Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Chemical Reaction
   by Nysidra
Summary: MF, erotic, drugs
   <->
   Evelyn swirled the punch in the red plastic cup in her corner of the
room.  Other people mingled, drank deep, laughed.  A few people danced in
front of the DJ table.
   "Hey, I didn't bring you here to sulk in the corner.  Don't be
wallflower." Melissa reached for her hand.  "Come on, I'll introduce you to
some friends of mine."
   "I'm enjoying myself.  I promise.  You go do the same."
   She narrowed her eyes and made a sucking noise with her teeth.  "You
come find me if that changes.  Melissa tapped her on the nose, giggled, and
disappeared into the sea of people.
   Evelyn hadn't lied.  Sitting around at this party watching other people
have fun was much better than hiding in her house alone.
   Little worked to shake off her parasite.  She had changed her cell and
house numbers, but that only bought her a week or two before Felix found
out.  He did not miss an opportunity to sing his sob story to her: letters,
visits, calls, emails, voice mails.
   She would play the voyeur for a few hours, watch other people carry on
without the pervasive feeling of dread.  Not because Felix would harm her,
he'd never gone that far.  If he had, maybe she would have been more firm,
taken more drastic action.
   He kept asking for a second chance.  She kept saying no.  Every day was
a new hope for him and a new irritation for her.
   The man across the room regained her attention with his laugh.  Four
women, as good looking as him, gathered around, listening to his story. 
Two of the women favored each other: sisters or twins.  They, and three
others got sucked into whatever tale he was spinning.
   His cheeks swelled when he laughed.  Good posture, short, dark hair.  It
was enough for her to get an eyeful.  She didn't know him, had never met
him.
   He'd drawn such a crowd that Evelyn wanted to leave her post in the
shadows and get close enough to listen.  Whatever it was, she'd already
missed the beginning, no need to look like a sad puppy, wandering back and
forth on the fringe of the crowd like a runt hyena.
   Evelyn chuckled at the mental image and stared into her cup.  It was
going to take a lot more alcohol if she wanted to stop thinking about the
boil on her ass for more than a few minutes.
   Perhaps she could get one those bartenders to serve some straight
liquor, top her off.  After she got a shot of that, maybe she'd have the
confidence to join the pack.
   It wouldn't hurt to ask about that shot.
   This time he was looking at her.  Goodness.  She looked around the room,
seeing if there was anyone standing behind her.  No.
   He smiled, revealing a kissable pair of dimples.  Those full, lips
moved, saying words she couldn't hear.  One of the women in his company
looked back, frowned, and shook her head.
   It didn't make any sense to Evelyn.  What did he say?  Why was he still
looking at her?
   Either way, she enjoyed the moment.  He had hair the color of dark soil,
round shoulders, wide frame.  She imprinted him into her mind so that she
could have something pleasant to remember later.
   How did he fill out those jeans in the seat?  Evelyn went in search of a
server to make her drink with a broad grin.  Maybe she could get it neat, a
nice triple.
   Did he come to parties often?  He seemed well-known.  He must have been
charming or rich or important.  They can all start that way though: cute,
disarming.
   Her face fell as the next wave of dark thoughts rose to mind.  She
wanted to let the past go, at least for tonight.  She knew she'd have to
face Felix in the morning.
   "Could I request just some straight vodka?"
   "You don't want to drink this stuff straight, sis.  How much you want?
I'll use mixer and ice on the rest."
   "Half a cup."
   He pointed over her shoulder.  "That's the man you should be talking to.
You cute enough to work something out." He winked at her.
   Befuddled, she turned to see what he was talking about.
   Mr.  Handsome stood behind her.  "I have something stronger to offer."
   Her mind went blank, mouth dry.  Probably because her lips had parted.
She closed her mouth and swallowed.  People noticed, but only a second,
before they could be caught staring.  The crowd from before was missing. 
Why did he leave them behind?
   Up close only made him more alluring, not worse.
   Stronger to drink!  Of course.  What did she think he was talking about?
He was only being kind.  Don't be a mute.
   "I'd like that, unless you're just trying to be clever."
   "I can do both." He offered his hand and she took it.
   He set folded bills down in front of the bartender.  That was nice of
him to tip him for not making a drink.
