Steven. Crazy on You

Monica paused and looked over her shoulder at Steven who returned her look with a wide eyed stare.

“My God” was all he could say.

“Yeah, but that ain’t the end of it. She was mostly naked, Mick had just put her dress over her, she couldn’t find her bra or knickers, or even her shoes, so she just put her dress on and went into the motel room. Mick was in there alright, in the bed pumping in and out of some poor girl he’d picked up somewhere. Di said he looked at her standing in the door way, and without losing a stroke, had asked her to come and join them. I met her two days after that and she hasn’t seen Mick again since”.

“So, did she jump into bed with them?”

Steven asked and regretted saying it immediately. Monica sat up abruptly and turned to him.

“You fucking idiot, what a stupid question, honestly Steven, like I told you before, I can’t believe that someone hasn’t told you that your smart mouth will get you into trouble one day.” She was almost yelling at him.

“Sorry, I’m sorry Mon, but what did she do then, you know after seeing him?”

Steven thought this was the most unbelievable story he had ever heard and he wanted the whole story up to the present. He thought he could hear a train in the distance.

“Quick what happened then?” he urged.

“She apparently ran off, gathered herself together as much as she could and caught a bus back home. She grabbed her clothes and other personal things and was living in a motel room. My girlfriend and I took her home and looked after her for a few days, and when she got better, she started having a, you know, relationship with my girlfriend. We all got on well, we all, to some degree hated men, but Diane more than either if us. Then when Liv, my girlfriend, moved to Sydney, me and Di more or less started, too, more than just friendship. She looked after me I guess, like, dinner ready when I got home, the house neat and tidy and the washing done, stuff like that. She did that for over a month before we started sleeping together, and in all that time, she never heard from Mick or his parents”.

The train was getting close. Monica grabbed Stevens’ hands and stood up. He stood up with her, and she looked gravely up into his eyes.

“Diane and I may not be in love with each other, but in our own way, we love and need each other, and she is adamant that I should not get involved with men ever, even though she herself is attracted to them still.”

She leaned forward and as Steven saw her lips moving toward his, he clutched her quickly to him and kissed her deeply. It was quick but meaningful. She crushed her lips hard against his, and he felt her arms go quickly around his back and pull him ever so briefly against her body. And then they parted, and she turned and was walking, almost running from him. Steven saw the train pull up as she disappeared down the stairs and he jumped into the closest carriage as soon as the doors opened. He leaned against the doors when they closed and as the train started to pull away he peered through the darkness up the street to try and catch a last glimpse of her. He saw nothing but empty streets.

Chapter Five

“The Capitulation of Katie”

At work the next day Steven was in early and, as usual, Kate was there, always one of the first. Steven had not slept well and was too preoccupied to notice Kate. She startled him.

“Good Morning Steven, did it go well?”

“Huh, sorry?”

He looked up at her as if she was some magician that had somehow just appeared beside him.

“Work last night at Monicas’, that’s what you said…”

“Oh yeah great” Steven grasped the line of the conversation “it went okay but we probably didn’t achieve what we wanted to” he lied. Maybe that wasn’t so far from the truth he thought.

“Look, about tonight, we didn’t finish, so we might be working again tonight. Yeah I know it’s Friday and we were going to the drive-in, but let’s have lunch today and I’ll tell you all about it okay?”

She couldn’t hide her disappointment but she replied brightly enough.

“Lunch is fine, I’ll come get you”.

“NO!” He said it so harshly that she visibly jumped. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, it’s just well, I don’t know when I’ll be going so can you just flex a bit until I come get you?”

“Sure Steven, anytime is fine, unless Mr Wellesley has me doing some dictation in the office or something”.

She was backing away as she spoke, and Steven saw she was uncomfortable. She turned and almost ran back to the office. He watched her disappear and then realized that, whatever Monica and Diane had done to him last night, meant that he and Kate were never going to do anything other than pass pleasantries in the office, and that, he would explain to her at lunch. But maybe that is exactly what they wanted him to do, so no goddammit, he wasn’t going to change his life to suit a couple of dykes. He got up out of his chair and went to follow Kate, but Wellesley arrived and waved at Steven as he went into the office. Steven waved back and sat back heavily into his chair again. “Lunch time I’ll tell her” he said softly to his monitor. It hummed back at him.

