"Archie?"
"Yes?" No, Linda usually didn't start conversations when they were trying to fall asleep, and if she did, it was rarely with his name.
"I need to tell you something."
"What happened?"
"I didn't want to say this because... you're not to blame for how I feel.
But I can't keep this inside anymore.
I'm sorry, I can't hold it back."
Her voice sounded anxious.
"What do you want to tell me?" Archie asked, intrigued.
"I... I did it with someone else," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Archie switched on the bedside lamp and sat up, blinking against the sudden light.
He looked at her.
"I'm so sorry," she went on, her breath hitching. "I'm so sorry. It's not your fault."
Archie couldn't speak. He just sat there, dazed and sleepy.
"It was about a year ago," she continued, her voice trembling.
A year ago.
"What happened?" he finally asked.
"In a yoga class," she said. "I think I was staring at one of the instructors... Todd. Then he found me after and said he noticed."
Archie sensed something was wrong.
"I told him it didn't mean anything, that I wasn't interested, but he looked so... hurt. He took me to his office."
She swallowed hard.
"I felt guilty. I apologized. But he just stood there, staring at me. And I... I felt like a child. So ashamed, standing in front of him."
She stopped.
Archie stared at her, his stomach twisting. Linda -- his Linda -- had let this happen? The woman he knew never let anyone push her around.
But she was crying.
Really crying.
A suspicion crept into his mind. What if this was a trick? A test?
A game?
And if it was, he had to keep playing.
"You know what he did?" she asked.
He hesitated.
"Did he rape you?"
Silence. Then, barely a whisper --
"No."
Archie exhaled.
"What do you mean?"
"He... He backed off, stood up, and just stared. He told me to leave, or he would fuck me in presence of other instructors."
"Tell me everything. Every detail."
Linda wiped her tears with the back of her hand, but she didn't look away.
"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice almost cautious.
Archie nodded. His chest felt tight, his pulse too fast. He shouldn't want to hear it. But he needed to.
Linda exhaled shakily.
"I remember the way he looked at me when I didn't move. Like he knew. Like he was waiting to see if I would break."
She swallowed, her fingers tightening on the sheets.
"I should've left. I should've run. But I just... I felt something shift inside me. Like I wasn't in control anymore. And I didn't want to be."
Archie's breath caught.
"What do you mean?"
Linda licked her lips, hesitating.
"I stood there forever. At least, it felt that way. My heart was pounding. Then... I slipped my shorts down. Slowly. I remember shaking, but I wasn't afraid. I was..."
She faltered, searching for the word.
"Numb?" Archie asked.
Linda's eyes flickered.
"No. Aware."
A chill ran down his spine.
"Go on."
She inhaled, steadier now.
"He told me to leave. Again.
I could have.
But I didn't.
Instead, I pulled off my top. Then my bra. And I just... waited.
I don't even know what I was waiting for.
Maybe for him to say something.
Maybe for him to push me away.
Maybe for him to take me.
And he did.
He glanced at the door, then called over two other instructors -- a guy and a girl.
They walked in, saw me, and just... stared. Amazed."
She looked down at her hands, twisting the sheets between her fingers.
"But he didn't do anything at first. He just laughed.
Like I'd given him a puzzle he wasn't expecting.
And then -- he stood up, walked over, and traced a finger down my stomach.
It was light. Barely a touch. But I shivered. I think I gasped.
And when I did... he knew he had me."
Archie's nails dug into his palms.
"And the other two?"
Linda swallowed, her eyes distant, as if seeing it all unfold again.
"They just watched at first. The guy leaned against the desk, arms crossed, like he was waiting to see what would happen. The girl... she smiled.
Like she understood something I didn't.
Todd turned to them and said, 'See? I told you.'
Then he looked back at me.
'You want this, don't you?'
I couldn't answer.
Because the truth was... I didn't know."
She exhaled shakily.
"And then?" Archie pressed.
Linda hesitated, gripping the sheets.
"Then the girl stepped closer. And she touched me too."
"And then? What did she say?"
Linda's breath hitched.
"She told me... that I wanted to know how far I could go."
Archie's pulse thundered in his ears.
"Then she told me to kneel."
Linda's voice was almost reverent, as if she were confessing something sacred.
"My heart was pounding. But I stepped forward. And I lowered myself in front of them."
She closed her eyes for a moment, as if feeling it all over again.
"The room was so quiet. I could hear my own breathing.
I could feel their eyes on me.
Waiting.
Testing."
Archie swallowed hard.
"And then?"
Linda opened her eyes, locking onto his.
"Then she reached out, lifted my chin with two fingers, and smiled. She said, 'Good girl.'"
"I looked up, and Todd was watching me. I hesitated for just a moment before reaching for his zipper. I wasn't sure what I expected, but when I freed his cock, I felt a flicker of surprise.
He was already growing hard and his cock was very big, and as I wrapped my lips around it, I realized just how much.
I moved slowly at first. His breathing deepened, and his fingers threaded gently through my hair, guiding me, encouraging me. I lost myself in the rhythm, in the quiet intimacy of it, in the way his body tensed beneath my touch.
He exhaled sharply, his hands tightening just enough to let me know he was close.
I didn't stop. I took him deeper, feeling the shudder of his release, the warmth filling me.
I swallowed.
He came a lot.
His breath was unsteady as he came down, his fingers grazing over my cheek, his body relaxing.
I lingered for a moment, tracing my tongue over his skin, stealing glances at his face.
He looked utterly undone. And I knew -- I had given him exactly what he wanted.
He told me that I'll think about this later. More than I should."
Linda met Archie's eyes, and something inside him twisted.
She wasn't just ashamed.
She was something else, too.
And that's when it hit him --
She wasn't telling him this to be forgiven.
She was telling him this wild nonsense to make him suffer.
And that was far worse.
The silence between them stretched, thick and suffocating.
Archie could barely think.
He should feel rage.
He did feel rage.
But beneath it, deeper than he wanted to admit, something else was stirring.
Something darker.
Something that made his skin prickle and his breath come just a little too fast.
"I need some air," Archie muttered, swinging his legs over the bed.
He didn't wait for a response. Didn't dare. If she said something -- anything -- he might lose his nerve.
Linda didn't try to stop him. She just watched, her expression unreadable, a hint of a smile on her lips. Amused? Knowing? He couldn't tell. The thought made his stomach twist.
The kitchen was dark and silent, save for the low hum of the fridge. Archie leaned against the counter, gripping its edge until his fingers ached.
