Confidence Building 101 Read online

  He walked into his empty house and soon found himself sitting in the family room recliner. What to do, what to do? He pulled out his phone and gave Scott a call.

  His buddy immediately answered. “Dude!”

  Kevin let out a soft chuckle, surprised by Scott’s enthusiastic reaction. “That happy to hear from me?”

  “Dude! Dude! Dude! Dude! Dude!” Scott shouted. “Okay, first off, I know I wasn’t at my locker.”

  “Yeah, where were you?” Kevin asked. He always met his best friend at his locker right after school, but Scott wasn’t anywhere to be found today. And he hadn’t returned his text either.

  “I apologize. I’ve been busy,” Scott told him. “You’re not going to believe what happened!”

  Kevin waited.

  “Eva’s parents are staying at a hotel tonight,” revealed Scott.

  Kevin’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

  “She said that she wants me to sleep over!” Scott yelled. “Dude, she wants me to sleep over!”

  Scott had started dating a girl he’d met at his part-time car washing job two months ago. She attended a private Catholic school and was only working the gig for the summer while she was staying with her aunt. Come fall, she moved back with her parents and resumed her schooling forty-five minutes north of them.

  Kevin had met her a few times and was impressed. Eva was cute, perky, and really seemed into his buddy; but it was difficult to maintain a long-distance relationship in high school, and the mileage Scott racked up on his car only proved that. There was a certain aspect of their relationship that Kevin found rather strange though: Scott didn’t want to tell his mom about it.

  “You know what that means, don’t you!?” Scott continued to excitedly yell. “It’s gonna happen tonight! Finally! I’m finally gonna lose my V-Card!”

  “We at the Men’s Club eagerly await your arrival,” Kevin laughed. “Maybe you should tell your mom about Eva though. I don’t know why you’re avoiding it. What do you think she’s going to do? Get mad at you? Dude, she’s going to be fine with it.”

  Scott let out an annoyed huff into the phone. “No, she’s not. She’s going to want to talk about it, and then discuss sex stuff, and I just don’t want that. It’s weird coming from her.”

  “Your mom is super cool,” Kevin said. “She’s just looking out for you. And how much longer is this gym excuse going to work for? You can’t keep telling her that you’re going to workout when you’re actually driving to Eva’s house. You should look like Arnold Schwarzenegger by now!”

  Scott rolled his eyes. “You should talk…”

  “Hey, neither of us can pass for gym guys, so she’s eventually going to put the pieces together. You going to the gym to get pumped?” Kevin asked his buddy in his best Eastern European accent. “Huh? We’re here to pump you up!”

  …

  …

  “What?” Kevin laughed due to the lack of a response.

  “This is serious shit,” Scott told him. “I texted my mom that I’m sleeping over at your house tonight, so you need to cover for me if something happens, okay?”

  Kevin nodded from his spot in the recliner. “You got it. Wait, you’re not going home first?”

  “No.”

  “Shit, I left my English notebook at your house last night,” sighed Kevin.

  “Swing by and grab it tomorrow,” Scott said.

  “Yeah, but I wanted to work on it now so I don’t have to cram to finish it,” Kevin explained his plan. “You really can’t meet me at your house real quick?”

  “No, I’m at the store,” Scott stated while continuing his trek down the overwhelming aisle that seemingly held the key to unlocking his virginity. “Eva told me to pick up a candle for tonight, but there are like a million different scents. Do you have any idea what girls like?”

  Kevin wasn’t sure what girls liked, but he knew what he liked. “Vanilla.”

  “Really? They like vanilla?” Scott asked. “You sure? I don’t want to light this thing and have her get turned off.”

  Kevin wasn’t positive about a lot in life, but it was impossible to deny that the scent of vanilla correlated with the most unbelievable woman on the planet. “Nothing is sexier than vanilla…”

  Scott reached out and pulled one of the jars off the shelf. “Fifteen bucks for a candle! What the fuck!?”

