Wherefore Art Thou, Chase?

Author\'s Note: I know that \'wherefore\' means \'why\', but the quote was convenient when I was coming up with a title. I\'m horrible at naming things, especially if I only have a general idea of how a story is going to unfold. Its why I usually only write short stories IRL. They don\'t need character names, or chapter titles, or even titles, at all. All they need is a little mystery that leaves your audience begging for more. So, thanks anyway, but I didn\'t need the note.

~~~~~~~~~~


Chapter 6: Kryptonite


Huey swallowed tightly, trying to keep his gaze on the steering wheel. He and Erin were sitting outside her apartment building and she was watching him expectantly. She was also wearing the shortest skirt and tightest blouse Huey had ever seen. There was no safe place to rest his eyes on her because as soon as he did, he could feel himself rising in response. His throat was dry and his body was being disobedient. His eyes kept straying to her small breasts, her peasant blouse leaving nothing to the imagination. Hell, he wasn’t even sure she was wearing a bra.

And the super-short skirt barely fell to the tops of her slim thighs when she was sitting down. She looked like every guy’s wet dream, with her hair all tousled and her lush, ruby-red lips slightly parted. It was her brazen way of seducing him, and he knew it. Which was all the more reason to keep control.

Eighteen-year-old boys weren’t known for their control, though, and Erin knew that with utmost certainty. She’d dressed to kill that night, and had turned many male heads when they’d walked along the sidewalk. Huey had held her hand, a large jump from last week’s date when he’d kept his hands in his pockets the entire night and stayed, at least, a foot away from her at all times.

Tonight, though, I’m getting want I want, she told herself. “You’ve been really quiet all night, Huey,” she remarked, reaching out and spearing her fingers through his thick, dark hair. It was short, but she could still feel the strands run over her digits in the most delicious way. “Wanna talk about whatever’s bothering you?” she asked sympathetically, shifting closer and continuing her ministrations on his head.

Huey tightened his hold on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. “No, thanks,” he said quietly, desperately trying to cling to some impression of sanity.

“Why not, Superboy? I won’t hurt you…Unless you want me to,” she purred, shifting even closer. Her subtle perfume surrounded him and filled his nostrils, coaxing Huey to sweet surrender.

“Erin, back off,” he warned tersely, making her smile like a predator who had spotted their prey’s weakness.

“Just tell me what’s wrong, Superboy,” she whispered, eyeing his lips, which were set in a grim line. “Don’t make me drag it out of you…” she warned, her voice a silky, growling purr.

Huey shuddered, his breath growing shallow. He’d never gotten this much attention from any woman, never mind one as sexy as Erin and he knew that if she stayed in the car much longer, he wouldn’t be able to keep control of himself.

“I…I think you should leave,” he told her, gritting his teeth against her attempts at seducing him.

“Not before I get my kiss,” she whispered, before covering his mouth with hers. Huey’s control snapped and he kissed her back, sweeping his tongue past her lips and exploring the cavern of her mouth. They broke apart for brief moments, only to meet each other with hungrier kisses each time.

Erin clung to Huey’s shoulders in order to balance herself in her awkward position of leaning over the stick shift, arm rest, and the emergency brake all in one. He lifted his hands from their death grip on the steering wheel and used them instead to lift her, from behind her thighs, onto his lap. Erin could clearly feel his desire against her crotch and she rubbed down on it, moaning gently into his mouth.

Huey now had two handfuls of the redhead’s ass and he was finding it hard to breath. He bucked his hips involuntarily, which made Erin giggle giddily. She leaned forward and he could feel her warm breath against his ear as she said, “Let’s move this upstairs.”

He nodded, having lost track of any reason not to. “Let’s go,” he said, his voice squeaking, much to his chagrin. Opening the door, they stumbled out, as if intoxicated. Huey was grinning like a maniac and Erin wasn’t much better as they raced to the door. Erin unlocked the door, finding her hands shaking so badly that it took a few times. She could only ever remember being this nervous about sex once and it had been a very long time since then.

