InstructionbySeduction (4 page)

Kelly’s sister called her while she was in the car, sparing
Leah a few minutes of grilling. She wasn’t sure she was ready to tell Kelly
about Hale or even what the hell she would tell her anyway.
He’s a man who
seems to know all about me, including incredible ways to launch me into orbit. He
showed up on my doorstep after a Chinese magic box opened on its own
.

Kelly would think she’d actually spent the last two nights
trading off between smoking weed and tripping on acid.

Rusty was not someone Leah would have considered hanging out
with. He’d been working at one FoodSmart or another for ten years, spent all
his money on boy toys and gadgets and none of it on his low-rent trailer. It
wasn’t even a nice trailer. As she and Kelly walked in Leah could smell the
residual odor of pot in the air. To Rusty’s credit, the place was mostly clean.

Seven employees from the FoodSmart crowded into Rusty’s
living room to admire his new giant plasma TV. Leah hoped none of the attendees
were cat burglars—they’d have a heyday in Rusty’s place. In addition to the new
TV there were stacks of video consoles and games, DVDs and CDs. Electronic
gizmos that Leah didn’t even recognize were littered around the room.

“My girlfriend’s out of town,” Rusty said. “This is going to
be her big surprise when she gets back.”

“I’ll bet she’ll be surprised,” Kelly commented. “She
probably wanted a new kitchen.”

Laughter filled the room while Rusty invited everyone to sit
down while he stuck a movie into the DVD player. Leah sat down on the floor,
resting her back against the sofa. One of the stock guys came and sat down next
to her. Leah tried to remember his name.

“Hey, Leah,” he said.
Damn, he knows my name. What is
his? I wish he were wearing his name tag.

“Hey, how’s it going?” Leah said.
It’ll come to me.

“Not bad. Hey, I’m glad you came tonight. We never get to
talk.”

That’s because we don’t know each other
.

“If we talk during the movie we’ll get yelled at,” Leah
said.

The guy chuckled and set his hand on Leah’s thigh. She
froze, looking straight ahead.
Comfort zone
, she thought.
Fuck the
comfort zone
.

Rusty had the movie running and had gone for beer from the
kitchen. He returned, passing out bottles of cheap domestic to everyone in the
room. Apparently his taste for expensive things ran out when it came to
beverages. Leah took one and took a long chug, hoping it would help her with
her comfort-zone issues.

“Thirsty?” the guy said with a laugh.

“Very.”

The room quieted down as the movie got going. It was a
high-action testosterone fest but had some good one-liners that Leah would have
enjoyed if the guy’s hand hadn’t continued to rub up and down her thigh, slowly
working its way inside and dangerously close to her crotch.

Leah took another long drink. Events she wished she could
forget from days gone by flitted through her mind. Guys would come on to her
and whether she liked them or not she just let them roll her over and do
whatever they wanted. Standing up for what she really wanted was an unknown
concept.

Leah thought of what she would have done if Hale hadn’t come
into her life two days earlier.

I would let this loser put his hands wherever he wanted
and not say one damn word to stop him
.

Leah excused herself to the restroom, leaving Mr. Hands to
himself. She walked through the trailer to the other end, through the kitchen
and into the bathroom. She splashed water on her face and looked in the mirror.

“This isn’t what Hale meant,” she told herself out loud.
“The comfort zone challenge is about challenging yourself to improve, not to
betray yourself.”

Leah raised a towel to dry her face and could smell the
dankness of it four inches away. She gagged and set the towel down. She had
decided she was going to use her shirt when a knock came at the door.

“Just a minute,” she called.

The handle turned and the door pushed open.

“Shit!” Leah shouted. “I said just a minute!”

Mr. Hands let himself into the bathroom anyway, then closed
the door behind him. Leah’s danger sensors sprang into action, causing her
heart to beat uncontrollably and her hands to shake.

“What are you doing?” she asked, feeling her voice
trembling.

“You’re all wet. Got you all hot, huh? Had to come in here and
cool down?”

