He takes my hand and squeezes it.

A blink and I’m in my living room. I run to the bedroom, slam the door behind me and dive under the covers. The sobbing tears surprise me and shock me at the same time.

I hate my best friends.

I hate Mr. J.

I hate myself and I hate this silly dream.

I’m going to wake up soon. Of course I am. And when I do, I’m going to pull down the shutters and order six pizzas and dance naked all by myself.

I tell myself that’s all I need, but the tears don’t stop. Won’t stop. And I know why. I know denial in all its glory. I can hear my mother’s gentle voice, Don’t be so shy, Kirsty. And my dad, Get out more, Kirsty, make friends, get some exercise. Well fuck it, fuck it all.

The sobs eventually subside, and in the darkness of my room, the safety of the covers, I welcome the promise of sleep. Just a nap. Always better after a nap. And then today’s craziness will be long gone.

‘No time for napping.’

His voice makes me jump. Makes me shriek. Makes me reach for the bedside table and flick the lamp on.

He’s standing at the bottom of the bed. Mr. Handsome. Sorry, Mr. J. He’s holding my bat. HIS bat. Harley’s bat. Oh, I don’t fucking know.

‘It’s not jealousy,’ he says.

‘What?’

‘Envy. It’s not that, either.’

I wipe my blurry eyes. ‘Go away. I’m tired.’

‘No, you’re not. They have asked you, you know.’

‘Asked me?’

‘Your friends. On numerous occasions they’ve tried to coax you into some girl time.’

‘No, they haven’t.’

‘Selective hearing,’ he says.

I huff out a breath.

He raises an eyebrow, taps the bat in his palm. ‘Confidence,’ he says, ‘not everyone is lucky enough to possess it, to own it. And for those with a lack of it, well, they can get dragged down, hide away, lead a life of loneliness, hidden underneath–’

‘A sheet,’ I finish for him.

He nods. ‘Just like you’re hiding now, under the sheets. Throw those sheets off, Kirsty.’

‘No.’

‘No?’

‘No, I’m tired. Just leave me be.’

In one super-fast movement, so fast I don’t even see him move, the bedsheets are ripped away and flung across the room.

I scramble to hide myself, curl up into a ball.

‘Kirsty?’

I don’t answer.

‘Kirsty, look at me.’

Go away! I think. Then I make a pretend snore.

‘You know, I could will you to look at me. I could will you to do anything I want, but I’d rather not. I’d rather we concluded this on your terms. Your will.’

I open one eye, peer at him.

He taps the bat in his palm. ‘Good girl. Now come to me.’

I half expect my legs to swing from the bed and me to go gliding to him. But no. He’s not exerting his will over me this time.

‘Please?’ he says. ‘Come, I want to see you.’

At those words, the lamp on the other side of the bed lights up and so do the triple spots on the ceiling. The room is suddenly so bright and I feel so small.

He puts the bat down on the bed and holds his hands out to me. ‘Come to me!’

‘Can I at least put my nightie on?’

‘No, you can’t. I want to see you, Kirsty. I want to see every inch of you.’

His words send tingles dancing between my legs.

‘That’s better,’ he says, ‘now come to me.’

My breaths are shaky as I unfurl myself and swing my feet to the floor. I wipe my eyes and inhale a lungful of confidence before pushing to my feet. I turn to face him, hands by my sides.

His hands are still outstretched. I take the initiative, take the few short steps until my hands are in his. He brings one to his mouth, kisses it, then the other, and gives them a gentle squeeze before letting go. I’m tempted to cover myself but don’t. I let my arms fall to my sides and I look him in the eye.

‘Do you want to know why I chose you, Kirsty Adams?’

‘Chose me?’

‘Yes, chose you, to have your wish granted.’

He shrugs off his jacket, throws it to the chair in the corner. He looks so toned and tanned in his crisp white shirt. His trousers tight around a noticeable package.

‘I chose you…’ he touches a warm hand to my cheek, strokes his fingers slowly to my jaw, runs those fingers to my lips, and I’m so tempted to suck them in. ‘…for many reasons. Your cute as fuck cheeky little smile…’ He tucks my hair behind my ear and trails his fingers down my neck. A shiver runs through me, prickling my nipples to hardness. I shiver again as he cups my tits in his big hands.

‘Beautiful tits,’ he says, weighing them gently, rolling his thumbs over my nipples. ‘A perfect handful,’ he adds before massaging them gently. A quickening of my breath. A noticeable heartbeat. My face is flushing as hot as my pussy.

