by Sky Winters
But as she tried to open the fridge, it wouldn’t give; the door seemed to be stuck. Tessa didn’t think too much of it, instead deciding to head into her studio and get some work done on her latest piece. She quickly switched into her paint-streaked work clothes and got her equipment ready. But as she put brush to canvas, she noticed that the paint wouldn’t stay on the brush. Tessa brushed and brushed, dipping the end into the paint until the bristles were gobbed and heavy, dripping to the floor, but no matter how much pressure she applied, the canvas remained pristine and untouched.
And as this went on, a creeping sense of dread began to overwhelm her. Her hands shaking, she dropped the brush onto the ground. Right when it hit, she noticed a rumbling that was at first nearly imperceptible, but soon grew to a bass-like rattling that shook the house, dropping art from the walls and knocking over anything that wasn’t nailed down.
She dropped her supplies onto the ground and ran outside. To her horror, the sky was now heavy with dark storm clouds that roiled and crackled with lightning. Then, a shape descended from the clouds, first coming down in a black swirl, but soon coalescing into the shape of a man, a faceless man black as pure pitch who loomed over Tessa. Fear gripped her heart in a fist as the wind picked up, catching her into a swirl of leaves and branches. The man-shaped being then reached towards Tessa as she stood frozen with fear.
But before it could touch her, a beast came stomping out of the woods. It was the bear who had protected her before, its face in a rage as it howled and roared at the dark being. The man-shaped thing turned towards the bear, leaving Tessa alone. The storm around her built to a fevered pitch as the bear and the thing stared at one another, seemingly preparing for a fight. Then, the bear ran towards the thing, its paws thundering against the ground as it ran.
Just at the moment that the two creatures would’ve begun fighting, Tessa woke up, bolting upright in bed, her body slick with sweat. She looked around her, confirming that she was still in the bedroom and the Swift Compound. Pulling down the covers, she looked out of the window in her room, her eyes settling on the substantial border that separated the compound grounds from the woods beyond.
Tessa put her head back down on the soft pillow but realized quickly that she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep. Throwing the blanket from her body, she got out of bed. There was only one thing she wanted right now and she was determined to get it.
The carpet soft on her bare feet, Tessa opened the door to her room and stepped out into the hallway, which was now dark and empty, the brothers all seemingly in bed. Tessa walked down the hallway, her eyes narrowed on the double-doors at the far end. One she reached them, she grasped one of the handles and pushed it open, revealing a massive master bedroom that looked out onto the compound. And in the king-size bed in the middle was Atticus, sleeping nude, his perfect body splayed out on the sheets, his cock resting against his thigh.
Tessa placed her fingertip on her lip as she looked upon Atticus’s body, the traces of sleep that remained in her being replaced with a blossoming feeling of arousal. The silver of the moon poured into the bedroom, casting his form on a ghostly sheen that highlighted the curves and contours of his physique, and Tessa allowed her eyes to scan every inch of his body, paying special attention to his prick, which was thick and full even in its flaccid state. The salty taste of skin washed over her mouth and Tessa realized to her surprise that she had begun sucking on her finger.
Atticus shifted in bed, rolling over onto his stomach, his sublime, sculpted ass now facing Tessa.
After looking it over for several long moments, she decided that she couldn’t simply look at him any longer. With gentle cat’s-paw steps on the carpet, Tessa moved closer to the bed, finally reaching it and lying down next to Atticus. He stayed just as still as he had been as Tessa got into bed with him.
Hesitant at first, Tessa reached towards Atticus’s body her fingertips grazing his skin before she rested her hand on his toned stomach. She held her palm there for a moment, taking in the feeling of his body, savoring how it felt on her skin. Then, she allowed her fingertips to dance downward, along with his stomach, through his pubic hair, then onto the base of his cock.
Tessa noticed that while Atticus didn’t seem to notice her touch, his prick did, twitching slightly to the right as soon as her fingertips touched it. She moved her fingers up further and further, feeling the smooth, flawless skin of his shaft, his cock moving slightly. Next, she wrapped her fingers around his cock, squeezing it gently, his flaccid prick thick and heavy in her hand. She moved her fist up and down slowly, and after a moment or two of this, she began to feel him grow hard in her hand, his prick stiffening by the second. Looking up at Atticus, she saw that he was still asleep, though the brow of his handsome face was furrowed, as though his sleeping mind was trying to determine just what was happening to it.
Soon, Atticus’s cock was rock-hard. Tessa looked at it in its full, erect glory; she still couldn’t get over just how long and thick it was, how perfect it looked. It was almost a work of art in her eyes. Giving it one more squeeze, she removed her hand, licked it, and placed it back on his cock, stroking him with a new, liquid smoothness.
Tessa continued to stroke him, gradually building up the pace, his cock now fully engorged. She wasn’t sure if it were possible to make a man cum in his sleep, but she was more than willing to try.
But before she could find out, a hand shot out and grabbed onto hers. With a gasp, Tessa looked up and saw that Atticus was now fully awake, gazing at her with sensual, bedroom eyes.
“I was having the best dream,” he said through a sly smile.
