InstructionbySeduction Read online

  The box was on her dresser sitting wide open.

  Leah stood paralyzed. In the months that had passed since she bought it she had never been able to open it. She’d tried everything but still it remained unmoved. And now there it was wide open for the world to see, all on its own.

  You do not open the box.

  Leah took several cautious steps toward her favorite mystery, afraid to blink and lose the illusion of the openness. But the closer she got the vision remained the same. The box was open. It was no mirage.

  Swallowing hard, Leah reached up to the top of the dresser and picked up the box. Her heart pounded painfully. What was in it? Had the old man just smoked too much opium back in the day? Truth? The box was open. You do not open the box.

  With a shaking hand, Leah lowered the box until she could see inside it.

  It was empty.

  Bang, bang, bang.

  Leah yelped and dropped the box. The banging on her apartment door sounded ten times as loud as it really was. She looked down, panicked that she’d dropped the box. Certainly it was closed now. Certainly it knew she was unworthy and careless and would be keeping all of its secrets to itself.

  But the box remained open, sitting upright on the carpet. Leah bent over and picked it back up, then impulsively tried to close it. The lid would not move. Leah laughed, a sound of freakish bewilderment. She pushed hard but the more she tried to force it the less the lid would budge.

  Bang, bang, bang.

  “Who’s there?” Leah yelled.

  No answer.

  Leah put the box back on the dresser and walked into the living room.

  “Who is it?” she called again. Still nothing.

  Against her better judgment Leah continued to move toward the door, covered in nothing but her towel. Then she felt it again—that strange familiarity she’d experienced at the flea market. Something that belonged to her was near.

  “Who’s there?” This time it was no more than a whisper. It didn’t matter. She was going to open the door no matter what.

  The deadbolt turned under Leah’s fingers. The click that meant the difference between safety and vulnerability resounded through the apartment like a shattered dish.

  She grasped the door handle and turned it, feeling the scene move before her in slow motion. When she pulled it open, she didn’t know what to expect. A ghost? Chinese poltergeist? Her mother?

  The man standing there was some kind of dream, perfect in every way. He looked like he could have hung out with the Rat Pack in Vegas. His dark-brown hair was cut short and clean, the perfect complement to his basic black suit and white shirt. His black tie had tiny silver lines across it. His green eyes had a hint of mischief in them and one corner of his mouth was turned up into a bad-boy smirk. His hands were stuck casually in his pockets.

  “Hey.” With a short nod of his head, he proceeded to push past Leah into her apartment. As he passed her, Leah shrank in shock at the feeling that swelled within her. A feeling that had been sadly dormant for many long months, maybe even years. Desire…passion…even lust. And here she was feeling it for someone she’d never laid eyes on before.

  Leah stood, her mouth agape as this stranger walked into her kitchen. The late January wind blowing straight into her apartment went completely unnoticed. The man opened her refrigerator and said, “Do you have any import beer in here?”

  “Top shelf, right-hand side.” Leah said, still reeling. The stranger reached in and grabbed a Smithwick’s.

  “That’s exactly where I would have put it,” he said. “You going to close that door? It’s colder than a penguin on ice cream out there.”

  Leah closed the door and turned the deadbolt out of habit. She was half expecting the man to be gone when she turned back but instead he was rummaging through the utensil drawer. He pulled out a bottle opener and cracked open the beer.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” Leah walked toward the kitchen, her brain beginning to thaw. “Who are you and why are you drinking my beer?”

  The man took a long pull on the beer and set it down on the kitchen counter. He turned back to her, crossed his arms and leaned against the counter.

  “I’m Hale. And I’m drinking your beer because I prefer imports over domestics.”

  “What a coincidence, me too. Now why are you in my apartment?”

  Hale’s eyes met hers in a very knowing but serious look.

  “You asked for me. I can make your dreams come true.”

  The room spun around Leah. Box makes dreams come true. She thought of the open box in her bedroom. Open, not closed. You can’t open the box. Again desire pulsed through her and she closed her eyes. Wrong! No! Go away!

  “You’re not going to pass out, are you?” Hale asked. “I hope not. I prefer people conscious.”

  Leah shook her head. The improbability of it all—no, the impossibility…

  “It’s not impossible. Don’t you think that everything is a choice?”

  Leah nodded.

  “Then can’t you choose to make something happen?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “That’s the problem. That’s what I’m here to help you with.”

  Hale picked up the beer and took another drink, then handed the bottle to Leah. She raised it to her lips without thinking and took a long pull. It was slick and sweet where Hale had drunk from it. So sweet and intoxicating…

  Ignoring every sense of propriety she knew, Leah licked around the tip of the bottle to gather up every bit of what he’d left on it. When she looked up at him he didn’t look shocked or amused. Instead he just looked at her like it was something that he would have done.

  “So like I said, I’m here to help you with your problems. Starting with this one.” Hale pushed away from the counter and began tugging off his tie. He tossed it over a chair that was haphazardly pulled away from the table. Then he began to unbutton his shirt.

  “What are you doing?” Leah squeaked.

  “It’s hard to do this wearing clothes. I’ve tried and was unsuccessful.”

