He had the rest of their lives planned to perfection...he only missed one small detail.
Randy had a good life. He owned a successful business, had two wonderful children and a beautiful wife. Now that their youngest was off to college, Randy was eager to reap the benefits of having had children young. To his way of thinking, becoming empty nesters in their early forties was just about perfect. But his wife had other plans.
Following the divorce, and a bit of soul searching, Randy decides to take a Grand Tour of his homeland and really
own
his mid-life crisis. He buys a fast car, kisses his kids goodbye and heads west. He would soon discover, however, that fate had one more surprise in store for him.
After accidentally saving an ill-tempered alien with a cockney accent and a devastating appetite for junk food, Randy embarks on an adventure beyond his wildest imagination with a companion whose abilities seem boundless. Along the way, he encounters the best and worst of humanity and meets a bevy of remarkable women.
Incorrigible is the tale of a good man who, in rescuing an alien, finds himself in a very human struggle between good and evil. His new companion tosses out Faustian bargains like candy, forcing him to navigate the fine line between finding true happiness and losing his soul.
Author's note:
This novel is a work of sci-fi adventure. I've split it into four sections for publication here.
All sensuality (on page or otherwise) takes place between characters who are eighteen or older.
Thirty-Four
"That's it," Lily said despondently as they came to a stop at an intersection just outside a town so small that it might have been more aptly called a village.
They had departed early that morning and been on the road for hours. Despite the endless kilometers passing beneath them, the subject of the prior evening's voyeurism had yet to come up. Lily seemed content to behave as though it had not happened. But, in a turn that Randy found utterly bewildering, there had been a complete lack of awkwardness amongst the trio. They had instead enjoyed the kind of effortless camaraderie normally only shared between lifelong friends.
The only downside of that continuous banter was, now that they had arrived, Randy realized he had neglected to come up with any semblance of a plan. He glanced at Lily in the passenger seat and said, "How many people live here? And are they all part of the same congregation?"
"A couple hundred. And yes."
"Does everyone live in town, or is this more of a farming community?"
"The latter, but people definitely come to town on Sundays. And Wednesdays. And Fridays. Now that I think about it, there's typically some kind of event at the temple every evening."
"What about law enforcement?"
"There's a constable, but he never wears a uniform. I don't recall anyone ever being arrested or anything like that. There's also the county sheriff, but my understanding is that the Bishop convinced him to steer clear of the town decades ago."
"Yeah, like that doesn't sound shady as fuck," Sabrina observed wryly.
Randy thought for a moment longer before saying, "I suggest we regroup and wait for the daily gathering at the temple. Any objection?"
No one spoke up, so Randy put the van in gear and headed back to the closest town big enough to contain a restaurant and gas station where they could refuel both their bodies and their vehicle. He dug into the stash of pre-paid cards Betty had mailed him as the cash he had managed to withdraw before his card was deactivated was running low.
As had become their custom, they ate around the table in the van. As they ate, Lily gently asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Randy shrugged and said, "That depends. What would be the worst thing that could happen to those most responsible for what happened to you?"
"Loss of face," Lily replied without hesitation. "Reputation is
everything
there."
"How does one lose face? Or, to put it another way, how have people lost face in the past?"
"Well, you could refuse to marry the man chosen for you, for one."
Randy pulled her close and gently kissed the top of her head. He was buoyed by the fact that she sighed and leaned into the contact rather than pulling away. He said, "I happen to think your face is perfect, just the way it is. But perhaps a better question would have been, what instances do you recall where a
man
lost face. Since I get the impression women aren't given nearly the value they deserve in the community."
"Well, one man sent his wife to the hospital after she refused him sexually. The bishop was very angry to be made to break bread with the sheriff to smooth things over. His sermon that week was about restraint. The implication being that men should be cautious to not damage their women so severely that they required medical attention."
"I very much would like to see what this bishop looks like turned inside out," Sabrina muttered.
"Patience, my love," Randy murmured. To Lily, he said, "What else?"
"Normal stuff. Not having money to tithe. Allowing their home to fall into disrepair. Other things which make the community look bad."
"Hmm," Randy sat back in his chair and looked thoughtful.
Lily's face brightened and she said, "Oh! There was also the time one of the deacons got what I later learned to be psoriasis
really