Can't Stop the Girl

They were waiting in Reggie's kitchen when his mother came shuffling in from the garage twenty minutes later. "Annie!" she said. "What a pleasant surprise!"

"She's got an even more pleasant surprise, Mom," Reggie said.

"That's right," Annie said. "Mrs. Greene, we know who stole the toys. It was Karen."

"Karen?" Mrs. Greene took her winter coat off and hung it over a chair. "Why on earth would she do that?"

"To prove some stupid point about cultural appropriation or something," Reggie said.

"Exactly," Annie said. "You know she was opposed to the whole thing, Mrs. Greene."

"That's true," Rhonda said, "But, well, so were quite a few other folks, Annie."

"Quite a few other folks didn't know the van was parked in the street when it got broken into," Annie said. "But Karen did, remember? She said so last Friday."

"Everyone who was at the Barkers on the day the toys were stolen knew that," Rhonda said. "The van was still parked there! And Tony mentioned it, too."

"But Karen wasn't there, Mom," Reggie said.

"I'll be damned," Rhonda said. "That poor girl, just how much anger has she got...poor thing."

"I'll feel a lot sorrier for her when we get the toys back," Annie said. "But we'll have to prove it somehow before the cops will even talk to her." She told them both about what she'd run into at the Barkers' the day before.

"Oh, that I can help you with," Rhonda said. "Come on, you two, I'll take you down to the police station right now and if I'm there, they'll listen to you. All that's happening these days, they know better than to ignore a black woman who says there's an injustice."

"Mrs. Greene, thank you!" Annie said, standing up. "Mind if I just use your bathroom before we go?"

"Of course, dear," Rhonda said.

"Thanks!" And she was off down the back hallway.

Rhonda paused with her coat halfway back on. "Reggie, how does she know where the bathroom is?"

Annie called Mrs. Cottam on the way to the police station and asked her to please scare Tommy and Paul into talking. The rest of the evening was a long wait with Reggie on a bench in the police station lobby, flirting as much as they dared in a public place, and Rhonda treating them both to a celebratory dinner after she got done haranguing the sheriff. "He said if those two boys point the finger at Karen, he'll bring her in tomorrow," she told them as soon as they were back in the privacy of her car.

"They will," Reggie said. "You know how persuasive Mrs. Cottam can be, Mom."

"I wouldn't be those two boys for all the tea in China tonight," Rhonda said. "But it serves them right."

When Rhonda announced she was treating them to dinner, Annie was terrified she'd suggest Woody's. Instead she took them to Pearl's, which was only a bit less poignant to Annie. At least they didn't end up in the same booth where she'd comforted Daryle scarcely a week before. Already the whole story was starting to feel unreal to her -- had she really invited herself to join Sullivan and his loser pal in the hot tub?! But that didn't bug her nearly as much as being with Reggie and unable to offer a follow up to their last encounter because his mother was sitting across the table from them. Still, if she was lonely and frustrated, at least they might now be getting the toys back.

"You two look absolutely conspiratorial here," Rhonda noted as they sipped their drinks. "Is there something you haven't told me about this detective work you've been doing?"

"Course not, Mom," Reggie said smoothly, and Annie could only hope Rhonda would buy it. Evidently she did, for there were no more prying questions. But also no more hope of getting into Reggie's pants tonight.

The next day found Annie doing her best to focus on work as usual, but of course she couldn't help checking her phone for e-mails every ten minutes or so. The long-awaited mail finally popped up just after three o'clock, from Mandy: "TOYS FOUND!! Come celebrate -- and wrap them up -- with us tonight at seven!" Not a word about just how they'd been found, but Annie didn't care about that -- although now it occurred to her that she didn't even know what Karen had had to say about it all. What she did care about was whether Daryle was on the list of recipients. Scrolling through the addresses, she saw that he was.

With that in mind, Annie wore a skirt without panties to the Barkers' that evening. "I hear you found the toys," Mrs. Goldstein said as Annie came through the living room on her way out.

"Wow, word gets around fast," Annie said. "But yes, isn't it wonderful?"

"I'd sure like a minute or two alone with that Karen lady," Mrs. Goldstein said.

"You and me both," Annie agreed. "I don't suppose you've heard what she had to say about it?"

"Not a word. But I'm sure your friends will know."

