Erotic Influence (2 page)

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He was about to come, knew better than to not warn Wes, but
all he could do was grit his teeth. The pleasure spiked through his balls as
they tightened. He arched his back ever so slightly, the only warning he could
give his friend. Then he hollered Annie’s name as semen shot from his cock. In
his mind’s eye he had just pushed into the most perfect pussy he’d ever seen
and it gripped him with satisfying strength.

“Fuck.”

Rick opened his eyes and looked down at the mess on his hand
and stomach. He panted out a breath and glanced at Wes, expecting anger or
annoyance. To his surprise his friend wasn’t even looking at him. He was
watching Lynn where she stood a few feet away.

“Sorry about that, man,” Rick said.

Wes grinned at him. “Not a problem. I got the shots I
needed.”

“Yeah? Good.”

Wes started packing away his equipment and Rick stood. He
looked around until finding the towel he’d donned earlier and cleaned himself
up. Lynn hadn’t moved. She was standing near the front door watching both men.
Rick often wondered if she enjoyed watching other men jack off for her
husband’s art.

“So,” she finally said. “Who is Annie?”

Rick cursed under his breath and turned away. “I need to
take another shower.”

Wes and Lynn’s quiet laughter followed him out of the room.
Once he was clean again he dressed and went back to the living room. All the
equipment had been put away with the exception of Wes’ laptop. He had the shots
he’d just taken uploaded and waiting for Rick’s inspection. One thing Rick
liked most about Wes was his ability to take constructive criticism, especially
from the models. Few photographers were known for that.

“Here they are. Ready to take a look?” Wes asked.

Rick nodded and took a seat beside him on the sofa. Lynn was
on Wes’ other side, cuddled up against her husband. They were always a
demonstrative couple but it never made Rick uncomfortable. If anything he liked
the visual proof of their devotion to each other. He’d known Wes since before
his marriage to Lynn and was happy his friend had found her.

“I think you look great in black and white,” she said.

Rick smiled and nodded his thanks. Wes said nothing. He knew
she was looking at the photos with a critical eye rather than to ogle another
man’s body. Wes slowly flipped through the photos.

“Wait,” Rick said.

Wes clicked back to the previous photo that showed Rick with
his head thrown back so he was only visible from the chin down. One hand was
covered in his seed and still gripping his cock. The other was reaching out as
if to grab on to someone beyond the camera’s eye. Rick knew exactly whom he had
been reaching for.

“I think that one’s my favorite,” Lynn said.

Wes nodded. “I agree. It’s very powerful. Passionate.”

Rick swallowed down his protests. It was a great photo and
if it had been anyone but him, he would agree with both of them. But it was so
raw and…personal. He had certainly had some racier photos taken than this, but
this one really struck him somehow. It was the embodiment of the ache he felt
for Annie. One he hadn’t been willing to acknowledge before now.

“Yeah…I guess you’re right,” he finally said.

He saw Wes watching him from the corner of his eye but
refused to make eye contact. His friend knew him too well and might ask
questions Rick wasn’t prepared to answer yet. Instead he stood and headed for
the kitchen.

“I need another beer. How about you two?”

“Sure,” Wes said.

“Water for me, please,” Lynn answered.

Rick grabbed the drinks and returned to the living room.
After handing them out, he sat back down and took a drink. Then he looked at
Lynn with a brow raised. “Are you the designated driver today? I’ve got the
wine you like.”

She smiled and a slight blush painted her cheeks as she
looked at Wes. He just shrugged as if answering an unspoken question.

“Well,” Lynn said as she returned her attention to Rick. “My
drinking days are on hold for a few months. I’m pregnant.”

Rick nearly choked on his beer. “Pregnant? Wow.
Congratulations.” He slapped Wes lightly on the shoulder.

“Thanks, man,” Wes said with a smile. “We’re absolutely
ecstatic.”

Rick nodded. “I’ll bet. When are you due?”

“October eighth,” Lynn said.

“So you’re not too far along yet?”

“About twelve weeks.”

“Wow.”

Rick sat back and finished his beer. They all seemed to be
lost in their own thoughts. As soon as Rick was done he turned to Wes again. “So
once the baby is old enough to understand what he or she is seeing, you gonna stop
all this?” He waved a hand at the laptop where his image was still glaring from
the screen.

Lynn laughed as Wes gave a noncommittal shrug. “I don’t
know. Probably.”