   "My name is Trevor.  Yours?"
   "Evelyn.  Is this your party, Trevor?"
   "Me?  No.  I'm a guest just like you."
   "You seem more popular than me."
   They turned headed down the hall.  He opened a bedroom door and, like a
lemming, she followed him inside.
   A bedroom.  With a man attractive enough to make her feel like a
dumb-struck girl.  Her mind spun with a variety of fantasies and her
nervous smiling and blushing betrayed those thoughts.
   He winked and closed the door, then turned to a closet.  At the top
shelf, behind a cardboard box, he recovered a silver tin box.  He hummed.
"You don't look like a party girl."
   A party girl?  Well, that was obvious to anyone, but she'd been trying
to be.  "I ...  my coworker Melissa invited me, dragged me along.  I've
been having a good time.  You know, hanging out and watching.  It has been
better than sitting at home alone."
   He sat to a desk with the box and worked a series of wheels and latches
until it unfolded.  "Have a seat, anywhere you want."
   Chair.  Bench.  Bed.  The bed was closer to the desk.  She sat on the
side closest to him.
   "I call this one." Using a small, scooped tool, he lifted a single pink
pill.  "Euphoria.  Popular choice.  What do you want to experience? 
Physical or mental elevation?"
   "Mental.  I'm hoping it'll help me keep some thoughts down."
   "Ah, well, you don't want clarity of mind." He rolled vials of liquid
under the pad of his finger until he found the one he sought.
   "What are you doing?"
   "Browsing my physicals.  I have one here, but there's a good chance your
reaction could be stronger than you want."
   "I want it strong ...  enough that I can feel like I'm still in
control?"
   He smirked.  "And you can get there with half a cup of vodka?"
   "Just about."
   "Okay."
   He didn't ask what had her down, why she wanted to forget.  He picked up
his vial, a packet and mixed the two into a paste.
   "Is this some kind of magic?"
   "The right chemical reaction can be magic." He sat up and set the ball
of paste into a tiny cup of water.  "Drink it all."
   "To magic." She grinned and knocked the liquid back.  It had a powdery
finish along the roof of her mouth.  She rubbed it with her tongue,
breaking up the grit and dissolving it.
   Whatever it was hit her fast.  Her heart raced, body flushed.  She could
have taken off at a sprint.
   "I'll monitor you for the first few minutes.  If the reaction is
unpleasant, I have a counter-agent, but give it time first." He pointed to
his watch.  "I'm keeping time."
   Good thing she chose the bed.  Evelyn lay on her side.  Looking around
seemed too chaotic, so she closed her eyes.
   "This disorientation should only last another minute, then you'll level
off.  Breathe through it.  Relax."
   She rolled onto her back and set her arms on either side of her. 
Breathe.
   Her eyes opened and stared up at the ceiling.  The air seemed to be
shifting, swirling.  She drew a deep breath and blew out, wondering if the
air would eddy faster.  It didn't.
   Air replenished her body, heat and gas left with each exhale.  Each
thunder strike of her heart sent blood flushing through her.  She loved her
body, if only she could choose who wanted her.
   Evelyn rolled onto her side.
   He had washed out the vial.  He wrapped the case.  Put it back on the
top shelf, back behind the cardboard box.
   She would choose him.  Her finger nail scraped down her forearm sending
a pleasing tingle along her skin.  Running her nails along her thighs had
the same effect.
   These clothes were too restrictive, too tight.  She loosed the belt
around her waist, tugged her blouse free.  The light weight garment tickled
her arms as she lifted it overhead.
   She rolled to her knees and folded it.  Bottom to top, side to side, and
placed it on the edge of the bed.  Wow.  The floor looked really far away
from here.
   Because she was really high.  Far away.  She giggled.
   Fingers brushed down her back.  Lips pressed to her shoulder blade.  The
symphony of her body overrode all others.  Breath, pulse, touch.  She put
her fingers in her hair, massaged her scalp.  Damn, that felt so good.
   His palm scraped over her nipple, inside the cup of her bra.
   Trevor.  Right?  She looked over.  Yes, still him.
   She gasped and closed her eyes.  His other hand ignited the exposed skin
of her back.
