InstructionbySeduction Page 3

“Okay,” Kelly said once the customer was out of earshot. “What’s up with you today? You’re all smiles and cheer with the customers then as soon as they’re gone you’re back into your funk zone.”

  Leah stared at the plastic bags in front of her.

  “What am I good at, Kelly?”

  “Huh? Is that what this is about? You feeling useless again? Well stop. You’re a great person and it makes me feel sick when you talk down about yourself.”

  Leah smiled. “I love your honesty.”

  “Well that’s what you get for asking me. With me what you see is what you get, damn it.”

  “Okay then. Tell me.”

  “Tell you what?”

  “What am I good at?”

  Kelly turned to fully face Leah, crossed her arms in front of her and leaned back as though carefully inspecting the woman before her.

  “You have a great smile,” she said.

  “That’s it?”

  “Shut up. I’m not done yet. You have a great smile and you make other people smile when you do it. Not everyone can do that. And you’re honest. Another rare trait.”

  “That’s not being good at something. Those are personality traits.”

  Kelly paused long enough that Leah feared she wasn’t going to be able to come up with anything. Then finally Kelly said, “You give great customer service.”

  “Customer service?” Leah asked, as though Kelly had suggested she was great at tying her shoe. “There’s nothing to it. You just be nice to people and treat them the way you would want to be treated. It’s common sense.”

  “Sweetheart, common sense ain’t so common. You can neutralize situations like no one else. Stuff that the managers fuck up you can fix and keep a customer coming back after an event that some people would have sued over.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Remember the sour cream incident?”

  Leah did remember the sour cream incident. A customer had picked up a container of sour cream, gone home and used it, then discovered it had somehow gotten mold in the center. The customer had gotten sick and returned the container the next day, ready to call her lawyer.

  After Leah got done smoothing things over with a sympathetic ear, some outrage at the situation and some serious ass-kissing, the customer was ready to write to the newspaper in praise of FoodSmart.

  “Okay, so I saved the day for FoodSmart a time or two,” Leah conceded.

  “Leah, that could have gotten really ugly. No one else could have fixed that like you. That is really something to be proud of. And how many times have you gotten the FoodSmart customer service award? Five times?”

  “Seven,” Leah said, a smile forming.

  “Well there you go.”

  Kelly turned back to the register and smiled at the customer who had arrived with a load of kids and bags of chips. Soccer mom for sure.

  Leah smiled with every beep of the register, ringing up Fritos. Maybe she was good at something after all. She gave the soccer mom a huge, authentic smile as she passed by.

  The frazzled-looking woman paused, smiled back and said, “Thanks for letting me clean out your chip section.”

  “Anytime.” Leah laughed and picked up her walkie-talkie and pretended to call the stockroom. “Restock on Fritos in aisle four!”

  The woman laughed and pushed her cart of kids and chips out the door.

  * * * * *

  Leah swallowed nervously. She was sitting at her kitchen table looking at her list for Hale. It was ridiculously inadequate. What if he decided her efforts weren’t good enough and left to help someone else? Would she be relieved? Disappointed? Leah closed her eyes and remembered how Hale had made her feel. Her body warmed at the memory, both in her heart and in her panties. Did she care what he was? A dream, a ghost, some sort of otherworldly creature? Whatever he was he could make her feel like the most perfect person on earth, so maybe she really couldn’t care less what he was as long as he kept coming back to her. What else did she have?

  Leah picked up her list and studied it.

  Good at smiling.

  Good at customer service.

  Good at getting out of trouble.

  Good at being a good friend.

  Good at remembering lists.

  Good at smiling, Leah thought. How much more stupid can I sound and still be allowed to live? Hale is going to think I’m an idiot.

  Maybe she could redeem herself with the book she’d found at the library. She glanced at it sitting on the table. Reaching Your Peak by Dr. Know-It-All, she thought sarcastically. Of course, she mused, shifting gears. Why would I take advice from someone who doesn’t know it all?

