Chapter 16

After a quiet dinner, dad put me to bed and joined my mother in their room. That evening, their lovemaking was again loud enough that I could hear.

Insatiable.

Another pang of jealousy, much stronger, as if some other kid had taken one of my toys, raced through me. It was a reminder that no matter what had occurred, or would occur between us, my mother was his wife. His toy. His fucktoy.

But she was also mine. Somehow, I understood that no matter what else my mother was to him; she was only ever going to be my bitch. And when she screamed, not as loud as with me, I grinned and snuggled deeper into my pillow. Without bothering to turn up my music, I drifted off to her cries and his grunts. The rhythmic thumping of the wall? Also, nowhere near as noisy as they’d been with me.

Later that night, once my dream girl had arrived, while she stayed tight to me, she didn’t move. Only the soft rise and fall of her tiny chest, along with gentle warm breaths, tickled me as she slept. Frankly, I was okay with that. By then, I was far too exhausted to think much about anything sexual.

In the morning, as I rolled towards Jeri—Ms. Richardson’s room with my heart racing, beads of sweat hung at my temple. So lost in thought over what she would do, I jerked when a face popped out of an unlit classroom. At that time of day, no kids were supposed to be inside until the bell rang. Well, other than us rollers and hobblers.

First, I locked onto the nervous grin before recognizing Beth. With a rapid peek down the corridor, she gestured me closer. After a quick glance at Shayna, who appeared bored, I moved to her. Leaving a trace of simple, flowery perfume in her wake, she stepped aside, and I thumped over the threshold. After a slow spin, I stopped within the dark class, a less-decorated version of my homeroom.

“Hi, Kyle.”

While clutching her books in one hand, the slim fingers of her other swept short auburn hair behind her ear. With her aqua eyes flashing in the hallway’s dim lighting, Beth remained steady as I scanned her slender frame. As cute as ever, she wore a loose, orange flower-patterned blouse over a small pleated green skirt. Over-the-knee white socks encased her long legs, ending in snowy Converse sneakers.

“Uh, hello,” I replied once my eyes returned to hers.

A dark silhouette, she remained silent until I shifted in my seat to glance at the wall clock. Ms. Richardson was waiting. At last, she released the bright teeth from her lower lip and grinned.

“Can I?” With her outstretched pink fingernails, she reached for Shayna, who sat by my side watching her.

All she wanted was to pet my dog? She could’ve done that out front by the bus stop. Or later in the halls.

“Sure.” With a shrug, I flashed her a confused smile.

While Beth pushed her hand into the thick fur of Shayna’s neck, the dog only yawned. After flopping her head against my leg, she let the girl’s slender fingers play. As she leaned down, Beth’s blouse dropped open enough to display her firm globes suspended within a tiny pink cotton bra. When I flicked my eyes back to hers, her face was bright red. As she swallowed, her digits stilled.

“Do you like them?” While sucking on her lips, she raised her hand from Shayna to ease aside the neckline of her blouse.

“Huh?” I murmured as my gaze shifted between her neutral expression and most of one full bra cup she held exposed for me.

Where the heck was insane voice? Right then, I could’ve used some real guidance. What the heck was going on?

“Jimmy...” Beth’s voice tapered as she looked down at her chest. Her fingertips tugged the thin pink strap, pulling her bra wider to reveal more shiny pale skin. “He says they’re too small for other boys to like.”

With a lengthy exhale, I raised my eyebrows. Oh, yeh. Jimmy Devlin, God’s gift to girls. Tall, well-muscled, chiseled jaw, shocks of wavy sandy blonde hair flowing over piercing blue eyes that appeared, at least to me, just a bit haunted. Of course, he also was the varsity quarterback. I mean, to give him some credit, he was kinda talented. And too, his dad was the coach, so there was that. How’d I forgotten he and Beth were an item?

No matter, it was a cruel thing to tell her.

“He’s wrong.” After another sigh, I shook my head.

When her hand moved to stroke Shayna again, her blouse didn’t quite fall back into place. On purpose. And Beth made no secret of tracking my gaze, returning to the untanned swell of her perky globes. As it slowed, time sorta wobbled. Tiny, a grin slipped onto her face. And while there were no golden flecks in her aqua eyes, they glowed brighter than they should’ve in the shadows.

What had just happened? What was still happening? Why? And why then? It wasn’t just Shayna, her muzzle unmoving on my leg as Beth raked shaky nails through her thick fur.

“Thanks.” The single word as she stood shook me from my whirling thoughts.

“I should thank you”—with a smile I hoped wasn’t creepy looking, I nodded towards her misplaced blouse—”for the wonderful view.”

At that, she both flushed a brighter red and trembled before latching her eyes on my straining trousers.

