The 7-Day Challenge

From 1954 to 1975 around 3 million military personnel served in-country in Vietnam. More than 58,000 U.S. military personnel died while serving. Approximately 850,000 are still alive today. This story contains a vignette about that era, a small homage to those vets who still remain. - QPQ77

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Thursday June 2nd, 11:30am

I was in the shop assembling the new bikes that had arrived late Wednesday. I must have been somewhat sleep-deprived, as it had taken me 3 hours to get two done. Ordinarily, I get them ready in about thirty minutes. I was having difficulty concentrating; memories of last night's events kept flooding my brain.

The sound of a woman's voice pulled me out of my reverie. It was Katie's voice coming from DreamKleen's restroom. Curious, I pulled a crate up next to the wall and stepped up, peeling the poster away from the vent so I could eavesdrop. With so much weird shit going on, I figured it couldn't hurt.

"Yes, Tiffany," she was saying. Tiffany was Katie's best friend from high school. "James is like totally hot. His body is ripped, and he can make me cum like a million times a night." Well, that was nice to hear. "He's totally in love with me, and as soon as I get his fucking bitch mother out of the way he'll marry me for sure. I'd already have a ring on my finger if it wasn't for her."

It appeared I was hearing Katie's true feelings now. Katie listened for a bit to whatever Tiffany was saying, and then responded. "No, are you crazy? I made a big show of cutting up my credit cards to fool him, but it was really my library card and a drug store discount card. He was so horny he believed me and never looked at the pieces. But no way would I leave myself without a credit card!"

I was halfway between shocked and angry. On the one hand, given she might lose the challenge I could certainly see her rationale. She had made me a promise, though, and then deceived me. I'd always believed in love at first sight - that's the way it was with me and Katie - but now it appeared I'd been so infatuated and obsessed with her I'd also been blind.

There was a pause while Katie listened to Tiffany, then she began, "I'm not worried though. His sister is so cool, and she..." The buzzer on DreamKleen's front door went off on and Maria called to Katie for help. Katie stopped suddenly said, "Well, shit. Gotta go, Tiff. Love you!" and she quickly left the bathroom to go take care of customers.

My head was spinning from the sleep deprivation and conflicting realities. Was she still my sweet angel, or was she something else? This was more information than I could deal with. Then I got an idea. Katie was working until 4, so no one was at her apartment. I told Roger I was going to run an errand, then jumped in my hatchback and drove over to her place.

Using my key, I entered Katie's apartment. Her computer was sitting on her desk. I turned it on and opened the browser right up, no password needed. So far, so good. Searching the history, I found what I was looking for - her credit card site. I clicked on "My Account", and it asked for email and a password.

I entered her email, and guessed at a password, 'Katie123'. No luck. I tried again, password 'Farmer123'. No luck. The system warned me I had 3 more tries before it locked me out. I thought hard, and entered 'DreamKleen1'. It flashed and told me this was an old password, changed in the last 3 days. Two more tries left. Hmmm.

OK, mentally swinging for the fences, out of desperation I typed 'DontTellJames'. The little hourglass icon on the screen spun, and then...jackpot! Her account page popped open and I clicked on transactions/balance tab.

I could not believe what I saw. Once Katie had shared with Maria how she had $11,000 in credit card debt, and this is the number Maria shared with Toni. The truth in front of me said that Katie's credit card balance was now $21,875.66! Without taking in to account her other expenses, that meant her debt was more in the neighborhood of $60,000!

I suddenly got a lump in my throat and swallowed. Looking at the transaction records, I saw the most recent transactions were on Tuesday, the day after she gave me what I thought were pieces of her cut-up credit card - there was $372.29 for some shoes and another $403.81 for a leather jacket. That was the same day I met her at the bar with a whole new outfit that she claimed my sister had loaned her!

My head was now throbbing, so I got up to look for some pain reliever in her bathroom's medicine cabinet. Opening the cabinet, I pulled out a bottle of aspirin and opened it. Taking two, I reached to put the aspirin back where I found it. My head still pounding, I clumsily knocked a plastic container to the floor from the cabinet. Bending down, I grabbed what I had dropped, then stared in disbelief at it.

