like that, and you take the MBTA?”

     
Nick shrugged.

     
“That girl’s got class and she needs to be treated that way, or you’re going to lose her,” Jason said.

     
“What the hell do you know about it?” Sid interjected.

     
“I’m just saying.”

     
“He’s right, though,” said Rob. “You want to keep an eye on that one. How did it happen anyway?”

     
“I don’t know,” Nick shrugged again, pleased with himself.

     
“So she answers your ad and the next day ends up in your bed?” asked Andy.

     
“Not exactly like that.”

     
“Shit,” said Rob. “That stuff only happens in the movies.”

     
Nick had to admit, he would have felt the same way if it had happened to one of the others. He still found it hard to believe himself.

     
Everyone had stopped talking and Nick followed their gaze to see Lucy, Summer and a red-haired girl coming their way. Summer was clad in a tight pink dress and wore her hair loose and looked decidedly more feminine than the last time he had seen her.

     
“This is Summer and Tanya,” Lucy announced. “We’re all at college together.”

     
They sat, but this time, Summer was separating Nick and Lucy. Nick felt a twinge of alarm but then it occurred to him that Lucy hadn’t told Summer about what had been going on.

     
They ordered pizza and burgers, fries and salads, and pitchers of beer. Conversation began to flow - movies, sports, music, art, cars, what everyone did - nothing heavy, but there was a noticeable underlying sexual charge with these new girls at the boys’ table.

     
“So do you guys want to shoot some pool?” Jason asked the three girls.
 

     
“Sure, why not,” said Summer. Lucy looked at Nick.

     
“You go ahead,” he said.

     
Rob and Andy joined them, leaving Sid and Nick alone. Sid poured out two more glasses.

     
“Well?” Nick said.

     
“They’re right. You’re going to have to watch her.”

     
“I don’t know. It’s still early and I don’t know if she’s serious or not.”

     
“Don’t even think like that. You see the way Jason was looking at her?”

     
“Oh, yeah.”

     
“If you want to hang on to her, you’re going to have to work at it,” Sid said.

     
“I don’t know yet, if there’s anything to work at,” Nick said.

     
“Are you serious? She’s living in your house and she’s letting you fuck her. I’m no expert, but if it was me, I’d be over there playing pool right now. Women notice these little things. Seems like you’re telling her to go away.”

     
Lucy was bent over the pool table, her top hanging forward to give them a view of the tops of her braless breasts.

     
“We had sex. Maybe that’s all there is to it. It might not happen again,” Nick said.

     
“Is that what you want?” Sid asked.

     
Jason had moved around behind Lucy now, and was helping her position the pool cue, putting his face next to hers.

     
“Fuck, no,” Nick said.

     
They went on to a nightclub, not that Nick felt like it, but the girls were keen and he didn’t want to be seen as a party pooper. They took a table on the balcony overlooking the crowded dance floor and ordered drinks, Nick making sure that he was seated next to Lucy this time. The night was going reasonably well, the conversation light and animated. Tanya seemed to have warmed to Rob and they went off to dance.

     
Lucy turned to Nick and said, “Wanna dance?”

     
Nick said, “I’m not much of a dancer.”

     
“I’ll show you how,” Lucy said.

     
Aware that the others were listening, Nick said, “Okay. I’ll try not to tread on your toes.”

     
Lucy took him by the hand and as they left the table, Sid winked at him. Summer, Nick noted, was also watching them with interest. Inevitably, Lucy was a great mover. She rested her arms on Nick’s shoulders and rhythmically gyrated her hips.

     
“Just relax,” she smiled up at him and it occurred to Nick that she didn’t really smile that often. It made him wonder, not for the first time, if beneath that vivacious exterior, there dwelled a troubled mind.

     
Even though the dance floor was crowded, Nick and Lucy seemed to have a space of their own. Nick was no dancer, and he was doing nothing more than wiggling his hips, but led by Lucy, he began to chill out.

     
Lucy pulled away and began dancing solo, arms raised, and the gap around her grew wider. People were watching, and Nick watched too - her breasts, bouncing freely under her red top, her flat stomach, the way she seductively rotated her jean-clad behind. She was relaxed and unselfconscious, clearly accustomed to being the center of attention, and again Nick experienced a mixture of both pride and insecurity as he noticed the envious looks he was receiving.
 

     
Watching her move, Nick thought back to their bizarre sex session that afternoon. The memory of her naked body’s texture and scent, and the thrill of knowing he was the only one here who had seen her unclothed, gave him a semi hard-on.

     
The music changed, slower beat, and Lucy came close again, making contact, her hands on Nick’s shoulders. She felt his hardness against her and grinned again, her pink tongue poking between her lips.

     
“I think Summer knows,” she said.

     
“You haven’t told her?”

     
“No.”

     
“That ‘intuition’ thing again?”

     
“I think it’s obvious.”

     
Nick put his hands on Lucy’s waist and she pressed her face against his neck.

     
“The guys know,” he said. “I didn’t say anything, they just figured it out.”

     
“It’s okay.”

     
“I wasn’t sure, you know? What to tell people.”

     
“About what?”

     
“Us.”

     
Lucy didn’t respond, so Nick added awkwardly, “If there is an ‘us’.”

     
Once again, the enigmatic Lucy failed to answer. Instead, she kissed him a lingering open-mouthed kiss, heedless of anyone watching them. If Nick had been a more sentient being, he would have taken this as a yes, but instead he was left feeling more bewildered than ever. Maybe Lucy didn’t know the answer herself.

