Midnight Dream Girls 2: The Scent of Revenge Read online

  Fifteen minutes and one shower later, Morgan headed back across the hall, this time dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a loose fitting T-shirt. In a hurry, she’d barely stopped long enough to towel dry her hair, and its long wet strands soaked through the worn cotton of her shirt to her back. But she didn’t really care. All that mattered was being with Joey again. Since he’d come into her life just eighteen months ago, he had become her life.

  She knocked on the peeling cream colored door before her and waited, letting her mind drift back to her previous life. Or more precisely, her mother. She really missed her mom, and wished Sarah could’ve had more faith in her daughter so Morgan wouldn’t have had to run away. But when her mother had threatened to separate her and Joey, whether her words had been said in anger or were truly meant, what else could Morgan do? Joey was her life.

  After what seemed an interminable length of time, the door opened to reveal an elderly woman in a gray housecoat with a faded blue rose print and matching gray colored house slippers. On her shoulder rested a sleeping cherub of a baby boy, his downy fine hair tousled and standing straight up in thin wisps.

  “There’s my Joey,” Morgan crooned in a low whisper, reaching out for her heart and soul.

  Mrs. Myers carefully transferred the sleeping child into Morgan’s arms, her face going soft for only a fleeting moment before she eyed Morgan’s outfit. “You didn’t go job hunting looking like that, did you?”

  Morgan settled her baby against her chest and shook her head. “I changed before coming here. I hope that’s okay.”

  Mrs. Myers shrugged. “You pay me by the hour. Besides, it gave me a few extra minutes with Joey baby.”

  Hearing a hint in the woman’s voice, Morgan held out a wad of crumpled bills, a preciously large amount from her fast dwindling savings. “I got a job tonight, and will be working nights from Wednesday through Saturday, from six p.m. to three a.m. Would you be able to babysit Joey on those nights?”

  She tried to hide a smile while the woman counted the money, then stuffed it into a pocket in her housecoat. “Sure. Though I wouldn’t hardly call it babysitting. He sleeps like a perfect angel after nine o’clock.”

  Morgan tried not to sigh in relief. “Then he’ll see you again this Wednesday. If anything changes and you can’t watch him, will you let me know as soon as possible?”

  “Nothing’ll change, believe you me,” Mrs. Myers sniffed. “I’m not like you heathenish young people nowadays who don’t know what a commitment or work ethic is. If I say I’ll do a job, I’ll do it. Good night.”

  Without another word or a wave goodbye, the older woman stepped back into her dark apartment and shut the door. Shaking her head in amusement at her neighbor’s cantankerous ways, Morgan headed back to her apartment with her precious cargo in her arms. Despite all of Mrs. Myers’ bluffing, that woman couldn’t hide the look of pure adoration in her eyes every time she looked at Joey. And that told Morgan everything she needed to know about her neighbor’s ability to care for her baby.

  She sighed with happiness as she softly shut and bolted the apartment door behind her and her son. The night couldn’t get any more perfect. She’d gotten a good paying job and secured a good babysitter for Joey.

  Finally, life was starting to look up for them.

  Morgan had placed the sleeping Joey in his crib in the apartment’s solitary bedroom, then spent an hour and a half writing in another quick chapter for her latest erotic romance novella. Finally with a bone aching weariness, she crept past the sleeping baby into her own twin-sized bed and fell into the oddest dream.

  A man entered their bedroom, his features completely unreadable, merely a silhouette in the open doorway against the dim yellow light from the bathroom’s nightlight.

  She wanted to yell, only she couldn’t open her mouth or move her body.

  “Sh, you don’t want to wake the baby, do you?” he whispered, moving to the side of her bed. “Besides, this is only a dream, my pretty, and I’m not here to hurt you. Why would you imagine someone here to hurt you?”

  It did feel like a dream, with the hazy, surreal quality of the darkened room around her. Yes, she must be dreaming, Morgan realized. How odd to realize she was dreaming while she was still asleep, though. She almost never had that kind of dream. But if this was that type, then she must be in control of it.