“Oh yeah?” said Tessa, continuing to stroke his cock.
“Yeah. But I think this is better.”
Tessa smiled and continued, happy that Atticus was awake. She would pleasure him either way, but she vastly preferred to see his eyes on her as he came. She continued with her right hand, and with her left she began to softly squeeze his balls. She picked up the intensity of her work, squeezing his cock hard when her hand moved up to his head, letting her fingers do their work on the sensitive skin of his prick.
Atticus reached down and pulled Tessa’s shirt off, and leaving her breasts bare. He fondled Tessa’s breast as she stroked him, the feeling of pleasure beginning to well in him from the masterful way that she worked his cock. Then, he slid his hand along the bare curves of her body, up along her neck, finally resting it in her hair. He gave her a gentle push and Tessa knew right away just what he wanted.
Looking up at him with a sly, sinful glance, she moved her head down further, inching closer and closer to his cock. When she finally reached it, she took a long look at it close-up, devouring it with her eyes before she devoured it with her mouth.
She spread her lips slowly, aiming his cock towards her mouth, touching it with her tongue before sliding it into her. Once it was fully sheathed, she sealed her lips around it, letting its warm, salty taste linger on her tongue. Then, she began to suck, bobbing her head up and down, licking him the entire way.
Atticus moaned as she sucked him, running his hand through her hair as she did her work, feeling orgasm already building deep within him, at the base of his cock. He knew that it wasn’t going to take much to get him to cum, and he was already relishing the notion of unloading himself deep into her, watching her drink down every last drop of him. He watched her suck him, watching her head bob up and down on his prick, her tongue darting out from the side of her mouth and her eyes flicking up towards him as she sought to make sure that his face was as tight with pleasure as she hoped it was.
Atticus listened to the sound of her lips on his cock, the sloppy, wet sound filling the air of the bedroom. But just as he was about to reach the point of no return, Atticus had a change of heart. Running both hands through Tessa’s hair, he gently pulled her head up, his cock slipping out of her mouth.
Sitting up, he took Tessa by the hips, flipped her over onto her back, and climbed on top of her, his co
ck just inches away from her pussy.
Tessa was looking forward to having Atticus shoot his cum into her mouth, to taste him so intimately, but she was just as pleased with this turn of events. She placed her hands on his sides, waiting for him to plunge himself deep into her.
She didn’t have to wait long.
Wet and slick from how aroused his cock in her mouth made her, Atticus entered her easily. She moaned softly as he sheathed himself fully in her, knowing that it wouldn’t take long at all for her to cum hard. Burying himself to the hilt, Atticus began fucking her at a pounding pace instantly, his thrusts full and deep.
He pounded her for minutes, fighting off the urge to cum. But as he fucked her, Tessa slipped her hands through his hair and looked deep into his eyes.
“Cum for me, baby,” she said, wanting nothing more than for him to shoot his load deep into her.
She herself was on the verge of climax, knowing that feeling him unload himself into her would be just the thing to push her over the brink.
And hearing Tessa’s urging was just the thing to make Atticus cum. With a long grunt, he came, his cock shooting deep into her, filling her completely. Orgasm rocked his body, weakening his arms, nearly forcing him to collapse onto her.
Then Tessa came, her orgasm exploding, ecstasy running through her body, as she shivered from the powerful thrumming of the pleasure pounding through her.
Atticus’s arms gave way from the pleasure and he allowed his body to fall on top of Tessa’s, her skin warm and wet. Tessa ran her fingers over his skin as both of them looked out of the window, their breath regaining as they watched the subtle play of the night wind through the leaves.
CHAPTER 15
When Tessa awoke, Atticus was already out of bed. On his pillow was a note was written on stiff, white paper, the handwriting all straight lines.
Breakfast is in the kitchen. Eat up, then come find me.
- A
Tessa smiled at the note, the mere thought of Atticus was enough to bring a feeling of warmth to her heart.
She rose out of bed and made her way back to the room that had been set aside for her. She hopped in the shower, taking her time and enjoying the luxury appointments of the bathroom, such as the double-headed shower that sprayed water on her skin with the exact right pressure to undo the knots that had been tightening in her body over the course of the last few days.
Getting out, she dried herself with one of the thick, soft towels that hung on the stainless-steel hooks and entered the walk-in closet. To her surprise, there was a bevy of women’s clothing, bringing to Tessa’s mind the question of just how many women the brothers brought to this compound. Picking out a simple white blouse and a pair of blue jeans, along with a matching set of expensive-looking lacy underwear, she dressed herself, drying her hair and putting it up into a simple ponytail.
Heading into the kitchen, she was presented with a sight of scrambled eggs, bacon, whole-grain toast, and what appeared to be freshly-squeezed orange juice and recently brewed coffee. Feeling hungrier than she was anticipating, she piled a plate high with the food and poured herself a cup of both coffee and orange juice, bringing it all to the kitchen island and taking a seat there.
Without even thinking, she slammed the orange juice down in a single, long swig before diving into the eggs, shoveling them down as though it were the first meal she’d had in days.
“Good?” asked a deep, booming voice from behind her.