  “Make sure you get a couple,” Kevin threw in his two cents. “You don’t want to open it and find out the wick is a dud or something.”

  Scott agreed, “Good call. I should probably get two of ‘em. I’m gonna go broke buying candles…”

  “You got condoms too, right?”

  “That’s taken care of,” Scott assured him. “Believe me, I’m good on that front.”

  “I really wanted to get my English paper out of the way today…” Kevin remarked under this breath.

  Scott was busy inspecting the candle jar for dents and cracks when he heard his friend’s comment. “Use the key in the shed.”

  Kevin was well aware of Scott’s extra house key being located behind a piece of loose wood on the side of the shed in the backyard. He hadn’t seen it in a while since Scott always had his house key with his car keys, but he used it all the time back when they were kids. He’d never considered actually using it for himself, however.

  “Are you sure that’s cool?” asked Kevin. “I don’t want to walk into your house when no one’s home and have your neighbors call the cops on me or something.”

  “No one’s going to call the cops on you,” Scott chuckled. “Yeah, go ahead and use the key. Just make sure you put it back when you’re done. I might need it someday.”

  “Okay, cool. Thanks, man,” Kevin said, his mood uplifted by this recent development.

  Scott was still debating his situation. “Sure, no problem. Do you think I should get three candles just in case?”

  Kevin was trying his hardest not to laugh. The last thing he buddy needed was to be even more nervous. “Better safe than sorry, right? Throw them in a backpack or something though. You’re going to look desperate if she sees you walk in with two backups.”

  “Another good call,” Scott commented. “Eleven years of friendship and having you around is finally paying off,” he sarcastically added. “Three candles, condoms…anything else?”

  Kevin took a moment to mull things over. That sounded pretty good to him. “Not that I can think of. Let me know how it went when it’s over.”

  “Will do. A few hours from now and I’m officially a man,” Scott said.

  “Good luck,” Kevin told him. “Alright, dude. Take it easy.”

  “Later.”

  The call ended and Kevin swiftly sat up. He should probably head over to Scott’s house now so he would avoid Ms. B. The last thing he wanted was to discuss yesterday’s strange encounter. He hustled out the door and began the ten minute drive to his friend’s place.

  Chapter 3 – All Alone

  Kevin pulled into Scott’s empty driveway ten minutes later, elated to not see Ms. B’s SUV. He strolled around the house and into the backyard to retrieve the spare key, letting himself in through the backdoor, and quickly finding his English notebook still sitting on the kitchen counter. And then he took a deep breath.

  He’d never been completely alone in this house before. Well, he had been here and there, but not like this. Scott running to the store or picking up a pizza while he was in the family room was different. His buddy wasn’t coming home tonight, Ms. B was at work for at least two more hours, and he suddenly found himself in the mood to take a look around.

  He always loved this house. Something about the layout was warm and comfortable. The way the rooms connected and flowed felt peaceful. The teen aimlessly wandered throughout the first floor before eventually heading for his true destination: Ms. B’s bedroom.

  He’d only taken a few peeks inside the queen’s chambers over his one hundred and thirty-two months of borderline living in this home. There was no reason for him
to ever actually go in there. Even now, stepping inside this previously unexplored land felt intrusive. When he really thought about it, it felt intrusive because it was, but no one would ever find out. Taking a quick look around wouldn’t hurt anyone.

  It took two seconds before he darted over to her dresser. Moments later, he was holding a little black thong in his hand. This is what covered his dream woman? This!? Apparently a thin slice of smooth fabric was all that protected his buddy’s mom from the outside world after her yoga pants hit the floor.

  His hand carried the thong closer to his nose before he caught himself. He couldn’t smell her underwear. Her perfume was one thing, but her thong was a different story. He wasn’t a serial killer. He was a horny eighteen-year-old kid, and succumbing to this level of perversion was a line he wasn’t prepared to cross.

