Kiss Me

PART I, chapter 12

- XII -

October 30, 2004

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I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn't help but smile at my reflection. The outfit Danny chose for me was perfect. The black leather vest with a silver zipper on the front hugged my body in a very revealing fashion. Short tight skirt made me look like one of those dominatrix women in adult magazines. I put on my high-heeled black pumps and quickly checked my makeup, which was a little too heavy, but I figured it was perfect for the Halloween party. I went downstairs and my Dad winced when he saw me.

"You look... nice, Steph," he said uncertainly, and I smiled.

"Thanks, Dad. Don't worry, it's not going to be my permanent look. It's just for the Halloween party."

He relaxed a little.

"What time are you coming home?" he asked casually, and I shrugged.

"I don't know. I might stay at Laurie's for the night."

"Okay," he muttered. "Have fun... Oh, hey have you seen your mother today?"

"Yeah," I said absent-mindedly, pulling my coat off the hanger. "In the morning. Why?"

"She left around noon, and she is still not home."

"Oh..." I realized that Mom was probably with Tony, and wondered why she didn't warn me. "She is probably at Mrs. Calandy's," I shrugged casually. "I heard them talk on the phone last night. Wanna call Mrs. Calandy?" I asked him slyly, having no idea what I would do if he said yes, but he just shuddered.

"No," he said quickly. "The woman gives me creeps... Have fun tonight, Steph."

"Will do!" I answered lightly and walked outside where Danny was waiting for me in his car.

"Well, you look nice and slutty," he smirked when I got into the front seat.

"Thanks," I smiled at him. "What happened to your face?" I frowned when I saw a cut on his forehead and a bruise on his cheekbone.

"Oh," he rubbed his forehead. "I kinda got kicked out of my house," he said with a small smile. "Things got out of control and I got into a fight with my Dad..."

"Kicked out of your house? Where are you going to stay?" It sounded so bizarre that I couldn't believe him.

He shrugged.

"Dunno," he said lightly. "It's not permanent, don't worry. I'll probably go back tomorrow night. Happened before."

"You got kicked out of the house before?" I asked him incredulously, and he grinned.

"Several times," he said. "I am a bad apple. I think my parents are about to give up on me, which is fine with me. I am moving out in April anyway."

"Wow," I said softly, and glanced at the car clock. "It's only five-thirty," I said. "Why did you want to leave so early?"

He looked at me and sighed.

"Palmer..." he said and pulled down the zipper on my vest. "That's why."

"Oh..." I said and laughed when his fingers lightly touched my chest. "Okay then..."

...We got to Laurie's house around 8:30, and I had to reapply my makeup. I looked at the brightly lit house and felt jealous. I always thought our house was fairly big, but compared to Laurie's house, it was merely a wood cabin.

"God," I muttered when we were walking towards the front door. "This is like a mansion... Are her parents royalty or something?"

"Her Dad owns a computer company," Danny said and looked at me critically. "Now, Palmer..." He suddenly stopped and took me by the shoulders. "Are you sure you want to go through with it?"

"Of course, I am sure," I frowned. "Tyler is my soulmate!"

Danny sighed and let me go.

"Fine," he said evenly. "Let's go then."

...It was almost ten o'clock when I saw Danny taking Laurie by the elbow and whispering something in her ear. She immediately laughed and lightly smacked him on the head. After a few minutes, they walked away and I wondered what he said to her. I bit my lower lip, feeling strangely angry with him. I was about to go after them, but then I saw Tyler, and Danny became the last thing on my mind. Tyler looked so handsome that I couldn't breathe for several seconds. He was wearing tight black pants and a loose white shirt that was unbuttoned at his throat. I swallowed hard, and suddenly, someone poked me in the side. I jumped and turned around. It was Trisha. She was dressed up like Dorothy tonight, except her version of Dorothy belonged in a Playboy magazine instead of Wizard of Oz book. She was pulling one of the braids on her wig, and she was frowning.

"What are you doing?" she asked me softly.

"Nothing yet, thanks to you," I answered, and she tightly pressed her lips.

"Stephanie," she said. "Did you ask Danny to get rid of Laurie?"

"Why?" I frowned at her.

"Because he is telling her some really weird stories about college, Christmas, and Hemingway... And she is laughing like a maniac!"

"What is it to you?" I asked tightly, and she sighed.

"You are going to try and get Tyler tonight, aren't you?" she asked softly.

"I am going to push my story forward," I said patiently, and Trisha hissed.

"Jesus Christ! Will you just stop with that dumb story?! Stephanie, it's not even funny now!"

"Did you know that Tyler used to sleep around?" I asked her, and she winced.

"Yeah," she said uncomfortably. "It was a long time ago though. He is totally different now. He had changed!"

"People don't change, Trish," I murmured and pulled away from her. "I gotta go; talk to you later, okay?"

She was saying something, but I didn't even listen to her. Instead, I started making my way towards Tyler, who was sipping something out of a short glass, his face bored.

"Hey, Tyler," I breathed and he looked at me.

"Hey, Stephanie..." He said slowly and his eyes ran up and down my body. "You look amazing!"

"Thanks," I gave him a small smile. "You look good too... What are you drinking?" I asked and lightly touched his glass, slightly lingering on his fingers.

"Scotch," he said and grinned. "Hey, you wanna dance?" he asked suddenly and set his glass on the counter.

"Sure," I said, not believing how easy it was.

...We danced for almost fifteen minutes and I loved the feeling of his body pressed against mine. The music flowed slowly and lazily, and I risked pulling him closer and was happy when he didn't pull away.

"So, what are your plans for college?" I murmured, lightly stroking his shoulder, and he shrugged.

"Not sure yet," he said with his face so close to my hair that I could feel his breath on my head. "Still thinking..."

"I see," I said, and suddenly, his arms hugged me so tightly that I almost gasped.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and carefully ran my lips on his throat. He shivered.

"Stephanie..." he muttered.

"Yeah?"

"I... I don't think... Laurie..."

"Just forget about Laurie for tonight, will you?" I whispered and kissed his neck.

He stopped dancing and just looked at me.

"Stephanie..." he said again, and then he pulled me off the dancing floor and headed towards the front door of the house.

We went outside, and Tyler pulled me into the dark corner of the rose garden. He started kissing me silently, and I wrapped myself around his neck, feeling like I was about to die from all the feelings that were exploding in me. He kissed me for several minutes, and finally, he slightly pulled away.

"Come on," he breathed and pulled me towards the dark gazebo.

I followed him without saying anything, and suddenly, I had a flashback of the night when Danny and I first got together. I tried to push Danny out of my head, but the image wouldn't leave. For the first time, I started wondering if I was doing the right thing, when Tyler sat down on the bench and pulled me on top of him. All my thoughts and memories immediately evaporated when he unzipped my vest and pulled up my skirt.

Tyler was kissing my neck and chest fiercely, his hands stroking my back, and I felt like I was in a haze, kissing him back and moaning quietly, when I felt his mouth on my chest. He entered me so suddenly that I gasped. He muttered my name several times, and I felt hot and cold at the same time. I climaxed with a loud groan and bit my lower lip to keep myself from screaming. He came several minutes later, and just held me in his arms. I hugged him and closed my eyes, thinking that this was the happiest night of my life.