**This portion of Damaged contains depictions of sex and violence. Reader discretion is advised.**

Miki surprised herself again by actually attending classes the Monday morning. On Saturday night, as she lay under the covers in bed, she had thought for sure she would still likely be hiding at home for a few days. Maybe it was the exhausting run she did, or maybe it was the delicious Italian food she had later on for dinner. She knew Edward hadn’t killed himself driving home, which was honestly a relief. She also now had a shower that worked and a solid roof over her head, which brought some immediate normalcy back into her life.

Whatever reason, come Monday morning, she was there at school teaching the grade 5 class like she always did. She focused all of her attention on the kids… almost all of it.

It had taken her time to register it in her weary mind, but Alan working on her roof without his shirt hadn’t gone completely unnoticed by her the previous day. Skin glistening under the sun, he had a lean, sleek body that was well-honed by his many laborious jobs.

Miki rolled her eyes. After all that had happened, she couldn’t believe she could still have those type of thoughts, and so soon.

While the students stood up one at a time to recite a passage from a poem, Miki leaned up against the window sill, sort of following along in her book. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a woman with long gold-spun blonde hair and sunglasses make her way into the building.

She tilted her head and thought for a moment. The students continued to recite the poem, then, when they were done, Miki assigned 15 minutes of quiet reading time, while she left the classroom to check on something.

Dean watched her exit the room.

She walked through the empty hallways quietly, first the upper floor, then the lower one, scanning the premises and listening carefully. At the end of the hall, away from the classrooms, she approached the custodian’s office and the boiler room entrance; the door swung open and she stepped back, startled.

The tall blonde woman appeared and turned towards her, smiling.

“Hello?” Miki said.

“Oh, hello, there,” the woman chirped.

Miki recognized her from Duffy‘s: The alluring woman she had noticed sitting and talking with Alan at the bar.

Alan emerged through the door and stood beside the woman. “Hi Miki,” he said, “This is Sophia Locke. Sophia this is Miki, my kid’s teacher.”

“Ms. Yi,” she corrected, her attention pulled between the blonde and the custodian.

Sophia smiled and nodded. She looked at Miki as if she was already familiar with the teacher.

“Locke… as in, Locke Distribution and Warehousing?” Miki asked referring to the largest storage and distribution company in the region.

“And I thought I was known to everyone in this town,” Sophia declared. “Yes, my husband, Turner, owns the company. I’m just here today going over some supply requisitions for the school with…Mr. Rosetti.”

“You do know that all visitors have to sign in at the office?” Miki said to both of them.

“Oh, I did, Ms. Yi,” Sophia replied with an exaggerated nod of her head.

“And I don’t believe anyone but the custodians are allowed in the boiler room area,” she looked at Alan, hoping more for an explanation from him than actually trying to berate him.

Alan remained passive during their exchange.

Sophia looked at Miki, scoffing subtly. All of her features - green eyes, nose, chin, and lips - pointed sharply towards the teacher like the face of a fox. After a moment, the older blonde said, “Don’t you worry Ms. Yi. I couldn’t hurt a fly.”

Miki tried hard to look like she believed her.

Sophia chuckled, turned away, and strolled towards the exit. “Bye, Ms. Yi! Bye, Mr. Rosetti!” she called back to them with a genteel wave.

Miki watched her leave then she blinked and noticed Alan still standing there as well, looking at her. Immediately she turned around and headed back to her class, trying to pat away the sudden blush she felt in her cheeks.

* * * * * * * * *

In the early evening, Miki dragged herself into the house, feeling wasted from the day. Maybe she had pushed herself too hard. She tossed her bags onto the sofa and walked into the kitchen. There were a half a dozen messages on her answering machine, the same number left on her cell-phone voice mail.

They all started off similarly with “Hi Miki, It’s me, Greg…” and then they all got flushed into digital oblivion before the next sentence.

She opened the fridge and pulled out a glass container of leftover spaghetti and meatballs. Her tummy rumbled just looking at it.

As the container spun around slowly in the microwave, she stared at it, mesmerized. She shouldn’t have been thinking so much about Alan. Any thoughts about him should have been about his improper and unprofessional behaviour in school today. He was lucky she didn’t report him. What was he doing with that woman in the boiler room, anyway?

Sophia Locke. Miki had exchanged two dozen words with her and already she had no patience for her. There’s no way Alan would…

Miki winced and caught herself. There she went again, in spite of telling herself not to do so.

The microwave beeped. Dinner was served.

With a glum pout on her lips, she removed the container, brought it to the table and dug in.

It was so delicious.

* * * * * * * * *

“Oh, she’s quite keen on you,” Sophia said as she lay nude on her bed, stroking the sheets with her fingertips.

She watched admiringly as Alan unbuttoned his shirt and pants. She never got tired of watching her stud strip in front of her. His V-shaped torso funneled perfectly into his tight, bare buttocks.

“It’s funny, in a way,” Sophia went on blithely. “A teacher developing a classroom crush. Kind of pathetic, really.”

Alan said nothing. It was easier that way when Sophia was like this. He just quietly slipped on a condom.

