CHAPTER TWELVE
RIPLEY
“The price is higher than last time. What’s that all about?” I opened the pill bottles I’d been given, making sure they contained the agreed upon amount.
Charlie shrugged, scratching his beard. “Different supplier this time. It is what it is, kid. If you want something cheaper, I can hook you up. Maybe try something new. How about a little crystal?”
I frowned hard at the middle-aged man. He’d been selling me pills for a while now. Since my doctor stopped prescribing them.
Standing in the back alley behind a Chinese food restaurant doing a drug deal made me nervous. I was eager to hurry up and get out of there. I kept glancing around, wary of being caught.
“No thanks, I’m not interested. Here.” I shoved a wad of cash into his hand before spinning on a heel and rushing away down the alley.
Even though I was annoyed at the higher price, I was happy to have my security blanket back in my hands. As soon as I got in the car, I popped two in my mouth, washing them down with some water from the bottle in the cupholder. The nerves that had been racking me all day began to ease.
Starting the car, I pulled into traffic, heading toward the other side of town where my mom lived. I would have done almost anything to avoid making this trip. I really didn’t want to see her.
She lived in a rundown neighborhood filled with old duplexes and a few mobile homes. The occasional bungalow here and there. This had once been a main residential area in town back when it was new and much smaller. Now it was considered old Wintervale. A place where people went to live cheap.
I parked in front of the duplex where I’d once lived with my mom. Being back here brought back so many terrible memories. The nonstop fights. The steady flow of strung out people that my mom associated with.
Wanting to get this over with, I hurried up the front walk to the unit she occupied. The screen door sat ajar. It didn’t close properly anymore. I tested the front door before pulling out my key. Unlocked. Not that anyone would bother to rob a place like this.
“Mom?” I called as I entered the small front porch.
There was no answer. I found her passed out in the living room, sprawled on the couch.
She wore a T-shirt and a pair of shorts that looked like they could use a wash.
Her blonde hair tied in a messy bun. The coffee table next to the couch was littered with empty beer cans, Red Bull, and cigarettes.
Tossed in with the rest was a used needle. Jesus Christ.
I thought about waking her up then decided against it. I didn’t really want to talk to her in person anyway. If she was coming down off something, there was no telling what kind of mood she would be in.
Reaching into my purse, I pulled out the rolled up stack of bills I had been saving for her. It wasn’t much. Most of my tips from the last two weeks. She would likely shoot it, snort it, or drink it within a day or two. There was nothing I could do about that.
Staring down at her passed out form, I tried to remember a time when she hadn’t been like this. I had foggy memories of her being better when I was younger. Too young to know what had been going on. My father had known. That’s why he left. That’s when everything spiraled into hell.
She gave a sudden startling snore before rolling over and almost falling off the couch.
That was my cue to leave. I was out the door before she could open her eyes and find me standing there.
No doubt she would complain about the amount of money I’d given her, claiming it wasn’t enough. It never was.
On my way home, I listened to a podcast about quantum physics and reality. That stuff had always been so interesting to me. The kind of rabbit hole one could fall down and never emerge from.
I was surprised to find Auryn waiting in the lobby of my building when I got home. I jerked to a stop.
“Hey,” he said, shoving away from the wall where he’d been leaning. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“So I see. Everything is fine if that’s what you’re wondering. I haven’t seen Jamie since class.” Confused and curious about Auryn’s presence, I flipped through the keys on my keychain until I found the one for the door in the lobby.
“Good, then I don’t have to kill him. Yet. I want to come inside with you. Is that cool?” Auryn stepped forward, ready to follow me into the building.
I wasn’t sure what to make of this. “Uh yeah, I guess so.”
He had this intensity that fed my curiosity. What was it that caused him to show up unannounced? As he followed me up to the apartment I shared with Athena, I wondered how I would explain this if she was home.
When I opened the door to discover the place empty, I breathed a sigh of relief. She must have stopped off somewhere on her way home or hung out later on campus.
