Chapter #34A Lovers' Quarrel by: Seuzz   Freaking Keith. Can't he keep one blonde Eastman basketball player straight from another? You quickly trot back down the hall, and watch as Straussler and the others descend the staircase, passing a seemingly oblivious Cindy. You follow, but fetch up short when you reach your co-conspirator. "That was fast," she says.
"That was Straussler," you hiss, nodding after the escaping target. "And he wasn't in the bathroom."
"I can't keep these guys straight from each other," she says with a shrug, and you have to stop yourself from throttling her. "Come on, let's just get someone and go."
"I can't just mug someone," you retort, "not with so many people around."
"So take someone off alone," she retorts in her own turn. "You're making this too hard."
"Let's just go out to the car," you say, and grasp her by the forearm. She pulls away. "We'll wait for someone to come out and get them then."
"Fine. Whatever." She stalks on ahead of you.
The Carlsons have a big house, set away from the other big houses in their area, so there's plenty of room for the many vehicles parked in front of it. You'd managed to snag a good place right in front, though, so anyone coming out will have to pass your truck as they leave. Probably it'll be awhile, but that's okay. A little talk with Keith won't go amiss. "I don't know why you keep fighting me," you growl as you get in the cab.
"You're the one who's fighting me," he says. "I just want to do this job and get it over with."
"You think I don't? I'm the one who's supposed to be getting someone. You're just supposed to help, and you're not."
"I'm trying to tell you how to do it!"
"And I don't appreciate it! This would be lot less aggravating if you weren't acting like such a bitch." Keith crosses his arms and stares stonily ahead. "You're being too much in character. Was Cindy on the rag when you copied her?"
That provokes him into turning on you. "And you're feeling cock-blocked! I know what you want, Will! You want me to spread my legs and let you fuck me! You wanted it yesterday, and got all pissy because I wouldn't play along!"
"I don't want to fuck you! Fuck you up, maybe, a little," you add in an undertone. "But I can't look at you without seeing Keith Tilley, and believe me, that kills a boner pretty fucking fast."
His face freezes, and then slowly melts into a poisonously sweet smile. "Are you saying it's not a turn on when I do this?" Gently, he cups and lifts one of Cindy's breasts. "Don't you want to touch this? Don't you want to peel back my shirt and take it out and kiss and suck on it? Make the nipple hard?"
"Gaaah!" You rear back and slam the steering wheel. "Yes, I want that! I want inside your panties, but not when it's you inside them! Are you saying you'd want to fuck me if I were dressed up as Cindy?"
"Fuckin' A, man, that's exactly what I'd want to do. And I wouldn't, because I'd know it was your ugly face underneath. It would make me crazy, and it's making you crazy!"
"Fuck you!" you exclaim. "And I know what's driving you crazy. You can't stand Seth, and you can't stand being next to him and having to play like you're the horny girlfriend who's fucking him every afternoon, even though that's exactly what they're doing!" Keith turns very red. "You know that for a fact, dude. Right now, the two of them are off someplace and Seth is—" You arch your back and thrust your pelvis at the steering wheel "—all over Cindy's face. The face you're wearing right now! So you've got that going through your head and it—"
"I don't have to listen to this," Keith snarls as he yanks the door open. "Go home. I'll stay here and do your fucking job for you!"
But you grab him and pull him back so hard he yelps. "Stop it! You're hurting me!"
"Damn right I am! I'm the one who's supposed to be doing this job. You weren't even supposed to be part of this team!"
He snarls at you, and you ward off a wayward blow of a dainty hand.
"Look, just calm down!" you yell. His eyes are wide and staring, and his nostrils flare, but you force yourself to cool off. "If you want to leave, you can leave. I'll stay here and finish the job. And I'll stay as Cindy. How about that?"
The improvised offer catches your friend off guard, and he peers at you suspiciously.
"Yeah. I don't have to do this job while being Seth. In fact—" You struggle to say the words. "You're right, all the stuff you were saying. Maybe these masks are wrong for us, on this job. Maybe I should be Cindy and you should be Seth. Things couldn't be any more fucked up for us if we swapped."
