Under His Skin (4 page)

“Shut up dickhead, I’m not going to fail.”

“We’ll see,” I laughed.  “Bye.”

“Bye.”

Dinner smelled great.  It was my mom’s peppers and sausage with a salad.  One of my favorites but I didn’t eat much. 

“Nicky, what’s wrong, you aren’t eating?  Nervous about your test tomorrow?” Mom asked.

“Nah, just stressed about graduation and college, I guess.” I lied.

“Aw sweetie, you have nothing to be worried about.  You have incredible grades, your extracurricular activities are really good especially the tutoring.  You’ve got scholarships out of the wazoo and the change shouldn’t be too bad since you’ll be at home your first semester.”

“Yeah, you’re right Ma.  Thanks.”

All valid points and had that been what I was really worried about it probably would have made me feel better. The truth was I knew I was smart.  I had one of the top GPAs in my class and probably would have been valedictorian if it wasn’t for Billy Strickland.  He just barely nudged me out. 

I couldn’t figure out what was wrong.  My grades were great, I had good friends, prom and graduation were just weeks away and I had just lost my virginity…to the girl of my dreams.  I need to snap out of whatever was going on. 

After dinner, I went to my room and played on my Nintendo for a little while until I finally got tired again.  I decided I need a little help falling asleep, so I got up and locked my door.  I turned on my video again, got undressed and crawled under the covers.  My TV screen filled with images of two beautiful women, a brunette and a red head.  They had both just stepped into a hot tub and were giggling.  I picked up the remote and hit fast forward.  I stopped it right as the redhead was untying the brunette’s bikini top and kissing her neck, she moved down her collar bone to her breasts and I hardened at the sight. 

I continued watching the two super model type porn stars, but my thoughts turned to the one person I wanted, Addie.   I could still smell her warm vanilla scent.  I replayed the events at the party, but things took a different turn in my fantasy.  On the screen the redhead was flat on her back on the side of the hot tub with her legs hanging inside and the brunette was face deep between her thighs, I thought about what it would be like to taste Addie.  Would she taste as sweet as her kisses?  Would her natural scent intoxicate me as much as her vanilla perfume?  I thought about how much I would enjoy running my tongue along her outer folds, making her quiver. 
Fuck, I bet she tastes amazing
, I thought.  I imagined what it would feel like to have her clit in my mouth, sucking and licking, teasing.  I was rock hard and stroking myself, but I wasn’t ready to come yet.  What it would be like to kiss her with the taste of her still on my tongue, would she like it?  I wanted to feel her on my hard manhood again. 

I was already crazy about her, but she had stoked a fire in me that I didn’t know how to extinguish.  I wanted Addie McDaniels!  My last thought was about taking her from behind, my hands on her hips thrusting deep.  Giving her my “impressive” cock until it wouldn’t go anymore, hearing her scream my name.  I came hard with thoughts of Addie filling my head.  When I finished, I grabbed a towel off the floor, wiped off, turned off the TV and fell asleep.

Chapter 7

I woke up and felt pretty good.  I looked at my calendar, where I had circled June twenty-third. There was only a week of actual classes left, then it was time for finals, prom and GRADUATION!

Finals would be a breeze for me.  I still wasn’t sure if I was going to go to prom because I didn’t have a date.  I lost out valedictorian to Billy but I was salutatorian, so all in all things were going really well.  If I could just make it past this next week and a half, maybe I could get to college and ditch this nerdy rep I had.  I hated it and it had followed me for four years.  I was tired of being “Nicky the Nerd.”  I had decided that when I went to college, I would go by Stephen, my first name.  I was named after my uncle and to avoid confusion, my parents called me by my middle name Nicholas.

I got up and jumped in the shower.  I was lathering up when that gnawing in my stomach returned. 
What the hell is wrong with me?
  I was wondering if I was coming down with something. 
Oh no Nick, you can’t get sick a week before school ends!
  I let the warm water run down my body trying to let it soothe me and watched it as it hit my arms, I could see changes  in them.  They were becoming more defined.  Soon I might not have to hide my scrawny arms in long sleeve shirts.  Next I watched the water run down my chest and abs, where I could see my pecs forming and the beginning of a six pack.  Then I watched the water bounce off of my manhood, I had a newfound appreciation for it after Friday.  Finally, I watched as the water hit my thighs and calves, where the formation of muscles was evident.  If I continued my current workout, but the time I started classes at UB I would be in good shape.

