Alison danced into Justin’s apartment; completely drunk from the champagne she’d had at dinner.  She’d had so much that her feet didn’t even hurt anymore in those stiletto shoes.  “Laaa la la laaaa,” she sang as she twirled around the living room.  Justin watched her from the front door, amused at her antics, and glad that they’d seemed to have gone back to normal since the events of last weekend.  Sure, Alison had been tentative at best when they first began talking on the phone but he’d managed to convince her to come out with him the following weekend and she’d finally acquiesced.  So far everything had been perfect and Justin was sure not to do anything to make the night less than wonderful for her.

“So did you have a good time, baby?” he asked, walking over to her and taking her into his arms, moving his feet so that they were doing a little bit of dancing.

“Mmm hmmm,” Ali answered, resting her head in the crook of his neck.  “You smell so good, Justin,” she slurred, still dancing with him.  “I had the most fun ever tonight.” Her lips found their way to his neck and instinctively began kissing it softly, and grazing it slightly with her teeth.  He closed his eyes at the feel of it, wanting to stay in the moment for a very long time.  She was never one to initiate such contact so he just stood there and enjoyed what she was doing. 

Slowly, she kissed her way across his cheek to his lips where she teasingly brushed her lips against his. “Did you have a good time, too?”

His hands slid up and down her back, rubbing her skin softly.  “Oh yeah,” he said throatily.  “I had an amazing time … but I always do when I’m with you,” he told her and she smiled, and then suddenly pulled away from him. 

“C’mon,” she said out of nowhere, kicking her shoes off.  

“Where are we going?” Justin asked as he loosened his tie.  She reached over and grabbed his hand.

“To my special place,” she said and began dragging him upstairs behind her.  “I just want to lay there with you … just for a little while,” she said and almost missed a step, stumbling back.  Luckily, Justin was right there to catch her.

“Whoa there, girl,” he said softly.  “Be careful, okay?”

Okay,” she said dreamily as they finally reached the top of the stairs.  They went to her room and Justin took off his jacket and threw his tie on the bed while he watched her crawl over to her little genie place. Her ass was stuck up in the air and he was riveted for a moment, stuck in a moment filled with desire. He knew she wanted to wait until marriage to have sex, but he didn’t think she’d last that long with him. God knows he was planning to try everything in the book to change her mind.

He had to have her.  This little slip of a girl had come into his world and now he was completely consumed with her.  All day and night he thought about her and more than anything he wanted to make love to her.  But she wasn’t ready yet.  She would be soon, he knew, and he would make it and experience that she’d never forget.

So he found himself crawling beneath all the scarves to get to her.  She was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling.  “Isn’t it beautiful, Justin?” she asked, lazily pointing at the multi-colored scarves.

He looked right at her, putting his hand to her cheek.  “You are beautiful,” he said simply, and she turned her eyes to gaze at him.  “I can’t notice anything else when you’re around … you’re the only one I see.”

She blushed and brought her hand up to his face.  “I think you’re beautiful, too,” she whispered.

He shook his head.  “Men aren’t beautiful, Ali.”

“You are, to me,” she replied.  “Everything about you … your eyes … your lips … your hair ... Well, wait a minute.  You don’t have any hair,” she pointed out and they both laughed.  “But you’re beautiful to me anyway.  I think…” and she stopped.

Still caressing her cheek, Justin asked, “What do you think, baby?”

She sighed and continued looking deep into his eyes.  “I’ve never been with anyone like you before. Guys were always so silly and stupid but you … you’re so different.  You treat me like a queen and I can’t believe how lucky I was to have met you.  I like you so much, Justin.  I think about you all the time … I want to be with you every second of the day.  I just … I can’t explain how I feel about you,” she said frustrated.

Because Alison knew what she wanted to say.  She wanted to tell him that she was falling in love with him but she was scared about how he would take such news.  They’d only known each other a few weeks, only spent a small amount of time together … how could she be in love?

But she was.  And she just couldn’t say it first and be hurt by his response.  So she sighed again and moved closer to him, burying her face in his chest.

He stroked her hair while he answered her.  “I feel the same way.  I think about you all the time too, and every second I’m away from you sucks.  You’ve completely messed up my head, baby.  I can hardly work or do anything anymore without you being on my mind, too.”

She smiled into his chest.  “Really?  You feel the same way I do?  You don’t have to just say it, it’s okay if you’re not where I’m at right now.”

