The Village

Drawn dark curtains block out the late afternoon sunshine as Skye Brayburn lay face down across the sweat-soaked linen sheets, her body rising and falling on sated exhaustion.

Propping herself up on her elbows she looked back across her shoulder as Andy lowered himself back over her.

"You're insatiable" she breathlessly whispered.

"And you're....exquisite." He replied as his hand gently slipping over the back of her neck.

Skye let her eyes fall closed, her blonde hair fell across her face as a soft moan escaped her lips as he pressed her down onto the bed and she felt his erection between her thighs once more. She was scarcely able to believe the physical intensity that has just played out, in the humid mid-afternoon heat let alone over recent weeks. She barely knew him, she had met him for the first time only two months previous. At eighteen years her senior Skye had questioned even becoming involved with the recently divorced man she had been initially introduced to by her stepmother.

His length pressed up past her slipping between her buttocks as he slowly ran it back and forth against her. Skye tensed her breath caught in her lungs, anticipation crippled her for a moment, sensing immediately the play he made. Her mind slipping towards panic as she felt him guide himself against her asshole.

"Uh Uh...No... No" Skye offered shaking her head as her right hand reached back and pressed against his toned stomach, "...sorry Andy no"

This was an intensity the twenty-year old had no interest in experiencing. She pressed her hand against him with greater pressure as she slipped her body forward across the mattress beneath her.

"I'm... I'm....Sorry." He offered the dejection in his voice all too apparent despite the words he offered.

"I've never... and well I'm not sure if I ever...." Skye cut her words short, not even wanting to draw conversation on the matter. Feeling relieved immediately as he felt him physically raise himself away from her.

Skye rolled over onto her back and pulled a white linen sheet across her naked body. Andy's disappointment still barely concealed as he slipped from the bed and rose to his feet, heading towards the en-suite bathroom in the corner of the bedroom in which they had spent the whole afternoon.

"I want to take you away for a weekend," he unexpectedly announces. "Get to know you... and everything about you."

Even as he spoke Skye wondered if his intent could be any more thinly veiled.

"Really..." Skye offered sincerely enough, although inwardly the prospect of such a step up in intensity filled her with doubts as to the nature of there brief clandestine relationship. "...when...where?"

"I've not got Charlie this weekend... we could book hotel in London... just the two of us."

Skye offered him a sincere enough smile, the mention of his seven-year-old son, who was the same age as and best friends with her Stepbrother underlined the baggage that he came with. She could not think of an excuse quick enough, as his eyes met hers.

"Sounds nice..." she offered, "...but my Dad is due to be discharged from the hospital this weekend I should really be there for him."

"Can't Kim take care of him?" Andy countered immediately.

"She doesn't care about him... she walked out on him when he was having the fucking heart attack." Skye sharply retorted, not even looking to conceal her contempt.

Skye watched as Andy paused, unsure what to offer as he stood there unashamedly naked before her. His erection barely rescinding. He had caught her at a vulnerable moment in her life. Susceptible and in need of company in the whirlwind of emotions that had spiralled since her father had been in intensive care. Initially she had babysat for his son whilst Andy had gone on an unsuccessful first date. A night that had ended in her accepting his invitation to share a bottle of wine and ultimately ended in her sharing his bed for the first time.

Their relationship had been nothing more than physical, and although his gesture suggested so much more at this juncture she was not sure it was a path she wanted to follow. Not least as she was due to return to University in a matter of weeks.

"Let me have a think about it... I'll come back to you this evening."

The dejection that crept across his face for a second time in as many minutes was not concealed. She did not need his needy behaviour, she had been reckless and needed to step away for breathing space if nothing else.

In that moment Skye knew immediately their relationship was over before it had truly begun.

**********

The Crown Inn, the beloved local establishment nestled in the heart of the village, exuded charm.

Wooden beams crisscrossed the ceiling, while warm amber lights illuminated the cozy lounge, as outside late summer eighth gripped the sky.

Jake Parkinson sat back on his high back stool at the end of the bar, cradling a half-empty pint of Guinness, as he absent mindedly swirled the creamy top around the top of the dark liquid.

From his vantage point he could see nearly all of the lounge bar, but he concentrated on the two girls stood at the opposite end of the bar, casting surreptitious glances in there direction as and when he could afford them. The sounds of their laughter and conversation filled the air.

