Heartless (19 page)

Sheena studied hard, but she frequently went out with Alex
Burlington though she just as often did something with Tony
Zumbro who was in her psychology study group. Moreover,
there were several other young men waiting in the wings.

Sheena cackled about Parker's roommate as she read her
email. Her roommate, Chelsea Rizzio, a five-foot-ten brunette,
hazel-eyed aspiring model, who looked anorexic to Sheena,
asked what was so funny.

"Parker's roommate is gay."
"Really?"
"Yeah, and cross-dresses sometimes."
Chelsea laughed and made a smooching sound toward

Sheena. "Aren't you glad I'm straight? You can send some of
your admirers my way. Sheena, you have men beating your
door down. Why are you stringing Parker along?"

"I'm not. I'm not serious about anybody here."
"Alex is serious about you. You need to watch your step.
The Burlingtons are old money. They're used to getting what
they want. Tony likes you a lot, too. Zumbro—crime
syndicate."

"Just because he has an Italian last name?" Sheena rotated
her chair to face her roommate. "So do you."
"Yeah." Chelsea nodded. "I know who butters my toast."
"Your family has Mob connections?"
"Rizzio. What do you expect?"
"Not all Italians are in the Mob."
"True."
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Chelsea
laughed, "Your date," before she called, "Who is it?"
"Alex."
"Be careful."
"Yes, Mother." Sheena rolled her eyes.

Parker pledged Delta Tau Delta and had no trouble being
initiated. He met Loraine Bellachine, a sophomore sorority girl
in Phi Mu and a little sister for the fraternity. They went out
from time to time. She was nice enough and very attractive.
She had short dark-brown hair and eyes like bitter chocolate.
She was fairly tall at five-foot-nine and thin and flat-chested
compared to Sheena in Parker's opinion, but she was fun to
hang out with.

Parker and Loraine went to homecoming together. He had
to wonder which football player was Dex's love interest. Their
pre-arranged privacy signal, a bright red scrunchie on the
doorknob, had only been in place once. Parker had gone to the
library to research his essay topic. A couple of hours later, the
scrunchie was gone. Parker did not pry. He and Dex got along
well. They hung out as often as either did with some other
friend.

"Oh, it's nothing." He leaned over with his elbows on his
knees. "Do you think any of the football players are gay?"
"Possibly."
"Who?"
"Why?" The girl's voice held a laugh.
"Research."
"Liar. Have you seen one of them with your little prissy
roommate?"
"Dex? He's okay."
"He's gay, isn't he?"
"Why?" Parker gave her a withering look, which did not
faze her.
"Well, if he's not, he should be," Loraine said. "I could
point half a dozen guys his way."
"He has a significant other."
"A football player?" She sat forward with curiosity.
"I've said enough." Parker leaned back in his seat.
"But you don't know which one."
"Stop gossiping."
"My bet would be Marco Priazzo, Rance Thomas, Jovan
Pigot, Roget Thoreau, or Pike Hilton."
He faced her, turning sideways. "What year are they?"
"Are you practicing being a detective?"
"I'm just being nosy. I should stop." He turned back around.
"Marco is a sophomore. Rance, Roget, and Pike are juniors.
Jovan is a senior, and he's black."
"That means something special?" He arched an eyebrow.
Loraine shrugged. "Two strikes."
"Are you racist?"
"No, just an observation." She shivered. "But there are a
couple players who are members of a white supremacist group.
I think the call themselves The Bald Eagles. None in your frat
though."
"Okay." He got very quiet.
After a while, Lorraine said, "I've heard Rance gives new
meaning to the position of tight end."
"That's crude."
"I didn't say it first."
"But you repeated it." Parker shook his head in disapproval.
"Sorry. New topic. Homecoming dance. We're going."
"That sounded like a command."
"It was. You're a pledge. I want to go."
"Pulling rank?"
Both stopped talking and came to their feet cheering with
the crowd as LSU scored a touchdown.
"I'd rather pull something else, but we'd have to skip the
dance," Loraine said, sitting back down.
Parker sat beside her. "Oh. The dance it is."
"You're not gay, are you, Parker?"
"No."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, Sheena."
"Yeah."
"Parker, get a grip. Get a clue. I didn't say I was gonna take
you to bed, but it's on the table. I would like a little
physical
attention."
LSU won the homecoming game, so the parties were lively
and happy. Loraine brought Parker his third Coke. Parker
asked, "Loraine, is the Coke spiked?"
"Why?"
"I feel lightheaded."
"Drink that one, and I'll escort you to your room."
Loraine did go back to Parker's room with him. "Hmmm,"
observed Parker. "If he's in, he's alone."
"How do you know?"
"No scrunchie on the doorknob."
"A signal. How nice."
Parker and Loraine entered. "Nobody's home," she
whispered.
"Apparently."
Loraine closed the door. "This scrunchie?" she asked
indicating the one on the inside doorknob.
"Yep."
Loraine put it on the outside, closed the door, and locked it.
"Is your bed by the window?"
"Yeah."
Loraine took Parker's hand and led him to his bed. They sat
down and she initiated a long, hot, passionate kiss.
"Whoa!" breathed Parker.
"Relax, Parker," coaxed Loraine. "I know your
commitment. We're not gonna have sex. I'll just make you wish
you could."
She slipped off his shirt and unbuttoned his jeans. Her
mouth started on Parker's neck and she worked her way down.
Parker groaned crudely as he stiffened. "I think you like this,"
whispered Loraine.
"Mmm. Come here," Parker requested.
Loraine ran her tongue back up Parker's torso until she
found his mouth. Parker had her completely undressed within
minutes. That night Parker pushed the physical to the edge.

