Every night, I waited for Myles to call, and every night at half past eleven, he invariably did so. Lying in the darkness of my bedroom, I reveled in his voice on the line. He was careful to speak quietly while asking me about my day. I imagined him sitting in his den, leisurely stroking his cock. Was he absolutely certain his wife wouldn't catch him on the phone? I wondered. Or did he listen for the slightest noise or footfall during our conversations?

And those conversations weren't all about sex. Myles wanted to know more about my job as a secretary, and he mentioned how stressful his own job could be. We talked about our parents; his lived halfway across the country, so he didn't see them often. I trusted him enough to reveal my fear that I was a disappointment to mine. When Myles asked why I felt that way, I hesitated before confessing, "I think they hope I'll get married soon, but that isn't what I want."

Neither of us spoke of Dana.

Inevitably, our innocuous discussions took a turn toward the erotic. When Myles's voice dropped to a sensual murmur, I would readily lift my nightshirt and spread my legs. Of course, I'd taken off my panties long before. Hanging on his every word, I followed the commands he gave me: my fingers roughly tugged at my nipples and then grew gentle in teasing my clit. My gasps and moans clearly excited him, for I could hear his heavy breathing. In just days, that sound had ceased to be ominous and now served as a catalyst to make me wet.

Myles would often ask me to lower the phone so he could listen as I finger-fucked my sopping pussy. Then, he would reward me with guttural groans while stroking his dick. "Knowing you're right across the street, lying in that bed and so fucking ready for my cock... it drives me crazy, Colleen!" I knew from the way he practically growled that he was right on edge. And he stayed there until I came for him; only when my cries subsided did he seek his own release. I felt a strange but undeniable pleasure in hearing him struggle to remain quiet during his climax. It thrilled me to know we were both close to losing all control.

Though I hoped Myles would be able to come over on Friday, he mentioned on Thursday night that he and Dana would be spending the following evening with friends and wouldn't be back till late. Once again, I was reminded that he had an entire life I knew nothing about.

On Saturday afternoon, I left the house to run a few errands. Simply looking across the street was enough to make my stomach flip-flop in anticipation, but I saw that Myles's car was gone. When I returned home a couple of hours later, he was still out. Dana's car was in the driveway, but I figured they were together.

After changing into shorts and a halter top (the very outfit Dana clearly despised), I got busy planting zinnias in the front yard's flowerbed. The mid-July warmth bordered on uncomfortable, and I was glad when a series of fast-moving clouds blotted out the sun for a little while.

The sound of a car pulling into my driveway made me look up from my work. I didn't recognize the vehicle right away. Climbing to my feet, I watched it expectantly while wiping the dirt from my hands.

Somehow, I managed to keep a smile fixed on my face when Rod got out. He gave me an enthusiastic wave before heading in my direction. "Hey, Colleen! Feeling better?"

Rod attended the same church as my parents. Since he was one of the few members around my age who also happened to be single, my mother made no secret of her desire for us to start dating. His unexpected appearance at my house had me wondering if Mom tried to play matchmaker last Sunday while I was absent.

"I'm feeling much better, thanks," I told Rod now. "I'll be at church tomorrow."

"We missed you last Sunday." Stopping in front of me, he gave my breasts only a cursory glance before meeting my expectant stare. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by to see how you're doing."

With blond hair and brown eyes, Rod was attractive and sweet-natured, but he was also devoutly religious. Though I'd always known we wouldn't be compatible, he seemed eager for a relationship. I suspected he thought he could change me into a suitable girlfriend and potential wife.

Rod and I were making awkward small talk when Myles finally arrived home. In my peripheral vision, I saw him get out of the car, but I refused to look his way; I was afraid my expression would reveal too much. It surprised me that Dana wasn't with him.

Rod seemed oblivious to my distraction, for he kept chatting away about choir practice and Bible study. Even as I tried to focus on what he said, my gaze drifted across the street.

To my alarm, I discovered Myles was making no attempt whatsoever to be discreet. Hands on his hips, he stood next to his car and gave me a hard stare. I didn't know whether to wave or ignore him. Under such intense scrutiny, I grew hopelessly flustered.

It seemed like an eternity passed before Rod got the hint that I was ready to wrap up our conversation. Once he said goodbye and started toward his car, I again glanced over at Myles's house. For a reason I couldn't explain even to myself, my heart sank when I found he'd gone inside.

I expected him to call that night, but the phone remained stubbornly quiet. Was he angry about Rod being at my house? I wondered. Then I chastised myself for being ridiculous. Myles was married! He couldn't very well expect me not to talk to other men.

