Caren with a C

As he and Caren walked out, his arm around her shoulders, I had a feeling he would be back soon. But, despite popping my Caren fantasy balloon, Drake was proving hard not to like.

Two days later I pulled up to the video store a little after 8, which was getting to be my usual time. Parked in front of the store were a few cars and Harley Davidson motorcycle. I didn't know anything about motorcycles, but this one looked cool. It was mostly black with a chrome engine.

I got out of the car and walked towards the front door of the shop. As I did, I looked up to see Drake leaning casually on the counter talking to Shannon. They were laughing. Caren was nowhere to be seen. I opened the door and walked in.

"Hi Tommy." "Hi dude." They both said at the same time.

"Drake was telling me about State."

"My one year anyway. The people were cool, and I did OK, but school isn't for me." Drake said. "I discovered I want to work with my hands. My plan is to open my own garage. I'll leave running the world to you academics."

"Hey, let's put in Twelve O' Clock High." Said Shannon. "I made Tommy watch Pretty Woman the other night after you guys left."

I would have been less surprised if she had suggested we murder everyone in the store.

"Great idea." Drake said. "I'll go get it."

I cocked an eyebrow at Shannon. She shrugged and smiled. Oh brother.

"Hey, where's Caren?" I asked.

"She had to go out for a little while." Shannon said. "Drake came in to return his movies so Caren asked if he would hang out while she was gone. Sort of my bodyguard I guess."

Drake came back holding the movie and handed it to Shannon. To make conversation I said, "Hey Drake, is that your motorcycle out there?"

"Yeah, he said, I'll take both of you for a ride on it. You'll love it." Well played, I had to admit. Give me a ride first and then get Shannon on the back and it's all perfectly above board.

As we were looking out the window at his Harley, Shannon hit stop on the video playing on the monitors and was taking Twelve O' Clock High out of the case when a "Hey!" came from the floor of the store. A chubby guy in his late 20s came up to the counter and said, condescendingly, "I was watching that."

"Sorry." Shannon said. "I'm putting something else in now instead. But you can rent this one if you like." Holding up the tape she had taken out of the case.

"What I would like is for you to put the tape I was watching back in." He said. Putting both hands on the counter and leaning towards her.

I saw Shannon stand up straighter and lean towards him as I tensed up and started towards the counter.

Drake beat us both to it. "Hey buddy, he said cheerfully." Stepping up to him. "Store policy is if they stop a video and the customer complains they get to take it home for free. Sound good to you?" Drake was smiling but he was also standing a little too close to the guy for comfort. I was right behind him. I'm sure I looked pissed. Shannon sure did.

"Um, sure. I guess." Said the customer, looking up at Drake.

"Here you go." said Shannon. Handing him the video. "You can pick up right where you left off. I know your account number so I'll mark it free. Have it back by this time tomorrow."

"Have a good night." Said Drake, as the guy took the video and hurried out the door.

We watched Twelve O' Clock High with some running side commentary, both funny and serious. A couple customers recognized the movie and chimed in here and there while checking their selections out with Shannon. An old veteran came in about half way through and stayed and watched until the end, telling some war stories along the way. Caren came back later and joined in too. It was a great night.

Driving home I looked over at Shannon and said, "You like Drake, don't you?" She smiled and said, "No more than you like Caren."

"Oh god Shannon, is it that obvious?"

"It is to me, but only because I know you so well." She said. "But I doubt Caren thinks you are crushing on her or she would have said something to me. We spend a lot of time together." I had my serious doubts, Caren was good at reading people. But she was great to be with and everything was on the friend level so I figured if I didn't do or say anything stupid everything would be cool.

"I know he seems like a good guy Shannon, but make sure Drake doesn't push you anywhere you don't want to go. What's with the name and all the snake tattoos anyway? He's like a Bond villain's henchman."

"It's a Hydra." Shannon said defensively. "And his name is Draden, which everyone shortened to Drade, which then became Drake." I decided to let it go.

The next day was Friday. I'd had such a good time the night before I got to the store a little earlier than usual. Nothing much happened beyond the usual banter and work around the store until about 9, when Drake rolled in. He, Caren, Shannon and I were talking near the front counter when Caren asked Drake if he was going to the Benson keg party the next night.