Monica said nothing to Steven at all on her arrival at work, in fact, it seemed to Steven that she treated him exactly the same as the first couple of weeks that he had started there. Harry was different though, and he had obviously told Marc as well as. They were both eager to hear how it had gone the night before.

“So, spill the beans” Harry said when Monica drifted off for a coffee.

Marcs’ eyes were lit up looking at him as well, obviously dying to hear something juicy.

“Nothing happened at all” Steven said.

“Bullshit, look at you man!” said Harry. “You look like you’ve just been through World War Three, so come on and don’t spare the details”.

“Honest, absolutely nothing happened, I just drank a little too much wine and I feel like shit so just lay off will ya?”

The quiet fury in his voice convinced them both to leave well enough alone. None of them passed a word between each other all morning, even though Mon was the most ‘normal’ of them all. At about one o’clock, Steven stood up and stretched, and told them he was going to grab a bite to eat with Kate. Monica didn’t even look up from her monitor but he knew she was watching him as he wandered over to Kate, who sat looking at him approaching as if World War 3 was about to start.

“Ready?” was all Steven offered her.

She bit her bottom lip and just nodded and began to stand. They ate at a small coffee shop overlooking the river. Steven surprised himself by having no interest in sharing idle chit chat laced with his normal sexual innuendo. He heard Kate prattle on about the office and Mr Wellesley, all the time primly eating her sandwich and drinking her lemon squash and using her napkin after every bite or sip. His eyes casually followed the napkin as she returned it to her lap one time and realized that the table top was glass. She placed her napkin neatly onto her left thigh, and Steven suddenly recognized that her could see up her skirt, just glimpsing her knickers through the tinted glass tabletop. He recalled what Monica had said to him about staying away from Kate and his decision became automatic. Under the pretense of looking at his hands on the edge of the table, Steven focused through the glass to Kates crotch.

“Kate?” He hesitated, studying her shiny red panties, only just barely visible between her closed thighs. He looked up at her face then and nearly changed his mind but pussy was pussy he thought. “Why don’t we still go out tonight? That double feature is on at the drive-in and I still want to see it and I would be privileged if you would accompany me. And I guess I’d be using you ‘coz you have a car and I don’t but I really would like to do it with you.” He used the ambiguity knowing she wouldn’t understand it anyway but if she was that naive that she couldn’t see his ulterior motive, that wasn’t his problem.

“I don’t know Steven. My Mum usually doesn’t like me going out alone” but her voice betrayed her real desire. She really wanted to go out with him, if only to know that SHE could go out with a guy like Steven.

“Okay, I understand. Why don’t you just tell her that you’re meeting a group of us from work or something, and that we are having a farewell drink for somebody?”

She was shaking her head before he was even finished.

“I can’t lie to her like that”.

“Alright then, some other time” Steven looked at her crotch again “well, we had better get back to work”.

“I… I think if I tell her, maybe, that I’m going to a girlfriends’ place, well, that may be okay” she said slowly. “It wouldn’t be so much of a lie would it?”

She looked so serious that Steven stood up, placed some money on the table to cover the check, and then grasped her hand to help her up from the chair. He got a better glimpse as she swiveled in the chair to get up and then he placed his arm around her waist.

“It will be our little secret, if that’s the way you want it?” and he led her from the cafe, his fingers playing with the waistband of her skirt.

The afternoon dragged, not because the quartet weren’t productive, just that conversation was virtually nonexistent. Only once was Mon and Steven alone for a few seconds, just before knock off time.

She hissed at him.

“Are you going out with her?”

“Kate? NO! Gimme a break will you? I remember what you said, and stop acting the jealous bitch will you ‘coz it confuses me.” She stared at him seriously and he couldn’t resist being sarcastic. “Confused, because I don’t know if you are jealous over her, or me”. With that he stood up, switched off his terminal and walked away.