Not knowing what to say, I motioned to the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink or—”
Auryn pulled me against him, silencing me with a kiss. His mouth hungrily moving on mine. Making my heart race. When he backed me up against the closed door and slid a hand up into my hair, I almost melted into a puddle.
“Take me to your bedroom,” he murmured against my lips.
I didn’t think to question it. Taking his hand, I led him down the short hall and around the corner. Once we were in my bedroom, he closed the door behind us and pushed me down on the bed.
I peered up at him in mesmerized wonder as he frantically pulled my shirt off, whisking it up over my head. His hands were on my breasts, kneading them through my bra. His gaze locked on my cleavage.
“I can’t get you out of my head, doll. I need to see my cock in your mouth.” Auryn pulled the straps of my bra down in an effort to free my breasts.
Reaching behind my back, I unclasped the bra, flinging it aside. Giving in to his demand. He surprised me by undoing his pants and pulling out his thick erection. Sliding it between my breasts. Fucking them with slow thrusts.
After a few moments he pulled back, tugging me off the bed, and guiding me to my knees. I dropped down before him, finding something deeply satisfied in his brown eyes when I glanced up.
“Fuck yes,” he whispered. I hadn’t even touched him yet.
There was an urgency in him, driving him to roughly thrust his cock into my mouth while holding a handful of my hair.
I liked the way he held tight, like he needed to hold onto something so he wouldn’t lose total control.
I did my best to take his cock without gagging.
He didn’t make it easy for me. Pumping into my mouth, his pace increasing with every thrust.
Doing my best to be an active participant, I swirled my tongue around his sensitive head. Flicking it along the underside of his shaft. Reaching to cup his balls in my grasp. For some reason he’d come here seeking something from me, and I desperately wanted to give it to him.
Auryn’s pupils were huge. I wondered if it was from something he may have taken earlier. I felt that euphoric high that came with a fresh dose of Oxy working its way through my veins. Being with Auryn was almost like a drug in itself. A heady, intoxicating sensation.
“Your mouth feels so fucking good,” he moaned softly.
His husky tone made my entire body prickle. A powerful tingle between my legs spreading throughout me. My panties were drenched.
As if he knew, Auryn said, “I want you to touch that pussy for me. Fuck yourself with your fingers and let me taste it.”
Willing to do anything he wanted right then, I slid a hand down my pants into my underwear. Finding myself wet and slippery. Plunging two fingers inside myself. Moaning around his cock.
Auryn’s grip on my hair grew stronger. Pulling until pain scattered through my scalp. “Now let me taste those fingers.”
I withdrew my hand, shocked by the way he viciously grabbed my wrist. Bringing my fingers to his lips.
Slowly, he dragged his tongue along them before sucking them into his mouth.
Seeing the way he got off on the taste of me only made me that much hotter for him.
There was something undeniably sexy about everything he did.
The sound of the apartment door opening and closing startled me. Athena was home. That shouldn’t have mattered. We were both adults. However, I didn’t want her to know what I was doing in here or who I was doing it with. Especially since it didn’t mean anything.
Auryn glanced at the closed door, a sly grin lighting up his face. “I guess we’re not alone anymore.”
His pace quickened as he fucked my mouth. I hoped like hell that Athena didn’t come to my door. So far it sounded like she was in the kitchen. Eventually, I would have to emerge and go talk to her.
Using his grip on my hair, Auryn withdrew his cock from my mouth and pulled me to my feet.
Pushing me down on the bed flat on my back.
Standing over me, he jerked his cock a few times with a hand before spraying a stream of cum onto my breasts.
It hit my skin, wet and warm. He stared down at me for several long moments, enjoying the view.
“God, you’re fucking gorgeous,” he murmured, keeping his voice low. He gazed at me the way one stares at a beautiful sunset or a rare gemstone. Like he needed to memorize every detail in case he never saw it again.