Every time he chanced a look in their direction his eyes could not help but cast up Skye Brayburn's long toned legs, from the little white Nike trainers that clad her feet to the hem of her little denim skirt that as she leant forward barely covered her pert little ass.

Her upper body covered by a white shirt that was undone but knotted around her midriff over a red bikini top that substituted for a bra. Her blonde hair and slightly freckled skin appeared to be sun kissed. Unsurprisingly given the recent spell of warm weather.

Skye, as she had been for the last half an hour was locked in conversation, leaning over the bar towards her best friend, Nicola Strachan, who had recently started working at the pub.

Skye's laughter rang out, clear and infectious. Jake was minded so many times to pass comment in the direction of the girls. He could not fully immerse himself though given the cloud of ambiguity of past events loomed over him like a shadow.

His mind casting to the night back in February where both girls had worked as hostesses for him at one of his regular poker nights. A night that had blurred the lines for him and Nicola. A night filled with memorable sordid passion, decisions made on need to sate desires for both himself and Gary Chambers.

Unspoken emotions but heavy accusations filled the aftermath of that night. Not least from Nicola, whose remorse about the encounter obviously weighed heavy on her young shoulders. Given how Skye had walked out in her friend that night Jake refuted any suggestion of impropriety, convincing Nicola of her willing and consent at the time and sticking to his version of event since then.

Neither girl trusted him, he knew this, and the acerbic looks offered to him on his arrival had only underlined that fact.

As Jake chances a further glance in their direction he dwelt on Nicola's submission and energetic performance. His look lingers as a grin etches his lips he had no regrets on what had played out, even if she did. His only regret was that Skye Brayburn had not shared the night with them as he had always intended.

Both girls look up as a young man entered the bar and caught their attention.

"Well, hello.... Who are you?" Skye asks to Nicola as opposed to the dark-haired male. Curiosity bubbled in her voice, her blue eyes wide with intrigue as she watched the newcomer approach the bar.

Nicola squinted slightly, trying to recall what she had heard.

"Mark Hopkins.... just moved into the Village.... Builder I think... and I think he's related to Mark, the landlord." There was a hint of admiration in her own voice that did not go unnoticed by Jake.

Skye's smile widened, her playful nature surfacing. "He's... well, there's not many like him around here are there."

"He's got a reputation for being trouble," Nicola warned, arching an eyebrow, her tone playful yet cautious. "A bit of bad boy."

Skye chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Well, he could do bad things to me, and I wouldn't complain."

"Behave," Nicola chuckled.

Skye leaned back in her chair with a carefree attitude, swirling her drink looking to be noticed. "Besides... you're always saying I'm too much of a good girl."

"That was before you ditched your boyfriend for an older man... Is that still a thing?" Nicola's teasing tone suggested she was both worried and entertained at Skye's romantic escapades.

"Just a fling..." Skye replied with a slight roll of her eyes, flicking a lock of hair off her face as if shaking off the weight of her current relationship. "....Thats fast fizzling out... Sure, the sex is great, but it feels like he only wants a physical relationship."

"What a surprise..." Nicola smirked as she took a sip of her drink. "...An older man just after you for your... assets. I mean, why are you shocked...You must have expected this, but I guess it explains why you've ignored three calls from him in the last half an hour?"

Jake felt a pang of judgment as he overheard their easy dialogue, mixing humour with raw honesty. He leaned against the bar, his mind swirling with conflicting feelings. One part of him wanted to critique their loose morals while another, more hidden part, found himself captivated by Skye's boldness. His gaze followed the curve of her long legs again as she crossed them beneath the hem of her little denim skirt.

Then, with a sudden burst of energy, Skye set her empty glass down on the bar and stood up, tossing her hair back with an air of confidence. "I'll just go have a word with Mr. Troublemaker... where's the harm in that?"

Jake watched her strut towards the door leading to the venues main bar in an adjoining room where her target had just headed. There was just something about Skye's charisma, and the way she carried herself that he found irrisistible.

Nicola quickly followed, casting a glance back at Jake, as she headed behind the bar that ran between the two rooms. As intrigued as he was Jake stayed rooted in place, the swirling thoughts in his mind, tethered himself metaphorically to the bar.