   "In," he whispered.  He took an exaggerated inhale, and she fell in time
with the expansion and contraction of his lungs.
   His wandering touch traveled to her throat and cheeks.  Only his
fingers, only his touch.  She rolled onto her back like a great cat,
desiring more of his touch.
   It seemed like far more than a few minutes before she 'leveled off.'
Even so, this only meant she had stopped drowning in the gelatin sensation
of her skin.
   Now the air seemed thick, as if all she had to do was float to escape
gravity.  The air was a water that she could swim in.  Evelyn lifted her
hand in the air and pushed the heavy air around.
   It was a beautiful thought, but had the unfortunate disadvantage of
being a lie.  She knew that air could not change its density without
suffocating her.  But the air, it really felt like water.
   "I'm impaired." She dropped her hand and looked at him.  He was sitting
on the bed beside her, clothed, though she was topless now.  Her bra lay
folded on her shirt.
   When did she get out of her bra?  Before she turned on her back?  The
water felt good on her skin without them.
   Pants needed to go.
   "Don't want these clothes.  I," she pushed on the waist, but she would
have to get up.  "Hey, if I get up, do you think I could float?  I know I
couldn't, but what if I did?"
   "Look at me."
   She met his eyes and grinned.  That grin felt so huge on her face, as if
he'd asked her if she wanted a million tax free dollars.  She was looking
at him all right, in this tiny bedroom, alone with her.  This stuff was
better than alcohol by a mile.
   "Like I said.  Did I say?  Anyway, I know you have other, perkier women
to play with.  Just ...  I don't want to leave this bed.  Lock me in here.
Um, but help me get naked first?"
   He could be naked as well.  She'd use him as a blanket to keep her warm.
   Those details would have to be kept to herself.  Her little crush needed
to be contained, no matter how much she wanted to kiss him, to feel what
those gentle fingers of his would be like on her pussy.  Would he kiss her
at the same time?  Their tongues wet and tangled.
   Her eyes drifted shut as the fantasy swept her away.  He was probably a
great kisser.
   Sounds from the bathroom.  Creak of a hinge, loose items, a key. 
Sounded like a door locking.
   "Evelyn, correct?"
   "Yes, and you are the golden-eyed demigod, Trevor, the banisher of
depressing, intrusive thoughts."
   He chuckled.
   ***
   Trevor issued his elixirs in private because of the need to counteract a
bad chemical reaction.  Sometimes he delivered exactly what the customer
wanted, but, as usual, some come to regret having their wishes fulfilled.
   Evelyn had been very specific in what she wanted, and while the initial
jolt was disorienting, she had not settled the way he expected.
   Her dark brown eyes dilated within seconds of drinking the mixture.  Her
warm brown skin flushed.  She took off her shirt and rolled over, but she
didn't look sick, almost like she was dreaming with her eyes open.
   Sky blue lace bra, holding in a generous amount of flesh.  He walked
over and touched her, wondering if he could wake her, assess what she was
experiencing.  Once he was close he could see that she had what she wanted.
The lazy grin on her face was not anything he should come between.
   Her back rolled and body swayed as he touched her.  What she didn't do
was breathe.  Fast as her heart was racing, she couldn't afford to hold her
breath.  He reached into her bra and twisted on her nipple.
   That got her attention.
   Once she fell in step with his respiration, she managed to keep her eyes
open.  She pulled off her bra and rolled onto her back.  Seconds later she
was waving her arms in the air, oblivious to his presence, dreaming awake,
but in sync with his every breath.
   She had full, soft breasts, fat nipples, hardened to thick nubs.
   As she moved her arm through the air, he had a good idea of her
reaction. What he didn't see were those storm clouds.  As much as he wanted
to run his hands over her body for the next few hours, he didn't want to
risk ruining her enjoyment.
   He'd already been with her half an hour, another fifteen minutes
wouldn't hurt.  Once she asked for her shirt, he'd know she was okay.
   "I'm impaired." Her arm flopped onto the bed, looked down at herself,
over at him.
   The moment had come sooner than he thought.
   Instead of asking for her shirt, she pushed at her pants like a toddler.
"Don't want these clothes.  I," her voice was like a warm, cashmere
blanket. "Hey?"