Sometimes, she honestly wished he’d forgo that little detail. The woman rolled onto her stomach, the cool bedding cushioning her smooth belly and curvy breasts. She laughed, “What is it with these virginal teachers and you Joe-job labourers?”

Alan flinched slightly, but she didn‘t notice. Naked, he settled into the bed beside her. Sophia lifted herself up and prowled over Alan, straddling his torso. She ran her fingers through the curls in his chest then massaged her hands upwards to his face. Holding him by his scruffy cheeks, she bent down, rubbing her ample breasts along his chest, and planted a deep kiss on his mouth. Then she sat up again and reached behind her, taking his stiffening shaft in her hand, stroking it lovingly, and then positioning it under her.

With a wriggle of her hips, she settled onto him, her head lolling backwards as he filled her. She bucked her pelvis, slowly, seductively.

“Ahh, but you like me best, don’t you Alan?” she purred between breaths. “Mmm! You like me because I’m sexy, and I know how to use my body. I make you feel good when we fuck. Uhn! You like me because I’m smart. I know how to take precautions and make a plan… uhn… unlike that stupid, grubbing little bimbo who had that kid of yours, right?”

Alan closed his eyes and breathed steadily as he rolled his hips in rhythm with Sophia. Her supple breasts swayed and bounced with increasing vigour.

She groaned, as she felt him swell deep within her. “Uhn!” she gasped then breathed. “You like me because we’re so alike, right lover? Ahh! You and I know how to make things happen. Ohh, yeah! We’ll always take care of each other, won’t we? We both share the same dirty secrets. Uh-mmm! Such a good boy.”

Alan grabbed her by the waist and flipped her off of him. He moved her body into position on all fours, then knelt behind her and drove his cock into her backside with a brutal thrust. Sophia cried out sharply. Tangling his fingers in her hair and rearing her back, he slammed hard into her, tanning her raised bottom a patchy red. He drove his hips harshly, over and over, and she cried out in delirious delight with each rigid thrust.

It was the only way he could get her to shut up.

* * * * * * * * *

The following weekend, Saturday morning, Miki drove up to a small cottage house on the outskirts of town. She parked on the driveway behind the pick-up truck and got out of her car.

She stood on the driveway, and leaned back stretching and inhaling the fresh morning air. She looked at the house. It was quaint, smaller even than her home, but obviously better maintained.

She was about to go up to the door, when Alan stepped out onto the small porch. He was dressed like her: Jogging pants, running shoes and a t-shirt.

“Good-morning, Alan!”

Alan trotted down the steps and joined her on the driveway.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

Miki nodded and looked past him, around to the house. “Is Dean up?” she asked.

“He’s in the backyard.”

“Doesn’t he get lonely, always playing by himself?”

“He’s okay,” Alan replied. He handed her a bottle of water and she stuffed it into her fanny pack. “Want to walk a bit first? Get warmed up?”

The two set off down the road at a brisk walk, swinging and stretching their arms as they went.

“This will be good,” Miki breathed. “Burn off some of those calories you put into me during the week, with all of that amazing food. Thank you again, by the way.”

Alan had left some lunch on her desk a few times that week.

“It’s only amazing, because you don’t make enough fresh food of your own,” he remarked flatly.

“True… but it was still very good,” Miki said. She grinned knowingly. She was quite used to Alan’s emotionally detached, blunt statements now. He didn’t need to frown, or smile, or whatever. He said what was on his mind, if not his heart.

After a few minutes of walking, they started their jog. They made their way along the paved road and then turned down another road, following the train tracks. Leaves on the trees were just beginning to show their autumn colours, as summer had taken its time to relinquish its hold on the weather. It was still unusually warm.

They continued to chat as they ran. Miki said, “It’s nice to have somebody to run along with. I usually just jog alone with my MP3 player keeping me company.”

“Not that many joggers in the community,” Alan said.

“I wonder how a person like Sophia keeps so fit?” Miki remarked. Just as quickly she wanted to retract her words.

Alan said nothing for a moment then replied, “A woman like her can probably pay to keep herself fit.”

Miki let it go at that. She didn’t want to broach the subject of Sophia again. Lately, every time she thought of Alan, she thought of that woman. Something about her made Miki fume inside. She shouldn’t have felt this way, but the woman felt like… she felt like a rival.

Following Alan’s guiding hand, the two of them broke off down a path that went into the woods. Miki settled behind him, allowing him to lead them through the winding rough path amongst the trees and bushes. He ran at a good pace, just enough to really push her heart rate.

They wound their way through the serene woods. The canopy of trees overhead created a vacuum of silence around them; only their footfalls and their breathing could be heard. The woods weren’t so dense, there was lots of space between the trees and the ground was relatively clear of debris, so they quickly picked up the pace. Miki was losing her bearings, and she hoped that they weren’t going to end up lost in the forest. She didn’t question Alan, though.

After about an hour of hard running, they slowed down and eventually came to a stop. It seemed like they were in the middle of nowhere. Both of them were perspiring freely. Miki leaned onto her knees recovering her breath, while Alan took a sip of water.

