Kinsley bounced toward the hall, briefly looking back at me as she went. I had turned and was slowly following, stalking. John's room was the first on the right. It was largely unchanged since he left, though it was now devoid of most of his 'stuff'. We had thought about turning it into a second guest bedroom after he graduated college, but with the first guest bedroom rarely in use, there had been no hurry. I hardly spent any time on that side of the house anymore, now that the boys were gone. If I did, it was in the guest bedroom, at the end of the hall. It had a small loveseat and table and a fold-out writing desk where I could take Zoom calls in peace and quiet, when time zones didn't permit a virtual meeting during regular hours.

Kinsley slowed by John's room and glanced inside, but continued on. Curious, I thought, given her certainty about where the hat would be located. How did she remember exactly where it was all this time later?

She made her way to the end and turned into the guest bedroom. I walked slowly, only because me, the real me, was doing everything he could to stop my steps. I turned into the doorway and stopped. Kinsley was kneeling on the loveseat, leaning over its back and reaching down behind it. Whether it was by the shorts' design or on purpose, they had pulled deep into her crack, showing far more of her taut little ass than I had ever seen. Whatever will was left in me evaporated.

'Got it!' she said, pulling back up and holding a pink trucker's hat in her hand. I continued to stare.

'I took a nap in here,' she said, motioning towards the bed. 'Back when John and I were dating. The bed was super cozy. I remember sitting this hat on the back of the couch here. It must've fell behind at some point.'

She was lying. I sniffed the air. She was clean. She had showered this morning. I could smell her shampoo. And her lotion. Even in the dim light trickling in from the window, her tan legs glowed with freshly moistened skin. They would feel nice, I thought. Kinsley lowered her eyes and looked again at the bed. She had makeup on, and bubblegum lipstick. A lot of work just to find a hat.

I sniffed again, and the smell of something else was in the room. Flowers, the ones growing in Lydia's garden bed on that side of the house. I paused, and the faint breath of outdoor air slipped across my skin.

'That window is hard to close, isn't it?' I said.

'Wha...what?' said Kinsley, straightening up and looking back nervously. 'I...I didn't open it...I..'

'You were wearing that hat two months ago, when I saw you and your mom walking the neighborhood.'

I was going to save that fact, but the Con Vât had wrecked my patience. When Kinsley and John were dating, I knew she used this window to sneak in at night. I never told Lydia, but I would occasionally find it cracked open during calls, along with various dropped objects like chapstick and pieces of condom wrappers. As long as it was happening here, I thought, they'd be less risky. But today, she had taken too big of a risk.

'Tell me why,' I said. I could see anxiousness spread over her face.

'I...uh...I...'

'You were here last night,' I said, taking a step and a guess. 'You saw Lydia and me.'

Deer, meet headlights.

'I...was walking. Late. And...I heard screaming from your house, so I walked to the living room window and saw...'

'What did you see?' I asked, taking another step. With a long reach, I could grab her now. Her body was quivering ever so slightly.

'I saw you and Mrs. Lawrence. You were...uhm...you were...'

'Fucking,' I said.

'It was WAY more than that. I have never seen anything...it was like, you were consuming her. She was...it...'

'And you followed us to the bedroom?'

'Y...yes. I didn't want it to stop.. It was so, so hot. You two were like pornstars, only real, and better.'

She was getting more confident. I needed her to confess all of it. Then, she would belong to me. I could smell her arousal and feel her heat.

'And you got yourself off, too, didn't you?'

I could see her beginning to blush.

'Yes...I...I couldn't help it. You were...I have always...it...'

I took the final step. There were only inches between us. I realized I hadn't put on a shirt. Good, I thought. Less to take off. I looked down. So did she, briefly. My cock was almost ripping out of my shorts.

'You always what?'

With what was likely all the courage she had come with, she reached her small hand out and gently stroked my hardness through my shorts.

'I have always, always wanted you.'

I remembered what John had said about the breakup. When pressed and uncomfortable, he said that Kinsley was into older guys. Had she confessed this to him?

Those were my thoughts as I dropped my shorts in one motion. Her eyes briefly widened, then narrowed, and she grinned. I didn't. Seconds later, I had her shirt and shorts on the floor. She was wearing the sheerest of sheer bra and panties, delicate and clearly intended for seduction. There would be none of that.

