Dark Awakenings

[BLACK BART]

Dark Awakenings​

closed for Imoen and I​

There’s a point in everyone’s life where you can only tolerate so much. I’m sure everyone who reads this can sympathize with that simple statement and look back at a time in their lives where you felt that way at least once. Maybe it’s at work, as a Boss pushes you around until you finally tell him where to go and walk off the job… Maybe a relationship that has turned one sided and though you truly care for the other person you give up out of self-preservation…it always starts as a small aggravation and then escalates…until finally it builds to a point where you can’t stand it any longer…and explode.

For myself it began when I moved from one city to another, trying to find peace and a job in a new city that would take me away from my past, and make me literally start my life over. Moving over a thousand miles and across several times should do it I thought, and finding work was easy enough as well, and when I was able to find a place to live I quickly moved in.

I was settled into the new routine, a decent apartment to live in at an affordable price, and a job that paid well and was left behind easily each afternoon at five…with weekends off to boot.

Perfect, right? Well I thought so too, and man…was I ever wrong. Because one weekend a car with a trailer behind it pulled up and a long legged Lady stepped out of it and knocked on my door…

”Hello, It seems I’m your new neighbor across the hall, my name is Hope…Hope Danvers”

Opening my door I sighed, then shook the hand of a tall, brown eyed and auburn haired lady that stood in front of me, her smile and giggle hard to be mad at for interrupting my peaceful weekend.

“Where’s your helpers, Hope?”

I questioned and stepped outside with her, eying the mound of furniture on the trailer and the packed interior of the car, as well as how good she filled out the T-shirt and cut offs she was wearing.

”They’re all here…Me, myself and I”

She giggled and flashed me a smile, and yet she didn’t seem afraid at all of the trip she had just made or the work ahead of her.

“I’ll move my bike and you can back up to the door, it’ll save you a lot of steps and time?”

Trying to be the polite and good neighbor, (and protect the one thing I truly loved in my life), I pushed my ancient Indian motorbike out of the first parking stall and watched her wheel her rig into the lot then make short work of backing the trailer up to the door the first time.

“I’m impressed.”

I admitted as she bounced out of the car and loaded her arms with clothes to head for the apartment building.

”I’m the youngest of a large family of brothers and sisters…I had to be self reliant and tough…”

She tossed at me over a pretty shoulder as I made my way to my own door, the intention to mind my own business strong in my mind as I closed the door. Now how long did that determination last you ask me? A good looking, long legged woman who smiled so innocent and pretty outside my door, and me inside hiding from her…knowing it was the beginning of trouble?

Well I wish I could say it lasted to long after she was finished unloading and my beer was drank…But it didn’t…In fact it lasted exactly as long as it took me to drink the already open bottle on my counter, and for me to walk out and untie the straps over her furniture and lift the first piece off…Hopes smile my reward as I followed through the doors and set it where she directed me to.

What can I say? I had nothing better to do and she DID need the help, right?

Several hours later we had it all unloaded and she had accepted my invitation to a cold beer, and we sat enjoying them on the shared balcony outside our apartments…

It should have ended there, right? Or perhaps I should be bragging how I seduced her and had my way with her that first night…

But it didn’t end there, as the weeks passed we became friends…and though she was lovely and sexy I never laid more than a chaste kiss on her cheek, and that only after we had shared a romantic dinner for two and a bottle of wine.

Now you’re asking if I’m gay, right? That perhaps I enjoyed men? Well that answer is no, as well…I loved women, and enjoyed all parts of them, and all aspects of their unique characters…But I had moved away from my past mistakes and didn’t want to make them all over again…

So we became “buddies”…shared a drink on the weekends, traded stories of work and friends over dinners…and played the occasional game of pool when we found ourselves alone and without a date…at least that’s what I told her…that I was dating, and she assured me she was as well…so when I sat home alone I often thought of her and her date…and wondered what they were doing…

So what IS the problem? Well in a nutshell the problem was me, and the inner desires I had, that grew quietly as I watched Hope walk past me every morning…and bubbled up one weekend when she showed up on my door and asked me out to play another game of pool…

 

[Imoen]

“Another Saturday night and I ain’t got nobody...”

“You and me too, Jimmy ol’ friend.” I sighed to the radio and I sat curled up on the corner of the sofa, nursing my glass of iced tea. A quick glance at the clock showed it to be just a little after eight. It was an early summer evening, the weather had been temperate as of late, divine really, and the mere thought of staying in just one more night by myself nearly caused me to grit my teeth.

Hmmm.. I wonder if Dante is home? A smile bloomed on my face as I glanced out the window and noticed my neighbor’s motorbike parked in it’s usual spot. Hot damn! I betcha he is!

Dante wasn’t only my closest neighbor, but he was also one of my best buddies. We’d struck up a great friendship pretty much immediately on my arrival here in Chattanooga . Many a night we’ve enjoyed each other’s company. Now, now. Don’t go thinking what you’re thinking. I’m talking going out as friends! When our social lives are going a bit slow (which at the moment, I do believe mine is in reverse) we enjoy each other’s company. Whether it be for a movie, game of pool or even what one could call a dinner date.

Now, that’s not to say that Dante isn’t one that I wouldn’t date. Actually, he’d be someone I’d definitely date. He’s got a great sense of humor, cracks me up all the time, not to mention a sharp wit and I just feel really comfortable around him. Not to mention he’s hot to boot. I mean really, tall, muscular, dark hair and crystal blue eyes. What red-blooded female wouldn’t want to go out with that?! Whew! I’m having to fan myself here. It’s just that it’s never coincided that we’ve both been available at the same time. Screwy huh? Sad but oh so true.

I quickly doused the rest of my tea down the sink and high-tailed it to my bedroom to gussy up a bit.