I turned off the shower and grabbed a towel. I wrapped it around my waist and stepped out.  I wiped the steam off of the mirror and looked in the mirror.  The horrible acne that had plagued me for years had begun to clear up.  I put my contacts in, ran my fingers through my hair and left the bathroom. 

I threw on a long sleeved polo and some jeans, grabbed an apple and hopped in my car.  The drive to school was only about ten minutes.  Some days I ran over to pick up Petey, but this morning he beat me to school.  He tried to get a little extra help on his math before the test.

The school day breezed by.  The math test was surprisingly easy, even Pete thought so.  I guess Mr. Mitchell wanted to scare us into studying so that we’d be ready for finals.

At lunch Pete, Joey and I talked about what we thought it would be like in a few months when we were all in college.  Pete was going to UB with me; our plan was to room together after the first semester. Joe decided to go to Buff State.  We teasingly called him a “traitor.”

After lunch we watched a video in health class and Spanish was a review session.  I was in AP Spanish, the school only offered Spanish and French and I personally thought that Spanish would be more useful in the long run.

The day was almost over and nothing bad had happened, so I guess that gnawing feeling was nothing.  The only thing that bothered me was that a couple of the cheerleaders kept giggling as I walked past, but I chalked that up to “Nicky the Nerd,” status.  It wasn’t the first time I had been laughed and pointed at.  I just shook my head and went about my day.

Finally school was over and I went to my bench.  I had my Spanish book out next to me and I was looking over my notebook when I heard a loud commotion.  I looked up to see Chad Reynolds storming toward me.

“I’m going to fucking kill him!  This little bastard is who you cheated on me with?” Chad yelled.

“No Chad, nothing happened. I swear!”

He was about to lunge for me when Addie jumped in front of him.

“Chad stop, I don’t even know him!”

“That’s not what I heard.  I heard you got nice and personal at the party.”

“That’s a lie. Who told you that?”

“It doesn’t matter!  You cheated on me with this piece of shit!” He tried to lunge for me again.

“Chad stop it!  Please! Why would I cheat on you with him?  Just look at him!  He probably started some rumor about me.  You’ve seen him here every single day watching me. He’s obsessed with me.” 

So they had noticed me after all.
At 6’2” how could they not?

“You were seen coming out of the same bedroom Addie!  You’re a lying whore!”

“Chad I swear, nothing happened.  I was upset after our fight and I was just in the room crying.  He came in all stalker-like and wouldn’t leave me alone.  He’s a creep!”

“You’re full of shit Addie.  We are…”

“No Chad!  Ask him, he’ll tell you,” she interrupted.  “Tell him!  Tell him nothing happened.” 

She was looking me right in my eyes, pleading for me to lie.  After she had just called me a stalker and a creep, she wanted me to lie for her.  My stomach jumped into my throat, I felt like I would be sick.  A crowd had formed, Petey walked up just as Addie started pleading with me.

“Tell him that nothing happened Nicky!  Tell him the truth,” she pleaded again.

This was Addie McDaniels, the girl I had loved throughout high school and if I was being honest, through most of middle school.  This was Addie, the girl that kissed me and made my dreams come true by taking my virginity.  Now she wanted me to lie and act as if nothing happened.  Worse yet, she made it seem like I was some type of slime balls.  I admit I was in love with her, but I wasn’t a weirdo, was I?  Had Friday really happened?  Her eyes had tears spilling out of them and they were pleading with me to help her.  I held her fate in the palm of my hand.  I could tell the truth and destroy her relationship with Chad or I could lie and make her happy, but be known as a creepy loser for my last days of high school.  I looked directly into her eyes, then I closed mine and took a deep breath.

“Nothing happened,” I said slowly.

“See I told you!” Addie said.

“Bullshit, you’re both lying,” Chad said.

“No, we’re not,” I said.  “Nothing happened.  I was walking to the bathroom, and I thought I heard crying so I peeked in the doorway and saw her sitting on the bed crying.  I just went in to check and see if she was okay.  That’s all that happened.”

“Why was the fucking door closed you asshole?”

If she wasn’t standing between us, he would have decked me.  Every time he moved, she moved as well.

“I just closed the door to give her some privacy.  Nothing happened.  She loves you!  She told me so at the party.  Look man, I don’t know you and I have no reason to lie to you.  Whatever someone thinks they saw, they are wrong.  Nothing happened.”

Chad seemed to believe my explanation because his demeanor shifted.

“You didn’t sleep with him?” He asked Addie.

“No baby, I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“That Travis is a lying bastard! I swear I'm going to kick his ass.  He’s always liked you.  He probably wanted us to break up so that he could try to get you.”

