House of Sin: Part One

by Vince Stark

  My mind was running and I chased it along, I can find myself in dark places sometimes. Leah, she was sweet and had an innocence, but as I thought about her in the garage she was in a black leather outfit looking a scared. I like when girls look scared, I would never say that out loud but it’s true. Also a dark thought, If I see a girl walking with a limp or in crouches with a pant leg half rolled up it turns me on to no end.

  I sipped my coffee in the garage and was lost in my thoughts. I put her in the corner on all fours, the tight leather attire left everything between her legs exposed, she looked scared but propped up her ass like she was offering it to me. Her hands were in leather gloves but her fingers were exposed, she stuck them in easily. My little shop was a mess of metal and tools, there she was in the middle of it on all fours like a sex slave, my slave. Sucking her fingers and burying them in her wet pussy, staring at me with scared eyes as she fucked herself, her fingers slowly disappeared into her cunt, in and out, in and out.

  I came.

  I was masturbating and barely noticed, I looked down at my cock that was rising and falling with every heartbeat, cum dripping off. I came all over the shop floor and my hand, I looked in the corner where Leah was and there was nothing. I gave my head a shake, maybe I let my mind wander too much sometimes. I picked up my coffee from my work bench and sipped it.

  It was another sunny day, not unlike the day before. I spent a little more time getting ready than usual, put on a little more cologne than usual, brushed my teeth after my electric toothbrush vibrated and told me to stop. I put on my favorite shirt the fits just right, it smelled of fresh laundry. She had me under a spell, I wanted her to like me, I wondered if she expected me to show up today. I was messing with my hair but gave it a rest when it occurred to me I would be putting on my helmet. I was a little nervous, it felt good to be nervous.

  I brought my brown leather saddle bags out to the driveway and began to attach them to the bike, I figured if I was going to a farmers market I might want to bring some stuff back. The sun was exceptionally hot considering it was so early in the day. I could hear sprinklers and kids laughing, pleasant summer sounds rushed by my ears.

  These fucking saddle bags were never easy to put on, I was struggling with them when Marjorie caught my eye, she was watering her driveway. I never understood why anyone would do such a thing. She waved when she noticed I looked up, I waved back.

  The bike was ready and I stood back and looked at her, “what are we in for today” I thought as if I was speaking to the bike. I stretched my back and looked at the blue sky, the smell of fresh cut grass rushed by. I considered what I might need before my little day trip, sunglasses and cash is all I could come up with. It was hot so I didn’t even wear my jacket, just my favorite t-shirt, jeans, and boots. I eased out of the driveway and took my time down the road. I was not in a rush, it was a beautiful Sunday and I was feeling good. I drove slow, sat back on my bike and smiled. My only plan for today was to go a farmers market to find a sexy girl that was probably selling cherries, this day was damn near perfect.

  I have driven by this market many times over the years and considered stopping in but never have, I would always debate pulling in a little too long and the entrance would fly by. The street was busy with people on foot so I stopped on the street and waited for the narrow entrance to clear. I was happy I decided to bring the bike, finding parking for my truck would have been impossible. I spotted other motorcycles all parked together and was able to wedge my bike in.

  Looking around I tried to decide which way to go. It was a bee-hive of activity, swarms of people crossed and flowed between tent lined walkways. I was immediately taken back by the amount of effort merchant had put into their displays considering it was only for one afternoon. The music of street musicians climbed over the volume of the crowd. Almost everyone was smiling, exchanging knowing nods to one another. I made my way into this tent city and tried to notice all the little handmade trinkets, homemade bread, paintings on canvas, and a plethora of other creative concoctions. It was impossible to look at everything, I was getting dizzy with the movement and stimulation.

