Chapter 11

After the latest morning encounter with Ms. Richardson, my heart hammered as I headed for her classroom at the end of the day. The message I’d received from her was curt: Ms. Richardson had no last period class and wished to meet. After a millisecond’s hesitation, I lied about feeling unwell and ditched my last class.

Once I’d arrived, Mrs. Richardson remained seated while her gleaming black eyes tracked me from beneath knitted brows. With rhythmic padding footfalls, Shayna followed me into the room.

“Close”—her strident voice stammered to a halt when Shayna slipped past me to trot towards her. In a softer tone, she continued—”uh, shut the door, Kyle, please.”

After shoving it closed, I paused. With my fingers stretched upwards just enough to tap against the lock, I turned towards her. Torn between staring at Shayna, now sitting beside her, and me, Ms. Richardson’s dark eyes grew ever wider. As her dusky skin flushed darker, her hands clenched together in a white-knuckled ball on the desk.

At the echoing snick when I flicked the lock shut, her eyes snapped to me. While gulping, she tracked me the entire way until I drew the chariot to a halt. Once stopped next to her, I held up the note.

“I needed to see you,” she muttered after another longer swallow. While I waited for her to continue, her hand slipped down to rake through Shayna’s neck fur. “What happened”—a tremor shook her pointed tongue as she flicked it across her full, purple-tinted lips—”this, uh, morning, Kyle. That, um ... That can’t happen again.”

While I remained silent, she glanced at Shayna, whose eyes, glittery with golden flecks, looked up at my teacher.

“It’s not good for you. Or me.” Once again, she spoke in a low voice, this time shaking her head. More so, as if she were trying to convince herself rather than me. When Shayna pulled from Ms. Richardson’s fingers to nuzzle her thigh, another of those tiny whimpers slipped from Ms. Richardson’s tremulous lips. “She’s so soft, Kyle. So...” As her whisper faded into a second whimper, she stared at me before glancing at my crotch. “So nice.”

With my heartbeat thrumming in my ribs, my young mind whirled. Oh, there was a story here. A puzzle. Something was driving my teacher towards Shayna. And me. When Shayna’s eyes flicked to mine, they glittered with golden flakes. The same as with Cindy and my mother. She’d detected it, whatever “it” was, the first time they’d met.

Except, with Ms. Richardson, she’d played it slow. So very slow. Waiting and assessing, before waiting some more. And there we were. In a locked classroom. Me in the chariot, with Shayna, closer than anyone to the hottest teacher in the school.

“No.”

Like a cannon shot, the single word echoed off the empty classroom’s dingy tile floor and map-laden walls. Even as her head shot up from Shayna at my clipped voice, my chest tightened. The wide-eyed surprise on her face matched my shock. I’d not meant to be so curt.

After a lengthy pause, Ms. Richardson tilted her head and furled her eyebrows. Just as her mouth opened to retort, her long curved eyelashes fluttered. When Shayna eased her head forward, a stronger moan escaped Ms. Richardson. As her wavering lips shook, her wriggling tongue was a glistening spire taut in the center of her mouth.

At a slow slurping sound, I spotted Shayna’s shiny tongue dragging upwards. As her muzzle pushed aside Ms. Richardson’s hem, it exposed most of her toned mahogany thigh. Already aching, the swollen, trapped flesh in my crotch became painful as my gaze found her nipples peeking through the loose dress material.

“What, oh,”—as tremors rippled through her, Ms. Richardson dug her shaking fingernails into Shayna’s collar. Although not to stop her, since Shayna continued to swirl her tongue over her sleek thigh—”do you mean, uh, no?”

While ignoring her question, I rubbed my chin. “Why don’t you have a boyfriend, Ms. Richardson?”

At my again colder tone, her eyes widened. But after a long blink and another airy whimper, she stared out the window. When Shayna shifted to begin more forceful lapping, Ms. Richardson’s hand tightened on her collar. Although they shook, her fingers were holding Shayna in place. Or simply using the collar for traction. After another louder moan escaped her shaking lips and a protracted sigh, her gaze returned to me.

“Trust.”

As soon as Ms. Richardson had whispered the single word, Shayna pulled away to settle beside me. Only a brief tug pulled her free of Ms. Richardson’s quivering digits. Once seated, Shayna kept her gleaming eyes locked on the teacher’s shaking frame. In a languid circle, Shayna drew her tongue around her muzzle.

“Trust?” My eyes flicked between hers and the glistening skin of her bared thigh.

“I don’t trust—men.”

“Women?”

Eyebrows raising, Ms. Richardson flashed a nervous grin and hesitated for several seconds before easing her head from side to side.

“But you trust Shayna?” When she nodded, I added. “And me?”

As a long, hissing sigh left her, she shook her head before looking back at the trees and the wide grassy field. Well, I guess at least she trusted my dog. Not that it did me any good. Simply thinking about what could’ve happened, I was hard as a rock. As my body quivered, I was about to turn for the door when she spoke once more.

