PART TWO – STRUGGLES ON THE SAND
“What do you want that for?” Edward tugged the tee out of my hand.
“It’s getting a little cool.”
“Oh, nonsense,” he argued. “It took us long enough to get you topless. Now off you go!”
I sighed and stood up. “You look cute when you pout,” Britney giggled. “Come on, he’s right. Let’s show the world we’re the two hottest hotties on the beach.” She lowered her voice. “Anyway, I want to talk to you.” She slipped her arm into mine and we strutted away, down to the lake shore. “Melissa, while you and Edward were napping, Henry and I had a talk.”
I looked at my friend. “This sounds serious, sweetie.”
“Henry wants to set me up in a new apartment. He owns one, and he says he’ll rent it to me cheap.”
“That’s…a little sudden.” I was shocked. Britney was getting what Césaire was still only talking about offering me! “I mean, you've only known him for what...a week?”
“Well, it's not like I'll be living with him,” she countered, then added with a smile, “though of course he'll come visiting a lot. Anyway, his wife was away all last week. I spent every night at his place. We got to know each other...” she winked “…really well. He's even shown me the apartment, and it’s so much better than the fleapit I’m sharing right now. I don’t even have my own room! You know what rents are like, and I get paid peanuts.”
“But it's so…quick.” I still didn’t know what to say. All I could think of, what that Britney was getting something that I wanted, but didn’t have.
“Melissa, you're repeating yourself. How long have we been good friends? A few months ago, we were bitter enemies. We even fought each other. Yeah, we've kissed and made up since then, but we’ve only been best buddies for a week…the same night I met Henry.” She looked at me. “You're not jealous, are you Melissa?”
“No! No, I'm not jealous.” I bit my tongue. Melissa Windeyer doesn't do jealousy. I’m above petty things like that. “No,” I repeated, “I'm pleased for you.” I sounded lame even to myself.
“Maybe we could share!” said Britney. “The apartment has two bedrooms. Maybe Edward might even buy us some furniture. I've got nothing.”
I thought about that. Of course, I still hoped Césaire would make good on his promise to set me up in an apartment himself, but I hadn’t heard from him since that horrid Thursday when he and Justeen had treated me so badly. Yes, it was only four days ago, but I expected him to call and apologize for humiliating me, or to talk about the apartment or even to ask me to go to his place and clean. But there’d been nothing – not a word from him.
Britney nudged me. “Melissa?” I realized I’d been quiet for a long time.
“I wonder,” I replied. Of course, I didn't really want to share an apartment with Britney. Like she had just said, we hadn't known each other for long at all and, well, Britney was Britney. Still, sharing an apartment with her would be better than living with my parents. I had to reply without sounding negative.
We walked further along the beach in silence until I spoke again. “I couldn't ask him for something like that of course. It would have to come from him.”
“Of course!” she agreed. “I didn't so much as hint that I wanted a new apartment. The man's got to offer it. Melissa…” Britney paused and we walked some more before she added, in a slightly different tone, “we've got to offer more than sex if we want something like an apartment. We've got to be…companions too.”
I bit my tongue. Britney, this insignificant fluffball, was trying to teach me, me, Melissa Windeyer! – how to persuade men! My blood boiled. I so wanted to turn around and smack the little nothing right there on the beach. But I didn't. I could see her being useful. The offer to share an apartment was a better option than what I had at the moment, even if it was far from ideal. Besides, she could deal with some of my enemies like Jade. Britney also admired me, as she should, and every Goddess wants worshippers.
Again she said “Melissa?”
“I'm thinking Britney. I'm trying to think of an angle, to get him to make the offer…but nothing's coming to me”.
That wasn't all. I was battling to keep my temper with Britney. I wanted to punch her. It wasn’t just because she’d tried to instruct me, not just because she had a man offering to put her into an apartment, not even because Britney was, for the moment, ahead of me on the race to the A-list lifestyle I so deserved. Britney wasn’t the problem – I was. I was confused, conflicted. What should I do? I hated feeling like this. Of course, Britney wouldn't see it. Nor would Edward or Henry when we returned to them. I'd appear to them all as I always was – Melissa Windeyer, the Goddess to be worshipped. But I hated how I felt inside right then, and I was angry.
We walked about two hundred yards in silence before I nudged Britney. “Look…there are those two women who bugged us before.”
She looked. “Yeah. They sure had it in for you and Edward.”
I nodded. “Stuck-up pair of bitches.”
They noticed us too as we came closer. “Rachel,” said Carissa, the one who’d been making comments to Edward earlier, “sometimes you wonder, whether things all work out to God's plan. Life is a lottery.” She might have been talking to her sister, but she was looking straight at me.