Having sufficiently “gussied” (meaning fluffing the hair, adding a bit of lip gloss and mascara, tugging on a pair of jeans and a snug white top) I threw my keys in my purse and slipped out my door. Pausing outside his door, I could hear the television playing softly but little else. Good sign! I rapped on his door and waited in my oh so patient way, meaning rocking on my heels of course. He must have stole a glance through the peephole because he opened the door with a smile. I shot a bright one right at him.

“Hey there...” I said as I peeped over his shoulder trying to make certain he was by himself. Pleased as punch to see that it certainly appeared that way.

“ I was wondering, you got any plans this evening? Wanna head out over to Spicy’s with me? Play a game of pool or two? The wings are on me if you’re interested.” I said with an ever so coaxing grin.

“On you, huh?” He grinned. “Sounds good to me. Let me change and we’ll head out. I’m guessing you want me to drive?”

“That’s a silly question.” I scoffed. “Of course I want you to drive. How else am I suppose to get a ride on that bike of yours unless you drive?”

 

[BLACK BART]

Now STOP.

A good-looking gal like that eager to RIDE my BIKE?

That's what I thought too. Too good to be true...

Still as I pulled off and gunned the throttle she WAS sitting behind me, her arms wrapped tight around me and those firm breasts of hers pressed into my back.

She squealed in my ear, the sound making me laugh, and when she joined me the "high" I got was a bigger thrill than riding my bike. And though "Spicy's" was less than a mile straight ahead I took the long way around, adding ten or twenty miles to prolong the pleasure I felt from her body warming my own and the sound of her voice as we talked. I don't know what it is about her, maybe it was just physical, but somehow it felt deeper than that.

Maybe it was the way she looked into my eyes? Or the eternal way she was always so cheerful and full of life? What ever it was it felt infectious... And that's why I broke my normal routine of hiding at home and took her to Spicy's, enduring the curious looks her friends gave me as they greeted her, and being polite to them as they introduced themselves and began to dig for facts...

Hope made friends easily, but I, on the other hand did not... I was a loner in the strictest sense and she knew it as she leaned on the bar with her first whiskey sour of the night and winked at me...

Did I mention how good she looked with those long, glorious legs and that wild-eyed smile she gave me?

It was that combination that made me stay and endure the probing questions, even find out another of the guys owned a bike and set a day to go riding with him...and then I had Hope to myself...or as much to myself as I could get her in a crowded pool hall and chicken joint as she leaned over the table and made her shot…or tried to?

Great legs and a smile that never quit, add to it a sense of humor and a wit that made me smile even when I felt boxed in and it was getting to be a great evening, the beer was going down smoothly and I was admiring her backside, front side and every side I could see Hope from…and getting bolder as I watched her play pool.

“How about we make a side bet Hope?”

I remember asking slyly and watching her smile at me and agree without question.

“You’re supposed to ask what the wager is Hope?”

I had to remind her and laugh with her as she giggled.

Did I mention she had a sexy giggle?

She did, and when I told her the bet she did both…smiling and giggling as she agreed to tell me her deepest secrets…IF she lost…which she did, naturally…and took it with grace as we moved to the dance floor and wrapped her arms around my neck…

 

[Imoen]

God, I was having such a great time! I thought to myself as I followed Dante out onto Spicey’s small dance floor. The homey, yet fun atmosphere was fabulous and the company couldn’t get better. Someone had chosen one of my favorites from the jukebox. It was a slow, blues-y song by John Mayer that all but required one to groove to. I sank into Dante’s loose embrace, my arms draped over his shoulders as we danced. The whiskey sours I’d enjoyed throughout the evening had relaxed me to the point that I felt the need to serenade him softly to the chorus.

“Hold on to whatever you find, baby.
Hold on to whatever will get you through.
Hold on to whatever you find, baby.
I don’t trust myself with loving you.”​

The warmth of his hands was oh so pleasant against my lower back. So pleasant that I leaned in even closer to his body, cheek to cheek, my lips poised at his ear.

“So,” I whispered, “Just when do I have to ‘fess up and share my deepest, darkest secrets with you?” I grinned as he leaned back to look me in the eye.

“Now would be a good time.” He replied, mirroring my grin.

“Out here in the middle of the dance floor?! I think not! Surely you know that deep, dark secrets require a shadowy, dark corner somewhere.” I laughed and proceeded to scan around the dance floor.

“Oooh, you’re in luck my dear friend. I see one! Right over there.”

The song was just ending as I took his hand and lead him off the dance floor to an empty corner booth. I sank into the soft leather seat and motioned for the waitress. Noticing Dante’s questioning look, I informed him that revealing deep or dark secrets required at least one more alcoholic beverage. My grin bloomed to a smile as I watched him laugh. I really liked to hear him laugh. In my opinion he didn’t do it anywhere near enough. The laughter died down into a little, almost hidden smile that toyed at the corners of his lips. His crystal blue eyes sparkled with an anticipation that quite nearly made me nervous. I mean that’s what the little butterflies in my stomach were all about wasn’t it? Or maybe it was something else entirely. We waited patiently for the waitress to bring us our drinks, liquid courage on the rocks for me aka whiskey sour and cold, crisp Coors light for him. The girl had more than stepped away that Dante folded his arms on the table and leaned in eagerly. “Sooooo.... ?” He asked, that cute expression dissolving into a devilish grin. “Tell me.”

I looked at him for a quite a while, wondering what his reaction would be. I was planning on being totally honest with him. I wonder if maybe he’d be turned on, or oh God, maybe the opposite, freaked out. That thought nearly freaked me out! Oh please, oh please don’t let it be freaked out! The mere thought of that, of having what I considered one of my best friend’s possibly look at me in disgust nearly had me heading for the hills.. Stop it, Hope! This is Dante! He is so not like that and what the hell, it was his idea in the first place. Having for the moment won my silly internal struggle, I took another long sip from my drink before crooking my finger toward him and having him lean in even further. Taking a deep breath, I bit the bullet and whispered my deepest, darkest secret into his ear, one half of me anticipating his reaction, the other half dreading it.