“No, I can’t ... Yes, I do trust you, Kyle. I don’t know why. And I shouldn’t...” As her already low voice faded, she turned to stare at me. “This. We can’t do this. You’re a student. My student. It’s not normal.”

At that, I had to swallow a chuckle. Welcome to my world, Ms. Richardson. The world of the no-longer-normal. Not even close to normal. Getting more un-normal every single second of each and every darned day.

Yet, even as my mind struggled, the room spun when a grin slid across her lips. After peeking at my crotch, her cheeks flushed darker. Once she returned to me, she gulped as her eyes, I don’t know, deepened. As my heart hammered, because I’d seen that expression before, on my mother, silence dragged on for some time. Perhaps a million years.

Beside me, Shayna’s steady panting breaths were the only sounds in the classroom for a long while. At last, I stretched out my hand.

“Give me your phone—Jerilene.”

After only the briefest pause at me using her first name, she dipped a quivering hand into her purse. Her fingers were full on shaking as she placed the plum-colored device in my palm.

“Jeri,” she said in a barely audible voice. “My friends call me Jeri.”

As I opened her phone and traded numbers with her, I nodded. With a smile, I held it out to her once I was done.

“Well, Jeri. We can do this. And we will do this. Whatever this is.” As calm as I sounded, with Shayna’s silky fur again beneath my fingertips, my mind whizzed. How would this work? What if we got caught? What if ... Every probable scenario tumbled through my skull. And yet, I still added. “Because you deserve it.”

Which was the weirdest part of an already strange event. Frankly, I’d no idea where that last part came from. While trembling, Ms. Richardson flushed once more. As her lips opened and closed, trying to form words, her lower jaw shook. After a soft gulp, she only nodded and took the phone from me. Fear, no terror, was in her eyes. What had somebody done to her to hurt her so deeply?

“And I’ll tell nobody about this, ever.” As I rolled backwards, leaving her quivering in silence, I started to reach out with my hand, but pulled it back. Shayna glanced at me. Yeh, it wasn’t the right time. Yet. After watching my fingers withdraw, Jeri sucked on her lips. “Whatever this turns out to be, okay?” While she again nodded, I rolled to the door but paused. “I dunno. Perhaps I could use a tutor in something, Jeri.”

Yeh, no idea where that brilliant quasi-plan, concept, or just plain old horny boy’s wish, came from. But after she nodded once more, I stretched upwards to unbolt the door. Once Shayna tugged it open, we left her shaking behind her desk. Her rapid, heavy breathing followed us along the hall before being muffled by the end-of-day bell’s clanging.

Although I had no right to the calm that swept through me under the warm sunshine, a grin slipped onto my face. With Shayna’s bushy swishing tail brushing my leg, I whistled while heading towards the bus.

It was only once my bus pulled from the curb that I spotted Beth and Nina talking with several of their cheerleader friends. As we left campus, they all tracked me. Well, again, much more likely they were fixated on Shayna, whose nose was marking up the glass.

At least that was my initial thought. Except just as a slim smile crossed her face, Beth said something to her sister. While tilting her head, Nina gave her a curious look. Although the others giggled, neither sister did.

A weird scene to end a very strange day. Oh, but it wasn’t yet the end.

An hour later, drenched with sweat, I sat in the middle of “Better Strength Physical Therapy.” Despite both the cute technician and running through the end of week assessments, my mind was still whirling. While she was both gorgeous and sweet, the petite brunette couldn’t stop me from being distracted at a sudden glimpse of Cindy. While gulping water, I ran my shaky fingers through my sweat-soaked hair.

What was it about her and Ms. Richard—Jeri?

Curled beside me as I worked out, Shayna remained silent. Duh, because she was a dog. Yet, her eyes glinted with golden streaks in the evening sunlight’s slanting russet beams. Although they were saying something, at that point I couldn’t understand.

After I’d finished, a pair of trainers readied me to be picked up by dad. By the time I rolled from the locker room, he was already talking with the lead trainer. Always wearing a serious expression, Glen was a well-built, older man. That night, his face was even more serious. Just as I was going to call out, the color drained from dad’s face.

As a chill slipped through me, I closed my lips and slowed. At their subdued voices, my world darkened. Well, first it blurred and spun, then became dark.

“Kyle’s getting weaker, Mr. Clarke. I’m sorry.” As Glenn spoke, he flipped through a sheaf of paperwork before pointing at a chart. “As you can see, it’s progressing faster than we’d hoped. I, uh, I’ve sent these on to your primary.”

To read this story you need a Registration + Premier Membership
If you have an account, then please Log In or Register (Why register?)

Support the author's future writing by purchasing this book from Bookapy

A Fair Trade

INtrinSicliValud

$5.99