  “Yes, you are in control over this dream,” the man whispered, sinking down on the mattress beside her. “And I am here to give your body what it needs.”

  What do I need? she asked within her mind, since her lips still wouldn’t move.

  “What you write about in all those pretty little romances of yours.” His silhouetted hand reached out slowly, drawing closer to her thighs beneath the thin covering provided by only a single cotton sheet.

  To be touched, Morgan agreed with a mental sigh. Though she adored her son, there were still some things his sweet baby ways couldn’t fulfill for her. Like the sensual touch of a man.

  She felt her fantasy man’s hand rest on her thigh, almost as light as air, and she relaxed. Yes, she needed this, if only in her dreams.

  He stroked the top of her thigh, back and forth in slow repeating movements that soothed her mind while building a slow warmth under her skin. Gradually his strokes moved higher towards her hip and deepened to massage her muscles.

  She felt the sheet being pulled away, leaving only her T-shirt to protect her loose breasts from the cool May night air. Beneath this last barrier, she felt her nipples harden in anticipation. Oh, how she’d missed this sensation, this thrill growing in her pussy, so long untouched. She hadn’t been with anyone since a month after she’d gotten pregnant with Joey, when Joey’s father Derek had kicked her out of their apartment because she’d refused to get an abortion.

  “Don’t think about that now. Only think of this.” The dark man reached forward with both hands, grasping her heavy breasts through her T-shirt to squeeze and mold them. The tiniest of moans escaped between her lips. Damn, this felt so real!

  Morgan arched her back, pressing her breasts more fully into his hands, her pussy crying out to be played with as well. But he ignored her lower body’s cries, focusing on teasing her nipples into stinging, aching buttons that sent pulsing echoes of need into her pussy. Instinctively her hips lifted off the bed, lowering and lifting again in a wordless rhythm of encouragement. It had been so long. Too long. She needed…

  “You need me, don’t you?” he whispered, lowering his head to lick her nipples through her shirt. She felt the moist heat of his tongue seep through the cotton to her skin, driving her into a frenzy of need. And still she couldn’t seem to reach him to pull him closer.

  “Relax, enjoy,” his voice sighed hotly through the clothing.

  While one of his hands continued to roll her right nipple around and around, his mouth latched onto the other one, lightly tugging and nipping at her sensitive skin. His other hand slid down her stomach, slipped underneath her shirt to touch the burning flesh of her stomach, then eased down inside her panties. Her hips lifted again as her knees parted, wanting him to move faster, needing his fingers inside her pussy. He was driving her insane.

  Ah, finally she felt his fingertips slip over her wet clit and delve between the folds of her labia, but still he wouldn’t fill the aching emptiness of her pussy. His fingertips danced in tiny circles over her clit, coaxing her to follow the rhythm he set with his fingers and the suction of his mouth on her breast.

  He lifted his head an inch from her breast. “Do you need me?”

  I…

  “Say it. Say you need me. Say you want me to fuck you.”

  I… I need you.

  “Say all of it,” he demanded, the sudden harsh tone in his voice confusing her. Yet still her body wanted more. Her imagination had really gone overboard a bit this time. She wasn’t too sure she wanted her fantasy men to be demanding things of her. Then again, maybe her subconscious did. So she would play along and see just what her unconsciou
s mind had planned.

  All right, I want you to fuck me, she thought.

  He stripped the sheet off her body in one movement and left it in a tangle around her ankles, holding her legs trapped together more effectively than any rope. He grabbed her wrists and tugged them up over her head, holding them in a tight grasp as his naked body moved over hers, pressing her down into the mattress.

  Morgan was both a little fearful as well as even more turned on. Though she couldn’t see the details of his appearance, the fantasy man’s body fit perfectly over hers, his hard muscled frame just the right contrast to her softer one. His cock, hard and unyielding, pressed between her closed thighs. And although she tried to shift her feet further apart to allow him more access, the sheet kept her legs firmly in place.

  But the restriction didn’t matter when he suddenly reached down with a free hand, tugged her wet panties to one side, and lifted his hips. His cock stroked over her clit, burrowing in between her folds and teasing over the opening of her pussy.