After a moment and having a drink, she walked around, cooling down her muscles as she looked around and upwards amongst the trees. “Okay, Hansel,” she said with a coy grin. “Can we find our way home, or do we start looking for the witch’s candy house?”

Alan packed away his water bottle and pointed to his left. “Down through there.” he said. “A few minutes’ walk and we’ll be on a rough dirt road that leads to the road by the train tracks.”

He seemed to know his way around pretty well.

“Okay,” Miki said, and started in the direction he had indicated.

Alan turned and walked in the other direction.

“Where are you going?” Miki called to him. “I thought you said this way.”

He beckoned her with his hand and walked on. Miki sighed, and followed him through some trees and bushes. After several minutes, the woods thinned out and they came across a small clearing.

“Oh! A pond.” Miki looked upon a small body of peaceful water, surrounded by tall grass and reeds. It was over twice the size of an Olympic swimming pool. With the reflections of the rays of late morning sun sparkling on the surface of the water and a soft breeze gently sweeping the reeds side-to-side, it was a perfectly picturesque scene.

“Nice, isn’t it?” Alan said softly, staring across the pond. “Calming.”

“Is this like your secret place?” Miki asked, arching her brow. She could tell that the man was thinking about something.

Still looking towards the water, Alan reached down and pulled off his shirt.

Miki’s mouth slipped open but she only turned her head slightly, looking out the sides of her eyes as she watched Alan quickly kick off his shoes and push down his pants past his black boxer briefs. She didn’t have much time to say anything or react, when he took a few steps into the water then dove forward. She flinched, as little flecks of water from his backsplash flew up in the air.

He swam fast to the other end of the pond then paddled back toward the middle. Miki couldn’t help but smile and chuckle gently, as she watched him. She’d never seen Alan look so at peace, like a teenager without a worry in his head. She sat down on a clear patch on the ground and observed him wistfully.

“How is it?” she called to him.

Alan gave her the “ok” sign.

Several minutes passed, as Miki continued to watch him float on his back. The tranquility she felt slowly shifted into something else, as she thought about him. Keeping her eyes on him, she sat up and quietly drew her arms through the sleeves of her T-shirt.

Alan dove under the water again and came up wiping his face with his hands. He was able to catch Miki, wearing a grey sports bra, stand up and slip off her shoes. Her slender hips shifted smoothly as she pushed down her pants, revealing matching grey sports-bikini panties underneath. She reached back to try to adjust her underwear around her bum, but gave up.

Brushing her hair around her ears and holding it there with her fingers, she gingerly stepped into the pond.

It was cool, but not cold, Miki noted as the water licked at her feet. A couple of more steps, and she dove head first into the water. A refreshing sensation swept over her body. She came up for air with a revitalized gasp. Spinning around, she made the water around her swirl out in circles.

Alan was treading water as he watched her.

“I didn’t think it would be so deep, “she said. “It’s so murky… I can’t even see what’s on the bottom.”

Alan went underwater. Miki was treading in place trying to see where he was. Suddenly she felt a sharp tug at her ankle, almost pulling her under, and let out a yelp. “Ah! Alan!”

Diving under the water as well, she chased after the man, grasping at his toes and feet. He managed to evade her.

They resurfaced at the same time, Miki giggling as she wiped the water from her eyes and mouth. They both settled back into treading water, facing one another, a couple of metres apart.

Miki regarded the man: His short curly hair was matted down, its normally greyish colour dampened now to a slick black hue. Only his sharp nose and blue eyes were above the water.

Without a word, Miki shifted her paddling. Alan watched as she slowly moved towards him like a leaf following a stream’s current. Her movements were more deliberate, though. He back-pedalled smoothly with a few waves of his hands.

Miki continued to silently follow him, circle him. Eventually, Alan turned away completely and swam back to the clearing. Miki remained floating in the middle of the pond by herself. She didn’t look away, just continued to watch him from behind as he emerged from the pond, water rolling down his tanned, sculpted, athletic back. His wet boxers were pulled a third of the way down his pale-beige bum before he cinched them up.

As Miki slowly swam back to the shore, Alan was already pulling on his pants. Stepping out of the water, she kept an eye on him, but found herself not really caring too much if he was stealing a glance. She also had to adjust her underwear, wet and stretchy, as her panties rode low along her waist and high between her butt cheeks. Then she bent down to slap away the dirt on her feet and between her toes before slipping on her shoes. Alan did note how her flat, creamy-coloured tummy curled nicely as she bent down. While he only had on his pants, Miki decided to just wear her T-shirt and allow her legs to dry before putting on her pants.

“Say,” she asked, looking around the area. “Is this the pond that the kids might have been talking about? Does that mean the Hobo Hut might be around here?”

Alan paused. “Yeah, it is,” he said.

She turned back towards the pond and pointed. “And does that mean there are dead bodies in this water?” She joked, arching a brow.

Alan frowned, remaining quiet.

“Can we look for it?” she asked, a small candle of excitement lit under her. “The Hobo Hut, I mean.”

Alan shook the dirt off of his shirt.

“Or, do you actually know where it is, already?”

He turned away from her, picking at the tiniest bits of grit remaining on his shirt. He looked up high in the sky. The sun was too bright. Things weren’t exactly right just yet. They had to be perfect.