“I told him he doesn’t have to,” Lynn said. “We can always
separate our home from the studio so the two aren’t intertwined like they are
now.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Rick said.

Wes drank his beer in silence as if he didn’t want to talk
about it. Rick decided to let it drop. He stood and stretched before grabbing
his empty bottle. Wes held his up to him as well and Rick took them to the
kitchen trash can.

“So, you okay with me using this image?” Wes asked.

Rick thought it over as he returned to the living room. He
ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, it’s cool. It just kind of took me off
guard. I don’t remember that moment.”

If either knew he was lying they were polite enough not to
call him on it. Instead Wes closed the program and shut down his computer. “All
right, good. I’m going to do a little touch-up on the lighting for a couple of
them then send them on.”

“All right.”

Wes stood and gathered his laptop. Then he held a hand out
for Lynn. She took it and stood, then gave Rick a hug.

“Good seeing you,” she said.

“You too. Keep me updated on the baby.”

She smiled and gave a nod as Wes held out his hand. “I’ll
call you if there’s more work.”

They shook. “All right.”

Rick walked them out to their car and watched them drive
away. As the lights disappeared around the bend he glanced across the street.
The blinds in one of the windows swayed as if someone had just dropped them
back into place. He wanted to think it was Annie, but knew Tammy watching him
was much more likely. With a sigh he returned to his living room and turned on
the sports channel.

* * * * *

Annie sat back with a shiver and curled up beneath her
blanket. She knew the couple who had just left were together but didn’t like
the way the woman always touched Rick. A slender hand on his arm or a hug that
lasted a bit too long. There was always something between them. This time Rick
had kissed her cheek when they arrived. She was just happy he hadn’t done it
again when they left.

She rolled away from her window and picked up the romance
novel she’d been reading. In her imagination Rick had the starring role of the
lonely pirate who had kidnapped the mayor’s daughter. She, of course, was the
daughter. A misunderstood young woman with more strength than wits and a
fearlessness Annie had never known and probably never would. She was even
afraid of the ocean, so there was no way she could take up with a pirate.

Usually she could get lost in the story within the first few
words, but tonight it was Rick’s words that haunted her.

I wouldn’t mind sitting and watching a movie with
you
sometime.

She knew he had probably been joking. There was no way a plain
girl like her could hope to grab the attention of a guy like him. Over six feet
of muscle, charm and sex appeal usually wrapped in denim and a tight t-shirt.
What the hell would a guy like him see in her? She certainly couldn’t blame her
little sister for spending all her free time on his porch.

The thought of Tammy had Annie closing her book. She had
watched her sister walk into the house but hadn’t heard a peep from her since.
With a groan she got up from her comfy spot and dropped her book on the bed.
Tammy hadn’t changed since she was a toddler. If she was too quiet it certainly
meant trouble.

Annie checked her bedroom first and when that was empty went
through the rest of the small trailer. Their dad was asleep on his recliner in
front of the TV. A game show was blaring loud enough the neighbors could
probably play along. Tammy wasn’t in their dad’s room or the kitchen. Annie
checked the small wash room and found the back door slightly open.

“Damn it, Tammy.”

She hurried back to her room to grab her shoes and hoodie.
It was April and the weather was humid as ever in Houston, but Annie just
couldn’t bring herself to leave her armor behind. Even on the hottest days she
used her clothes to hide from the world.

She donned them in the wash room and left out the back door.
A quick look around proved Tammy wasn’t in the backyard. She could be damn near
anywhere. Annie shoved her hands into her pockets and set out to walk around
the neighborhood, cursing under her breath the whole time. It seemed she spent most
of her life running after her wayward sister. Some days she wanted to just let
her go where she would and deal with the consequences. But in the end she
simply couldn’t. Their mom had left them when Annie was ten and Tammy five.
Annie had immediately taken over and not stopped being the mom of the house
ever since.

Now as she headed for the lake at the center of their small
neighborhood she almost wished she could just let it go. Being responsible for
Tammy was a full-time job.

Rick grabbed another beer, knowing he should eat something
before moving on to a fourth. His stomach rumbled in agreement but he ignored
it as he stepped onto his back porch. He was still haunted by that last image.
What would it be like to see it life-size and hanging on a gallery wall? He
wondered if he could get Annie to go to the unveiling with him. He laughed at
that thought, knowing she probably wouldn’t even cross the street with him. As
he took another drink of beer something moved at the edge of his sight. He
turned to glance that way, then did a double take as he realized who it was.
Annie, in the flesh.

