This heat was nothing more than an aphrodisiac to me. I set my target: Jon.
We had been playing cat and mouse for weeks now that the baby project was over. We hung out and we flirted, but it never went passed innocent.
I was lying on my back in the sun. It was strong and taking me over, making my daydream feel real. I could smell the sweat on my skin, and I imagined the sun’s warmth was actually Jon’s body heat emanating as he hovered above me – waiting to kiss me.
That’s all I could think about as I baked in the sun. I pictured Jon’s tan, muscular body, I imagined his touch, and I let the image take over me.
JON
In the dark cool of the cabin, I laid on my back in bed… the fan hitting me directly as I stared up at the ceiling. The heat made me (more) irritable, (more) angry, and (more readily) ready to snap at any moment.
Ever since I was young, I hated the humid heat of summer—it was uncomfortable and hot, and in turn, that always made me cranky and hard to be around. While this anger helped me out on the football field during those early games of the season, or those long baseball games in the spring, it didn’t make me pleasant in any other setting.
This was something Claire knew. But she used the heat to her advantage, used it to prove to me how great of a stepmother she was….
The last few days at Horizons were excruciating. The combination of the hot humidity plus my Pandora’s Box of baggage opened by Julie a couple of weeks ago forced me to remember the things I regretted the most.
I was haunted everywhere I went. Seeing so many girls outside, wearing next to nothing brought constant flashes of her bare skin. I would lick my lips and taste the salt on her skin, remembering the sound of her moan as I kissed her neck. I was having trouble sleeping because I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I hated her, I hated that she filled my every thought.
Mostly I felt guilt. Was I not over her? Was this my brain telling me that I needed her? Needed to see her? Needed her to touch me again?
I jumped out of bed, “Fuck this,” I muttered to myself.
One thing that always helped clear my mind was running. If I were stressed, I would go on a long run—the longer the better. It cleared my mind, made me focus, and obviously improved my endurance, which only helped my ability on the field.
I threw a pair of gym shorts over my boxers, then socks and finally laced up my sneakers. I didn’t care what the temperature was, I would rather pass out unconscious from the heat at this point then to have thoughts of my father’s wife floating around my brain. I figured if I exhausted my body, my brain would follow suit.
Jeff
“Hey, anything to break this heat is fine by me,” I said, reclining in my office chair. I leaned my head back and shut my eyes. I hoped the gesture looked like I was tired from the heat—but I was really forcing myself from looking at the beads of sweat on Lena’s chest. This heat had gone straight to my head and I couldn’t stop thinking about doing very naughty things to my favorite teacher.
“Jeff, come’on, wake up. I heard this is going to be really bad. Flooding, downed trees, power outages. They’re expecting a tornado to come through the area,” Lena pleaded with me.
“Okay, okay. I’ll get Gary in here; he and I will rope off a few areas where I know the trees have more chance of coming up. We already trimmed most of them back and the big branches are already taken care of so we should be fine. You can go check the shed and just make sure we have all the flashlights out, lanterns, batteries. All that good stuff. Does that help, babe?”
Lena nodded her head but there was a frightened look in her eyes, “you know that we’re prepared for stuff like this, right? I mean… as it is, we pretty much live on the bare minimum out here. What’s wrong?”
“I just…” a look of embarrassment flashed across Lena’s face for a second, “I’m just scared of… lightning, and thunder… and you know… storms. No big deal.”
I couldn’t help but smile, “Lena, there’s nothing to be nervous about, you’re in one of the safest, most prepared places. And a rain storm is barely a situation.”
“I know… I’m not worried… storms just scare me. Like the during… you know, the flashes of lightning and the thunder…. Anyway,” she stood and I checked out her legs, “I’ll go find Gary and send him over to you.”
Lena was clearly unaware of my lust because she simply waved and left in search of Gary. I almost felt a twinge of jealousy that she was out looking for another man instead of in my lap.
