23
I
’ll give you a ride home, Riley,” I offered. Getting her alone was my priority as I had a plan for us tonight. If I was forbidden to fuck her, I could do other things to stop me from turning into a gooner. Far too many gooners at college who chose OnlyFans fantasy girls over the real girls before then and then would rather jack off to their fake OF girl, then slide their cock inside a real girl. These guys were the lowest of low incel men and there were far too many of them living in a false reality where one day they’ll wake up lonely and in horror that the girl they’d been speaking to was some underpaid dude in India.
A real girl, skin and bones, dimpled cheeks and fluttering eyelashes, despite the grief she might cause a man, I would still rather be pained by the real thing than live in a shallow fantasy.
“Oh, okay,” she startled, glancing up from scrubbing the stainless-steel sink. “You don’t have to go out of your way. I can take the bus back to campus.”
“I don’t like you waiting at the bus stop in the middle of the night, so come up to my office when your shift is over, and I’ll call you back,” I told her.
She smiled, adjusted her glasses, blushed a little, then beat her eyelashes. “Okay, thank you.”
I had no intention of taking her home, well, not straight away, and ran up to my office to wait eagerly for her shift to end. Mikky was still in his office, while Gunner came in for an hour, then left again. I couldn’t concentrate on my work, so I stood at the window and watched the club in full swing, girls dancing on the stage, most seats taken at the casino tables, men perched at the bar, while other members disappeared into the secret rooms upstairs.
Finally, her shift was over, and I grabbed my phone, car key, and bag with two clean, dry towels stuffed inside that I borrowed from the Red Velvet rooms. Instead of waiting for her to come up, I raced downstairs, high on adrenaline, and found her in the locker room, taking her bag out.
“Ready?” I asked her and she nodded a reply.
I waited until we were on the road when I asked, “So…fancy a late-night swim?”
Her ponytail swung about as she turned to look at me. “Where?”
“In the forest,” I proposed, hoping she’d say yes. I wouldn’t force her to go, but I hoped she’d be open to it.
A surprised but elated gasp erupted from her and I startled, unsure if she was pleased or not, until she sighed, “Oh, I was just thinking that I hadn’t been there for what felt like so long because I’ve been so busy and it’s such a pain to get there without a car. You know, I have to take three buses to get there. But night swimming? I haven’t done that in years when I used to jump the fence back home and swim in the school pool.”
“So…is that a yes or a no? Because you have to tell me now, before I make a turn off,” I replied. Her enthusiasm sounded like a yes, but it’s sometimes hard to tell with girls.
She squealed excitedly, and I jumped in fright. “Yes. Oh my god, yes.”
“Good,” I answered, grinning smugly in the dark. There was nothing more satisfying than making a girl happy, especially this girl who worked hard and might be more than what she claims to be.
“Do you have towels?” she asked breathlessly.
“In the back,” I replied.
“So, you planned this?” she posed suspiciously.
“No. I mean…yes. The idea came to me about an hour before your shift ended, and I grabbed towels from the rooms upstairs,” I stated with as little detail as possible.
“What rooms? Shower rooms?” she asked curiously.
“Yeah,” I answered vaguely, because the Red Velvet rooms were not only out of bounds for the staff, but the staff weren’t even told about them in the first place. It was an unspoken secret, and only those willing to pay for it.
“Where are they?” she persisted, and I hoped it was only out of pure curiosity, rather than for sinister reasons.
“You can’t get up there without a key,” I said, ignoring her question and waving aside because I didn’t want to discuss that side of the business. I wanted to talk about her.
“Private,” she breathed, gazing out the window at the night lights that became less frequent the closer we drove to the edge of town.
“So, how is school?” Changing the subject, I still want her to believe I wasn’t like the men who frequented those rooms. I didn’t hire women to sleep with me. Mikky, on the other hand, did before he was arrested, but he and I were different men.
“It’s good. I like some classes more than others, but that’s normal. I enjoy the practical marine biology classes where we study the specimens underwater,” she chuckled shyly as if she was worried I’d be bored by her subject tastes.
As soon as I drove out of the city, we were draped in darkness, where the only lights were beaming out from my car's headlights.
“It’ll be cold,” her voice sliced through the dark. Then she giggled excitedly, the most uplifting sound that set my heart on fire. I hope you brought a torch because it will be hard treading through...”