“Look at marriage. Take Edward and Claire Pakenham, for instance. Lovely lady, clever, good looking. So why does her husband hanker after whores?” She rolled her tongue over the word as her eyes bored into me.
“Some men are like that,” Rachel answered. “She could always divorce him.”
I knew that would never happen. A rich society wife wouldn’t divorce her husband, at least not unless she could get a pile of alimony out of it. No, most of those A-list wives secretly rather liked their husbands having girlfriends. It meant they didn't have to put out.
“We know God hates divorce.” Again, Carissa stared at me. I knew she wasn’t really talking to her sister. She was delivering a message to Britney and me. “It's not good for her when her husband hankers after whores like these two.” She wrinkled her pretty, judgmental little nose at us. “Still, it could be worse. At least they’re only whores. Remember Proverbs 6:26…a man can buy a whore for a loaf of bread, but an adulteress takes his life. Mind you, some whores want more than a loaf of bread.” She looked hard at us. “Some want…and get…a day at the beach, for instance.”
I blinked at her. Why on earth was this little blonde bitch quoting Bible verses at us?
Britney fumed. Carissa shifted her gaze to my companion for a moment. “Some get cheap costume jewelry, and a new outfit too.”
“Carissa, is this the right time to talk about this?” asked her sister, with less disdain and more caution. “Let's pack up and go.”
Instead, Carissa turned back to me. “Some haven’t even got that yet,” she said slowly. “They live in hope. But will their hopes disappoint them? After all, they’ve already sold themselves.” She smiled thinly. “No, I’m wrong. Some get flashy silver…” she paused, looking at the chain around my throat, then looked straight into my eyes again, “…collars.” Her lip curled into a sneer. “Still, no whore could get an invitation to the University Club.”
The mention of the University Club made me redden. This little bitch was insulting us! “Who are you calling whores?”
“I suppose Claire prefers Edward's whores to him having a mistress.” Carissa went on talking as if I hadn’t spoken, though she still stared straight into my eyes. My face was burning with anger. “Still, Rachel, if I were Claire Pakenham, I'd say, like Sarah said to Abraham, ‘Drive out this whore and her son’ and remember, Abraham did exactly that.” She smiled again and her stare became even fiercer. “Edward knows where his loyalties lie. He’ll get rid of this whore…and you and I, Rachel, can help that along. We’ll start by telling his wife.”
I could hardly believe this. This sanctimonious snob was calling me – and Britney – a whore, to our faces! Britney and I weren't whores!
Or were we? We didn't sell ourselves, not as such, but we expected and got gifts – clothes, jewelry. And what had we just been talking about? The guys putting us up in apartments, paying part of the rent, maybe even buying some of the furniture. We knew what our part of the deal would be – we’d return the favors with our bodies, willingly and often.
I shook myself mentally. No, I didn’t want to go there. I couldn't! This so wasn’t us. I’m Melissa Windeyer, a Goddess to be worshipped, not a cheap whore. My hands itched to teach this prissy bitch a lesson.
All the time Carissa had been talking – which was only a few minutes – she and Rachel were still sitting as Britney and I approached and stood only a few feet away. Rachel looked up at me warily. “Come on Carissa, let's just go.” She stood up and half dragged her sister up as well.
Carissa glared at me, then turned to her sister. “Yes, maybe you're right. Anyway,” she smiled at me smugly, “I can show Claire the photos I took on my phone. Or, maybe even better, I’ll tell Edward I'll do that, and show the photos around to his friends at the University Club…if he doesn’t give up his latest whore.”
I was seething inside. This bitch would destroy my relationship with Edward before it even started. I knew, at this early stage at least, I didn't mean that much to Edward. That would change, of course, when Edward really got to know me. But this bitch Carissa had just about convinced me that right now I wasn't much more to Edward than someone he'd picked up for a bit of fun. I knew he'd dump me rather than lose face with his friends.
It was alright for Britney. these nasty smug bitches didn't have it in for her. I glanced across at her. If I hadn't known she was my friend, I'd have almost thought, from her smug look, that she was enjoying this. Yes, Carissa had insulted her too, but Carissa wasn't trying to destroy her and Henry. I had to show her I was strong, powerful.
“Give me that phone!” I hissed threateningly. I didn’t know quite what to do – maybe force her to delete the photos from her phone.
Carissa whitened. “No!” she said, pushing me back. “No, go away.” She looked around as if for someone to rescue her. She didn't see anyone and looked back at me, like a deer caught in headlights.
