Behind the Bushes

          Jane stepped into the hall of the convention center to catch her breath. It was her first day at the exhibit and already she was ready to go home. She had been doing the craft exhibits for almost a year and a half and now wanted it to be over. She was tired of traveling, of sleeping in someone else's bed. She wanted to go home, see her friends, sleep in her own bed, make a home-cooked meal. This was going to be her last exhibit, at least for a while. She decided that the night before, while talking to her friend, Aimee, about some great party she missed.

          Aimee had talked to John about Jane, she had told her that on the phone, but she didn't say what they talked about. Jane liked John, but so did Aimee. Of course, when he brought up Jane she had to emphasize the bad points, if she was going to get John for herself. In her mind she rationalized this betrayal of her friend. Aimee told herself that Jane wouldn't be happy with John. That Jane could get any guy she wanted. But Aimee only wanted one guy, John.

          Jane was swooning after the phone conversation, thinking that John had thought of her and talked about her. It was exhilerating and that more then anything made her want to jump in her car and drive home right that minute. She knew she wouldn't of course, but it was fun to imagine that.

          Jane and Aimee had shared an apartment since high school graduation. It had been three years, Aimee was going to college part time and working at an office full time. Jane chose to start her own craft business. Her store was doing pretty well, now anyway. In the beginning it wasn't so good. That's why she decided to let her sister run the store while she went to the exhibits to promote her store. Initially it was only local exhibits, but as her popularity grew, so did her travel range.

          That night when the exhibit ended she had ten more invitations. She politely declined them all -- explaining she had a store to run back home -- and began putting the remaining items into their own boxes. Luckily there were only two boxes remaining. She fumbled her way out to the car and tossed them in the trunk, anxious to get on the road.

          Jane was only about a hundred miles from home this time. It would only take about an hour and a half to two hours, depending on how many stops she made, to get home. She turned on the radio and sang along with the music.

          Aimee called John and invited him to dinner. He reluctantly agreed and came to her apartment. Aimee wasn't that into cooking so she cooked the only thing she could make without burning something. Spaghetti. It was a good spaghetti too. Not a great one, but good. She figured if she could get to know John better, she could blow Jane out of the picture.

          Jane stopped at a 7-11 and filled up on gas, emptied her bladder and filled a soda cup. She did this all in the course of ten minutes and without noticing the man in the corner. He was tall, inconspicuous, blue eyes, long black hair. He took in Jane like a breath of air.

          After paying for the soda, Jane hopped in her car. She was excited about getting home. It was only 6:30 pm, maybe they would have time to hit the clubs tonight. If Aimee didn't have other plans that was. She really wasn't expecting Jane tonight. Jane was supposed to stay over another night, but the thought of sleeping in another hotel room just made her cringe.

          Aimee was dishing out the spaghetti and making small talk when the phone rang. She was too involved with John at that point and decided to let it ring. John asked if she was going to get that but she waived him off and asked him to continue his story.

          "Well, I was initially going to major in Marine Biology, but the summer before my senior year, I went on a trip. We ended up way off course. We were going to go to the beach, but we ended up in front of this museum. We weren't far off course, could have turned around and been at the beach in minutes really. We just took a wrong turn, but I tell Mark, you know, let's go in and check it out. I mean the beach will be there when we get out right. So Mark and I go in and we see this exhibit on ancient man.

          "It is this cave man and woman and a baby, they are all sitting around a fire, in their animal furs and I start thinking about what it must have been like to live in those days. We know so little about what life was really like. I mean we all have some theories, but no one really knows, you know? So I decided I wanted to be an Anthropologist."

          "Wow, that is fascinating." Aimee feigned.

          Jane was just an hour away now and she was getting excited. She could almost taste the tequila on her lips and feel the salt between her thumb and pointer. She could feel the dance floor vibrating with the movements of a hundred wriggling bodies. Oh, she couldn't wait to hit the club tonight.

          As she got closer, she decided she should stop and let Aimee know she was coming so that she could be ready for their night on the town. Jane stopped at a convenience store, the Circle K, and went inside. She picked up a Snickers and put her dollar on the counter. A man walked in the door. Brilliant blue eyes and long black hair. He's kind of cute, Jane thought.

          Jane brushed by the man and felt sparks. His touch was just electrifying. Naughtily she thought that if just a brush of him produced that reaction could you imagine the reaction in bed. She giggled a little, made eye contact and headed out the door. Standing at the pay phone it didn't even bother her that she stood there for five minutes with the phone just ringing. She watched the man with the eyes walk out of the store and get in a blue chevy cavalier. He didn't pull away though. He looked like he was writing something or maybe reading something.

          It wasn't until Jane got in the car that she was irritated that Aimee didn't answer. She calmed down after thinking that she may have gone to the store or may just be in the shower where she can't hear the phone. Only 30 minutes to go, Jane thought as she turned the radio to full blast.

          The radio was so loud and the only thing she was thinking about was getting home and then to the club that she didn't notice the blue cavelier behind her. It wasn't close behind her, but definately behind her. Occasionally a car would come between them, but he was never far behind.

          Aimee was getting quite cozy with John. He had two glasses of wine and though he wasn't drunk he was feeling pretty good. Aimee put her hand on his knee and she could see the flush in his face. She leaned closer and moved her hand up his thigh. It was something no man could resist. She leaned in for the kiss or kill, depending on how you look at it. Aimee slowly walked/kissed/undressed him back to her room and they continued the festivities in a bed of silk.

          John wanted to resist, he wasn't really into Aimee, but she had an outrageous bod. He tried, but in the end he gave in to his more primitive side. He matched her vivacity with his own. Pretty soon he was just as anxious about the turn of events as she was. He was pumping hard, not thinking of anything but how good it felt. Not who he was with, but that it felt good to him. He wouldn't have noticed a female chimp if it made him feel like this.

          Jane pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building and bent over to get her purse from the passenger floor. As she was bent over she didn't see the blue cavelier pull into a space behind her. She gathered her things and headed up to the third floor. Outside the door, she thought she heard a scream. She thought that something was happening to Aimee. Oh, my gosh, Jane thought, that's why she didn't answer the phone. She quickly put her key in the door and pushed and ran at the same time, flinging the door open. The door which hid the screams.

          As the sight registered with her she dropped her purse and all the papers in her hands. Her hands went to her mouth to hold in a scream that almost escaped. Jane quickly slammed the door and ran to her room.

          That little slut, she thought. She was supposed to be my friend. Jane pounded her pillow as she tried to get a grip on her anger. No wonder Aimee was so thrilled about me staying another night. No wonder she tried to convince me that after the exhibit I would be too tired to drive and it would be best for me if I just stayed another night. She knew I liked him, knew I was interested in John, how could she do this to me? All these thoughts circulated in her mind, growing and getting stronger. Some friend, she hit the wall.

          Aimee and John jumped and quickly got dressed. John was just as angry as Jane. His intentions were to get Jane, not screw Aimee. He was mad at himself for his moment of weakness, but also at Aimee for seducing him. He's a man, every woman knows a man can't turn down sex, especially after a few drinks. John opened the door to leave the bedroom and stood in the hall.

          "Jane, I'm sorry. I came over here for you, not Aimee, I never meant for this to happen." Thump, something hit her bedroom door. "I am going home now. I will call you after you calm down and maybe we can work something out." John put his baseball cap on and walked out the front door.

          As John fled down the steps he passed a man that seemed to emit static electricity. John's hair on his arms stood on end and as soon as he was at his car it was gone. The only thing he could remember about him was the ice blue eyes.








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