She hadn’t seen him yet. She was picking her way through the
overgrown yard next door and grumbling under her breath. He couldn’t make out a
single word but the anger on her face was obvious. He set his beer down on the
porch railing and walked out into his yard.

“Hey, everything all right?” he called out.

She froze and slowly turned her head his way. Her eyes
widened and she simply stared at him for a moment. He took the opportunity to
close the distance and was happy when she didn’t run away.

“H-have you seen my sister?” she asked.

Her voice was quiet as ever but with nothing but chirping in
the air he heard her clearly. He shook his head. “Nope.”

“I’m going to see if she’s at the lake.”

He glanced at the tree line that separated his backyard from
the lake. Through the limbs he could see a hint of the fading sunlight
reflecting off the water. It would be dark soon.

“Let me grab a flashlight and I’ll go with you,” he said.

She looked as if she was about to protest so he turned and
hurried to his porch. As he ran up the steps and into his house he prayed she
would still be there when he returned. He found a flashlight quickly and went
back out. She had waited. Seeing her standing there watching for him made him
smile. She didn’t smile back but he wasn’t offended. He would learn how to make
her smile one day soon.

It took just over an hour for them to circle the lake.
Though it wasn’t very big, it was deep and fed by a creek that ran in from Lake
Houston. Most of the yards that backed up to it were overgrown slightly at the
water’s edge. They’d had to wade into the waterline in some spots to get around
the brush.

“Well, she’s not in the water,” Rick said. “Where else could
she be?”

Annie shrugged as she looked over the lake again with a sigh
of frustration. “Anywhere really. That girl just can’t stay put.”

“What about at that Waverly boy’s house?”

She stared at him in surprise, fighting the insane urge to
laugh. Nothing about this was very funny. If their dad woke up and found them
both gone he wouldn’t worry much. But if she returned home alone and couldn’t
tell him where her sister was all hell would break loose.

“How do you know about Jon?”

He shrugged his broad shoulders and momentarily distracted
her. “She talks about him enough. The other day when I was washing my car she
spent the entire time telling me how Jon does it.”

He grinned and she wanted to melt at his feet. It really
wasn’t fair for him to be so damn hot. “Oh. Uh…I think she likes him but he
kind of blows her off.”

Rick’s grin disappeared. “Damn. Now I really feel like shit.
I guess I kind of blow her off too. I just don’t want your old man getting
pissed at me.”

She shrugged and moved away from the water’s edge. He
immediately walked up beside her, shining his flashlight along the path they’d
made in the high grass.

“She knows better than to bother you. Our dad has already
told her numerous times.”

“Yeah? What has he said about me?”

She didn’t want to tell him the whole truth, so she tried to
think of something neutral. “Um…well, he’s said you’re probably too busy to
hang out with a teenage girl and she should find friends her own age. He told
her to leave you alone.”

“I really don’t mind talking to your sister but I’m not
comfortable allowing her into my house. For one thing, that could give people
the wrong idea. For another, I have things in my house that shouldn’t be seen
by an underage girl.”

That shut her up for a moment. What could he possibly have
that Tammy wouldn’t be allowed to see? At first images of guns and bloody
weapons sprang into her imagination. Then as she really thought about it they
morphed into whips and chains. She couldn’t decide which would be worse.

“Oh.”

They returned to his back porch in silence and he stood
watching her as she tried to decide what to do next. The sun had already
dropped and it was time to get dinner on the table. She prayed her sister had
returned home in her absence. She thought again about what Rick might be hiding
and heat filled her face.

“So what are you going to do?” he asked.

She shook herself from the curiosity of what was hidden in
his house and finally turned to face him. She’d been avoiding it up to now. “Go
home, I guess. She’s grounded from her cell phone so she can’t call anyone to
pick her up. I’m hoping that means she stayed close by. I’ll call Jon’s house
to see if she’s there.”

He nodded and set his flashlight on his back porch. Then he
shocked her by gently grabbing her elbow. She went along without a word as he
walked her around the side of his house and to the front yard. He stopped at
the end of the driveway and looked both ways before leading her across the
street.

“If you still can’t find her in an hour give me a call. I’ll
help you go door to door if needed.”

She was at a loss for words until he stopped walking and
turned her to face him again.

“O-okay…thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

With that he finally released her and headed back to his
house. She watched him until he disappeared inside, not remembering until then
that she didn’t know his phone number.

