He traced her belly button with his tongue and traveled down her stomach until he encountered the coarse black hair that made it's home between her thighs. His tongue played in the bushy mass of her and she opened her legs to accommodate him. Tamara began to moan as Tommy made love to her with his tongue and lips. As his tongue explored the center of moisture that was her, she clung to the bed sheets. Her groans became louder and her body moved in rhythm with his gentle lashings. Tommy gripped her buttocks to keep her from moving away form him as she rode the wave that was traveling through her. Tamara's body trembled with pure excitement. She whimpered for more and more. The small tremors turned into gigantic quakes as she came and came again. He released her and watch as her shakes turned into quivers.
Before her shivers stopped Tommy started kissing her stomach and made his way to her lips. They shared a long hard kiss. When their lips parted he fell on the bed beside her. Tamara reached down and grabbed the excitement that was throbbing between his legs. She stroked him and felt the hardness grow in her hand. When Tamara finally stopped shaking and caught her breath she nibbled on Tommy' ear and moved to his neck. From his neck she made her way down his body, kissing here and there. She explored him with her mouth. She kissed that tender area between his legs coming close to his manhood, but not touching it. Tamara teased him with her tongue before she took him into her mouth. He whispered her name and closed his eyes. The soft tissue became harder and she could feel it pulsating against her tongue. His intensity grew until he erupted.
Tamara climbed on top of Tommy and rubbed his smooth hairless chest. Her hands traced the outline of his pecks while he caressed her back. She could feel that he was getting excited again. He rolled her onto her back and whispered, " I want you." His lips met hers again. While they kissed, he entered her. They made love. As he moved, she followed. They were moving as one. She no longer knew where she ended and where he began. Once again Tamara was filled with ecstasy. She wanted to scream out but her breathe was caught in her throat. All she could manage was short bursts of air at a time. Her hands moved up and down his extended arms as he looked down in to her eyes. His thrusts became harder and faster. Tamara wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him down onto her. Tommy exploded inside her as she, to her amazement, began to come again. She could feel him forcefully emptying himself into her.
Tamara waited until her heartbeat slowed and she could breathe normally before she opened her eyes. Tommy was propped on his elbow, staring at her. He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before he spoke, " Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are?"
"No. I figured you were waiting until you had me on my back."
" Ha.Ha. Very funny."
" Couldn't help myself, " Tamara said and yawned. She lay there and stared at Tommy for a while. He sure was cute. Even though his eyes were on her, she could tell that he was not looking at her. She wondered what he was thinking, but dared not interrupt. Besides she was worn out and not really in the mood for conversation. She closed her eyes and welcomed the sleep that was slowly overtaking her. Tommy kissed her forehead and began talking to her. She only heard his first three words, "You know I...." and she drifted off to sleep.
Tamara took WC out for her early morning walk and when they returned she went to wake up Anthony. She banged on his door, " Come on out Anthony. I know that you are in there. You can't hide from me. " She continued to bang on his door.
" Would you stop that," he opened the door," I can hear. I'm not deaf."
" Sorry. Why are you so cranky this morning?" she stepped into Anthony's room." Didn't you have a good time last night? I went to bed around two and you weren't here yet."
" It was horrible", Anthony sat down on his bed. He looked like he hadn't slept in ages. Tamara listened to him describe his horrible blind date.
" See, I told you not to listen to Peter. He has a terrible taste in women, " she laughed at him," I guess you do not want to go running then?"
" No, but I would like some breakfast," he grinned.
" You'll have to talk to Tommy about that. He's the one who is cooking this morning."
" Really? That's three times this week. You've had a good effect on him these days."
" Me? What are you talking about?"
" Don't play dumb with me. Haven't you noticed the change in him these last two weeks? Whatever you're doing, keep it up." Anthony winked at her. Tamara was suddenly embarrassed, she was not ready to talk about her sex life with Anthony.
