Cyrus (2 page)

The week after Sandy was its own hurricane.
Jase was in his own world, that boy was focused on fixing shit,
helping the owners of the store fronts surrounding ours when he
wasn’t tearing shit out of ours with us. The insurance company was
not at all quick about it and FEMA, well let’s just say that shit
was a joke too. Without Chris Christie our governor, we’d have been
fucked for even longer. He was a fucking rock, damn good man. The
physical wreckage that storm caused was insurmountable. The
emotional damage was life changing.

I had a collection of ink on my left arm,
from my shoulder to just above my elbow, all black, all a reminder
of the place I had fought for our country. Momma had a fit when she
saw it, and I explained that each meant something to me. Memories
that I carried in my heart… and although I wasn’t one to share all
my photos or stories of the places I’d been, I would share a
glimpse of this. The ink embedded on my arm was my story, for me, a
visual reminder of what life was and what life is. I wouldn’t tell
anyone what hell, devastation, or pain I had seen or caused. But I
could let them see this. It may make me seem like a pussy, but it’s
my coat of arms. Like it or not-- I don’t give a fuck, it’s mine,
part of me always.

I stood on the shore looking out into the
water. I used to love this place. No other body of water smelled
the same. The Atlantic had a briny smell, sea plants, salt, and
maybe a bit of iodine. Doesn’t sound all that intoxicating but it
was, it’s familiar scent was home. It was fourth of July fireworks
and ocean side bon fires, it was friends surfing and hanging out,
it was Lucky Leo’s and Gillian’s Wonderworld pier, it was family
picnics, beach volleyball games, parasailing with my Dad and
brothers. It was home. Having traveled the world I can honestly
say, there was no place like it. But the shit hurt now.

I don’t know how long I stood there but when
Jase elbowed me, I was brought back to reality, “You alright?”

“I’m fine man,” I looked over at him and
laughed, “Leave it to you to get married out here.”

“Yeah, I know. Good memories from here on
out. Which is why I interrupted. Do me a favor?”

“Anything man-- you know that,” and he did,
just like I knew he would always have my back..

“Get everyone out of here, I wanna fuck my
wife on a surf board in the water, without an audience.”

I had to laugh, “Your wife.”

“Mrs. Jase Steel man, and Mrs. Steel and I
need to go christen that board. I’ve been wanting to bang her on it
forever now.”

“On your wedding night.”

“Hell yes, shit… when you get married I’ll
fuck her on it then too.”

“Not gonna happen…”

“I know three ride max and all that shit but
right now, I need to get inside my wife. Help a brother out?”

“Your fucking whipped, you know,” I wasn’t
joking: Jase was like a little crack whore with Carly.

“Don’t care, get them out.”

I loved pissing him off and well… it was a
gift so why stop right, “Fireworks come out of that little pussy.”
His face was getting red, why stop now, “You sure you don’t want
me…”

Jase pushed me and I laughed, “Are you gonna
do as I asked or do I need to beat your ass down?”

“You and I know better bro,” but right now,
he was on edge and I really wasn’t a hundred percent sure of
myself. “Of course, go get Mrs. Steel.”

~

Everyone was leaving and Carly was taking
her time thanking everyone. She was pretty cool—for a girl. She
loved my brother, no doubt and now…well I had a sister, which
wasn’t cool because now there was one more female to add to the
list, right behind Momma Joe and Little Bell that I needed to check
myself for. Why? Because I made a promise to my father, I wasn’t
about to break it.

Abe and I headed down to the club to have a
few drinks. I toyed with the idea of throwing a party at the beach
house but Nickey D. was
entertaining
this month’s piece of
ass and I wouldn’t want to ruin it for him. Miss September was
smokin’ hot. Nickey’s deal was different than mine. It was a longer
train ride, not a three stop bullet but a month long love fest. He
liked being with the same chick for a little longer than I did…
something about anal he told me one drunken night. Took longer to
build the trust of his
partner
so that he could fill her
front and back. I didn’t need to hear that shit: Nickey was my boy
and all, but sometimes I wondered about him. So right now I was
hanging at a bar while my boy Nickey was fucking Miss September.
She was sitting in the place of honor (between my legs), two nights
ago when Carly and Jase showed up with that five foot nothing
little dark haired, green-eyed Birdie.

