Chapter 13 Harrison
HARRISON
Fuck.
That was some night.
I can’t believe it.
Chet just slammed the black door leading to the back alley off Randolph and State in my face. He didn’t say a word. Probably for the best. Every time that fucker opens his mouth, he spews out some asinine bullshit that leaves me with more questions than answers.
I’m still standing in the alley, half expecting Bianca to burst through the door.
But that’s not going to happen.
She’s on the clock, and she’s probably already in some deep shit with her sister.
I feel bad for her.
I like Bianca.
I like her a lot.
When I came to Aces this evening, the last thing on my mind was getting some action. My main objective was to find out as much as I could about Alissa and Maddox’s time here.
I failed in that regard. I learned next to nothing about their sudden desire to cart off to the other side of the globe.
But I don’t regret coming.
Bianca. Sweet Bianca.
Her name rolls off the tongue like a song. It might be the most beautiful name I’ve ever heard.
But her name, as lovely as it is, doesn’t do her justice.
She’s the most gorgeous woman I’ve laid eyes on. And I’ve dated a host of attractive women—I’m not exactly hideous, and being a doctor has its perks—but none of them hold a candle to Bianca Montrose.
Fuck. I’m hard.
It’s only been a half hour since Bianca and I had sex in the grand suite. I usually need some time before I’m ready to go again. Not the case here.
I discreetly adjust myself beneath my pants as I walk around the corner to the hospital, take the elevator up to the parking garage, and begin the drive home.
I live in Oak Park, a suburban village west of downtown.
I bought myself a nice little ranch house there a couple years ago.
I could have gotten a bigger one with what the hospital pays me, but it seemed silly to have a whole two-story house for just me.
If I ever get married and have kids, I’ll look into sizing up.
But for now, it’s a great lot in a quiet neighborhood.
I turn onto I-290—it’s a straight shot home—and I flick on the radio.
Normally I listen to the classic rock station, but today I scan for something different. I want to listen to music like Bianca was singing. I finally stop when my radio lands on 90.9, a jazz station.
It’s Ella Fitzgerald singing, I think. I remember learning about her in music class at school, and her pure tone is easy to identify. She’s singing “Let’s Fall in Love.”
Ella is a fantastic singer…but Bianca might be better.
As I listen to the lyrics, which describe two people who may not be the right fit in theory but are falling in love anyway, I can’t help thinking of Bianca’s sweet voice singing the tune.
Then the music melts away, and I imagine her shedding her clothes, getting on her knees, and taking my cock into her mouth.
Her lips, her tongue… They felt so good on me…
I reach down and squeeze my dick through my pants. I’m hard as fucking steel as I replay in my mind the macabre liaison I shared with Bianca in the grand suite.
We fucked in front of a corpse.
And neither of us cared.
It’s morbid, yes. But it was also hot.
The fact that we had to have each other right then and there, never mind the circumstances.
The blare of a car horn rips me out of my thoughts.
Shit. I haven’t been paying attention to the road. I’m halfway between two lanes. I quickly get over and the driver behind me speeds ahead of me, flipping me off as he passes.
“Same to you, fella,” I say under my breath.
But he was well in his rights to flip me off. I was drifting between lanes like a drunk driver.
I didn’t have a sip of alcohol at Aces Underground this evening.
But I’m drunk on Bianca.
I look up at the road.
“Shit,” I say.
I’ve overshot my exit by a couple miles. Not a big deal. I’ll pull off, make a U-turn, and get right back on my way home. I take the next exit available—Forest Park.
The exit is along the Des Plaines river—damn, I really overshot my exit—and it’s an area I’m familiar with. I grew up not too far from here.
It’s a part of the greater Chicago area I haven’t been to in some time.
And for good reason…
* * *
Why the hell are we all the way out here?
We had to walk from Ray’s house a good half hour to get to this park along the Des Plaines river. It’s not really a park, though. More of a nature preserve. Definitely a weird place to be hanging out in the dead of night.
Ray’s parents think that we’re sound asleep in his basement.
I’ve been hanging out with Ray and his friends for a couple months now, ever since that day he helped me up after Hector Dimpsey beat me senseless.
My parents weren’t thrilled when they found out I was hanging with them.
They think Ray is a deadbeat with no direction in life who’ll end up living in his parents’ basement into his forties.
I don’t think that’s the case. Ray is smart, always cracking clever jokes.
He doesn’t get the best grades, but he’s not flunking out.
Middle school grades don’t matter anyway, according to my dad—behind my mother’s back, of course.
