Chapter 4. #5
She picked them up, stuffing them in her coat pocket to not waste any time getting away from the place, and she moved fast despite the darkness, as she could imagine nothing more humiliating now than being discovered.
She didn't have time to give any thought to what she had just done, as she had to be careful while moving toward the trail down the slope, knowing there was also the danger of running into Tommy and Patty.
If they were approaching, she counted on seeing their flashlight first and then quickly hiding off the trail, but she made it down the angular trail without ever seeing even a sign of them.
Sheila fell twice, avoiding injury both times but ending up with smudges of dirt on her face and coat.
Soon she was walking across the bridge; only then, able to think clearly for the first time, she realized that her disheveled appearance could serve as an excuse for her absence from the cabin should Tommy be there when she returned.
She decided to tell him she had gone for a walk, in the opposite direction of the Millers' campsite, and that she had become lost, thereby taking so long to return.
It sounded feasible and something like that was necessary if she was not to fall completely apart, admitting to Tommy that she had seen him and Patty.
When she was within sight of the cabin, Sheila paused to pull her coat tightly around her, then she messed up her hair a bit more. The cabin looked very much the same as when she had left it -- that seemed so long in the past -- and taking a deep breath, she went inside.
"Tommy?" There was no answer. The fire she had lit earlier was almost out, and she walked straight into the kitchen, expecting to find some sign of him having been there.
Nothing was disturbed, and again she started to worry about Tommy. She was horrified by the thought of Tommy and Patty returning to the campsite and perhaps even joining Sharon Miller and those two men in some debasing and vile sexual act.
Unsure of what she could do, Sheila returned to the living room half panic-struck with fear, but her fright subsided when she saw the white paper left on the day-bed.
She quickly picked up the letter, her eyes scanning over the neat, orderly printing to the signature at the bottom. It was a note from Tommy.
Oh... Stupid me... I went off without the flashlight, so Patty walked back with me...
Surprised not to find you here, but can hardly blame you for not waiting dinner.
We decided to go over to the redwood lodge to see what's happening, so don't wait up.
I took the flashlight from the car, so Patty won't have to walk back to her camp alone...
Sorry again for being so late, Love Tommy.
Sheila was relieved to know that Tommy was not going back to the Millers' camp immediately and, in spite of everything else that had happened, she couldn't be angry with him.
She actually felt proud that he hadn't made up some falsehood as an excuse for being late, but instead just chose to give no reason at all. Naturally he couldn't just say he was busy fucking Patty!
Sheila sat down on the day-bed, suddenly feeling weary and afraid.
Her whole world had become disrupted in the space of a couple of hours, and she knew that things could never be the same again.
Tommy was far more adult than she would ever have guessed, and he was probably more experienced sexually than she.
Sheila thought she should be jealous of Patty, but she also felt that she herself was responsible for Tommy's sexual encounter in that she had never really given him guidance.
Neither did she know which was worse: her staying to watch Tommy and Patty, or remaining at the Millers' campsite until she had lost control herself. It was all too confusing, too recent; and she was too exhausted to think about it then.
Taking the note from Tommy with her, Sheila walked to the bedroom, trying to put the evening's events out of her mind. She would have to look at him differently from now on, but that went for Patty and her mother too.
She had asked Tommy to tell Sharon that she would visit her in the morning, and considering all that she had seen, Sheila wondered if she could ever face the Miller woman again without fainting from embarrassment.
Taking her panties out of her coat pocket and tossing them on the bed, she removed her coat and dress and hung both up in the closet.
She made a mental note to remember to wash out the little white stain on the coat lining, then closed the closet door, not wanting to think about it anymore that evening.
Taking off her brassiere and throwing it haphazardly on the bed with her panties, she then walked into the bathroom and washed her face and combed her hair without looking at her reflection in the mirror.
She couldn't face herself, not then at least. Slipping into her nightgown, she turned off the lamp and got into the bed. Sleep came quickly, but her dreams were filled with erotically disturbing images of herself.
And to her horror, she found herself doing what Sharon had done that night, and liking it... Only the man fucking her -- the man whose cock she was eagerly sucking -- was the cock of Tommy!
Tommy!