I reached for her phone. Her words had cut me. I was confused, but I told myself, as I'd told myself many times in the past, to look confident is to be confident. After all, I’m Melissa Windeyer.
“Mel!” Britney’s warning cry came too late. A hand lashed around my neck, twisting me sideways to gaze horrified into Rachel’s face. Before I realised what was happening, she bent me over and her knee smashed into my stomach three times.
The first blow sank in deep. It made me splutter as I half choked. I tried to step away, but Rachel’s arm grasped my neck so tightly that I couldn’t move. I tried to hit back at Rachel, but she twisted and my fist just caressed her side.
Her second knee made me gasp. Spit sprayed from my mother as the knee sank even deeper than the first, and forced the air from my lungs. Pain radiated from my stomach across my whole body. I tried to breathe against the pain, but my lungs felt they were on fire. I tried to claw at Rachel’s face. I even succeeded, but my fingers seemed too weak to do any damage to her.
The third blow – and all three came mere seconds apart – forced still more air out of my lungs. My legs couldn’t support me. I sank to my knees at Rachel’s feet, moaning, clutching my belly, all but winded.
Rachel flung me to the side and turned to face Britney, who had taken my place as I crumpled to the sand. I was too badly hurt to do anything but lie there and watch as Britney and Rachel began trading blows.
Britney showed her experience. Weaving from side to side, she dodged Rachel’s attacks while her own light punches landed. After less than thirty seconds, she ducked under a powerful but telegraphed punch to her head and ploughed her fist into Rachel’s gut. Rachel spluttered and stepped back to regroup but Britney sensibly kept the pressure on Rachel, driving her back with well-aimed punches.
“You're finished, whore!” Carissa sneered down at me. She stamped on my stomach. My body convulsed. “And we’re going to finish your whore friend too!” I twisted on the sand, sucking air into my shattered lungs, trying to ignore, or least to master the pain that I knew would stay with me for hours. Carissa followed her sister to attack Britney.
Britney was readier than I was to face the two girls. Her uppercut made Rachel step back quickly, but even so it still jarred the taller sister’s face. Britney swung around, sidestepping Carissa’s kick, and grabbed the smaller girl’s leg before she had a chance to get it back on the ground.
Britney tried to yank it higher, to jerk Carissa off her feet but had to drop the leg when her Rachel rushed in and fired a flurry of punches at Britney’s midsection. Britney was too slow in turning and Rachel struck her first blow, one that made Britney grunt out loud, her mouth open.
My friend disengaged, retreating, working her way to the side and trying to put Carissa between her and Rachel, to prevent both of them attacking her at once. She succeeded and then sprang forward, with a left-right combo.
Carissa avoided the left but Brit’s right fist struck her hard on the chest, just below her bikini. Britney’s attempted follow up was stymied when Rachel again closed in with punches. Britney stood her ground this time though, launching punches of her own at Rachel while Carissa stood gasping for a moment – Britney’s punch had done some damage.
More of Britney’s blows went home than Rachel’s did and Britney hit harder, but before Britney got in more than a half dozen or so solid blows, Carissa recovered and struck back with a kick. This time it hit Britney’s side. Britney staggered and groaned.
The two girls stepped forward, slugging at Britney’s body with a furious barrage of knees and fists. Britney couldn’t avoid them all. She stumbled, defending frantically, trying to find an opening to counter-attack, but they were all over her.
She staggered backwards but managed to recover enough to turn it into a purposeful retreat, trading space for time. Again she tried to get Carissa between herself and Rachel. Again she succeeded. She tried kicking out at Carissa, but Carissa spun to her side, avoiding the blow
I got to my knees, with an extreme effort. I thought I was going to retch. My head swam and I cradled my aching stomach until the nausea subsided.
The two sisters pressed forward, one on each side of Britney. They turned inwards, punching at her. Britney retreated, scurrying backwards on the sand for perhaps thirty or forty yards, long enough to put some distance between herself and the two attackers but more importantly to put a bit of distance between the two attackers themselves. She dodged and weaved enough to confuse them. Clearly they didn’t want her to get away, and they spread out to ensure that whichever way Brit turned, she’d have to deal with one of them.
My body may have been battered – after all it was less than two minutes since Carissa had stomped on my belly – but there was nothing wrong with my powers of observation, and I sensed that Britney had a plan. The two sisters were doing exactly what she expected and wanted them to do.
Suddenly, instead of back pedaling further, Britney charged at Rachel. As she got close, she bent forward, arms outstretched. Rachel was unprepared, showing her inexperience. Britney’s arms clasped round the taller girl’s legs, her shoulder slammed into her foe’s stomach and Rachel dropped heavily to the sand, groaning.
