As always I need to thank my editor, BeachBaby179 for her many contributions to this story. She always cleans up my stories, fixing my errors and inconsistencies and making the story much better than it would otherwise have been. Thank you, BeachBaby179.
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"Now, I can't wait to take a shower," I thought to myself.
I had just finished mowing my yard, and the hot Georgia sun was blazing down. I had started about 9 am on this Saturday morning, and had just completed the front and back yard some three hours later. Altogether I had nearly three acres of yard to mow and once again thought maybe it was finally time to get a riding mower.
Or hire someone to mow like most of my neighbors did.
It's not that I couldn't afford to buy a mower, or hire someone, but I used the mowing as a form of exercise. I had spent three years in the Marine Corps, then got hurt in a stupid "training exercise." At least "training exercise" sounded better than what really happened, because what really happened what I was playing left field in a softball game and stepped into a hole where a sprinkler head was supposed to be.
Some idiot had taken the defective head out and forgotten to cover the hole over. When I went back to get a ball my foot landed in the hole and my knee bent in a way that knees aren't supposed to bend. Our company was playing for the base championship against the three-time defending champions.
I was the starting left fielder and batted third, and when I stepped into the hole we were leading 5-2. I had already hit two doubles and a triple and scored three times, and driven in the other two runs.
I ended up having two different surgeries on the knee, but the damage had already been done.
And yes, the important part is, we won. I still have my championship trophy and had been named Most Valuable Player for the tournament.
The Marine Corps offered, and I accepted, a 20 percent disability, which works out to about $250 a month in disability pay.
Yes, I had a limp, but not too bad, and yes the knee hurt at times, but at least I could usually tell when a bad storm was about to move in. Before any kind of really heavy thunderstorm the knee would really act up.
Every day I would ride my bike for a couple of miles to exercise the knee, then on alternate days I would also walk a couple of miles. I also had a fairly extensive home gym I would exercise in every day. I considered pushing the mower over three acres of yard as a form of exercise.
As I was putting the push mower away, I glanced at a thermometer I kept outside the garage. It was already 97 degrees and it was only noon. I knew the weather folks were calling for a high today of around 101 degrees.
"Time for that shower," I thought again, then as I was about to walk inside I heard a car coming up the driveway.
As soon as I saw the green Mini Cooper I knew it was Kim, my step-daughter's best friend.
I started smiling as soon as I saw the car because Kim was one of those bright, bubbly personalities whose usual smiles and good spirits simply brightened the day of anyone who saw her.
Not to mention that she was an absolute knock-out. I mean simply drop-dead gorgeous!
Megan, my step-daughter was very pretty, really beautiful in her own right and reminded me so much of her mother it sometimes hurt. Tall and naturally blonde, with a very slender figure, but Kim was almost the opposite. Kim was short (about 5'2"), dark haired and had an hour-glass figure. Kim literally had the face and body of a model.
When anyone saw the two of them together, they couldn't help but spend more time gazing at Kim. Megan was beautiful, but Kim was extraordinary.
I had taken my shirt off while cutting the grass so I quickly slipped it back on, then walked over to Kim's car.
I think this was the only time I had ever seen Kim when she wasn't smiling. In fact my first thought was she is just a few seconds away from crying.
"What's wrong, Kim, what's wrong?" I asked, very concerned.
"Mr. 'C', is Megan here?" she asked in what was almost a pleading voice.
"No, Kim, one of her friends called her early this morning and they went to Six Flags," I explained. Six Flags is an amusement park near Atlanta.
Kim started crying, with big tears rolling down her face.
"I kept calling her phone, hoping she was here, but she didn't answer," Kim said, between tears.
"Last time she went to Six Flags, she got soaked on Thunder River, and her phone got wet and was ruined," I told her, "so I am sure she probably left it in her car."
"Oh God, I don't know what to do," Kim wailed.
"What's wrong Kim, please tell me what's wrong and I'll try to help," I assured her.
"Oh, shit, Mr. 'C', I can't tell you, I can't tell anyone. I am so embarrassed," she finally said, crying even harder now. "The only one I could tell was Megan, and she isn't here."