Steven waited at the roadside and saw Kates little orange Honda come around the corner. He had a pillow and a light blanket tucked under one arm, and a bottle of coke in his hand. He saw her face through the windshield as she pulled in beside him, and could see her almost glowing features as if she had just won lotto or something. He waved hi at her and opened the door. He threw the pillow and blanket into the back seat and then jumped into the front, placing the coke at his feet so it wouldn’t roll around. He turned and grasped the seat belt, and then turned back. She was still looking at him, all smiles and radiant.

“I did it” she said, “I told mum I was just going out with Debbie from work and she didn’t say anything!”

She almost sang it in triumph.

“Good for you” Steven said.

He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. She blushed and turned away immediately.

“What was that for?” she said quietly.

“Just saying congratulations, that’s all”.

“I… we’d better go” she said, moving the shifter to low and accelerating away.

She was wearing an ankle length navy blue dress, with lace around the collar and at the ends of the short sleeves, and he had seen her cream cardigan on the back seat.

“You don’t think it will be cold do you?” she asked innocently, eyes intently watching the road.

“Nope, and if it is, I promise I’ll share my blanket with you”. He watched as she blushed again. Maybe she isn’t as naive and innocent as people think Steven thought. “I’m sorry, I hope I didn’t embarrass you, you know what I really mean. We’re just two friends who will share a blanket if it gets to cold, that’s all” and smiled to himself as he saw her nodding in agreement.

“Drive behind the cafeteria” Steven instructed her. He saw her glance. “There isn’t so many kids going back and forward to the shop or the loos back here” was his immediate explanation, and he took her raised eyebrows, and then a nod, as assent.

“Like a swig?” He offered her the coke first as soon as they had parked and the speaker put in place. “I’m sorry I didn’t bring a cup”. She took the bottle and had a tentative sip and her eyes opened wide in surprise. “Southern Comfort”.

He smiled as she took another small sip before handing it back. She sat rigidly through the first half of the movie while Steven half reclined his seat. He let his hand rest on the gearshift, sipping from the bottle occasionally. He offered it to her again and noted approvingly that she took a longer swig this time before handing it back. He briefly closed his hands around hers holding the bottle before taking it and when she didn’t try to pull away, he grasped it gently and lowered them onto her lap. They sat there for the remainder of the movie that way, Steven surreptitiously moving his fingers along her thigh every now and again when it coincided with something on the screen. At the interval, he let her hand go, and asked if she wanted some popcorn or anything else from the cafeteria. She said no softly, but at least she turned her head and looked at him when she answered. Steven waited in the line at the cafeteria with two choc top ice-creams and thought she, Kate that is, wasn’t bad looking at all really, just dowdy and very, very conservative. He noticed all the youngsters everywhere “yuk” he thought to himself.

“Beg your pardon” he heard a voice say.

The cashier was directly in front of him, her name tag identifying her as ‘Abby’. He flashed her one of his winning smiles.

“I’m really sorry… Abby. I was just thinking, here it is Friday night and a spunk like you is stuck taking money of fools like me”.

She raised an all knowing eyebrow at him, and cocked her head to one side as if considering whether she should take him seriously or not.

“It’s not ‘alf bad actually, I clean up and can be at the Club by ten-thirty and don’t ‘ave to be back ‘ere until six-thirty tomorrow night”.

Steven took the obvious offer.

“I’m by myself, so what club would that be”?

She put his change into his hand and slid her index finger along his palm.

“Yeah, well I don’t do this regular you understand, meet guys here I mean, but you know the Jet Club, well it’s there, see ya maybe”.

Then she was turning to the next person in the line. Steven glanced at her as he walked away from the cashier’s desk, and even in her issue brown uniform dress, he could see the makings of a nice body. He took the picture of her shoulder length blonde hair, and cheeky smiling brown eyes with him as he walked back to the car. Kate still sat rigidly behind the steering wheel, just like she had from the moment they’d arrived almost two hours earlier. Doesn’t matter if she does or if she doesn’t now, Steven thought as he opened the door, I can’t lose.