   He looked at her.
   "If I get up, do you think I could float?  I know I couldn't ...  but
what if I did?"
   That was a damn good sign.  "Look at me."
   She had a precious face, strong cheek bones, little curls of dark hair
hanging overhead.  Evelyn gave him a joyful smile, full of teeth and mirth.
Her eyes were focused on him.
   Goodness he'd love to have a round or two with this woman.
   "Like I said.  Did I say?  Anyway, I know you have other, perkier women
to play with.  Just ...  I don't want to leave this bed.  Lock me in here.
Um, but help me get naked first?" Her eyes closed as her sultry voice
mumbled an incoherent addition.
   He grinned and washed his hands, pulled a condom out the cabinet and
slipped it in his pocket.  He engaged the lock on the closet and the
bedroom door.
   "Evelyn, correct?"
   "Yes, and you are the golden-eyed demigod, Trevor, the banisher of
depressing, intrusive thoughts."
   "Mind if I lay naked with you on that bed?"
   "Wish.  Fantasize.  Mind?  I do not mind."
   "First, I'm going to help you." He pulled off her shoes, set them on the
floor, then tugged the jeans away from her hips.  They slid off easily, but
her panties got stuck around her knees.  Matching set.  He folded it and
set her pile of clothing on the desk.
   "Hey," she whispered, then crooked her finger at him.
   He leaned over and she rose to kiss his lips.  Where she hadn't wanted
to lift her own hips, she now got to her knees, put her arms around his
shoulders.  The movement of her tongue was hypnotic, slow.
   "You taste serious." Her tongue darted back out, swiped over his lips.
"Delicious."
   "I'm going to get undressed and join you now."
   "Kay." She let go and kneeled on the bed, waiting.
   Trevor undressed and reached for his phone.  "In the guest bedroom. 
DND."
   Gary, the host and owner of the house, responded: "Got it.  Have fun."
   He set his phone down and got on the bed with her.  "Did you drive
here?"
   "No.  Planned to get drunk.  Maybe fucked.  Any reason to keep the
sadness at bay.  Are you sure you like seeing me naked?  I may not be as
pretty, but..."
   "Whoa." He put his finger to her lips with a grin.  Goodness this woman
was a delight.  "What makes you think I don't want to be here with you?"
   "Where's your erection?"
   "What's my name?"
   "You want the whole thing?"
   He grinned.  "I'm testing your short term memory.  What was the name of
what I gave you?"
   "Euphoria with a pinch of shut up."
   "Are you normally this much of a comedian?"
   "I'm normally quite sad." Her finger tips caressed his thigh.  "Are you
worried that I don't know I'm practically begging to be fucked?"
   "Yes."
   She grinned down at his thickening cock.
   "I prefer actual begging."
   "Must I beg?" She whispered.
   He turned her to face him, lay with her in his arms.  "Yes.  Let me hear
it."
   ***
   The vibration of his chest when he spoke seeped into her.  He must
really like that if he started getting stiff when she mentioned it.
   "Are you a nice person?"
   "Depends on who you ask." He sat up, but kept his hand on her shoulder.
He got on the other side of her and settled with his erection along her
belly.  Wet arousal made the head slip across her skin.
   "I'd really like to have sex with you.  I was staring at you.  Please?
I'm really wet right now."
   He held his palm up and she lifted her thigh and set his fingers along
her engorged labia.
   "Please."
   Trevor worked two of his fingers into the wet cavern.  Loud noises
filled the room.  She wasn't kidding when she said she was wet.
   "I want you.  You feel good."
   He reached for the condom under the pillow and rolled it onto his
erection.  "How do you know how I feel?"
   She answered him with an attack.  She rolled on top of him, kissing him
and taking his cock from his hands.  She put the head at her pussy and
rocked back onto him.  "You're hard."
   He tugged the pillow a little further under his neck and watched as she
bounced on him, widening her thighs, then getting onto her feet.  Evelyn
was enjoying herself like a woman who had not yet learned to temper her
reactions.
   Trevor didn't give her much time to ride.  Her abandon, her voice, the
way she dropped down on his cock - all of it was too much to endure for
long.  He reached his climax within minutes.