They did. "Officer Roberts says Karen didn't even bother pretending she was innocent," Mandy explained to all their guests, of which Annie was disappointed to find Daryle wasn't one. She welcomed the consolation of sitting next to Reggie on the couch, just waiting for the first opportunity to whisper in his ear about what she wasn't wearing. "She didn't apologize either, apparently. She just said she felt it was exploitive and condescending to the city kids, and she wanted to teach us a lesson."

"And apparently she believes she succeeded, too," Tony said. "We'll see if she still feels that way when they're done pressing charges."

"That poor girl," said Rhonda. "White guilt run amok, huh?"

"It all makes sense now," Annie admitted. "I just wish I could have figured it out sooner."

"Don't be silly, you're the one who did figure it out!" Mandy said. Raising a glass of eggnog, she added, "To Annie!"

Annie blushed and grinned as they all drank to her health. "Thank you. Now, are we going to wrap the presents or what?"

She gave Reggie what she hoped was a knowing look when Mandy told them where to find spare packing supplies in the basement, and she welcomed his close proximity as they all stood around the dining room table to get to work. "I'm so sorry we didn't get a minute alone last night," she whispered to him as soon as she had a chance to do so unnoticed.

"Me too," he said. "But if you're up to it tonight..."

"If?" Annie asked him with a lusty grin.

Tony came over with a new stack of boxes to wrap before Reggie could respond. "You both look jovial," he said.

"I think now that we've got the toys back, this is officially the best December I've ever had," Annie said. "I was just telling Reggie as much."

"We all owe you big for this, Annie," Tony said.

"You don't owe me anything!" she replied as he went back to his post at the far end of the table. Then turning to Reggie, she whispered, "Of course, if you want to give me something..."

Annie got her answer to that shortly afterward, when Jerry and Rhonda had to beg off early. "We've got another church event tomorrow night and there's work left to be done," Jerry explained.

"Mind if I stick around and help them finish up, Dad?" Reggie asked. "Annie can drive me home."

"Reginald, you shouldn't assume she's willing to do that," Rhonda admonished.

"Oh, it's fine, Mrs. Greene," Annie reassured her. She didn't trust herself to even look at Reggie at that moment -- surely both his parents could have read the looks on their faces.

They did have their chance in the Barkers' basement while putting away the supplies once all the toys were wrapped, but Annie just couldn't do that to them. "Of course I'll drive you home," she told Reggie as she caught him looking around the dimly lit basement for a suitable flat surface. "You can even ride in back if you want," she added with a giggle.

"You want to ride there with me?" he asked with a hopeful, shy grin.

Annie took a quick look up the stairs to make sure the door was shut, and she yanked her skirt up. "That answer your question, Reggie?" Then she laughed at his gobsmacked, silent response.

"You had this all planned, then," Reggie said to her from the backseat scarcely ten minutes later, as Annie drove down a side-street away from his home.

"Well, I do think we've earned a second round, don't you?" Annie was relieved to find she no longer had to pretend she wasn't disappointed that it wasn't Daryle. Reggie had been delightful in his own right, after all.

"Couldn't agree more, Annie," he said. "But where are you planning to take me?"

"Wherever no one's going to notice another car parked in the street," Annie said. "Go ahead and get comfortable, and let that poor thing out of your pants, huh?" She laughed.

Reggie laughed as well, and when next she dared a quick look back at him, she was pleased to see he'd followed her orders. It was rock hard and pointed at her.

It only took another couple of minutes -- but it felt much longer to Annie -- before she found a block where most of the lights were out and no one was out and about in the cold. Triumphantly she killed the engine and unbuckled her seat belt. "Ever done it in a car before?" she asked Reggie as she climbed between the front seats and straddled him, with her skirt up around her waist.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he teased. "You?"

"Right back at you!" Then she locked her lips on his and there was no more talking for the moment. With the heater off, the cold air outside was already making its first threats to take over, but that only made Annie welcome Reggie's hands even more on her breasts as she playfully rubbed his cock about her moist lips.

"You tease," he said breathily in her ear. "You want to take all night there?"

"We haven't got all night, have we?"

"What if we get caught?"

"We won't, if we're fast." With that, she took him harder in her hand and eased him inside. "Ohhh, like that?"

"Love it!"