My despondency grew as midnight approached. An earlier bout of magical thinking had compelled me to open my bedroom window, as if that would summon Myles. Now, a mild breeze drifted into the room while I got ready for bed. It would have been a nice night for us to spend together, I told myself. But apparently, I was the only one who thought so.

As I walked through the house, I tugged my nightshirt farther down over my bare bottom. My decision to forgo panties might have been yet another form of magical thinking. After turning off all the lights and checking that the doors were locked, I headed back to my room. Moving through shadows, I was guided only by the lamplight spilling out into the hall. I'd almost reached the doorway when a man stepped through it to stand before me.

I immediately opened my mouth to scream. By the time I realized the naked man in my hallway was Myles, the sound was already on its way out of my throat. Lunging toward me, he cupped a hand over my mouth and backed me up against the wall. Frantically, I searched his face and found nothing to assuage my fear.

Satisfied that I wouldn't scream, Myles removed his hand. I felt his hot breath on my skin when he whispered, "Did you enjoy teasing me today, Colleen?"

"What are you talking—"

I didn't have a chance to finish before he gave me a hard kiss. The force of it was almost painful. Maintaining a firm grip on my arms, he continued in a low voice. "Oh yes, I saw you in that skimpy outfit. Your tits and ass were practically on display while you were flirting with that man." I struggled to read his expression in the semidarkness of the hallway, but there was no mistaking his icy tone. "Is he one of your pathetic ex-boyfriends?"

"No!" I cried. "And even if he was, it's none of your business!"

"So you plan on fucking other men right in front of me. Is that it?"

His jealousy shocked me so much that I was momentarily speechless. But then I wondered why I was so surprised. I knew the lengths he'd gone to simply to hear my voice. "I'm not fucking anyone else," I finally said through clenched teeth.

"Is that right?" I knew he was taunting me now. "Maybe I should see for myself."

I gasped when he yanked up my nightshirt. His hand was rough between my thighs. "Already dripping wet," he murmured. I closed my eyes as if to hide from the truth of his words. "Such a bad girl." Thrusting two fingers inside me, he added, "But so nice and tight!"

"Go to hell, Myles!"

He only laughed at my outrage. "Tell me you want me to stop, and I'll leave right now."

I opened my mouth to speak, but all the retorts I might have uttered seemed to turn to dust on my tongue. Shame burned me like a brand when I realized I didn't want him to stop.

While holding me tight with one hand, Myles took hold of his cock with the other. I sensed the war between anger and lust taking place within him, just as it was inside me.

"Let's go to the bedroom," I pleaded.

"No, I want you right here."

I didn't resist as he hooked his arm under my leg, forcing me to stand on the toes of one foot. We were both breathing fast, and I caught the scent of his clean sweat.

I bit back a cry when Myles drove himself deep inside me. Once I was impaled on his cock, he cupped my ass and began fucking me at a brutal pace. Again and again, my back smacked against the wall.

Even in the grip of lust, he sought out my mouth for another kiss, and I readily surrendered to it. The sound of my wet cunt taking his dick flooded me with a fresh wave of shame. What was wrong with me? Myles was fucking me raw, and it only served to build my excitement.

It was as if he knew my every thought. Burying his face in my neck, he panted, "I'm the only man who can make you feel this way, Colleen."

"You arrogant bastard!" My fury was a pathetic attempt to conceal the fear that Myles was right. When he lifted his head to kiss me yet again, I turned my face away. All the while, he continued his merciless thrusting.

As our fierce coupling pushed me toward climax, I felt like my body was conspiring with Myles to betray me. I clung desperately to him but wanted to lash out instead. Pressing my lips to his shoulder, I managed to muffle a lust-filled cry. Then, I opened my mouth wider. My teeth were poised to sink into his skin.

"Don't you dare!" he warned, but I could tell he was grinning at my audacity. "If you bite me, I'll be forced to punish you. Is that what you want?"

Maybe I did, because it was then that I came hard around his cock. My orgasm caught us both off guard; a loud groan emerged from Myles's throat as he held me fast.

I was still shaking when he slammed into me several more times. By now, my cunt was exquisitely tender, and I moaned from the orgasmic aftershocks emanating from my core. Finally, he climaxed with a roar, emptying his balls deep inside me.

Once the rapturous pleasure waned, Myles seemed reluctant to release me. His touch grew gentle, almost tentative. I didn't say a word as he set me on my feet. Instead, I strode past him and into my bedroom. He followed me without hesitation, and when we stood in the lamplight, I turned toward him. The wariness between us was almost palpable, and I noticed he seemed a bit stunned by what had just occurred.