“Uh.” Beth flicked her tongue across her lips as her fingers raised to play in a loose string of hair. “Oh, um, sorry.”

“It thanks you as well,” I said, before chuckling.

How she managed it, I don’t know, but Beth turned an even deeper crimson as I whirled and rolled away. Why did I leave? Jeri, that’s why. Stupid? Yeh, probably. Beth was a classmate. And a neighbor. And cute as all heck.

Halfway down the corridor, Shayna nuzzled into me, and I slowed to scratch behind her ear. Her eyes gleamed up at me. I could have Beth anytime I wanted.

What? Where the heck had that come from, Mister Way-the-heck-overly-optimistic? Even insane voice hadn’t poured that dribble into my pheromone-addled mind. Beth and Nina had lived in our neighborhood for years. Yet, that had been the most words either of them had ever spoken to me.

As my heart continued to hammer at that—not insane voice—thought, I exhaled and rolled up to Ms. Richardson’s door.

Just in time for the bell to jangle.

“Fuck,” I muttered as my head and shoulders fell.

With her glimmering emerald eyes on me, Shayna dragged her tongue along the back of my hand. After a longer exhale, I ran my fingers through the scruff of her neck and nodded.

Yeh, I got it. Patience.

After Shayna tugged on the handle, as the noise of approaching footfalls and voices built behind me, I nudged open the door and rolled inside. At the sight of Ms. Richardson standing before the blackboard, air whistled from my lips. With her bare back facing me, I followed the motion of her toned mahogany muscles while she scrawled the morning assignments on the board. A dangling leather thong, decorated with colored glass beads wrapped a long twisting ponytail.

When I swept my gaze to what little material covered the enticing curve of her compact butt, I gulped. A flirty crimson skirt, barely reaching mid-thigh, hung from her hips. As she shuffled in ruby-colored, ankle-strapped, five-inch heels, the skin of her bare legs gleamed, and her calves popped.

Magical. Alluring.

What little air remained in my lungs fled me when she turned at the soft squeak of my brakes. Only two narrow red halter straps that met at her neck covered her braless breasts, leaving a neckline that plunged to her thin waist.

There was no way in heck the principal had seen this outfit. With a nod, I managed a tight grin as her cheeks darkened under my gaze. Then again, perhaps Ms. Boudet had looked at it. And admired it. Word on the street was Lydia Boudet was into women. Which was a pity; she was kinda hot.

No matter, I sure enjoyed Ms. Richardson’s attire.

And as my classmates wandered in, they fell silent. They liked it, too, sharing hushed whispers as they found their seats. As class continued, she flashed only a few glances my way whenever she thought I wasn’t watching.

After a quick lunch, I was heading back early. Time to talk. With a sigh, I started for her classroom. But, at Shayna’s forceful nudge into my arm, I slowed and glanced at her tilting head.

Right, patience.

Also having survived the school’s weird rectangular “pizza,” the others filed past, and I joined the crowd entering class. With my brain flickering through memories of the time with my mother, the unusual Beth encounter, and tracking every motion as Ms. Richardson slid around the room, the afternoon dragged. I swear the hands on the clock ran backward. When at long last, the final bell rang, everyone dashed from the class except me, Shayna, and Ms. Richardson.

While I remained in place, she stood, swept her palms over her hips, and walked to the doorway. As she passed, an invisible cloud of nose-tingling, rose-scented perfume sent a shiver sliding up my spine. Once at the door, she hesitated, chewed her lips and looked at me before tugging it closed, flipping the bolt and sweeping her fingers over the light switch. With the only illumination coming from slim horizontal windows atop one wall, it would appear empty.

“Can we just talk, Kyle?” After a second’s pause, she headed for her desk.

“Sure.”

Even as I replied, I rolled forward to park beside her as she settled into her chair. After laying her muzzle across my thigh, Shayna flicked her eyes between me and Ms. Richardson. As my teacher’s gaze locked on the far wall, her hands were clenched in a tight ball on the hard gray metal desktop.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come.” She spoke so softly I struggled to hear her over the whirring air conditioner. “This morning”—still staring at the distant wall, her voice wavered as she added—”you didn’t arrive early, and I thought...”

As her clenching fingers trembled, she again gulped. Everything in me wanted to slide my hand onto her gleaming bare arm, but one glance at Shayna’s shimmering eyes told me to hold. Patience. Got it.

“But you did stay,” her unsteady voice continued.

Well, duh. Of course, I did. She’d informed my dad I was failing. He was my ride, and he’d call to make sure I’d been tutored. Which had been our little cover story. The one she’d executed. With my mind whirling, trying to decipher what she was getting at, I noticed her delicate, purple-ringed mouth moving once more.

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

$4.99