Britney spun on her heel and rushed straight at Carissa. The smaller sister stood dumbfounded for a few vital seconds. Britney grabbed her hair and punched her stomach hard. Carissa squealed. She squealed again when Britney repeated the blow, but managed to dodge Britney's up-swung knee.
Counter-attacking at last, she slapped and clawed at Britney's face, clawing and twisting Britney's arm that held her hair. She jerked her body violently, trying to break Britney's grip, but she didn’t. Britney's left hand gripped the smaller girl’s hair tightly as her right fist hit home, three more times. Each time Carissa let out an even louder squeal. The first time she trembled, the second she slumped forward slightly but pulled herself up. The third time she slumped even further. She was still fighting, still slapping, clawing and twisting but she couldn’t break free or even make Britney halt her attacks.
“Watch out, blondie!” some guy yelled from the sidelines. Britney turned, just in time to prevent Rachel from tackling her to the sand. She flung Carissa away from her and lashed out with a punch at Rachel, who dodged it. For a few seconds the two girls traded blows, and again Britney had the better of the exchange as her blows hit harder and more often.
“Grab her Carissa!” Rachel snapped at her sister, who was standing bent over, breathing hard. Carissa jumped back into the fight, yanking Britney's hair, hauling her backward, exposing my friend to a punch that hammered her midriff. Britney staggered.
Carissa seized her arms, locking her own hands through Britney's elbows, pinning them behind her and preventing her from defending herself. “Good work!’ Rachel sneered, “now let’s get this whore!” She rammed a succession of knee blows into Britney's stomach. Britney gasped, then groaned at the first two. The third made her slump forward and by the fifth, it was only Carissa holding her that kept her upright.
I got to my feet. It was horrid seeing my friend being taken apart like this but it was more horrid still, not knowing what to do about it. I could abandon Britney, but Edward and I were finished if I did that. Not only would he think me a wimp, but Carissa would blackmail him with those pictures. He’d have no choice but to toss me aside.
There was only one thing for it. I had to help Britney. But I hurt so much inside. But then I mentally shook myself. What was I saying? I’m Melissa Windeyer, a seasoned fighter. I could master the pain. I pulled myself together and strode purposefully down the beach toward them. No way would these stuck-up bitches know they had so nearly destroyed me with a few blows.
Rachel saw me approaching. She turned and came at for me. I let her charge, then dodged to the side as she came close. She turned and followed me but I kept backing away, hoping she'd tire herself, hoping she'd get angry and do something rash, hoping above all to give myself and Britney some more time to recover.
I managed to work my way around Rachel and dashed towards Carissa, even though her sister was close behind me. Carissa shrieked and slackened her hold on the still gasping Britney, who squirmed free without much trouble.
I was still dodging Rachel. She was clearly the tougher and stronger sister. I wanted Britney's aid to deal with her. I'd led the bigger girl a good chase, but it came to an end when Rachel went into overdrive, rushing forward and slugging me in my already battered stomach.
I pulled back and snapped a few light punches at her, intended more to slow Rachel down than to seriously hurt her. She kept trying to hammer me with big blows. Some hit, but most I avoided. When she began to tire, puffing and wheezing, I started to step up the pressure, launching heavier blows or my own.
She avoided the first two, but the third and fourth hit her hard in the chest and side. The next two, she dodged by twisting to her right, and lashed out at me again. I bobbed down and her fist just kissed the top of my head. I struck hard again with a punch to her gut that doubled her over, coughing.
Before I could capitalise on that success though, Rachel stumbled backward out of range. I followed her, firing more punches. For a moment we traded blows, I hit harder and more often than she did. She may have been fitter and stronger than me, but she didn't have my fighting experience or my staying power. After all, I’m Melissa Windeyer. She edged backwards began to defend more. She gasped and groaned when my blows hit.
I spared a fleeting glance at Britney. She had Carissa staggering backwards. The weakling was near to tears. “Way to go Brit!” I encouraged her before turning back to deal again with Carissa’s sister. I pursued Rachel with light blows that began to get through her defences more often.
She was soon stumbling. I switched to heavier punches. I needed to finish this battle. I was nearing exhaustion – but so was she. She was panting, gasping for breath, mouth open. She retreated, scurrying back faster than I could follow and for a moment, we both there with our chests heaving, fighting not each other but our own tired bodies.
Again I looked over at Carissa and Britney. Carissa was ashen. She tried to attack, almost stumbling forward, fists up. Britney sidestepped but Carissa, to give her her due, swung around quickly and hit Britney on the chin, hard enough to snap my friend's head back.