“If anything, I’m past you regarding our feelings, Ali.  I think I might be falling in love with you,” Justin finally told her.  He didn’t want to tell her that he was madly in love with her because it might scare her so he took a softer approach.  He knew for sure that he was in love but he didn’t want to sound like some lunatic so he kept how deeply he felt for her close to the vest.

She raised her head to gaze at him again.  “Justin … really?”  He nodded and she sighed, her eyes filling with happiness.  “Me too!  I just was afraid to say it, that’s all … I think that I am in love with you.  No one’s ever made me feel like this … all happy and excited but with butterflies in my stomach and half the time I think I’m going to throw up!”

He gave her a wry grin.  “I make you want to throw up?”  He was only kidding; he knew what she meant. 

She shoved against his chest softly.  “You know what I’m trying to say … you just make me feel all warm inside.  And happy, you make me so happy even when we’re just talking on the phone or something.  I can’t wait until school is over so I can see you and talk to you.  I want to be around you all the time.”

And they had been together for the better part of the previous week: Justin went to her basketball games twice; picked her up after school almost everyday and they’d gone to get something to eat or just sat in his car and talked.  And the phone lines were still burned up even though she’d seen him everyday.  It was out of control, how much the two of them craved to be near each other.

“Me, too,” Justin answered, dipping his head low for a kiss.  One kiss turned into another until she felt his hand on her breasts, rubbing softly, and then squeezing them.  Moving down, he pushed the fabric around her breasts down and she was exposed to him.  But it didn’t matter to Ali because right away his mouth replaced his hands and she couldn’t believe how good it felt.  Her hands curled onto his head and stroked softly as she enjoyed the way his tongue teased her nipples.  His hand had been stroking her legs but soon she felt his hand on her upper thigh.  For a moment she froze, but he stopped kissing her and looked deep into her eyes and told her, “Don’t worry; I’m not going to hurt you.  Okay, honey?  I just want to touch you.  Is that okay?”

Alison thought it over.  Everything else he’d done had been amazing; why wouldn’t this be amazing, too?  Besides that – she trusted Justin, so she nodded and said okay.  His hand brushed over her teasingly and when she’d thought his tongue on her breasts felt good, it was nothing compared to this. Her hips lifted up automatically, seeking his hand, and he didn’t make her wait.  He rolled her pantyhose down and tossed them somewhere then put his hand right back on her spot, his fingers creeping underneath her panties.

It was like the Fourth of July in Alison’s mind.  Fireworks were going off in her brain as she rubbed against his hand, begging and pleading for more, calling out his name loudly as she came closer and closer to climax.  He said, “Let go, baby.  Just let go.”  Alison had heard of orgasms but never experienced one before now, and this one was a whopper.  Her legs went straight, her toes curled and she cried out his name so loud that she was sure the neighbors could hear her.  But she didn’t care.  It was the most delicious, satisfying felling she’d ever felt, and it made her fall a little more in love with him.

When it was over, Justin held her and kissed her until she came back to life again.  “Thank you,” she said to him and he smiled, kissing her forehead.

“Baby, you don’t have to thank me.  Watching you make me feel good as shit.”

“What can I do for you?” Alison asked him.  “I want to make you feel good, too.  As she talked, her hand went down to his arousal and rubbed against it, making him close his eyes.  Instinctively, Alison knew a little of what to do.  She unbuttoned his pants and pulled out his penis, then began stroking it softly.  “Does this feel good?”  He nodded and covered her hands with one of his.  “Tell me what you like, Justin.

“Move like this,” he instructed her in a hoarse voice, making her movements faster and faster until he came, shaking and sweating, spurting all over her hand.

“Shit, baby,” he sighed.  “Stay here until I get a washcloth.”  He disappeared out of her genie spot and came right back with hot washcloths for them to clean up with.  After they’d finished, he took her in his arms again.  “We gotta get you home soon,” he murmured to a sleepy Alison.  He could go for a little nap himself, he thought as he yawned loudly.

“Not yet,” she whispered.  “Let’s wait, like, a half hour or so.  I don’t want to leave you yet.”

Justin shifted around until her head was on his chest and his arms were around her.  “Okay, baby.  Half an hour.”

And they both fell right asleep.

*~*

“Shit!” Justin jerked awake suddenly by the sound of his phone ringing.  Checking the Caller ID quickly, he saw it as JC.  He flipped open the phone.  “What’s up, dawg?”

“Nothing much man, what about you?” JC said to his best friend through his cell phone.

