From his apartment directly below mine, Darren must have heard me crying. Clueless as to how loud my sobbing was, I was surprised when he knocked on my door at a little after seven that evening.
Though we'd been neighbors for more than a year, he and I remained mere acquaintances. Answering his gentle knock, I peered out at him through swollen eyes. The acute distress overwhelming me at that moment made it impossible to force a smile.
"Gale, what's wrong?" he asked, his expression full of concern.
After wiping stray tears from my cheeks, I invited him inside. We were both still wearing office attire, but his clothes were finer and clearly more expensive. Wordlessly, he sat down on the couch and waited for me to close the door.
Instead of opting for a nearby chair, I sank down next to him. It was then that I noticed my blouse was spotted with tearstains. Strands of light brown hair had come loose from my bun. I knew I looked like a mess. Taking a shaky breath, I told Darren, "I got laid off today."
He extended a hand as if to touch me but then let it drop onto the cushion between us. "I'm so sorry."
Meeting his sympathetic gaze, I struggled not to weep. I guessed he was around forty, over ten years my senior, but his wavy, dark hair and mostly unlined face made him appear younger. His eyes, a rich hazel, were warm and tender as he now regarded me.
"You know how the job market is right now," I continued in a quavering voice. "It'll take me forever to find something else, and I don't have much time. I'm still paying back student loans, and of course, there's the rent, which keeps going up..." I shook my head helplessly. "I'll lose everything."
This time, Darren placed a tentative hand on my back, and I welcomed his comforting touch. For a while, we discussed my prospects, as well as potential avenues I could explore in trying to land another job, yet I sensed we both knew it was hopeless in this recession.
Finally, my neighbor leaned a little closer to me and said, "Maybe I can help you."
I snapped my head up to search his face. "How?"
Darren hesitated for a few seconds, considering his reply. "I'm in a good place financially," he said. "I can cover your rent and living expenses."
My mouth dropped open in shock at his generous offer. "But why would you do that?"
"You'd be working for me." As he spoke, his stare dropped to my breasts. "In doing so, you'd be giving me something I've needed for a long time."
Apprehension prickled the skin at the nape of my neck. What could Darren possibly need so desperately that he'd be willing to support me financially in order to get it? It couldn't be sex, I told myself. I'd seen several women stopping by his apartment on numerous occasions over the past year. Only a few weeks ago, a petite blonde had given me a chilly smile as she arrived at his place.
Now, Darren tore his gaze away from my tits and met my eyes. When he inclined his head toward me, I didn't withdraw. Instead, I listened as he described his deepest fantasy.
Erotic lactation.
My eyes widened at what my neighbor revealed. I had no idea such a fetish existed!
"So," I began, drawing out the word, "you're willing to cover my living expenses if I let you suck my tits?"
He grimaced at my crass phrasing. "It's not just that." Again, his stare settled on my breasts. My figure was voluptuous, and though I was self-conscious about the slight curve of my belly, I delighted in having large tits. "It will require a lot of patience and effort on your part and mine," Darren went on. "We'll need to consistently work at inducing lactation."
"But how can I possibly produce milk?"
"I'll buy some supplements for you that will help. And of course, I'll need to..." Even as he struggled to continue, his stare grew hotter. "I'll need to suckle several times a day." Swallowing hard, he crossed his legs and angled his lower body away from me. I couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to hide an erection. "Are your breasts large enough for you to suck your own nipples, Gale?"
Now I was the one squirming while my face flushed hot. A former boyfriend had loved to see me gather my tits in my hands and lift my nipples to my mouth, so I knew I was perfectly capable of doing what Darren suggested. "They are, yes."
"You'll need to start doing that regularly, and you should also play with your nipples and palpate your breasts throughout the day." His eyes locked with mine. "Are you willing to work with me on this? I'll need your total commitment."
My mind reeled from his proposal. It shocked me that I was seriously considering it. But what choice did I have? Since I'd learned that I was out of a job, my imagination had run wild with nightmare scenarios. I could clearly picture the eviction notice on my door, and then losing most of my belongings. I'd be kicked out of my home and forced to live in my car. There was no one I could turn to for help. Most of my friends were also struggling to keep their heads above water, and my parents were toxic people I avoided at all costs.
Darren was the only one extending a lifeline to me.
"I'm willing," I told him in a voice just above a whisper.