Carissa tried to exploit her advantage with another punch but Britney was too quick for her. She brushed Carissa's feeble attempt aside, and sent her own bunched fists into Carissa's body, left and right. Carissa reeled, barely defending. She had clearly put her last reserves into that attack. Now it had failed and she had nothing left. Britney hammered her again and again with heavy blows. Carissa wailed, stumbling, barely staying on her feet.
Rachel broke away from me and started to go to her sister’s aid. I had to stop this. I was too tired to run but I still stepped quickly into the gap between the two sisters, and, fists raised, continued slugging it out with Rachel
Both of us were stumbling by then. Neither of us hit hard as hard or as fast as we had at the beginning. Her dirty surprise attack had taken its toll on me, but I’d come back and worn her down. Again I began to hit her more often. She was defending more, and not as well.
That gave me extra energy and I hit harder. I forced her back, away from her sister I was softening her up now and she knew it. Her face paled and she started to shudder as I fired blows at her, even if they didn’t hit. She wasn’t trying to hit me, just to make sure I didn’t hit her. But I did hit her, not every blow but often enough and hard enough to weaken her further.
Britney was softening up Carissa too, pummelling her stomach, chest and face. For all her arrogant talk, she was weaker by far than her sister. Britney was proving that Carissa’s mouth wrote cheques her body couldn’t cash.
She grabbed Carissa by the shoulders. “You and your sister double teamed Mel!” She drove her knee into the weakling’s belly. Carissa groaned. Her entire body shook with the blow. “Your sister did this!” Again she rammed her knee up into Carissa’s belly. Carissa’s cry of agony turned into a breathless gasp. She slumped over and only stayed upright because Britney held her. “Three times to Mel!” Britney let Carissa go, and the battered little blonde bitch dropped to the sand. “Loser! You only lasted two!” she sneered. She stamped on Carissa’s belly, like Carissa had done to me.
Carissa’s body convulsed. “You can’t take your own medicine!” Brit sneered again. She rolled Carissa over, undid the now sobbing preppy’s bikini top and used it to tie the defeated girl’s hands together behind her back.
I noticed all this while I was still focusing on pounding Rachel, who had maneuvered herself between me and where Britney was working Carissa over. I kept Rachel far too busy for her to go to her Carissa’s aid.
“Ooofff! Oh…fuck!” Out of nowhere, Rachel had lashed out with a kick that buried itself in my stomach and almost knocked me off my feet. I staggered back, clutching my shattered, brutalised gut.
Rachel attacked again, hitting hard and breaking through my weak defence. I was exhausted. I wanted to scream for Britney's help but I put that thought out of my mind. What would people say if I admitted I was too weak to handle this snobbish nothing on my own? I’m Melissa Windeyer!
So I stood fast and began fighting back. I got hammered with a barrage of punches, till I swung my own knee up and hit her in her stomach too. That rocked her and she stumbled, her attack faltering. I followed up, trying to keep the pressure on. Now we were trading blows, both of us throwing punches wildly. Neither of us were able to aim properly any longer. Both of us were slow, shaky on our feet. Our blows were feeble, both of us all but dead on our feet. We broke apart, gasping for breath.
I focused for a few seconds on the pain and the exhaustion, putting them deep inside me, locking them in a chest and throwing the chest in the Lake. I drew up, from that same place deep inside me, my last reserves of strength and determination. I had to win this. I had to.
I turned back to Rachel and struck, focusing now on making each blow count, on aiming, on defending well. As it happened, I didn’t need to defend at all. Rachel hadn't recovered like I had. The fluff ball had no inner strength, no experience in fighting, no grit. She had no answer to my attack. She panicked as I pounded her. I picked my blows even more carefully, first firing an uppercut to her chin that snapped her head back. She groaned. Her body went slack. When I drove my fist into her belly, she crumpled to the sand and stayed there this time.
I copied Britney by rolling Rachel onto her belly and tying her hands with her bikini top. Britney strutted over, dragging a snivelling Carissa along with her. Britney and I kissed. She looked at the two beaten A-listers. “They're topless just like us now!”
"The difference is, we won and they lost!" I laughed.
My face became serious again as I turned to the two stuck-up snobs who stood trembling, side by side. I slapped them both hard across the face, leaving red marks on both cheeks of each battered bitch. Tears ran down Carissa's cheeks. Then Brit and I marched them back to their towels and forced them to their knees.
"Where are your phones, bitches?"
They said nothing but Carissa's eyes strayed momentarily to her bag and gave us the answer we needed. Brit retrieved both phones and handed them to me.