Keith lowers his eyes.
"So, how about we swap," you continue. "You take my truck and leave, and I'll go back in as Cindy. I'll get someone, and then get a ride back to Westside." You smile crookedly at him. "That's what you wanted to do yesterday, to Patterson, right? Prank him by swapping masks?"
"Okay, that's not a bad idea," he grumbles. "And I won't take off and leave you in the lurch." He pulls the door closed, and reaches for his face, then pauses. "We should do it separately, so that one of us is awake if someone comes out."
"Sure," you say. "I'll go first, since you probably want to make Seth go away as fast as possible." He smiles faintly at that, and you slide down into the foot well, so you'll be hidden from view as you take your mask off.
* * * * *
You feel strangely calm as you awake; all the churning, violent emotions you'd been feeling are now only dim and abstract memories. You know what you were feeling, but for the life of you can't see why you should have been so worked up. You sniff and shake your head. Maybe it was all Javits' fault. You look up with a smile at Keith.
But his back is to you. He's sitting up on his knees and turned toward the truck window. The window is down and—
To your shock, you realize he is embracing and kissing someone, pulling them in tight. Cindy's long, straight hair sways lightly as his head shifts and bobbles. You crane to see past him, but can't make out who he is so lustfully engaged with. "Dude?" you croak.
Without turning or breaking off, he raises a warning hand, and continues to deeply kiss the other person. You remain lodged down out of sight, watching with increasing discomfort. The fuck is going on?
After a few minutes, Keith breaks off and releases the other person. Before you can catch sight of their face, they slip down out of sight. Quick as a flash, Keith opens the door and hops out. You raise yourself to watch, but can only see that he has grasped something heavy and is tugging it along the ground. Then he hops back into the cab. "Punch this sucker and let's get out of here," he says. "Go, now!" he shouts as you gape. You swallow, turn the key, engage the clutch, and pop out into the street.
"The fuck was that?" you gasp after you're half a block away.
"Sorry," he says. "I just saw the chance and grabbed it while you were out. Don't worry, we'll chalk it up as one of your kills." He holds up a mask. "Some dude came out, so I called him over. Rolled down the window and slapped this puppy on him as he came up."
"And that kissing?"
"I had to hold him up, keep him from falling over."
"Who was it?"
"Beats me." He turns the mask over. "Timothy Travis Johnson, it says. Is he a basketball player?"
"I dunno. Was he tall?"
"Pretty tall. Not much of a kisser, but then he was unconscious."
* * * * *
"Is Patterson here?" you ask as you step into the VIP room. You regret not calling, and still more regret not knocking, for Gordon Black is the only person in evidence. Luckily, he is dressed, and Chelsea is not in evidence. If she had been—
"No," Gordon says brusquely, and looks back down at his work. He's got a mask in his lap, and you recognize that he is painting its inside with sealant. "Get out."
"Sure. I just came to drop off the latest mask." You hold it out uncertainly. "Timothy Johnson. Uh, basketball player at Eastman?" Gordon grunts, so you guess Keith managed to grab an acceptable target. "I guess I should leave it here for you to finish up?"
He looks up with a frown, and you find you can't look away from his hard gaze. You stare at each other, and his frown turns into a sneer.
"I don't know why the fuck I should get stuck with the scut work," he says softly. "That should be your job."
"Yeah, well, my job is getting you guys the masks, I think," you stammer.
"Don't tell me your job," he growls back. "I'm running this show, just as much as Steve-o, and if I say your job is to do mine—" He clambers to his feet and drops his work onto the mat. "You know how to do this shit, right?" You gulp and nod. "Then do it. Finish up that one, then do yours." He pushes past you. "Lock up when you're done."
A tremble passes through you after he's gone. Well, if those are your orders. You bend down and pick up the mask he was working on: CASSANDRA SUSAN HARPER. Whoa. Cassie Harper?
You sigh and glance around, then do a double take: The super-secret cabinet is unlocked. | Members who added to this interactive
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