  The smell of coconut and Thai curry caught my attention, I followed the scent like a blood hound, the delicious smell brought me to a black and red tent with sizzling woks beneath. It looked amazing, I took a mental note that I would come back for lunch. I asked the man that was cooking up a storm where I might find the cherry stand. He gave me some directions that involved taking a left the kale stand, and a right at the falafel truck and so on. I thought I recognized the guy from somewhere but he seemed occupied so I just thanked him and went on my way.

  I took off my sunglasses and put them on my head pushing my hair back like a head band. I really liked this place, I had no idea how big it was. I took a right at the falafel truck as directed, all the merchants seemed to be farmers along this stretch. The vegetables still had soil on them, the hands of merchants were dark as if from the same soil from pulling the vegetables out of the ground recently. They were a proud bunch, they seemed happy to be there, like this was the easiest part of their week.

  The cherry stand.

  I didn’t recognize her at first, but it was indeed her. She wore tight weathered jeans and a white t-shirt with a deep v-neck. When she spoke to people she was constantly smiling. Her whole face contributed to her expression, her eyes and cheeks and nose all did their part. I stood back and watched her do her magic. Everyone she spoke to seemed better off for haven spoken to her. Partly, it was the reactions of people she spoke to that made her so beautiful. She seemed to make the day a little better. Her tent was smaller and lighter than the others around. Behind her was a large carved wooden sign that read “Fox Glove Farm” Her display was mostly cherries portioned out in little baskets but there were other vegetables too. She worked fast and hard. Weighing vegetables, chatting up the customers, taking money and making change. She was alone and I assumed she set all this up herself.

  A line of patrons were forming and she was quite busy, I debated what I should do. If I stood there any longer it would have been creepy, I had to make a move. I watched a little longer and read the signs around her stand. Quickly I figured out what they cost, how to weigh them, where the little bags were, and took some mental notes of what she was doing. I took a breath and made my way over.

  “Are these organic?” I asked. It was supposed to be comical because the word organic was everywhere. I knew no matter what I said the moment would be a little awkward. Leah looked my way and took a moment to register who I was, my heart sank because it was the first time she wasn’t smiling. Slowly the smile returned. She finished the transaction with her customer.

  “Oh boy,” Leah said to herself loud enough for me to hear. She was looking down smiling and laughing lightly amused by the moment. “I was wondering if I would see you today.”

  She returned her attention to her next customer and I slid around and grabbed a bag before she could, “I always wanted to do this kind of thing, may I?” I asked and continued with-out waiting for permission.

  She laughed at my boldness, “Alright, alright, you can do the money part”

  She moved me over to the left, it made more sense for me to play that role and I fell into place quickly. It was a small space so most of the time we were touching in some way. We didn’t talk to each other a lot, mostly Leah was speaking with customers, she was very good at what she did. Leah would tell me and the customer what everything tallied up to and move on to the next person. I felt my presence did actually speed up the process slightly and lighten her load. I was enjoying myself.

  Leah floated around, re-stalking the displays with boxes of cherries and other produce that were stacked behind. When the line of customers died down she would banter with the other merchants, I contributed to conversations sometimes but this was very much her space and I was trying to respect that so let her lead the day. I tried not to get caught looking at her as she stretched to grab something. She would perk h
er bum up and it was a challenge not to notice her shape in those tight jeans. They were ripped in places, it made me think of those black tights. I could tell these tight, tired, jeans meant something to her and I did not make plans on ripping them off. I imagined her wiggling her bum to help me slide them off.

  A bell rang.

  All the merchants reacted to the sound of the bell.

  “What’s up” I asked while I was reorganizing boxes of potatoes, I was really getting into this.

  “Time to pack up” She raised a hand to high five. I am not a fan of the high five but at this moment it felt right. “That was the five o’clock bell, it means the market is over, we did it!”

  I am not sure exactly when I showed up but I only then did I realized several hours passed us by, it felt like minutes.

  “You did good Jack.” She had a playful tone.

  “What happens now,” I asked.

  “We tear all this stuff down.”

