Trouble Triangle (Tyler's Trouble Trilogy) (10 page)

I took her hand that was resting on the table. "Debbie, I might be doing myself out of free sex here, but you don't need to do this. I don't think you're gay."

"You're sweet, Tyler. Sometimes an asshole, but a sweet, caring asshole. I've primed myself for the last week for this moment, and I want to do it. I need to know, once and for all. I need to know how I feel when…well, you know."

"So, are you going to judge your entire life on one fuck?"

"No, but it's a start." She put her finger on her lower lip and pulled it down. "Tyler, do you want me?"

"Do I want you?" I stood up and unbuttoned my shirt. "Let's find out how gay you really are."

#

We shared a taxi back to Pearl Harbor Sunday morning. I had never had so much sober sex, and I don't think she ever had so much straight sex. It turned out to be a quiet ride back to base. I sensed she was deep in thought and wanted some peace to search her feelings. I gave her a peck on the cheek before we got out of the taxi and headed off to our respective dorms.

I walked into an empty dorm room, which I was happy about as it gave me time to lay on the bed and relive the moments of the night before. I could have really gone for Debbie. But if it wasn't for Holly, I'd be kicked out by now. I had to keep Holly sweet even if she did bug me. And it wouldn't be wise to keep screwing Debbie under the circumstances, n
o matter how much I wanted to.

Mark interrupted my thoughts as he entered the room. He pulled up a chair next to my bed and sat down. "So, Tyler, fuck any hot lesbians lately?"

"None of your business."

He threw his hands up. "Wait a minute, it was my business not that long ago. Is she lezzy or not?"

"The jury's still out."

"Well, while you were standing jury duty, Holly stopped by."

I bolted upright in bed. "What did she want?" I could hear the panic in my own voice.

"Relax. I told her you were probably down on Shit Street
dorking
some stripper." He smiled, but returned to seriousness when I didn't smile back. "Just kidding. I told her you went down to
Gussie's
Bar for dollar/pitcher night. She said for you to call her when you got back."

"Thanks."

"You know, if you gave me a buck for every time I lied for you, I'd get my fifty bucks back in a day or two. So what's the deal with Debbie?"

"No-strings sex. I did my part; now it's up to her which way she goes. I better go call Holly."

"You're a cold bastard."

"Runs in the family. Like father, like son."

#

I arrived at Holly's later that day as per her request, or demand as it was. She greeted me at the door with a certain coldness and showed me through to the living room while she made some coffee. We sat down and her eyes searched my face like an interrogation Gestapo. I practiced my innocent look.

"So, where were you last night?" she asked.

"I went down to
Gussie's
. Pitcher of beer for a dollar night."

"So, you're going out drinking without asking your girlfriend now, are you?" She flicked her hair with her hand. "Were there any girls there?"

"Of course there were girls there. It's a bar, not a monastery." I instantly regretted what I said. Holly didn't take flippancy well.

She wagged her finger in my face. "Don't get an attitude with me, Chambers. We're like going together." She suddenly gasped and put her hand to her chest. "Oh my God! You weren't looking for a younger woman, were you?"

Holy shit. Much younger than her and they'd still be in high school. "Course not, babe. After a sophisticated woman like you, how could I possibly go chasing after teeny-boppers?"

She smiled. "True, but maybe I wanted to go out for a drink. Ever think of that?" She folded her arms and slightly flexed her arm like there was an SS insignia on it.

"Yes, I did. That's why I'm a bit embarrassed." I hung my head in pretend shame. "I only had five dollars drinking money. I could hardly call you up and say 'Hey, babe, I got five bucks. Fancy a drink?' Now could I?" I pulled my head up, looked at her and flashed my baby blues that I knew she was a sucker for. "You know I think the world of you. You deserve class, not to be asked out to some seedy bar supping suds for a buck."

She sighed. "Well, okay. But you need to be spending your time with me. I don't like you going around where other girls can get their claws into you." She took my hands in hers. "I know you only want me, but some women can be quite cunning when they want to be. Check with me before you go out next time."

I felt myself snap from the pressure of being under her thumb. I couldn't deal with it anymore. She had to go. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, reminding myself to duck if she started throwing things.

"Umm…Holly, can we talk a minute? I'm not so sure that we, umm…what I mean is—"

"Oh-My-God. Wait." She held up her open palm. "Before you say whatever it is you want to say, I'm going to say something. I know you're with me because you like me. I don't know, maybe you even like love me. I'm sure the fact that I risked my military career for you has nothing to do with our relationship. I'm quite happy to sit in my office and make sure that
nothing else from the Fort Wayne Navy recruiter's office finds its way onto Lieutenant Johnson's desk. That's what girlfriends do for their boyfriends. Right?"

"I guess so. Sure."

She patted my leg and smiled. "As long as we're clear about or relationship. I'm sure we both want the same things, right?"

I forced myself to nod.

"Okay, like what did you want to say?"

I wiped what felt like a torrent of sweat from my forehead. "I just wanted to say how much I care about you. I get a little nervous when I try to talk about emotions and stuff. That's why maybe I seemed a little hesitant at first. But yeah, we're cool and I think you're great." I leaned over and kissed her.

"How sweet. That's what I like to hear." Her smile and the look in her eyes said, 'I got you by the short and
curlies
'. "Did you bring your swimming trunks like I told you?"

"Yeah. They're in my overnight bag."

"Good. Let's get changed and go to the beach. I know a secluded place on the other side of the island. If you're a good boy, I might let you make love to me on the beach." She stroked my cheek with the back of her hand.

Make love?
"I can't believe how lucky I am, Holly. Good looking, smart, adventurous. You're everything a guy could want."