  Oh…she whispered in her mind.

  Again and again he stroked her clit with his dick, bringing her closer and closer to orgasm. She found that if she tilted her pelvis up while lifting her hips, she could force his cock partially inside her.

  “So, you can’t wait for me?” The man laughed into her ear, his breath tickling her skin. “Then I will give you what you want.”

  He thrust his cock into her, making her head fall back and press into the pillow beneath her. He was so big, too big, his length too much for her vagina. He rammed against its inner wall, and still he wasn’t buried all the way inside. Yet the hair above his cock tickled her clit, making her arch higher against him despite the discomfort. So her fantasy man wasn’t a perfect fit. Parts of her dream still felt pretty damn good. She’d appreciate what she could from this dream, and maybe her unconscious would do a better job next time.

  “Morgan, I want to fuck you all night,” he whispered in her ear as his hips ground in a circle against her thighs. He thrust his cock into her again and again, a low growl starting deep within his throat as his rhythm quickly increased.

  She was close, so close to climaxing, when he came.

  “Ahh….” He groaned, throwing his head back as his cock pulsed within her, filling her pussy with the sensation of liquid heat.

  Morgan flexed her hips, desperate to find her own release, but all too soon he pulled away from her.

  No, not yet, don’t go, she begged him with her mind.

  His laugh was short and low. “Don’t worry, my pretty, I’ll come see you again.”

  Then he vanished, leaving her needs achingly unfulfilled.

  * * * * *

  She awoke late the next morning still sticky from her erotic dream. As Morgan eased out of bed past the still sleeping Joey to the bathroom, she was surprised to find that her pussy was a little sore. Could she have played with herself during her sleep last night?

  She’d heard of this happening to others, but was pretty sure she’d never personally done it. Then again, it had been an awfully long time since she’d had any physical pleasure, so it was possible that her hands had simply acted out her dream during her sleep.

  As Morgan took a quick rinse off shower, she decided that must’ve been what happened. She’d simply masturbated in her sleep. It would also account for why her dream had felt so damn real.

  At least the experience could be used in her latest romance, which she desperately needed to finish up today.

  Though Morgan had only gotten a few short hours of sleep, she grabbed herself a soda to help wake her up a little better, turned on the old laptop she’d gotten from a pawn shop a year ago, and got to work. Her new job at the Midnight Saloon might pay well enough to cover the bills, but it wouldn’t rebuild her savings. She knew all too well how that extra money could suddenly become all they had to live on if her full time job didn’t work out.

  * * * * *

  The next three days flew by for Morgan. They were crammed full of playtime with Joey, writing as much as she could on her romance story while he napped, and meeting Brianna for two hours each day to learn one of the MDG dance routines.

  On Sunday when Morgan first showed up at the bar with Joey and a collapsible playpen in hand, Brianna’s eyebrows shot up.

  “Sorry, I couldn’t afford to pay a babysitter to watch Joey during our practice sessions,” Morgan said, the muscles in her arms straining to hold her son’s growing weight on one hip and the playpen in the other hand. “I hope this is okay.”

  Brianna smiled and nodded, holding the saloon’s front door open so Morgan and the baby could enter. Without a word, she took the playpen from Morgan’s shaking hand and carried it over to one corner of the empty building.

  “How do you…?” Brianna gestured towards the plastic and cloth mesh contraption.

  “Oh, like this.” Morgan set Joey on his feet, helped him slide down into a seated position on the floor, then walked over and set up the playpen with a few quick practiced snaps of her wrists. “Voila, a playpen!”

  Brianna grinned back at her, then walked over to Joey and squatted before him. “Hey there, Joey, how are you?”

  Joey stopped slapping the wooden floor with his pudgy palms, looked up at Brianna, and gave her an opened mouth grin that revealed three tiny baby teeth.

  “Oh, he’s adorable,” Brianna cooed.

  “Yeah, I told him to be sure to give you his best grin since you’re my new boss. Thought it might earn some brownie points for having to bring him here with me to the practice sessions.” Morgan picked him up and carried him over to his playpen. She dug into the pockets of her jeans and pulled out a plastic rattle and two small metal cars, which she gave him to play with.