'And you thought you'd just come over here and try taking me while Lydia was gone?'

I grabbed her by the hair, leaned down, and planted my mouth on hers, fixing her there while my other hand tore at the last layer standing between us. Her tongue raced between my lips, only to find mine stronger and more capable. She moaned. It was a sign of things to come.

'I am the one who will be doing the taking.'

She purred as I stepped back and surveyed what was about to be mine. She was tan all over, minus the tiniest of patches around her flushing pink nipples and her freshly shaved mound. I watched her as she reached to stroke me, moving as someone intoxicated by just a bit too much wine. The loveseat was just behind me, and I sat down, holding her wrist that was holding my cock. It brought her to her knees directly in between my legs. Her face was inches from my dick, and she licked her lips.

'Mmm,' she said, as her mouth met its head.

Her tongue drew slow circles around it, as her hand moved up and down. She looked up at me again as her tongue ran down its length and back up again, and then she took the head in her mouth, in a young, novice attempt to do whatever she had read or seen somewhere else. It was my turn to teach.

I reached out and grabbed both sides of her head and pressed it down until I felt the back of her throat. She let out a gurgle and then an impassioned laugh, as if she had gotten exactly what she wanted. Again, I pushed down and again she came back up. I repeated this, over and over, until I could feel more and more of me inside her mouth. I waited until her throat relaxed and her tongue learned to flatten. And then, I thrust up, filling her whole mouth with my cock, her nose smashing against my body. I held her there, and then released, and she pulled off with a cough and a gag, and a gallon of drool pouring out of her mouth. She growled out a sound of lust and joy, her eyes wide and feral, and without my prompting, Kinsley shoved her face back down all the way again. Over and over she gagged herself, each time more furious than before. It was having its effect. I could feel myself swelling.

I grabbed her by her hair and pulled her off of me, straight to my chest, my mouth immediately locking onto hers. She moaned, and I could feel her hands struggling to find anything to grasp or hold for more than a second. I pulled her back.

'Did you like how I taste?' I said, with sharp, clenched teeth.

'Un-fucking-believable,' she said. 'I've never tasted a dick so delicious.

'Just before you got here, it was buried inside Mrs. Lawrence. That is what our sex tastes like.'

Her eyes widened. Shock, passion, and wonder all passed before them before she dove at me like a rabid, sex-crazed animal. I caught her by her throat and flipped onto the sofa. Her small, thin legs were the perfect handles. I dove down. I needed a taste. She needed to be primed.

Her sensitivity and youth worked against any endurance she may have had, as my mouth and tongue were not there long before she was cumming. It was a high-pitched scream and squeal, and I got the feeling she was trying to out-orgasm Lydia. There would always be an order. There would be a hierarchy.

I doubled down, and she came again, and again, and I wondered how many times it would happen before I was through. For now, she was ready enough. I pulled her hips to the edge of the loveseat and stood, crouching like I had caught her in the wild. I had both of her tiny ankles in my hands. They felt like levers of lust.

'Are you going to fuck me now, Mr. Lawrence?' she said, looking primed and ready. I would end those sorts of flirty statements. Soon, she would be too far gone to be coy.

I bent my body to align my manhood against her mound, and I pressed in. Her eyes widened, and she moaned, at first sounding practiced but then melting into the moment.

'Ohhh damnnn!' she said, as I started to pump in and out. Her hand immediately went to rub her clit. I released one of her ankles and slapped her hand away.

'No,' I said, unsure why. I couldn't believe I was here. I couldn't believe what was happening. Deep down, I...well, I wasn't sure what I felt. I could only experience and feel the moment.

Kinsley reached over her head and grabbed the back of the sofa. I leaned further over and began to pound her harder. She needed to feel and know her place.

'Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!' she said as my piston pumped in and out.

'uhhhUHHHHAAA!!'

She screamed as she came, and I could feel her flooding my manhood. Now we were getting somewhere.

'Mr. Lawrence...,' she trailed off. Maybe she thought that was it. It wasn't.

I hooked her legs under my arms, grabbed her back, and stood up, never leaving my place inside her. She gasped.

Like Lydia before, I began bouncing her up and down, impaling her over and over. I could feel her legs tighten and release to the rhythm, her hands gripping me as if I was carrying her to safety. She tried to kiss me, but the power of my thrusts and the response of her own body were too much to make much contact. Her proud, small breasts shook with every impact. Kinsley looked down and watched as I drilled her tight, wet hole. That urged her on even more.