" Umm, I think I'm gonna leave before this conversation goes somewhere I'm not comfortable with. I'll see you downstairs." Tamara made her way to the kitchen. She looked around for Tommy but he wasn't there. She heard WC barking in the back yard and followed the sound. Standing at the back door, she watched Tommy wrestling with the dog. For a moment they both seemed young again. Tamara imaged the two of them playing when WC was a pup. It saddened her to know that their days together were numbered. When Tommy noticed that she was standing there, he walked over to her and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and they shared a long passionate kiss.
" Hey! Stop that!" Anthony's voice boomed from behind them." Where's the breakfast you promised that Tommy was cooking?"
" It's coming bro," Tommy released her and went into the kitchen.
" You two need to get a room," Anthony winked at Tamara and them whispered something to Tommy. They both shared a laugh.
" Hey! If you're going to keep secrets I'm leaving. Call me when breakfast is ready." Tamara went outside and talked to WC. For the first time she wondering what Tommy and Anthony said about her. She knew that Tommy had told Anthony about the night they had spent together. Anthony had made it a point to pick on her the entire week afterwards. At first she was uncomfortable about it, but then she realized that Anthony would have found out eventually anyway. Sitting in the grass, petting WC, Tamara smiled as she thought of Anthony's first words to her, " It's about time. I thought he'd have to take cold showers for the rest of his life."
Several weeks had passed and Tamara had gotten used to waking up next to Tommy in the mornings. Most of the time they slept in her room. Tamara was a little more comfortable knowing that Anthony was not right across the hall.
" Don't burn the sauce."
" I'm not," Tamara slapped Tommy' hand away from the wooden spoon," You said that you didn't want to cook, so leave me alone."
" Okay. I'm sorry," he said pretending to be sad. Tamara wasn't buying it. She pushed him out of the kitchen. Anthony had requested that she cook spaghetti for dinner. The guys were going to met some people from one of the major networks about their show on Friday. Anthony claimed that spaghetti was his good luck food and that he had to have it everyday until the meeting. Tamara let him know that she thought he was crazy, but fixed the spaghetti anyway. They had had that pasta for the past three days. She was definitely getting sick of it. She was chopping lettuce for the salad when the doorbell rang. Tamara figured that one of the boys would answer it. She was wrong. Grumbling, she opened the door. Facing her was a woman who stood a little taller than Tommy, but shorter than Anthony.
" Can I help you?" Tamara asked. The woman stepped back and looked at the house. She then looked at the trucks in the driveway. Tamara repeated herself.
" I think I may have the wrong address. I'm looking for the Turners.
" Well, you've come to the right place," Tamara stepped back to let the woman enter the house. She called to Tommy and Anthony. Anthony was the first to appear.
"Lynn!" Anthony said surprised. Tamara repeated the name to herself. She had heard that name before. This must be the woman who sent the pictures to Tommy.
" Hello Anthony. It's nice to see you again." She was about to say something else when Tommy came into the living room.
" Lynn!" Tamara could see the excitement in his eyes. He hugged her and whispered something that Tamara could not hear.
" We're about to have dinner, " Anthony said and invited her to joined them. That reminded Tamara that there was sauce on the stove. She raced into the kitchen. The sauce hadn't burned. Tamara was about to head back into the living room when the guys and their guest entered the kitchen. As Anthony walked past Tamara he whispered " cat fight" but Tamara ignored him and focused her attention on Tommy and Lynn. She went through dinner without saying a word and judging by Tommy and Lynn, it probably wouldn't have matter if she had anyway.
The dinner turned out not to be a dinner. The only person to eat was Anthony. Tamara played with her food while Lynn talked about her research on the reef and Tommy listened. Eventually they made their way into the living room. Tommy sat beside Lynn on the couch and Anthony pulled Tamara on the floor beside him. Anthony wrapped his arm around her and she didn't bother to shrug him off. She was hoping that Tommy would notice. If he did, she couldn't tell.
"I'm sorry that I dropped by without notice. I'm on my way to Otie's. She getting married this weekend, " Lynn said, " She'd been talking since she arrived. Tamara wanted to tape her mouth shut.
" Otie? Really? Wow, I can't believe that," Anthony sounded disappointed.