   He guided her to rest on the bed beside him before disposing of the
spent condom.  She was a vision, rubbing her thighs together, folding her
breasts, her eyes glazed over.
   "I take it you liked that."
   "Yes," she purred.  "I've never been so wet.  That was so good.  I felt
you." Her hips thrusted to illustrate her words.  "It was so good.  Do you
think I had an orgasm?  I didn't want to scream or anything, but this is
good.  She chuckled softly.  "Maybe it was just the euphoria.  I feel like
I'm me, but I know I can't tell yet."
   Trevor returned to the bed.  He wasn't quite sure how to handle her
comment.  It was a perfunctory performance.  His randy quickie was her
'best'?
   Poor thing.
   "Why was that the best?  Limited experience?"
   "Oh," she stopped squirming as he massaged her back.  "Not really.  I've
had a steady boyfriend for the past five years.  We had plenty of sex -
several times a month.  Well, not for the last three.  He stalks me."
   "Turn over." He waited until she rolled onto her back then he put two
fingers inside her.  She was still soaking wet.  She soaked his hand as he
worked his fingers in and out.  She clenched around him and those hips were
back to thrusting.
   "You would know what an orgasm was if you masturbated."
   "That's not the same as being," she whined as he worked her clitoris. 
"Not the same as being with someone else."
   He pulled his fingers out and her frown and comical.
   "On your stomach." He rolled on a second condom.
   "How are we going to do anything like this?"
   He took hold of her hip and slid deep inside her.
   "That feels so good," she whispered.
   He pumped hard into her once, sat back and dove into her pussy, fighting
through the building spasms.
   Her scream was guttural, primal.  He wanted to hear that over and over.
   "Fuck me, please, Trevor.  Don't stop." More moaning and shuddering.  "I
don't want it to stop."
   "Ride it out.  Enjoy it." He worked his hand down in font of her until
she was bucking back onto his cock and down onto his fingers.
   She screamed into the mattress and then she settled, breathing hard and
fast.
   ***
   Evelyn didn't have to think about what to do.  All she had to do was the
opposite: stop thinking about restraining herself, and whatever chemical
was flowing through her system, all she needed to do was move.
"Do you mind?" He waved the dildo in front of her.  "I'm going to need a
break.  If you want the real thing, I can get that for you to."
   She chuckled and shook her head.  "I should rest." He'd set a glass of
water on the table for her.  She finally reached for it and finished it.
   "More?"
   She lay down beside him and put her hand behind his head.  He closed the
distance and kissed her.  They lay together making out for several minutes.
She snuggled in his arms.
   Would she ever get enough of him?  She would have to.  She may never
seen him again.
   Trevor got up and took her hand.  He walked her into the bathroom and
helped her into the shower.
   The world felt fluid, as if the floor would give away.
   "Are you all right?"
   "Not exactly." She went to all fours in the tub.  Warm water rained on
her back.  This was the most secure position.
   He stepped into the shower, but he didn't make her stand or move.  He
turned off the spray and soaped her body.  It was both sensual and
utilitarian.  He turned the shower back on to rinse her off.
   "I think you can stand now."
   She got to her knees, but instead of getting to her feet, she reached
for his cock and sucked him into her mouth.  She wasn't worried about the
fluid nature of matter when she was concentrating on making him cum.
   "Put your leg up here." She pointed to the side of the tub.  Once his
leg was propped up, she fondled his balls.
   "Damn, woman.  You are driving me crazy."
   She smiled and sucked him deeper into her mouth.  She took all of him
until she was pressed to his groin.
   She wasn't just driving him crazy.  She wore him out.  When they finally
made it out the shower he was all yawns as they pulled back the bedsheets.
Although Evelyn wouldn't have minded riding him again, she lay beside him
and let him fall asleep.
   While lying on her back, she reached down between her legs.  She tried
to imagine her hand was his, but he had the better angle.  He could get
some spot that was perfect.  What did he do to make her feel so good?
   Trevor stirred beside her.
   "Sorry."
   "I'm not bothered." He pulled her thigh back over his hip.  "You sound
frustrated."
   "I don't know what you did."
   "Take your time." He set his fingers over hers.  "Start lower.  Under
your clitoris, not inside, between that point."
   "Okay."