  Standing, Leah turned and began pacing around her small apartment. She was ready for Hale. Sort of. But how did she get him to come back? Was she just supposed to sit around and wait? She glanced back at her bedroom. The box. Maybe she could open it herself now that it had opened on its own.

  Leah walked back to the bedroom and took the box in her hands. Just the feeling of it calmed her, comforted her. She smiled and felt better. Even if Hale didn’t come tonight, everything would be okay. Feeling at peace, Leah put her hands on the lid and lifted it.

  The empty box looked up at her. Leah peered down at it, wondering what invisible force it held that was released when it was opened. Was it looking at her at that very moment, waiting to see what she would do next?

  Bang, bang, bang!

  Leah laughed out loud and spun in a circle. She set the box down on the dresser and sprinted to the door. Sure enough, she flung it open to find Hale standing there in his black suit, lips curved up in smirk. He winked at her and gave her a nod. Leah melted a little bit inside.

  “Hey,” he said. “I missed you today.”

  Leah moved away from the door to let him in, her heart and her instantly warm pussy making her feel like Silly Putty.

  “I missed you too,” she breathed. “I made my list. And I got a book.”

  “Good, good.”

  “And I got you some beer.”

  “No you got you some beer. I’m just going to help you drink it.”

  Leah giggled. Hale opened the fridge and pulled out a beer then dug out the bottle opener, just as he had done the night before.

  “You disappeared awfully quickly last night,” Leah said cautiously. She was a little afraid that asking him about it might make him leave but her curiosity was too great.

  “I’m like that,” Hale said with a shrug. “But I always come back.”

  Hale took a drink of the beer and handed it to Leah. She took a sip, again savoring the taste of Hale on the bottle more than the liquid within. Her body warmed further and soon all she could think of was his warm touch, those gentle fingertips on her skin. Who or what he was…who cared?

  “What are we going to do tonight?” Leah asked.

  Hale took the bottle back from Leah and took a long drink, then set it down on the counter and began loosening his tie. Leah smiled, her heartbeat picking up instantly. She couldn’t wait to put her hands on him again, to learn more about what he could do and what he could make her feel.

  “Excited?”

  Leah could only nod.

  “Good. Me too.”

  Leah realized she was practically panting so she tried to hold her breath while Hale tossed his tie and jacket. When she finally let it out Hale laughed.

  “Don’t hyperventilate. That’ll come later. Now take your shirt off.”

  Leah blinked a few times.

  “Take my shirt off?” she asked hesitantly. “You mean right here?”

  “I’m taking mine off right here.”

  As if to prove his point, Hale finished unbuttoning his shirt and tossed it onto the chair. Leah took a deep breath. He’s already seen you naked, for Christ’s sake. What’s the big deal?

  Last time he ripped your towel off. This time it’s all you. All your decision.

  “Sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone,
Leah,” Hale said softly. “Trust me, if you never take a step beyond those self-imposed boundaries you will always be wishing your life was different. Now take that step. Take your shirt off.”

  “Aren’t we going to go over my list? I made my list like you asked.” Leah was stalling.

  “You made the list for you, not for me. Now. Take your shirt off.”

  Leah swallowed hard and gripped the bottom of her t-shirt. Did Hale know about her level of experience or rather her lack thereof? She’d never taken her clothes off in front of a man like that. Most of the time she hid in the dark so they wouldn’t see her. Her pounding heart and her trembling hands betrayed her, displaying to Hale her incompetence. Suddenly she felt like she was back in her speech class, making an ass of herself.

  “Just lift, Leah,” Hale said softly. “It’s just a little thing. I’ll make it worth your while.”

  Leah smiled and gave a short laugh. She could do this. It’s only a shirt for crying out loud. Leah suddenly pulled up on the t-shirt, yanked it over her head and threw it on the ground.