 

[BLACK BART]

All right, so I admit it, I was having a good time that night and knew the excuses of being a loner were just that.... Excuses. The reason I was enjoying myself? Her name was Hope, and her personality literally bubbled over her lips and into me, making me smile and even laugh as we danced, sang off tune together or just simply hung out together over the pool tables. We had a few drinks together, and we clicked, I'd start a sentence and she would finish it, or she'd start to describe a situation she found herself in and I'd start laughing, having been in the exact same situation myself.

I had forgotten the bet we made until the last call was made and we found a quiet corner, the drinks arriving and Hope growing wide eyed as she waited for the waitress to leave before turning to me to whisper her secret.

Secret? God what an understatement, and, what a surprise! Who would have guessed? I certainly never would have! And yet as she nodded to me with those big brown eyes I knew she wasn't joking this time...

What did I say? What did I do? What does a man do when he's faced with a lose/lose situation on giving an answer, and the woman who asked the question is sitting right across from him? The answer of course, is nothing...absolutely nothing.

I drank my beer and paid the tab, and as Hope did the same and the lights brightened, the bar speakers announced they were closing and for us to get "our sweet asses OUT"

Now you're going to chide me for driving home tipsy aren't you? You might even try to lecture me for doing that with a passenger, and to make matters worse do it on the back of an ancient motorbike...

But truth being I was stone cold sober as I stepped outside and started that evil sounding machine, Hope's confession scaring me and thrilling both so bad that I was thinking a hundred miles a minute...and doing it with her pressed next to me from the back.

Now you’re going to ask me what kind of confession she gave me that shook me up so much. What could a woman possibly say to a man like me that could rattle my cage? Well later on you’ll find out but let me eliminate one of your choices…it wasn’t that four letter word women use to knock the pins out from under a guy…

Again we took the long way home, driving up to a point where young teens had often used as a make out point, and parking the bike to lean against it and look at the stars.

“Hope, you’re the best friend I have”

I confessed and hugged her to me, then stepped back to look at her in the light of the moon.

“You’ve accepted me as who I am here, never asked questions of me and never judged me…but?”

All right, so she had made a confession and now I was going to as well, so what gives you’re asking yourself?

I liked the kid, that was what was up, and though she was a full-grown woman there was an innocence about her that I didn’t want to hurt, or destroy.

“I came here to get away from a past life Hope, one that I enjoyed but made other people uneasy at times…there’s a harsh side to me that you’ve never seen…”

I tried to confess and held her hand, my eyes enjoying how pretty of eyes she had as I tried to ignore how sexy of a woman was poured into those blue jeans and T-shirt.

Hope was always full of surprises, from the way her voice could drop to a sexy tone, to the way she could make me shiver with just one look or make me laugh with a goofy sound or corny joke, and this time was no exception as she first listened to my warning then leaned forward to kiss me.

A tiny little thing, her lips meeting mine…and an electric shock that rippled across them making me eyes open wide as she pulled back and smiled.

“You’re not so bad Dante, I’m not afraid of you”

See what I mean?

 

[Imoen]

“You’re not so bad Dante, I’m not afraid of you”

That, my friends, is what one would call a little, white lie. It’s most certainly true in a sense, but if I were to be completely honest (which most assuredly is my goal) Dante also scares the living hell out of me. Now, I don’t mean Dante himself, but more so the feelings that he has aroused in me as of late.

Do you honestly think I would reveal one of my deepest, darkest, most hidden desires to just anyone as the result of a bet? Pffffft. Of course not or at least that had better be your answer. No, Dante is a rare breed of men. Something totally new for me and soul-searchingly tempting. A guy I actually trust. I honestly feel like I can tell him anything. He’s closer to me than some of my own siblings. So when he posed the harmless, little wager this evening, I seriously wanted to lose. Now, I didn’t throw the game, or slack off on my shots. As naturally competitive as I am, that would go against the very fiber of my being. But I certainly can’t say there wasn’t a little thrill of anticipation when he sank the winning shot with ease. The tiny, malevolent devil that rides my shoulder didn’t whisper in my ear about the possibility of a negative reaction from him til much later. Figures, huh? Those tiny, hateful little devils are like that though.

His reaction of stone-cold silence didn’t shock me quite as much as it probably should have. You have to understand, I’ve known Dante for a while now. I would have been much more shocked by a raucous “Weeeehoo!” or such, no doubt about it.

The ride up to the point was mind-clearing and invigorating. An eye opening revelation came to me on that ride. Not only did I seriously want him to relate to my divulgement, but I just plain out wanted him. That’s what scares me. The thought of what this meant. The possibility that (here goes that nasty lil devil again) I would be shot down or worse, damage the friendship that I treasured.

Nothing was ever accomplished, nor anything worth having was gained by sitting by and doing nothing. This ball began rolling back at Spiceys. Hell, even longer than that if I were to be honest with myself. It was too late to turn back now. I did manage to listen to Dante’s spiel and give it the respect that it deserved before succumbing to the irresistible urge to kiss him. I only hoped that it would be the first of many.

 

[BLACK BART]

So what did I do?

Should I make you smile in satisfied knowledge of male superiority and tell you that I took her there and then....and made her beg for more each time I fucked her?

Maybe I could lie and tell you she passed out on me, and i was forced to take her home...

The truth is she was drunk...so was I, and the ride on the bike had sobered me enough to realize it, and to know how very easy it would be to take advantage of her and blame it on the alchohol.

Her kisses were just as intoxicating, and as she pressed herself into my arms I tasted them and the desire I felt for her...knowing it wouldn't be long before I forgot she was my friend first...and not just another one night stand.

SO?

We necked...we petted....and when her blouse was half off...I stopped.

Stopped?

Yes...stopped.

