Creatures of Habit

Sarah hadn't noticed Tony before, any more than she noticed the ten other people who worked under her, anyway. He was typical of the young men who came to Pine River Foods, tired of flipping burgers for minimum wage, but with no college education to get a "real" job - basically the same reason she was still there after nine years. The pay was better than minimum, the benefits were good, and there was little or no knowledge or skill requirements to be hired. Her duties included giving breaks and training new hires on the proper way to de-bone turkeys. She had always joked that she didn't work on an assembly line, she worked on a

dis

assembly line.

When you work in a factory where people are fired or quit sometimes in the same week that they're hired, it doesn't pay to get too chummy with fellow employees, but Sarah still had a few friends in spite of herself. It was usually the guys she got along better with, and had been since she was a child. A natural tomboy, she liked playing cars and baseball rather than dolls and dress-up; being one of the boys is fine when you're a kid, but as she grew older, she began to feel lonely. She never really learned how to communicate on a feminine level, so as her buddies got girlfriends, she quickly became the odd "man" out. She had no female friends of her own and her buddies' girls were jealous of her close ties with their men and didn't want her around.

Sarah considered herself to be plain, at best; she was short and heavy, with glasses and a nose that was large and crooked from being broken two or three times in childhood; she felt that her only redeeming features were her gold-flecked, hazel eyes and her thick, red hair. There were a couple of boyfriends in high school and a few one-nighters at the bar, but guys just didn't tend to notice her, so by the time she was 33, she all but stopped noticing them.

"After all,"

she thought,

"I can do anything for myself that a man can do for me, without all the headache that goes along with it."

She hadn't noticed him before that day, and she may never have if it weren't for Jim. "You know Tony's got it pretty bad for you, right?"

"Tony? You mean that young kid with the glasses?"

"Yeah, he's been starin' at your ass every time you walk by."

"I probably have a piece of turkey fat stuck to my jeans."

"He's lookin' at a piece, but it ain't turkey, besides, this is every day this week."

"Come on, Jim, that's not funny, and I'm really not in the mood for it."

"I swear to God, he told me yesterday, 'damn she's got a fine ass - that'd look good decoratin' my bedroom,' then he asked if you were single."

"He must be pretty hard up, didn't he just get out of prison?" Self-depreciating humor was her favorite defense when she didn't know how to take a compliment.

Sarah didn't have to ask, she knew Tony had just been released, Pine River got tax breaks for hiring parolees and welfare moms, and he was up front with his story. One of his friends was caught fencing stolen property and was all too eager to give up his partners in exchange for a lighter sentence. They'd had a good set up, really smart - Tony would case the houses for a few days or weeks, until he was comfortable with the behavior patterns of the inhabitants, and then they would break in when no one was home. "People are creatures of habit," he said, "very predictable." It was easy to attribute his life of crime to youthful indiscretions, considering he had served three years and was still only 24. Since his release, he claimed to be on the straight and narrow.

So now, Sarah took a good look at Tony - and wasn't impressed. Sure, he looked good enough; he was well groomed with light brown hair and brownish-gray eyes, thick rimmed glasses ("prison issue," he'd told her, "my good ones got broke a long time ago") that gave him a brainy, slightly geeky look. He was blocky, but not fat, average height, and a brilliant smile that made his eyes light with mischief whenever he flirted. Physically, he was attractive, in an understated way, but he was still an ex-con and way too young for her

. "Besides, if he's interested in me, there has to be something wrong with him."

Maybe she couldn't do better, but she could certainly do without. His interest confused and embarrassed her, so while she flirted with him, she never took him serious, and turned him down to keep from getting her hopes up. After a while, it seemed that he was satisfied with the light banter they used to pass the time.

It was Friday night, and the only thing Sarah had planned was a hot shower and a good book, she rarely went out anymore, it always just depressed her. So she checked the locks on the doors, hung her fluffy house robe on the back of the bathroom door, and stripped down for her shower. Fridays she usually indulged herself with an extra long shower, taking the time to scrub, exfoliate, shave, and moisturize nearly every inch of her skin before she got out to dry off, but this was not the usual Friday night. As she stepped onto the bathmat and reached for her towel, the lights went out and she was surrounded by darkness. She finished drying off and fumbled for her robe before opening the door to begin the search for the breakers.

As Sarah felt her way out of the bathroom and down the hall, she was suddenly grabbed from behind by a strong arm around her waist and a large hand over her mouth. Panic tore through her like an icy dagger, and for a moment she was too frightened to even struggle. As she regained her wits, she threw herself against the arm in a futile attempt to break free and run, but whomever it was, was prepared, and didn't give way that easily.

"Stop fighting, Sarah, I don't want to hurt you."

He was whispering, low and through a mask, so even though he knew her name, and she thought the voice was familiar, she couldn't quite place a face with it. It didn't help that his lips and breath against her ear were warm and gentle and extremely distracting. She relaxed a little and then stiffened again instantly

. "It must be the adrenaline rush and lack of a sex life,"

she thought,

"I can't be enjoying this!"