His shoulders visibly relaxed upon hearing my answer, while my body remained rigid with tension. Still somewhat dazed, I listened to him go over the details of our financial arrangement. Rent was due at the first of the month, and he assured me he'd take care of mine. He would also give me money for gas, groceries, and utilities. "I understand this might be difficult for you, especially at first," he said, his tone soft and soothing. "I promise I'll make every effort to impose upon you as little as possible. That being said, I think we should get started tonight."
The neediness I saw in Darren's gaze persuaded me to unbutton my blouse. He was decent enough to avert his eyes as I shrugged out of the garment, then reached behind me to unclasp my simple white bra. "You can look," I finally said.
Turning toward me, he gave my tits a long, appreciative stare. "They're beautiful, Gale. You're beautiful."
I looked down at myself, trying to see my body through his eyes. My nipples, a deep pink shade and quite large, were already hardening.
Darren picked up a throw pillow and placed it on my lap. I began trembling when he stretched out on the couch so he could rest his head on the pillow. In this position, his lips were just below my right breast.
He didn't touch me. Instead, he parted his lips and waited for me to guide my nipple to his mouth. My heartbeat was a deafening roar in my ears, and I strove to calm my nerves. This is nothing, I told myself. I was willing to satisfy his kink if it meant I could keep a roof over my head. Yet I feared I wouldn't be able to eventually lactate. It seemed too bizarre a thing to even imagine.
Darren circled his lips around my nipple, teasing that peak with his tongue. Despite my lingering discomfort, my body immediately responded, for I'd always loved nipple play.
My breathing quickened as I gazed down at Darren. Whatever he saw in my face emboldened him to draw more of my breast into his mouth, and he released contented groan while latching on. The force of his suckling was almost painful, making me wince. But then he lifted a hand and fondled my left breast. As his mouth eagerly nursed at my tit, our moans mingled into a singular sound of pleasure. Sweeping my stare along his body, I noticed the bulge in his pants.
Darren's eyes closed while his mouth worked. A wave of warm relaxation lapped just beneath my skin; I realized I felt surprisingly at peace. When I dared to stroke Darren's hair, the strands were soft beneath my fingers. His eyes opened, and the blatant arousal in his stare coaxed forth a needy ache from deep in my core. I couldn't suppress a cry as I grew sopping wet.
His suckling continued, feeding a delicious tension within me. Tugging at my left nipple, he twisted it between his fingers. Meanwhile, my arousal intensified by the second. When Darren finally allowed my tit to escape his lips, I let out a whine of protest. Looking down, I gasped to see how elongated my nipple was.
"I need to tend to your other breast now," he whispered.
Quickly, we moved on the couch so he could suckle my left tit. I was visibly trembling by this point, filled with an abject desire I couldn't fully admit even to myself. I watched as Darren's hand drifted to his erection. Again, his eyes closed while he languidly stroked himself through his pants.
With each pull of his mouth, my pussy throbbed. Despite the coolness of the room, I felt feverish with lust. How I wanted to touch myself! But I wouldn't interrupt Darren in order to do so.
Just when I thought I might be able to come solely from his mouth at my breast, he released my nipple. Looking up at me, he smiled and asked, "How do you feel, Gale?"
I almost blurted out that I felt wildly horny. Managing to contain that impulse, I said, "I feel... really good. Very relaxed."
His smile widened. "I'm so glad you enjoyed it." Slowly sitting up, he seemed to forget all about his erection. I figured he'd take care of it when he was back in his own apartment. As he now sat by my side, he said, "I'll be back around five tomorrow morning so we can do this again before I get ready for work."
The realization that he was about to leave made me feel strangely bereft. "I'll probably be asleep then," I told him. "I'll leave my door unlocked, and you can let yourself in." The duplex building had a main door that opened onto a small foyer. A short flight of stairs led from it down to Darren's apartment, while another set of stairs led up to my place. We both had a key to the building's main door, which we were careful to keep locked. Our individual apartments were secured by deadbolts.
"Is it okay if I come directly to your bed?" Darren murmured. When I nodded in reply, he caressed my cheek. "Thank you for trusting me, Gale. And thank you for tonight."
With my breasts still uncovered, I stayed on the couch and watched him walk toward the door. Though we'd just shared something incredibly intimate, the man remained a complete mystery to me.
Returning the smile Darren offered just before he slipped out of my apartment, I resolved to unravel that mystery as time went on.