Huey trailed after Erin like a lost puppy, just following her lead. He could see that he was shaking as much as she was, and that unnerved him a little. If brazen and bold Erin was trembling, what did that mean for him?

Huey let Erin go up the stairs first and he tried not to stare up her skirt. They reached her apartment door and the redhead turned around and stood on her tiptoes to press a passionate kiss to Huey’s mouth.

Pulling away, she pressed a finger to his lips. “Ssssshhh…” she hissed, before opening the door slowly. It was late and Erin had told both Lily and Janelle to go to bed whenever, because it wasn’t as if there would be much to tell when she got home. The redhead grinned at her own words, glancing back at Huey, who was trying to look around the dark apartment with still-foggy glasses and toeing off his shoes. If only I’d known how tonight would be ending up, she though, pulling off her own high heels.

“This way,” she whispered, slipping her hand into his and tugging him towards her room. Eager anticipation built up in the bottom of her stomach as he stumbled blindly behind her.

Huey was surprised, to say the least, when he heard the door to her room click behind him, then found himself backed up against it with Erin plastered to his front, kissing him greedily. He returned the kisses, his hands resting against the flimsy material of her skirt where it covered her hips.

Erin gathered up the fabric of his shirt in her fingers, sliding it up and over his torso. Huey lifted his arms up over his head to aid her in the removal of his T-shirt, then he reached for her peasant-style blouse. Tugging at the sleeve to let it slide down over her shoulder, he leaned down and kissed her neck and shoulder ardently.

She shivered, bracing her hands against the wall of his chest. Suddenly, she was being lifted into the air by Huey’s surprisingly strong arms and carried over to the bed, where he laid her down, then covered her body with his own. She framed his face with her hands as he leaned in for a fervent kiss. His warm hands slid beneath her top, resting at the top of her ribs, right beneath her breasts.

Huey had been right in his earlier assessment of whether or not she’d been wearing a bra and when he reached his thumbs up to tease her aching nipples, he discovered naked flesh. The timid touch sent shockwaves straight through Erin and she arched with a moan.

“Erin,” he whispered, pushing the hem of her shirt up with his nose and trailing kisses behind it. The redhead squirmed beneath Huey’s kisses, feeling the crotch of her panties go wet as his warm, soft lips touched her stomach briefly at certain intervals. Finally, he managed to push the shirt up over her naked breasts and he groaned, drinking in the sight of her pale skin in the moonlight streaming in through her window. Her nipples were dusky and dark against the cream of her breast. He swallowed tightly and reached for her, cupping her breasts in his hands; they were a perfect fit, or so Huey thought.

Leaning in, he pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her left nipple, laving it with his tongue. Erin cried out, threading her fingers through his hair, like she’d done in the car, encouraging him along. He nipped gently, scraping his teeth against her soft, supple skin.

“Huey!” she gasped, moaning loudly as he moved to her other breast and worked his mouth restlessly against the nipple. She gave a sigh of pure pleasure, writhing beneath him, yet holding his head to her aching breast. She whimpered when he sat back, reaching into the back pocket of his jeans. He pulled out his wallet, and searched for something inside it.

Erin grinned wickedly when he pulled out a condom and slapped it on her bedside table. “Expecting to get lucky tonight, were we?” she teased, stretching out and relaxing against her pillows.

“It never hurts to be prepared,” he murmured, blushing as he put his wallet back into his pocket. He was about to lean back in to kiss her, when Erin sat up. She pushed at his shoulders and rolled him back onto the bed, straddling his hips. Leaning down, she pressed her painfully stiff nipples against his naked chest. If that hadn’t been enough to speed Huey up, her soft sigh of pleasure should have been.

He reached for his jeans, unsnapping and unzipping them in a hurry. Erin’s eyes widened as she saw his erection spring forth. She whistled appreciatively and noticed his cheeks go even more red. She helped him pull off his jeans, pushing them down his hips and legs until he kicked them off entirely.