“I’ve got to get going and get some lunch into Dean,” he said looking back at her. “Maybe another time.”

Alan walked off towards the dirt road. Miki hesitated but then followed after him.

As she walked up beside him she said, “Next time.”

“Yes…next time,” Alan thought to himself.

By the time they made it back to the house, both had put on the rest of their clothing.

Dean was sitting on the front steps, reading a comic book.

“Hi Dean,” Miki waved to him. “How are you? Ready for some lunch?”

The boy looked up and smiled. He still didn’t say much, but she did feel like she was reaching Dean in class.

Miki went to her car while Alan addressed his son, “Get a pot of water on the stove, will you? And take out the green bowl from the fridge.”

Dean quickly got up and went into the house.

Alan turned to ask Miki if she wanted to stay for lunch. He saw her standing by her car, a distressed look in her eyes as she glared at her cell-phone.

“Problem?” he asked.

She shook her head, but only to clear it of the muddled feelings she had at the moment. She pointed at a text message on her screen. “Edward’s coming here tonight,” she said. “He says he wants to talk and apologize.”

Alan didn’t have to remind himself that he wasn’t supposed to know what went on in her house the previous Saturday. “Apologize for what?” he said. “Did you guys have a fight?”

“No. He… I don’t know,” she couldn’t figure out what to say. “It’s just stupid. God! Why is he doing this to me?”

“Do you want to talk to him?”

“What?” she said, looking up.

Alan calmly regarded her. “It doesn’t seem like you want to talk to him.”

“No. I don’t feel… not right now,” she groaned. “But he’s coming. He‘ll be at my house tonight.”

“Doesn’t mean you have to be there when he arrives,” Alan observed.

Miki frowned as she looked at him, searching for an answer. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “I should be home if he’s going to drive all the way here.” Even to herself, she didn’t sound very convincing. She was tired of doing the proper thing.

“What time do you think he’ll be there?”

“I don’t know,” Miki said, “8:00 or 9:00, maybe?”

Alan thought quietly for a moment. He asked, “Do you want to go out for dinner tonight?”

* * * * * * * * * *

After changing his clothes, Alan went into the kitchen. Dean already had the pot of water boiling on the stove and was pouring the contents of the green bowl into another pot.

“I’ll take it from here,” the man said. Dean went to set the table.

As Alan moved around the stove, he worked his mind. Lots to plan, but he didn’t feel anxious about it. He never did.

First things first: Edward. He picked up the phone. He held it for a second, to think this out. He could call her, but he knew he was running out of “wishes” she would grant him. This one… he wasn’t even sure if she’d do it.

Finally, he dialed the number.

“Hello, Alan,” Sophia answered before he even spoke.

* * * * * * * * * *

“It’s too bad Dean couldn’t join us,” Miki said as she sat down at the restaurant table.

“He’s a fussy kid,” Alan said sitting across from her. “He won’t eat this stuff.”

Miki nodded and pursed her lips as she read the front of the plastic covered menu to herself: “Red Barn Chinese Food”. They had driven for 30 minutes to a nearby town to go there.

“You said you wanted something exotic,” Alan stated.

She gazed at him then barely stifled a giggle.

The building actually was in the shape of a barn. Either the owners took over a place that was formerly something like a Red Barn Country Restaurant, or it was their misguided attempt to connect with the local agricultural community.

As it turned out, the owners really were Chinese and, seeing Miki sit down at a table, a matronly, elderly woman came out from the kitchen, shooing away the regular waiters. She spoke briskly and excitedly with Miki, whose Cantonese wasn’t quite up to par, but she managed to follow along.

After a couple of minutes, the old woman snatched the menus from their hands, smiling.

“I, uh, think they’re going to prepare something off-menu for us,” Miki figured, her brows knitting together.

The woman said something else, nudged Miki with the back of her hand, and laughed as she headed into the kitchen.

“She said I’m with a very handsome man tonight,” Miki remarked as she looked at Alan.

His expression, as usual, was unfazed.

Now Miki laughed. It felt really good.

Their dinner was intentionally casual. Miki had opted to wear a modest rich-lemon yellow, halter-dress that dropped to just above her knees. The lingering warm weather allowed her to get away with wearing just a white button-down sweater, when they were walking from the car to the restaurant. Alan wore grey slacks and a black button-down shirt, with rolled up sleeves.

They talked about school and Dean. Miki really wanted to ask Alan about Dean’s mother, but couldn’t bring herself to do so. She was sure he would tell her if she asked, but she didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable. That’s if anything made Alan uncomfortable. He always stayed composed with his emotions. He seemed to be a man who planned things out thoroughly. She wondered, how much of the time he spent with her was planned?

As dinner progressed, Miki’s mood fluctuated more and more. Distracted, she continued to check her watch. As the plates were cleared from the table, she looked very anxious.

“He might be there now,” she said.

Alan calmly checked his watch as well.

* * * * * * * * *

A blue Accord pulled up into the driveway and parked behind Miki’s car. Edward climbed out and walked quickly up the steps of the darkened porch. The whole house and lawn were dark, only the moonlight casting its light.