It was easy to break into them. I just pressed the girls' thumbs against the phones. I trashed all their photos right away, then took some more, of each of them and of both of them, kneeling, topless, crying. I sent the photos to everyone on their contact lists.
“Keep out of our way in future…and don’t even think of causing any trouble for Edward or Henry,” I told the now cowed girls.
“Why stop at their tops?” said Britney with a giggle. “We should take some trophies…let’s make them strip and we keep their bottoms.”
“Brit! Way to go, girl! Yeah, we deserve some trophyies.”
“No!” Edward's decisive voice stopped me. He and Henry must have wondered what had happened to us, and followed us up the beach. “You've gone far enough. You'll get us all into trouble with the lifeguards.”
I pouted. “But they can get dressed! Their clothes are rightnext to them. We'll even untie their hands so they can…though we'd tie them up again afterwards.” I giggled.
“No,” he said firmly. “That's enough, Melissa. This isn't the place…it’s a beach, not a dive like Chatro. And the Bernards aren’t Chelle or Kelsey or Jade.” He cut off my protest – who did he think those prissy bitches were? – with a kiss, and wrapped his arm around my waist, restraining me.
“It was a great battle. You were so hot to watch, your body gleaming in the evening sun. Your strength…your courage. You're one tough woman! But it goes no further than this.” He kissed me again. “I thought you were finished when these two double teamed you. They totally surprised you. But no, you recovered…fought back…and won.”
“I hope you got that on cam,” I said with a laugh.
“Of course…and it was so hot. But like I said, you've gone far enough. me, his tongue pushing its way into my mouth, his hands grasped my butt and pulled me close. A long moment later he broke the kiss, smiling, and turned to where Britney and Henry stood in a clinch, kissing passionately.
“Henry, both our champions dug deep just now. They’ve both certainly got the power to endure.” He dropped his voice to a whisper – but a loud whisper that I was sure the two snivelling girls could have heard – as I was just as sure they were meant to. “You said Britney had the greater staying power. I'm not so sure, but we'll find that out soon enough.” He winked at his friend and crushed my body to him, stifling my cry – my bruised body hurt at his touch – with a deep kiss
Britney winced too and Henry broke his kiss. “Edward, the girls need something to soothe their aches and pains…they must be so sore!”
“And I’m sure they need some sustenance too,” added Edward. “Come on, Melissa!” Still holding me tightly around the waist, he led me away from the Bernard sisters, back to our own spot on the beach.
I sat down on my towel. Edward applied a soothing salve to my face, arms and legs before I lay back and he started on my body. Each gentle stroke of his fingers on my upper belly and breasts made me tingle. My nipples were hard like pebbles – Edward was teasing them, first applying the lotion and rubbing it in before he bent over, licking and sucking on my breasts.
“Oooh!” I shivered as he ran his fingers around my navel piercing. The exhilaration of winning the fight and the excitement of watching Henry work on Britney, much as Edward was doing to me, was arousing enough. To have Edward start playing with my belly button was too much. If I let him continue much further, I’d be humping the sand.
I pushed him away, gently and reluctantly. “Edward…please!” I protested with a lot more conviction than I felt. “I’m all covered in sand and I’m sure I won’t be half so sore after a hot shower.” I sat up. “Coming, Britney?” I looked back at the guys. “We’ll be back directly. Anyway guys, it’s getting late. You’ll probably want a shower too, before we celebrate our wins.”
“Wins?” Britney had got the message. We needed to lay the law down to the guys but do it light-heartedly, so they’d still take us to dinner. “You only won once today! I won three times…once with your help, Henry.” she kissed him.
“Yeah Britney.” Henry chuckled. "We’re the ones celebrating. Edward should buy us all dinner!”
Edward smiled. “Of course I will…but that's not all I'll be buying you, Melissa.” He winked. “No, far from it!”
I kissed Edward as I picked up my clothes. Britney and I sauntered off.
“What’s eating you Melissa?” she asked when we were out of earshot. “Don’t try to pretend, either. I know you too well.”
“You heard Edward earlier,” I replied, “saying the Bernards…Carissa and Rachel…weren’t like Chelle or Kelsey or Jade. He meant they’re better than Chelle and the rest. What he didn’t say…but what he meant…was that the Bernards are better than you or me.”
Britney shrugged. “So, what’s new? You don’t think he’d ever marry you or me. He might marry one of the Bernards or one of their friends.” My mouth gaped as she Britney went on. “Face it, Mel…at best we’re going to be these guys’ mistresses. At worst, we’re just what the Bernards called us…whores.