"If you promise not to scream, I'll uncover your mouth, alright?"

She nodded - no reason to scream anyway, her neighbors wouldn't bother to notice if she were being murdered on the front lawn. His hand moved quickly from her mouth to her throat, so far he hadn't hurt her, just scared the hell out of her, but he was definitely in control of the situation.

"I can't fight my way out of this, but maybe I can talk my way out,"

she hoped silently. The voice knew her name, he may know other things about her - she would have to be careful not to get too deep into a lie, no stories about boyfriends or siblings.

"I'm meeting my mother for dinner in half an hour, if I don't show up, she'll come to check on me."

"No, you're not. You never leave the house on Fridays."

"Oh shit, how did he know that?"

"You come home from work and drink a cup of hot tea while you sort your mail and pay your bills for the week. No later than seven you take at least a 30-minute shower and curl up with a book until you start dozing off on the couch around ten. I've been watching you for weeks, and your pattern never changes - people are creatures of habit."

Two things registered at once; she had apparently been the victim of a stalker without knowing it for some time, and she did, in fact, recognize the voice that tickled her earlobe and made her skin tingle. She didn't stop to think it through, she just blurted out, "Tony!?" Before the sound faded into the darkness, she realized what a serious error she had just made.

He chuckled softly, "very good, I knew you were bright, but I didn't think you'd catch that," no longer bothering to disguise his voice. "Now be a good girl, and don't put up a fight; it won't help, and I really don't want to have to hurt you." He tightened his grip on her waist and as she was pulled to him, she felt his swelling bulge against her hip. Health class lectures on how to prevent being raped suddenly came to the front of her thoughts as panic grabbed hold again.

He guided her down the hall to her bedroom, which he had been busy preparing while she was in the shower; there were scented candles and white roses all around the room. She thought briefly,

"I might call this romantic if it were a date rather than an assault,"

then she noticed two sets of handcuffs locked onto the center bar of her iron bedstead and a fillet knife on the nightstand.

That did it - terror shoved aside all rational thought as she tried to pry his arm loose and twist out of his grasp. She almost made it, but their wrestling had brought them far enough into the room that he only had to push her onto the bed and follow her over as she fell. Trapped beneath him as he sat across her chest, she flailed her arms in a vain attempt to dislodge him. Tony calmly pulled first her right wrist, then her left, above her head to the prepared handcuffs. He moved down, still straddle her body, and reached under the bed to retrieve ropes (already secured to the frame) to tie her legs down and open. As he climbed off the bed, he removed the mask. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but you're just not gonna cooperate, are you?"

Sarah broke down, sobbing, as she realized she was out of options. "Tony, please, let me go! You said you don't want to hurt me. Let me go, and I promise I won't call the police!" He got off the bed and turned to the nightstand. "Let you go? Believe me, I've tried for months, but I can't! I think about you constantly, I can't concentrate on anything else, you even fill my dreams every time I close my eyes. I have to have you. And don't worry, you won't be calling anyone when I'm through with you." She saw the blade in his hand as he turned back towards her and she started screaming for help at the top of her lungs. Tony clamped his free hand over her mouth again as he laid the knife back down and reached for something in the floor. He put a gray duffel bag next to her and started pawing through it one-handed. He apparently found what he was looking for, as he pulled out a ball gag and quickly replaced his hand with it. He kissed her tear-stained cheeks gently and whispered, "you're only making this harder on yourself."

He picked the knife back up and cut the belt of her robe - after their struggle, it wasn't really keeping anything closed, anyway. "Please don't squirm, this will be better for us both if you just relax." Next he started at the cuff of her sleeve and cut down to the lapel to expose her entire left side. Suddenly, insanely, all she could think of was how awful she looked naked; she could endure anything he was about to do, if he would just cover her back up. Instead, he cut the right sleeve as well -

"just like we skinned the rabbits when I was a kid on the farm,"

the thought made her shiver - and laid the knife aside. He spread the remains of her robe around her and stood back to admire the view. He smiled as his gaze swept from her head down to her feet and back up to her shaved mound. "Damn, there's nothin' hotter than bald pussy! You're even more gorgeous than I imagined." Fresh tears burned her confused face as she shook her head. He sat next to her, dried her eyes, and ran a hand down her body, caressing each curve like a priceless treasure.

"This isn't the way I wanted things to be between us, but you never gave me a chance to do it right," he explained as he moved to the foot of the bed. Firmly, but gently, he began massaging her feet and ankles, kissing her arches and sucking her toes as he went. As he worked his way up her calves and thighs - kneading, licking and kissing along the way - her breathing became shallow and her nipples tightened in a mix of fear and anticipation. "You keep telling me that I'm too young, too inexperienced, or that you're too old, or too fat. You shouldn't put yourself down like that, don't you know how sweet and sexy you are?" Tony slid up past her wet heat to rub her round tummy and kiss and nibble her ribs. "How beautiful and desirable?" He sucked a nipple into his mouth and she moaned deep in the back of her throat. "How incredibly hot and fuckable?" He ran his tongue around the other nipple and bit down lightly as she threw her head back and arched her body towards him.

