“She didn’t tell me she was living with her fiance. I just assumed she had a room mate or two. And I’m not just company. Like I said, I’m an old boyfriend,” he said. “I just want to catch up, that’s all. So, are you going to invite me in?” I looked back at Candi to see her reaction. She nodded her head slightly.
“I suppose you can come in for a few minutes, but we’re really quite busy,” I said. “So you can’t stay long.” Candi sat on the couch and Ryan headed to sit next to her, but I stopped him halfway and motioned for him to sit in a recliner that sat off to one side. I sat down next to Candi and looked at our visitor. I could tell he was sizing me up as well.
“Nice place you have here, Wheeler. Are you renting or buying?” he asked.
“Buying,” I said.
“What, two bedrooms, I assume?” he asked.
“Two bedrooms, but we use one as an office,” I said.
“I’ve been looking for a place to hang out for a while,” he said. “You think that maybe…”
“No,” Candi said, interrupting him. “There’s lots of other places you can stay. You can stay at one of the dormitories on campus, or maybe have your father buy something for you.”
“Yeah, I could call my old man,” Ryan said. “He could buy up something bigger and better than this just like that,” he added, snapping his fingers.
“Then do that,” Candi said. “You’re not welcome here.”
“Now is that any way to treat an old friend?” he asked. “Especially the guy you gave your cherry to? She did tell you that I was the first to… sample… her, didn’t she?” His smirk grew wider as he looked at me.
“We have no secrets from each other,” I said. He nodded his head, slowly. I could see the wheels turning in his head.
“Wheeler,” he said, looking at me through squinty eyes. “I’ve heard that name before. Wait a minute. I know who you are. You’re her cousin. From Roswell. The one she used to go visit all the time.” He smirked as he looked back at Candi.
“You’re fucking your cousin now? Were you fucking him back then, too? I didn’t know you were that kinky. Damn. This just keeps getting better and better. Did she tell you how she used to squeal like a pig when I put my ten inches up her ass?” he asked, his smirk growing even wider.
“It was more like ten centimeters,” she said. “The closest you ever got to my ass was in your dreams. And the only reason I squealed was because I faked my orgasm to make you stop.” Ryan laughed, but there was no mirth in it.
“Now is that any way to talk to your first love?” he asked.
“First love?” she asked. “To be honest, it was the most unfulfilling two minutes of my life. The worst part is, I’ll never be able to get those two minutes back.” Ryan’s smirk left his face and he started for her, but I got between them.
“I think you’ve worn out your welcome, Ryan,” I said. “I think you’d better leave now. And don’t ever come back. I’d hate to have to call the police. And while you’re at it, I think you’d better leave Candi alone. Not unless you want to get kicked out of school.”
“You know I could kick your ass with one hand tied behind my back, boy,” he hissed through clenched teeth. When I didn’t back down from his threat, he smiled and took a step back. “But not today. I just wanted to check in with my old squeeze and see what she was up to. But know this. One day, I will fuck your fiance. In your bed. And I’ll make you watch.”
“You mean, if you can even manage to get it up.” He started for her again, but I made sure I was between them.
“I think you’d better leave now, before we have to call the police,” I said calmly. For a moment, I thought he was going to take a swing at me, but he apparently thought better of it. His face broke out into a grin and he stepped back.
“Hey, nothing personal,” he said. “Like I said, I just wanted to touch base, say hello.”
“Well, you’ve said it. Now go,” I told him. He nodded his head and sauntered to the door. He turned back and pointed at us.
“See ya around,” he said with a wink. He opened the door and left. After the door closed, I made sure it was locked and turned to Candi, taking her in my arms. She was trembling with fear.
“It’s alright, sweetheart,” I said as I held her. “He’s gone.” She nodded her head and looked toward the kitchen counter. I followed her gaze and saw her phone leaning against one of the large ceramic canisters we had there.
“Did you get all this on video?” I asked.
“I hope so,” she said, grabbing her phone. She went through her videos, and sure enough, she managed to get the entire encounter.
“I can’t believe you actually dated that jerk,” I said when the video ended.
“I can’t either,” she said. “He was like the big guy on campus. His father owns a big law firm in town with offices across the state and he’s filthy rich. I only dated him a couple times. The last time is when we… you know. So, what do we do now?”
“I think we should call the police, file a report. Then take that to the school and let them know,” I said.
“I think you’re right,” she said. “I don’t think he did anything illegal, but it would still be a good idea to have a record of it. I’ll call them right now.” She dialed 911 and we waited for them to show up. When the officer arrived, we told him what happened and showed him the video. He took notes throughout and asked questions when he needed clarification on something.
“Well, it doesn’t look to me like he did anything illegal,” the officer said. “Last I checked, being an asshole isn’t against the law in New Mexico. And you did invite him inside. I’ll go ahead and file a report so you’ll have something on record.”
“Thank you, officer, we appreciate that,” I said.
“So, are you two really cousins?” he asked.
“Yes,” Candi said. “It’s not against the law, you know.”
“I know,” he said. “It’s just… well, some folks might look a bit sideways at that.”
“We really don’t care what ‘some folks’ might think, Officer. Our family has given its blessing and that’s all that really matters to us,” I said. He smiled as he nodded his head.
“Tell me, Mr. Wheeler, do you have a gun in the house?” he asked.
“No, sir, I don’t,” I said.
“Probably a good idea under the circumstances. Look, it’s not against the law to carry pepper spray, you know. Lots of places in town sell it. Maybe you should look to get some for personal protection, if you think this guy’s gonna be a problem,” the officer said. “Might not be a bad idea for you to take some self defense courses, young lady. If he keeps harassing you, you might want to consider a protection order.”
“We’ll look into that, thank you officer,” Candi said.
“Alright. Well, here’s my card. The case number is on the back. Call if there’s anything more we can do for you folks,” he said as he handed me a business card. I looked and saw the case number he had written there.
“Thank you,” I said as we escorted him to the door. After he left, I pulled out my laptop and did a search.
“What are you looking for?” Candi asked.
“Someplace where we can get some of that pepper spray,” I said. “Ah, here’s someplace right close by. And they’re still open for a couple hours or so. Why don’t we head on down?”