As she crawled back up his body, Erin took measure of his member. He was, at least, nine inches from base to tip and thick in diameter, which made her shiver with delight. He easily outshone every other guy she’d ever been with, and he was only eighteen! Reaching for the condom on her bedside table with one hand, she reached under her skirt and undid the ties on her panties with her other hand. The scraps of lace and silk fell away from her body and she threw them to the floor.

Huey watched as she ripped open the foil package with her teeth and pulled out the rubber, his hands clenching and unclenching in the sheets at his side. He’d broken out in a sweat just watching her and his palms were itchy with nerves. He wasn’t sure if the prophylactic would fit, because he’d stolen it from Chase’s room, instead of going to the local pharmacy. Even if it did fit, he wasn’t sure about performance. Watching her reach into her skirt and pull out her sexy underwear had nearly been his undoing. Eighteen-year-old virgins couldn’t be expected to endure this kind of torture, after all, could they?

Erin rolled the condom over Huey’s erect member with a delightedly hungry look in her eyes. It was a perfect fit and he let out the breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding while she cooed gleefully. He took another deep breath, staring at her as she lifted herself over him. Inch by torturous inch, she impaled herself on his thick member, listening to Huey groan quietly.

She cried out when he filled her completely, feeling him brush against a spot that sent fire licking through her like an inferno. He bucked suddenly, bouncing her a little on his shaft. She fell forward, catching herself on her forearms by his head. Staring into his eyes, something finally dawned on Erin.

“You’re a virgin, aren’t you, Huey?” she asked, pulling his glasses off tenderly, then searching his gaze for her answer. She knew it before he said anything.

“I was,” he rasped wryly, smiling at her timidly. It was taking all of his willpower to achieve that look and to keep from coming right then and there. Erin sat up again, pulling him with her, and set his glasses on her bedside table. He looked adorably confused and disheveled without his glasses, that Erin had to kiss him. She leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, nipping the lower one teasingly, before she pulled away.

“Put your hands on my hips,” he heard her whisper close to his ear. Huey followed her directions, releasing the sheets and placing both of his sweaty palms on either side of her. She giggled a little, then, “Under my skirt, Superboy.” His laugh was breathy and nervous as he lifted the delicate material of her skirt and placed his hands on the subtle curve of her hips. Electricity zinged up his arm from his fingertips, causing him to pull away before settling his hands more firmly against her hips.

“Now, just hold on,” she whispered huskily before placing her hands on his shoulders and lifting her hips slowly. Plunging back down, she felt that fire shoot through her again and she groaned.

Meanwhile, Huey was trying not to think about how warm and wet Erin felt around his prophylactic-covered member, so that he wouldn’t come before she did. That, he knew, was not good manners. Ladies first, he thought, taking up the hypnotic litany as she drew back and impaled herself over and over on his erection, picking up speed and power with each downwards thrust.

Erin threw her head back as she rode Huey, suddenly crying out. He felt her inner muscles contract all around him, and Huey could no longer hold himself back. He kissed her clumsily as he came, his fingers tightening in the soft flesh of her hips.

**********

Huey had one arm thrown over his brow and the other tucked under Erin’s body. He was staring at the ceiling, dazed, and she was staring at him, afraid he’d be angry at her for seducing him into throwing away his control over their dates. He’d already thrown away the condom when she‘d wiggled out of her skirt, and now they were just laying on her bed with their arms around one another, letting the sweat on their bodies cool. But Erin couldn’t stand long silences, and this one had just gotten to be too much when Huey finally spoke.

“Mind-blowing,” he whispered, still gaping at the ceiling. Erin propped herself onto her elbow in order to gaze down at him. Her questioning stare penetrated his after-sex fog and he grinned boyishly at her. “That’s what sex is like…At least, sex with you, anyway,” he explained. She was still giving him a skeptical look, but a smile was tugging at the corners of her lips. He leaned up and captured her lips in a drugging kiss and they each shifted until she was laying back against the mattress with his body covering hers. She moaned ardently, wrapping her arms around his neck and nipping at his lower lip gently. He pulled away, a light shining in his blue-green eyes.

