Nicole flushed getting her meaning. "You mean having sex?"
"Yes! I wouldn't mind giving him a ride myself if he wasn't so dedicated to you."
"I don't want any part of him. I've had a taste of it Cleo and it's not all it's cracked up to be."
Cleo's eyes went big as saucers. "You did it?"
Nicole confessed so glad to be able to tell someone about it. "Yes, and it was horrible Cleo. There was so much pain."
"Pain?" Cleo looked confused. "Were you ready for him? Was there any foreplay? Did he touch you?"
If she were any lighter, she was positive her cheeks would be scarlet. "Yes, there was foreplay and before he did it, I was feeling very good."
"Maybe you were uptight and nervous."
Nicole was frustrated not really knowing how to explain to her what happened. "I expected to be nervous on my first time, but until he hurt me like that, it was feeling nice."
Cleo almost choked on her coffee. "You're a virgin, Nicole?"
"It's no big thing. That has nothing to do with what happened?"
"That has everything to do with it, Nicole. Did it hurt at first?"
"Like a hot knife. That's why I told him to take it out."
"You what? You didn't finish? How could you do that to him Nicole?"
"Do that to him? What about what he did to me? He hurt me."
"You probably didn't let him finish."
"I was bleeding all over the place."
Cleo drew Nicole in her arms for comfort. "That's because you're suppose to bleed. You would have been okay. I'm surprised he didn't kill you. Didn't anyone ever tell-" She stopped. "You poor thing. It's important you finish it with him, Nicole. Especially after everything you went through with Marvin and-"
Nicole drew away. "How did you know?"
"Ethan told me. I felt so bad when I knew Marvin did that."
"It only happened once." She sat down outside of Nanna's room. "He dragged me up there after Lynne left the night of the beating and said he'd make sure no man would want to touch me after he got through. I passed out at the first second of pain and when I woke up I was locked in the room feeling like death warmed over me."
"You don't think you should speak to someone regarding what happened to you?"