“I… I almost thought you weren’t…” she started.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else” Steven smiled at her, and reached out his hand holding the cone for her.

“Thank you, I do really like these, but you shouldn’t have..” she started off again.

“It’s alright, everybody likes ‘em”. Steven was starting to get a bit annoyed with the way Kate almost stuttered out every thing that she said to him. He reached out and cupped her chin in his hand and she grabbed his wrist, her eyes a little frightened. He turned her head to face him. “Kate, relax! I don’t bite and I’m not going to do anything to you. Wanna sit in the back seat”?

He stretched himself between the front seats and into the back without waiting for her answer then tilted the passenger seat forward against the dash to afford himself an uninterrupted view of the screen once more. He could see the variables going on in her head, and when she pursed her lips tightly together, he thought that it was over. There be no way she’d move from the safe haven of that steering wheel, or the pedals under her feet, the gearshift by her left hand, THE drivers’ seat. She lowered her gaze as the lights dimmed for the ads before the start of the movie.

“At least pass me the Coke” he asked.

He heard her say “Where did you put it”?

It was so soft and tingling with nerves he almost didn’t recognise it as her voice.

“The coke, oh, at the base of my seat”.

They both almost collided heads, she as she moved suddenly to look for it, and he, because he thought she wasn’t going to get it.

“I found it… oh!” She exclaimed as she realized that he was leaning up beside her, almost kissing distance if that’s what she had wanted. Instead he sat back again, and patted the seat beside him.

“C’mon then”.

She clutched tightly at the neck of the bottle, and once again, that lengthy hesitation before she acted. He held out his hand when he saw that she was now going to join him, but instead she offered him the coke bottle.

“I was trying to help you” he said softly. He took the bottle and placed it by his side without taking his eyes from hers. He knew that even without being able to see her eyes, she was looking at him and the light from screen would make his own eyes visible to her. “C’mon” he offered again.

She lifted her left leg and then almost swiveled herself around her seat, and only took his hand as she alighted onto the back seat. Her momentum pulled them together but this time without hesitation, she bent forwards and away from him and hit the lever on the base of the drivers’ seat to fold forward as he had done. He still clutched her hand though and when she sat back, he held it firmly, pulling her to him. She shifted slightly in the seat until their hips contacted and then he put their hands down to rest once again on her thigh.

He did not look at her, he watched the opening credits on the screen. Steven stretched out his right leg and rested his foot up against the gearshift, placed the coke bottle between his thighs with his left hand and undid the lid. He offered her a drink without taking his eyes off the screen or releasing her hand, and when she reached to take the bottle from him he felt her left breast crush into his upper arm. Her nipple was erect and it felt hot against his arm and Steven felt an almost imperceptible tremor flood her body. She moved away from him quickly and drank sparingly once more. She took another drink, a longer one.

“Like it”?

“What… I what”? was all she could stammer back.

“The drink. Are you comfortable”?

Steven looked back at the screen again, knowing she was less nervous when he wasn’t looking at her.

“I’m fine, thank you” she replied.

“Look, when you are more comfortable, later on, do you think I could, well, you know, put my arm around you?” Steven asked turning his head slightly toward her “you know, when it gets a bit chilly, it’s so nice snuggling up with someone you really like!”

“But, the blanket…”

“Great idea, yeah, we’ll put the blanket over us too. Are you cold now?” He looked directly at her this time. She was looking straight ahead at the screen but her head was shaking no! “It’s okay, I told you I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. Relax!”

He grasped her hand a bit tighter in his, and jiggled it a little higher on her thigh. She turned her head to him now, and whispered.

“I’m… I’m sorry Steven, it’s just I am nervous, and it’s just, with my mum and all, I’ve just never been out with a boy before, and I will try to relax, I’m really sorry, I don’t want to spoil things, between you and me, and my Mum, well…". Her voice trailed off and Steven wasn’t sorry she finished but he gleaned enough from what she’d said.

“How old are you Katie?”

“What, well, what are you doing?”

Steven had released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders. She sat uncomfortably rigid, staring straight ahead.