She dropped out halfway through the sentence, and I sensed gloom over her. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, I ah, just remembered last time I was here, someone was following me, but maybe that was you,” she said hopefully.
It was me.
I followed her through the forest as dirty, vicious thoughts permeated my brain. Frightening this girl that I didn’t know turned me on. I liked her being wary and afraid, suspicious that someone was watching, stalking, but couldn’t see me. I liked having that power over her and enjoyed the intimidation I evoked in this lonely girl in the forest. Vulnerable, naked, alone. But then I got to know her, and my respect for her grew.
But I’ll act dumb on this occasion to see what she’d say. “Following you? I didn’t follow you. I came to the waterhole for a swim and saw a beautiful, shimmering naked selkie frolicking through the water.”
A cute little giggle filled the space in the car, making me smile. “Are you flirting with me?”
“Absolutely,” I answered brutally. “I mean…don’t worry, I’m not going to touch you because that’s the rules.”
“Oh, yes, the rules,” she mumbled sarcastically. “Mr. Kaiser’s rules.” She fell silent for a few beats as I drove deeper into the darkness, surrounded by empty fields that looked like calm black lakes. “So, it wasn’t you then? It wasn’t you who followed me in the forest?”
A cord of guilt wrapped around my heart, catching the fear in her voice. I had to restrain my hand from finding her thigh to comfort her because that would only prompt me to kiss her. “I don’t know,” I replied. “Were we walking in the same direction, but didn’t see each other?”
“I hope it was you,” she sighed, bereaved. “The last thing I needed was another stalker. Or maybe it was Gunner…”
“I have no idea.” Doubts were seeping in with every twig cracking, and I questioned whether someone else was there.
Maybe Gunner. No. He’d reveal himself and surprise me if he were there, unless he didn’t see me.
“Maybe it was Gunner,” I added to make her feel better because let’s face it, Gunner might be a crazy fuck, but he’d never hurt his obsession. And she was used to him staring at her behind a mask.
But then it made me think about that camera planted in her room and the bug in her phone, but I refrained from asking her about it. “Are you okay after getting your phone and glasses broken?” I asked her, and an intensity of silence fell over her, and I was a little confused as to why a coldness overcame her.
“I didn’t say that my glasses were broken,” she said accusingly. “Please don’t tell me you spoke to Shaun even when I told you not to.”
I cringed, needing to get the atmosphere upbeat again because she might dissuade herself from swimming if she didn’t trust me. “I didn’t speak to him. Gunner did.”
“Oh no, what did he do to him?” she panted, distressed.
More questions than answers when it came to the mystery of what occurred in the basement. “Nothing as far as I’m aware, but how did your glasses get broken? Did he hurt you-?”
“No,” she interrupted, releasing a deep sigh as if the stress was wearing her down. “Please drop it.”
“No problem,” I replied because this wasn’t the vibe I wanted for a naked night swim, so changing the subject was a welcome reprieve.
I turned down the isolated country road as the horizon became suffocated by trees, making it even darker. Then, I found the stony road and turned onto it, driving as far as I could before striking the edge of the forest.
“Ready?” I asked, reaching behind for the towels, then popped the trunk to take out the spotlight. I was good at mapping through this forest to the river on the other side, but not so good in the dark.
“Yes,” she squealed in excitement and looped her arm in mine, and I couldn’t stop smiling at how much I enjoyed her company. But this was our little secret, a common thread that bound us together.
“I hope you’re not too tired after a long, busy shift,” I said quietly as dried leaves crunched beneath our feet and I flicked the spotlight on to guide our way.
“The cold water will wake me again,” she said breathlessly as I led her through the narrow opening. I pointed the light to the ground to highlight potential hazards, such as roots and stones.
I heard a car in the distance, but it was too far away to worry about. I deliberated going back and grabbing my gun, but changed my mind. The last thing I wanted was a third party to join us, perving at us from the cover of the trees, like I did to Riley.
I knew the path well as I’d come down here hundreds of times on my days off to swim in the spring or lie about in the forest, relaxing or fishing in the river. It was my solace where I could unwind, until that day when I found Riley here. Life changed from that point in more than one way.
“I can hear it,” she whispered. “I can hear the water flowing.”