  “Stop!” She squealed as he pulled his shirt out of his dress pants to finish unbuttoning.

  “Do you really want me to?”

  Leah paused. She really didn’t. From the moment the bizarre, beautiful stranger breezed through her door like the January Kansas wind she’d wanted nothing more than for him to take off that fabulous suit. But dare she say it? Dare she say what she wanted? Would she be prepared for what followed if she did?

  “I don’t know what I want,” she whispered.

  “And therein lies your problem.” Hale continued to unbutton his shirt. He let it fall open, exposing a perfectly hairless, chiseled chest. “What is it that you’re afraid of?”

  “Maybe I’m afraid of getting what I want.”

  “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

  Hale slid out of his black jacket and deposited it on the same chair that held his tie. He turned back to Leah and put his hands on her shoulders. His touch was amazingly warm, even after being out in the cold and handling the beer straight out of the fridge. It sent hot shivers through Leah’s body and sent her hormones spinning. She closed her eyes.

  Soft pressure moved her in a semicircle, putting her back toward the fridge. Her eyes still closed, Leah let Hale push her back until she was pressed against the appliance. Once there she trembled, waiting. She didn’t have to wait long.

  Hale placed feathery-soft kisses at her ear, his lips moving down her neck, planting faint kisses all the way down. She leaned her head back against the fridge, afraid to let this seduction continue but desperate to hold onto it. His hands slid down off her shoulders and came to rest on the top of her towel.

  “Hale.” It was half-plea, half-warning.

  He gripped the towel and in one swift move, pulled it completely off Leah’s body. Her eyes flew open and she shrieked, moving to cover herself but Hale’s hands found hers and held them out to her sides, leaving her fully exposed.

  “Don�
��t,” he whispered. “You’re beautiful.”

  “I’m scared!”

  “You’re perfect.” And with that Hale’s lips covered hers in a gentle but forceful kiss, leaving Leah no choice but to open to him. Her sensible side was screaming in confusion while her desire rose within her, an unstoppable force. She moaned softly under his lips.

  “Do you still want me to stop?” Hale whispered.

  Leah looked up into those perfect green eyes and again felt that inexplicable recognition. Somehow this stranger was already hers, just like the box.

  “No.”

  Hale smiled and nodded.

  “I thought you’d say that.”

  He held her gaze as he released her hands and moved closer to her, pinning her between his body and the refrigerator. His fingertips ran up and down her bare hips and sides, tickling her in a way that only fueled the fire growing between her legs. Her heart pounded away in her chest so loudly she was sure Hale could hear it.

  It would probably only amuse him.

  “What are you good at, Leah?” he asked.

  My name, she thought. He knows my name. How the hell…how the hell is any of this happening?

  “What do you mean what am I good at? Like…sexually?”

  Hale laughed softly.

  “I don’t need you to tell me that. I mean in general. What are you good at?”

  “Not very much it would seem. Screwing things up maybe. Procrastinating. Making an ass of myself.”

  Hale shook his head. “You can’t keep thinking like that. Thinking makes it so. Tomorrow I want you to make a list of what you’re good at. I don’t care what it is or if it sounds stupid to you. Make the list and have it ready tomorrow night.”

  “Tomorrow night?”

  “Yes. We’re going to be too busy to do that tonight.”

  “Are we?”

  “Yes. Very busy.”

  With that Hale took one of Leah’s breasts in his hand, bent his head and took the nipple into his mouth.

  “Oh my God,” Leah moaned, the sudden stimulation creating havoc within her. She reached out and touched Hale, hungrily feeling his skin. Her entire body burned for him and she couldn’t explain why.

  Hale pulled away from her and she whimpered, not wanting it to stop. He set his hands on his belt and unbuckled it, then slid it out of the loops and dropped it on the floor. Leah sweated with anticipation as he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants.

  “You asked for it, remember?”

  Leah nodded, ready to agree to whatever he said and mesmerized with anticipation. She was ready to reach out and yank down his pants herself.

  Hale let his pants drop to the floor around his ankles. No boxers and no briefs covered him underneath. Leah stared down at his generous cock and couldn’t think of a thing to say.

  “You want it?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Leah breathed. “I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give.”

  Hale took ahold of himself and pushed toward Leah. She moved to accept him, spreading her legs as far as she could and still hold herself up. Hale slid a hand down one of her thighs and lifted her leg, opening her up to him. Leah trembled as his stiff flesh moved against her skin, nudging ever closer to her heated opening. He touched it and she nearly yelped with anticipation.

  “Leah,” Hale breathed. She looked up at him. As their eyes locked, he pushed his hard dick into her pussy. She was hot and ready and he slid all the way in without hesitation.

  “Jesus,” Leah whimpered, her body shaking with the ecstasy of feeling Hale touch her where for so long she’d only had herself to rely on. He is much better!

  Leah wrapped her raised leg around Hale’s waist and squeezed him close to her. God he was so warm. He pushed into her and leaned his head toward hers. She thought he was going to kiss her but instead he brushed his lips across her cheek and whispered, “I told you. Beautiful. Perfect. Just as you are.”