'Fuck!' she said, bringing her eyes up to mine. 'Fuck my pussy!'

I brought her swiftly to the floor, my body totally and completely overpowering hers. Her legs and her arms were held fast by my hands and my size. I brought my head to her ear, only then becoming conscious of my growls. Then I spoke a familiar line.

'It's MY pussy now.'

Kinsley's whole body gripped mine and shook as she came. I could feel her squeezing my cock as she let out a primal, animalistic howl. I pulled off, and like Lydia, she scrambled as fast as she could to get my dick in her mouth. I stroked her hair. I could smell her sex, her scent beckoning me to complete my task. We were almost there.

I pulled out of her mouth, and she rubbed my hardness on her face, like it somehow brought her comfort.

'Mr. Lawrence...,' she said with a deep, longing sigh. I stood up, stepped over her, and knelt behind her rear. She was not mine yet. Not like Lydia. Her whole body needed to be conquered. A prize taken must be taken fully. My soaking wet cock pushed deep inside her again. I moved in and out slightly, being sure to coat every inch. She moaned, and I knew that she mistook this for lovemaking. Ownership comes with a different price.

I pulled out my dick, spread her cheeks, and pressed the head against her other, unclaimed hole.

'Ohhh god!...that's....uuunngghhh...my ass!' she said, but her instinct was now in control. I could see her looking back at me, eyes nervous, bottom lip bitten, a slight tremor in her body, but her hips pushed back into mine. Slowly, determinedly, my pressure gave way to her release, and my cock slid into her darkest place.

'Unnghhh....I...unngghhhh....you.....mmmnnnghhh.'

Time moved to a crawl. Everything was in slow motion. I had tunnel vision again. Kinsley was all that mattered. I held her hips tight as I pressed in, then pulled out, pressed in, pulled out. It started to feel less tight, though that was relative. This was the tightest place I had ever been. Somewhere in the distance, I could hear words, sounds. I listened. Some were my own. The rest were hers.

'GggrrrrRRRAAAHHH!' I was snarling.

'Fuck! Oh Fuck! NNNGHHHHAAA! FUCK!' said Kinsley, over and over, faster and faster.

She had reached out and grabbed the loveseat in front of her, her fingers buried in the cushion. She was hanging on for dear life. I slapped her ass and she screamed. Again, another scream. Again. Again. Again. I reached my hand between her legs and found her swollen, throbbing clit. I gave it a light slap, then took it between two fingers and stroked. Kinsley exploded.

'AAAHHH! AAAHHH! AAAHHH! AAAHHH!'

I grabbed both of her legs and plowed through her orgasm. She bucked, kicked, and flung herself in all directions. She was out of control. I was out of control. The time had come.

I let go of her legs and pulled out of her ass. Every part of her was mine. Her breathing was fast and heavy, and I wondered if she knew what was coming, if she wanted what was coming. As if answering my thoughts, she bent her body forward, resting her head sideways on the ground. Spreading her legs, she reached back with both hands and opened herself wide. Her neck was turned as far as it would go, and she was looking right at me. Her mouth opened, and she spoke.

'GrrrNNNGGHHH!'

It was a growl, but in it was meaning. She didn't want what was to come. She needed it, and I would give it to her. There was no longer a part of me watching in disbelief. There wasn't a 'me' trying to stop what was happening. Whatever I had become was who I was now, and now, I was going to breed my son's ex-girlfriend.

I mounted her, plunging in fully and deep. She let out a long, soulful grunt. It sounded distinctly youthful and female. The smell of her arousal filled the room. Her skin was soft and sleek, textured by goosebumps of anticipation. I thrust forward, making sure that every stroke drove deep into that perfect place. My power began to build, and I felt the swelling, the stiffening, and the beginning of the end. Kinsley reached back and grabbed for my wrist. I wrapped my hand in hers for comfort. I could feel her pulling me with every stroke. Her other arm reached back, and now both hands were held together in confirmation. I used them to pull her into me, harder, harder, and harder still. The speed came with it. I took a breath and tried to exhale, but couldn't.