Justin wiped a hand across his eyes and glanced at his watch, put off immediately by the time.  He needed to hang up the phone and get Alison home ASAP.  “Just laying here with Ali; she’s dead asleep and I need to her get home right away.  It’s after three in the morning.  I hope I don’t get her in trouble,” he said worriedly.

"Man, what the fuck are you doing?  How long do you really think you can pull this shit off?  The girl is young but she's not stupid,"

Justin sighed.  "Look, man, if I tell her the truth now then she'll bolt.  She's too young and inexperienced for this shit.  I have to ease her into it -- how, I don't know.  But I know if I told her today, I'm gonna lose her.”

"That's my whole point, man.  She's way too young and inexperienced for what we do.  There are a million girls you could've picked to deal with who would be down with the shit we do and you go and pick the one who is Miss Innocent.  Even Sam doesn't act like her.  As a matter of fact, I think Sam knows what's going on herself, if you ask me.”

"She what?!" Justin almost swerved into another lane.  "Did you tell her something?  JC if you screw this up for me I swear, I'll kick your ass!"

It was JC's turn to sigh, because he was worried about his friend.  "No, I didn't tell her anything.  Your mistake of not showing up on time the other night got her suspicious and she asked me if we were involved with any kind of drugs today.  Of course I told her no but she didn't believe me. I have a feeling thought that she won't tell Alison unless she has some proof because Alison won't believe her.  You got that little girl sprung, J, and it's not right.  Something about this whole thing just isn't right."

Justin rubbed his forehead with his hand, he was so tense from all this secrecy and drama and hiding.  He wasn't used to living his life this way, behaving like a double agent.  Girls he’d hooked up with knew what they were getting into -- his reputation preceded him so he didn't have to worry about explanations. A certain look or comment would let them know that he had something to do regarding business and that no questions should be asked. 

He wasn't mean -- in fact he probably treated his girlfriends too well, if you asked JC.  But Justin was a one-woman man. He didn't cheat, he didn't flirt, and he kept to himself and his girl when he was with one.  It was just the bad breakup before he met Alison had been so heart-wrenching that it'd taken awhile for him to even dare to socialize.

And it couldn't have been coincidence that the first night JC had dragged him out to the club just happened to be the first night Sam had ever dragged Alison to the club.  It was fate, like Ali had said. The moment he laid eyes on her he'd wanted her.  She was so beautiful he couldn't keep his eyes off of her -- and then to find out she was a nice girl on top of that?  It was like God led him to her.  Things like that didn't just happen -- it did have to be fate.

And who fought fate?  Justin sure didn't want to try.  He'd fucked up once and he wouldn't be doing it again.  He just thanked God for giving him a second chance with Alison, whose cheerful face he saw as he pulled up outside of the high school earlier that day.  She was standing outside in a coat and her little cheerleader outfit waiting for him with a gaggle of her cheerleader friend gaping and gawking at him.  Just to be perverse he got out of the car and escorted Alison in, making sure to give her a big kiss right in front of them.

What the hell was he doing?  JC was right – if he really cared for Alison her should tell her the truth or let her go.  Problem was, he did care for her but he was scared what she would do if she found out the truth … Alison was truly a good girl and drugs were not something he could see her accepting as part of her life.  So he had to keep the secret just a little while longer.

Now he had to get her home right away so she wouldn’t be in trouble.  “Alison …" he shook her shoulder softly.  “Ali … wake up!”  She took her time coming out of her slumber but when she finally did, she graced him with the biggest smile ever as she stretched her body against his. 

“Hi,” she said sleepily, and Justin couldn’t help himself; he gave her a soft kiss on her lips. 

“Hi there,” he replied.  “Baby, I hate to do this but it’s really, really late … I need to get you home right now.”

She stretched again, this time accompanied by a yawn.  “What time is it?”  She wasn’t wearing a watch and therefore had no idea of the time.

“It’s a little after three,” Justin told her and immediately she sat straight up, panicking.

“I’ve gotta get changed and we’ve gotta go right now, Justin.  I’ve never stayed out this late before and someone is sure to notice!”  She got up and went over to where her clothes were, and then took them into the bathroom to change.

Justin waited for her with his keys in hand.  When she emerged from the bathroom, her face was scrubbed clean of makeup, dressed in her jeans and her t-shirt, and he’d never seen her look more innocent.  “You ready?” she asked anxiously, grabbing her backpack and coat.

They made their way silently downstairs to his car and once they were inside, Justin apologized.  “I know I should’ve kept track of time for you,” he told her while holding her hand.  “I just was so comfortable and happy laying there with you that I honestly forgot everything else.  I love you Ali, and I’m sorry.”