  The thong found its way back into the drawer before he explored a mix of bras; both sports and lace, and cute panties which caused his heart to flutter. This woman truly was an angel. Okay, that’s it. One last glance inside the most personal dresser drawer of his fantasy girl, and it would be time to call it a day.

  But what was in that nightstand of hers?

  He journeyed around her bed, envisioning the stunning brunette enjoying her beauty rest instead of the bundle of wrinkled sheets and blankets on the mattress. The drawer of her oak nightstand slid out and his eyes wasted little time soaking in the contents: tissues, lip balm, a case for glasses, a Kindle charger, and…

  “Holy shit…” he remarked in disbelief.

  Right in the middle of everything was a purple and white vibrator with a large purple head.

  The tip of his index finger started at the base, before slowly crawling toward the luckiest silicone in the world. That colorful head brought pleasure to the most special woman he’d ever had the honor of knowing, and the idea of touching it was making his cock hard. This was El Dorado. This was the lottery and was holding the winning ticket. This was heaven.

  Smelling her thong was too much, but touching the head of her vibrator wasn’t? What was wrong with him? He closed his eyes and reluctantly shut the drawer. He just needed to grab his notebook and get out of here before he did something stupid!

  He hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen before a sound caught his attention. It was a noise he hadn’t picked up on when first entering the house. There was a slight rumble coming from the far end of the home, and it was almost as if feet were lightly moving on the floor in unison. The high school senior cautiously moved past the kitchen and down the hallway.

  There it was again! The sound of footsteps. And they were growing louder as he approached the laundry room. Originally, he thought the door was closed, but a closer inspection revealed a slight crack of light. He gingerly peered his eyes and gazed into the room.

  And then he almost blacked out.

  His eyelids rapidly blinked in a desperate attempt to confirm that his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. This wasn’t a daydream, or a fantasy, or some illusion brought on by drugs. This was real. He was actually seeing this!

  Ms. B had her back facing the door as she stood in front of a tumbling dryer machine, in only her bra and panties.

  Lace black cotton covered the inner halves of her butt, allowing the bottom and sides of that toned, perky backside to stare him right in the eyes. It was even tighter than he’d imagined. There was no sag, cellulite, or any hint of aging to be found on her perfect body. Her thighs were strong and fit, and her legs only added to her already majestic frame.

  Her black bra ran across her back, aided by strong muscles and athletic shoulders. Seeing her in this light only resulted in him appreciating her lifestyle that much more. In fact, he felt motivated to hit the gym himself. If a full-time mom approaching forty could have a kickass body, then why couldn’t he? But he would ponder over potentially signing up for a gym membership some other time; because right now, he had more important things to worry about.

  Puppies, babies, and videos of dogs losing their minds after their owners returned home from a year overseas in the military: nothing compared to this level of cuteness. She wasn’t just patiently waiting for the dryer timer to sound. No, her right hand had a firm grasp around her phone, and her headphones trailed from the device until those little white earbuds tangled through her long brown hair and ended in the sides of her head. She could’ve been doing a million different things and each and every one of them would’ve driven him crazy, but what he was gazing at didn’t just fill him with lust, it engulfed him with love.

  She was dancing.

  Those toned shoulders moved and grooved from left to right as her arms wiggled in every direction. Her hips shook and her butt bounced to the music filling her ears. Her naked right foot journeyed off the tile floor and gave a playful kick to the air before her hips rolled again.

  This smart, sexy, successful woman resembled that of a high school girl having a dance party all by herself. The laundry room was her own private boogie floor where no one judged or laughed at the goofy way she moved. He was watching his friend’s mom in her truest state: uninhibited, raw, and playful.

  “Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Woo!!!”

  His heart nearly gave out when she started singing. Her arms raised in the air as her hips and shoulders really began moving to the music now. That gravity-defying backside unknowingly gave him a shake, but all of his sexual desires took a backseat to his unquestionable desire to join her.