“Miki!” He called out as he pushed the doorbell and rapped on the door, “It’s Edward. Can we just talk? I just want to talk. I swear to God!”

He stepped to the side and pressed his face against the window. “Miki?” He called out again.

A large pick-up truck pulled up to the curb-side in front of the house. Four men piled out from the cab and back, and strode across the lawn towards the house, their faces darkened by caps pulled low and collars turned high.

Edward didn’t notice them until they grabbed him.

* * * * * * * * * *

“You said he’d be there around 8:00 or 9:00,” Alan said as he sipped his coffee.

“But he could wait for me to come home. Or just come back later,” Miki said, “Maybe I should talk to him… but I don’t know what to say.”

Alan lowered his cup. He leveled his gaze onto Miki. Just looking into his stoic blue eyes calmed her. “He may just give up,” he said. “We can stay out really late. He‘ll have no idea what time you‘re coming home, or where you are.”

Miki, her small dark eyes still looking anxious, focused on Alan.

“We can go somewhere else. Edward will eventually figure it out,” he said. “He’ll be fine.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Edward curled his body up on the front lawn as blows and kicks rained down on him. Even if he could look up from his turtle position, he would never have been able to see the faces of his assailants. Only the moon was a silent witness. All he heard were grunts and breaths that were immediately followed by a punch or kick to his body. All he smelled through his nostril that wasn’t bleeding was the grass his face into which his face was buried. All he tasted was the salty blood in his mouth.

All he felt was pain.

“Not too rough. All he was doing was trespassing, after all,” a low, surly voice spoke. “And watch his eyes. He has to be able to see where he’s going when we chase his ass out of town.”

* * * * * * * * *

45 minutes later, Alan’s pick-up turned off the road that ran beside the railroad tracks. He switched on his high beams as he slowly drove the truck into the woods, following a path only his eyes saw.

Miki sat quietly in the passenger side, staring straight ahead.

They arrived at a clearing amongst the trees and Alan stopped the truck. He climbed out and went to the back. He picked up a Maglite flashlight and switched it on, flooding the area at which he pointed with a radiant, white light.

He walked over to the passenger side and opened the door, guiding Miki out of her seat.

Leading her by the hand, the two walked silently into the woods.

The deeper they went, the less Miki thought about Edward. Soon, it was just her and Alan silently making their way deeper and deeper through the bush. There was faint evidence of a path they were following, but the man was making sure he was clearing away any branches or forest debris that could obstruct Miki.

His hand was wrapped around hers firmly but not in a tight grip. It felt warm even as the night air chilled her exposed skin. She felt like she was being guided along like a found child as Alan confidently led her through the bush. She was both anxious and eager in anticipation.

Finally, they emerged upon a clearing amongst the trees and bushes. Alan allowed Miki to walk ahead of him and let her hand go as she stepped into the clearing. He held the flashlight low so that it wouldn’t be in her eyes, but it was still powerful enough to light up the area with a cool-white glow.

The silence of the forest really was deafening. Miki stepped tentatively around the small grounds, the short heels of her shoes sinking a little in the dirt. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at the small wooden structure before her.

Standing between Alan and the shack, she turned to face him, her bob falling across her face covering her right eye. She was cast in white light, while the man behind the flashlight was in shadow.

“Hobo Hut,” she said softly, an anxious smile on her lips.

Alan stood still, silent, steadily holding the flashlight upon her.

* * * * * * * *

17 Years Ago…

Alan emerged from the pond feeling a little better. The water always managed to clear his head, no matter how bad his day went at school. And it had been a really bad day. He sat at the clearing on the edge of the pond, staring across the water. The sun was setting and orange and yellow light skipped and danced on the surface of the pond like it was on fire.

Alan’s mind drifted, thinking about how much Ms. Jennings’ words had twisted in his stomach. His heart hurt so much at the time. She was so beautiful. So perfectly beautiful.

She had rejected his gifts, but accepted someone else’s.

He continued to stare across the hypnotic pond. As the sunlight faded, and the world around him darkened, he shoveled his emotions deeper and deeper into his mind, locking them away.

Yet the tranquil beauty of Ms. Jennings still haunted him.

He didn’t know how much longer he sat there in the dark. He only raised his head when he heard a pair of soft voices beyond the bushes. Somebody was at the Hobo Hut again. He came to his pond often enough that, once in awhile, he would hear voices by the old shack. He never cared what they were up to, though.

Then Alan heard a woman giggle. He frowned, thinking about it, then stood up.

Silently, he made his way in the dark through the thick bushes towards the voices. He felt like he was being drawn towards them.

As he approached the old shack, he moved carefully and listened intently. He heard the female voice again and his heart raced. He firmed his jaw, concentrated hard, steadying his breaths and his heartbeats, preparing himself as he moved forward.

He crouched low beneath the uncovered window of the shack, the glow from a lantern shining through the opening. Again, he listened.

He heard urgent breaths and gasps. “Ahh,” A woman sighed longingly. It was a gentle, sweet voice.

His blue eyes were fixed and cold as he rose up slowly, breathing hard through his nostrils, and peered into the shack.