The thing I picked up was a pink and white case, flat and circular. I opened it and saw room for 28 pills in a circle, and about half were missing. It was a birth control prescription! More shocking was the label on the inside of the lid. It was a prescription for Jennifer Rivers! What were my sister's birth control pills doing in my potential fiancée's medicine cabinet?

Quickly and quietly I closed the cabinet and put the pills in my pocket. This was all too much! To say I was stunned was putting it mildly. To clear my mind and wake up a bit, I decided to go out for a bite to eat. As I was leaving I logged out of Katie's credit card account and shut her computer down.

I drove over to the deli down the street for a tuna sandwich and a cup of coffee. It helped, but my brain was still a muddled mess. It looked like Momma had been right! All of a sudden, I needed to talk to the one person in my life besides my sister I could always count on when things got tough.

Thursday June 2nd, 1:00pm

I called Roger and told him I was taking a long lunch. He said things were slow, so it was cool if I just took the rest of the day off. I thanked him, and then drove over to Toni's house. Oddly, no one was home. I had assumed because of the challenge she'd pretty much be available whenever I wanted her this week. This was clearly NOT the case. I was feeling like a spoiled child being refused his favorite toy. I wanted her! I needed her! Where was she? I probably would have held my breath until I turned blue, if anyone was here who gave a shit.

I worshipped my sister Jennifer, but I didn't want to go to her house until I figured out what she was up to in this carnal chess game. Also, there was a possibility Claire might be there watching my two-year-old niece and nephew. I wasn't sure how I'd react being with her again, but I figured it might not be good for the twins to see their Uncle James feeling up Grandma's tits. (To be honest, the thought of doing that did summon up a boner for me.)

So no Toni, no Jennifer, there was only one thing left to do. I needed to ride. I loved riding, but never got around to buying a motorcycle. Instead, my friend Phat Dogg had a beat-up 1990 Sportster that he'd let me ride when I'd need to air out my head. Sometimes riding his two-wheeler really got me back in touch with myself. I headed over to Doggfather's, the tattoo and piercing shop he runs.

Phat Dogg's a good friend of mine. Although his name implies otherwise, he's actually a tall skinny dude in his early 30's with a body that's nothing but tattoos, muscle and bone; the dude's a serious-ass bicyclist. He and I are tight because I once set him up with a sweet racing bike.

One day Phat Dogg came in to the Country Pedaler asking about a custom bike; since I wanted some build experience, I offered to put one together for the wholesale cost of parts, $3000, and didn't charge him labor. (A similar bike from a manufacturer it would have run him minimum $7,500.) We've been bros ever since.

When I got to Doggfather's I parked, grabbed my helmet from out of the back of my car and went inside the shop. Phat Dogg was doing ink on some big guy's arm. He looked up and, seeing it was me, nodded and went back to his task. I grabbed the Sportster keys from the hook next to the cash register.

The Sportster started up on the first try and I poured the power on, heading west towards the foothills. When we were little kids, Toni used to take Jennifer and I up into the foothills to have picnics and play by the shores of Cherokee Lake. Fifteen years later it remained a place of calmness for me. Whenever I was upset, that's where I would go to think. As I rode up into the hills, the air turned cooler. It felt good, and my senses came alive.

As I pulled into the parking area, my blood suddenly ran cold. I was not alone. Across the parking lot I saw a late model Mercedes with the license plate "D WANE" sitting there. For crying out loud, WHY would he be up here in MY special place? Then it occurred to me who else's special place it might be. I could see there were two people moving inside the Mercedes. I quickly turned off the bike and took off my helmet. Walking the Sportster to the edge of the lot I parked it, hidden behind some bushes.

My fury towards Duane for trespassing on what I considered my personal property was being matched with my jealousy at the suspected identity of the other person in the car. I quietly approached from the rear passenger side and saw Duane and Toni making out like teenagers, kissing and groping. Her blouse was open in the front, no bra, and his cock was out. She appeared to be giving him a hand job as they kissed. They both jumped when I tapped on the glass.

They scrambled around inside trying to button up and cover like it had never happened. The passenger side window went down. Always one to take the offensive, Toni started in. "James! How dare you! Did you follow us here?"