  “Let’s do this thing” I was looking around for my plan of attack. All the other venders displays were disappearing before my eyes, they looked like they had done this a million times.

  “Stack these next to the tent” Leah shoved a box of potatoes in my chest and pointed where they were to go. The next few minutes I was bossed around by her, together we collapsed the tent, and in no time we were standing next to a pile of boxes and a folded up tent. “Wait here” she said and took off.

  “Jack Willow?” A passer-by asked carrying a box awkwardly.

  “Hey”

  “Good show Friday”

  “Thanks” I responded as he walked on by.

  My feet and back were tired and I was starving, I hadn’t eaten anything but cherries. I hoped that wok place with the curry was still open.

  Honk

  A car horn demanded people to make way, an old truck backed slowly, meandering around obstacles. Leah had an arm out the window propping her up. She was twisted around looking back asking people to make way as she backed up the old truck. She edged back to where I was and exited the truck with a twirl.

  “Nice truck” I said looking it up and down. It really was, a mid-fifties Ford, red in color with wooden rails along the box.

  “Thanks”

  I began loading up, it took no time at all before everything was in place in the back of the truck. Leah was leaning on the truck like a sexy farmer girl.

  “Well Jack, it’s been fun”

  It seemed like the start of a good-bye, I didn’t want to part yet, I realized it probably was the appropriate time say good bye but I wasn’t ready.

  “Lets grab something to eat” I suggested.

  “I want to get home Jack”

  “Where’s home?”

  “Princeville”

  “Princeville? You really are a farm girl” I knew Princeville as a rural area I drove through on my way into work. “I know a good restaurant there”

  “There is only one restaurant in Princeville and it is not good” She laughed, “I have a dog to get to, and I have been slow cooking a roast all day”

  A silence hung between us, I sensed if I said nothing and just stood there she would invite me over for dinner.

  “Where’s your car” she asked

  “Motorcycle”

  “Motorcycle . . . I hate following people, or people following me. There is only one exit for Princeville, head north ‘for eight miles, red barn on the right.” She did a twirl back into her truck. She was thinking, probably questioning inviting me over. I rested my hands on the door of the truck.

  “Can I bring anything?

  Leah started the motor of her beautiful old truck and I took a step back, “Wine”

  “Any preference?”

  “Red, something big, bad, and French”

  And with that she was on her way, I took a look around surprised that almost all the venders had torn down completely. I could actually see my bike without the obstruction of all the tents. I made my way back. There happened to be a wine store close so I grabbed a $25 Bordeaux, I know very little about wine but I have noticed it’s from Bordeaux and twenty something bucks everyone’s happy.

  I tucked the wine into my saddle bag along with a few other things I picked up. Before taking off I sat on my bike and ate an apple because I was starving, enjoying a good apple is the second best thing in life. I wasn’t in a rush, heaven forbid I caught up to her on the highway and ended up following her. It never really occurred but she was right, following someone, or someone following you to a shared destination is annoying and never really goes well. I eyed a trash can that was twenty odd feet away. I was comfortable sitting on my bike and didn’t want to get up to throw out my apple core. It was a good toss, far enough that if you didn’t make it you would look like a jerk for attempting such a long shot. I threw it and it landed in a trash can with a bang, I looked around to see if anyone witnessed my superhuman ability. No one noticed, I was smiling to myself as I fired up the bike and cruised away.

  I have passed this exit countless times. It was strange pulling off the highway here. This little stretch always seemed more like a reference point telling me I was half way to my destination rather than somewhere you actually stopped. It never really occurred to me that people lived here. North I went down the unfamiliar road.

  The air smelled like pollen and horses, I drove slowly because thick mud that had fallen off a tractors tire and dried into little obstacles. Houses were extremely far apart, each house had a barn behind it. Most seemed like small operations, perhaps something the owners did for pleasure rather than profit. There were a few large farms that had heavy equipment and large silos. It looked like people had a nice life in Princeville, I wondered why I never considered it before.