  Hale threw his head back and laughed. Leah shrunk.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “You just looked like you were throwing a snake off yourself.”

  “Sorry.”

  “No worries. Now take off your bra.”

  How did I know that was coming? Leah reached up behind her back and grasped the hooks of her bra. Just a little piece of fabric. Step outside, step outside…

  Leah unhooked the clasp and stared up at Hale. Keeping her eyes trained on his face, she released the material and turned her shoulders in front of her, letting the garment slide down her arms, then drop to the floor.

  “Very good.” Hale’s voice was barely more than a whisper. “Now the rest. All of it.”

  Shaking like a car with a flat tire, Leah reached down and unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. As she began sliding them down her legs, she fought the words that came into her mind. Cow. Too fat to get frat. She clenched her teeth and kicked off her jeans.

  “One more piece.”

  Hale’s words did not help Leah’s nerves. She slid her fingers between her skin and the satin of her panties. She hesitated there, wishing this part was over and Hale would just push her up against a wall and fuck her brains out. That part was easy. This was torture.

  Leah took a deep breath and slid her pink bikinis down her thighs, over her knees and let them drop around her ankles. She stepped out of them and pushed them toward her jeans. Still staring at the floor, she was too humiliated to look up.

  Hale stepped toward her and kicked her discarded clothes out of the way. He set his fingertips under Leah’s chin and raised her head. Leah cursed the tears that she knew were forming. She didn’t want to cry in front of him. For what? Being naked? Is that a reason to cry?

  “Head high, Leah.” He began circling around her. Leah kept her head up, fighting the tears as Hale moved. She could feel his eyes on every inch of her skin. Every freckle and hair and disproportionate area of flab was open to his inspection. By the time he got back around in front of her the tears were streaming down her face.

  “Sweet Leah,” Hale murmured, raising his hands to her cheeks and brushing back tears. “Why the crying? Why would you assume I’m being critical of you when I look at you?”

  “Why not?” Leah sniffed. “Everyone else is.”

  “Are they? Or are you just unhappy with yourself so you believe that is what others think?”

  “I doubt it.”

  “I want you to think of one thing about your body that you love. One thing.”

  Leah thought of her eyes.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “Now I want you to apply that good feeling to every other part of you.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Just imagine it. Imagine feeling that good about everything, regardless of what you think others have decided about you.”

  Leah closed her eyes and envisioned looking at herself nude in the mirror and smiling. Nothing had really changed on the outside, only on the inside. She looked at her eyes and felt beautiful, letting that emotion wash all the way down her body.

  “How does it feel?” Hale asked.

  Leah laughed softly and opened her eyes. Hale stood before her, waiting for her reaction.

  “It feels good.”

  “Of course it does. I want you to practice feeling this way every day. The better you feel about yourself the more positive a response you’ll get from others.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Try it.”

  “Fine. I will.”

  “Good. Because if you don’t feel good about you then no one else will either. Now it’s time for something a little more fun.”

  “Thank God. I thought we’d never get there.”

  Hale laughed, then unbuckled his belt and slid it out of the loops. He wrapped it over itself and yanked it tight, snapping the leather like a whip. Leah jumped and he laughed again.

  “Not quite ready for that yet.”

  Yet? Leah shivered.

  Hale dropped his pants and kicked them off into the pile of discarded clothing that had formed on the kitchen floor.

  “Now,” he said. “On your knees.”

  Chapter Three

  Leah opened her mouth in protest.

  “Oh I don’t know…I mean, I’ve never…”

  “Did I ask you to do something strange?”

  Hale smirked. Leah felt her cheeks burn and she stammered, “Well no, I just thought that you were going to make me…”

  “Sweet Leah. I will never make you do anything. Everything is a choice. I may give you a shove in the right direction but I’ll force nothing on you.”

  Leah nodded.

  “Okay then. Why don’t we go into the bedroom instead?”