I sat back and took a drink of my Jack and
ginger. I was taking a cab tonight so why the fuck not tie one on?
Tip back a few in honor of my fallen comrade, who was now fucking
his
wife
in the damn Atlantic. Wonder if Abe knows that’s
what’s going on.

“How are you doing with all this marriage
shit?” I asked him just as he was watching two girls grind on each
other on the dance floor.

“It’s great. Marriage is a great institution
...”

“If you wanna be institutionalized.”

“Your parents were married for years Cyrus,
I don’t get why you’re so against it.”

I had to laugh, “Look around man. Can you
imagine eating fucking cheerios everyday when you could have a
little steak and eggs one day, sausage gravy the next? Gotta keep
those options open.”

“How do you think Jase will do with Cheerios
everyday?” Abe was getting pissed, he loved Carly and I’m sure he
was worried about her marrying my brother.

“He made a commitment, he’ll stick with it,”
and he would-- I was damn sure of it.

“So you think he’s settling? You think
there’s someone better out there for Jase than Carly?” Okay so he
was beyond pissed, that vein in his neck was bulging a bit.

“They’ll be fine, Abe. Don’t get me wrong… I
think Carly’s cool. She and Jase are like oil and vinegar they’ll
keep each other in check, or kill each other trying. Just not for
me.”

I sat back and looked around. Trying to
figure out what I wanted tonight, a little steak, a little
pasta…fuck it I want both, “You interested in those two right
there, man?”

Abe smiled and shook his head no, “Not my
thing.”

“Cool,” I stood and made my way to the bar
and grabbed three jack and gingers.

I stopped and handed the two brunettes who
were rubbing on each other a drink. They looked at me and smiled.
We all clinked glasses and slammed them down. The taller one handed
her glass to her friend and then took mine and did the same. She
took my hand and turned pressing her back against my chest she
placed my hand real low on her waist. Her hand reached behind us
and she grabbed my ass nice and hard.

I looked towards her friend who was walking
towards us, feeling no pain I whispered in her ear, “You both up
for something hard and wild?”

She didn’t answer but turned around and
stroked me through my pants as he friend stood to my side and
wrapped my arm around her placing my hand on her ass.

“You think you can handle both of us?” she
rubbed me harder and as I kneaded the hot ass in my hand.

“You two a thing?” she shook her head no,
“I’m not looking for anything but a good time… do you understand
that?”

We danced, well… rubbed against each other
for a while. My cock was throbbing and the four tits surrounding me
were real fucking excited. The music slowed down and I pulled them
each into an arm. I bent to kiss one and as she moved closer, I
pulled my head back and I teased the other the same way. I lifted
my head and wet my lips and looked towards Abe ready to let him
know I was out.

He was talking to someone and laughing. Then
I saw that fucking pill pushing fuck, walk up and grab the girls
elbow
, aw-- fuck no!
I handed the girls a wad of cash,
“Grabs us another round?”

I turned to walk away as one of them grabbed
me firmly, “Don’t go too far.”

I smiled at her and bent to whisper in her
ear, “I won’t.”

I looked up and saw those fucking green eyes
looking at me as she was being dragged away towards the bar.

I watched her look back briefly at me before
she sat at the bar. The girls returned with drinks and started
grinding again. I was not into it right now, not one fucking bit.
Every time I looked up, she was looking away and it was fucking
with me.

I slammed my drink and theirs, “Sorry
ladies, seems I’m parched. Do continue-- I’ll be back.”

As luck would have it the shit bag took off
into the back of the bar and the stool next to her was free. I sat
down and she glanced out of the corner of her eye nervously.

“Well hello there, Birdie,” I stared, she
was fucking gorgeous and I would absolutely give up the two for
this one.

“You’re…”

“Yeah, and you’re still hanging out with
that shitbag. Why is a little bird like you hanging with shit?” I
know there was a bite to my tone but I couldn’t help it. I’m no
saint, and some may think it’s hypocritical that I don’t have a
problem with people smoking a little weed now and then but am
vehemently against drugs, but I really don’t give a fuck.

“You should go,” she looked nervously
towards the back.

“Birdie-- I’m not afraid of your boy.”

“You don’t know him…he likes to fight.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I grabbed her
chin and turned her face to mine. God her skin was fucking soft, so
yeah I was drunk so I ran my thumb across her chin and under it and
I definitely wanted to rub lower but I was kind of digging the
chase, “Look at me Birdie, and tell me if you see a man who would
walk away from a fight.”