She walked around to the back door and found it locked. That
was a good sign but she didn’t get excited until she reached the other end of
the house and saw Tammy’s bedroom light on. Relief filled her as she all but
ran to the front door. It was locked too but they kept a key under the front
mat. She was inside within seconds.

She stormed to her sister’s room and opened the door. Tammy
lounged diagonally across her bed without a care in the world, flipping through
a fashion magazine.

“Hey, is dinner ready yet?” Tammy asked.

Annie wanted to slap her. She wanted to yell and scream and
rage about her sister’s complete lack of regard for anyone but herself. But she
didn’t. “No. I haven’t started it yet because I was out looking for you.”

A fleeting look of guilt crossed Tammy’s face as she sat up
and dropped her magazine onto the bed. “Why? You know I’m always home on time
for dinner.”

“It was getting late and I didn’t know where you were. I
thought you were at the lake.”

“Oh shit, is that why your pants are all wet?”

Annie looked down to see the bottom three inches of her
jeans were soaked. That brought attention to her socks and shoes, which she had
ignored until then.

“Crap.”

Tammy laughed. “I’ll start the spaghetti while you change.
Dad’s still snoring anyway.”

She brushed past Annie as if everything were settled and
headed for the kitchen. Annie just stood there and stewed in her anger. Would
the girl ever grow up? Probably not and Annie knew she was partly to blame. She
had pampered Tammy just as much, if not more, than their father. It had given
Annie a sense of comfort after their mother left.

She went to her room and pulled off her wet clothes. The
chances of Tammy ever changing were pretty slim, but Annie honestly didn’t know
what to do about it. She wasn’t her mother and every time she tried to act like
it Tammy only grew more defiant. Their dad was no help at all. His stance was
he worked and paid the bills, so everything else was between them. Annie never
pointed out how much she helped with the bills too. He wouldn’t have listened
anyway.

She pulled on dry shorts and threw her wet things into her
hamper. She still wore a thin t-shirt and bra. Barefoot, she walked into the
kitchen and found Tammy stirring spaghetti noodles. Annie grabbed the hamburger
meat and got to work. Soon they had dinner ready and dished out into three
bowls. Annie took their dad’s portion to him and gently shook his shoulder with
her free hand.

“Dad? Dad. Dinner’s ready.”

He sat up with a grunt and shook his head as if trying to
wake up. “Huh? Oh. Thanks.”

As soon as he sat up enough to retract the footrest on his
recliner Tammy set up his TV tray. Annie placed his bowl on it and went back
into the kitchen. Soon all three of them were eating in front of the TV. She
hated it. She remembered how her mom used to insist they eat together as a
family at the kitchen table every night. On weekends they ate breakfast
together too. Her dad always bitched about it but he still did it. As soon as
her mother took off he’d stopped eating at the table and they hadn’t done so
since.

Once dinner was finished Tammy and Annie cleaned the
kitchen. It was the only time they agreed on anything. Annie always washed
while Tammy dried. Their dad had refused to replace the dishwasher when it
broke four years ago. Annie didn’t mind so much. She liked the quiet
camaraderie she shared with her sister at this time of day. It never lasted.

“So, who was out when you went looking for me?” Tammy asked.

Annie ignored her for nearly a full minute to scrub the
spaghetti sauce out of the pan. “No one really. Just the guy across the
street.”

“Oh my god. Rick? Did he ask about me? Was he worried? What
did he say?”

With a sigh Annie handed her sister the gleaming pan and
pulled the stopper from the sink. “He didn’t
say
anything. He grabbed a
flashlight and walked with me.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. He barely speaks to me and he
walks around the whole lake with you?”

Her excited chatter filled the suddenly silent air and Annie
realized their dad had lowered the volume on the TV.

“Will you hush?” she whispered. “Dad will hear you.”

“So? It’s not like you made out with Rick. You just walked
around with him.” Despite Tammy’s defiant stance she had lowered her voice.
“Did he hold your hand?”

Annie frowned and shook her head. “As if. He’s way older
than me.”

“Nu-uh, he’s twenty-five. That’s only two years older.”

“Whatever. A guy like him wouldn’t be interested in someone
like me.”

“Why the hell not? There’s nothing wrong with you.”

Annie turned away from her sister’s frown and busied herself
wiping the counters. Tammy was trying to be nice, amazingly enough. But Annie
knew men didn’t look at her with desire. She’d learned the hard way any
interest they feigned was to get to her little sister.

“I’ll sweep while you do your homework,” Annie finally said.