“Can we do it again? Now?” he asked, looking so excited and eager, Erin had to laugh. She couldn’t remember ever being as excited about sex as he was, especially after her “first time.” Something tugged at her insides; something that felt like she ought to ignore it and another thing that felt surprisingly like envy. She shouldn’t have been surprised, though. Janelle gets a great first kiss and, apparently, Huey isn’t so traumatized from me taking control that he never wants to have sex again, she thought, distractedly running her fingers through his hair. And what did I get? she asked bitterly. Fighting back tears from the memory, she nodded.

“I’m on the pill. We can do it again, now,” she told him, biting her lip to keep herself from falling apart in front of him. Shadows hid her face from him, so Huey had no idea that Erin was about to cry. If he had, he probably would have been more concerned. At this point, though, the eighteen-year-old was just elated that he was going to be having sex again. With Erin. The thought made him grin, before he leaned down to kiss her tenderly.

**********

Erin was curled up on her floor, staring out her window at the moon. Huey was sound asleep in her bed, snoring gently. He was adorable and so sweet and it killed her that, tomorrow, she’d probably be breaking up with him. But the pain would heal, right? It always did.

She never got too attached to her bed-partners, which was why she had to break up with Huey in the morning. She could already feel herself falling for him, and she just couldn’t relive that part of her past. Tears slid down her cheeks as she crawled back into bed.

It’s too painful to relive the hurt, she reminded herself as she curled up next to her latest lover. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t fall asleep in his arms for one night.

**********

Huey stared at Erin in the pre-dawn light, stroking her soft auburn waves. Even with her make-up smudged and her hair all a mess, she still looked gorgeous. Why that was, he didn’t know, but for whatever reason, it made his heart thud strongly against his breastbone.

Erin stirred in her sleep and whimpered softly, before settling down once again. He brushed his knuckles against her cheek, hushing soothingly. A smile tilted the corners of her seductively wide mouth, which made him smile. He couldn’t imagine a more perfect night, even if he hadn’t planned his first time to be so soon in a relationship, or so sudden.

“It was awesome,” he remarked quietly to himself, so as not to wake his girlfriend. My girlfriend, he thought with a grin and another loud thud of his heart. It sounds right, he decided as he settled his arms around her and let a gentle sleep take him over once more.

**********

Janelle entered the apartment to the overwhelming smell of waffles being made. She’d seen the elastic around Erin’s doorknob that marked that the redhead had “company” when she’d left this morning for her daily jog. But, she’d never expected anyone to be up when she got back. She could hear humming coming from the kitchen and she peered around the fridge, looking into the kitchen. Catching sight of someone, she blinked and rubbed her eyes, just to make sure it was who she thought it was.

“Huey?” she asked incredulously, causing the young man to whip around in surprise and send waffle batter flying. “Huey Kent, what the hell are you doing here?” she demanded after dodging the batter, crossing her arms over her chest and taking in his disheveled appearance. He wore only jeans and flour smudges decorated his entire body.

“Making waffles,” he responded cheerily. “Want to help?” he offered, making Janelle chuckle as she realized that Huey must have stayed the night. The lipstick stains on his jaw and neck were proof that more went on in that room last night than sleeping and Janelle wasn’t sure if she wanted to be caught talking to Erin’s new, half-naked “boy toy” right after aforementioned “boy toy” and Erin had just had sex. Besides, she couldn’t cook for the life of her.

“No thanks, Superboy,” she declined, heading for the stairs. “I’ll just enjoy the fruits of your labor when I come back down from my shower,” she teased him, before ascending the stairs with care. Lily and Erin were still sleeping, after all, and neither of them were early risers. In truth, neither was Janelle, but she needed to wake up early in the morning to take her daily jog. She didn’t have time for it at any other time and if she didn’t jog or play basketball at work, her body took its toll in flab.