“Never baby.  I love you.”

“I’m sorry, come on, let’s go.”

And that was it, they walked off together. He didn’t even apologize.  She gave a quick glance over her shoulder as if to say “thank you and I’m sorry,” but it was too late.  It meant nothing.  I was heartbroken.  Addie McDaniels had in effect ripped out my heart, shredded it up, stomped on it and for extra measure spit on it before putting it back in my chest like nothing happened.  I knew in that instant something deep within me had changed that day.  Too bad it still didn’t prepare me for what happened next.

Chapter 8

June 26, 2015

Stephen

It was a name that I hadn’t heard in twenty years and surprisingly a name that still shook me to my core.  Addie McDaniels.  It took me back to another lifetime.  Twenty years had gone by and in one instant I was transported back to my senior year of high school.

“Hey Jay, pencil me in on that one,” I said.  Jay looked at me with a shocked expression.

“Sure boss!  Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve just been thinking that I need to get more involved again.  I’ve been a little too behind the scenes.” Pete looked at me and rolled his eyes.

“Oh, okay, no problem.  I’ll send an appointment reminder to your calendar.”

“Thanks Jay.”

While the meeting wrapped up, I sat at the long mahogany conference table and my mind began racing.  I was feeling unsure of myself for the first time in almost two decades.

After graduation, I poured myself into my workouts and preparation for college.  By the time I started my freshman year I had bulked up by about thirty pounds.  It was how I coped with my broken heart and gutted spirit.  When I started school in the fall, I quickly realized my hard work was paying off.  Women were all over me, from other freshman to seniors and even a TA or two took notice.  Being 6’2” and the added bulk had really worked in my favor.  Taking advantage of the situation wasn’t a tough choice for me. 

I wasn’t ready for heart break again, so relationships were off the table, but if they were up for a purely physical connection then I was too.  The advantage of being really smart was that I was a quick study too, so it didn’t take long to become a very skilled lover.  It was just a matter of paying attention to the way a woman moved and listening to what her body said.  I also learned pretty quickly that to avoid emotions getting involved you had to limit the encounters.  I found that three was usually the max.  After that, things got complicated.  I don’t like complicated. 

“That’s all the applications this month,” Jay said.

“Thanks everyone.  As usual, we’ll meet with all the companies, do our research and see which one would be the most beneficial for all parties involved.  Great job everyone,” Pete said, wrapping up the meeting.

Everyone except Pete filed out of the conference room while I continued to sit at the table.  Pete got up and closed the door.

“Stephen, man are you sure about this?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Going to that appointment.”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?

“Don’t shit me Stephen, we both know why?”

“C’mon Pete, that was twenty years ago, I’m fine.”

“So why go?”

“Why not, I didn’t go to any reunions. It’ll be fine,” I lied poorly.

“I’ve known you more than half of your life which means I know when you’re lying.  This will not end well.”

“Pete man, it’s cool.  Seriously, that was a lifetime ago.  I’m a different person.”

“I think you’re stepping into a shitload of trouble boss man.”

“Pete, it’s cool.  I’m not Nick the nerd anymore.”

I went back to my office planning to start on the development phase of a new gaming program for tablets and iPads but I got distracted by memories of over twenty years ago.  I slowly spin my chair around and examined my surroundings.  I had done well for myself since starting up my firm years ago and my office was just one aspect of visual proof.  From the large mahogany desk and high backed leather chair, to the leather couches that I used for smaller meetings with clients that surrounded a glass coffee table and the large window that had a view of the river.  There were paintings and small sculptures sporadically placed by an interior designer that “helped the energy of the room flow.” 

So why did I feel like an eighteen year old boy again.  How could just the mention of her name upset my entire balance?

I opened up my top desk drawer and pulled my phone out to send a text to my on-again, off-again girlfriend Kellie Harrington.  We had been “together” for the last four years, but we were currently in an off phase.  She wanted the marriage, the house and kids’ thing and I wasn’t there.  The idea of marriage was slightly off putting to me.  I’m not all about having to trust someone enough to put all of your time and energy into them and not to mention the emotional connection.  I don’t do emotions.  I let that go a long time ago.  I kept Kellie around because she was gorgeous and she was a phenomenal screw.  Don’t get me wrong, she was good company.  Very intelligent and even witty, plus she had her own life.  She was a pediatric surgeon and on call a lot. 

This was a good thing for me because it meant that I rarely had to worry about her being a clingy nightmare.  The downside was that being around kids all the time was not helping her already ticking biological clock.  I typed.