" Yep, she's going to marry some guy that she has been friends with for a while. They took a trip to New York and he proposed to her. She's really excited. I can't wait to see her. So. Anthony, are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend? " Lynn was looking at Tamara.
" I'm not his girlfriend, " Tamara said tightly. She had tried to make it a lighthearted statement, but could not manage it.
" Oh, yea, this is Tamara," Tommy seemed to notice her for the first time since he saw Lynn. " She works for us. She lives here too," he said as an afterthought. He was clearly uncomfortable.
" Sorry. I've talked to Tommy several times and he never mentioned you."
" Well, it doesn't really matter. I'm just the maid," Tamara glared at Tommy, " Which remains me that I need to finish the dishes." Tamara went into the kitchen. She slammed the dishes into the sink, surprised they didn't break. She fumed to herself as she cleaned the plates. Anthony had been right. Tommy dropped everything when that woman walked through the door. It was obvious that he still had feelings for her. She wondered how many of those pictures he had of her and how often he looked at them.
" Hey. Stop trying to break the dishes," Anthony grabbed the drinking glass from her hand. " Calm down would ya?"
" I am calm, " Tamara lied.
" It'll be okay. She'll leave and he will realize what a jerk he has been. " Tamara was not comforted by Anthony's promise. He must have notice and he continued speaking. " You know they were together for a great deal of time. Then she got that job and just left. It hit him hard. Give him a chance okay?"
" What I'm supposed to do? Watch him drool all over some other woman? "
" You could just go out there and claim your property"
" Yea, and seem like the untrusting girlfriend? Besides, he should be the one to acknowledge me."
Tamara didn't know what to do. She wanted him to tell Lynn that she was his woman and not just the maid. Anthony talked to her until she was a little calmer. He convinced her that all Tommy needed was to confront his feelings for Lynn. He wouldn't do anything that he wasn't supposed to. Tamara tried to spend the rest of the evening in her room. She wanted to be sociable, but used the excuse
of having a headache to hide herself. She was sure that Lynn was probably a nice girl, but she didn't want to listen to another one of her stories or watch Tommy drool over her. Tamara was about to go to bed when Anthony asked her to go walking with him.
Anthony went to the kitchen and Tamara headed upstairs to give WC her medication. When she reached the top of the stairs she could hear Tommy and Lynn talking. They were in Tommy' bedroom. Tamara sat on the top step and listened. She shushed Anthony as he sat down next to her with a sandwich in his hand. He was always eating something. Tamara smiled briefly and then turned her attention back to the conversation in the room.
" Why didn't you tell me that there was a woman living here? " Lynn seemed irritated.
" I did tell you. I wrote to you when Anthony hired her. "
" You didn't tell me she was staying in the basement. You just said that she would be taking care of White Crow Girl and house sitting. "
" She does. And other household things."
" Really? Is that all? So why is she pissed that I'm here?"
" She's not pissed. She had a bad day. You just got the wrong first impression."
" Maybe. So, tell me what have you been doing with my pictures?" Lynn's voice had changed from being irritated to slightly seductive.
" They are in my desk drawer. Why?"
" It's been a while since I've seen you without any clothes on. So, what do you say?"
" Are you offering yourself to me?" Tommy sounded nervous, but not turned off by the idea.
" Well, I'm leaving in the morning and it has been such a long time since.... " she let the sentence drop off. Tamara imagined that she was batting those dark brown eyes of hers.
" Umm, you did break things off remember?"
" Yea, but whose to say that we can't have a little fun tonight. I mean I'm unattached and you're unattached. Well, unless you and what's her name have something going on, " Lynn baited him, " I'm sure she does more around here than what you say."
" She does her job and that's all."
" That's good to hear. So, you wanna see those pictures come to life."
Tamara didn't wait to hear Tommy' reply. She had heard enough. She went downstairs without giving WC her pills. Anthony followed her to the front porch.
" He's not going to sleep with her."
" What do I care? I'm just the maid. I just do my job. And besides we're here. If they had the house to themselves he would have jumped her by now. They are probably kissing right now. I can see it all. He's rubbing his hands through her short black brown hair with that hint of red. She's pressing her olive colored body to his. And.... " Tamara was interrupted by Anthony's laughter.