"I've got something else going on," he said, "but I'm probably going to go by late." I was still trying to figure out the relationship between those two but I had no doubt they were screwing.

Caren looked over at me and Shannon. "Why don't you guys come too? One of the guys throwing the party is my friend from high school."

Drake perked up until Shannon said, "I would, but my mom and I are going to Boston for a bridal shower and are staying over. She doesn't like driving at night and doesn't think I can either. The worst part is we will be up at the crack of dawn on Sunday so Mom can be back in time for her tennis game." She sounded disappointed, which was strange. Shannon was not the keg party type. Neither was I, but I said I would go. What the hell.

The next night I pulled the beat-up VW into the field that was serving as a make shift parking lot for the keg party. There were cars all over the place, I had not realized how big this thing was going to be. Probably meant all the beer was gone by now or the cops would show up before I got any, but I figured I'd go check it out and at least say hi to Caren to let her know I had not chickened out. I wasn't technically invited, but there was nothing I was particularly worried about. I was sure I would know at least a few people at a party this big, even if most of them were older than me, I could always drop Caren's name and say she invited me, and worst case I would be told to leave. It's not like anyone was going to be checking a guest list at the door.

I made my way over to the bonfire at the other end of the field looking for Caren on the way. I saw her standing with two other girls at the outer edge of the flickering light coming from the burning pile of logs and walked over. She looked fantastic. She was wearing a plain, pale yellow tee shirt with a neck line dropping just enough to show a little cleavage and a pair of white denim shorts that came down to her mid-thigh, showing off a pair of smoothly tanned and shapely legs ending in some strappy white sandals instead of her usual black boots. It occurred to me then that I had never seen her outside of the store and maybe what she wore there was more of a comfortable sort of work uniform than a fashion statement.

"Hey Tommy,"she said, giving me a quick hug I was not expecting but thoroughly enjoyed, "this is Jeannine and this is Bridget. Girls this is Tommy, his sister is working with me at the store this summer." We fell into the easiest conversation I had ever had with members of the opposite sex, let alone three women who were a few years older than me and all attractive. Caren was the reason. She managed to navigate the conversation to areas of common interest and soon we were all talking and laughing about everything and nothing.

I was starting to think maybe this had a chance of going somewhere. Jeannine and I seemed to be hitting it off. "Hey, you ladies are all empty." I noticed. "And I'm still dry, give me your cups and I'll get us all a beer."

As I walked away with the empty cups I heard Jeannine say, "He's such a sweet kid." and sighed. Oh, well. At least I was having a good time and was thinking maybe I would visualize someone besides Caren later when I jerked off.

It took a while, but I managed to push my way through the crowd to the kegs, or what was left of them. There were three. Two obviously kicked and lying on their sides and one still working that the scrum was competing for. I got up to it with the three cups I had, grabbed an empty, and probably used, cup off the ground and filled up four beers making sure to note which grody cup was mine so I didn't accidentally give it to one of the girls.

I turned around and made my way back out of the crowd standing around the keg and as I cleared it I saw a guy heading my direction. I didn't give it a lot of thought until he stopped in front of me, blocking my way. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The guy was tall and probably had 20 pounds on me. "Um, getting some beers. Sorry dude, if this is your party I'm happy to chip in. A friend invited me."

"Jeannine invited you to this party?" He practically spat.

"No, Caren did." I replied, totally confused.

"OK, well stay the fuck away from Jeannine."

Now I was starting to get pissed. "I have a beer for her and the two girls she is with that I'm going to go give them. And I'm going to keep talking to them. And if you don't like it that's too damn bad."

I'd been in a couple of fights growing up and seen a few more. The way they usually go down is two kids square off, trade insults, throw a couple of punches, go to the ground and then get pulled apart claiming they both won. I think that was all in the back of my head when I said what I did and I wanted to get back to a conversation with some good-looking women I was thoroughly enjoying. Also, most guys back down or lay off aggressive behavior if you make it clear they can't fuck with your mind. Most, not all, and not this guy.