Stephen: Hey Kel, plans tonight?

I erased it and put my phone back in the drawer.  I really did not want to get back into that, but I needed a distraction.  All I could do was think about Addie.  I jumped on Facebook and look her up.  Over the years I had successfully avoided looking up anyone from high school.  I had no desire to know who married who, who got fat, etc.  That part of my life was locked away, and I thought that I had thrown away the key.  I guess I had only put it under the place mat. 

First, I looked up business Bree Elle Boutique.  From the photos it looked like a nice place.  Pretty upscale but I would expect nothing less from what I remember of her.  I looked through all the pictures but didn’t see her.  She used different models of all sizes, shapes and colors.  Next I looked up her personal page, making the huge assumption that she either wasn’t married or that she would still use her maiden name on her page.  I typed her name into the search bar, moved the cursor to the search button and paused.
What am I doing? Let it go Nick!
  I should have taken my own advice.  Hit clicked on the search button. 

She was really easy to find.  Her picture popped up on the third person down. 
Dammit! She’s gorgeous. 
She looked almost the same as she did twenty years ago, except she was even more beautiful.  She had matured and her features were flawless and she still had that honey-brown skin that I remembered looking so smooth.  Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled as she smiled. And her smile, so big and white and perfect.  She easily could have done a commercial for a dentist or toothpaste company. 

I clicked to open her page.  Her cover photo was of her sitting in a grassy field holding a small child with a golden complexion.  She was a beautiful little girl, maybe around the age of six or seven.  I had no idea.  I wasn’t good at guessing those types of things.  She could have been younger or older for all I knew.  She had caramel colored curls and hazel eyes. She was a striking child, and she looked just like her mother.

I began scrolling through her pictures when there was a knock on my office door.

“I’m sorry to disturb you Mr. Pascarelli.”

“It’s ok Gina, how can I help you,” I asked my receptionist.

“You have a call on line two and you never took the ‘do not disturb’ off of your phone this morning.”

“Oh, right. Ok, thank you Gina.”

“You’re welcome Mr. Pascarelli.”

I closed the Facebook tab so that I could concentrate on whoever was on the phone.

“Good morning Stephen Pascarelli speaking, how can I help you?”

“Nicky! How are you my love?”

“Hi Mom!  You know that you are the only person alive that I allow to call me Nicky anymore.”

“I know, but you’ll always be my Nicky!”

I just shook my head and smiled.

“What’s up Ma?”

“Well, I just wanted to see what you were doing tonight?  I haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks I thought maybe we could have dinner together.”

My mom and I usually had a standing Friday or Sunday date night every other week ever since my Father had passed a few years ago.  It was my way of not only spending time with the most important woman in my life, one of two that had never disappointed me, the other was my second mom Michelle.   I also used that time just to check on her and see how she was doing.  I know she was lonely since my Pop passed and I was worried about her.  We had missed our last date night because the company had taken on a new client and we were slammed.

“I don’t know Ma, I was planning on taking out this hot young brunette,” I chuckled.

“Oh ok, I don’t want to get in the way of your plans.  Do you have a new friend Nicky?”

“I wouldn’t say new, I’ve known her for years actually.  She’s a helluva woman.  I think you’d like her.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, you guys are a lot alike.  She nags me all the time to make sure I’m eating right and getting enough sleep.  Her name is Marion,” I laughed.

“Oh Nicky you rascal, you had me going for a second.”

I laughed even harder.

“C’mon Ma, you know you are the number one woman in my life!”

“I know Nicky and we need to talk about that.  I want grandbabies Nicky!  We need to get you out there dating.  You’re so handsome.  I can’t imagine you have a problem getting a date.”

“I don’t have a problem getting dates Ma.  Can we not do this now? Let’s say seven?  How does the Left Bank sound?”

“You know that’s my favorite!”

“Ok, love you Ma.  See you at seven.”

“Love you. Bye Nicky.”

I disconnected with my mother and quickly called and made a reservation for seven tonight at the restaurant and then opened up the Facebook tab again.  Clicked on the “About” button and began reading all of her information.

Works at Bree Elle Boutique

Studied at Canisus College

Lives in Buffalo, New York

From Buffalo, New York

Single

Single,
I thought. 
Fuck!
A part of me was hoping that she was married with kids so that I could get over this sudden re-sparked fascination. 
Single,
I said again to myself. 
Maybe that’s not a bad thing after all.
  I smirked to myself.  Twenty years later and the girl that broke my heart needed my help.  This might be fun after all.