Pitifully Ugly

Chapter 4

Play with your own toys.

When I arrived back at the apartment, Hailey and Fuzzy were

on their way out again. Maybe my confidence was bolstered by

the day’s events, but I actually looked forward to attempting small

talk. “Hi,” I said with a smile as they descended the steps.

“Um, hey,” Hailey said with something akin to a smile. Her

brow wrinkled as she looked at my hair again. “We’re just heading

out. I promised Fuzzy chicken on a stick.”

She seemed sort of nervous and was edging past me. “Okay,

enjoy then.”

She nodded and headed briskly toward the gate. “Good to see

you,” she called over her shoulder.

The past two times we ran into each other, she seemed like

she wanted to talk, and I was the one running away. Maybe that’s

what she expected of me. Then again, maybe she was just really

hungry.

When I got into my apartment, I booted up my computer,

hoping that Newbie had written. While I waited, I gave Marvin

a call.

“Oh, my God! Are you kidding me? Canal Street?” he

whispered excitedly into the phone. “I’ll give my notice today

before I leave. Oh, Ms. Brycen, you won’t be disappointed. I’ll do

right by you. Thank you so much.”

“It’s Shannon, please, and you’re welcome.”

As I laid out the salary and benefits, I logged into my account

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with the Rainbow Room and was disappointed to see that there

were no new messages from Newbie. Perhaps that was why I did

what I did next.

Marvin explained that he was going to meet a few people for

drinks later at a bar that was only two blocks from my place. “Oh,

come on, please. My friends are stylists, too, but I won’t tell them

who you are.”

I accepted his invitation, but as I ended the call, I pondered

my sanity. Kalen would not be pleased that I would be “getting

too familiar” with a future staff member. I reasoned that it was

only a couple of drinks. It was a work thing, really. Besides, I was

feeling a bit spunky.

I arrived at the bar promptly at seven and was greeted by

Marvin, who was flat out giddy. He took me by the hand and

introduced me to two of his friends who I assumed were a couple.

“Ike and Ben, meet my new friend, Shannon.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Shannon.” Ike pulled out a chair

for me. “Marvin’s been all a-twitter about meeting you. He’s a

matchmaker, you know.”

I shook Ike and Ben’s hands and felt like a celebrity. They

fawned over my hair and argued about who would look best in my

jacket. My vote went to Ben. The soft brown suede leather looked

good with his dark eyes and hair when he tried it on.

“Frankly, I think the blazer looks better on her.”

I turned and looked into the dark eyes of the stylist who had

given me her card at the salon. I smiled back up at her, trying to

remember her name.

“Alicia, join us,” Marvin pulled another chair from the

adjoining table and shoved it close to mine. “She has a boot

fetish.” Marvin gave me a nudge. “I’ll bet before the night is over,

she’ll be trying to get yours off your feet.”

I hid my blush by looking down at the black leather boots

that Alicia was wearing. “Those are nice,” I managed to say. Her

proximity made me nervous, and she seemed to sense it. On some

level, I think that pleased her.

“What are you drinking?” she asked as her gaze met mine.

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There was a hunger there, and I didn’t think it had anything to do

with my boots.

“Another round of cosmos,” Marvin called out.

“Thank you, but that one will have to be my last,” I said to

jeers. “I have to work tomorrow. I assume y’all do, too.” All four

of them shook their heads.

Three drinks later, I was as giddy as Marvin. The more Alicia

pressed closer, the more I drank. I couldn’t deny that a part of me

was enjoying the attention.

“Do you like to dance?” she asked against my ear.

“I do, but gravity is a bitch right now.”

“Come on, it’s a slow song. I’ll hold you up.”

I let her take my hand and lead me to the dance floor. She

pulled me snugly against her, and the warmth of her body pressed

close to mine made me shiver.

“I don’t think you’re as bad off as you claim to be. You’re

moving pretty well,” Alicia said.

“I just don’t like falling on my face.”

She laughed, and I felt it down to my toes. “Do you do that

often?”

“No, but I don’t want to start tonight.”

Alicia’s lips moved from my cheek to my mouth, and she

kissed me, nibbling on my lip as she did. “I can think of better

things to do with this evening.”

And this is where my brain and body went to war.

You don’t know this woman, my brain said loudly. I stepped

back a little.

Well, we could get to know her if you’d shut up, the lower half

of my body countered.

Kalen is going to have a fit, my brain said.

We are well north of twenty-one, and we don’t need Kalen’s

blessing.

I was inclined to agree with the lower region.

Well, hell, do it. I’m pickled anyway. Brain was on board.

“Marvin and the boys are on the dance floor. They’ll never

see us leave,” Alicia whispered against my ear.

Apparently, my body was speaking directly to hers, so I didn’t

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try to intervene. I nodded, and we were on the way out the door

before I could blink.

“My place is a few blocks over,” Alicia said as the cold air hit

me full in the face. I sobered slightly but found myself nodding.

With my hand clutched in hers, we walked briskly toward her

place. Even though my brain was impaired, it did its job and tried

one last time to dissuade me, but when we walked through her

front door and she shoved me against it, I didn’t listen to anything

else but the sound of Alicia’s breathing.

“Where’s your bedroom?” I asked as I pushed her away from

me. She gave me a toothy grin and tugged me down the hall.

I’m shy and introverted. Conversation is difficult, and this

was my first one-night stand. Maybe it was the alcohol, then

again, maybe it was just wanton desire. Probably both, but my

body didn’t have any problem doing the talking.