By now I was really getting very concerned so I opened the door to the Mini Cooper and knelt down beside Kim. I reached out and put a hand on her shoulders and turned her until she was slightly facing me. From even that little body movement I could see Kim grimace.
"Look Kim, I know that you are Megan's best friend, but I hope that you consider me to be a friend as well," I began, and Kim almost smiled and nodded her head.
"You can tell me anything and I promise that I won't judge you, I won't yell at you, and if there is anything I can do to help . . . then I will do it. I promise. Now come on and get out of the car and come inside for a few minutes."
This time Kim did smile for a few seconds before her face turned beet red and she dropped her eyes.
"I can't get out of the car, and I can barely walk," she began, "My boyfriend . . ."
With those last two words, Kim's face turned even redder with embarrassment.
I think my face also started turning red, but in my case it was anger.
Megan had already told me more than I wanted to hear about Kim's new boyfriend. I knew Megan didn't like him. I mean really, really didn't like him. He was, according to Megan, very controlling and often verbally abusive to Kim.
Megan didn't think he had started becoming physically abusive yet, but from seeing the condition Kim was now in I couldn't help but think he must have really done something to hurt her pretty badly.
"Kim, I don't care what he's done, you just let me know and I promise he will never hurt you, never come near you again. Do you hear me?" I asked, and I guess she could hear my anger.
At first Kim just nodded, then started crying even harder before finally managing to choke out the words.
"This morning . . . this morning . . . he made me put something in my . . . my bottom. He told me I had to wear it all day. But . . . but now it is hurting so bad. I . . . I tried to get it out, but it hurts too much! I can barely walk, and sitting down and driving over here was like torture.
"Oh, God, Mr. 'C', what am I going to do?" she wailed.
Oh. My. God.
Was this incredibly beautiful young woman telling me she had a butt plug in her ass and it was stuck?
At that moment I was very glad she was looking down and not at my face. As hard as I tried to not let any emotion show she would probably still see a little grin at the thought of her "condition."
I mean, let's be honest. I try to be a thoughtful, kind, considerate guy, BUT . . . I'm still a guy.
In the last year and a half since my wife died, I have caught myself staring at my step-daughter's friend in something other than a simply friendly fashion. Hell, as long as I am being honest, I have caught myself staring at my step-daughter in something less than a fatherly way.
Right now, however, I knew Kim needed a friend. And I felt it was my duty to try to be that friend.
"Well, the first thing we are going to do is get you inside," I told her, as I undid Kim's seatbelt. Then I stood up and put one arm under her legs and the other behind her back, then carefully lifted her out of the Mini Cooper.
Despite my best effort I could both see and feel her wince and gasp in pain.
Once I had her out of the car I carried Kim through the garage, into the kitchen and into the living room.
I told her I would be as gentle as possible, but I was going to put her down on the couch.
She again cried out in pain as her bottom hit the couch and could see fresh tears in her eyes.
I couldn't help but wonder why it was so painful. I had never heard of a butt plug causing that much distress after it was inside.
I told her I would be right back, and went into my bathroom where I rummaged through my medicine cabinet for a minute. I finally found what I was looking for buried amongst the different medicines.
I walked back into the kitchen and poured some juice and then returned to the living room. I knelt beside the couch before asking.
"Kim, do you trust me?"
She nodded "Yes."
I handed her the juice and a pill.
"This is a muscle relaxer the doctor gave me last year, after I hurt my back. It is NOT a knockout pill, it is NOT a sleeping pill, and it will NOT make you unconscious.
"It will make you a little woozy, so you can't drive for at least eight or 10 hours, but you will be awake. If you trust me, then please take the pill."
See looked at the pill in her hand, then looked into my face for a minute before popping the pill in her mouth and drinking the juice.
"It will probably take about 30 minutes for the pill to start working, so I will just let you relax, okay?"
After she nodded that she understood I went back into my bathroom and got out a bottle of baby oil and started running warm water over it. Then I got some towels and washcloths and ran some hot water into a small bucket I got out of the garage.
After 30 minutes passed I grabbed everything and headed back upstairs.
Kim was still lying on the couch but now with her eyes closed.
"Kim?" I asked, and instantly her eyes opened.
"How do you feel?" I inquired.