“Get a grip,” I told myself, as I checked my email.
JON
It took me a bit to hit my stride. The heat and humidity made the air thick and hard to breathe. I had to stop a few times to slow down and catch my breath, but every time I stopped, I pictured that first time with Claire.
I was only 15-years-old and I had already been through a handful of girlfriends. A tribute to good looks, I always had some girl (or girls) chasing after me. But none of them held my interest for too long for one reason or another, mostly because I found them boring. I always felt that they acted so young; they couldn’t keep me interested. Maybe I wasn’t like other high school football stars who just wanted to bone the hottest girl in school. I started to think that there might be something wrong with me.
That’s when she showed up in my life. Beautiful yes, but there was something else about her too. A look in her eye, a poise and confidence to her whole demeanor that had to come with age.
Was it wrong to want my father’s new bride? Definitely. But I couldn’t help it. And I was fifteen. It was only natural for a 15-year-old boy to want a hot 27-year-old woman. There was nothing wrong with that.
But it was wrong for her to want me back.
Claire and I immediately got along. She was young, she was cool, she was smart. She had gone to U Conn, which is where I dreamed of going to play football. I often cancelled plans with my friends or current girlfriends to stay home and hang out.
My dad was an accountant with crazy hours, not just during tax season. My dad thought it was great that I wanted to make Claire feel at home. He thought it was great that I was happy my old man had moved on and found someone new.
At first Claire cared about the long hours and the missed weekends; she resented how much her husband worked. She was young and wanted what every newlywed friend of hers had. She wanted constant attention. She wanted constant sex. Instead she got a brooding, hormonal teenager.
She could tell immediately what I thought about her. It was obvious the way I followed her around, hung out with her, stayed home with her instead of going out to parties. To some women, it may have made them uncomfortable, but she told me once that she found it intoxicating that I thought about her sexually. She got off knowing that I wanted her.
There were a couple of weeks where my dad lived at a hotel in Connecticut to service a client. One night, Claire couldn’t sleep. It was 1:00a.m., her husband was across the country and she was horny and lonely. She heard a door close. She knew that I was still awake.
She didn’t need time to think about it, she knew what she wanted. She liked the idea of me: someone young, someone who would do what she wanted. Someone who would listen to her. Someone who looked up to her for a change. She slid out of bed, slithered over to my room and opened the bedroom door.
I saw the door open, I thought I was dreaming when I saw her standing there. But I realized that in all of my dreams, she appeared naked or in some slutty lingerie. Right now, she was dressed in one of my dad’s old college t-shirts.
“Anything wrong?” I choked out.
She shook her head, but had a pout on her face, “I’m just… you know, sleeping in that bed by myself. It’s just so hard sometimes. You wouldn’t mind if I just sat in here for a little while?” I could only shake my head as she approached the foot of the bed and sat.
“I heard you get up. I couldn’t sleep,” she said, looking at me.
“Yeah, I had to uh, go to the bathroom,” I said. M
y palms were sweaty knowing she was so close. I prayed she couldn’t tell I had just jerked off before cleaning up in the bathroom.
After that, I can only remember bits and pieces. I can’t remember the sequence of events that led me to having sex with Claire. I think after time, my mind blocked it out like a trauma. She came into my bed multiple times that summer, when my dad was away on business. By the middle of the summer, I was already using.
There was one memory I couldn’t forget. It continued to haunt me. It was her whisper to me as she slipped out of bed after the first time: “Johnny boy, you’re going to keep this between us, right? Our little secret?”
“Of course,” I choked out. How could I tell anyone about this? How could I have done this? Why did I promise that?
The air was starting to change and the sky was changing color. I turned back and pushed my speed back to campus.
Julie
The sun slowly started to make its journey down but the heat certainly wasn’t ready to surrender. At least that’s what I thought until I saw the flash through my closed eyelids. A storm was coming—so maybe the heat was preparing to make an exit.