He lets go of my tits and cups my face in his hands. His full lips are coming my way and all I can do is close my eyes and sink into his touch. A gentle kiss, so tender, so sweet. He tastes so sweet.

His hands are suddenly at my neck and I realize I’m still wearing the PUDDIN choker. He unbuckles it, throws it over his shoulder where it lands by his jacket on the chair.

He tilts my chin, and I hold his gaze, his dark eyes pulsing with intent, and I gasp as his hands touch to my waist. Gasp again as they travel slowly down to my hips, and he gives a gentle squeeze before moving to my side and sitting on the bed. He turns me to face him, his hands still on my hips.

‘Glorious hips,’ he says, ‘birth-giving hips, hips to attract the lust of any virile male. And do you know why I love your hips?’

I give a quick shake of the head, aware that my pussy is leaking down my thigh.

‘Quite simply because…’ his hands move around to my ass, rest there, so hot against my flesh, ‘…birth-giving hips come hand in hand with a shapely ass…’ he squeezes my ass cheeks and my pussy dribbles some more. My breaths are jittery, and so is my poor heart, and he knows it.

He places the back of a hand to my tummy and I try to suck it in without him noticing.

‘Turn for me,’ he says.

I think he means all the way around so he can see my ass, but he stops me halfway, looking at me side-on.

‘Your profile,’ he says, ‘is much more attractive when you’re relaxed. Relax for me, Kirsty.’

I realize how stiff and straight I am. How I’m trying to shrink my ass and my tummy at the same time. If I relax, I’ll looking fucking awful.

‘No, you won’t look awful at all,’ he says. ‘Please, let out that breath you’re holding, relax those shoulders, let me see the real you.’

I swear to God that I’ll order only one pizza from now on, and then I let out that breath. I feel the little bulge of my tummy, the weight of it. I focus on the golden collar on the chair and wonder if he’ll let me put the costume on again.

‘No need for the costume. Just you and I, Kirsty.’ One warm hand touches to my fleshy stomach. He squeezes it, strokes the curve of it. ‘So beautiful,’ he says but I’m not sure I believe him.

His other hand touches to the round of my ass. He squeezes. He strokes. And I sigh a little moan as one hand strokes my ass and the other strokes my tummy.

My puss flutters. I’m so wet for him. And suddenly I don’t care about my tummy or my ass. Suddenly I like who I am. ‘Please fuck me,’ I say and turn my head to look him in the eye.

He pulls me to his side, plants a little kiss on my tit, then folds me over his lap, and I sink into bliss as his hand roams over the flesh of my ass. Sink into the bliss of it until the first smack arrives hard and fast.

I cry out, startled, jerk on his lap but he holds me still, one strong arm across my back and he hits me again. And again. And he doesn’t stop, my body jerking as his hand connects, my needy clit rubbing on his thigh, and the wetness there, oh fuck I’m soaking his leg and the friction of it is so great as he hits me again.

And again. Each sharp smack hotter than the last, sparks flying, my clit is flaming, boiling over, a surge of intense heat as his hand connects once more and I come undone, convulsing as he holds me down, jabbering some words that I can’t make out as the orgasm rips through me.

I fall still, exhausted, my ass a stinging throb, my pussy the same, my breaths ragged, and I’m sinking into warm darkness, coming down so softly until my pussy is reawakened by his fingers.

Fingers sliding through the wetness. Fingers pushing easily inside me and I’m groaning all over again as he starts to fuck me with them. Slowly at first, enough for me to spread my thighs and push against them.

‘I adore your cunt,’ he says, ‘adore it so much that I’m going to eat it all up before I fuck it to hell and back.’

‘Yes,’ I manage, ‘please…’ then a gasp as he adds another finger, maybe two, I’m not sure. So wet. So hot. So fast as he finger-fucks me like a crazy, and all I can do is groan and tremble as my pussy flushes with heat and another orgasm bounces through me and explodes behind my clit, sends bright stars flashing in my vision, and again I’m crying out and dribbling all over his thigh.

I’m dazed. I’m happy. Gloriously happy as he picks me up and places me gently on the bed.

I watch through glazed eyes as he unbuttons his shirt, shrugs it to the floor. And as he unbuckles his belt, I realize my hand is at my pussy. I’m hot. I’m wet. And I’m gonna get fucked.

