Jennie

"I heard a rumor about you, Miss Jennie Kim."

The hackles stand up on my neck as I hear the sneering voice behind me. I don't need to turn around to know that it's Trent Scorsese, one of my ex's friends. Before I started dating Connor, Trent made it obvious that he was interested in me, and when I picked his friend, he turned into a salty little bitch.

I keep walking, concentrating on heading home. School just finished, and I'm in a terrible mood after thinking about one thing and one thing only all day.

My mom's wife.

I wish I could cringe over our terrible behavior. That, I could probably live with. Instead, I'm remembering the intense way she looked at me in the private room at the strip club, both hands clenched tight on the seat of her chair like she was holding on for dear life.

Mandu, I want to kiss you so much.

"I said I heard a rumor about you, Jennie," Trent calls louder.

I waft a lazy hand over my shoulder, not bothering to turn around. "Yeah, yeah. You're obsessed with me. Play another song, Trent."

He jogs ahead of me, turns around and walks backward so I have to look at his face. He raises his eyebrows once, twice. "Something about you in a certain club."

My steps falter on the sidewalk. He knows I'm a stripper? Or he knows about me and Lisa? How? I mean, Lisa was drawing enough attention to us in the club trying to pull me off stage and then hauling me out over his shoulder, but I didn't think anyone from school was there at the time.

Trent has noticed my expression and his face lights up. "So, it's true. I hear there's even a picture going around, but I can't seem to get a hold of it."

That probably means it's not going around, just the story that there was a photo. If the photo was in circulation, I would have seen it by now.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Trent grins, having the time of his life at my expense. "You sure? I heard Jennie Kim knows how to work every pole in town." He makes a fist next to his face and pushes his tongue into his cheek, miming a blow job, like his double meaning wasn't obvious already.

A black car pulls up beside us and coasts along at walking pace. I can't see the driver but a tattooed hand wearing silver rings is clenched on the gear shift.

Trent goes on mocking me. "C'mon, how much for a dance? Twenty? Ten? I hear that pussy is going cheap."

The engine cuts out. A door slams. A huge, angry Lisa dressed in black with blazing brown eyes stalks straight over to Trent, grabs him by the throat, and slams him into the nearest brick wall.

In a voice burning with hellfire, Lisa seethes, "What the fuck did you just say to her?"

Trent is too shocked to reply to the huge, angry person suddenly towering over him. That, or he can't speak because Lisa is gripping his throat so hard.

I grab Lisa's other hand before she can drive her fist into Trent's face. "Lisa, that's enough. Let go of him."

But Lisa doesn't hear me. Or won't.

"Listen up, you sad little dribble of cum. Spread this around that school of yours. If anyone, anyone, so much as looks sideways at Jennie, let alone spews the filth at her that just came out of your mouth, I will personally take them apart."

Red-faced from the blood that Lisa is squeezing into his skull and shaking with fear, Trent nods rapidly.

"Lisa, please let go of him. He can't breathe." Lisa is a head and shoulders taller than Trent and twice as broad. Maybe Trent deserves to suffer one consequence in his miserable life, but not like this.

She glances at me, then back at Trent. "You're lucky Jennie is here, or I would break your teeth. Say thank you, Jennie."

Trent wheezes something that sounds like, "Thank you, Jennie," but it's hard to tell.

Lisa doesn't seem satisfied, but she lets go. Trent doubles over, struggling for breath. He's dropped his backpack and Lisa punts it down the street with one hard kick.

"Now, fuck off."

As fast as he can, Trent scrambles after his bag and hightails it away.

I turn to Lisa with an exasperated shake of my head. "Lisa, he's just a bully. He doesn't matter. You didn't need to terrify him like that."

"Is he just a bully? Or is he a man who thinks he doesn't have to treat women with respect?"

I haven't got a reply to that. I don't think I've ever heard one decent thing out of Trent's mouth about a woman. It's one of the reasons I didn't want to date him.

