“I have a feeling Brandon would be resourceful. He wouldn’t go hungry,” I assured both of them.
“Do you think he’ll come back?” Alison questioned.
I met her eyes in the rearview mirror.
“I do. He has bonded well with James since the first night in the hospital. I think something spooked him, and he’s reacting the only way he knows how to right now.”
“They were down in Riverside at Andrew’s housewarming party. James thought it was something that happened there,” Alison offered up.
“It was probably that cunt Elise,” Josh murmured.
I knew I liked Josh. I smirked and eyed him in the rearview mirror. Both of them were scanning the streets as we made our way to my place.
“She is a cunt,” Alison agreed. “I don’t use that word often, but she’s a straight up bitch.”
“Both of you have played or had a session with her, right?” I asked.
I thought I’d recalled James saying that she had sessions with Alison, Josh, and Brandon. In unison Josh and Alison confirmed they had each played with her.
“Dude, she doesn’t understand limits or anything. I have some sensitive areas in my lower back, and I told her. James even told her and jumped in to pause the session because she was getting too close to my lower back. Then she huffed out and didn’t hang around for aftercare,” Josh explained.
“You dodged a bullet with her not doing aftercare. You had James do it instead, which is lightyears better.”
“Sam, Ali’s session was brilliant, though.” Josh clapped his hands, “Ali was her usual bratty self and challenged the fuck out of Elise.”
“Good girl,” I said and nodded at her in the mirror. Alison’s blushing cheeks caught my attention. “Tops like a challenge. Did she stay for care?”
“Nope,” Alison replied.
“The one with Brandon was a disaster. Brandon is a masochist—”
“I’m a masochist too,” Alison interrupted.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Yeah, but you said Brandon was, as if my masochistic side wasn’t worth mentioning,” Alison grilled Josh.
“Anyhow, so she’s going to town on Brandon, and James says the safe word, and the bitch challengeshimand tells him that she didn’t hear the word from Brandon. James is all, ‘I’m saying it for him.’ She keeps at it with verbally challenging James and bitching at Brandon about not being man enough. James kicks her out of the room, and then she wanted to give Brandon care, and James is all, ‘fuck no.’ Man, she is a piece of work,” Josh enthusiastically retold the accounts of everyone’s session with Elise.
“I’m glad she’s no longer able to play at Oxygen. She sounds like a major liability,” I commented.
The vehicle had been quiet for a few minutes, and at the stoplight, I looked in the rearview mirror. Alison was asleep with her head leaning against Josh, and he had his arm around her shoulders. Josh’s head was leaned back against the headrest, and he had his eyes closed.
See, you guys can be cordial to one another.
2
Sam
I pulled into my driveway,shut the engine off, and glanced at Alison and Josh. I reached around and tapped each of them on their knees to gently wake them up.
“Hey. Wake up, sleepy heads. We’re here,” I announced.
“Mmm, I’m too tired to move,” Alison whined. “I can sleep here in your comfortable SUV,” she mumbled and nuzzled her head against Josh.
“Time to get up.” Josh angled his hands around his face to make his voice carry in her direction.
He moved toward the door, causing her to slump into the place he’d just moved from. I wasn’t surprised when I heard her loud, exasperated sigh, followed by her pushing at his upper back.