  A red barn sat on top of a rolling grassy hill. The property was outlined with a rough fence, a few of the horizontal beams had fallen over making it look like a painting. There was a forest of cherry trees to the side of the small farm house. It was a beautiful grey stone home, the front wooden door was painted red, large heavy and solid. I knocked on the impressive door and thought of my screen door and promised myself I would replace it. The whole area looked like a fairy tale. I felt like a villain riding in on my loud bike in such a peaceful place, maybe I was.

  A dog answered me with a howl, I love dogs, but I wished he would shut the fuck up. I took a few steps back and tried to look cool with one foot on the step. I was nervous, it felt good to be nervous.

  “You found it” Leah looked stunning in this setting, she turned her attention to the dog, “go to your bed” she said in a firm voice. The little terrier mutt obeyed and scurried off, she looked back at me.

  “Welcome to my home” She left the door open and walked in shouting so I could hear her “Hope you’re hungry”

  I stepped into the old beautiful home, the walls were thick and the ceiling was low with exposed beams. It was a fairly open concept for a house of it’s age, the kitchen hailed a wood stove that looked heavy and ancient. I could tell there was a fire burning in the stove because steam was rising from a kettle sitting on top. There was a slow cooker on the counter that contributed to the delightful smell in the room. These walls had absorbed countless memories, this house felt good.

  Leah had her back to me, she was in the same cloths save a tired sweater, her sweater was high enough that it didn’t cover the curves of her bum in those jeans. She poured the water into two cups. I can’t remember the last time I had tea in the evening rather then something with alcohol. Everything about today has been unusual for me. I felt myself going into a stare as I thought about bending her over the counter, I shook it off and took a deep breath.

  “This is a beautiful home” I said as I put the bottle of wine on the counter.

  Leah put the cup of tea on a small island that was between us, “Thanks” She said with a curious smile, slowly sipping the hot tea.

  I matched her expression and sipped the tea, steam danced around my face as I blew across the surface to
cool it down. The tea gave a strong smell of mint. We said nothing for a moment and looked at each other with our tea cups at our lips. It was nice, just looking at her and her looking back, we were smiling. We just stared at each other and had a silent conversation with subtle expressions. Her smile broke to laughter and I also laughed at the exchange.

  “I am sore, I haven’t worked that hard in years” I said rotating my shoulder.

  “So you work all week and take care of this farm yourself, hardworking gal”

  “I was raised here, by my aunt, she passed away a couple of years ago, she was more like a friend then an aunt or mother, we lived here together, I have been keeping the place up alone ever since”

  “I’m sorry”

  “She was sick for a long time, I am at peace with it now” Leah put her tea down and turner her attention to the slow cooker that must have been going all day. “I feel like she is my guardian angel now” She dished it out into two bowls and we sat at the island to eat. “Do you have one of those?”

  “A guardian angel?” I questioned

  “yeah” she laughed lightly, clearly she was just trying to put the focus on me rather than her.

  “I picture my guardian angel sitting in the corner painting her nails and rolling her eyes”

  We shared a laugh and the mood was light, the food warmed me up. Leah took the dishes to the sink and ran the water. She had her back to me again, her body taunted me. Her sweater had a wide neck and her hair was loosely tide up exposing part of her neck and part of her back. She pushed strands of hair away from her face with her arm avoiding her wet soapy hands.

  “We need music” she said with-out turning around. “There is a record player in the corner, could you put something on”

  I rifled through the records and made a quick decision when I saw Massive Attack, I balanced my attention between Leah and the record player, the music came from speakers hidden behind furniture and filled the room with a gentle pulse. The site of Leah’s natural beauty was impossible to ignore, I have been fighting with myself since I arrived, but I was losing the battle. She turned her head just enough to see me, she knew I had been watching her, her sensual movements were not an accident. She smiled and returned to doing the dishes.