   "Press and rub on that."
   She found the spot, pressed on it, after a few strokes, lubricant began
to coat her fingers.  This was starting to feel really good.  She moaned
and pressed harder.
   "Dip your finger inside then bring it back up to your clitoris.  Long
strokes.  Do that."
   How did he know?  She rocked her hips, slow, just like he said.
   "How many fingers are you using?"
   "One."
   "Use two.  Each time you go lower, slide them inside you." She felt him
smile on her shoulder.  "I can hear you doing it.  Pull out and circle your
clit."
   Evelyn shuddered both from her own arousal and his constant voice in her
ear.  She thrust against her fingers and his grip tightened on her thigh as
she got closer and closer.  She cried out as another orgasm was hers.
   "You should be doing that at least once a day." His voice was heavy with
sleep.
   "I'll try." She closed her legs and got comfortable on her side.  She
was tired, but she wasn't sleepy.  It would be morning soon and she would
need to get home.
   Damn.  This man had been very kind to her, teaching her so much,
spending his whole evening with her.  There had been a party going on
outside, but the house was mostly silent now.
   Unlike Felix, she wasn't going to be confused about where she stood.  He
probably did this kind of thing all the time, but this was a new experience
for her.
   Small wonder so many women flocked to him.
   She wanted him to ask her to stay.  She wanted those lean arms to wrap
tight around her and demand she be there when he woke.  Idle fantasy, all
of it.
   She lay in bed, her eyes on the clock, watching the numbers cycle
through the minutes.  While waiting for morning, she relived her night. 
She did not want to forget him.
   ***
   She must have fallen asleep at some point, but not for long.  Evelyn
eased away from his warmth, out of the bed and put on her clothes.  She put
her phone back into her purse and shouldered it.
   The door had been locked.  She stooped down to look at it.  Just a
twist. She tried to hold the lock and twist the knob as quietly as
possible.
   No squeak.  She stepped into the hallway and pulled the door shut,
making sure to lock it.
   Empty cups flowed out the top of a garbage bin.  A weird smell filled
the air, booze and smoke and body odor.  She tipped her way past two people
sleeping on the couch and chair.
   A few people lingered on the porch.
   One girl was on the phone, "I'll pay for gas.  Promise.  Please?"
   No one knew her or recognized her.  No one would care where she'd been
this whole time.
   The girl ended the call with a sour face.
   "Where you headed?"
   "City."
   "Split a cab?"
   "Yeah.  Sure.  Shit.  I've got a good number.  I'll call him."
   Evelyn stared out the window while Tonya talked about her selfish
brother.
   The cab dropped her off first.  Her heart was heavy by the time she
reached her front door.  Traffic was beginning to pick up.  Music drifted
from a car passing down one of the main streets.
   Should she have left a note?
   She huffed with a bitter smile.  Who was she fooling?  She probably did
him a favor by not saying anything.  He didn't have to think of a reason to
get her to leave.  Evelyn knew far more than she wanted about clingy
people.
   Back at home she browsed and deleted emails from Felix.  It didn't take
him long to notice that she hadn't been home last night.  His emails were
mundane: apologies, promises, requests for another chance to make her
happy.
She read each message with a newfound detachment.  It was the kind of
distance she had been waiting to feel.  This man had nearly become her
husband.  He probably had the ring in his pocket when she got the
confidence to end their relationship.  She could not spend the rest of her
life with him.  She didn't want to be another man's daughter or sheltered
half-wife.
   That stuff Trevor gave her was really special.  When she came to a
decision, she followed it through.  Doubts fell away.  Worries disappeared.
She did care about Felix, but today his messages weren't making her cry. 
She didn't spend the next few hours depressed that she had been a monster
for leaving him.
   Evelyn went to bed around noon, but when she slept it was only lightly.
Each time she reached out and expected to feel him beside her.  She was
going to miss Trevor, probably for the rest of her life.
   ***
   Trevor woke from his dream to a painful erection.  It ached a little,
that delicious post-marathon sex soreness that seduced him into having one
more go.
   He didn't have to be convinced.
   He sat up and looked around the room.  Bathroom door open, purse
missing.
   "Evelyn?"
   She was gone.