She patted my cheek. "I know. That's what you get for going out with an older woman.
"

#

Mark laid on his bed as I nervously changed into civilian clothes after work the day after I last saw Holly. My head was all over the place as to what I was suppose
d to be doing to whom and when.

"So, who's the lucky lesbian tonight?" Mark asked.

I pulled up a chair next to his bed and sat down. "Can I talk to you a minute? I can trust you, right?"

Mark rolled over to lay on his side, propped his head in his hand, elbow resting on the bed and looked at me. "Let's see. You got me involved in a barroom brawl, all because you wanted to stuff some stripper on stage. I constantly lie to your girlfriend for you to keep you out of the shit. You told me you lied on your enlistment papers, almost got kicked out, but had your girlfriend make up false documents to keep your butt in. And you cheated on your girlfriend with her former lesbian lover. I don't know. You sure you can trust me?"

"Touché. That's French for shut up. What am I going to do about Holly? Man, the chick's driving me crazy. Now I need her permission to go anywhere without her. Last week she said she thinks I drink too much. She's really tightening the screws, and more or less told me if I dump her, some more papers might find their way to the division officer saying that I'm not the saint everyone thinks I am."

"I told you blackmail was a poor foundation for a relationship. She's got it over you, man." He held a finger up. "But don't forget, her fingerprints are all over the crime scene as well. You could remind her of that, then dump her."

"Yeah, I could. Pretty risky though. She really did save my ass." I dropped my look toward the floor. "I'd feel guilty if I did that."

"You? Feel guilty? Give me a break. I've never heard anything more ridiculous in my life. There's more chance of the
Japs
bombing this place again before you'd ever feel guilt."

I looked up. "Well, you know what I mean."

"No, I don't, actually. Seriously, Tyler, you're my friend. We have a great laugh together, and you know I'd do anything for you. But I think you'
ve had some kind of surgery to
remove—"

"Okay, okay," I interrupted. "I get your point. Maybe it was a poor choice of words. But how else can I shake her?"

"Get her to dump you," he said matter of
factly
. "Pick a fight with her until she gets so mad she tells you to get out. Or tell her you know about her past with Debbie, and you'll tell the Navy she a lesbian and get her kicked out if she doesn't back off. Or take her to a strip joint, get up on stage and start stuffing a stripper while she's watching." Mark rolled over on his back and started kicking his feet up and down on the bed. "That's if you can get it up!" He laughed and kept kicking his feet. "Man, I loved that."

I laughed too. "I suppose it was funny. It wasn't at the time, though. Fucking jarhead." I smacked his leg. "Thanks, buddy. I needed the talk. I don't know what I'd do without you. But, I have to face it. She's got me by the balls."

"I wasn't much help on this one. I don't think you actually need a girlfriend. You seem to do a pretty good job of fucking yourself on your own. So you going to see Holly now?"

"No, Debbie said she wanted to see me. She probably wants to tell me if she's gay or not."

Mark grabbed the pillow from behind his head and hit me with it. "You're unbelievable."

"
Laters
." I got up and left.

#

I arrived at Debbie's dorm. She welcomed me with a warm smile and a kiss on the cheek. She looked sexy in high, tight shorts and an orange halter top. She brought out a few beers from her mini-fridg
e and we sat down at her table.

"I hope you don't think I've been avoiding you," she said, "but I've been doing a lot of thinking lately."

"I thought you would be." I cracked my beer open and took a drink. "Just let me say, I really enjoyed our night together, and I respect whatever you decide to do."

"Thanks, I know you will." She placed her hand on mine. "I don't think I'm really gay. I think—"

"What a minute." I held my palm up. "Before you switch back, any chance of a threesome?" I smiled.

She swatted her hand at me. "I knew I could count on you to come out with something like that. No." She sipped her beer. "I've never had a lot of boyfriends, but the ones I did go out with always treated me like shit. Holly was the first person to ever treat me nicely in a relationship. Overbearing, but nice. I think feeling like I was special for the first time may have misguided me."

"You mean Holly was nice to you?"

"You sound surprised. I know she can be demanding at times, and she does like to control the relationship. She's five years younger than me, but she was so authoritative. That was fine. I liked someone being forceful with me, it was quite a turn on. It made me feel like she really cared about me. Has she ever said anything to you about having gay experiences?"

"Are you kidding? No, and I've never asked. So what happened after Holly?" I took another sip and it was going down smooth.

"Another girl came onto me, and I reciprocated. It didn't last long. I was on the rebound and, well, it just didn't work out. We're still friends. It was an amicable split. Then I met Lisa. I really fell for her, and then she did the dirty on me."

"So what made you think that maybe you're not gay?"

"After Holly, the sex was never as good. Sometimes I didn't even enjoy it. I began to realize that I was more in love with the idea that someone actually cared about me, and not so much the sex or the lifestyle. I felt needed and loved. That's all I wanted out of the relationship. So, when Lisa dumped me, I started wondering what it would be like to have sex with a guy again. I wanted to see if I enjoyed it. It had been so long, I had forgotten."

I lit a cigarette and she slid the ashtray over.

"I've come to the conclusion that anyone can treat you like shit. Male or female. So I'll just have to take the chance. Yes, the night with you, I must admit, I enjoyed the sex more than I did with Lisa."

"And you're sure about this?"

She nodded. "Yes. So, how are you and Holly getting along by the way?"

"Not sure. I like her in some ways, but she drives me around the twist in others. We'll see."

"I know it's difficult, but she is good in bed, isn't she? I'll give her that."
She lit a cigarette.

I didn't say anything. I wasn't sure if I was ready to compare notes about a mutual fuck with another girl.