     
She broke off and looked into his eyes in a way that only she could.

     
“Let’s go,” she said, taking his hand.

     
Up on the balcony, the seating arrangements had changed. Tanya had switched places with Jason, so that she could be next to Rob, which meant that when they sat down, Lucy was sandwiched between Jason and Nick.

     
 
A waitress brought over a tray of highballs, each topped with a cherry and a slice.

     
“What are these?” Lucy asked.

     
“Long Island Iced Teas,” Jason said.

     
“I’ll pass,” said Summer, eying her glass suspiciously. “These are strong, aren’t they?”

     
“Come on,” said Jason, “It’ll get the party going.”

     
“I’ll take one,” Tanya said.

     
“That’s the spirit,” Jason said. He raised his glass. “To new friends.”

     
They all touched glasses, and Nick watched as Lucy sucked on her straw.

     
“What do you think?” Jason asked her.

     
“Nice.”

     
Nick saw that Summer, sitting opposite, was studying the three of them. He couldn’t decide whether she was friend or foe. He was pretty certain that she was looking out for Lucy, but he couldn’t help thinking that she was also gleefully anticipating a potential locking of horns here.

     
“So Summer was telling us that you’re a really talented artist,” Jason said to Lucy.

     
“She exaggerates,” Lucy relied.

     
“What do you paint?” he asked.

     
“Most things.”

     
“She does really great manga art,” Summer said.

     
“Cartoons?” asked Andy.

     
“Manga basically means cartoon or comic,” Lucy said, “but there are a lot of distinct styles. You ever hear of Astro Boy or Sailor Moon?”

     
”Oh yeah, it’s for kids right?” Andy asked.

     
“Not all of it,” Rob grinned. “I’ve seen some pretty x-rated stuff on the internet.”

     
There’s some pretty x-rated stuff in Lucy’s sketchpads too,
Nick observed.

     
“That’s called ‘hentai’,” Lucy informed them. “Roughly translates as ‘sexually explicit’. But in Japan, people of all ages have been reading manga comics since the fifties.”

     
Nick noticed a slight thickness in her voice and observed that she had finished most of her cocktail.

     
“I once read a manga graphic novel,” said Jason, trying to get a peek down Lucy’s top.

     
Bullshit,
thought Nick.

     
“Graphic novel?” said Sid. “Why don’t you just say ‘comic book’?”

     
“No, this was really neat stuff. Quality artwork. It was set in the future, after a nuclear holocaust. Very dark.”
    

     
“Any porno in it?” Sid asked, which earned him a laugh from the others, and a glare from Jason.

     
“So what style of manga do you draw, Lucy?” Rob asked mischievously.

     
“I’ve tried pretty much everything,” she replied casually.

     
“I’ll bet you have,” Jason said, in an attempt to regain her attention.

     
“So what’s this hentai stuff like?” Tanya asked, also sounding a little tipsy.

     
“It gets pretty hard-core,” Rob said. “Bondage, rape, cosplay, you name it.”
  
“And you sit in your room jerking off to it?” asked Jason.

     
“Hey, come on,” Rob said, “I’ll bet there’s not one person sitting at this table who hasn’t taken a look at some internet porn, including the ladies among us, am I right?”

     
He looked at Tanya who blushed.

     
“Sure,” Summer said. “I’ve had a look out of curiosity. Can’t say I make a habit out of it though.”

     
“What about you, Lucy?” Jason asked.

     
She stole a quick glance at Nick and then turned to face Jason.

     
“No,” she said. “I don’t like to watch - I prefer to take part.”

     
For once, Jason had no answer. An awkward silence descended on the table and to break it, Tanya said, “I want to dance.”

     
“Good idea,” said Summer, standing. “Girls only this time. Lucy?”

     
“Sure.”

     
They watched the three girls walk down the illuminated stairway.

     
“Good job, Rob,” said Jason. “I’m sure they really wanted to talk about porn.”

     
Rob shrugged. “I don’t think I offended anyone. They just want to do a bit of girl-talk.”

     
“Tanya seems to have taken quite a shine to you,” Sid noted.

     
“Yeah, she’s cute.”

     
“Nice rack, too,” said Jason.

     
“Summer’s a tough one to work out,” said Rob. “She’s a looker but there’s something hard about her.”

     
“I think she’s a dyke,” said Jason.

     
“Where’d you get that idea?” Sid laughed.

     
“Do see the way she watches Lucy, like she’s trying to protect her?”
      

     
 
They looked over the balcony. The girls were already attracting attention from some unattached guys on the dance floor.

     
Jason said, “So Nick, are you serious about Lucy, or is it just recreation?”

     
“Give it a rest, Jason,” said Sid.

     
“I’m only asking,” Jason said.

     
“I’ll let you know when I’m done with her,” said Nick.

     
“Hey, it was a joke!”

     
“You know, Jase, there are hundreds of free women in this place. Why don’t you hit on one that isn’t with one of your friends?” Sid asked.

     
Jason looked around at them. “Tell you what I think,” he said. “I think that Lucy’s a free spirit. That girl doesn’t
belong
to anyone.”

     
“That’s not the point,” Sid replied. “Why don’t you show some respect to Nick, and lay off?”

     
Rob and Andy had gone very quiet, while Nick was feeling increasingly uncomfortable. As much as he appreciated Sid’s efforts, he wasn’t entirely sure that Jason was wrong.

     
Jason turned to him. “Why don’t we put it to the test, Nick? Twenty bucks says that she will dance with me.”

     
“What will that prove?” asked Sid.