"Did you enjoy fucking me so hard?" I spat while giving him an accusing glare.

"Not as much as you did," he shot back.

Again, the truth he spoke mocked me. Before I could stop myself, I delivered a stinging slap to his cheek. Never in my life had I struck anyone, and I immediately regretted doing so now. Staring at him with something like horror, I choked out an apology. My hand was still lifted, as if frozen in the air.

I tensed when Myles grasped my wrist, but he only planted a kiss on my palm. It was as if he wanted to soothe me, though he was the one with a red handprint on his skin. "I deserved that," he whispered.

His cum had leaked out my pussy and was now snaking down my inner thigh. Pulling away, I hurried into the bathroom and closed the door firmly behind me. Part of me hoped he would be gone by the time I finished cleaning up, but when I stepped back into my room, I found him lying on the bed.

Myles gave me an entreating stare. I didn't go to him; instead, I fixed my stare on the floor. "We have to stop this. You and I are no good for each other."

He quickly sat up. "Don't say that, Colleen. Please don't say that." While I stayed rooted to the same spot, he got up and closed the distance between us. Yet he didn't try to touch me. "I can't bear to lose you, not when you've only just begun to let me in."

"It was a mistake to let you in," I replied, but my words held no conviction. 

Myles drew me into an embrace. "It wasn't a mistake," he insisted. "None of this is a mistake. Now come lie down with me for a little while. Please."

I let him guide me to the bed, where he continued holding me in his arms. Closing my eyes, I basked in the warmth of his skin. Over and over, he whispered apologies.

"You didn't have any right to be angry," I said. "You're married, for God's sake! You'll never be mine." I tried to withdraw from him, but he held me tighter. "Besides, Rod's just a guy who goes to the same church as my parents. You'd have to be an idiot to think I was flirting with him!"

"I am such an idiot," Myles said so matter-of-factly that I had to stifle a giggle, but my laughter faded when he kissed me. "I doubt it makes any difference to you, but Dana and I haven't had sex in months."

It did make a difference to me, I realized. During the past week, I often tormented myself imagining that Myles would leave my bed only to return to Dana's arms. I pictured them making love early in the mornings, after he'd washed away all traces of me and she'd roused herself from a pill-induced sleep. Now, I had to wonder if I was a horrible person for being glad he no longer shared this part of himself with his wife.

I usually made a point not to mention Dana, but tonight, I couldn't help but ask, "Why is that? The reason must be far more serious than her dislike of blowjobs."

He let out a heavy sigh, then turned over on his back. Gazing at his profile, I found I already missed his embrace. "Dana has decided she wants children," he revealed, "and I never have. I'm not cut out to be a father."

"Did you two discuss this before you got married?"

"We did," he responded in a solemn voice. "Of course, we were in our early twenties then, and maybe she thought I'd eventually change my mind. But I've made it clear that I still feel the same, so we're at an impasse. Part of me was actually relieved when she began refusing to have sex." A bitter smile formed on his lips. "I'd grown so distrustful of her that I started hiding the condoms to keep her from poking holes in them."

His revelation made me bristle. "So that explains why you were crazy enough to start calling me in the middle of the night. You were starved for sex."

"That's not why I started calling you." Looking over at me, he held my stare. "There's a woman in my office who's made it clear she's good for a fuck. I haven't taken her up on it." I averted my eyes, unable to form any kind of response. Yet I found myself nestling against Myles once more. Slipping an arm beneath me, he stroked my hair. "I told you that I've been faithful to Dana. I wanted to be a good husband. But now..."

He didn't finish that sentence, and I didn't press him to. Some things were better left unspoken.

"Do I make you happy, Colleen?" he finally whispered.

I couldn't remember a time I'd been happier than I was this past week. "Yes."

"Then give me another chance," he pleaded. "I know we can't go on like this indefinitely—"

"You're absolutely right about that." It took all my will to keep from asking why he stayed with Dana if they made each other miserable. The fact that I wanted him for myself made me sick with self-loathing, and I refused to be the reason he ended his marriage. He would have to come to a decision without any influence from me.

"But for now," Myles went on, "I want to keep making you happy. Will you let me do that?"

So many voices warred in my head; I could hear both my mother and Melanie telling me I was a fool to fall for a married man. It was as if Melanie was shouting directly into my ear: He's just using you, Colleen! And my mother's voice was much harsher: I didn't raise you to behave like a harlot!

Yet my own voice was the loudest, drowning out all others with just one word: "Yes."