  Leah nodded again, vigorously. She liked that idea a lot better. Hale set his hands on Leah’s shoulders and turned her toward the bedroom, then moved with her toward it. Once inside, he gave her his famous smirk and said, “Now…on your knees.”

  “Okay,” Leah breathed.

  “Over by the bed. Like you’re going to say your prayers.”

  Leah knelt by the bed and rested her arms on the mattress. Hale moved in behind her. He nudged her knees apart and she obliged him, shaking as she did so.

  “Tell me about your sexual experiences, Leah.”

  “Well,” she said hesitantly, “they’ve been unfulfilling before you.”

  “And?”

  “And very…vanilla.”

  “Vanilla.”

  “Very.”

  Hale chuckled and the sound sent warm shivers through her body. His lips ran softly around her shoulder, then he planted small kisses here and there.

  “I think we should change that,” he whispered.

  Hale’s sizeable erection pressed against her rear end. She laid her head down on her forearms and moved her knees apart farther. Hale moved in, pressing his dick against Leah’s warm and ready pussy. She let out a soft moan.

  “Want it?” he asked.

  “Yes. God yes.”

  “I’ll give it to you but first…”

  Hale moved away from her and Leah whimpered in protest. He sat down on the bed next to her. “Remember…forget that comfort zone. The comfort zone yields nothing but the same old thing you’ve always had.”

  Leah looked over at him. She looked away, contemplating, then moved over in front of him and pushed his knees apart. His cock was swollen and huge. She wanted it. She wanted it but she didn’t know what to do with it. Leah thought of her boring, vanilla life. She thought of the comfort zone.

  “Fuck the comfort zone,” she said and lowered her head over his shaft.

  It seemed strange in her mouth at first, far too large to be there. She sucked as best she could but felt inadequate. With her heart beating in her throat, she opened up and took Hale into her mouth as far as she could then closed her lips over him.

  Hale ran his fingers encouragingly thr
ough Leah’s fiery-red hair. She sucked softly as she pulled up, then back down. It got easier as she shed her inhibitions. Soon she couldn’t take in enough of his cock to make her happy. Leah heard him moan and she moaned as well. Something she’d always feared for any number of reasons—the unknown, repelled by the unfamiliarity of it all—was now filling her with pleasure in a way she couldn’t even understand.

  Leah was wet beyond her wildest dreams within two minutes of sucking Hale’s dick. The more she pleasured him the more ready she was to be pleasured herself. She licked and sucked and moaned, enjoying every second of the act that she was sure would get her expelled from her family if they ever knew about it.

  Suddenly Hale drew away from her and lifted her head with his fingertips. Leah looked up at him, confused and worried she’d done something wrong.

  “What is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “Not a thing,” Hale said. “How did fucking the comfort zone feel?”

  Leah laughed.

  “It was totally worth it.”

  Hale nodded, then slid off the bed. He pushed Leah up against the bed and got behind her as he had been before. Without a moment’s warning, he shoved himself into her throbbing pussy.

  Leah gasped at the sudden intrusion. Then as Hale thrust again she moaned in pleasure.

  “Is this what you wanted?” he asked.

  “Yes. Yes!”

  “Then take it. Take it all.”

  Hale pushed harder. Leah spread her legs and pushed back against him, desperate to be filled. He reached around and touched her soft lips in the front. She whimpered and moaned as he felt his way through the folds and pushed his finger against her clit.

  “Oh my God!” Leah yelled. She thought she heard Hale laugh but all sound was drowned out by the intensity of the feeling.

  Hale bent his head over her shoulder. “Do you like the way I fuck you?”

  Leah couldn’t even respond. There was a nuclear bomb inside her waiting to go off. She moaned and whimpered as he rubbed her just the right way, then the explosion took her by force and she cried out.

  “Hale!” she screamed, followed by some unintelligible garble brought forth by pure ecstasy.

  The shaking of Leah’s body continued long past the end of the orgasm. When she remembered to breathe again she felt wet…too wet.