Cherry Orphan

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Inside the darkened room he could hear and feel Calley breathing. This night she'd slept much longer than before without a malaria-like sweating episode. The remaining drug effluent slowly released its grip.

At daybreak Calley moved against him, jarring James from an erotic dream. One that seemed as though it had only just begun.

"What is it, Calley?" he whispered drowsy, tucked in close to her curled form, expecting another floor-pacing session to begin with all the emotional strain that came with it.

"You're poking me."

"What?"

"You're poking me with your cock. Who are you dreaming about, James—me or Sonia?"

He popped instantly awake. "Oh shit! Sorry." Calley rolled over and faced him. In the filtered morning light she looked better than he'd seen her look in more than a week.

"I saw the two of you yesterday... out on the sundeck. Mom was too busy fussing with towels and crap, but I watched from the bathroom window. I knew I must be getting better because it made me feel horny too."

He pulled her to him. The erection inside his pajamas had not subsided, quite the contrary. Their mouths made contact and she responded by rubbing her leg against his groin. "I'm starting to see the Calley I knew," he whispered. "I want you back the way you were in England."

"I thought I wanted to die—you can't imagine what it's like. This morning is the first time it feels different. Mom was right about everything. God-dammit, I need shooting, James. If only I'd listened to you weeks ago."

"Are you listening to me now?"

She rolled on top of him and buried her face in his neck. Her sobs where muffled. "Never-never-never will I go near that hateful stuff again. If I did, I'd kill myself before putting any of you through this detox bullshit. Oh, James I feel so stupid. So selfish and mean. How can I look any of you in the face again?"

He rubbed her back through Colleen's silky nightgown. "We don't care what you did—only what you do now. You pay us back by staying clean." Emotion caught in his throat, but at the same time testosterone rose in his blood. She was doing it again, ripping his personality in two directions.

***

Friday.

Everyone noticed the sudden change in Calley. Around midday two women arrived from the studio with a variety of equipment. Colleen had called in favors. The hairdresser and makeup artist began to work their combined magic.

Sonia and James watched in awe as "drug hag" once again became beauty queen. Calley had lost weight. Not enough to make her look drawn, but clothes needed slight adjustment, which Colleen and Sonia ably provided.

At last she stood at the full-length mirror and let it reflect a new chance at life.

"You look beautiful, baby," Colleen murmured softly as she touched Calley's bare arms from behind. "Like a girl who is about to go on a date with a handsome young man."

She bit her lip and almost spoiled the makeup job with tears. "I don't deserve any of you."

"Just keep remembering that. You and James are going out to dinner tonight. Going out is a test. Tomorrow is a bigger test. At some point we sit down with Bob and have a serious talk. Maybe he'll start acting more like a father. I won't let him browbeat you or moralize or do anything else non-constructive." She turned the girl around to face her. "But there will be changes and probably restrictions. Don't be surprised if he takes your car away for a while. I'd do it. He may even hire someone to keep tabs on you. None of this is anywhere near as bad as what you've just been through. I'm going to talk to him first. Trust me, I can still read your father better than most. When he calms down he'll be fair-minded and understand that it's about your future, not his reputation."