She didn’t even have to look to know Tammy had probably
rolled her eyes and pouted out her bottom lip. Luckily her little sister
remained mute as she left the kitchen. Annie just wasn’t sure if Tammy honestly
never saw the difference in how guys looked at the two of them or if she was
ignoring it to be supportive. Either way it didn’t change the facts.

Annie’s first real boyfriend hadn’t come along until the
year after she graduated high school. By then Tammy was only fourteen but she
looked much older when she put on makeup. One look at her and Matt had seemed
to forget Annie was even in the room. He’d spent the whole dinner making Tammy
giggle while Annie sat by uncomfortably. Their dad had let her know Matt wasn’t
welcome back and she had broken up with him the next day.

Losing him had hurt more because he hadn’t seemed to care.
He had even asked how old Tammy was
after
Annie called it quits. Her
feelings were hurt and she hadn’t had anyone to talk to about it. Usually she
told Tammy everything but that was one thing she just couldn’t confess. The
only reason it hadn’t been the same at school was because of their age
difference. They had never been in the same school at the same time.

She finished sweeping and put the broom away. Then she
mopped the small kitchen. It was pointless to dwell on the past so she stopped
thinking about it and concentrated on the cleaning. Taking Rick’s words
seriously would be a very bad idea. He was most likely just playing with her
anyway, but this wasn’t the first time. He had invited her over for a barbecue
a month after moving in. Then he had started asking Tammy about her. It made
Annie nervous. What could a guy like him possibly see in boring, plain Annie
May?

* * * * *

Rick stretched as he stood from his lonely bed and scratched
absently at his chest. He looked around for a clean pair of jeans and pulled
them on without bothering to button them. Being Saturday morning, he had no
plans until later. For now he would eat some cereal and plant his ass on the
sofa for some TV time. Just as he stepped out of his room to put plan into
action, a knock sounded on his front door. He groaned and rolled his head on
his shoulders to loosen the tension in his neck before facing Tammy. She was up
early this morning. He didn’t even bother looking through the peephole before
unlocking the door and pulling it open with a frown.

“Uh…hello.”

He froze at the sight of Annie on his doorstep. She hadn’t
opened the glass door but he heard her soft voice clearly. She was dressed for
work in a dark-blue polo and tan slacks. No hoodie in sight, thank god. The
polo fit her slender form well, showcasing her perfect breasts. She wore no
makeup and her golden hair was pulled into a tight ponytail. As usual her
glasses almost hid her pretty eyes. He swallowed hard and ran a hand over his
face.

“Hey,” he said as he opened the glass door. “What’s up?”

She shifted from one foot to the other and finally tilted
her chin up to face him. Her eyes were moist and he was instantly on alert.

“I, uh…I need a favor.”

“You got it. Come in and I’ll finish getting dressed.”

Shock was apparent on her face and she didn’t move. So he
gently grabbed her arm and pulled her into his house. She only went as far as
he moved her before he shut the door. Then she looked at him again with obvious
uncertainty.

“Well…are you sure? You’re not busy?”

“Nope. I just got up. What do you need?”

She twisted her hands together but didn’t look away. He took
that as a good sign.

“Uh…I kinda need a ride to work.”

She had nearly whispered it and he found himself stepping
closer. To his surprise she didn’t step away.

“All right. No problem at all, sweetheart. Just let me grab
a shirt and my shoes.”

She nodded and one of the threatening tears finally fell. He
instinctively reached out to wipe it away and let his finger linger on her
cheek. “Why are you crying?”

She shrugged but held his gaze. “It’s kinda been a stressful
morning.”

Anger filled him so fast he was lightheaded. He suspected
she meant her father had been an ass to her already, but knew better than to
say anything about it. “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

He pulled himself away and hurried to his room to finish
dressing. He brushed his teeth, grabbed his keys and his wallet and walked back
into the living room in less than five minutes. She hadn’t moved an inch. As
far as he could tell she had been watching his doorway and that was probably a
good thing. A closer look at his walls might have her running from the house.

“Ready?” he asked.

She nodded and turned to face the door again but a framed
print on the wall finally caught her attention. She froze.

Rick sighed and ran a hand though his hair as he closed the
distance. He came up behind her slowly but she still didn’t move.

“That’s me. I do modeling for a friend sometimes.” She
remained mute and he slowly laid his hands on her shoulders. He took it as a
good sign when she didn’t flinch or pull away. “I know it’s kind of…different.
Does it bother you?”