Lisa stalks back to her Camaro. "I thought so. Get in the car."

"What are you even doing here?"

Lisa grips her open car door, her expression changing from angry to troubled. "Krystal was in an accident. She's in the hospital."

Whatever I thought Lisa was going to say, it wasn't that. For a moment, I can't breathe and my whole body locks up. My sister. In the hospital. Those words don't belong together.

"I don't know anything else. Come on, your mom's already there."

We drive in silence. At one point, Lisa reaches for my hand, but I'm so sick with worry that I pull away.

I ask at reception where my sister is, and the staff member on duty directs me to the third floor.

I can hear Mom sobbing the moment we step out of the elevator and before we pass through the double doors into the ward. I half walk, half run down the corridor, dreading what I'm going to find when I reach Krystal's room.

An angry voice cuts across the crying before I can reach it. "For heaven's sake, Mom! It's just a broken leg and a broken nose."

Krystal's voice, sounding strong, alive, and exasperated. I sag with relief and Lisa loops her arm around my waist to hold me up.

"Thank fuck," she mutters under her breath.

I stroke her chest briefly in thanks and detach from her, conscious even in this situation that I don't want anyone in my family to see us touching each other. Her hands leave burning hot marks on my body that only I can see.

"But your beautiful face," Mom sobs.

I round the corner to see Krystal propped up in bed, her right leg in a cast, white tape over her nose and two black eyes. She looks like she was in a fight with a charging bull and lost.

She gives me a weak smile. "Hey, Jennie. Hey, Lalisa. Could one of you get Mom out of here, please? There aren't enough pain meds in the world to deal with her right now."

Lisa sighs and heads toward her wife. "Come on, Giulia. Let's go and get you some coffee."

With a little persuading, Mom hiccups herself out of the ward with Lisa at her side.

"Thank goodness she's gone. She was ruining my buzz," Krystal laughs to herself. Her eyes have the glazed appearance of someone who's high on pain-relieving drugs.

Of my two sisters, I've always got along better with Jessica. Krystal is so much like Mom that I find it hard to talk to her sometimes, though I still love her.

"Cheer up, I'm not at death's door." She frowns at me, her eyes nearly crossing. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen you smile lately. What's been eating you?"

I give her a tight smile. "I'm fine. What happened to you?"

"A truck ran a red light. I smashed right into him." She mimes a T-bone accident. "I didn't know you could break your nose on an airbag. But seriously, Jennie. What's been up with you lately? Or, like, the last five years. The weight of the world is on your shoulders or something."

I swallow, hard. How can she not know? Doesn't she see how Mom treats me? How this entire family acts like I'm invisible most of the time? There's recrimination in her tone, like being unhappy is my fault or I'm wallowing on purpose.

Krystal gives me a knowing look. "High school blues. Boy trouble. I remember it well."

"Krystal, that's not—"

There are footsteps behind me, hurrying closer, and Krystal perks up when whoever it is appears over my shoulder. "Jessica. I guess you're the pretty one now, for a few weeks, anyway."

I stand up and step away from them as Jessica exclaims and Krystal once again describes the accident.

Right behind Jessica is Lisa with Mom at her side. She's holding a cup of coffee and though she's deathly white, she's stopped crying.

I lock eyes with Lisa. She makes a beeline for me, and we stand silently together with our backs against the wall as Mom and Jessica take the seats on either side of Krystal's bed, discussing insurance policies, lawsuits, and possible plastic surgery for Krystal's broken nose.

No one notices we're here. It's like we're a couple of intruders in another family's room.

"You're the pretty one," she mutters under her breath. A moment later, she shifts on her feet so that her arm is pressed against mine. "You always were."

Five inches of my arm touching her, soaking up her heat and presence. Out in the open for anyone to see. I can't make myself step away.