I thought it was time to get inside and shower off. I was a little woozy from the sun and heat and was ready to be stuck inside due to the Washington rains. I spotted Jon running out of the woods towards me—well towards the cabins. But images of daydream still flashed across my eyes.
I wanted him to run over to me and undress me. I wanted to smell his sweat and feel the muscles in his arms pull me close to him. I snapped myself back to reality. He had passed me. I didn’t know if he even looked at me. I rolled my eyes and walked back to the girls’ cabin.
“Hey girl,” Michelle greeted me as I entered. She was posting a flyer on the bulletin board.
“Hey, what’s up? Is anyone here? I need a shower,” I passed Michelle and started stripping down.
“Yeah… you do. Damn, how long have you been sweating your ass off in the sun?” Michelle asked, “You stink!”
I laughed, “Yeah yeah, we all stink at this point. What’s that?”
“A bad storm is coming. Jeff wants everyone to sleep in the common room tonight. So shower, and then pack an overnight bag and I guess your sleeping bag and shit.”
“Okay, you headed over there now?” I grabbed my towel and walked towards the bathroom.
“Yeah, but I need to head into town with Gary. Looks like Jeff isn’t as prepared as he pretends to be. He just wants a few more boxes of batteries and some more water. I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s just rain.”
“Hey, if it breaks this heat, I almost wouldn’t care if it was snow,” I said over my shoulder, “see ya later!”
“Be there by six!” Michelle shouted back, then grabbed her own supplies and headed for the main cabin to drop her stuff and find Gary.
* * *
The Mountain Climbers were in the kitchen for chores. I walked in with a stack of dishes from the mess hall and was happy to see Jon standing at the sink.
“So Johnny Boy,” I started off, unaware that I sent a shiver up Jon’s spine in a bad way, “while everyone’s busy roasting marshmallow’s in the common room… let’s say you and I sneak off for a little while. I’ve been having some urges lately due to this heat… and I really think that you are just the man to quench those for me.”
Jon turned around to look at me. His eyes were cold and distant. I felt myself rear back.
“When I get to the end of my rope where I’m desperate to feel another body pressing up against mine,” Jon got close to me, close enough for me to feel the heat from his body, smell the woodsy scent of his body wash. The smell of his musk went straight to my head sending me spinning with lust. I wanted him, “I still wouldn’t come looking for your slutty ass.”
Jon walked away from the sink to get more dishes. Leaving me… unsettled. I couldn’t figure out what I felt. Was it disappointment? No… that’s not what it was.
I couldn’t put her finger on it, so I brushed the interaction off. I tossed my hair back and forced a laugh. It sounded like a cough. I decided to leave the kitchen for a smoke break to calm the voice in my head.
I looked over my shoulder, no one was looking at me so I turned and snuck out.
I walked outside to catch some of the first raindrops falling. They were big fat drops that sometimes come before a big storm. I didn’t care. I walked to the back of the building and pulled out a cigarette when I got under the awning. I thought the burst of nicotine would set me straight and make me feel right again. But it didn’t quite have the effect that I wanted.
I wished I could stay outside long enough that when I head back in, the kitchen would be clean and chores would be over.
“What, you think you’re better than us?” Chris’s voice taunted me from behind. I turned around to see him smirking, “you know… you’re starting to pick up some bad habits, my dear.”
I laughed to myself but handed Chris a cigarette, assuming that’s why he followed me outside.
As he handed the book of matches back to me, he asked, “How long do you think this heat’s going to last?”
“This rain will probably break it. Thank God, I can’t handle it anymore. It’s making everyone so… weird,” I responded, thoughts drifting back to Jon’s words.
“What do you mean? Who’s acting weird,” Chris asked.
“I don’t know…” I shrugged as I trailed off.
“Jules, Jon’s an asshole. Don’t feel bad for what he said. You know he’s an angry prick some–”
“What?” I interrupted. My heart stopped for a beat.