There were two people on a blanket on the floor of the shack, a man and a woman, their bodies aglow from the light of a single lantern. Alan dismissed the man, his shirt off and his pants at his ankles, almost immediately. Instead, he set his unmoving stare on the woman underneath him.

Her pretty dress was bunched up along her waist, pulled down off her shoulders and arms revealing her supple, quivering breasts, and lifted high over her milky thighs. A pristine white bra and panties were crumpled on the dirty floor. Her long, wavy, soft caramel hair was tossed as she whipped her head back with each rough thrust of the man between her legs.

“Uhn,” she gasped sharply.

Alan trained his eyes onto the glittering object that dangled and bounced around her pretty little neck: A silver locket-pendant.

“Ah! Ah! Oh, God,” Ms. Jennings groaned desperately.

The man bucked harder into her, straining out satisfied groans of his own. Ms. Jennings’ beautiful body, her beautiful voice, her beautiful face implored him for more and more. He obliged, shaking the old shack rigorously.

Alan slumped down against the outside of the shack. He breathed deeply as the illicit cries continued to saturate the air around him, but he refused to let them into his head. As he looked up to the sky, his hand felt around blindly on the ground beside him. It touched something long, hard and cold. He grabbed at it, pulled it onto his lap. It had a good, solid weight to it. Still looking towards the darkened skies, Alan gripped the coarse length of pipe tightly in his hands and waited for the moans and gasps to end.

* * * * * * * * *

Miki stood outside of the shack, “Hobo Hut”, examining it closely. It didn’t look like a place where people could have been viciously murdered by some crazed transient. In fact, it wasn’t nearly as ramshackle as she thought it would be.

Alan walked up beside her holding the flashlight. He stood quietly, letting her continue with her observations.

“For some reason, I thought it would be more run-down, spooky,” she said in a hushed voice as if the trees were listening. It seemed almost as if somebody had been fixing it up.

Alan switched off the flashlight. For a minute, the shack seemed to disappear, but as her eyes adjusted to the moonlight above, it revealed itself to her once again. She looked at Alan, a soft blue, moonlit glow on his stoic face.

“You want to look inside?” he asked.

Miki, her eyes set on him, nodded.

Alan opened the door and followed her as she walked in. Miki stepped slowly inside the dark little room. The floor creaked a bit, but it still felt solid underfoot. The smell of fresh cut lumber filtered gently through her nose. Again, it wasn’t what she had been expecting.

Alan stood behind her, his head tilted slightly as he watched her. He could barely see the outline of her body moving around in the dark. He knelt down and reached for something beside the door.

Miki blinked and turned around as a yellow-orange glow suddenly filled the room. She saw Alan stand up holding a large kerosene lantern.

“Oh!” she gasped and squinted through the sudden brightness. When her eyes readjusted she looked around again.

Now she was really surprised. She had been expecting dirt and clutter around the old shack. What the glow from the lantern revealed was a clean-swept room. Wood walls that should have been faded or decaying were capably re-enforced with fresh wood paneling, with two clean, unbroken windows on the sides. It was like a tiny cottage.

Miki felt her breathing intensify, as she glanced around with a roll of her eyes, noting that the room was empty, except for several heavy blankets folded on top of a long cushion in the back of the shack.

“You… you did this, didn’t you, Alan?” she asked watching her shadow on the floor stretch out to the back wall. “Fixed this place up?”

Alan set down the lantern and took a couple of steps forward, and stood right behind Miki.

She could feel him behind her, his warmth, his smell, heard his steady breath. She hesitated for a moment then turned around to face him. As she looked up at him, she noticed his eyes sweeping around the room first, like he was making sure everything was in place, before looking back at her.

She had wondered how much planning the man had done. And now with the realization sinking in, she wondered what his intentions had been all along.

Just then, his lips stretched to an impossibly subtle smile. It was an expression she had never seen before from him, but she was able to read it, oh, so clearly.

Miki could feel the trepidation swell within her, but as she settled her gaze on his determined blue eyes, she couldn’t deny the attraction she felt for this man.

“I have something for you, Miki,” he said with a soft voice.

His eyes always on her, Alan reached into his pants pocket, pulling out a small chain and dangling it in front of her. Miki reached up and steadied the little object dangling at the end of it. It was a silver pendant-locket engraved with the initials “M” and “Y”.

“Alan,” she gasped as she looked at it, her small black eyes suddenly widening, “I…” Her voice trailed off, unable to choose the proper words to say.

Without a word, he unclasped the chain. Miki bowed her head slightly as he reached behind her neck and put the necklace on. Her head remained tilted down as she looked at the pendant.

Alan stepped back slightly and admired the demure young woman as she stood quietly in the little shack. Miki was already beautiful. Now, with the pendant around her neck and the soft glow of the lantern cascading a gentle light upon her, she was perfect.

As she sensed Alan shift closer to her, Miki, her eyes still on the pendant, slowly shook her head side to side. For her, the man was temptation, fascination, and lust all rolled into a physically desirable and emotionally intriguing package. Yet even then, despite the pounding in her heart and the ache in her belly, did she really want to give into her desire here? Now?