After fifteen minutes of standing in silence, Lisa straightens up and puts her hand on my shoulder, announcing, "I'll take Jennie home. Krystal, is there anything I can get for you from your apartment?"

The three of them look around in surprise. They forgot about us.

"Mom will do that. She arranged my wardrobe, and she knows where everything is. But thanks, Lalisa."

"No problem," she mutters, and we head for the door.

As we're walking through the underground parking garage, I say, "You don't correct the others when they call you Lalisa."

"I don't give a fuck what those people call me."

--

When we get home, Lisa throws her keys on the counter and pulls her phone from her pocket. "Want to order a pizza?"

I shake my head. "I'm not hungry."

Her eyes narrow and her gaze sharpens, and I know something horrible is about to come out of her mouth. "What a performance Giulia made over a broken leg. I don't think she'd carry on the same way about you, do you?"

"Thanks for pointing that out," I seethe.

"So do something about it."

"Like what? I'm not going to pour red wine on Mom's favorite dress because she loves Krystal more."

She shrugs, but there's a dark glimmer in her eyes. "There are better ways to take revenge."

"I'm not going to suck your dick because my family hates me."

A wicked smile hooks Lisa's mouth. My eyes are drawn to her scar as she saunters toward me. "You are going to suck my dick, but because you crave the feel of me bottoming out in your throat."

Desire takes a blazing swan dive through my body. I picture myself on my knees before her, her fist gripping my ponytail while she slowly and firmly fucks my face. Heat slams through me again and again.

Lisa lets out a soft groan and pushes her hand through her hair. "That's torture, Mandu. I can see you thinking about it."

I'm more than thinking about it. I can vividly imagine it.

I can feel it.

One thing my ex-boyfriend knows about me is that I really like giving head.

Like, really like it.

Some nights I have vivid dreams about some rough, unknown person filling my mouth and throat. I can't see anything. I can't hear anything except for groans. I don't know who that someone is, but the person has a voice like melted chocolate while coaxes me to take deeper. The dream is pure sensation, but I always wake up wet and gasping.

I love the act of giving head. I love that my partner is transfixed the whole time. I love the fact that for once in my life I'm holding all the power.

And I really love the fact that I'm good at it.

Not as Ruby.

As me.

"Fuck, I need a cold shower or something." Lisa turns away, shaking her head.

The memory of her standing next to me at the hospital with her flesh scorching mine flashes through my mind. I don't want her to go.

I'm not invisible when I'm around her. I'm not a bad memory that keeps intruding. My whole life is bitter, and for once I want something sweet.

I grab two fistfuls of Lisa's T-shirt and pull her back to me. Her eyes widen as my back hits the wall, and she captures my waist with her hands.

"Just shut up," I whisper.

Her lips are so close that I feel every word against my mouth. "I didn't say anything."

I release her T-shirt and slide slowly down the wall until I'm kneeling at her feet. Big feet in scuffed black boots, as attractively worn-in as her ripped jeans. Everything about Lisa says that she knows how to have a good time. All you have to do is ask her how.

My sweaty palms are pressed against her stomach. I can feel her breathing. Waiting.

If I were a good girl, I wouldn't be doing this.

If she were a good person, she'd step away and tell me to get up.

I guess we're bad people because my fingers hook into her waistband, next to the button, and Lisa doesn't stop me. She probably thinks I'm hesitating. That a war is going on inside me. Should I? Shouldn't I?

But I've already decided that I'm going to do this. I'm making a meal of it because the tension must be killing her. She really wants this. I knew it when she left that heart painted in cum on my sheets. I can see how much she craves it right now as the swelling in the front of her jeans gets bigger and bigger. The thick ridge at the head of her cock is visible through the denim.

Slowly, I lean forward and plant a kiss right there.

Lisa groans.

I flick open the top button on her jeans.

She groans louder.

That's right, you gorgeous asshole. Give me a groan for every little thing I do to you. Her zipper needs only the slightest encouragement for the teeth to burst apart. Her cock is angled to one side, thick and swollen, and a pang goes through my pussy as I imagine her buried deep in my mouth.