“Katie, I know it’s not polite to ask how old a girl is but after what you just said about your mum and all, I wanted to let you know that everything is okay, we’re friends. When’s your birthday?”

He felt her shoulders relax against his arm and he softly rested his fingers against the skin of her upper arm, moving them ever so slowly so that she would get used to their physical contact.

“Um, February 18th, I’m a Pisces”.

She smiled at him with a visible effort to calm herself down.

“Yep, so next year that means you will turn…? Steven framed the question for her.

“I’ll be twenty-two next year” she almost whispered.

“Gee, I’m sorry I wasn’t around for your twenty-first party; did you have a big one”?

Steven was surprised. He didn’t believe she could be a day over about 18 or 19, at most. She started talking about her birthday party, obviously happy to talk about something that was special to her. While she babbled, Steven brought his left hand over and took both of her hands and rested them in her lap.

She didn’t appear to notice “and me and a couple of other girls had this bottle of Asti out the back where Mum wouldn’t see us…”

Steven started caressing his fingers against her hands, his eyes never left hers as he appeared to listen intently to her nonstop recitation. Whenever she paused he would cock his head slightly and raise his eyebrows as if to say “go on”, and she would. It probably lasted only two or three minutes and she relaxed to a stage where she was responding to his caresses, and was also tentatively using her own fingers to caress his hand in return. On the next pause Steven let her hands go, raised his to the side of her face and began caressing her cheek.

“Go on”.

She smiled at him, half closed her eyes and rocked her head softly against his fingers. “That feels so nice Steven” she murmured.

He guided her slightly forward and when she closed her eyes completely he leaned forward as well until his lips came softly into contact with her cheek. Her eyes fluttered but didn’t open so he kept kissing her, softly, from the side of her face to each closed eye, then slowly down to the tip of her nose. Her body rolled into him and her head lolled back slightly so he kissed her top lip, then around her mouth before placing his lips directly over hers. The kiss was ever so soft, and Steven felt his erection growing in his jeans. She kept her lips together as she tentatively kissed back. He felt her arm come over his shoulder, her hand to the back of his neck and she pulled him in tighter to her as her lips opened ever so slightly.

Steven suddenly pulled away from her, his arm stayed behind her back but he grabbed her right arm with his left so that she wouldn’t let him go.

“I’m sorry Kate, I’ve wanted to do that for so long, and I said that I wouldn’t do anything you weren’t comfortable with”.

Kate smiled, her eyes almost glowing in the dark. Once again he pulled her to him and she responded vigorously, kissing him hard, and accepting his tongue without hesitation. Their tongues were intertwining and his erection was now painfully uncomfortable in his jeans. He dropped his arm onto her thighs and then moved his hand over them, massaging her softly, ever so slowly raising the hem of her dress to a reachable length. It seemed to Steven that she never wanted to let his tongue go, because when he retracted his, hers would just come snaking out and plunder his mouth until he responded in kind.

The hem of dress was now almost to her knees and would go no further as the weight of her legs trapped it against the seat. Steven finally pulled away from her lips but still kept his face within an inch of hers. Her eyes opened and her face lit up again. Steven thought her eyes were a little glazed. He kissed her softly again and placed his hand down onto her bare calves. She looked at him smiling and radiant.

“I have to lift your legs up over mine so I can hold you closer, it’s getting a bit too uncomfortable” he smiled back at her.

“Okay” was all she murmured back, her eyes never left his.

She lifted her legs for him but at the same time pulled his head back to kiss. He swung her legs over his own, but as Steven knew, that meant her body had to compensate. She began to slide down the seat, firstly holding on tighter to him to arrest her movement and then moving herself along the seat to allow his body to be more beside hers, and her own to be more or less, lying straight along the back seat. The arm he had around her shoulders was now propping him up, so that he wouldn’t be lying on top of her and he put his hand behind the back of her head. She reached up smiling at him and pulled his head down to meet her own again. Steven crushed his lips against hers, almost in triumph, as he had seen that he’d successfully pulled her dress above her knees when she moved.