Alan’s fingers touched her chin and gently raised her head to look at him. Searching his unflinching eyes, she saw her answers in him, the answers Alan had always known.

Yes, here. Yes, now.

Alan held her by her shoulders, leaned forward and kissed her small, soft lips. He could feel the tingle of hesitancy from her. It was incredibly enticing.

Miki didn’t resist, didn’t back away. As she felt him press his kiss on her lips, she closed her eyes and accepted him wholly.

As they quietly moved and folded their lips over one another, Miki shifted her shoulders slowly, feeling his hands pull her sweater off, letting it fall to the floor around her feet. Despite the night air, it still felt so warm in the shack.

They continued to stand on the floor, their kisses steadily intensifying. In the secluded silence, Miki felt a twinge in her gut with every passionate gasp for air that slipped from her mouth to her ears.

Alan pushed his fingers through her fine, short, black hair and slid them around to the soft nape of her neck and then down her back. They worked efficiently to undo the clasp and lower the zipper of her dress.

Her hands staying around the back of his neck, Miki broke from the kiss and leaned back, looking down as Alan lowered the front of her dress to her belly.

Trembling, she looked up only for a moment, seeing a subtly pleased look in his calm eyes, then back down as his hands made their way to the front of her heaving bosom.

“A-Alan,” she trembled. The uncertainty of what was happening filled her with anxious anticipation and confusion. “I... I’m not sure if…”

He didn’t listen, and just undid the clasp of her bra with a twist of his fingers. Popping open, it, too, dropped to the floor behind her feet.

She could barely keep herself steady, gazing upon her bare breasts, the silver pendant hanging between them. Alan’s hands reached up and gently stroked her bosom. His fingers and palms slipped around and under her smooth sloping curves. He leaned down and kissed around her brownish-red nipple, before covering it with his lips and pulling it into his mouth. Miki embraced his head, closing her eyes, and rubbing her chin and cheek against his curly hair, as she felt him sample her with his teeth and tongue.

He moved back and forth between her breasts, until her nipples ached and strained to staunch attention.

The school teacher was already breathing hard through her mouth, smacking her lips, licking her tongue along them, trying to keep them moist. Alan helped her as he stood up and covered her lips with his. She gasped when she felt his tongue slide into her mouth.

Alan’s hands continued to move, rubbing her bare back before sliding down her body. His fingers pulled at her skirt, crimping it upwards into his fists, until he was able to slip underneath her pretty yellow dress. He slid his rough hands around her firm, round bum, bunching her panties along her crack so that he could have an unhindered feel of her smooth, soft flesh. His fingers twisted around the sides of her panties.

“Unng!” Miki cringed as she felt and heard one side of her panties snap, yielding to the brusque tug of Alan’s strong hands. Another sharp yank, and the other side gave way. Her panties were discarded to a dark corner of the hut.

Alan moved with more urgency, now. His lips and hands were all over her, kissing her, fondling her, touching her. The surge in his body was building momentum, and he fed it with all the buried desire he could draw from deep within. Everything culminated towards this moment, perfectly. The excitement was undeniable and the more he had of Miki’s body, the more she gasped in ecstasy and anticipation, the more he surrendered to those explicit feelings. He was so focused on her, he was almost surprised to realize how hard he had become, the pressure in his pants demanding release and gratification.

Alan stepped back from her and tore his shirt open, buttons skittering to the floor. Miki only had a moment to reach out and touch the hairs on his chest, before he seized her around her back and bottom, lifting her from the floor. He clutched her close, pressing her bare breasts against his hard chest, as he carried her a couple of steps back and lowered her to the cushion on the floor. He sat her up against the wall, the blankets at her back.

Miki let Alan guide her as she had always done, both eager and anxious to see and feel what he was going to do next. He rose to his feet, standing over her. She watched him with admiring eyes as he pulled off his shirt with a deliberate twist of his torso, displaying the bumps and curves of lean muscle packed onto his V-shaped body. She tried to keep her eyes on his face, but when she heard the whine of his zipper, she found her sights lured to the waist of his pants. He let his pants drop. His boxer briefs couldn’t hide the rigid length straining against them from beneath. A nervous sigh quivered from her lips.

As he knelt down in front of her, Miki found herself drawing her slender legs closer to her body. Alan reached for her ankles and pulled them towards him, removing and tossing aside her shoes unceremoniously.

Aware of how Miki was watching him, he hooked the sides of his briefs and quickly pushed them down his thighs. His hard cock slipped out, angling sharply upward in rigid attention.

Again Miki shirked and felt her body curl in close. Again Alan was having none of that now, grasping her ankle and calf, pulling her towards him, her back slipping lower against the wall. The bottom of her dress was bunched at her waist, now. She could see Alan looking down at her exposed slit. He leaned forward between her pale legs and reached a hand behind her head, pulling her away from the wall to give her another long, passionate kiss.

Miki felt the side of his cock brush against inner thigh. Oh God, it was so hard. She knew in a moment she would be intimately aware of how solid it could actually feel.

The woman may not have been able to tell by looking at him, but Alan was bursting inside. He had to take her completely. Now.