And told her how much I wanted her...and how pretty she was...and felt like a heel as her face fell and eyes filled full of tears.

The ride back to our apartments was quiet. I was dead sober as we arrived and parked the bike, my eyes watching her as she walked up the steps and let herself into her own apartment, closing the door as I tried to speak....and teaching me a lesson about making out with your best friend.

Ex-best freind...I told myself, and half a dozen more times that night as I tried to sleep and couldn't...

By the next morning I had convinced myself I had done it again...and was ready to pack...and leave town.

 

[Imoen]

I suppose it’d be most appropriate to tell you how I tossed and turned, fretted most of the night lying there on my tear-stained pillow. Well, that isn’t exactly what happened.

I don’t believe I’ve yet to mention that I’m a rotten drunk. A thimble-full will pretty much have me tripping a step or two. With all those whiskey sours I had last night, Dante is pretty damn lucky I didn’t pass out on him let alone stomp off and slam my door in his face. Granted at the time, I was mad and hurt, pissed at the initial thought of his rejection but that wasn’t really the reason for the abrupt exit.

Not only will a little liquor get me tipsy, but a lot will make me very, very ill. I had no more made it through my door that I found myself curled on the bathroom floor, worshiping the porcelain goddess. Apparently though I was able to clean myself up, strip and make it to my bed, cause this is where I find myself at the moment. It’s a shame I didn’t have the forethought to pull the blinds before collapsing. Usually I find waking up to the early morning sunlight streaming into my bedroom a cheerful thing. Not today. No, my head was literally pounding to a not-at-all pleasant beat and apparently someone took it upon themselves to grind glass into my eyes while I slept.

I groaned as I disentangled myself from the sheets and made my way to the bathroom. I slipped into the shower and let the stinging spray of the warm water wash away the lingering sleepiness yet doing little for the throbbing headache. It was then that I allowed my scattered thoughts to return to the night before and Dante. I leaned my forehead against the cool tile of the shower and would have banged it a couple of times if it wasn’t already doing a pretty good job of it on its own.

I have probably just totally screwed up the best friendship I’ve ever had, I thought to myself. Not to mention make a total fool of myself. I know I’ve never drank that much around him and God knows it makes me far too frisky. I’ll just have to apologize and hope I can salvage what’s left.

Nice thoughts there, Hope, but I wasn’t fooling anyone, let alone myself. Sure, I feel awful for the way I treated him after, but I damn well enjoyed the time spent up at the point and would surely love to have a repeat performance, tipsy or sober. Insert sigh. What to do? What to do? Bite the bullet and go talk to him. Nothing much else left to do.

I dried off and tossed on a pair of a snug denim jeans and a pale blue sleeveless button-up. I didn’t even take the time to dry my hair. I just towel-dried it and let it fall into a mass of tousled curls. I did do a bit of hang-over coverup magic with a few cosmetics before slipping out my front door and heading over to his. I took a deep, steading breath before rapping my knuckles on his door.

One set.

pause

Two sets.

even lengthier pause.

I was just debating on rapping again or giving up when I heard the lock give and the door opened a few inches. Dante’s expressionless face peered out of the darkened apartment. Apparently he had thought to close his blinds. Smart man that Dante.

“Peace offering?” I volunteered with a timid smile as I held up a bottle of aspirin I had snatched from my bathroom.

He let me stand there for a minute or three (damn him!) before he shrugged and opened the door wide.

I’d just like to say for the record that I followed him into that darkened realm of his of my own free will, and on looking back, it wasn’t a little white lie at all. I’m really not afraid of him. Completely and utterly intoxicated (totally stone cold sober this time!) by him, yes, but afraid of him? Not in this lifetime.

 

[BLACK BART]

OK

Back it up a little bit.

Let's ignore the fact that there's an irresistable looking woman outside my door, her hair curled about her face as she gave me one of the sexiest pouts I've ever run into.

Turn your head so you don't have to stare at her body as I did, maybe focus them on a spot somewhere above her neck...no, higher...because those lips are like a magnet as well and make you want to taste them.

Let's be serious and wonder just WHAT she's doing at my doorstep, besides suffering from a major hangover... WHY is she standing there?

Now I'm not putting myself down, never have...I'm a realist, you might say...aware of my talents, and my faults..knowing I wasn't the best looking man, but not the worst either and quite aware of my own perverse tastes.

Perverse? If you look it up in the dictionary you'll find several meanings to the word, here...let me save you the time...and I'll quote old Mr Webster for you...

1 a : turned away from what is right or good : CORRUPT b : IMPROPER, INCORRECT c : contrary to the evidence or the direction of the judge on a point of law <perverse verdict>
2 a : obstinate in opposing what is right, reasonable, or accepted : WRONGHEADED b : arising from or indicative of stubbornness or obstinacy
3 : marked by peevishness or petulance : CRANKY

Funny, ain't it? Doesn't say anything about a man or woman being dirty or sick...or even being a criminal...more about not following the "norm" that society has created...and of not caving into that "norm" when pressure is laid on you.

Where am I going with all of this? And WHY did I make her stand outside so long?

It boiled down to who she was...and what I wasn't...

The bike outside was my prized possession, a symbol if you will to my renegade ways, and just how hard headed I was... I ran with a different crowd then she did, a rougher and tougher bunch, a pack of loners that rarely came together and when they did usually found trouble...not because we looked for it...but because we never backed down FROM it...

Getting the picture?

The young and ever so desirable Lady outside my door was from the RIGHT side of the tracks and I knew it...and in those minutes as I looked at her...I was thinking of how NOT to hurt her...by simply closing my door in her face...

But? With the realization that she wasn't going to give up....that she'd just knock on my door again and again...I opened it and invited her in, giving into her own stubborness and my own growing desires...