Leah wanted to gag. He wasn’t attractive, he wasn’t her type
and the way he touched her made her feel like scratching. The bathroom was
small and he was close to her already but he took another step toward her,
pushing her against the sink. Leah turned her head away as he leaned into her.
Taking that as an invitation, he pushed his body against her and kissed her
neck.

“Please,” Leah said. “We should really get back.”

“Why? It’s so much quieter in here.”

Mr. Hands touched Leah’s chin and turned her face toward
him. When his lips touched hers something bad moved though her, like something
dark had passed from him to her. He thrust his tongue into her mouth.

Floormat. Doormat. You let everyone run over you. Use
you, hurt you. Why not?

The accusations running through Leah’s head deflated her.
She recalled one of her earlier sexual experiences, a drunken encounter at a
party. She had been intoxicated. He had been more so. She didn’t want him but
she was too afraid to say no.

So she let him push her into a back room and take her
clothes off in the darkness of the corner. There wasn’t even a bed, just the
hard floor.

Mr. Hands reached down and unzipped his pants.

Fuck the comfort zone.

“Zip yourself back up,” Leah said. “You’re not getting anywhere
tonight.”

“Huh?”

“I said zip yourself back up. And take your hands off me.”

“Come on. I heard you’ve been…you know…opening up to life.”

Anger burned through Leah like nothing she’d ever felt
before. Either Kelly had said something or she’d talked so loud someone had
overheard her.
Now this jerk thinks he can capitalize on that?

“You’re not anything I want to open up,” Leah said. “Now get
your fucking hands off me.”

The guy raised his hands and took a step back.

“Sorry. I thought you were down with it when you didn’t stop
me in the living room.”

“My mistake.”

There was a zipping sound as Mr. Hands returned his zipper
to its upright and locked position. He turned and walked out of the bathroom,
closing the door behind him.

Leah wasn’t sure which emotion was stronger—the hurt at
Kelly for either purposely or inadvertently betraying her or the victory of
fucking the comfort zone and telling that jackass exactly where to go.

Leah calmed herself then burst out of the bathroom and
headed directly for the door. She said nothing as she pushed through it and
stomped down the front steps. She barely knew where she was, it was too late
for the bus and she had no money for a cab. But by God she was justified.

“Leah! Where are you going?”

Leah hunkered down against the wind and didn’t look back.
Kelly ran to catch up with her.

“What are you doing? If you’re ready to go that’s cool. Just
let me know. What’s going on?”

“So does everyone know about my new sexual liberation or did
you only tell a few people?”

“What are you talking about? Did Mike… Oh shit. He must have
heard me when we were talking over by the register. What happened?”

“He thought I was passing it out. I told him I wasn’t.”

“Shit Leah, I’m sorry. Come on, don’t walk out in the cold.
I’ll take you home.”

Leah wanted to continue to be defiant but she knew Kelly
hadn’t purposely hurt her and it was about ten degrees out. Leah shivered then
turned and let Kelly walk her back to the car.

When Kelly pulled up to Leah’s apartment building after a
mostly silent ride, she turned to her and said, “Let’s have a girls’ night
soon. Just you and me. Watch stupid movies and do each other’s toes. How long
has it been since you did something like that?”

“Too long,” Leah said. It did sound fun.
A little
frivolity never hurt anyone
. She smiled and looked up at Kelly. “Let’s do
it.”

“Let’s check our schedules for next week and set a date.”

“Sounds good.”

Leah made her way up to her apartment, the sounds of Friday-night
parties going on around her. She still had to work the next day so the day of
the week didn’t mean much to her other than her apartment would be noisy. She
passed by a group of drunk college students and wondered if Hale arrived that
night if they’d see how he showed up and decide they’d seen a ghost or a UFO.
Hell, maybe they’d be right.

Once inside Leah walked into the bedroom and took the box off
the dresser. Suddenly she wanted to be alone. She rubbed the designs on the box
and it comforted her. She didn’t need Hale all the time, did she? She was dying
to tell him about how she fucked the comfort zone but he would be there
tomorrow…she hoped.