Dexter came in about two o'clock as Parker slept. Parker sat
up when Dex turned on only the lamp on his desk and kept his
back to his roommate.

"Dex? Are you okay?" asked Parker groggily.
"Yeah. Fine," Dexter snapped.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you screw her?"
"What?"
"Did you cheat on Sheena?"
"No."
"Get close?"
"Yeah." Parker sighed heavily.
"Parker, if you put yourself in the path of temptation,

sooner or later you'll give in."
"I don't know if Sheena still wants me. Every time I call
her, she's out with
Alex
."
"So? Was tonight an experiment in revenge?"
"I don't know." He ran fingers through his hair.
Dexter turned around.
"Good God!" gasped Parker. "What happened?"
Wearing only boxers, Parker got out of bed. He went to the
small refrigerator and emptied the ice tray into a washcloth.
"Sit down," he commanded.
Dexter sat gingerly on the edge of his bed, leaning on his
hip and elbow. He ground his teeth and an agonizing groan
escaped his throat.
Parker put the ice on Dexter's right eye first.
"You're touching me," said Dex. "Aren't you afraid you'll
turn gay?"
"No. Don't be ridiculous. Who did this?" Dexter's eye was
black and swollen and his mouth was bleeding.
"It doesn't matter. I broke up with Rance. I don't like being
shared."
"Rance Thomas?"
"Yeah."
"Did he do this?"
"No." The word came out choked.
"Who?"
"Parker, don't get involved." He jerked his head away.
"Hold still." Parker forced his roommate's face back toward
the makeshift icepack. "Dex, I'm not gay, but I
am
your friend.
Who did it?"
"Some of the other football players."
"Is that all they did?"
"No."
"Take off your shirt."
Dexter had trouble slipping off the blue oxford shirt. He
moaned, and unwanted tears escaped his eyes. Beneath his
clothing, Dexter looked as if he had been used for a punching
bag.
Parker could not help but notice that Dex's chest had a
more feminine texture than the average eighteen-year-old male.
"Good grief," he growled. "I'm taking you to a doctor."
"I'm okay."
"I got beat up a few years back. I thought I was okay, but I
lost a kidney. Let's go."
"You gonna force me to go?"
"I'll carry you over my shoulder if I have to. As small as
you are, it won't be hard. Did they rape you?"
Dex gripped his bedspread in anger. "Yeah."
"You can't let it go."
"I have to, Parker. They aren't gay. They just wanted to hurt
me. You know what hurt most?" His voice broke.
"What?"
"Rance acted like he was one of them. I was his bitch all
the way through high school, but he made like he barely knew
me, and I was just a little pansy who had a crush on him. He
didn't hit me, but he didn't stop them. Then, when he took his
turn, he said ugly things. He was just heartless." Dex's lip
trembled.
"You're better off without him. Now, let's get you to a
doctor."
"I won't tell who did it."
"The bastard doesn't love you, Dex, not if he let this happen
to save himself."
Parker dressed quickly, slipped one of his larger hooded,
zipper-front jackets on his roommate, and led Dexter to the
elevator where Loraine got off. "Parker?" she questioned, her
eyes wide.
"Loraine, what do you need?" His tone showed he was not
glad to see her.
"I left my bracelet."
"Can you get it later, please?"
"What happened?"
"Dex had an accident."
"With somebody's fists."
"I need to get him to a doctor. Will you drive us?
Otherwise, I'll have to take him on my motorcycle."
"Sure. I drove over here from the sorority house. My car is
running in the parking lot."
Parker and Loraine got Dexter into the back seat of her car
and took him to the emergency room at Baton Rouge General
Medical Center. He was taken back rather quickly due to the
seriousness of his injuries. As they waited, Parker said,
"Loraine, I like you, but I can't let tonight happen again. A
person can only resist so much temptation."
"You really do love that girl."
"I do."
"You weren't unfaithful, Parker. Is she dating?"
"Yeah."
"Physical?"
"I don't know." He stood and stared out the entrance at the
parking area. An ambulance squealed in with a cardiac arrest.
He watched EMT's doing CPR as they rushed the patient
inside. Feeling a sudden ache, he placed a hand over his own
heart. "I don't want to know."
"You shouldn't have to be alone."
"I almost did something tonight that I promised myself I
wouldn't do except with my wife."
Lorraine came to stand behind him and lowered her voice.
"Are you a virgin, Parker?"
"Yes. By choice."
"Wow!" She stepped back. "Unbelievable in this day.
Sheena's lucky to have you. I would have tonight in a New
York minute if you had just said so. You're one in a million."
"Loraine, you're terrific. If I didn't love Sheena, I'd be with
you in a heartbeat."
"That's sweet." She patted his hand. "Parker, I can be just
friends if that's really all you want."
"I'd like that."
Dexter came out with his ribs in an elastic and Velcro rib
belt. The doctor came with him. "Does either of you know
what happened?" he demanded. "Mr. Marchant refuses to file a
police report."
"It's obvious," said Loraine. "Somebody beat the hell out of
him."
"Do you know who, Miss?"
"No. Dexter, you should tell."
Dex shook his head. "Didn't see their faces."
The doctor said, "Mr. Marchant, just because you're gay
does not give anybody the right to do this to you. This is a hate
crime."
"I'll live."
"It's your choice." The doctor turned to Parker. "See if you
can talk some sense into your friend. In the meantime, make
sure he takes enough pain medication to cough using a pillow
splint and does some deep breathing. I want him back in here
in forty-eight hours. No strenuous activity. If it gets worse, get
back in here."
In the car, Parker said, "The doctor's right."
"Leave it alone, Parker. Thanks for caring, but leave it
alone." Dex refused to talk.
Close to dawn, Parker helped Dexter to bed and gave him a
pain killer the doctor had given him. As he helped his friend
lift his feet onto the bed, he said, "Get some rest. Dex, you
didn't deserve this. We'll talk when we wake up."