"I just put on a pot of coffee"

Walking away from the doorway I reached for the t-shirt tossed over a chairs back and pulled it on, covering the scars given to me by knife, gun and my own reckless ways...then moving into my kitchen to pour a second cup of strong, black brew and bring it out to the table where she had chosen to sit.

"Let me make a couple of assumptions here"

Not that I had given up, you see...but if closing the door wasn't going to work, then I had to try another tactic....logic and reason...

"You had a little too much to drink last night...You don't normally act the way you did...and everything you said was because of the drinks, right?"

Get it right out in the open, I figured...Let her use the alchohol as the excuse...and we could go on as friends...just like nothing had happened.

A good plan, I told myself, but minutes later as I sat down and we sipped the hot poison I called coffee...it was torn to peices with her reply...

 

[Imoen]

Whew! For a second there I really didn’t think he was going to let me in.

I slid past him with a grateful smile, murmuring my thanks at his offer of coffee as I took a seat at his table. I surreptitiously copped a stare at the muscled planes of Dante’s back before he donned his shirt. My curiosity peaked at the scars I noted on his back and side. A story for another day perhaps, as now was definitely not the time to bring that up.

"Let me make a couple of assumptions here. You had a little too much to drink last night...You don't normally act the way you did...and everything you said was because of the drinks, right?"

I blinked in surprise and hid the slight curve of my lips as I cautiously sipped from the mug of coffee I had been served. I lifted my eyes to meet his over the rim and held them for a few moments after I had lowered the cup back to the table. What a guy. Giving me a way out even when I don’t want one. Should I take it? Ease back into our comfortable friendship, or should I tell him how I really feel. What I really want. Hell, Hope, you only live once. Go for it.

“Did you ever see that movie Last Kiss Goodnight?”

At the shake of Dante’s head, I continued.

“That’s a shame. You should. It’s pretty funny. Anyway, there’s this scene with Samuel L. Jackson in which he says everyone knows, when you make an assumption, you make an ass out of "u" and "umption".”

A little laugh escaped. I couldn’t help it even if I wanted to. That line always seemed to crack me up. The laugh died quickly, my hands nervously cradled the warm mug as it rested on the table as I continued.

“You know, back to what you said... you’re right. I did have a little too much to drink last night. And true, I don’t normally act the way I did. And I’m sure my tongue was loosened a bit by the alcohol, but to be honest, I was equally intoxicated by your company.”

I took a hasty sip of coffee, swallowing past the nervous lump in my throat before continuing.

“I am and have been very attracted to you Dante for a very long time. I just really never knew your feelings and was leery of risking our friendship in pursuit of something that may damage it.”

“I had such a good time with you last night. It felt so good to be out with you. The bike ride, the dancing, the laughing. It just felt so right.”

“I guess took advantage of the wager you made to test the waters a bit more, so to speak. I told you the absolute truth though. You’ve been the subject of most of my fantasies. Ones where you’re totally in control, domineering, forcing me to accept such pleasure and gratification. Those have been my most deep, dark secret fantasies. Secret until now, huh?” I scoffed with a slight grin. My eyes lifted and met his azure gaze steadily.

“I don’t want them to be just fantasies anymore though, Dante. I want them to be real. I want to make them happen.. With you.”

 

[BLACK BART]

So what do you think happened when she said that?

Did I give into my cravings and throw her on the table, rip her clothes off and make her my bitch?

To be honest it was on the front of my mind. Hope had gone from best friend into a category that was touchy at the very least...possible lover, girlfriend....intimate aquaintance...

We've all been there. The attraction to a woman, or a man...the wanting to get to know you better....intimately....stage? How fragile your ego is and how it feels like walking on egg shells?

Yup, that's the feeling...

But?

Hope had moved right past that stage and into another one, sharing her fantasies with me and asking me to move on them....on her very body....

(Not that I was put off by her body, she was a knockout, from what I saw, and felt the night before...Did I mention she could kiss?)

So just WHAT did I do?

I answered her...honestly, and bluntly.

"Real is dangerous Hope...I know it's exciting, but for it to be real means you have no control over it..that you don't plan it out...and when it happens you're scared...and can get hurt, both emotionally and physically."

OK, standard warning and disclaimer...right?

Wrong!

There was nothing "standard" about this situation at all...

"Hope, if you're truly serious about this...then know you can't back out once it's stopped, once you give somebody that kind of control and power you can't get it back."

We drank our coffee, finished the entire pot, in fact...and the aspirin must have helped because Hope was back to her perky and bouncy self again...Making it hard for me to keep my eyes off of her body and knowing that she KNEW it too....

"Hope, I've got to get things done...I've a bike to wash and service....and I work tonight, so if you'd either want to help me...or let me go?"

I spoke bluntly and smiled, knowing I was going to soak her if she was silly enough to answer yes....and that I'd enjoy doing it. I was also lying...I didn't work that night, it was a long holiday weekend and I was fortunate enough to get it off...

I had other plans, you see? And Hope was in the very center of them...

 

[Imoen]

I took my time answering, giving his speech the consideration it deserved. He was totally serious about his warning. I could tell by the look in his eye, his steady gaze, the solemn oh so serious tone in his voice. It most likely should have sent me packing with the nice to have known you speech as I high-tailed it out the door back to my safe little boring life. Funny. It didn’t do that at all. In fact, a thrill of pure anticipation tingled along my spine at the mere thought of it.

“I’m couldn’t be more serious, Dante.” I said with a shrug, “But if it’s something that you’re not interested in then by all means, let’s just let it lie and we can pretend this never happened.”

“I don’t want to do anything that’s going to endanger our friendship. That's what is most important to me. Anyway! I won’t keep you. I’m going to head on out and let you do what you need to. I have a few errands to run myself. Thanks for the coffee.” I said with a smile as I rose and made my way to the door. “Don’t work too hard this weekend. Call me later, k?”

 

[BLACK BART]

Now I've got to confess. It hurt like hell watching her walk out my door. It also bothered me I had lied to her about that list of chores I had to do.