"I guess we have a problem then." he said and smiled an evil little smile as he assumed an aggressive stance with his right foot forward and body turned sideways. It was then I noticed three other guys, all good sized, had come up behind him. They were obviously his friends and they looked like they were eager to see what was going to happen. Oh shit. This was now getting more serious. With no one to back me up this fight was a one-way ticket. If it looked like I was winning his guys would pull me off. If he was winning I get the shit beat out of me because there would be no one to stop it. Except maybe the girls, which would be humiliating.

But if I knew if I backed down and slinked away Caren and Jeannine would hear about it. Fuck it, better to get beaten up and have them rescue me than have that happen. I put the beers down on the ground and got my hands up. Left foot forward. I figured the guy would count on his size advantage and try to grapple immediately, so my best hope was to get a stiff right to his face to throw him off balance and then follow up. My godfather was an ex-Green Beret and he had taught me a few things in the back yard. I had to hope my opponent he was drunker than he looked though, because I was under no illusions my chances were good here given his size advantage.

"Hey Tommy, what the fuck is going on?" It was Drake.

I've never been happier to see anyone in my entire life, and probably never will be. He was dressed in a white tee shirt and black jeans with his usual motorcycle boots. The snake (sorry, Hydra) heads from his shoulder tattoo peeked out from under the right sleeve over his formidable bicep. He was scowling and he looked mean. Two other guys were standing behind him, they both looked like they would be good in a fight.

"This asshole thinks I'm hitting on his girlfriend."

"Are you?" Drake asked me.

"No, of course not. I was talking to Caren and her friends."

Drake turned back to the guy I now thought of as Asshole and said, "So what's your problem then?"

Asshole and his friends now looked a lot less sure of themselves. After a long pause, he pointed at me and said, "Watch yourself man, you watch it." Then abruptly turned around and headed for the keg with his friends in tow.

"Thanks Drake. I owe you big time."

"Don't mention it dude." He knew, of course, I would tell my sister the story and it would make him look like a hero. Which I suppose he was.

A minute later Caren, Jeannine and Bridget came up wanting to know what was going on. One of them had seen the end of the confrontation from the other side of the fire and the three of them had hurried over. Drake explained the whole thing, except he made me look like I had scared the guys off myself and he happened on the scene at the end.

"That jerk." Jeannine said, recognizing Asshole at the keg. "I dated him for like two months and then broke up with him. I can't believe he still won't get over it. I'm calling him tomorrow and telling him that if he does this shit again I'm getting a restraining order. He'll believe me, my dad is a judge."

"Jeannine, Bridget, this is Drake." I said. "I'm sorry Drake, I don't know your friend's names."

"Tim and Alan." Drake said, and we all shook hands.

I realized I still had the four beers on the ground next to me and picked them up. "Here you go." I said to Caren and her friends, handing them out. Drake and Tim went to get some more beers for everyone and to make sure Asshole and his buddies were staying well clear of our little group. We had a great time all hanging out and getting to know each other. Turns out Tim and Alan were other mechanics from the garage where Drake worked. They were both cool guys.

I spent a lot of time talking Jeannine and was liking her more and more. She had a cute face, brown eyes and long black braid that hung down to the middle of her back. She also had an athletic physique and an ample chest. A couple times she put her hand on my arm while we were talking. Caren walked up to us, "Hey Jeannine, can I talk to you about something for a minute?"

"Sure, I'll be right back Tommy."

I got into a discussion with Drake and his friends about the Red Sox and we were talking about the starting rotation when Caren and Jeannine walked back up to our group. I'm not sure where Bridget had gone.

Not long after that the party really started breaking up, the last keg kicked. Caren said she was tired and asked if I would give her a ride since the video store was on my way home. I said, "OK." a little surprised she hadn't asked Drake, but she was directly on my way home so I didn't think anything about it. I was also a little disappointed that meant nothing was going to happen with Jeannine, even if that was only a pipe dream to begin with. In fact, I rationalized, Caren might have saved me from making an awkward move and getting completely rejected.