Leah put on some comfy pajamas and crawled into bed. She
listened to the sounds of the partiers around her and for once was not annoyed.
They were just people having fun, doing whatever it was they wanted to do. Just
like her.

Leah worked the early shift the next morning, opening the
store at six in the morning. She enjoyed the contractors coming in for donuts
for their crew to thank them for working a Saturday. They were always in such a
good mood for so early in the morning it was impossible to look at them smile
without returning the favor.
I’d probably be in a good mood all the time if
I were working for myself,
Leah thought,
but doing what? People won’t
pay to watch you fuck the comfort zone.

As she was wrapping up her shift, the manager, Bob, came by
and said to her, “Oh Leah, can you swing by my office before you leave for the
day? I need to see you.”

Oh shit oh shit oh shit.

“Sure. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”

He found out about last night. He knows. I’m fired. Mr.
Hands is fired. We violated some law. No dumbass, how could he know? It’s
probably just about scheduling. But he’s never asked you into his office to
talk about scheduling before. It’s all too coincidental
.

Leah continued to argue with herself until she found herself
standing in Bob’s doorway. He smiled and waved her in.

“Shut the door behind you, please.”

“Am I in trouble?”

Bob laughed.

“No, not at all.”

“Okay then, I’ll shut the door.”

Bob laughed again.

“I love your sense of humor, Leah.”

“More laughs than a sitcom, that’s me.”

Leah took a seat and stared at Bob across his desk. She was
still fairly sure she was in trouble despite his assurances.

“Leah, how long have you worked for FoodSmart?”

“Well, I was at the west side location for about a year and
half, then worked somewhere else for a while, then came here almost two years
ago.”

“Good, good. I have to say that I’m very impressed with how
you present yourself. You’re responsible, professional, stellar with the
customers. I’d like to offer you a promotion to shift manager.”

Leah blinked a few times, tempted to pinch herself. Was she
hallucinating? Was something good happening to her?

“Are you serious?”

Bob chuckled. “I’m very serious. It would mean more hours
for you so you’d be coming in on Mondays and Tuesdays to help me do scheduling.
Probably help with interviews and such as well. Oh, and a fifteen-percent
raise.”

Leah thought of her withered bank account and smiled.

“You don’t have to give me an answer today,” Bob continued.
“I know you probably need to think about it and weigh your school
responsibilities, so just let me know in the next couple of days. Any
questions?”

“Who would I be managing?”

“Whoever happens to be working that shift. You’d still be
working of course, probably helping wherever help is needed and assisting
customers as necessary. You won’t be running the register full-time since
you’ll be needed to handle issues as they come up.”

“Okay.”

“Go home, think it over. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Leah nodded and smiled. She floated out of Bob’s office and
outside to her bike.
Manager? Were they crazy?
Leah wondered what Hale
would say.
Probably something like, they see what you’re good at…why don’t
you?

* * * * *

Leah sat on her bed staring at the box. When was it too
early to call Hale? Would he show up before dark? Leah checked her watch.
Sunset was still an hour away. She got up off the bed and paced. What would he
say to her? Would he somehow already magically know what had happened to her
the last two days? Somehow she suspected as much. He seemed to know her inside
and out…and it didn’t matter. He felt right in every way, so who cared if he
was Mr. Mysterious?

Damn it
I
do
, Leah thought.
But when will I
have the guts to confront him about what he is?

Bang, bang, bang!

Leah jumped. She ducked into the bedroom and looked at the
box, which was standing wide open. She smiled and shook her head then dashed to
the door.

“Hey,” Hale said with a smirk. He breezed into the apartment
and immediately sat down at the kitchen table.

“No beer today?”

“Maybe later,” he said. “I hear you’ve had an interesting
few days.”

“You hear? From whom?”

Hale shrugged. “Tell me about the guy at the party.”

Leah shrank a bit at the memory. She sat down at the table
with Hale and raised her knees up under her chin, resting her heels on the edge
of the chair. She hugged herself.