While Parker was having a rollercoaster night, Sheena
Johnson was being wined and dined by Alex Burlington. He
never took her to normal college haunts. He was, after all, a
law student.

The weekend before finals, Alex took Sheena to a five-star
restaurant on the Cape. Sheena's family was not poor. They
lived an upper middle class life, possibly a lower upper class
life. Terry Johnson made a six-figure salary with Bertram and
Gautier, and Carol Johnson's second income was in the upper
eighties. Nonetheless, Sheena was not accustomed to eating in
restaurants without prices on the menu.

She asked innocently, "Alex, how can we afford to eat
here?"
Alex laughed. "You don't have to pay for anything,
darling."
"Darling?"
"Ooh, yes."
The chowder, seafood, and steak were exquisite and
incomparable. Sheena ate heartily, but she felt awkward when
Alex refused a doggie bag. They left the restaurant and drove
along the shore. Alex parked. He suggested, "Let's walk and
watch the ocean by full moonlight."
Sheena objected, "It's cold out, Alex."
"Oh, yes." He reached into the almost nonexistent back
seat, not really a seat, just a space for there was nowhere to sit.
"Since you'll probably be very busy with finals, I have your
Christmas gift." He handed her a large box.
"You shouldn't have. I didn't get you anything."
"It doesn't matter, darling. I can afford it. I enjoy doing
things for you. Open it."
Sheena opened the box to find a mink coat. She gasped.
"Alex! This is too much."
"Nonsense. You deserve more. You shouldn't be cold in
that. Walk with me."
As they picked their way carefully along the rocky shore to
sit on a large boulder, and watch the moonrise, Alex cradled
Sheena's hand securely. "Isn't this beautiful?" asked Alex.
"The waves' crashing so ferociously is a little scary. It's
violent."
"A nor'easter is brewing, but tonight is dramatic."
Sheena shivered. Alex put his arm around her. "You're safe
with me." He leaned in and kissed her passionately. "I love
you, Sheena. Check the pocket of the coat."
With her hand shaking, Sheena felt in the coat pocket and
found a ring box. She opened it with apprehension. Inside
rested a spectacular diamond.
"No," breathed Sheena. "No, Alex. I can't marry you."
"I love you, Sheena. I can give you the world."
"I don't want the world, Alex. I want Parker."
"You can't seriously love that little boy. It was a high
school romance. You're a lady, deserving a life of greatness. I
can give that to you."
"Alex, you're sweet. I like you, but I don't
love
you. No, I
can't marry you." Sheena put the ring box in Alex's hand.
"Take me back now. I don't think I should see you anymore. I
can't return your feelings. I won't lead you on."
Alex sighed, but held Sheena's hand as he walked her back
to the car, a red Ferrari Enzo. He opened the door for her as he
brought her back to her dorm. Sheena got out and left the coat
on the seat.
"Your coat," he said.
"Alex, it's too extravagant for a friend."
"Please. I can't take it back."
Sheena exhaled frustration as she looked back at the
garment. She slipped the coat back on and felt the lush fur.
"Thank you. I'll cherish it, but don't do anything else like this.
Good night, Alex."
"Sheena." Alex kissed her again. She tried not respond, but
Alex was an amazing kisser. "I don't give up easily," he
crooned.
"Alex, please. I can't see you again." Splayed fingers on his
chest, she pushed back.
"Are you afraid you'll succumb to my charms?"
"Yes, but it would be only physical."
He rested his hands on her shoulders. "Sheena, have you
ever been with a man?"
"No."
"Not even Parker?"
"No. We agreed to wait."
"Don't wait. Go to the Cape with me for the weekend." He
gestured outward and away with his hand. "We can drive there
right now."
"No! Good night!"
Sheena ran into the dorm. She called Parker. There was no
answer.