He kicks away his shoes and lets his trousers fall, steps out of them, and the bulge in his boxers is straining the fabric so tight I can see its length and thickness. And jeez, it’s long. And it’s thick.

We’re really fucking doing this.

‘Yes, Kirsty, we are.’

He tells me to get comfortable, head on the pillows. Tells me to open for him. And I don’t hesitate. My legs are spread, my swollen pussy aching for him. Truly aching for him. Never have I felt such a need to be fucked into oblivion.

‘Please fuck me, Mr. J. Please fuck me hard.’

He pushes his boxers down and his cock springs free. He steps up to the bed and I reach for it with one hand. It’s soft and velvety to the touch, yet beneath that, as I give it a gentle squeeze, it’s as solid as a steel bar, and hot. Really fucking hot.

‘I want it inside me,’ I tell him.

But he’s already kneeing up onto the bed, settling himself between my legs. His body is perfect. No tattoos. No scars or blemishes. No piercings. Just well-defined and toned muscle, a driving force of power. He hitches my ass in two hands before leaning over me, his rock-hard cock pressing into the flesh of my tummy as his weight lowers onto me.

With both hands, he cups my tits, and I moan for him as his mouth latches onto a nipple. He sucks hard. Grazes with his teeth. Sucks harder and my back arches. I can’t help but wrap my fingers in his hair and pull his face into my tit, and when he doesn’t resist, I press harder, feeling his teeth against my breastbone, my tit squashed flat and it’s so fucking nice.

And nicer still when he pulls back and moves to my other tit, sucking so hard. And again, I pull him to me, force his face into me, groan and moan as he sucks my blood to the surface.

He lifts his head, gets up on his knees, slaps one tit then the other. I hiss for him. Hiss and grin at the same time. And he’s smiling back at me, that wicked glint in his eye as he works his cock.

Fuck me now and fuck me hard, are the words tripping through my mind.

‘Is there any other way?’ he says as he leans in for the kiss, the weight of his chest on my tits divine as his tongue finds mine.

He kisses hard. He kisses soft. He kisses like there’s no tomorrow. He kisses like the world’s best kisser and I’m on fire. Everywhere. Every bit of me as I bite at his lip. And then I feel it, his hardness pressing against my pussy. It’s bigger now, restless. I push against it. Lift my ass from the bed and push against it and he snarls at me. Fucking snarls at me, his saliva mixing with mine as I bite down on his tongue and suck it hard.

He pulls away slightly, his eyes gleaming darkly. Nostrils flaring. Lip twitching. Then he licks my face. Licks right up my face and I moan for him, arch my back and feel the hardness of him pressing so teasingly at my pussy. I want it. I want him so bad as he licks slowly down my neck. Nibbles at my skin. Licks down to my tits and all the way down my tummy until he finds my eager clit and I hiss for him.

Hiss and whimper as the tip of his tongue rolls around my clit, probing, lapping, sucking up my juices.

‘Sweet baby Jesus, give me your fucking cock already,’ I tell him.

His hands are under my knees, legs hitched and parted. His cock is jutting proud and stiff and thick with raised veins and I just know I’m going to feel every one of them inside me.

Please fuck me, I think, and he grins at me as he hitches my pussy to him, hitches my ass high as though I’m no weight at all. His pecs are bulging, his beautiful clear skin sheened with sweat as he teases my pussy, rubbing the head of his cock up and down my tingling slit.

It’s heaven. It’s hell. It’s all things fucking wonderful, and when I tell him so, he pushes the head of his cock into me and I feel the wonderful stretch. I clench at him and he groans for me. I clench again and he slides on in, slides all the way into me as I grasp at the covers and ride out the wave of hot prickles that spark from somewhere deep and ripple from my toes to my tits and back again.

Fuck me. Oh, Mr. J. Please fucking fuck me.

‘My pleasure,’ he says, lifting my legs to his shoulders.

I can’t stop looking at those eyes as his cock slides deep. Eyes so dark I can’t see the whites. And that half-cocked smile, a twitch of the lip as I clench again.

Hard please, Mr. J.

Really fucking hard.

He fucks me. Pushes that beautiful cock deep and fucks me. Fucks me until the world around me is nothing but a hot blur of shimmering pleasure and I’m coming like a fucking train. Bucking like a bronco on his cock of steel.

I cry out for him. Reach for him as he lets go of my legs and they drop to the bed. But his hands don’t reach for mine. He flips me over. Fingers slide easily into my sodden pussy. And when he pulls those slick fingers out, they sink just as easily into my ass and I’m squirming for him and whimpering for him all over again.