I'd only had a couple of beers so I was good to drive. We got in the car and I pulled out of the field onto the road next to it. Caren was uncharacteristically silent for a few minutes as I drove. I didn't mind. It was good to have a little time to think back on what had been one of the best, most exciting nights of my life and start to process the whole thing. It was also a good feeling to be driving along, windows open, radio on, hot woman in the seat next to me. Pretending she was my girlfriend.

"I'm going to tell you something," Caren said, "and I hope you don't get mad."

"What's up?" I was instantly curious.

"I think I probably stopped you from hooking up tonight."

I nearly went off the road. "What are you talking about?"

"Jeannine was super hot about you staring that guy down, and she thinks you are smart and funny and adorable. She told me she wanted to take you home. I don't know if things would have gone all the way, but there is a possibility they would have. But I told her she shouldn't."

I was stunned. I liked Caren a lot but this was unbelievable. I could have maybe lost my virginity? With a good looking older woman? And she cock blocked me? Jesus Christ. "Why?" was all I could croak out, keeping my eyes on the road.

She was quiet for a minute. "Tom, are you a virgin?" she asked. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

What the hell? I thought. Where did that come from? I didn't notice she hadn't called me Tommy. OK, well fuck it, may as well be honest. It's not like the night could get any weirder. "Yes." I said.

"I thought so. And do you want to be a virgin? Is it by choice?"

"No. I mean, I wouldn't jump into bed with any stranger off the street, but I'd like it to happen with someone I care about for sure. I'd rather not go to college a virgin if I can help it. I hear the girls can smell it on you."

Karen laughed. God, I loved her laugh. "You've watched Risky Business too many times." But then turned more serious. "But did you care about Jeannine?"

"Yes. Well, I think so anyway. I liked talking to her. And she is your friend, which means a lot. I trust your judgement in people. Is that what you told her? Not to take me home because you were worried I would regret it?"

"No, I told her that you and I fooled around last week and I wanted to see if it would go anywhere."

I nearly went off the road again. "Why did you tell her that?" I finally asked.

"So that in case I'm wrong about what you want I can salvage your chances with Jeannine."

I didn't say anything. I couldn't process all this fast enough. I did know Caren looked amazing sitting there next to me, listening to Roxy Music on the radio as I drove, wind rippling through her short hair. I decided I trusted her and would go with it. Whatever 'it' was. Maybe she knew best. Would sure have been nice to hook up with Jeannine though, I thought. I pulled into the parking lot of the video store and shut off the engine. I was trying to figure out what to say next.

Caren looked over at me then and put her hand on my thigh. "Tom, would you give your virginity to me?" She said simply.

I gaped at her. "Are you being serious?"

"Yes. I've never been with a virgin and I've always had a fantasy about being someone's first. I like you a lot. You have a great personality and with a little confidence you will have no trouble meeting women. I mean, look at your performance tonight. I think I can help you gain that confidence."

I stared right into those big green eyes. "Caren, yes. I want you to take my virginity. Very much."

"We have to have an agreement on some things first though." Caren said, taking my hands in hers and facing me. "I can't have you getting hurt because of what I want."

"You mean Drake beating me up if he finds out?"

Caren looked confused, then amused. "I'm not dating Drake. Having a couple beers with an old friend doesn't mean we jumped into bed."

"Oh." Was the intellectual response I came up with.

"And even if we did, it's not relevant to this conversation. I am not anyone's property."

"No, of course you're not. I'm not sure what to say here Caren. This sort of stuff is all new to me."

"I know Tom. I'm not offended, I can see why you might have thought we were an item. Now, back to us. We need to agree on a few things."

I would have agreed to pretty much anything to lose my virginity to Caren. Eat an orange with the peel on? Sure. Run home naked from the video store? On my way. Bury a body she had stashed in the trunk of her car? Give me a shovel. I also remember being amazed I didn't have wood, but for whatever reason I didn't. Yet. "OK, what should we agree about?"

"This is for the summer." Caren started. "This isn't love and it's not going to be, it's friends sharing their bodies with each other. I like you a lot but we aren't soul mates."

"Sounds great to me."

"Tom, I'm being serious. What we're talking about is an intimate thing you haven't experienced. I have to know you understand and agree we are both going to get a lot out of this for a month or two, but then it's over."