He’s just a guy who dyes his hair black—with those wicked green highlights—wears dark clothing, and listens to a lot of punk music.
The fact that he’s Regina’s brother doesn’t hurt either.
She still doesn’t give me the time of day, but now that I’m hanging out with Ray regularly, I occasionally see her at the kitchen table doing homework or sitting on the couch watching TV.
One time I considered sneaking into her room and snooping around, but I thought better of it. If I got caught, Ray’s parents definitely wouldn’t let me keep coming here.
And finally, after months of asking, I convinced my parents to let me spend the night at the Sinclairs’ house. Mom was a pain in the ass about it, had to call Ray’s mom and get to know her. They seemed to get along all right, so I was able to come here.
It’s me, Ray, and two of his buddies, Max and Corey, here tonight. For the first time since I started middle school, I finally feel safe in the company of friends.
We played videogames on his big-screen TV in the basement until his parents went to bed a little before midnight. And then Ray turned to me, his eyes gleaming with trouble.
“Boys,” he said, gesturing to the rest of his friends, “how about we take a walk?”
Ray grabbed a large duffel bag—I’m not sure what’s inside it—and we climbed out of the window grate leading from his basement to his backyard and then out his back gate. Then we took a series of backroads until we ended up at this nature preserve.
Ray reaches into his bag and grabs a red taper candle in a silver holder. He lights it, giving us just enough light to see each other’s faces.
He walks between Max and Corey and puts his hands around their shoulders. “Brothers, I would like to nominate Harrison O’Rourke for membership in The Club.”
I widen my eyes. What?
Corey nods. “I second, Brother Ray.”
“Me too.” Max grunts.
“Then we are agreed.” Ray leaves the other two and takes my hand. “Brother Harry, do you accept your nomination?”
I blink. “Do I what?”
Ray grins. “Do you want to be part of The Club? Like, officially?”
I glance over to Max and Corey. “I thought I was already friends with you all. We’ve been hanging out for months.”
Max and Corey laugh softly at that.
Ray hushes them with a hand gesture and then turns back to me. “We’ve been hanging out for sure. Think of it as a trial run. We’ve been getting to know you, and we’ve decided that we can trust you. I’ll ask again.” He lowers his voice. “Brother Harry, do you accept your nomination?”
I swallow. “I guess.”
“We require a definitive yes or no, Brother,” he replies.
I widen my eyes. “Y-Yes.”
“Good.” He clamps his hands over my shoulders. “Now, Brother Harry, wash your old self out in the waters of purity.” Ray takes my hand and guides me to the river. I kneel at the bank, slip a few fingers under the surface. “No, Brother. You must submerge yourself completely.”
I raise an eyebrow. “But my clothes will get wet.”
“No matter,” Ray says. “You’ll take them off. You must enter the river naked.”
A chill runs down my spine. Not only because it’s a pretty cool fall night, but because I’ve never been naked in front of anyone before except my parents or a doctor.
This doesn’t feel right.
“Can’t I wear my underwear?” I ask.
“Would you like us to join you?” Ray asks.
“I don’t know if that would make—”
Ray snaps his fingers, and Max and Corey immediately take off their shirts, pants, and underwear. I look back at Ray and he’s unclothed himself as well.
I can’t help thinking about the fact that he’s Regina’s twin brother. They’re fraternal, of course, but they look a lot alike.
For right now, this is the closest I’ll ever get to seeing her naked.
And that thought, for some reason, gives me the courage to strip down myself. I shimmy out of my underwear, allowing the cool breeze to flow through parts of my body it’s never met before.
Ray gestures to the river. “Initiates first.”
I go to the riverbank and dip a toe in.
Shit, it’s cold!
“Best to just jump in, Brother Harry,” Ray says. “We’ll be right behind you.”
I turn back. “Promise?”
Ray smiles. “Of course. Brothers are there for brothers, right boys?”
“Damn straight,” Max says.
I turn back to the river. It’s flowing quickly, but not so quickly that I’ll be washed away. I close my eyes, count to three, and take the plunge.
Shit, shit, shit! It’s like a thousand tiny needles poking into me at once.
Luckily, it’s shallow. I’m able to grip my feet to some rocks on the river’s bottom and stand myself up, bringing my head out of the water just in time to hear three more splashes around me.
I rub my eyes and through the dim light of Ray’s candle I can see the other three poke their heads out like prairie dogs, laughing roughly.
And I can’t help it. I laugh too.