‘What we need to do is to be some rich guy’s mistress, and not just some ‘four F’ girl…you know, find, feed, fuck and forget. For that, we…you and I...need a plan. Like I said before, great sex isn’t enough. Nor is winning a fight.” She smiled, stepped closer, flung her arms around me. “But… they’re a great start…and you and I do them both so well.” She kissed me hard. “Come on let’s go shower…together.”
I didn't know what to think about Britney's biting comments. I knew I deserved to be up there with the Bernards, with Edward and Henry, with the rest of the A-list people. Britney was so wrong in comparing herself to me. She was indeed the moon to my sun, shining with my reflected glory. Without me she was just a hottie – and hotties were a dime a dozen. But just then on the beach I couldn’t think of a retort that would serve. I did concede to myself that she was right about three things. We gave great sex, we fought well, and I needed a plan – a proper plan – to get to where I wanted to be.
One thing I knew was that Britney Summers was a part of my plan. She'd be a helpful stepping stone along my path to the A-list. She admired me, and she’d already shown her worth in beating Jade. not to mention today – I wouldn’t have gotten nearly as close to Edward without her.
Perhaps more important, she might also be a way of getting out of my parents’ house and into more suitable accommodation. I needed to be closer to work, to the Scene, to the center of Chitown. I also deserved a place more private, where I could entertain my friends.
When we got to the shower block, I had no more time to think. As soon as we stripped off and got into the shower, Britney grabbed my ass in both her hands and pulled me close, grinding her sexy body against me as she kissed me.
The shower block was far from an ideal venue. The water only ran for a few minutes before we had to feed another quarter into the slot. There was no privacy – someone might have walked in on us at any moment, though thankfully no-one did. But Britney wanted me, I wanted her and we both needed release – urgently.
Our hands fumbled on each other's bottoms as we lathered each other up with the soap and shampoo I’d brought – Melissa Windeyer thinks ahead. That soon turned to gentle caresses, kissing deeply until we ran out of breath, then pausing as briefly as we could before our tongues entwined again.
Eventually we rinsed the shampoo out of each other’s hair, and sluiced the soap off each other’s bodies with quite a lot more care than was really necessary, languorously kissing and fondling one another while the hot water cascaded over our slick bodies. My hand cupped and squeezed Britney’s breast as she suckled on mine.
I slid my hand down, over her smooth belly, past her wet flanks, across her hip and then up her inside thigh. She moaned softly as my fingers found her clit. I moaned in turn as she played with my piercing. I pushed her back against the wall, directed the spray onto us and thrust my fingers inside her. She moaned again and began to hump my fingers.
“What the hell???” I turned, red-faced, to see a woman in her forties, standing in the entrance to the communal shower stall, her mouth wide open. “Did I just see you two fucking?”
We didn’t reply, but scurried past her into the changing room. Crestfallen, mortified but as horny as rutting rabbits, we dried ourselves hurriedly and returned to the guys.
Edward took one look at us and laughed out loud. “You two were making out and got interrupted!” We both blushed. “Yeah, it’s that obvious!” He kissed me, held me close and whispered, “But it doesn’t matter, you horny wench. We’ve got all night in front of us.”
He cupped and squeezed my breast, making me gasp. I was still aroused from Britney, and that had happened because of what Edward himself had started earlier, after the fight. I almost had to fight for breath as he kneaded, stroked and petted my tummy, playing with my piercing.
I’d had to push him away he’d done all that in Chatro the week before. I’d done that not just to teach him a lesson, that I was no plaything – no fluffball – but also because I knew I’d lose control if I let him continue. Now, here on the beach, after all the events of the day – the play-fights with Britney, the battle against the Bernards, and then the interrupted session in the showers, I felt like I was about to explode. Thinking of icebergs didn’t work at all right then.
I was so glad when he eased his hand back and spoke more normally. “Henry and I were talking while you and Brit were…well, let’s call it getting better acquainted with each other. His family are coming home, which means his apartment’s a no-go zone tonight. So we decided to go over to the Lincoln Hotel. Come on! We've packed your stuff already…it's in Henry's car.”
We piled into Henry's Beamer and drove the short distance from the beach to the hotel on the edge of Lincoln Park. I was glad it was a short distance and a short trip, and that it was dusk and darkening quickly. Edward didn’t stop playing with my piercing the whole time. When I tried to protest, he pushed my hands away and, while still playing with my stomach as he’d done a few moments ago on the beach, eased my sarong down and slid his other hand between my panties and my skin. He just left it there, reminding me what he could do, and that I was too lustful to stop him.
“We just need to pick up the keys…we've already booked.” Edward hustled us into the elevator lobby as he and Henry went to the front desk.