**********

Chase pulled into the parking lot at his new work, a bit nervous. Today was his first day at the children’s day-care center and he didn’t know how well he’d do. It wasn’t like he had a lot of experience with kids, having grown up with no cousins and only one younger brother, but he needed the money that the center provided.

Walking into the front door, Chase noticed the small entryway had three, white teenage girls sitting in it–two on a couch on one side of the room and a third on the other side in a not-very-comfortable-looking chair. And they were all staring at him with a mixture of guilt and interest. He flashed them a smile.

“Not getting into too much trouble, I hope?” he joked, and they all laughed. They looked like a good bunch of kids and he hoped that his judgment was correct. “Can any of you three lovely ladies tell me where I can find Nikkos?” he asked, shutting the door behind him carefully.

They each exchanged a look of confusion before the oldest-looking one, furthest from him on the couch, asked, “You mean Nik, right?” Chase nodded, not completely sure if that was who he was looking for, but deciding to go with it, anyway.

“He’d probably be in the office,” the other girl on the couch piped up, smiling at him amicably. That sounded like who he might be looking for.

“Thank you very much,” he told them gallantly, sweeping a bow to them all, making them giggle and the youngest-looking one blush. Stepping through the room, he could feel them all staring at him. Probably waiting for me to leave so they can get back to gossiping, he mused, looking around the huge room he’d stepped into.

Children of almost all sizes, shapes, and ages littered the room, filling it with noise. There was a foosball table to his left and a short man was playing with what looked to be a ten-year-old, at least. Straight ahead was a tiny kitchen area, where a woman with pink streaks in her black hair was making peanut butter and fluff sandwiches for a table full of insistent toddlers. To the right of that, he couldn’t see much around the column or the fridge that stood in the middle of the room. To his far right, there were a series of lockers and a set of stairs. Other than that, it was empty space.

Walking up to the woman with pink streaks in her hair, Chase tapped her on the shoulder. “Uh, ‘Scuse me,” he said quietly, not wanting to make her angry. The woman turned around and smiled politely at him, but the smile didn’t reach her green, almond-shaped eyes and that unnerved him a bit.

“Can I help you?” she asked in a too perky voice that could have belayed her frazzled mood.

“I was just looking for Nikkos,” he told her quietly.

“The office is through there,” she told him, pointing to her left and then cocking her hand to the side to indicate he should take another left through the door. Before Chase could thank her, the girl had already turned back to the sandwiches. He followed her directions and knocked lightly on the office door, it swinging in at just the lightest touch.

“Come in! Come in!” boomed a voice that was, all at one time, jolly and commanding. Chase stepped into the cramped, postage stamp-sized room that was made even smaller by the huge desk and filing cabinet that stood inside it. Not to mention that the man who sat inside it could easily have played Santa without a pillow. He had to be in his mid-fifties, if not older, and his olive skin betrayed his Greek descent. He had gray hair and almond-shaped eyes that reminded him of Pink Streaks’, as he’d taken to calling her. Come to think of it, he looked a lot like Pink Streaks.

“Who are you? Why are you here?” the Greek man asked, frowning at Chase sternly.

“I’m Chase Nicholson…I had an interview with your assistant manager on Friday and she called me yesterday to say that I got the job and to come down here today,” he explained hurriedly, hardly taking a breath in between. Suddenly, the older man grinned and stood, holding out his hand.

“Welcome!” he boomed, reaching out and clapping Chase on the shoulder while taking his hand and shaking it vigorously. He was much shorter than Chase, but that didn’t diminish the power or authority that he held. “I am Nikkos, but most people call me Nik,” he introduced himself.

“Nice to me–”

“Come! I’ll show you around,” Nik interrupted him, gesturing for the taller, younger man to follow him. Pink Streaks was still in the kitchen area making “PBF” sandwiches.