Alison sighed.  “I know you meant well.  It’s nobody’s fault so don’t blame yourself,” she reassured him.  “I’ll figure something out ... its just another fat lie on top of everything else,” she said bitterly, shaking her head.

“No,” Justin interrupted her.  “It won’t be a lie because I’ll be there.  I’ll go inside with you and we’ll explain that we just fell asleep.  They should at least respect that we’re telling the truth.”

She shook her had slowly.  “I don’t know if that’s the best way to handle things,” she told him truthfully. “Sometimes ignorance is bliss and I think that applies to my parents.  The less they know about my sex … about what we do,” she blushed furiously, “the better.  I can handle them on my own better than with you there.”

“But I don’t want to leave you stranded out there,” Justin protested.

“You’re not leaving me stranded,” she replied.  “You offered for me to come with you and I declined your offer … you haven’t deserted me or anything.  I just think things would be better if I did this myself.” 

Soon they pulled up in front of her house and Alison could see that a light was on inside the living room. “Great,” she groaned.  “I’ll probably be punished so don’t expect to hear from me for the next couple of days,” she warned Justin.  “I probably won’t be allowed to use the phone.  At least that’s what they do to Sam all the time.  But she sneaks and uses her cell phone anyway – my parents don’t know that she has it.  She keeps it on vibrate.”

Justin reached into his glove compartment.  “Here,” he handed her a tiny cellular phone, obviously fancy with it’s sleek silver packaging.  “Use this to call me.  I never use this phone anyway.  Just keep it on vibrate like Sam does and that way we can talk whenever you want.”

Alison took it hesitantly.  “How does this work?  I hate sneaking around, Justin.”

“It’s not really sneaking around, just calling me.  Besides, if they’re not mad at you, which I doubt they will be because you always do what you’re told, then we won’t even have to worry about it.  Right?” He leaned over and caressed her cheek.

“Right, I guess,” she said, trying to look on the bright side of things.  He then showed her how to work the phone and assured her that no one would call it.

“How do you know that? What if one of your friends call?” she asked, completely worried.  Not so much about the phone but worried about what happened when she stepped inside her house.  Somehow Justin understood and kissed her softly.

“Don’t worry, okay?  You’ve got probably the best record of doing what your parents want more than anyone I know.  Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

Alison shook her head.  “No, it’s better if I go in myself … trust me, it’ll go a lot better with me alone than if you came.  Maybe I can convince them that I just fell asleep over my books …”

“That’s what you did,” Justin reminded her.  “So don’t be afraid.  And call me if anything goes down, okay?  I’ll come right back and get you if you need me to.”

Ali stared at him.  She couldn’t comprehend not working things out with her parents. Not enough for her to actually leave the house.  “Justin, nothing like that’s going to happen.  They may be mad or whatever but they won’t want me to leave.  If anything I’ll be staying in the house for a week or two,” she said glumly.  “And the longer I stay outside, the longer I make things worse for myself.  It’s time to go,” she finally finished talking as Justin’s private cell phone rang.  He answered it briefly and handed it to her. 

“It’s for you,” he told her.  When she looked surprised he told her it was Sam.  Alison got on the phone and listened while Sam whispered to her from upstairs.

“You need to get in here right away, Alison,” her sister whispered.  “Mommy and Daddy are flipping out.”

“Is it really bad?” Alison asked, almost trembling.  She’d never been in this much trouble before.

“Yes,” Sam answered.  “They’re talking about calling the police.  You need to get in here now.”

“Okay,” Alison answered and hung up the phone.  “Goodnight, Justin.  I’ll call you tomorrow when I get a chance, okay?”

“Okay, sweetie.  Don’t worry; everything’s going to work out.  I promise.  If you start to get sad, remember what happened tonight and how much fun we had.  And remember, I’ll be around if you need me.  Just call me, all right?”

“Okay.”

“And remember that I love you, okay?”

“I love you too,” Alison nodded and with a deep breath and a heavy heart, climbed out of Justin’s car. She hadn’t even reached the porch before the door swung open, revealing her dad clad in a robe and obviously angry.

“Young lady, you have got a lot of explaining to do,” he said angrily.  “Now get in here,” he held the door open for her to enter.

But her dad didn’t know how strong her feelings had become for Justin.  She wasn’t ready to give him up by a mile, parent’s anger or not.  He had the fight of his life on his hands if he expected her to stop seeing Justin.

And she didn’t really care if they accepted it or not.