  Dancing wasn’t his forte. In fact, he usually skipped that part of weddings and school functions. He just didn’t have whatever “it” was that seemed to come so naturally to everyone around him. He was too busy thinking to truly let himself go on the dance floor. He would be worried if someone was recording him or if people were laughing, but all that changed at this very moment.

  There was no rhyme or reason to her movements. Whatever she was listening to caused her body to react in unexplainable ways, and she was just going along with it. It was a childlike mentally that was enabling her to be completely free and open. Every time he thought that he couldn’t love this woman more than he already did, she proved him wrong yet again.

  “Come on!”

  The gorgeous brunette spun the instant the “n” in “on” left her mouth. Her hair went flying and a knee-weakening smile was cemented on her breathtaking face. He gulped now that he was exposed to the front of this angel who’d surely descended from the heavens above. Smooth toned legs, shapely hips, a flat tummy which showed a hint of abs when her arms raised in the air and moved once again to the music, and a little peek of cleavage thanks to that lace black push-up bra. There was no more debating or considering the question. He would absolutely murder someone for a chance with her.

  “Yeah! Yeah! Ye—”

  Everything stopped.

  Time stood still as those mysterious lyrics were cut short. Her face was no longer fun and inviting; it was panicked and frightened. The innocent demeanor she carried herself with immediately turned frigid and distant. His eyes squinted in an attempt to understand why everything had stopped before it sunk in.

  She was looking right at him.

  Hurried footsteps sprinted to the door before it slammed in his face. The sound of it locking swiftly followed.

  “I’m calling the police!!” she screamed.

  Mass amounts of anxiety overtook his body. He was busted! He was busted and she was calling the cops on him! Eleven years of companionship and loyalty were gone. His best friend would now hate his guts. Everything was destroyed because he couldn’t control himself! But she wasn’t supposed to be home!

  He opened his mouth as he stared at the closed door in front of him, frantic to say something that would salvage this horrific situation. “I-I-I…”

  He was coming up empty. What was there to say? He was a pervert who’d taken advantage of his friend’s trust. Scott deserved better, and Ms. B absolutely did as well.

  Lisa hesitantly looked at the door with her thumb hovering over the call
button on her phone. She already had 911 entered and just needed to send it through, but something about that stuttering voice sounded familiar. It abruptly came to her.

  “Kevin?”

  The teen gulped.

  “Kevin? Is that you?” she asked again.

  “Umm…yeah…” he nervously answered.

  Relief shot throughout her body. “Oh my God, Kevin! I thought someone had broken in!”

  Ms. B had thought he was a burglar? And she was relieved that it was actually him who was creeping on her almost naked body? Well, that was how she felt now. She certainly wouldn’t be that forgiving after she sat down to reflect on what had happened. He had to go. He needed to get out of here and formulate some kind of plan.

  “I-I-I have to go.”

  “No, sweetheart, it’s fine!” she reassured him, still having a hard time processing the amount of stress that had just melted away. “Let me throw something on real quick.”

  Why wasn’t he leaving? He had an opportunity to slip out of the house before the door opened, but it was like his feet were trapped in quicksand. Did her voice have that strong of a hold on him? His legs weren’t even able to budge. He was frozen.

  A minute later, he was greeted by a purple short sleeve button up dress shirt, and a black skirt that ended slightly above her knees. It was just another stunning work outfit which he’d grown oh-so familiar with over the years. How could something so simple, look so amazing? Why was it that every time he thought he’d seen the best of this woman, she showed him another level of grace and elegance? He was growing more infatuated by the minute.

  She reached out and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m so happy it’s you! Oh my God, I thought you were a burglar!”

  Wait, he was the hero? How had this happened? She was only acting like this because she felt so alleviated, right? He certainly didn’t have any plans of sticking around to find out.

  He gently pushed her away and scurried down the hall.