I didn't have anything that pressing you see, it was a ruse and her final chance to continue being the good friends I hoped we were....and not move into the next world she had been insisting on.

Now you're thinking I'm trying to make myself out to be a white night, aren't you?

That I was trying to save her from what she asked, or that she didn't know what she was asking, or perhaps I was just an act...trying to make myself out as a badman, and fooling everyone?

*Shrugs*

Time reveals the truth ladies and gents, and for you to find that truth out, you'll just have to read along...

Hope left. And I went along with my so called plans, hopping on my bike and leaving the apartments, but not to wash it as I claimed...

Instead I spent the next few hours shopping at a couple of back alley shops that specialized in barely legal toys and tools, spreading my hard earned cash and rounding up an assortment of leather and stainless steel that would make almost any woman blush. and packing it away in my saddle bags....

The hours after that I wasted. Spent them sitting in a quiet bar and nursing a single beer until the sun went down and I could return to my apartment, killing the apartment to coast into the parking lot and set my bike in a corner out of sight....

You might laugh, but it had become dead serious, I didn't want Hope to know I had returned, or to see that I came back with several bags...because I had plans for her that very night and surprise was going to be the key element in those plans...

Her apartment was on the same floor, they sat side by side in fact, and like all built in that era they shared a balcony that was going to play a key element in what happened that night...I knew Hope, and since "we" were off it didn't take long for her to leave....a cab showing up in the dark to whisk her away...and let me use that balcony to get to her back door and pop the window, then slip inside her apartment.

The next step was simple, I unpacked the leather restraints, complete with hand and ankle cuffs and including a ball gag and hooded mask that would block out who her attacker was...and keep her in the dark as to what was going to happen to her next.

Getting the picture now?

Good...

After I had laid my things out I took out my own apparel, a full faced black leather mask that bore the painted image of the devil on it, and a new black jacket and gloves that his my body under it, as well as a pair of black pants and boots to match...putting everything on except the mask and then making myself comfortable in a chair I set close to the front door where she'd be entering through later...

Hours later I heard the sound of an engine approaching and knew the cab was returning, then felt the fleeting fear that I hadn't thought out the "what if Hope brings a guest home?", a fear that quickly dispelled itself as I heard only a single pair of footsteps coming up the steps and slid my mask on to greet her.

The rattle of keys in the lock told me Hope was just a few steps away...and as the door swung inward I stepped behind it, pulling the rag soaked with ether from my pocket...to press it over her mouth and hold it there as I kicked the door shut...and held her arms pinned to her sides as she fought me like a wildcat...

Several erotic minutes later, after enjoying the sensation of her firm ass grinding against my hard cock and listening to her muted screams that gradually faded to weak whimpers...Hope collapsed in my arms and I moved her to the back of her won coach, to drape her over it and quickly strip her nude, then twist her arms behind her back to tie them at the elbows and wrists before lifting a ball gag to wedge it between her full lips and fasten the leather strap behind her head.

Last but not least I tied a thick cotton towel over her eyes, blinding her and making sure she wasn't aware of her surroundings...then stepped back to admire my handiwork.

Hope had an exquisite body, let me tell you that....bent over her couch the way she was her long legs and tight ass was a tempting sight...and as I walked around the front of the couch I got a good look at how full and well shaped her breasts were as well, making my hands ache to mash them with my fingers...and my cock ache with the desire to rape her while she hung unconscious...

I left her like that though, knowing I had only a limited amount of time before she woke, taking her keys to the sedan she used on rare occasion to move outdoors and start it, then bring it up close to the rear doors of our apartments...

Carrying her was easy enough, her well shaped softness fit over my shoulder, and as I moved unseen down the steps and to the open trunk of her car I gave into temptation and fondled her body...knowing I was going to do a lot more of that to her when she finally woke...

One more trip to her apartment, a quick cleaning and gathering of all the items I left behind, leaving it just the way Hope had...and would find again when she was returned...

And then we were off...

To where?

Don't bother asking, I won't tell anyways....let's just say it was a remote sight where no one would find or bother us....a two story cabin made of sturdy, sound absorbing logs, the windows barred to prevent unwanted visitors and the doors made of thick, solid oak and sturdy locks.

Locks I put to use quickly, then turned to untie Hope and reposition her, binding her hands over her head and then lifting her inert body by an overhead pulley and rope until the tip of her toes barely touched the floor. Tying her ankles I spread her legs, opening her thighs and sex to me before standing and pulling the gag from her lips, to step back and admire my handiwork as she began to stir...

 

[Imoen]

I left Dante’s apartment not really feeling much better than when I entered. My headache had eased but I didn’t feel as if things had went very well at all. Well, I guess they went better than if I hadn’t even bothered to talk to him. I only feel like a marginal idiot as opposed to a total one. I gave myself a mental shrug as I let myself back into my apartment. I tried to keep myself from obsessing over this morning by busying myself with getting ready for Jamie’s birthday party. Jamie was a co-worker who had been planning this bash for weeks. She was turning thirty and planned on doing it with panache at one of the new, hot clubs in town. Since I was going on my own and definitely planned on enjoying myself, I decided my safest bet was to be responsible and hire a taxi.

The taxi was a good investment. Albeit a costly investment but certainly worth it. I had way too much fun at the party. You are so not going to believe that I’m not a lush what with me being out drinking two nights in a row. But seriously, believe what you will, I rarely do this. I had a blast at the party though. Dancing a blue streak around the dance floor with any guy that had nerve enough to ask. I’m proudto say that I didn’t bring any of them home with me. Sure, I was trying to drown my blues but I’m not completely crazy. Least not yet.

I stole a glance at Dante’s apartment as I paused at my door, key in the lock. I let the passing thought of rapping on his door pass right on by with a sigh. It was late and he was at work. I was too tired anyway, my thoughts turned toward a long, hot shower and spending the night cuddling up with my favorite pillow.