But not yet. I'm driving myself crazy with teasing her. I pull her briefs down, and the heavy weight of her dick swings forward.

Lisa has one of the most gorgeous cocks I've ever seen. She's buzzed off all her hair, making her look huge. The skin is soft and flushed pink, with a thick vein standing out along her length. I run my tongue up the underside of her, and slowly look up and meet her gaze. I can't help my self-satisfied smile when I see the expression of utter focus and desire on her face.

I swallow the head of her cock, and she groans, curling her fist into the hair at the nape of my neck.

"Jennie," she says roughly in a voice I've never heard from her before, deep with need and desire. A curse and a surrender. "Jennie. Fuck, yes, Jennie."

I suck her slowly up and down. She can't stop saying my name and every time she does, my heart swells more and more until it feels like it's going to burst.

With clumsy hands, she unbuttons my top and reveals the camisole underneath. She shoves it from my shoulders and exposes me, moaning as she runs her fingers up my breast.

A thrust of her hips, and the back of my head hits the wall and her cock slides deeper. It's my dream. My favorite dream. The angle is just right. Lisa is filling my throat so perfectly that I don't gag, and I barely need to breathe. I hold on to her hips so I can feel their motion with my fingers as well. I wonder if you can come just from giving head. If I'd bothered to remove my jeans before I got onto my knees I could be touching myself, and I roll my hips in needy frustration.

"Horny, Mandu? I'll take care of you in just a moment. Right now, you're not going anywhere."

The growl in her voice makes me moan around her.

"Your perfect lips are going to send me over the edge. I would fuck you like this all day if I could."

I can tell from her voice that she's hovering just on the edge of coming, and she's slowed down her thrusts. Trying to draw it out as long as possible. But she can't. Her body is growing rigid beneath my touch as she tries to cling on, but then she climaxes with a shudder. She floods my mouth with her cum, her hips thrusting haphazardly.

Lisa barely gets her breath back before she's gripping my shoulders and gasping, "Don't fucking swallow. Don't spit either. Just hold it."

She takes a deep breath and grabs my chin, drawing my face up to her.

"Let me see it, Mandu."

I open my mouth and let her cum roll over my tongue. Lisa sinks her teeth into her lower lip and smiles, her hair hanging into her eyes. "You're the hottest thing I've ever seen." Her voice is husky with desire. "Now, swallow like a good girl."

I do as I'm told, looking her in the eye the entire time. Lisa hooks her hands under my arms and hauls me up. My back hits the wall and her mouth descends on mine. Her kiss is ravenous as she tastes herself in my mouth. Her tongue delves into me and slides against my own.

I need to fuck you, the thrusts of her tongue say.

She breaks away from my lips and plants breathless, hungry kisses on my throat, my breasts. Her cock is between us, semi-hard and glistening.

"I'm going to bang you with my fingers until my dick gets hard again. Should only take about thirty seconds because I'm insane for you, Mandu."

There's a grating of metal, a jangle of keys, and street sounds from outside, and then the front door slams. Two female voices reach us from the hall. Mom and Jessica.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

I pull my camisole up and frantically button my cardigan. Lisa looks more annoyed than anything else as she slowly steps back and shoves herself back into her jeans.

Reality is flooding back as I hear my mom and sister coming closer and closer. I just gave my mom's wife a head while my other sister is lying injured in a hospital bed. She face-fucked me into the wall. There's acting crazy, and then there's being plain stupid.

"This isn't over."

"Yes, it is," I whisper feverishly. She's cheating on her wife in her own house. Mom is suspicious and critical of everything I do. She's going to find out if we carry on like this.

But Lisa either doesn't hear me or pretends that she doesn't.

"Your lips are BJ messy," she says as she buttons her jeans. With a wink, she turns and disappears into the hallway to greet her wife.