With his fingers still up my ass, I feel his cock nudging at my pussy, pushing back in there, and then he fucks me, cock in, fingers out – cock out, fingers in – nice and fast, his balls banging off my clit.

The orgasm takes me by surprise. Bursts from me in a pang of sharpness and a squirt of hot juices. I shudder and shake and whimper as the orgasm peals like fucking church bells.

Oh, God, I think and he slaps my ass with – I glance over my shoulder – Harley’s bat.

‘I enjoyed your wish, Kirsty,’ he says, ‘I hope you enjoyed it too.’

‘Yes,’ I gasp as he twists the bat into my pussy. ‘Oh God,’ I say and he pushes the bat deep.

He fucks me with it. My head hits the pillow and I’m grasping at the sheets again. Grasping and biting down as the bat comes away and he pushes it into my ass. Straining at the stretch as his cock comes next. Biting the pillow so hard I’m almost biting through it as his cock pushes in, as my ass is stretched so tight it fucking hurts. Hurts like a bitch until he starts moving. Until he starts fucking my ass, bat and cock together. And when he goes deep, I can feel them nudging at my insides. And when he picks up the pace and his balls are slapping at my clit again, it’s all I can do to hold it together.

All I can do as the orgasm explodes from within. Stars flash bright and I hear my own screams as I pass into a blackness that feels like I’ve died and gone to that place where peace reigns. Where everything good lives. Where you could stay forever and never come back.

* * *

Whispers… whispers telling me to wake up.

Kirsty… wake up now, Kirsty.

Darkness fades to gray. Gray fades to sunlight probing at my eyelids. No, not sunlight. I open my eyes to bright lights above me and, of course, I’m in the hospital, my legs spread wide, hidden by a white sheet – legs that I can now – FEEL!

‘Miss Adams.’ It’s the doctor. He looks rather sweaty when he pops up from between my legs.

‘I can feel my legs,’ I tell him. ‘Am I all right?’

‘Not quite out of the woods yet,’ he says, ‘I need you to push.’

I’m too scared to ask why.

And too scared to ask why redhead nursey is waiting with a tin bowl. Both doctor and nurse dip down out of sight.

‘Now! Push now!’ the doc says.

So I do. I push down and hope I don’t make an embarrassing mess when there’s a feeling of something hard coming away from me.

Something hard hitting the metal bowl and clattering like – a COIN.

I hear it spinning, and remember everything in a flash, Mr. Chimpy the two-cocked wonder, Juan and Jose, lady-boy Jesus and Moma Paulina a mountain of rippling flesh, and the grinning Mr. J. And that bat. That bat and his heavenly cock.

Heavenly? I hear his voice in my head, followed by his echoing laughter.

‘Kirsty?’

My eyes blink open. It’s Michelle. And Jocelyn. They both look like they just won the lottery. I tell them as much.

But they tell me they’re just happy, for me, and for my lucky find.

I glance to my legs but the sheet has gone and I’m tucked up all cosy.

‘What find?’

Michelle swings something to her shoulder – a bat. HIS bat. Harley’s fucking bat with GOOD NIGHT printed down it in red letters. I gasp when I see it.

‘Your neighbor heard your screams,’ she tells me. ‘Cops kicked your door down and paramedics brought you in.’

‘They said you were delirious,’ Jocelyn adds, ‘you were telling anyone that would listen that you’d hit the jackpot.’

‘Yeah, and it took some doing to get this from out of your ass.’ Michelle taps the bat in her palm.

‘But that was the easy bit,’ Jocelyn says, ‘compared to this.’ She rattles a pill bottle. A coin inside. THE coin.

‘Wow,’ I say.

‘Jackpot!’ they both say at once.

* * *

We didn’t go to the Halloween party. The girls suggested we had our own instead. So we went to the mall and stopped by the costume shop that was no longer there. In its place was Deville’s Hardware. The special edition shop-vac in the window was a lovely lime green, and the price reduced:

$50 – today only.

It was as if it was meant to be. And, despite my newfound wealth, Jocelyn and Michelle insisted on clubbing together and buying it for me.

A christening gift, they said.

I christened it at our party. I went as the sheet but with nothing on underneath, and had the sheet sucked right off of me.

Three shop-vacs droning on all at once was quite loud, but not as loud as our shrieks and laughter. It certainly pays to be a sinner.