" You're so cute when you are jealous."
" I'm not jealous. I'm hurt. When is he gonna snap out of it like you promised." Tamara knew that she was jealous, but she was not going to admit it to Anthony. She resented that smile on his face and the way he was looking at her. Why was he always around when she was mad at Tommy? He made it a point to try to aggravate her more. Usually it had the opposite effect. She could count in Anthony to make her laugh at herself. It wasn't working this time. The more he teased the madder she got.
" You know how you could make him jealous?" Anthony didn't wait for her response before he continued, " You could have one of your old boyfriends come over."
" My old boyfriend is dead!" She yelled at him. Then she said, " I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. "
" It's okay. It's just the jealousy yelling. " He was smiling at her again. She smiled back.
" Stop smiling at me."
" I can't help it."
" Well, it's driving me crazy."
" What kind of crazy? Wacky crazy or the kind of crazy that a man drives a woman?"
" What?"
" You know. Does my smile make you wanna go to the nut house or do you go weak in the knees?" Anthony was no longer smiling. Tamara had a hard time reading the expression on his face. She could not tell if he was joking or not.
" Are you serious?"
" What do you think?" Anthony grabbed her and pulled her to him, " Can I kiss you? " Anthony didn't give her a chance to answer. He kissed her. She pulled away from him.
" What's wrong with you? " Tamara was confused by Anthony's actions.
" It worked for Tommy, " Anthony's smile had returned. She punched him in the stomach. He took a step back and pretended to be really hurt. She didn't know whether to laugh or stay mad at him.
" I can't believe you. You are going to get it one of these days."
" What, you didn't enjoy it?"
" No!"
" Well, isn't it nice to know that you can share a kiss with a friend and feel nothing?"
" Do you have a point?"
" No, not really. I just wanted to do that. You know, trying to take advantage of you while you are vulnerable."
" Ha, ha. Very funny. I still don't feel better. I think I'm going to bed. " She handed Anthony the pills she intended to give to WC earlier. Tamara went to her room.
The room was as dark as her mood. She lay in her bed staring at the ceiling wondering what was going on above her. Maybe Anthony was right. Maybe Tommy just needed to confront her. Tamara lay there and considered all the maybes until she was too tired to think clearly. She rolled over and went to sleep.
Tamara put on her tennis shoes and went upstairs to see if Anthony wanted to go running with her. She knocked on his door and called his name, but he did not answer.
" I think he is asleep," Tommy said. He was standing behind her. " It looks like you are about to go running. Don't you think it’s too dark to go alone."
" That's why I was going to ask Anthony to go." Tamara turned away from Anthony's door and went down the stairs without looking at Tommy. Since Lynn had left, she only talked to him when she had to. Usually it was only to answer a question. Her responses were always short and emotionless. She had to find a way to get rid of her excess energy. Since Anthony was unavailable to run, she decided to do Tae Bo. She was in the mood for kicking and punching anyway. Tamara went to her room to get the videotape, but could not find it. She must have left it beside the living room TV. Tommy was sitting on the couch while she searched for the tape. She pretended not to see him.
" You're not going to find that Billy Blanks tape. I hid it."
" Where?"
" My room. If you want it you'll have to go with me to get it."
" Forget it, " Tamara walked toward her bedroom door.
" Wait a minute. Please."
" What?" Tamara was annoyed by the softness of his voice. She was not going to let him get to her.
" It's been almost a week. Are you gonna talk to me?"
" I am talking to you."
" You know what I mean." He crossed the room and stood facing her. Tamara looked up at him. His soft brown eyes were pleading with her. She looked down at the floor. She wanted to stay mad at him. She didn't look up when he whispered her name as if afraid to speak louder. Tommy wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head on his chest and then remembered Lynn. She pushed him away.
" Don't touch me. You didn't even know I was alive the other day. Now you want to hold me?"
" I said I was sorry. What more do you want?"