I let out a howl from somewhere deep as I began to cum. Kinsley began to scream in short, wild bursts, as if each pulse was a stab of carnal ecstasy. I released her arms and fell on top of her, my chest covering her back. My fingers interlocked with hers on the floor as my hips rose and fell hard against her beautiful, tanned ass. I could feel everything all at once, my orgasm, her orgasm, my seed finding its way deep inside her, her pussy gripping my cock and milking it dry. We were doing what millions, billions before us had done, only this was more connected than any had ever been. Kinsley was still moaning and screaming, and finally finding words again.

'TAKE IT! TAKE IT! BREED YOUR PUSSY!'

That was enough to muster a few last, swift strokes, pumping my balls dry of whatever remained. I had drowned her insides.

We lay in a heap, still united, her body still rhythmically moving softly against mine. I reached around to fully cradle her, my hands cupping and fondling her breasts. They had received precious little attention during all of this. She moaned, and I let one hand drift down to where her body joined with mine. There was heat and wetness everywhere. I began to rub it ever so gently. Her breathing changed, first through her nose, then through her mouth, and her back arched against mine.

'UhhnnnoohhhGODDD,' she said, falling back into me. She would let me do this anytime, anywhere, I thought.

'Ppp...please don't ever stop,' she said breathlessly. 'Don't ever stop fucking me.'

'Breeding you,' I said.

'Yesss,' Kinsley said. 'As many times as you want.'

Good. I thought. Her youth and eagerness will be useful.

'You are mine now,' I said.

'Utterly. Completely,' she said. She moved back against me even deeper.

We lay there for nearly a half hour, bodies pressed and stuck together. I glanced up at the clock on the bedside table. 10:30 am. Lydia would be home after lunch, and she wasn't ready for this. Not yet.

I kissed Kinsley on the cheek, pulled out, and stood up.

'What? No. No no no no no!' she said. 'It's not over. This CAN'T be over!'

Kinsley clamored to her feet and spun to face me.

'Shhhh,' I said. 'This is the beginning. Remember, whose is this?' I reached down and cupped her mound.

'Yoursss,' she said, as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss me; her left hand drifted down to my cock and stroked it.

'Get your clothes on,' I said, pulling her away by her hair. 'You have plans, and the world needs to see what you look like, now that you're mine.'

'I want everyone to know,' she said.

'They will. In time, they will.'

It took her several minutes to find her clothes and then put them on. Her lingerie was in shreds, and after trying to tie the straps and lace together, she gave up and simply slipped on her shorts and tank top without them. I couldn't tell a difference, unless it were her nipples poking out a little more than before. She slipped her feet into her sandals, and I noticed her freshly painted toes. They matched her fingernails. I wondered if she had hoped for all of this.

I walked her down the hall, her hand in mine. She rubbed my arm with the other. We passed through the living room and stepped towards the front door.

'I really, REALLY don't want to leave,' she said, stepping into me, her hand gripping my dick again. I leaned down and kissed her.

'There is no leaving anymore,' I said. 'You're mine, wherever you go.'

I watched her pouty lips stretch into a thin, knowing smile.

'Yeah, I am,' she said, and we kissed again.

I reached for the doorknob and stopped. There were voices on the street. Two men talking. I looked out through the small window at the top of our door. It was Arnold, Kinsley's father, and my neighbor Alex. It sounded like they were catching up on things. I turned around.

'Did you tell your parents you were coming here?' I said.

'What? No. Why?' she asked. 'I told them I was going for a walk since we'd be lying around at the beach all afternoon.'

'It's 10:30,' I said. 'That's some walk.'

I guided her to the window in the living room, the same window she had watched Lydia and me through last night. She crawled onto the sofa and peered out.

'Shit!' she said. 'It's my dad. I...I can't just walk out your house. Not...not like this.'

She continued to watch them talking. They were right in front of the house. I leaned over her to get a better look.

'What the fuck are we going to do?' she said, her voice shaking nervously. I looked down. In any other circumstance, I would've had a thousand ideas before this one, but after the pill, there was only one idea I had in mind.

I grabbed the hem of her shorts and pulled them down to her knees. Her gasp was nearly a scream. I shoved her forward against the back of the sofa, her face nearly pushing through the curtains, and stuck the head of my cock right into her soaking wet slit. She gasped again. This wasn't about ritual. This wasn't about ownership. This was about instinct.