Suddenly he snapped out of it, glancing around my bedroom. Spotting the box of tissue on the desk, he brought some over to me and began to carefully wipe my skin clean. I appreciated his gentle attentiveness.
“I need to go out there and talk to her for a minute. I’ll have to sneak you out when she’s not around.” I slipped my shirt back on over my head, motioning for Auryn to stay put.
“Sneak me out?” he laughed softly. “Is that really necessary?”
Instead of replying, I cracked open the bedroom door, making sure Athena wasn’t in the hallway before slipping out and closing the door behind me. I found her in the kitchen eating chocolate chip cookies straight out of the box.
“You’re home late,” I said, keeping my tone light and natural.
“I stopped by Sephora on my way home to spend that gift card my mom gave me for my birthday. Want to see my haul?” She motioned to the black and white bag on the kitchen table.
“Of course.” Helping myself to a handful of cookies, I nodded along and commented as she pulled each makeup item from the bag.
I was nervous about having Auryn in my bedroom. What if we took too long and he came out? How would I explain that?
Athena held up a little tube of foundation. “I haven’t tried this brand before. My current brand is always sold out, so I figured I would give it a try. Oh, and they finally had that perfume that I really love in stock.”
Why was it so hard to keep a straight face and engage with her? All I could think about was what I’d been doing in my bedroom. It shouldn’t have been a big deal. She already knew about Auryn and me hooking up. She knew he had agreed to be my fake boyfriend in front of Jamie.
Except we weren’t in front of Jamie, and I knew my friend well enough to know she would find something embarrassing to say about it. If Auryn and I were going to engage in such activity, I felt it was better to keep it private. Our friends didn’t need to know every move we made.
“I’m going to go take a shower,” she announced stuffing her items back in the bag. “Is that all right? Do you want it first?”
Seizing the opportunity to sneak Auryn out, I said, “No, it’s fine. Go ahead. I’ll grab one before bed.”
After she closed herself in the bathroom, I breathed a sigh of relief. Returning to my bedroom, I opened the door to find Auryn sitting on the edge of my bed. He held a pill bottle in his hand.
“She’s in the shower. You can leave now.” I gestured for him to get up.
He made no move to do so. Holding up the bottle, Auryn asked, “What’s this all about? There’s no pharmacy label.”
I frowned. “Are you going through my things?”
“Of course not. It was sitting on the desk.” There was no judgment in his tone or expression. Not that I would expect any from a guy like him. One who enjoyed substances.
“I hurt my back at work a while ago. I got some painkillers from the doctor. When they ran out, I got a few more from someone else. It’s nothing.” I wasn’t sure why I expected a fellow drug user to believe me. Maybe saying it out loud to someone like Auryn would be helpful in some way.
He stared at the empty pill bottle for a minute before setting it down on the night table beside the bed. “Be careful who you’re trusting to supply you. It’s dangerous out there.”
Leaving it at that, Auryn rose from the bed, following me down the hall back to the door. The sound of water running in the bathroom ensured that Athena wouldn’t make an appearance. We stood awkwardly near the door for a moment before Auryn pulled it open and stepped into the hall.
“I’ll see you tomorrow on campus. Have a good night, doll.”
I watched him disappear down the hall before closing the door and locking it. A twinge of disappointment bit at my insides. Had I been expecting him to kiss me goodbye? It’s not like we were involved in a serious romance here. I got the feeling that he’d been considering it.
Trying to redirect my thoughts away from Auryn, I went to the kitchen and stared into the fridge.
I needed to find something for supper. Even as I went through the motions of making mushroom stroganoff on rice, I couldn’t stop replaying that moment when I found Auryn standing in the lobby waiting for me.
Why me? Sure, we had an arrangement of sorts, but he could get his kicks anywhere with anyone.
I knew that if I overthought it, I would drive myself crazy. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if getting rid of Jamie would come at a price I couldn’t pay.