She jerked her face away from my hand like I
was some fucking disease. I could have pointed out that reaction
would have had a better effect if she hadn’t let me hold her face
for at least fifteen seconds before pulling away, but I won’t—not
yet anyway.

“Please leave.”

“Say it like you mean it Birdie, and look at
me when you do,” I didn’t want to leave, I wanted her tonight
almost as much as I wanted her to leave the shitbag.

“I mean it,” her head snapped towards me and
she looked into my eyes, “Please.”

I could’ve sworn I saw fear in her eyes this
time, “Birdie if you’re…”

“Please just leave me alone!”

“It’s a public place Birdie, I’m not going
anywhere.”

I ordered two drinks and turned towards the
dance floor as I leaned on the bar closer to this little creature
who was holding my attention a bit longer than I would’ve normally
allowed without knowing where we were heading.

“He’s gonna be back.”

“Again Birdie I’m not afraid of the
little…”

“Where did you go?” the taller brunette
asked.

“Pretty stupid question seems how I’m right
in front of you, don’t you think?”

Birdie giggled and I couldn’t help but smile
at her.

“You said you were bringing back drinks and
well…we’d like to get out of here soon.”

I looked again to Birdie and she was trying
not to smile, and she had the sweetest little dimple. I leaned over
to give it one last try, “Birdie…”

“My name is Tara,” she smiled.

“Birdie,” I started again, “Let’s you and I,
get the fuck out of here.”

“You’re drunk,” she smiled and looked
away.

“Well it’s your lucky night, when I’m
whiskie’d up I last even longer.”

“Well then those two should have an
interesting night.” She wasn’t pissy anymore, she was smiling and
damn if that didn’t make me want her even more. “I have a
boyfriend…”

“Well why don’t he and I trade, he can have
these two and I’ll take you. I promise to get you home before…”

“Everything alright, Tara?”

“The shitbag …” She gave me a look and I
stopped talking, “Nah, no problem here. I was just gonna tell
Bir…Tara that her friend and Carly got married a few hours
ago.”

Tara smiled, “They did?”

“Stupid right, that’s what I tried to tell
them but…” she smacked me and laughed. I smiled back. I knew it was
a sloppy smile just as much as I knew I wasn’t getting into that
skirt tonight. I was in the friend zone to the exotic little Bird
now. I even played the Carly card-- what the fuck was that
about?

The bartender set the drinks on the bar and
I grabbed them and handed them to the two luckiest girls in this
joint and handed another to Birdie.

“She’s kind of new here.” I grabbed her
phone off the bar and entered Carly’s number, “She would love to
hear from you.”

Shitbag was eye fucking this evening’s
entertainment as they waited for me.

I leaned in and whispered, “When you’re
ready to take me up on my offer Birdie, Carly can give you my
digits. Say the word and I’ll kick his ass and show you what it’s
like to be properly fucked.”

Apparently I said it too loud because
shitbag felt he could put his hands on me, “You’re gonna lose those
hands fucker.”

The pussy let go, “Watch yourself.”

“Can’t hate a man for trying,” I nodded to
the girls and they each took an arm.

Tony and I

Three people, that’s how many people were
nice without reason in my life right now. Four if you count Tony,
but he loved me so he had to be nice. It was quiet in the car as he
drove me back to my apartment. I wanted to go back to his place but
he said it was too much of a
temptation,
and would ruin
everything we had been working at for the past year.

I met Tony a year ago when I aged out of the
system. I liked the family I was living with back then, the first
since my parent’s death. They would have kept me, but because of my
age there would be no social services received on my behalf. There
was no way to attach a label to a girl like me. I even tried to
fail a few of the tests but really… when I had nothing else but one
suitcase, two pair of socks, three pair of pajamas, four outfits,
and luckily five pairs of underwear the only thing I had that I
would never lose was what I learned in school and the after school
program at the YMCA. I no longer had a problem leaving behind
Christmas and birthday gifts, like I did when I left my first
placement. The Maitline’s had tried, and I appreciated it. I knew
they needed the room for the new kid that was coming. I wanted to
mention that I was perfectly willing to stay on the couch, like I
had been for the past six months… but I knew Johnny would be placed
there soon enough. He was going to be eighteen in a year and they
would have to replace him soon, too.