   Probably for the best.  He scratched his jaw with a frown.  One more go
with her wouldn't have done that much damage.  He washed up, put on his
clothes, cleaned the place, and headed out.
   "Enjoy yourself?" Greg asked over a cup of coffee.
   Trevor nodded.  "How are you sitting?"
   "Clean.  Moved everything you gave me." He counted out four hundred
dollars and set it down in front of Trevor.
   Yeah.  It was good that she was gone.  He had other things to do today.
If he hadn't seen her staring at him then he would have been crawling from
under a pile of bodies this morning.
   Perhaps he could catch up with her.  He'd could stare into her espresso
brown eyes one last time.  No harm in that.
   He looked through his phone and found her number.  He had an obligation
to make sure she was okay.  He'd taken her phone number while she was in
the shower last night.
   Check on her.  Right.
   Trevor had never bothered with client follow up.  He knew the only thing
she would need is a good eight hours of sleep and a hearty meal.
   He sent a text.
   He had never taken a woman's number.  He never gave away $100 of drugs
for free.  He certainly didn't dream about his hook-ups.
   ***
   Evelyn pulled the phone under the blanket.  Five o' clock?  In the
evening, no less.
   She had missed two messages.
   Unknown: "You'll need a heavy meal when you wake up.  It will help with
the grogginess."
   Half an hour later, five minutes ago.
   Unknown: "I would like to take you to get that meal.  (287) 562-0841
Trevor Xanth."
She stared at the screen for an inordinate amount of time as if
hypnotized by the information.
   Xanth.  She knew that sir name.  It was unique enough to be known by
anyone who lived in the area for more than a few years.  The papers
described the Xanth family as a group of criminals twisting the craft of
the mystical apothecary into a 'cesspool of iniquity.'
   She had never seen nor met a single person from this notorious family.
Only heard that word from those who derided their acts as a blight on
society.
   She understood what he meant by the grogginess, but to go out?  With a
Xanth?
   No.  Thank you.
   She had the reply typed out from her zombified perch on the toilet.  Her
thumb hovered over the send key.  Trevor knew what his last name meant
outside of his party circles.
   He had his pick of women, but did they get his phone number after they
left?  Was he buying dinner for everyone that was at the party?
   Evelyn erased the message.
   'I'd rather stay home.'
   She groaned at her inability to press send on that one.
   "Fuck!" Her ringing phone nearly slipped from her hands, but she caught
it with her knees.  She lifted it and answered.  "Hello?"
   "Evie?  Are you well?" Felix.  Damn it.  She should have checked the
screen first.
   "Yes.  I ...  was taking a nap."
   "You went out last night, didn't you?  Did you have a good time?  Your
voice sounds a little hoarse.  Are you coming down with something?"
   "I'm fine.  I'm fine."
   "You sound awful.  You didn't drink, did you?  There's no safe level of
alcohol.  You're smart enough to know this."
   "I am fine, just ...  groggy."
   "Have you thought about dinner?  We could go to Cherry's."
   Seriously?  "I don't want to go anywhere."
   She frowned at her bathroom wall.  She had spent so long hiding in her
house, trying to avoid Felix and the guilt he made her feel.  This had to
end.  She wanted a different life, a life worth living, experiencing.
   "I've got to go." She disconnected the call and went back to her reply
to Trevor.
   Evelyn: "I'm sober and doubtful, but I am hungry and I miss you." She
added her address to the end of the message, just in case he didn't take
the time to get that from her.
   ***
   She didn't know where they were going, so she tried to go for something
neutral.  A black skirt and blue shirt.  "Is this okay?"
   "Are you comfortable?"
   "Yes."
   "Then you're good.  We're going to a comfortable place to eat."
   He drove her to a small restaurant.  They got a booth away from the main
crowd.  He sat beside her and put his arm around her waist.
   "Good to see you again, sir." The perky server seemed to bounced on her
heels.  "Always a pleasure to find you in my section.  What can I get you
to drink?"
   He placed the drink orders, then food.
   Evelyn leaned on his shoulder.  From the smell of the place they did a
lot with pasta and red sauce.  She was thankful he did the ordering.  She
closed her eyes and imagined they were together, that he was her boyfriend,
and this was the kind of thing they did all the time.