Insects attracted by the spotlight darted before us, while a fat moth smacked me in the forehead, then bounced off. Riley must have better hearing than I because I didn’t hear the water flowing until I turned around a bend, closer to our destination.
The cool scent of pine needles and decaying wood rose with every crashing footstep as my girl gripped me tighter, becoming electrified when she dipped her toes. Being with Riley put me on a high, and my back felt straighter, shoulders broader as testosterone pumped into my bloodstream.
Our bodies were pressed together as we weaved through trees, and she had to jog to keep up with my longer strides. The scent of her shampoo rose into my senses, and I inhaled her in as the warmth of her body pressed against mine. It’s going to take every ounce of strength that I have not to run my hands all over her naked body, but I knew that once I touched her, it would be over. My objective was to make her happy, so she felt alive and exhilarated, so all the world’s problems rolled off her back.
We turned down another bend, and the forest opened to a clearing with our freshwater spring. The waterfall sprays tiny sparks caught by the spotlight. I led her to the boulder at the far side of the pool and shone the torch into the trees to ensure we were alone.
“Who are you looking for?” she asked, following my gaze.
“Just checking that there are no perverts in the midst,” I assured her, half laughing to avoid turning it into a big deal.
I placed the spotlight on the rock so it shone toward the trees rather than on the water. Then I pulled my sweatshirt off and hoped Riley would follow my lead. She seemed hesitant and a little nervous, and I assumed it was for fear that we weren’t alone.
“There’s no one there, Riley,” I assured her as she kept turning in that direction. “It’s dark on the water anyway so no one will see you.” When she still didn’t move, I placed my arm around her, pulling her close. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
“Okay,” she breathed against my chest as those naughty little hands glided down my bare skin and immediately my cock responded, but I had to wrangle in my desires.
I ran my hands up her sweater, and she raised her arms above her head so I could pull it off her. Then she threw off the T-shirt underneath, so she was standing there in a pale-colored bra. She then slipped her shoes off and unzipped her pants as I did the same.
Standing in the dim light in our underwear, pleased that she couldn’t see how the prominent bulge protruded at the front of my tight boxers. It might be hidden by the dark now but it will then be evident that I had an erection when I drop my jocks.
That’s all it took was for her to remove her clothes in the dark, without us even touching and my cock sprung out like a rod. I was a sucker for her.
We stood there staring at each other as her gorgeous body was cast half in shadow, and she reached up, removing her glasses, placing them gently down on the nearest rock. Lips moistened, skin prickling, butt cheeks twitching.
She looked at my face as if waiting for me to kiss her, and my breath hitched, caught in my chest. This was tougher than I thought it would be.
To avoid kissing those plump lips, I stepped back, turned away from her, and dropped my tight boxer shorts, so she couldn’t see the rod sticking out in front of me. Holding my cock to protect it, I climbed to the top of the largest boulder and jumped into the water, serenaded by her squeals.
The cold water numbed my body but awakened my senses. When I came up for air, she was still standing on the edge, dipping her bare foot.
“C’mon, Riley,” I encouraged, splashing her. “Get your clothes off.”
Under shrieks of laughter, she quickly dropped her panties, unhooked her bra, and then that gorgeous naked body plowed into the water. She gasped when she came up for air, not because she was struggling for breath, but because it was so cold.
“Oh my gosh, it’s so cold,” she giggled.
I had to overcome the urge to hold that soft, sweet body against my hardness, and dipped under the water to swim along the rocky floor. It was black under and I could see a damn thing, so it wasn’t until she was right in front of me, did I realize that she had dove under the water as well.
My arms impulsively wrapped around the smooth-skinned selkie skimming along the water. She frolicked and plunged in her element, releasing bubbles that tickled my face. Then she disappeared, leaving a wall of black water. My breath ran out, and I rose up to the surface, flicked the water from my eyes, and searched the dark for her shape.
I couldn’t detect movement, and the flowing waterfall smothered any sounds. When I couldn’t see her, I assumed she’d dove under the water again, and was about to submerge, when I heard a “Pssst!” near my ear.
The shape of her head bobbing beside me as a hand seized my forearm, and what felt like a breast grazed along my shoulder, submerged under water.
“There’s someone there,” she hissed in fear as a finger pointed toward the line of trees. “The silhouette of a man under the flashlight. He was standing there watching us.”