Page 5 of The Mare Rider of Cornwall Cove
“Wow, you look really nice. You ready to roll?” Phil asked, and I nodded, leaving my room in a shambles. We’d pick up later.
“Ta! Do have fun, you two young lovers. Oh, to be attending a soiree with libations and rich foods. I do so miss sipping a glass of fine Madeira while tucking into a roasted pig served with several sides followed by some spotted dick. Mm, speaking of dicks—”
“No, do not say it.” I made my way to the door as Reggie tee-heed behind me.
“Is Reg being naughty?” Phil asked as we made our way through the quiet living room to get our coats from the closet by the front door. Grandpa and Monique were out this evening as well, attending a party at the senior center. Something about swinging Saturday with a Glenn Miller tribute band. Personally, I’d rather have gone with them to jitterbug the night away than head to the chem house. I just knew it would be uncomfortable for me, but Phil was a huge part of their team. He had scored the winning touchdown that secured them the win as well, so I was kind of expected to attend. Phil would be upset if I bailed. The things we do for love.
“He’s talking about spotted dick,” I explained as I shrugged into my heavy winter coat.
“They make a cream for that,” he commented while wrapping the bright yellow scarf Monique had knitted him for Christmas around his neck.
I had to smile. “No, spotted dick is a dessert.” He paused in scarf wrapping to look at me, totally lost. “It’s British. I think it’s made from suet and—”
“Like the stuff you hang out for the birds to eat?!”
“Oh well, maybe back in ye olden days, but I’m sure they have other fat substitutes now.”
He grinned and then bent down to kiss me on the mouth. I teetered into his arms, licking at his lips until he opened with a soft moan that made my unspotted dick kick.
“You’re so smart. I wish I knew all that you know,” he whispered into my mouth as he palmed my ass. Firm, hard squeezes that sent zings of want to my balls.
“I’m not really that smart. I just read a lot. Useless trivia floats around my head and—” I rolled my hips to press my cock into his pelvis. “You sure you want to go to this party? We can stay home. The apartment is empty. We can have our own Saturday night party that starts with my dick in your ass.”
“I love the sound of that, but the guys are expecting me.” He rubbed his nose against mine and slowly stepped back, his hold on my butt falling away. “It’ll be fun. When we come home, we can shoot off our own popper things.”
I forced a smile. “I can’t wait to shoot my popper thing off.”
That made him chuckle as he took my hand. Down into the bookstore we went, passing around a display of used mysteries gathering dust. I’d lowered them to half price to try to get them moving, but business was slow now that the holidays had passed. With no classes in session, the college students weren’t rolling in as they had right after Halloween. Some of that wasjust the way it was, and some of it was that the excitement of our first big episode was waning. Roxie undoubtedly had plenty of killer ideas. Maybe if I were lucky, I could hide in a closet all night and not have to be inundated with cool thoughts on how to risk my skinny neck to get views. I liked doing the easy stuff. It was…well, easy. Simple seances without any gripping trauma were my cup of tea. Sissy? Maybe…but sharing your body with a spirit was exhausting in ways that those who didn’t possess the seeing eye could never fully grasp.
“You’re really quiet,” Phil said as we loaded into his truck to head to frat row.
“Sorry,” I whispered while buckling my seatbelt. “I was thinking about Aradia and that night at the lake.”
“That was the most scared I’ve ever been, no lie. I was so worried about you. That was one angry woman.” He sat back in his seat, his alabaster skin looking a shade paler. I knew that whole encounter had shaken him more than he had confessed. Hearing him say it now made me feel closer to him. “I hope we never have to face a ghost that pissed off again.”
“Me too,” I said softly and did my best to lead us from this dark, depressing topic to something more party-minded. “I think tonight will be fun.”
He gave me a side-eye that said he wasn’t totally believing me, but he was thankful that I was giving it the good old college try as they used to say in the old days. He cranked up a playlist of his, a loud offering of ’80s tunes—today’s choice was the1984album—as we rode along. Phil was, as he liked to say, in his Van Halen era. Not that I objected. The music was hard rock with killer guitar riffs and a sexy lead singer. I did have a thing for blonds.
We crawled along through the wintry streets and into the designated village set aside for frats and sorority houses. Greek Row, it was sometimes called. I’d never been here. Ever. I tended to keep well away from this kind of elite nonsense. I wasn’t richor well-connected. My GPA was middle of the road. And…I was gay. Sure, the houses were supposedly welcoming to all, but way out here in Liverswell, that inclusivity was hard to find. There had been talk about setting up an LGBTQ group, but that fell through due to a lack of queer students. Maybe someday, but for now, a lot of the Greek life on campus was not exactly welcoming to gay kids.
We pulled up in front of a huge house, white as the snow, with pillars and a blue door. The winter wind tugged hard at the flag with the house’s Greek letters. The street was packed with cars, but we found a spot in front of a sorority with a stately brick Georgia exterior.
“Wow, money talks,” I murmured as I eyed all the massive houses.
“I guess so,” he replied before giving me a look that I had trouble reading. “If anyone gives you any trouble, I will pound them into suet and make a spotted dick dessert for Reggie out of their smashed remains.”
I leaned over to kiss him on the lips. “Thank you. I’m sure it will be fine. Let’s go play some beer pong!”
He seemed to brighten a little then. We left the truck to trudge back to the chem house. The thump-thump-thump of a deep bass reverberated down the quiet street. I glanced up at the edifice of the white home and saw a figure moving past the dormer window just under the peak of the roof. I paused on the sidewalk, staring at the shadow, for that was what it was. The foggy shape glowed soft yellow. A ghost in the frat house. Huh. That was interesting. Did they die here, or did they opt to stay as a guardian of sorts?
The front door flew open, pulling my sight away from the presence to the present. Music so loud it rattled my fillings pulsed out the front door as did four guys in nothing but boxers and flip-flops. I knew their faces. They were teammates of Phil’s.And they wereripped.As soon as they spied Phil, they were all over him, drunkenly hugging him, beating on his back, going chest to chest as they brayed like wild apes.
They pulled Phil inside, his gaze moving to me as they dragged him into the chaos. I slipped inside, closed the door, and gave the rich interior a quick look. This place screamed upper class. I couldn’t even afford the doormat outside. Moving through the crowd of huge men and thin women, I made my way to the kitchen where I found Roxie chatting with a few other girls in team jerseys. They all saw me, squealed, and gave me a royal welcome. Kisses on the cheeks, big hugs, and comments about how my shirt made my dark eyes look like candy. It was nice to be accepted in such a foreign place.
“Now that you’re here,” Roxie said as she placed a cup of what appeared to be a pink punch with bits of fruit in it into my hand, “and the girls have fawned, we need to talk.”
I nodded, took a sip of the punch and nearly choked on the amount of vodka in it. I discreetly set it aside. Not that I was a prude. Far from it. I enjoyed a cocktail as much as the next college sophomore, but not in public. Alcohol loosened inhibitions. It also made me much more lax about guarding myself against spirits with ill intent. Taking a child into me had been draining enough, and she willingly left. Having to get exorcised? No thanks. I’d be the DD and be thankful for the sobriety should I run into a pissed-off demon. Which reminded me I had to check in with the neighbors and the twins as much as I didn’t want to.