Sarah had already lost control of the situation, and was quickly losing control over even her own body. Most men she'd been with spent a couple of minutes groping her tits and crotch and called that foreplay - Tony was kissing and caressing every inch of her body and making her writhe in an agony borne of pleasure. After what seemed like hours of this exquisite torture, he lowered his head to her now dripping pussy and began alternately twirling his tongue around her clit and lapping at the sweet juices that seeped from her silky pink lips. Suddenly, the most intense orgasm of her life wracked her body and ripped muffled screams from her throat, she drenched him in her cum, and he licked it up like he was dying from thirst. He slowed, and finally stopped as she came down from the height of her ecstasy and went utterly limp.

Tony stood up and undressed while she recovered, then he untied her legs and gently rubbed the red marks left by the ropes. "I'm not taking off the handcuffs just yet, but if you promise no more screaming, I'll remove the gag." The gag was uncomfortable, and he hadn't hurt her, so she nodded her agreement. He took the gag out of her mouth, dropped it back in the gray bag and kissed her for the first time. He was demanding without being harsh as his tongue slid past her teeth and along the sensitive roof of her mouth. She was brought back to reality when he withdrew from her and whispered, "I'm going to help you turn over, I want you on your knees." This wasn't going to be as bad as she had thought, he seemed to be a considerate lover, and 'doggie style' was her favorite position.

When he got her settled the way he wanted her, he climbed back onto the bed and started sliding his swollen member up and down her moist slit, sending waves of pleasure through her again. He steadied his dick at the entrance to her cunt and swiftly thrust in to the base, coaxing a gasping moan from her that was part pleasure, part surprise. After a few quick strokes, he withdrew and placed the throbbing head against her asshole and slowly pressed forward. She tried to pull away, crying, "oh my God, Tony! No! I've never done that before! Please, not there!" He leaned over her back and whispered, "if you just relax, this will go a lot easier for us. I'll take it slow for you, I promise." He straightened and repositioned himself, pressing his tool gently, but firmly into her ass. When the head popped in, he stopped, allowing her to get accustomed to the new sensations.

He slowly eased in an inch or two at a time, until his full nine inches was buried in her tight asshole. "Damn, you've got a hell of an ass, I've been wanting to do this since the first time I laid eyes on you!" As he slowly moved in and out of her, she realized it was only uncomfortable at first, the faster he pumped, the more enjoyable it was. Soon, sweat was pouring off both of them; the fire was rising in her again, much to her surprise. She started rocking back to meet his thrusts, harder and faster, until she called out, "oh, yes! Oh, God, yes! Baby, I'm gonna cum again! Oh, my God! It's ... it's ... ooooohhh, yyeeeess!" As she tightened around his shaft, he fought to hold out and maintain control, but it was no use - he came with a growl that sounded more animal than human as he clutched her generous hips and slammed her abused asshole. His seed flowed into her as he thrust once, twice more and then stopped, trembling; his cock buried deep in her ass and his fingers digging into her sides.

When his strength was nearly gone he eased out of her reluctantly and they both collapsed on the bed, panting, drenched and exhausted. Tony kissed her ear and gently squeezed her ample tits and whispered, "you're an incredible woman, whether you believe it or not." He got up and quickly got dressed. He took the handcuff key out of his pocket and pressed it into her hand and said, "I'd unlock you, but if you still want to call the police, I want a head start." He kissed her, picked up his bag, and left swiftly.

Sarah lay there for a while too stunned to move before she finally opened the cuffs and sat up, rubbing her wrists. She knew she should call the police, but did she really want to? She got up and walked around the room, blowing out the candles and touching the roses,

"there must be three dozen or more,"

she thought.

"He sure put out a lot of effort and money to pull this off."

Nobody had ever bought her roses before, let alone that many.

She ran to the front door and called out into the night, "Tony? Come back, we should talk about this! Tony?" It was too late, he was gone. She looked him up in the phone book, but realized he would be a new listing, so she called the operator, but there was nothing under his name. He'd said he wanted a head start, did that mean he was skipping town? Whether he did or not, she had no way of finding him until Monday, and then, only if he shows up for work. She suddenly felt like she'd lost something that she didn't even know she had.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she went back down the hall to the bathroom. She showered and dried off again and started to reach for her robe before realizing why it wasn't there, so she just wrapped up in her towel and headed to bed. As she turned down the hallway to her room, she was grabbed from behind again, loosely around her waist, and a familiar voice whispered, "what do you want to talk about, Sarah?" She smiled and couldn't help but laugh a little as she said, "you know, if you're going to keep doing this, I should give you a key!" She turned in his arms and he pressed her back against the wall as they kissed deeply, tongues dancing, teeth nipping. As he ended the kiss, he replied, "breaking in is half the fun for an ex-con like me - and people

are

creatures of habit."