   "Can I get in on the joke?" He said.
   She sat up, but did a terrible job of trying to drop the grin.  She
chose each word with care.  "I'm glad I got to see you again."
   The server returned with their food.
   Once Evelyn got her first bite of the large meatball, words were in the
way of getting more of that delicious food in her stomach.
   He was true to his word.  The food worked like magic, scrubbing away the
cobwebs in her brain.
   Coming back to full sanity meant that she was also more aware of his arm
around her waist, the small caress on her sides, the way his eyes
possessively viewed her cleavage.
   This was just dinner.  Wasn't it?
   She cleared her plate, but only half of his was left.  Trevor paid the
check and boxed the rest.  "Do you want me to take you home?"
   "No."
   He smirked.  "Do you want me inside you?"
   Her giggle bubbled up.  "Yes."
   He took her hand and led her back to the car.  "I have to work tomorrow.
There's an event I need to prepare for.  I'm taking you to my house, and
you will not sneak out when I fall asleep.  Understood?"
   "I won't go anywhere you don't tell me to go."
   He opened the door and ushered her in.
   She played with her fingernails as they pulled out.  She had said the
words before she had the chance to think about it.  She hated the way Felix
had tried to control her.
   Trevor made a few stops between the restaurant and wherever his house
was.  He would get out, leaving her in the car.  He stopped by a house, a
bar, and then a general store.
   He came back out with a bag.  "Take everything you're wearing off and
put this on." He pulled a dress from his bag and set it in her lap.
   Right now?  She kicked out of her shoes.  If not, the he'd tell her to
stop getting undressed in the passenger seat of his car.  She slipped the
dress on and was amazed at how nicely it fit.  She leaned forward and he
zipped the back.
   As she leaned forward, into him, she got a face full of his crotch.  He
looked quite erect.  Had seeing her done that to him?
   Her phone rang as they pulled back onto the road.
   Felix said, "Are you inside?  I see your car."
   "What are you doing?"
   "You never answered me about dinner, so I thought I'd bring you
something."
   "We broke up.  I remember that."
   "You told me you needed space, but we're still friends.  I still care
about your well being.  I haven't stopped caring for you, and you haven't
stopped caring for me."
   "I will not be home any time soon."
   "Where are you?"
   "I'm..." Out with her boyfriend?  Hanging out with a friend?  None of
his damned business.  "Please stop calling me.  I don't want to be your
friend or anything else."
   "You've found someone else?" The utter hurt and disbelief in his voice
sounded heart breaking, but they were not together.  He was not her
responsibility.
   Trevor kept his eyes on the road.  He didn't ask who it was, if anything
was wrong.  She was sure he could hear Felix through her phone.  He always
talked on the thing like he head to shout.
   "Yes, I have."
   "I know we may have had our conflicts, but you don't run from hardship.
You work through problems."
   "Good night, Felix." She ended the call.
   He was probably standing on her porch, quietly seething just before he
exploded.  She powered her phone down before his anger hit critical mass.
He could rant to her voicemail.
   She didn't recognize this neighborhood.  Not that she should have, but
she couldn't fathom where these idyllic homes on thick gardens had come
from.  Towering trees, blooming flowers, trimmed hedges.
   This home owners' society must have decided on the opposite of lawns.
   Trevor touched a button above his head and turned into the opening
between towering dark green vines into a garage.
   That's when it dawned on her that she was about to be inside Trevor
Xanth's home.  Definitely for the night, possible tomorrow.
   "I can still take you home if that's where you'd rather be."
   "No, it's not."
   "Did you know who I was when you met me?"
   "I had no idea."
   He nodded.  "Let's get inside." He reached back and grabbed his
belongings.
   She opened the door for him, but he didn't give her anything to carry.
He walked her through the house.
   "That you," a young man came around the corner with a spoon of peanut
butter.  "Oh, hello.  Nicolas Xanth.  Friend of yours?" He licked from the
spoon.
   "Yes.  Evelyn, this is my younger brother, Nicolas."
   <->
   Epilogue: Short, with an abrupt end.  One day, I need to get on with the
rest of it, but that day hasn't come yet.
Written: April 2011
   Contact: nysidra at hot mail dot com
  
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