I couldn't believe how hard and hot I was already. Something about her young, fresh body being mine now triggered an urge. Or maybe it was the two males nearby. They could see, if they wanted to. They could watch. But she was mine.

Kinsley pushed back against me, and through clenched teeth, uttered the familiar sounds of a woman being fucked. She kept close to the curtain, looking out and then looking back. I could feel her moving her hips with my strokes, lengthening my in and out with a slow up and down. She gripped the sofa back like an animal climbing over a wall.

'My...uunnnghhh....dad....mmmhmmm...' she trailed off. Her smile was one of complete and total desire.

'You're mine now, not his,' I said. Whatever tribe I was forming, she was now a part of it.

'Yesss. God. DAMNIT. YES!' she said, her voice rising as I pounded her.

Through the curtain, I could see the two men shaking hands. Alex walked down the sidewalk towards his house, and Arnold, looking up and down the street, turned in the direction of his home and walked away. The street was empty. I was about to be as well. Kinsley pushed off the sofa back and looked back at me.

'Now fuck it like it's yours!' she said, nearly shouting.

She reached up and threw open the drapes, exposing us to anyone passing by. Yes, I thought. She understands. I pulled her shirt up above her tits and grabbed them with both hands. I pinched her nipples, and she let out a squeal. She spread her arms wide along the back of the couch, and I shifted into overdrive. Sweat was starting to fall from my forehead onto her ass. She was grunting, and I could feel her beginning to peak.

'Show them! SHOW them! SHOW EVERYONE!' she said, and then she screamed.

I exploded inside her, shooting stream after stream of my cum deep into her inner reaches once again. I roared like a conquering beast.

'OH FUCK! HOLY FUCK! I can FEEL ALL OF IT!' she shouted between her moans and screams.

I made my last strokes count, firm, deliberate, and deep. Kinsley never stopped moaning. I had taken what I needed.

I pulled out and sat back on the nearby coffee table. At once, she was on her knees, sucking and licking, taking me deep into her mouth. She trailed all the way down to my balls and then back up, and whether it was confidence or cravenness, her technique this time was far better than her first.

'Goddamn, that's good,' she said, slurping as she went. 'So fucking good.'

After a few minutes, I stood up, and she rose with me. We embraced and kissed, this time with a slower, softer, and deeper meaning. There was nothing left to prove. Nothing left to claim. She bent down and pulled her shorts up, slipping back into her sandals that had fallen off during our tryst. I pulled her top down and straightened her hair. Her eyes were locked on mine, and she tried to speak.

'Go now,' I said, stepping to the door and unlocking it. 'Tell your dad that you passed by our house. I was on the phone with John, and he wanted to talk with you. You got distracted catching up.'

'Oh my god, that's perfect,' she said. 'I wasn't sure what I would say.'

I kissed her again. Her youth tasted sublime.

'Mr. Lawrence, I...thank you. For everything.'

'There's more to come, but you're welcome. Now go, and behave while you're gone.'

'Yes, sir,' she said with a devious smile.

I opened the door, and Kinsley stepped outside. She turned and smiled, and the lust and longing were palpable. I waved, and she waved, turned, and pulled the back of her shorts down to show me her -MY- beautiful ass, covered in red splotches that vaguely resembled the outline of my hands. Just below the bottom of her shorts, on the inside of her thigh, my mark was slowly trickling down, just enough for those who were looking to see. It wouldn't be the last time, but the first mattered the most. The door closed, and the world came rushing back into focus.

WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED!!!!!

Two hours earlier, I had just finished taking my wife and bringing sex to the forefront of our relationship. Two. Hours. Ago. Now, I had cheated with my SON'S EX-GIRLFRIEND. And, what's even worse, which, again, this was all already horrible, I fucked her like I WANTED her to get pregnant. A TWENTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD WOMAN. What in the absolute fuck?!

I propped my hands on the door. I was naked. Still. I was also halfway between hard and soft. I had let Kinsley out the door that way. I hope no one saw. No, I hoped the right neighbors didn't see. I was completely out of control. Every possible thought ran through my head. I stormed back to the guest room to straighten things out. It smelled like fresh sex. I opened the window, straightened the cushions, and sprayed air freshener everywhere.

What the fuck was I going to say to Lydia?

'That Con Vât did a number on me, babe. I may have gotten our son's ex-girlfriend pregnant???'