  “Okay, we’re all set.” Wanting to reassure her boss that Joey wouldn’t be a distraction, Morgan immediately moved to the middle of the room and pulled her long hair back into a ponytail using the cheap rubber band she kept around her wrist.

  “Okay.” Brianna walked over to stand in front of her and began demonstrating the first few dance moves in the routine, explaining on which music counts each movement should be performed. Occasionally she also told Morgan certain words in the song to listen for before performing special moves created to mimic the song’s lyrics.

  Morgan tried to catch on as quickly as she could, but she knew she’d have to practice at home to help ensure she remembered it all. It would cut into her writing time, but it couldn’t be helped. Thank goodness the moves were designed to be performed on the narrow confines of a bar top, so she wouldn’t have any trouble practicing in her tiny living room.

  After two hours, Brianna suggested they quit for the day and relax at the bar for a bit. Nodding in agreement, Morgan lifted Joey out of the playpen and let him crawl around on the floor. Even if he got grubby, she figured he had to be bored within the collapsible enclosure and ought to have a bit of freedom before they headed home.

  “You did well today,” Brianna said. “Want a soda?”

  “Thank you. Yes, please,” Morgan answered, relieved to hear that Brianna was satisfied with her progress so far. “Want me to fix us up?”

  Brianna chuckled. “Sure. I’ll have a cola.”

  Morgan headed around the bar, glad to find that her muscles didn’t feel the slightest bit tired. All those months of exotic dancing were certainly paying off so far.

  Once their glasses of sodas were fixed and set up on the bar, Morgan came back around and took a seat beside Brianna.

  “Let’s make a toast,” Brianna suggested, holding her glass up in the air. “To your successful employment as the newest Midnight Dream Girl.”

  “I agree.” Morgan smiled, clinked her glass against Brianna’s, and took a sip.

  “Listen, I want you to know that just because I’m your boss doesn’t mean we can’t also be friends. Okay?” Brianna looked serious now, her eyes searching Morgan’s face.

  “Okay,” Morgan’s voice was hesitant, although she didn�
�t want it to be. Something about Brianna made her want to relax and be herself. But somewhere along the way, she’d developed the instinctive urge to keep everyone at a distance. Maybe it was from being abandoned by Joey’s father. Maybe her mother’s angry threat to seek custody of her child had felt like a betrayal after years of close friendship. She didn’t really know why she needed to remain so private and closed off. It had probably become an ingrained habit.

  As Morgan sipped her cold drink, she considered the warmth the redhead across from her seemed to generate. And although she didn’t know the woman, who couldn’t have been very much older than she, she sensed that Brianna was a truly caring person. Maybe she ought to make a true fresh start this time and try to make a friend for once.

  “So, how did you become the owner of the Midnight Saloon?” Morgan asked, searching for something they could talk about.

  Brianna sighed with the tiniest of frowns. “Well, it wasn’t under the nicest of circumstances. I was a bartender here for a few years, and I’d saved up a decent amount of money with the intention of someday starting my own business. Then my boss told me he was thinking about selling the place to the right person, and I guess I thought I was that right person. So I bought it from him. The day he was supposed to give me a copy of the deed, he had a heart attack at that table right over there and died.”

  “Goodness. That’s terrible. I’ll bet the police thought you’d been up to something nasty.”

  The briefest hint of something dark flickered over Brianna’s face, which Morgan attributed to bad memories. “Yes. Thankfully Mr. McCannon’s bad health was well documented at the local hospital. Otherwise I could’ve been in some hot water for a while.”

  Morgan shook her head in disbelief and smiled. “And suddenly you found yourself the proud owner of a fabulous bar.”

  Brianna snorted. “Fabulous, ha! It was headed straight for bankruptcy when I took it over, though of course my boss never mentioned that tiny detail while I forked over every bit of my money. But then I got the idea to have some of my fellow dancers from the college pom squad perform on the bar for the customers. Since then, we’ve been doing all right.”