I pushed her down onto the bed and pulled off my jacket. She

smiled seductively back at me as she pulled off her boots. I helped

pull off her pants, then removed her shirt and bra. I shoved her

hands away when she reached for my clothes.

“You like being in control?” she asked.

I nodded as she pulled off my boots.

She rolled over onto her hands and knees and reached into

a drawer at her bedside, giving me a great view of her backside.

“Think you can handle being in control of this?” Alicia held up

a harness.

I’d had some experience with a strap-on, but it wasn’t

pleasant. We never could get it tight enough, and the base of the

dildo shifted, causing a painful sensation when it hit all the wrong

spots. But I was willing to take one for the team.

After I stripped off the rest of my clothes, Alicia pulled me

by the hips until I was standing directly in front of her. I watched

as she strapped me into the contraption expertly. It fit tight and

didn’t slide when she gave it a tug.

“You’re really going to enjoy this.” Alicia pushed the button

on the first of two well-positioned bullet vibrators. My right leg

shot out like I was being electrocuted.

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Pitifully Ugly

“Shit,” I blurted out. I’d not spoken a word since we’d entered

her bedroom, and that was all I could mutter when the vibration

met with the most sensitive part of my body.

Romantic and very smooth, my brain said in disapproval.

“Fuck me now,” Alicia demanded.

I was willing to oblige but not on her command. I went at

her mouth hungrily, and she ground against me, trying to come

in contact with the dildo. Her nails raked up my back as I moved

lower and took a nipple into my mouth.

“Don’t be gentle,” Alicia said between clenched teeth, and I

bit the tender skin as hard as I dared.

Alicia grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled me up to her

lips. She sucked my tongue as she writhed beneath me, then said

against my open mouth, “Don’t fucking tease me, fuck me now.” I

did as she asked. She was incredibly wet as I guided the tip of the

dildo into her opening, then let her take it the rest of the way.

I felt her heels digging into my ass cheeks, urging me deeper

and faster. The bullets felt like they were vibrating the entire

harness. The sensation was so intense, I thought I was going to

explode like a teenager. We were sweating and making noises

that I was sure they could hear over the music at the bar. And then

another face appeared in my peripheral vision.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

I froze. The vibration of the harness being pressed so tightly

against me robbed me of the breath I needed to scream.

“What does it look like, Ann?” Alicia said angrily.

“With my harness? The one you bought me for my

birthday?”

I rolled away from the stranger, and Alicia slipped from

beneath me. She rose up and stood toe to toe with Ann, and they

began screaming in each other’s faces.

I struggled to get the harness off, but my hands were shaking

so badly, I couldn’t unclip the damn thing. Ann walked toward

me and stuck a finger in my face. “Get the fuck out of here.”

“I’m trying,” I said like a fool. I grabbed my pants and the rest

of my clothes off the floor and vibrated down the hall when the

two resumed yelling. The harness wouldn’t budge, and I knew at

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any minute Ann whoever she was would be coming down the hall

to pitch me to the curb.

I pulled my pants on over the diabolical sex toy, but there was

no way I was going to be able to zip them for two reasons. First,

the dildo was too big. Second, the damn thing was vibrating so

much I couldn’t control my hands. Putting my boots on nearly

killed me.

I half ran down the street, holding my blazer in front of me

to hide the party going on in my pants. My teeth were chattering

not from the cold, but from stark terror and two bullets that must

have had fresh batteries. I cursed the Energizer Bunny under my

breath. Each step I took pressed the vibrators harder against me.

I stumbled several times when one of them hit just the right spot,

causing me to lose control of my right leg. The sensation had gone

from moderately pleasurable to agonizingly unbearable.

I nearly cried tears of relief when I found the lock to the

courtyard undone. Fishing out my keys was not going to happen.

I was on my way up the steps when the door opened, and Fuzzy

seemed to smile down at me. “Hold the door please,” I said

between clenched teeth.

“Are you okay?” Hailey asked with concern.

“Yes.” My voice came out in a squeak.

Hailey must have been stunned by my appearance because

she stood blocking the door while I tried to maneuver around her.

“Are you vibrating?” she asked.

“My phone, gotta go,” I said in a voice two octaves higher

than normal.

I dropped my jacket in the hall, but I couldn’t stand the thought

of bending over for it. I hoped whoever found it would look good

wearing it. I stood breathing heavily in the elevator. The ride up

seemed excruciatingly slow. No amount of wiggling or shifting

could make enough space between me and the harness. After a

violent wrestling match at my door, I managed to get my hands

on my keys and ran through the living room screaming like I was

on fire. I hobbled into the kitchen, yanked my pants down, and

cut myself free with a kitchen knife. I was still lying on the floor

sobbing with relief when I heard a soft knock.

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“Just a minute.” I danced around, kicking off my pants, and

grabbed a robe from my bedroom. I opened the door just a crack

and peered out at Hailey. She held up my jacket.

“You…um…left this laying in the hallway,” she said as she

handed it to me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I am now, thank you.”

“Okay, well, good night,” she said with a smile.

I watched as she walked away, then closed my door. “Great,

she probably thinks I wet my pants or worse,” I mumbled as I

staggered toward the bathroom.

When I passed the kitchen, the harness was still vibrating on

the floor like it had a life of its own. I stomped it a few times just

for the pleasure of it before I found the buttons and switched them

off. I barely had the strength to toss the hateful contraption into

the trash can. “Happy fucking birthday, Ann,” I said as I limped

away.

Robin Alexander