Jesus. This was as stupid as it gets. Dumber, maybe. I went back to the living room, pacing, thinking. Part of me was glad my emotions were suppressed right now. Otherwise, I'd be curled up on the floor or packing my things. I looked up and saw the curtains were still open. Goddamnit. I bounded over to close them and saw one of the neighbors walking her dog. Jennifer, maybe? She was new to the neighborhood, and I had to have her. Now.

What?!

I was suddenly hard again. This was getting dangerous. I snapped the curtains closed just as she turned to look my way. Did she see me? I hope so. She wouldn't be able to resist...

FUCK!

I had to do something, anything. I couldn't think straight. I hurried to our master bathroom and closed the door. I would stay here until Lydia came home. I would tell her about Kinsley. We would find a way through this. Or not. I looked in the mirror. Looking back at me was a man beyond his limits. I looked like a triathlete halfway into his effort. There was a sheen. My muscles were tight and sinewy, my eyes flared with intensity, and my breathing caused my whole chest to rise and fall. And of course, my dick was full mast. It looked bigger than it ever had. And it ached. Of course it did. It had been in and through a lot in the last twenty-four hours. Hell, it hadn't even been twenty-four hours.

Deep down, I could feel my appetite swelling. I was hungry again. For food. For prey. I wasn't going to make it. Maybe Kinsley would come back. Maybe Lydia would rush home early.

Yes, I thought. That's it. I'll message Lydia to come home now. Then I could be satisfied, for a time.

I opened the door and began looking for my phone. It was probably still in the kitchen from last night. I stepped quickly past the dining room table and found it, face down, on the counter. I turned it over. There was a message from John about his graduation next year, and he needed my HR connection to help his resumé. And there was a message from Lydia.

'Hey Tiger! I'm going to lunch with the girls and then running an errand afterwards. I'll be home around 3 pm. Be good until I get back ;).'

Shit. I looked at the clock. It was almost 11 am. I wouldn't make another four hours alone. I could feel everything coming alive around me. The sounds, the smells, and even in a home without a single light on, I could see just fine. What was I going to do?

It hit me. I had to get out. Get away. Get the animal out. I would go running, as far as I could go, and wear this thing off. I had been sweating, but not enough. I needed my heart to beat out of my chest. I needed to exhaust every last bit of energy I had.

I raced to the bedroom and found my running shorts. I put them on, then my socks and sneakers, grabbed my cell phone, and ran to the door. I threw it open, stepped out, and slammed it shut. There was a breeze, and I immediately felt it on my skin. The air filled my lungs, and suddenly I felt more alive than I had ever been, more alive than I had been with Lydia or Kinsley.

My run began, slow at first, to warm the legs, and in no time, I was clipping along. It felt good. Really good. This was the right idea. All that excess energy being repurposed into something healthy, safe, sane. I rounded the corner of the street and saw two younger moms pushing strollers. Their tight tank tops and yoga pants accentuated all of the curves that came from baby-making. They were exactly as nature intended. Someday, I thought, their strollers would be filled with our children.

Goddamnit.

I sped up, passing them at a speed I normally reserved for the last kick of a 5K race. They smiled and waved. I waved back. Another part of me rose. I ran on, down the street and around the corner, leading to a long, winding stretch of road with courts and circles occasionally opening on either side. This was the older part of the neighborhood, with older neighbors. I spotted another runner ahead, and I crossed the street to the opposite sidewalk, just in case. It was Kathy, who occasionally ran with Lydia and me at charity runs. She preferred longer distances, though, and my knees and I had grown wary of anything over 10km. She had a runner's body, firm and fit, not an ounce of fat, and barely a curve to see. Her face was golden and gorgeous, and she was always fun to be around. I would show her what real endurance felt like.

Shit. NO.

I sped up. She spotted me and waved, and I heard her shout, 'Hi Paul!' through her cadence of breaths. I managed a 'Hi,' then tapped my watch like I was running intervals or against the clock. She nodded. I kicked into another gear, so that the other me couldn't.

I was practically sprinting, lunging with every step, driving myself forward. My heart was pounding, my breaths deep and unfulfilling, the pain growing more and more with each minute. The road ended ahead with a cul-de-sac and a wall, marking the end of our neighborhood and the beginning of the golf course and country club. I gritted my teeth. I would hit the wall. I would blow through it. I gained more speed, and I felt like I was flying. My feet were slamming the pavement. I was almost there, and then my foot slipped. I staggered forward, and that I did not fall and eat tarmac and pavement was perhaps the strangest thing to happen to me yet. I held up my hands, and I had stumbled off enough speed to catch myself against the wall without knocking myself out.