“It's as though they don’t want us to be seen with them,” I whispered.
“Will you wake up, Mel?” said Britney, exasperated. “What would the hotel staff think? Two middle-aged guys, two much younger hotties, no baggage, checking in for one night? Of course they don’t want to be seen with us! Nor do we want to be seen with them! The beach, nightclubs…that’s different. You go there for all kinds of reasons…but we've come to this hotel to get fucked. Everyone will know that…so let’s be discrete.”
I hated to admit it but Britney was right. I blushed, ashamed that I hadn’t recognized the obvious, and more frustrated that I had to sneak around like this. I ground my teeth. I was Melissa Windeyer. I deserved better.
But my frustration was short-lived. I couldn’t help but be impressed with the rooms the guys had booked – a two-bedroom suite with living room in between. Each bedroom had its own bathroom and the rooms all looked over Lincoln Park and the Lake.
We’d hardly had a proper look at the rooms before Edward had me in his arms, his hand tugging at my sarong which slid to the floor. We didn’t care that we were in full view of Henry and Britney. My panties followed as he walked me backwards into the bedroom. I undid his belt and his trousers.
We didn’t make the bed. Fouled by his trousers around his ankles, Edward half tripped and I bumped the wall behind me. He hoisted me slightly. I wrapped my hands around his neck and my feet around his hips, pulling him against and into me. I lowered myself to meet his thrusts. Our tongues meshed. I clenched my pussy muscles as I rode him. A moment later he broke the kiss, groaned and came.
He stepped back and I slid down, my feet on the floor again. I padded back out to the living room, naked from the waist down but still wearing my blouse. I poured four flutes of champagne.
Britney walked in from the other bedroom, naked. She giggled at me. “Melissa! Still hiding those boobies?” She stepped up to me. “Edward!” I hadn’t noticed him follow me out. “Pin her arms!” I found my arms pinioned behind my back.
Britney giggled more. She kissed me. Then she unbuttoned my blouse, pausing to squeeze my breasts, stroke my piercing and kiss me between each button. I squirmed, trying to free myself, but only succeeded in rubbing my naked butt against Edward – and his shaft.
Britney teased me unmercifully, taking her time removing my blouse. By the time she pushed it back on my arms, I was a whimpering, moaning puddle of lust. She unhooked my bra and slipped it off me, twirling it in her hand. “Ta da!’ she giggled again. “Honey…you really shouldn’t hide those!” She stroked them lovingly with her other hand.
The next moment Edward pulled me backwards, down onto his lap as he seated himself on the couch. He lifted me a little, then eased me down on his again-erect shaft. I gasped as he entered me. He held me around the waist as Britney bent forward, one hand resting on the arm of the couch as she licked and kissed and nibbled at my breasts. My nipples were so hard they were throbbing. I squirmed on Edward’s cock.
Edward’s free hand played with my piercing again. That was the last straw. Almost instantly I was whimpering, head tossing from side to side, body shaken by mini0orgasms which merged into one another as they build toward a massive climax.
Britney’s teeth nipped my breast hard. I looked up, focusing dimly, to see Henry holding her hips, taking her from behind. I grasped Britney around the shoulders, pulled her closer and squealed loudly as I came hard.
Neither of the guys could last long. They were too hot, even though it was the second time for Edward. It wasn’t long before he erupted inside me. Edward lifted me off his lap, pushing me almost upright. I clung to Britney for support. It was only a moment longer before she and I were kissing urgently, holding each other with our right arms wrapped one another, while we fingered each other with our left.
After what seemed an age, but was probably only a few minutes, we both came, our bodies trembling. We stumbled off on unsteady feet to shower, this time alone, each in our respective bathrooms.
We came out to find the men dressed again. “We’re going out for dinner…and some nightlife,” Edward announced blandly.
“But Mel and I...we’re exhausted,” protested Britney. We can eat here…room service. Besides, we’ve only only got beach clothes with us.”
“No, we’re going out.” Henry cut off Britney’s protest.
There was no arguing with them, so we both dressed as best we could, though I still felt shabby and self-conscious. When Melissa Windeyer goes out on the town, she dresses to turn heads. I felt like I was doing that, but not in a good way.
The guys took us upstairs to the rooftop bar – the J Parker. The bar was packed, not surprising for such a popular place, but they must have had some serious pull, or tipped the host heavily, because we immediately got a table with wonderful service and one of the best views, looking over the city skyline as the sun set.
Edward and I chatted, with each other as well as among the four of us. I got to know more about Edward in that half-hour chat then I’d found out in the whole time I’d known him. It felt like we really clicked – that we formed a connection right then.