“I guess I gave him the wrong signals. He thought he could
do something with me and instead of letting myself get steamrolled like I have
in the past I told him to stop. It sounds like such a stupid, easy thing but it
really was hard for me. I had to think about the comfort zone and move out of
it to…I don’t know…assert myself.”

Hale smiled and nodded.

“I like it. I hope you told him exactly where to stick it.”

Leah laughed. “I used profanity.”

Hale smirked. “Good, good. Now what’s this about a
promotion?”

Despite her earlier surety that Hale would already know all
about it, Leah’s stomach flip-flopped when he confirmed it. She’d spoken to no
one since leaving Bob’s office only a few hours earlier. Hale really did know
it all.
You can be afraid or you can seize the opportunity. Seize it, you
crazy bitch!

“They offered to make me shift manager.”

“And how does that make you feel?”

“Well at first I was really excited. I mean, it’s more hours
and better pay. I’ll get more respect from the regional managers and stuff. But
then I started to get scared.”

“Why?”

“Am I ready for this? It’s a lot more responsibility. The
shift manager is responsible for opening or closing the store, scheduling,
dealing with idiot employees and irate customers. So if you screw up it can
cost the store a lot of money.”

“Do you believe you’ll screw up?”

Leah was quiet for a moment. She looked down at the floor,
then at her toes, anywhere but Hale. He remained silent, waiting for an answer.
Finally Leah whispered, “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve never been able to really do anything.
Something good starts happening and then it gets screwed up. I screw it up.
Someone makes some decision and I don’t know about the change or whatever and I
just fuck things up. Any time I start making progress it just…I just…”

Leah found herself fighting tears once again.

“What makes you think that things that have happened in the
past are any guarantee of what will happen in the future? Or even an
indicator?”

“Well, they say history repeats itself.”

“We’re not talking about the downfall of civilizations.
We’re talking about your life. Societies may act the same. Individuals make
choices for themselves.”

“So how do I keep from screwing up?”

“First you need to keep building on your confidence.
Remember how you felt when you asserted yourself against the guy in the
bathroom? Valuing yourself and what you want is power. Use it. Second, you need
to overcome fear to get what you want.”

“Overcome fear. So I shouldn’t worry about what will happen
when some shmuck doesn’t show up for their shift?”

“That’s planning. Are you seriously afraid—I mean fearful—of
someone not showing up for work?”

“Well, no.”

“What then?”

“I’m afraid of not being accepted as a manager by the other
employees. I don’t want to fight with them. And I’m afraid of the
responsibility…the progress…the success.”

“Exactly. Remember what we said about the comfort zone.”

“Fuck it.” Leah smiled. Hale laughed.

“Part of that is overcoming fear. People are afraid of lots
of things. Some of those fears will stand in the way of having the life they
always wanted. Do you think you should give fear that kind of power?”

“No.”

“Is it unreasonable to give something that doesn’t really
exist power over your life?”

“Yes.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I’m going to tell Bob I’ll take the position.”

“And?”

“And I’m going to do the best job possible. Better than
anyone else could do it.”

Hale smiled. “That’s what I like to hear. You know,
confidence really looks good on you.”

Leah blushed.

“But we need to work on that blushing problem of yours.”

Hale’s comment only worsened her condition. Leah covered her
face.

“You can’t hide from someone when they want to flirt, Leah.”
Hale’s eyes suddenly filled with dark heat. “You either tell them to get bent
or you play along. Don’t you like banter?”

“Yes, I do.” Leah lowered her hands and tried to reduce the
heat in her cheeks with some deep breathing.

“Good. Then let’s try again. Confidence looks good on you,
Leah. Hot. Sexy.”

Leah cleared her throat. Trying not to blush was useless. “Thanks.
It took hard work.”

“It makes me want to tear your clothes off and fuck you hard
from behind.”

Leah’s heart fluttered in her chest and she suddenly was
faint from the rush of hormones surging into her bloodstream. In an instant she
went from embarrassed to aroused. The heat left her cheeks and traveled
straight south.

“Then why don’t you?”