Annie rocked into him with abandon, half-welcoming the possibility that her moans could be heard outside. One car passed them, but there was no knock on the window to bring everything to a halt. The chance it might come only further inflamed Annie's passion as she rode Reggie into a quick orgasm. "Now you!" she said, gazing into his eyes as soon as she'd caught her breath.

"No problem! Keep that up!" She did, and felt halfway to another one when he gave a yelp and clutched her body close to his with both arms, his mouth wide open but nothing coming out.

"Are you close?" she asked.

"Coming. Now....unghhhh!" And Annie was treated to the beautiful sight of his face melting into joy as he came. "Wow," he finally exhaled. "Thank you."

"I've never seen a man come like that, sitting still I mean," she said. This certainly had been an educational holiday season for her.

"New one to me too," he said "So intense!" He kissed her. "Thanks, Annie."

"I guess I'd better get you home before your mother gets suspicious," she teased, climbing off him.

"She won't be suspicious," he said. "She thinks she knows you better than that, Annie."

At this, Annie could only laugh out loud as she restarted the car.

The pageant got off to a fine start, with the kids from the city regaling their hosts with a few choral numbers they'd been practicing in school and Mrs. Goldstein regaling them with tales of long ago and miniature dreidels for all and the Barkers putting on an amusing skit and eggnog and cocoa for all. But Annie still didn't get a chance to patch things up with Daryle before they took the stage, as he arrived only at the last minute and without his mother.

He did look like he was in a conciliatory mood, at least, when he arrived backstage. "Merry Christmas, Annie," he said. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as we've got time to be," she replied, tuning her guitar. Though she'd been practicing every night, they hadn't practiced together since that fateful night at his house.

"Lots to say after we're done, I promise!" he said. But then he didn't take another look at her, as Mandy Barker was already giving her introduction to them and the curtain was about to rise. Annie contented herself with that promise as the audience cheered and they kicked into the first song.

The performance came off nearly perfectly, and Annie's heart was aglow as she admired the children in the audience, most of them paying as much or more attention to their newest toys as to her and Daryle. She was utterly delighted and proud that they even had that option. When it was over and they took their bows, Daryle surprised her with a hug that she eagerly returned -- one armed, with her guitar clutched in her other hand -- while the audience cheered even louder as if they knew.

Daryle led her back to the storeroom beside the stage, where the supplies of drinks and treats were stacked everywhere. "My mom really didn't know about Karen and the keys," he said as soon as they were alone, before Annie could utter a word. "It was the day after the toys went missing, the day after our little fling in the hot tub," he added with a grin. "I was home, Mom wasn't. The doorbell rings, and it's Karen with that reindeer. I'm sorry I lied to you about that, Annie, but I was starting to think Mom was involved, and I was ashamed."

"But she wasn't," Annie said with some uncertainty.

"But she wasn't," Daryle confirmed. "Karen said the reindeer was a gift to my mom, 'for helping me get my head on straight about something,' she said. 'Please tell your mom I decided not to do it,' she said. I don't think she knew that we already knew the toys had been stolen, because she wouldn't have expected my mom to go help wrap them."

"Just why did she?" Annie asked.

"Because I begged her to. She finally agreed because she didn't want me going over there alone, something about running my mouth without her there to shush me. Anyway. Karen. She gave me the toy and then asked could she please come in and have a glass of water? So I let her in, and she asked could she put the reindeer on Mom's bed to surprise her? I said I'd do it myself, because I wasn't sure if Mom had made her bed and I didn't need her screaming at me about letting someone in the house when it wasn't fit to be seen. I guess she must've thrown the keys down cellar while I was upstairs. Annie, I'm sorry this got so uncomfortable for us!"

Annie was just about to say it was fine when the door opened, and they turned to find Mrs. Greene there. "Aren't you two kids going to come enjoy the party? You saved the day, you ought to enjoy it, Annie!"

"We'll be right there, Mrs. Greene," Annie said. "We're just having a private conversation, it wouldn't do to have it in front of everybody."

"Then I'll leave you to it," Rhonda said. "Just don't be long, okay?"

"We won't," Daryle said. Then as soon as Rhonda had shut the door and left them alone, he asked, "But weren't we done anyway?"

"Well, we were done talking," Annie said. With a knowing grin, she stepped up close to Daryle and rubbed his Christmas sweater playfully. "But surely you'd like to make up more officially than that, wouldn't you?"