A little surprised, Tessa, spun around in her seat and was presented with Clyde, who was dressed in a tight-fitting gray t-shirt that showed off his bulky, powerlifter’s muscles and a pair of soft-looking black running pants. Tessa noted that he was, like the other brothers, very handsome, though in a unique, boyish way, almost harmless.
“It’s amazing,” said Tessa, speaking with her mouth full, her need to shovel the food down overwhelming her sense of decorum.
“Great!” said Clyde, stepping around the kitchen island and standing across from Tessa. “Atticus told me that you’ve had a rough few days, so I figured you could use something good to eat. That always helps me feel better, at least.”
Tessa realized that over the course of however long it had taken for her to scoop down half of the food on her plate, her mood had definitely improved.
“This is exactly what I need, thank you so much,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, blushing slightly. “Sorry if it’s a little protein-heavy; that’s what the guys and I mostly eat.”
Tessa chewed on a piece of bacon, her eyes looking out of the kitchen window onto the compound grounds outside, noting that there was a gathering of men forming.
“What’s going on out there?” she asked, pointing towards the men with her bacon.
“That’s, ah, that’s our weekly meeting.”
“Meeting?” Tessa was confused. “Who’re those other guys?”
“They’re the other men who live on the compound,” said Clyde, seeming now unsure of himself, as though he were afraid of saying too much.
“’Other men’? What are they doing here?” asked Tessa, taking a sip of her coffee, curious as to exactly what kind of organization the Swift brothers were heading up. “Wait, this isn’t some kind of cult, is it?”
“No, no,” said Clyde. “Atticus will be in soon, he’ll explain everything. Trust me, though, you’re in good hands here.”
“Why? You mean because of my situation?”
Clyde’s eyebrows raised.
“You mean you didn’t hear?”
“Hear what?”
“Oh,” said Clyde, pointing towards the kitchen TV with a nearby remote.
The display flicked on and the picture was filled with an overhead helicopter shot of a building that Tessa immediately recognized as Hannigan’s.
“A drug deal gone wrong last night as local bar Hannigan’s was wracked by gang-related violence,” said the female reporter in a calm, professional voice as the camera zoomed in on the bar.
As the picture moved in, Tessa could see, to her horror, that Hannigan’s looked like a small war zone- the windows were smashed, cars in the parking lot looked as if they’d been worked over with lead pipes, and the steel sides of the bar were dinged with lines of what looked like bullet impacts. A perimeter around the bar had been formed by police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks.
Tessa walked closer to the screen, her mouth open.
“Though details are still coming in, it appears as if a gun battle between two groups broke out in the late hours of the night. While no patrons or members of the staff were present, three gang members were killed in the gunfight and four more were injured.”
The screen then cut to a serious-faced police officer who discussed the rise of gang violence in the Bear Mountain region due to the increase in meth production activities in the region.
Tessa let out a sigh of relief when she heard that no one other than gang members were involved in the shooting. But she knew that this was the sort of business that Lucas had gotten involved in.
“Sad, huh?” said Clyde. “And it’s only been getting worse.”
“Where’s Atticus?” asked Tessa, not wanting to wait around any longer.
“Outside, with the rest,” said Clyde.
Tessa turned to leave but looked back over her shoulder as she headed out.
“Thanks again for breakfast,” she said.
“Of course!” said Clyde, giving a thumbs-up.
Tessa walked with quick steps down to the garage level and went outside through a steel door. She looked over the compound, seeing it for the first time in daylight. To her surprise, she saw a handful of wood cabins here and there on the huge stretch of land, small homes that seemed similar to hers.
And the in the middle of flat space that was completely clear of brush or trees, was a group of about ten men, all standing in formation, with Atticus standing at their head, and Ian and Roland at his sides.
Tessa walked towards the
meeting with careful steps, worried that she was interrupting something important. But she reminded herself that Atticus had told her to come find him when she was up.
As she drew closer to the group, the eyes of the men all latched onto her. She looked the group in front of Atticus over and saw that they were all men of varying looks, the only commonality between them seeming to be that they all were in excellent shape, all appeared to be under the age of thirty, and all were dressed in expensive-looking gym wear.
“You’re up,” said Atticus, who was dressed in a simple white t-shirt and a pair of slim, black-and-white track pants, his eyes on Tessa.
“I am,” she said, walking to Atticus’s side. “What’s going on?”
“Is it finally time?” asked Ian, his mouth in a sly smile.
“I’d say so,” said Roland, his arms crossed over his full chest.
“There’s something more to what’s going on here than men living in the woods,” said Atticus.
Tessa felt both her curiosity and anxiety pique. For a moment, she began to wonder if she had been right and that he was about to induct her into some kind of cult.
“Oh?” she asked, not sure how to react to what he was saying.
“We’re…something different,” said Atticus, seemingly searching for the right words. “Something unique.”
“Not exactly human,” said Ian, cutting in.
Atticus shot him a silencing look.
“What does that mean?” she asked. “And who are all these men?”
Atticus opened his mouth to speak, but stopped, as if realizing that words wouldn’t be enough.
“Ian?” he said, looking to his brother. “Care you show her what I mean?”