Hale stood from his chair so quickly it startled Leah. He
yanked on his tie, loosening it, then tossed it. He pulled off his jacket and
shirt, throwing them away. Leah’s feet slipped off the chair and landed on the
floor as she watched Hale’s urgent striptease, her pussy beginning to throb and
ache. She knew he wanted her. He wanted her bad. And she was desperate to let
him take what he wanted.

Hale reached over and took Leah’s hand. He pulled, lifting
her off the chair and bringing her to her feet. He leaned in and whispered in
her ear, “I’m absolutely crazy about fucking you. I want to fuck you until you
come screaming my name.”

Leah felt like her insides had melted. His words coursed
through her veins, desire pulsing there instead of blood. He was the only
person she’d ever heard who could use the f-word so crassly yet to her ears it
sounded like poetry. She whispered his name.

“Off,” Hale said. He tugged on her t-shirt and pulled it up
over her head. The shirt ended up on the kitchen floor, forgotten as Hale
pulled Leah toward the bedroom. He shut the door behind them and said, “I have
plans for you.”

“I certainly hope so,” Leah breathed. She watched Hale pull
his pants off, exposing his erection. The need pulsing through her body surged.
She wanted it. She wanted it in every way.
I want to fuck you until you
scream my name.

Leah reached down and unbuttoned her jeans. Hale moved in
and pulled down the zipper, then pushed down on them, taking her panties right
along with them as they slid down her legs.

Being exposed before him still made her apprehensive but
after the last time it no longer upset her. Especially not when he looked her
up and down with that smartass little smirk and that fire burning in his green
eyes.

“Where do I start eating you?” he asked.

Hale reached out and caressed Leah’s right breast, running
his thumb over her nipple and sending shivers through her body. He pinched it
and she whimpered as it poured gasoline on the fire burning between her legs.
Hale moved in on her and took the nipple in his mouth, sucking, then gently
biting.

Leah tossed her head back, basking in the sensations. With
every nip, every suck, every caress of his tongue on her nipple she wanted him
more. She ran her fingers through his hair encouragingly and pushed her pelvis
toward him.

Hale’s cock pushed against her thigh. He took ahold of
himself and moved, pressing his hot flesh against the folds of her pussy. He
slid across it, bringing soft moans out of Leah’s mouth. Hale released her
nipple and whispered, “On the bed.”

Leah was on her way there before the words had finished coming
out of his mouth. She lay down, propping herself up on her elbows. Hale crossed
the darkening room in all of his perfection, coming toward her like some sort
of incubus sent to drive her sexually insane. He lay down next to her. “Roll
over. I have something for you.”

Leah turned, rolling onto her side.

“All the way over.”

She did. Leah heard Hale doing something—she didn’t know
what but it sounded like he’d opened a ketchup bottle. Leah laughed.

“What’s funny?” Hale asked.

“Just thinking about dinner.” Leah giggled.

“Hmmm. I’ve got something to satisfy your appetite.”

“I know.”

Hale knelt between Leah’s knees and nudged them apart, then
pulled her hips toward him until her ass was in the air. He slid his fingers
into her very wet hollow and laughed when she whimpered.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Please touch me.”

“I’ll touch you. I’ll touch you everywhere.” Hale massaged
Leah from the inside, then removed his fingers far too soon for her liking. She
sensed him shift, then something cold and hard pushed against the pucker of her
asshole.

“What are you doing?” Leah asked, alarmed.

“What’s wrong?” Hale asked. “Scared?”

“Yes. What are you doing?”

“Don’t you trust me, Leah?”

“Well yes, but…”

“There is no
yes but
. Either you do or you don’t.
Have I ever hurt you?”

“No.”

“Do you think that I want to hurt you?”

“No.”

The pressure increased against her anus.

“I don’t know about this,” she said. “Stop.”

The pressure eased. “What are you afraid of?”

“I’ve never…I’ve never…”

“Yes, I know. But don’t you fantasize about it? Haven’t you
always wondered what it would be like?”

Leah paused. He spoke the truth. It was so taboo, something
that didn’t even get spoken of in decent company. She grew up with that kind of
activity being something only a heathen would engage in. So naturally she’d
always wanted to try it.