“I said you know he’s a prick—kid must have grown up with girls throwing themselves at him. He’s an asshole. Forget it.”
“You heard that back there?” I asked, feeling panic creep up my spine. I was beyond embarrassed.
“Yeah, Julie, I mean. Only an idiot would turn you down. Look at you. Kid’s selfish saying no to you. It’s just not fair.” Chris was trying to lighten the mood, but it masked a tone of pity. I wouldn’t be pitied by anyone.
“What do I need to do to shut you up?”
“Alright, I’ll stop. But really, don’t feel bad, I saw the look on your face–” I put my hand up to Chris’s lips to shut him up.
“Listen Christopher. There was no look on my face. And if there were, it merely had to do with the thought of not getting any tonight. This heat really has sent me over the edge,” I hoped Chris’s growing excitement masked the urgency in my voice. I was humiliated that he heard Jon turn me down like that, that he heard him call me a slut. I wanted him to forget it as badly as I wanted to forget it.
“Julie, stop. You don’t need to….” Chris said quietly, not being able to read me.
“No, really, I do,” I said, coming closer to him, kissing him, slipping my hand down the front of his pants.
Chris stopped trying to read me. It didn’t take long to get him hard. Before I knew it, he had me pressed against the side of the building, my shorts were off, legs wrapped around his waist and he was inside me. All thoughts of our conversation were thrown to the wayside.
It didn’t take long. After all, as Chris will say until his last breath, it had been a few months since he’d had sex.
Before Chris finished buttoning his pants I was back inside.
Chris stood outside and looked after me for a moment running a hand through his hair, “Was it something I said?” I heard him ask no one in particular.
“Long smoke break there, Jules,” Marie commented the second she spotted me trying to sneak back into the kitchen.
“You’ve been staring at the door waiting to say that, haven’t you?” I spit back and rejoined my team in cleanup. I couldn’t imagine what they saw. I was wet, disheveled and probably had dirt on the back of my white t-shirt from being pressed against the wall.
When Chris came through the door a few seconds later, my theory was confirmed since he was soaking wet and disheveled as well. No one said
a word. Jon’s back was to the door. He didn’t turn when I entered and I wasn’t sure if he saw Chris appear next. If he did, he pretended not to notice. The rest of the group, however, couldn’t decide whom to stare at first.
Then it went black.
A glass shattered. Marie screamed. I rolled my eyes and felt around for one of the flashlights that lived in the kitchen.
I turned it on and found the remnants of a plate on the floor.
Lena walked into the kitchen, frantic, “is everyone okay?” she asked, flashing her light on everyone before finding the broken plate. She looked at Jon who was standing closest to her, “Jon, its not raining that badly yet, can you help me get the rest of the lanterns and flashlights from the shed?”
“Yeah sure,” Jon felt for the towel over his shoulder.
He dried his hands and walked out of the kitchen. The rest of the group started to head out also. There wasn’t much that we could do in the dark, so we took it as a night off from chores. Mindy caught up to me as I scurried over to our section to get my overnight bag.
“What’s the hurry, blondie?” she asked as she caught up to me.
“Oh, uh. Just… wanna change. I got caught in the rain for a minute,” I said, not looking at her face.
“You didn’t,” she asked. She was too perceptive; it was annoying.
I didn’t feel the need to explain myself to her, so I grabbed my change of clothes and a flashlight and walked off to the bathrooms.
Jonathan
The barn door was still open from Lena’s first trip in there. We ran in, and started to shake ourselves off from the rain.
We went over to the table where the flashlights and lanterns were waiting for retrieval.
“This should be easy enough for us to manage back to the main cabin in one trip,” Lena said.
“Yeah, there’s not a lot left in here,” I agreed. Then there was a huge boom of thunder as the lightning flashed, filling the barn with light.
Lena screamed and dropped the lantern in her hand, glass shattering around her feet.
Unsound (Horizons #1) Page 15