" So, what. You're sorry. It's such an easy thing to say. You never got rid of those pictures did you?" Tommy didn't answer her." Well? Is that a no? You still have them? Why? Why didn't you tell her about me?"
" I introduced you"
" Oh yea, she works here."
" Well, it was the truth."
" What was the purpose of taking her to your room? You couldn't have a conversation on the couch?" Tamara let her imagination take over and became more upset at all the things that could have happened.
" Wait a minute. Don't start on that. She just wanted to see some of the changes we made to house since she last visited. We ended up in my room."
" I heard the conversation. You kissed her didn't you?" Tamara was only guessing, but the look on Tommy' face told her more than she really wanted to know. It was his turn to stare at the floor.
" I don't believe this. Anthony was right. You totally forgot about everything when she showed up. I thought we had something. Apparently I was wrong. "
" What do you mean by that?" Tommy looked up at her." We do have something."
" I couldn't tell. Was it that hard to tell her that you were " attached" as she called it?" He was skating around her and that made her mad. She started yelling.
" You wanted me to talk to you. Now I am and you won't even give me straight answers. I guess you aren't attached. After all I'm just the maid. Like you told Lynn, all I do around here is my job. And if that's the case, I guess I should be fucking Anthony too." Tamara had worked herself into a frenzy. She needed to get away from him before she said more things that she would regret.
" You don't mean that." Tamara could see the hurt in his eyes, but she didn't care. She didn't answer him, but made her way around him and ran out the door. She could hear Tommy calling her name as she ran down the driveway, but she didn't answer.
Tamara ran to the park where she and Anthony ran sometimes. It was not far from the house and there was a path that stayed fairly isolated. Her anger slowly subsided as she ran. She tried to hold the tears back, they had been held back so many times, they refused to stay put this time. She ran and cried. Her vision was clouded, but she had run the path so many times that she could have run it with her eyes closed. Tamara was trying to wipe the tears from her eyes and did not notice the man until it was too late. As she passed him, he reached out and grabbed her. The sudden stop through her off balance but the man kept her from falling. She tried to move away from him, but he held on. Tamara struggled as he pulled her off the path and toward the trees. Tamara began to panic when she realized what was actually happening and she struggled more.
She had stopped crying, but the tears reappeared when he slapped her. He slapped her repeatedly causing her to raise her hands to her face. When she did this, he reached for her shirt and pulled. Tamara could hear the fabric ripped as if there were no other sounds in the world. Tamara managed to scratch his face. He made a noise and threw her down. The ground was hard and knocked the
breathe out of her. She turned and tried to crawl away, but he was on top of her before she made it a short distance. He turned her over and pressed his heavy body onto hers. " Stop fighting and this will be over in no time." His warm breath smelled of booze and peppermints. Tamara fought with him, but it was no use. He was bigger and stronger than she was. He managed to pin her arms behind her. He used his legs to force hers open and with his free hand he tugged on her shorts. She wiggled beneath him and after he tired of her struggling, he began hitting her again. He punched her at different places. She cried out from the pain. Tamara tried to stay conscious when he banged her head onto the ground. She lost the fight and could feel the darkness surround her.
Tamara sat on the edge of the bed in the examing room. She was sore all over. She had told the police her story and thanked the officer that had come to her rescue. He reprimanded her for being out alone that late at night. After the police took her report, the nurse came into the room.
" Your ride home is here. But, I need to get some information from you, hun. It's just the standard paperwork that everyone has to fill out when they come here. "
" Can you fill it out for me? My hands will not stop shaking and I don't think that I'll be able to write legibly."
" No problem dear. I already have your name and stuff filled out." Tamara liked this nurse. Her name was Jill. She went down the form and Tamara answered the questions.
" Well, one more question and you can go. When was the first day of your last period?" Tamara stared at Jill and tried to come up with a date. Jill looked up from the clipboard when she noticed that Tamara had paused. " Well?"
Tamara panicked as she searched her mind for a date. Sometime last month? No. That was when the girls came to visit. Jill interrupted Tamara's thoughts " Is it possible that you could be pregnant?"
