Page 44 of Melt With You

‘I know this …’ She started to kiss him.

‘Let me wash off my war paint, okay?’ He motioned to the stripes of color on his cheeks. He and his band had taken that little bit of their look from Adam Ant.

‘No.’ She wouldn’t let him. ‘I want you like that.’

He grinned at her, seeming surprised. Up until now, he had always been the one to take charge, the one to set the pace and the tone of their interactions. But now, Dori was stalking him. Was moving forward, so that he had to back up against the wall, her hands all over him.

What had gotten into her?

Maybe it was the sexy outfit she was wearing, navy-blue fishnet stockings and an ultra-short skirt that clung to her hips, very like the skirt Bette had been wearing on Dori’s first day back to the 80s. Or maybe the new haircut served as inspiration. She’d worn the short hairdo spiky the way Nina had shown her, so that the cobalt blue tips really popped against the glossy black.

Or maybe it was the new tattoo, emblazoned on her lower back, right below the waistband, where he would see it when he pulled down her skirt.

Or maybe it was simply because Van looked so edible up on the stage. Something you would want to devour. Fuck what Bette said. She was never hungry afterwards. He always filled her up.

Whatever the reason, she found herself pressing her body to his, kissing his mouth, his neck, pulling open his shirt to lick in a line down his chest. She ran her hands along his waist, pulling down the spandex of his pants, and he sighed, guessing her intentions moments before her mouth met his cock.

Still, Van was the one to hesitate. ‘Emma, it’s not private back here. Anyone can come through. Any of the guys in the band …’

She shook her head at him, lips parted as she drank in his cock. She swirled her tongue around the head and then bobbed up and down, licking the warmth of him, the heat of him, wanting to take all of him inside of her. She couldn’t remember being this ravenous for a man before. Had it been the fact that those other girls wanted him? Or maybe just the electricity of watching him prance on the stage.

She didn’t know.

Who was this new Dori?

She didn’t really know that either.

But she had to admit, she liked her.

Chapter Twenty

One day, she’d decide she was dreaming. One day, she’d decide she was dead. But most of the time, she had accepted the fact that she was in the 1980s. The only trouble on her horizon was the fact that soon she would have to look for another place to live. Her parents (and her teenage self) would be back at the end of the month.

She had no idea what that would mean.

Would she have to move?

Would she disappear if she looked into the eyes of her younger self?

Right now, she tried not to let those thoughts worry her, focused instead on the routine set by the women at her workplace. She was finally starting to get used to the schedule. The girls definitely knew how to have fun. Each day was spent getting ready for that night’s party, except on Fridays.

Fridays were reserved for Rocky Horror.

This time, she thought she’d try someone new. Janet, maybe. Or Frank-N-Furter. Frank was the character she’d always chosen while in school. But then Bette came up with the smooth idea to outfit herself more fully like a man, her eyes gleaming as she posed the question to Dori.

‘What do you mean?’

‘There’s this awesome store in the city. A sex toy store. Have you ever been to one?’

Dori shook her head. She hadn’t been to one in the 80s, or the 90s, or ever. But she was willing to go, willing to follow Bette wherever the woman wanted to take her.

‘It’s a gas,’ Bette said. ‘You’ll love it. I swear.’

To Dori’s surprise, Bette was right. Dori had never been to the Mission while in high school. Now, in modern times, the place had become gentrified, with fancy little cafés and high-end clothes stores lining the streets. But in 1988, the place was cool and funky, and maybe just a little bit dangerous. Bette parked the car close to the store and herded Dori inside. Immediately, they were approached by a tough-looking checkout girl. Tattoos, punky spiked hair, piercings. The girl was way ahead of her time, wasn’t she? Dori didn’t remember the piercing craze catching on until the 90s.

‘How can I help you two?’ the clerk asked, and Dori realized that the woman had assumed that she and Bette were a couple. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could clarify, Bette wrapped one arm around Dori’s waist and held her close. She clearly was enjoying the situation.

‘We’re looking for …’

---