Page 42 of Intangible
The fact he had no idea where they were was only a minor inconvenience to him. It was a reasonable assumption that the math teacher would eventually lead him to her if he was patient. Well, he was not a patient person, but just this one time, he would have to make an exception.
Chapter 17
Even though theloft was in a questionable area of town, it was quite nice inside. It had two bedrooms at the back, each with en suite bathrooms. The rest of the apartment was open, revealing a living room, kitchen, and dining area. It was industrial, but comfortable at the same time.
The worst part was trying to drag himself up the stairs into the second floor of the converted warehouse with one arm in a sling and a bullet hole in his side. He tried to hide it, but he could tell Thayer was aware he was well past when he should have had more painkillers.
Jay had swung through an all-night grocery store, grabbing them enough food to last a couple of days, showing up a half hour later. He checked Memphis’ staples one last time before heading out the door.
After the last person had filed out, Thayer bolted the door, sighing in relief. Sitting down on the couch next to Memphis, she rested her head on the cushion.
“Don’t fall asleep here,” Memphis said gently. “There’s a huge bed calling our name. Can you do me a favor first, though?” he asked.
“Of course,” she said, smiling at him.
“I could really, really use a shower, but I don’t think I can wash my hair with my gimp arm. Could you lean in to help me with the shampoo?”
“I’ll do you one better,” she answered, standing up. Pulling him up, they walked into the bathroom. Thayer gently eased the clothes off of Memphis, carefully taking off his bandages.
Jay had told them earlier that a shower would be fine, they would just have to make sure the areas with the staples were dried well before reapplying the bandages. He had left an entire bag of supplies for that reason. When she had him undressed, she slid out of her clothes before turning on the water.
“Oh shit, I forgot you didn’t have a bra on,” he exclaimed, staring at her with a glint in his eye. “I can’t believe Ben didn’t mention it. No wonder he’s been staring at you like a lost puppy all night.” Shaking his head, he stepped into the shower with Thayer.
He held his bad arm tightly to his side with his other hand as he bent over for her to rub shampoo in his hair. After he rinsed the shampoo out, she rubbed her hands together, creating suds from the soap before running her hands down his body.
“Can I ask you a question?” Thayer asked, rubbing shampoo into her hair. She had helped Memphis rinse the soap off before changing positions with him.
“Okay,” he answered warily.
“Why don’t you like blow jobs? I thought all guys loved them.” She picked up the soap, lathering it in her hands. She was trying to act casual as she waited to see if he would answer. When he didn’t, she asked, “Did something happen?”
“Yeah, but it was a long time ago. It’s not worth talking about.” Opening the door, he slipped out, grabbing a towel off the rack. Turning off the water, Thayer stepped out behind him, taking the towel from his hand. She worked her way down his body, drying him.
“Turn around,” she said, working down his back to his feet when he did what she asked. When she was satisfied that he was dry enough, she quickly dried herself before ordering him to stand at the sink so she could replace his bandages. “So is it a hard no?”
“I don’t know, Thayer. Maybe. It has been in the past.” Memphis closed his eyes when Thayer wrapped her arms around him, laying her head against his back. He had worked hard to forget what happened in that foster home before they moved him to Miss Beulah’s.
His mother died when he was only seven, leaving him devastated but not destroyed. She had raised him with love, teaching him to be a good person. He had trusted the adults in charge of him, since she had never taught him not to.
At first, he had been placed in a group home, but eventually, they found what they thought was a suitable foster home. He had been an excellent student, so his caseworker had fought to keep him in the same schools he had started in.
The next several years had been torture. By the time he learned that not all adults could be trusted, he was entering puberty. The torture finally ended one day when a teacher discovered him cutting himself in the school bathroom.
When the smoke had cleared, the adults in that house had been arrested and he had been placed in a children’s psychiatric hospital. It took his caseworker six long months to get him out. She placed him with Miss Beulah, which moved him to a new school district.
Everyone had thought it was too late to save him. His grades dropped, he snuck out of the house constantly, he started drinking when he could get it and he had sex with anyone who’d give him the time of day. The one thing he never allowed again, though, was a blow job. They represented everything bad that had happened in that house.
Fortunately, Miss Beulah had welcomed him into her home with love, patience, and discipline. She started by simply listening to him when he flew out of control in frustration, which eventually taught him to communicate calmly.
Tutors were hired to catch his schooling up, which made him believe she saw something in him worth saving. She was liberal with praise when deserved and meted out punishment that matched the crime only when absolutely necessary.
In essence, she had picked him up, straightened him out, and taught him to trust again. It was still a work in progress, but he had come a long way from that scared little boy that had been brought to her doorstep.
“I can try,” he said when their eyes met in the mirror. “They just bring back some bad memories.” With a nod, she gently turned him to face her. Standing on her toes, Thayer pulled him down into a kiss. It wasn’t a carnal one that begged him to pin her against the wall. It was one full of longing, his lips lightly pressed against hers.
“Let’s get you ready for bed,” she said, pulling away. Helping him pull on a pair of shorts, she carefully eased his sling back on. Once she had finished in the bathroom, Thayer joined him in the large bed.
Logically, he knew she should sleep in the other room so she didn’t accidentally hurt him. But Memphis also knew in his heart that without him holding her, the darkness would overwhelm them both.