He knelt close to her between her legs, her knees angled around his waist. One hand still holding her from the back of her neck, his other slid the tip of his cock up and down the line of her snatch, nudging apart an opening between her pink petals.

“Oh, God! Oh, God!” Miki repeated in her head, as her whole body tensed and she held her breath. She swallowed hard and gasped, “Alan…”

Alan let go and pushed forward, sinking his throbbing length into her with a slow, deep thrust.

“Ah-ahnn!” Miki gasped aloud, her breath draining from her with a shudder. She watched his cock surge into her, pushing her apart with brash determination.

Alan closed his eyes. The sensation of finally being inside this woman was incredible. He felt her tender, damp inner flesh clench around his stiff shaft. Then he opened his eyes and rolled his hips back and forth. His cock pushed and pulled in and out of her with precise, gliding strokes.

Miki’s brow angled sharply upward in the middle as she looked up anxiously at Alan. Initial discomfort gave way to tantalizing, warm tingles, as she felt every inch of his hard, hot length fill her completely over and over. He drifted into her with zealous thrusts, her feet rising off the floor higher and higher, clenching her legs tighter against his body.

“Uhn! Uhn! Ahn!” she groaned, her mouth rounding wide open. Her mounting cries seeped through the walls of the shack and floated into the secluded woods surrounding them. He felt so good, so very good.

Alan began to pump her harder with stiff strokes, grinding his crotch against hers. One hand on her tightly clenched stomach, the other on the wall above her head, he leaned over her, positioning himself for even more unabated thrusts.

The shack creaked under the duress of their intensifying passions.

Alan relished the strain on Miki’s pretty face, flushed red from the heat around them, and the wanton zeal flowing within. He watched as the pendant skipped around her neck and shook above her trembling breasts. It looked so right on her.

He was also breathing hard now, a gruff wheezing seeping into his gasps for air. His muscles were tightening and his cock was throbbing painfully. But he wanted more, and he needed for Miki to want more.

Miki’s body and head shook harshly against Alan’s relentless thrusts. She didn’t care anymore what toll this vigorous, delicious banging would take on her later on. It felt good now, that was all that mattered.

“Oh, God, Alan! Uhn! I can’t… Ah! Uhn!” She gasped, unable to think clearly.

Drops of perspiration fell freely from his body onto hers. His normally placid expression was straining, his face red. Faster and harder, he surged past his peak.

“Ah-Alan!” Miki cried, her whole body sliding onto the floor now. She sucked in all the air she could, turned her head, and screamed, “Ah-Ahhh!!!”

Her back curved upward, her torso twisting, as she succumbed to an exquisite wet flow spilling from deep within her slender body.

Alan pumped two more hard strokes into her then leaned back and groaned loudly, “Ahhh!”

Alan felt a thick, burning stream surge out of him, filling Miki. Wrapping his hands around her sleek waist, he pulled her against his crotch. He clenched his butt, pushing into her deeper and deeper, as hot, passionate fluid flowed out of him in a full, incredible release. He inhaled quickly, then grunted again, twitching every last drop he had churning within him.

His body heaved over hers, as he stayed inside of her until he was utterly spent.

Miki writhed deliciously beneath him, as she felt him explode within her, and savoured the sweet aches and tingles within her overheated body. Alan couldn’t imagine anyone more desirable as she was.

He slowly lowered himself on her, embracing her, kissing her. Miki shared his embrace and kiss, holding him close to her body.

Silence finally settled around the small shack in the woods.

* * * * * * * * *

It was dawn by the time Alan’s pick-up truck pulled up in front of Miki’s house. She had been as quiet as he was during the ride back. They sat in the cab of the truck for a moment, the engine running. Alan just stared straight ahead, unmoving. Miki couldn’t think of what to say, and her body ached and was tired.

Finally, she simply leaned over and gave Alan a kiss on the cheek. As she turned to climb out of the truck however, he grabbed her arm.

She looked at him. “Alan?” she said softly.

Alan pulled her back into the truck. As she looked up at him, he held her close and moved towards her. He gave her a long and passionate kiss that seemed to last forever. Miki smiled gently as they parted, then she turned away again and stepped down from the truck.

Standing on her lawn in her bare feet and yellow dress, holding her shoes and her broken underwear, she waved slowly as Alan pulled away and down the street.

* * * * * * * * * *

Alan went home and checked in on Dean. The boy was still asleep in bed. Then he got himself another shirt and put it on as he walked to the kitchen.

He scribbled a note on a small slip of paper: “Cereal for breakfast. I’ll be back before noon to make lunch. -Dad”

Then he left in his truck again.

He drove for a few minutes through to the other side of town and parked at a street corner. He watched from a fair distance, as Turner Locke came out from his house, got into his car, and drove away. Walking from his truck, Alan went up the steps to the biggest house in town and knocked.

Sophia Locke answered the door in a long, golden robe hanging completely open down the middle. It was still early morning, but she looked as fresh as a rose, her juniper-violet scent drifting through the air.

She curled a smile then said, “So, lover… had your fun?”

She stepped aside and Alan walked into the house without a word.

Sighing, Sophia closed the door, thinking that the man had better have saved something for her.

To be continued...