Page 372 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

“That’s assuming we can go home when this is over.”

“I hope we will.”

Audrey snuck a quick look at him out of the corner of her eye. She lacked his positive outlook. She knew it was just as likely that the movie would simply fade to black, taking both her and Morgan with it, once the final scene had played. Everything here would simply cease to be. She dropped her eyes to the sidewalk. That was a possibility that she couldn’t bear to think on.

“It’ll be all right,” Morgan said again, his hand taking hold of hers. He gave her a comforting squeeze.

And yet, deep down inside Audrey had no confidence that it really would. And that fear inside her just got worse the closer they drew to movie-character Beth Walker’s house.

“Here we go,” Morgan said as they turned down her street. When they reached her house, he held open the front gate for her and together they walked past the azaleas and the morning glories that twined up the trellises that lined the porch. Under the yellow glow of the Walker’s front porch light, he said, “Home sweet temporary home.”

Audrey glanced up at him and for a moment they stood facing one another, neither moving or speaking, just studying one another in the pale light.

“Well,” Morgan finally said. “Good night.”

He turned to go, but Audrey caught his elbow. “Stay,” she begged. “Please, I just… I want you to stay. You can even have the bed; I’ll sleep on the floor. I…” She hesitated before confessing, “I don’t want to be alone here.”

Morgan gave her a lopsided smile. He reached out to cup her cheek, smoothing her skin with the pad of his thumb. “Nothing will happen tonight, I promise.”

“Stay anyway,” she whispered.

And Morgan gave in.

“Ow!” Audrey cried out. “OW! Stop! It won’t fit!”

“It’ll fit,” Morgan assured her.

“It’s too big!”

“It’ll fit,” Morgan repeated, and began to push again. “You know, it would help if you pushed too.”

“I am,” Audrey grunted, “pushing!”

“Wiggle your end.”

“I am!”

“Wiggle harder!”

“Yell at me one more time and you’ll be doing this by yourself!”

“Yell at me once more time, and you won’t sit for the rest of this movie.” He frowned at her and then looked down between them. “Maybe if we switched positions…”

With a sigh that blew her bangs up off her forehead, Audrey dropped her end of the couch and stood up. “This isn’t working, Morgan.”

“It’s halfway through the doorway, we can’t stop now.” He squatted down and picked up his end. “Tip it on its side.”

Audrey groaned and grunted as she yanked on the wooden feet of the couch, struggling to turn it over. On her third shove, she thought she heard the snap of breaking wood, either the frame or something in the couch—possible her back—but after two quick shoves the long sofa finally popped the rest of the way into Beth Walker’s room.

She was too out of breath and tired to cheer.

“Team work,” Morgan said, both panting and grinning as he gave her a jaunty thumbs-up. “Works every time.”

He tipped the couch upright and shoved the heavy piece of furniture out of the way so she could stagger past him into the room. Pushing it up against the louver closet doors, he flopped down to rest on the cushions.

“Ah yes.” He bounced in the center experimentally. “Much more comfortable than the floor.”

Feeling both grateful and a little bit sheepish for having imposed on him two nights in a row, Audrey stripped her bed of two blankets and a pillow and handed them to him. “Thanks,” she said.

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