“This is my second daughter, Athena,” Nik told Chase, making Pink Streaks turn around and stick out her peanut butter-covered hand. Chase took it and kissed the back of her hand jokingly, causing the entire table of toddlers to break out in a chorus of “OOOoooOOOooo”s. Both Chase and Athena blushed, looking up at Nik, who was frowning teasingly. “Athena is eighteen and a senior in high school,” the older man added, lifting a “stern” eyebrow.

Chase smiled at her, causing her to smile back. “I’m Chase,” he told her quietly, noting that the entire room had gone silent and everyone was staring at them. Nik turned towards the foosball table, seemingly unaware of the dead silence and each pair of eyes watching them as he trooped towards the short man who had been playing when Chase walked in.

“This is my third son, Poseidon. Poseidon, this is Chase Nicholson,” Nikkos introduced the two men. They shook hands, smiling politely. “Poseidon is a sophomore in college, for business,” he added proudly, before setting off dutifully for the other end of the room. There was a small set of stairs leading down into a room with a computer, two old TVs hooked up to separate PlayStations, and an air hockey table. One woman sat on a counter at the opposite side of the room, next to a closed door, keeping a dark, watchful eye on the entire room and the clipboard she held in her hand. The room was full of noise from the video games and the shouts of the small children.

As they stepped down into the room, Chase noted that the room they’d left became just as noisy. “That is my third daughter, Aphrodite,” Nik told him, pointing at the dark-haired woman. That dark hair was pulled into a stern bun atop her head and she might have been pretty if she were smiling. It was hard to think that she was the offspring of jubilant Nik. “She is a junior in high school and taking college courses next semester,” the proud father mentioned as they walked past and Chase nodded and smiled politely. He was starting to notice a pattern with Nikkos’ children’s names.

Nikkos led him through the closed door into a deathly silent room. It had a select few kids, bent over the tables with backpacks by their side. “The Homework Room,” Nik informed Chase quietly, before pointing at a young man who was helping a boy, who couldn’t have been more than eight, with phonics. “My second son, Apollo.” Apollo had dark hair, kind eyes, and he looked like he was connecting with the second-grader. “He is a teacher.”

Nik shut the door behind them as they left the silent room for the crazed, raucous sounds of kids having a good time.

“Where are your first son and daughter?” Chase asked over the din.

“Hera, my first daughter, is outside and Zeus is at the park with a small group of kids and another counselor,” Nik told him, leading the younger man out through the front door. The three girls were still in the small atrium, and they were curiously quiet when Nik and Chase walked into the room.

“These three are our local funny girls,” the Greek man told Chase fondly, winking, and making the three girls chuckle quietly. “Laurel,” the oldest one smiled and waved, “Metea,” the middle one did the same, “and Jules,” the youngest one giggled and shrunk back in her seat, blushing like crazy. The scene was amusing to Chase, though he wasn’t sure he’d call them “funny girls.” But, it wasn’t his place to question his boss.

Chase nodded to each of them as Nik led him out the front door and around the side of the building, into a stretch of land. Kids swarmed the “backyard,” as well, running around playing games and falling in the dirt. A young woman with blonde hair and a fingernail file sat in a lawn chair about a yard from where the two men stood. “That is Hera, my oldest daughter. She is very beautiful, but not very bright,” the older man said regretfully.

“How many kids do you have, sir?” Chase asked, a bit daunted by the sheer quantity of children around and that this man had.

“Just the six. And, please, call me Nik,” the Greek man told him nonchalantly, watching over the back area. Suddenly, he turned and looked out across the parking lot. “Ah! Here comes Zeus and that other counselor I was telling you about.”

Chase turned to look and the first person he saw was a tall, grinning, dark-haired man leading a group of even more children across the street. The second person he noticed was at the back of the group, and she was making sure a small girl wasn’t wandering away from the group. His entire expression lightened as he stared at the counselor. It was ironic, really.

“Janelle…”