Every part of me was heaving. I was gasping for air. Sweat poured out of every pore of my body. I raised my arms over my head and walked around in slow circles, trying to find a balance. My chest felt like I had swallowed a jackhammer. Minutes passed, and I found myself seated on the curb. Things were slowly coming back to rights.

'You're either being chased or chasing something. No one runs that fast for fun,' said a voice. I looked up to see Linda standing in the front of her yard, hands on her hips.

Linda Collins was 70-ish, and one of the matrons of our community. Her husband, Bill, was a part of the group that originally developed it, and they knew where all the bodies were buried, as she liked to say. Their home was one of the first built, so they had their pick of the lots. Theirs was larger, and one of only two that had a private gate with direct access to the country club and the golf course. When I played more often, I used to see Bill regularly. He always had something cold in his cup, and he loved to talk dirty with the cart girls. His era didn't bother with what was socially acceptable, but since he tipped well and was kind, the girls didn't seem to mind.

Two years ago, midway through the second day of the member-guest golf tournament, Bill dropped dead of a massive heart attack. His playing partner was a doctor, but even that wasn't enough to save him. Linda was devastated, as were we all, and since then, it was a rare thing to see her at the club, and even rarer still to see her out and about.

'Chased,' I said through heavy breaths.

'By what?' said Linda, looking back down the street.

'A few demons,' I said, with the closest thing I had to a laugh.

'Well, at that speed, I think you outran them.'

I looked up and saw her more clearly now. For being in her early seventies, she was in good shape. A little extra weight under her arms and on her legs, and the sag that eventually comes with gravity and time, but her age made her look enhanced, rather than old. Beautiful could describe her, but in a whole-person sort of way.

'You plan on racing back to them?' she said, lifting an eye. 'Or are you hoping to wait it out here?'

'Just...waiting it out....for now,' I said between gasps.

'Would you like a water while you wait, then?'

I was thirsty. For a lot of reasons, but the run had almost strangled me.

'Please,' I said, struggling to my feet.

I followed her up the driveway and to the edge of the garage. She opened the door to the outside fridge and rummaged a little.

'Would you prefer a Gatorade instead?' she said. 'I keep a bunch of them in here for the grandkids.'

'Yes, please,' I said.

She brought me an orange one. I opened the top and began to chug. Linda eyed me while I did.

'Better?' she said.

'Much. Thanks'

I took another sip and caught her looking me over. I imagine she didn't get many shirtless, sweaty men in her driveway often. That's when I realized I wasn't hard, or horny. I was just...me. Which was an improvement for sure.

'I think I pushed a little too hard there,' I said. 'But I always feel better after a hard run.'

'It's been a while since I did anything that hard,' Linda said. 'Actually...' She trailed off.

'What?' I asked. Linda had always been fairly forthright.

'Well, I could use a little help. I started a project two months ago, building a playset for the grandkids in the backyard.'

'You? By yourself?' I said,

'You sound surprised. Women my age are capable of a lot of things. It might just take a little longer in the process.' She laughed.

'Anyhow, I got it built, but I don't have it in the right place. I thought about asking the yard guys, but they don't usually stick around long enough for me to interact with them. It only needs to move a few feet back from the pool.'

'Of course!' I said. 'I'm happy to help. I think I have enough left in the tank.'

'Oh, thank you, Paul. They're coming over in two weeks, and I want it to be ready to go. I've got plenty of refreshments as payment.'

'Lead the way!' I said, thankful to have something else to take up more time.

Linda led the way to the side of the garage and to a large, wrought iron gate. She twisted the handle, swung it open, and stepped into the backyard.

'Close it behind you, please. It won't shut itself.'

I turned around and pushed it shut, closing us inside. When I turned back. Linda was several steps ahead of me. I watched her body move as she walked, her hips still swinging like a woman of another age. I could see her breasts bouncing with each step, pushing ever so subtly to the side of her body, hinting at their enormous size.

Those curves will give me lots to hold onto, I thought. And plenty for me to do.

Somewhere in between the front and backyard, the animal had crept back in....