Thinking back one would think there would have been some sort of sixth sense to alert me to what lay beyond my door. Some wicked cool spidey sense alerting me to danger, danger will robinson. But no, I opened that door and stepped into my dark apartment without a single clue of what was about to happen.

I hadn’t much more than stepped into my apartment than the door was kicked shut behind me. In reality everything happened so fast, but each split second seemed to last an eternity. I nearly jumped a mile as a strong arm clamped around my waist, dragging me back against a hard, masculine chest. My startled scream was quickly muffled by an oddly sweet smelling rag that was placed over my nose and mouth. Pure terror lent strength to my struggle. I twisted wildly against my captor, kicking down and back with my shod feet, hoping to land a sharp heel against an instep or a shin. My fingers curled against his hand, pulling and tugging in attempt to pull the suffocating cloth away from my face. I couldn’t help but breath in it’s strange odor. Terror gripped my heart as I realized the sinking, languorous feeling that was coming quickly upon me. My limbs were becoming so heavy. I couldn’t lift my feet to kick any longer and my hands, my hands were so heavy. Oh my God! I was going to pass out was my last thought as I sunk into the inky blackness of unconsciousness.

No dreams, neither sweet nor evil, plagued me during my ether induced sleep. I slowly woke, my thoughts cloudy, my senses dulled. I had the strangest sensation of being suspended and I was cold. Very, very cold. There was something across my face, over my eyes. I shook my head in an attempt to be rid of it. That was a mistake. My head felt as if it were going to explode. The pain did have a benefit, if one were to look upon it that way. It cleared my senses, my cloudy thoughts. Memories of last nights attack came pouring back with an intensity that left me gasping in fear. Terror gripped me and kept me silent at first. My heart felt as if it were going to beat out of my chest. I struggled ineffectively against my bonds. Oh my God! I was suspended! My arms were stretched up over my head, my ankles restrained, spread to my sides, only my toes grazed the bare floor. I realized several things at once. I was effectively blindfolded. I couldn’t even see a sliver of light. I was completely naked, I was painstakingly bound and I had absolutely no idea where I was. I knew for certain I wasn’t in my apartment. All my floors were carpeted except for my tiny bathroom and kitchen and there was no way in hell I could be tied up so elaborately there.

Dire suspicions of my fate flew through my mind at a staggering rate, eliciting tears and a terrified sob. The sobbing only lasted shortly, developing into anger as I was prone to do. I hated, absolutely hated to cry. Nearly nothing made me angrier. I struggled again, pulling furiously, trying to dislodge my wrists from the ropes. I screamed in frustration. Screaming again, and again at the top of my lungs. Shouting obscenities into the silence, cursing the coward that had abducted me, calling him the most foul things I could imagine, half hoping he was present in my dark, silent hell and heard them and the other half, perhaps more than half if I were being completely honest, afraid that he was.

 

[BLACK BART]

So she proved she had a good set of lungs and could curse like a sailer...it didn't bother me, in fact I found it amusing, knowing we were miles from nowhere and that the cabin was better sound proofed than most music studios.

Besides, I wanted her scared and defiant, it made her hyper-sensitive to being touched...and what I had planned to do to her.

So I relaxed...Leaned back in my chair...and though I didn't smoke lit up a huge cigar and puffed on it as Hope continued to bluster away, watching her body twist and jerk...and slowly wear herself down.

Twenty minutes after she woke, Hope hung in her bindings, her body covered with a fine layer of sweat and her head hanging forward...exhausted and trembling without me having raised a finger....or a hand.

*chuckles*

At that point I lifted myself from the chair I was in, then walked slowly up to her, and then slowly around...and around...and around. Smiling as her head moved and she tried to track my movements...and I touched her for the very first time...running my hand up the back of her thigh to rest my fingers on her sex, then rub the lips of it until she whimpered and cursed softly at me.

"Shhhhhhh"

I whispered into her ear and removed my hand, then brought it down HARD across her unprotected and sexy ass.

Hope screamed...LOUD and clear...her body jerking and swaying and making an erotic picture for me to enjoy as she fought for her balance and gained it....

Chuckling low and deep I slid my hand up her thigh a second time...then once again stroked the lips of her sex...smiling as she held still for me and remained quiet....and I slid a finger into her...then held it there to see if she'd be brave and foolish enough to protest again.

She was...

And I smiled at her, even though I knew she couldn't see me...

Then pulled my hand away and whispered a second time....


"Shhhhhhh"

To bring the hand down not once...not twice....but an even ten times, listening to Hope scream and squeal, her body swaying erotically...and calming over after I quit slapping her ass...

And for the third time I slid my hand up her thigh, moving my finger directly into her sex....to begin moving it in and out of her body...and smile as she held obediently still...until I slid a second digit into her body...then a third....and began to fuck her with the trio...

This time she whimpered, but no curses...and as I fingered her body I felt my fingers grow wet...and again I laughed deep in my throat....

 

[Imoen]

Damn him! Damn him straight to hell!

My body trembled. Trembled from not only the growing weakness of the strain from being suspended, or the initial burning rage that gripped my soul at my abduction, but it was a pleasurable trembling that skimmed along my thighs, following the path of his probing fingers.

God, my cheeks felt as if they were on fire. My face was flaming no doubt. I was deeply embarrassed of the rebellious response of my body to his man-handling, but I could not keep from acknowledging the whole scene, my bindings, the sharp, stinging slaps came directly out of my deepest, darkest fantasies.

oh my god! Oh MY God! Memories of the previous night came pouring back with a ferocity that shook me to my core. The only one, only one I’d shared those secrets with was my best friend, my neighbor, Dante. No, it couldn’t possibly be, but what if... What if it were him?

For a brief moment, my curiosity out weighed my fear, out weighed my arousal.