  Tears threatened to take over Leah’s bliss, especially after the hurtful remarks of that morning. Hale’s words were sweet honey to her soul. She basked in the feeling of love, then with one more hard push from Hale she shot back into the reality of physical pleasure. Leah shuddered. He knew what he was doing.

  The sounds of flesh on flesh permeated the kitchen along with Leah’s soft moans and sighs. Hale raised his free hand to Leah’s right breast and gently caressed her nipple, sending rockets through her body. Leah shook as he continued to stroke her from within, causing the slowly building pressure within her to simmer.

  Leah looked up at Hale, catching his eyes with hers and locking them in, marveling at the bizarre twist of events that had brought him to her.

  Hale’s mouth curved into a smirk as he increased his speed. Leah moaned as he put the pressure on just the right spot, stroking her clit like he was made for her. She closed her eyes then felt Hale’s soft lips against hers.

  A playful lick on her lips made Leah smile as he moved in and swept through her mouth like he was starving for her. She opened for him, letting him explore her mouth before she returned the favor, reveling in the wet heat of him while he brought her sweet sensations between her legs.

  The pressure within Leah’s body had reached the boiling point. She put her hands on Hale’s upper arms, holding him in place.

  “Don’t stop,” she whispered. “Oh God, don’t stop!”

  The blast from the orgasm rocked her body hard. Leah cried out, not even caring if her neighbors could hear. All that mattered was the feeling, the outpouring of electricity that swept through her body. Even after it had left her she shuddered with the aftereffects. Then she realized that Hale had come as well.

  “Oh I missed it,” she said with regret. “That’s the second-best part. Getting to watch someone else come.”

  “You didn’t miss it.” Hale’s smirk returned as he leaned in and kissed her softly. Leah couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her lips before the kiss had even ended.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Hale wiggled his eyebrows. He pulled out of her and kissed her again. “Go clean up. I’ll wait in the bedroom.”

  Chapter Two

  Leah staggered to the bathroom, barely able to walk. She heard Hale chuckling softly as she closed the door behind her. When she emerged wrapped in a terrycloth robe, true to his promise Hale was lounging on her bed, still stark naked. Leah breathed a sigh of relief. She’d half expected him to have blown out of her apartment as quickly as he’d arrived.

  “What are you reading, Leah?” he asked.

  “At this very moment?”

  “Of course not. I mean what books are you reading?”

  “Mostly my college books.”

  “Good. And?”

  “And a romance novel.”

  “Good. And?”

  “And…that’s about it. Why?”

  “Think about reading something that makes you think about how you are and how you view life. College books are good but they don’t move beyond mere subject matter. Romance novels are good because God knows the world needs more love. But you, my dear, have all the love you need and more. What you don’t have is perspective.”

  “What do you mean I have all the love I need and more?”

  Hale smiled.

  “See, you ask about the love first. That’s good. But you can’t forget about the rest of it.”

  Leah walked over to the bed and sat down. She put her hand on Hale’s shoulder, still trying to convince herself that he was real, just as flesh and blood as she was. Leah squeezed his shoulder.

  “You could try pinching yourself,” Hale said. “Sometimes that works.”

  “It’s not as much fun.”

  Hale sat up and moved his legs around to the other side of Leah. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

  “I can’t wait to see you again,” he said, then got up off the bed.

  “What?” Leah said, standing. “Does that mean you’re leavi
ng?”

  “Just remember what I said about that list. Have it ready.”

  Hale walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Leah stood, staring at the door, wondering if he was going to take a shower. If she heard the water she was going to have to join him. But instead she heard nothing. Not the faucet, not the toilet, not even the creak of a floorboard.

  “Hale?” she called. No response. She tried again and got the same answer.

  Leah moved slowly toward the bathroom door. She called his name again and softly knocked.

  “Hale, are you okay in there?” she asked. No sound.

  Leah gripped the handle and turned. She paused, then pushed the door open. The bathroom was empty. Absolutely empty. Leah reeled back. She turned and looked into the kitchen. Also empty. She took three steps toward the kitchen table and looked at the chair where Hale had deposited his clothes. Gone. The door to the apartment was closed, deadbolt locked, just as she had left it.

  Leah gasped, trying to fill her lungs with air that seemed to rebel against being drawn in. She pulled out a chair and sat down. How is it possible? He appeared out of nowhere and went right back there afterward. She’d watched the door the whole time. There were no windows or other doors in the bathroom. No way out.

  Leah raised her head and took in a deep breath. So rational thought went out the window. Who cared? She’d had a great time. More than a great time. It was unbelievable. It was beautiful. It was a dream.

  Was it a dream?

  Standing up slowly, Leah turned and looked back toward the bedroom. She moved as if in slow motion, each step taking her closer toward the dresser…and the box. Leah stood just inside the bedroom, staring. The box still sat on her dresser…closed.

  Leah moved through the next morning in a daze. She didn’t have any classes so she’d taken an earlier shift. Kelly was working with her again, this time running the register while Leah bagged groceries.

  Leah finished putting the last item in a bag for a customer and handed the bag to her with a smile.

  “Have great day and come back soon, okay?”

  “I sure will, dear,” the lady said as she walked away.