I held up my hands palms out to silence Toni, and spoke to Duane. "Duane, did I not make it clear you should stay away from my mother?" He said nothing, just looked at the floor like a busted kid in the principal's office and nodded. It was probably just as well he kept his mouth shut. I looked at Toni. Her face was a flushed mixture of fear and joy; it was as if she was happy I caught her. I asked her in a low and menacing voice through gritted teeth, "Did you forget everything we talked about the other night?"

She saw an opportunity to spin her story, and went for it. "Now James, we weren't fucking. You know Duane and I are, um, fond of each other, and we were just demonstrating some affection when things got a little out of hand." She looked at me with wide innocent eyes, unblinking. "You know how that can be, right? How sometimes a little flame ignites a bigger fire, and you lose control of it?" She licked her lips seductively. "Let's talk later tonight, I promise make it up to you."

I stopped for a minute, stood up straight and took a deep breath. I looked across the parking lot where Phat Dogg's Sportster was waiting for me. Like the proverbial bolt out of the blue, an idea hit me. I leaned in towards the open window.

"Here's what you're going to do, Toni. Duane there is going to start the car and drive you down to Doggfather's. Aren't you, Duane?" The older man nodded, still silent and looking at the floorboard. "Once you're there, you'll have Phat Dogg pierce your nipples and insert some nice 14-karat yellow gold rings. I'll come by at 7:30pm tonight so you can show me how nice they look." I took her chin in my fingers, and forced her eyes into mine. "I've tried to make this very clear, Toni. Do you understand my instructions?"

"Yes, James," she whispered. "I'll obey."

"Good. Now start the car and go. I'll be about 15 minutes behind you to drop off the motorcycle. If I show up at that shop and you're not getting pierced, I will not be pleased."

Duane started the car, and they left. I sat down at the edge of the lake, lowered my head, and let go a single sob. I could not believe both women I loved had betrayed me on the same day.

Thursday June 2nd, 3:15pm

When I got back to Doggfather's to drop the Sportster off Toni was in the piercing chair, topless. I watched as the first nipple was pierced and the gold ring inserted. Toni was covered in sweat, but didn't make a sound. "Your mom's a tough one," Phat Dogg commented.

"This is nothing," she said back to him, a forced smile on her face, "try giving birth to twins."

She gasped a little as the second piercing went through, then Phat Dogg put in the second gold ring and taped gauze over the nipples. "Give them a few hours to settle down from the trauma, and you can take the gauze off. The rest is easy; just clean your piercings twice a day for the next 3 days, once in the morning and again at night. No soap, just rinse the piercing out using fresh running water. Got it?"

Toni slipped her blouse on, only buttoning a couple of buttons to minimize the contact on her sore nipples. "Got it," she replied, looking straight at me. She smiled sweetly. "I'm sure I'll find someone to help me take excellent care of my nipples. Right, James?" Now it was my turn to blush, but I stayed silent. She walked out the door to the car where Duane waited.

Thursday June 2nd, 4:00pm

As I left the tattoo shop I happened to pass a flower stand. Stopping on impulse, I bought a dozen roses. I could claim I didn't really know where I was going, but that would have been a lie. I pulled up in Claire's driveway.

Holding the roses behind my back I rang the bell, and when the door opened a look of shock crossed her face. For once she didn't look perfectly put together. She wasn't wearing any cosmetics, there were bags under her eyes and her hair was hastily pinned up. She was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. To me, she looked sexier than ever. "James! I wasn't expecting you, I must look a fright," she exclaimed.

"Sorry for just dropping in, it wasn't planned, it was just impulse," I said, bringing the roses from behind my back and presenting them to her. "I wanted to let you know how incredible you were last night." She took the roses from me, and I stepped inside. Once the door was closed I put my arms around her and kissed her. Instead of returning my embrace, she softly pushed me away.

"James, you're so sweet and I appreciate the thought, but you have to understand that was a one-time thing, it was to help Toni." Her eyes began filling with tears. "I'm just a dumpy middle-aged woman with two grown children and two grandchildren, I'm not some hottie like Katie or Toni." The tears began to run down her beautiful freckled cheeks. Hello, dacryphilia, my old friend...

I wrapped my arms around her again and pressed my lips to hers. They were tightly pressed together, resisting, but I could feel them soften as she dropped the roses and returned the embrace. "This was not supposed to happen," she whispered. Her tears ignited the fires of lust in me, and I reached up under the sweatshirt, my fingertips playing across her nipples. As I slipped Claire's sweatshirt over her head and knelt in front of her she kept repeating, "This was not supposed to happen, this was not supposed to happen, oh, gawd this was not supposed to happen".