“Dante?!” I whispered, my voice strained from the previous bouts of screams and curses. “Is that you?”

 

[BLACK BART]

Now just what could I say to her at that moment?

Considering I was here to fulfill an erotic fantasy that was by it's very description "an act of violence, to force ones body upon another"???

Knowing that IF I answered it was indeed myself the "fantasy" would be over and she'd super impose my own personality into the fantasy, and create a certain type of expectations from that?

She had asked to be raped. That in my mind was the key word, and after that was going to happen my next concern was staying out of jail....

Or did you think I hadn't thought this through completely?

My reply was to lift a ball gag and force it into her mouth, a harsh slap across her already pink cheeks helping me as she "yelped", and in seconds gagging her so there would be no more questions from her that I had to ponder over.

And from there it went according to my plan, as I lifted an immense dildo and slid it into her sex, toying with her clit as I slid the faux cock deeper and deeper into her body, my lips searching out her nipples to suck them into hard, almost painful buttons that I then toyed with between my teeth...

And Hopes response?

I wish I had pictures to show you...I really do, because as the fear of being raped was washed over by the sensations of pleasure she began to whimper, her thighs opening to take the dildo in deeper, then clamping tightly in a vain attempt to stop me from pulling it out of her, the motions making it appear that I wasn't the one fucking her....but SHE was fucking the long, hard shaft I held in my hand...

It was a surprise to me, just how quickly her juices washed over my hand and wrist, as her body bucked and bounced with her first orgasm, a mewling sound coming to my ears as she whimpered past the ball gag....

A pleasant surprise, and a delicious one...because I pulled the cock from her wet sex and replaced it with my lips, to lave away at her swollen clit and taste that honey nectar....my fingers using her own natural fluids to probe and lube her tight brown hole in preparation for another kind of violation....

 

[Imoen]

He didn’t answer my question, but what the hell did I expect. Did I even really care? He was fueling the fire, feeding the need, giving me everything I’d ever wanted and more. So much more. My inhibitions dissolved, fading into the darkness that I was subjected to. I couldn’t see a thing, the blindfold remained securely in place. It allowed me complete freedom, complete freedom to imagine anyone in his role. He was anyone I wanted him to be, and I wanted Dante. The moment I thought that it was him, that’s who he became, regardless if it was a fact or a lie. I didn’t care and with that image, that knowledge firmly embedded in my consciousness, I let go.

The ball gag in my mouth was little hindrance to the muffled, pleasured moans that was loosed against it. Instead of seeing the faux cock as a punishment, an unwelcome invasion, I used it. Used it for my own growing need, rolling my hips, thrusting in an effort to draw it deeper into my oh so wet and wanting sex. His talented tongue laved at my erect nipples, sending course of pleasurable tingles straight to my core. It didn’t take long, fucking that full, faux cock along with the sensations of his calescent, playful mouth for hopefully the first of many orgasms to overtake me. I screamed out my release, drowned out to a mere whimper against that damnable ball gag.

I sighed as the trembling that had overtook my body began to ease, hanging loosely, still suspended by my restrained arms. That every so brief rest was to be short lived. The faux cock was gone, yes, but it was wonderfully replaced by his glorious mouth. My hips thrust forward to welcome its attention. The divine friction of his tongue against my pearl like clit nearly driving me insane. The intensity of the sensation was unbelievable, whether it be from the his talent, or was it my imposed blindness and restraint, I was unable to determine, even to care. God it felt so good. I never wanted him to quit. It dawned on me out of the blackness, regardless of who he was, however hopeful I was.. I was beyond that now. It was he that I wanted. Him and him alone, whoever he was.

 

[BLACK BART]

I could tell you to the second when the dam burst inside of Hope and she became mine. Everything about her entire body, from the way it felt around my fingers as I used her puss and teased her clit, to the way she screamed one second to BE released and begged the next FOR release.

Release that came in a torrent, washing her thighs and my face as I laved away to clean the last droplet, then stood and forced my lips over her gagged ones for a perverse kiss.

She didn’t fight as I untied her wrists from overhead and refastened them behind her back, only whimpered as I slipped the ball gag out of her mouth and pressed her to her knees, her lips opening without my ordering them to as I pushed the head of my cock to them and then deep into her mouth to use it.

Her first word came as I pulled back from my last long stroke down her throat and lifted her by her hair to bend her over the kitchen table….

“Please?”

I stood ready to clamp my hand over her lips if the volume of her next word grew to that of a scream, my cock pressed between her wet and firm ass cheeks as she whimpered the next two.

“Fuck ME”

And I quickly obliged, driving deep into her puss without fear of hurting her, then pumping wildly with grunts akin to that of a savage beast mating. My hands now at her waist to pull her into each hard thrust as she lay over the table and began to beg me.

“Use me….Rape me….treat me like your whore”

Had I broken Hope so quickly…and easily? Was she now some mindless slut I could bend to my will and discard like a used roll of paper when I was through?

Her words were submissive as I fucked her wickedly, but the proof she wasn’t broke, only meta-morphing into something different and new was in the way she lifted her body and thrust back at me with it…and her words.

“Fuck me like your SLUT ….. your bitch…..your WHORE.”

Until with a final thrust I exploded in her sex and jack hammered the last few thrusts, to stagger back weakly and lean against the back of a chair, my eyes regarding what I had just done….and created?

I caught my breath… Felt the rubbery feeling leave my legs and moved back to Hope, untying her wrists and rubbing them to push the blood back into them before lifting her slight weight and carry her still blinded and submissive to her bed.

“Keep the blindfold on until you hear your front door close, I’ve left a note for you on your table to read when I’m gone and you’re ready for more.”

I whispered the words to her and watched her nod, her arms staying at her side even as I slipped out her bedroom door and cleaned up my chaos, then once again out her front door…

To leave behind only the note I promised, with a time, date and address typed inside of it…