I pulled her sweatpants down, kissing the curves of her abdomen, rubbing my face in the lovely stretch-marked flesh above her mons, and squeezing her ass cheeks with my hands. I caught the lovely scent of her female juices. Standing, I took her hand. "I'm going to have you, Claire, right now. Tell me you want me to."

She blushed, looking down. "James, this is crazy! The grandkids are asleep upstairs. Jennifer is out running errands, she may be back at any minute."

I silenced her with another kiss. "If it's true, say you want me." I whispered in her ear.

"I do want you," she whispered back, "but it's so wrong, James."

Despite her protestations, I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. She didn't resist. I set her down on the bed, gently and lovingly, her legs over the edge. I closed and locked the bedroom door then spread her legs wide, exposing a pussy shiny with moisture. Quickly I stripped off my coveralls and knelt with my face between her legs. She gasped as I began to kiss my way from her knees up to the tops of her thighs. My lips finally connected with her swollen labia, and I went to work pleasuring her.

She began moaning as she approached her climax, and her legs were shaking. I quickly moved up her body, my face wet with her juices as we kissed. I plunged my cock into her, and her first orgasm hit before the third stroke. Lowering my head, I grabbed her huge left tit and began biting, soft passionate bites that left little red marks. I did the same to the right, then began alternating back and forth. Every bite, every squeeze, every kiss seemed to give her pleasure.

"No James, you mustn't come in me, you need to leave now and save it for Toni tonight!" she protested, pushing weakly against me. I didn't stop, and didn't want to leave; I was enjoying her pleasure more than my own. Too soon, I erupted deep in her, secretly hoping that against the odds my sperm would find a fertile target. We moved up on the bed and lay together, limbs entangled, kissing softly.

My deflated cock slipped out and hung loose, dripping on her clean sheets. "Oh James," she whispered, "Why does it have to be so good? This is so wrong. This is..." My lips on hers, I silenced her once more. As our tongues danced, my hardness started to return, but we were interrupted by tiny voices calling for Grandma from upstairs.

Reluctantly she got up and put her sweatpants and sweatshirt back on to go take care of the little ones. I stood, taking her in my arms one more time, and we kissed for another minute before the tiny voices called again. I stepped back, pleased to see a wet spot at the crotch of her sweatpants. "Uh oh, looks like Grandma's been a little slut," I murmured teasingly. She blushed as she tried to tie up her hair, then shrieked as I lunged at her, grabbing for her ass.

"You're terrible!" she whispered, and went upstairs to take care of my niece and nephew.

Thursday June 2nd, 6:30pm

I was getting ready to go to Toni's when I heard a strange noise - I went outside to see what it was, and there was a long and thick envelope stuck in my front door mail slot. I opened it, and there was a letter from Toni.

"My dearest darling," it read. "I need your help. A man came in to my house tonight and gagged me, then put a pillowcase over my head so I couldn't see who he was and tied me to the bed. I laid there listening as he ransacked my room for jewelry and money. Since I didn't have a lot, he cursed and left, but did not untie me. I am now tied up in my bedroom, waiting for the police to come. However, instead of a good policeman I'm very afraid a bad policeman will come in and take advantage of me being tied up. I've been here crying for two hours, afraid of being put through more abuse. I need you to save me! Please hurry!"

At the bottom of the big envelope I felt something hard and round. Dumping it out, I saw it was a fake cop badge from a Halloween costume. This was all a fantasy, but Toni knew the right things to say. My buttons were pushed, and I was on my way.

Thursday, June 2nd, 7:00pm

When I got to Toni's house, the front door was locked. I went around to the backdoor. It stood slightly ajar, a footprint on the paint near the lock to make it seem as if it had been kicked in.

Playing along with the fantasy, I called out, "Police! Anyone home?" I looked around the kitchen, nothing looked out of place. Walking through the kitchen door, I looked around the living room. Toni's purse lay on the floor, with her wallet open and the contents spread across the rug as if someone had gone through it looking for cash.

I turned and began creeping up the stairs. This time I made no effort to avoid the creaky 4th and 7th steps, so Toni would know I was coming.