Given that Nicola had left the bar unattended Jake was more than happy to see the landlord Mark Pulley step up to serve a customer. He then approached Jake, and set a free pint of Guinness before him, his eyes gleaming with a touch of mischief.

"Quite the pair, those two... aren't they?" he remarked, gesturing subtly towards where Skye and Nicola had disappeared from.

"Young dumb and..." Jake replied,

"Too young and not too dumb to be full of your cum" Mark cut across him.

Jake could correct him, remind him of the details he had shared with Mark about his dalliance with Nicola, but he bit his tongue.

"The legs on James Brayburn's girl though... what I wouldn't do to get between them and spunk a bastard into her."

Mark nonchalantly shrugged at his friends crass comment, glancing briefly towards the door, his expression a mix of curiosity and amusement. "Hang on in there buddy you never know your luck... Local girls seem to always suffer around here."

With a half-hearted smirk at Marks sarcasm, Jake leaned against the bar, not feeling ridiculed by his best friend. He could not shake the distraction that Skye had provided, a vivid reminder of what he yearned for but knew he had no chance of achieving, morally at least. His mind back dwelt to the nature of Nicola's submission, Skye Brayburn's would be far sweeter.

"Started with her Father and young Emily Smith" Jake responded.

"Now, now... nothing was ever proven" Mark offered, his words dripping in sarcasm.

"Money can buy you anything..." Jake offered "...Even immunity it seems."

The two of them fell into silent contemplation. Neither of them offering a word to the disappearance of the popular local girl they had all attended school with who had mysteriously vanished twenty-five years ago.

"They say this Village has been cursed with bad luck ever since" Mark offered as Jake took a long swig of his drink. "Although some say this Village has been cursed for centuries."

"Well... I guess you can make your own luck..." he offered to Mark, "...given the right opportunity,"

As the Crown Inn buzzed around them Jakes hand slipped to his pocket as he contemplated the tangled web of deceit that unfolded in his mind. The night held dark promise, and amidst the clinking glasses and merry chatter, perhaps it would bring long overdue reward.

"Go tell your nephew not to fuck it up with young Skye." Jake instructed Mark. "I've a promise to keep."

**********

As the last of the regulars headed for the door Mark Pulley dimmed the lighting of the Crown Inn.

Nicola Strachan stood behind the bar, cleaning up with methodical precision. Mark came to assist her as they shared light conversation whilst they wiped down the surfaces, glasses clinking softly as they were calmly stacked away.

Skye Brayburn, on the other hand, was still engaged in lively, flirtatious conversation with Mark Hopkins, who, under the playful twinkle of the bar's lights, stated, "Call me Dutch...my Uncles Mark so no one calls me Mark."

His nickname rolled off his tongue with a mix of confidence and charm, drawing Skye's sparkling laughter like a magnet. There was an undeniable chemistry crackling between them, electric and intoxicating.

With a mischievous smile, Skye leaned in closer, her eyes gleaming, playing off Dutch's jokes, and allowing the tension to simmer.

As Nicola turned her back momentarily to clean the glassware, Dutch seized the opportunity. He pulled Skye into him, capturing her lips with his, kissing her passionately. A hunger that had been building in both of them suddenly fed, a kiss that spoke volumes amid the dimness of the bar.

Distraction was an alley to Jake Parkinson as he made his way quietly through the bar on his way back from the toilets,

As he passed the table the young couple had sat at next to the bar nobody noticed as he extended his hand over Skye's unattended drink that sat on the polished surface of the table.

Seizing the moment, he quickly dropped the crushed blue tablet into her glass, the powder dissipating swiftly into the liquid, as he slipped back into the shadows and crept back towards the darkness of the lounge bar.

"Alright, I'm locking up and heading to bed," Mark announced, casually glancing toward Dutch and Skye, who were now lost in their own world. "If you're staying here, Dutch... make sure to lock the doors whenever your blonde friend leaves."

He winked at his nephew and then stepped out, leaving the bar in a relaxed hush.

"Are you alright here on your own?" Nicola asked Skye, her voice laced with lingering concern.

"I'll be fine," Skye reassured, a playful smile dancing on her lips. "I'm sure Dutch can look after me."

The casual innuendo dripped from her words.

"I'm sure he will," Nicola responded with a knowing undertone of her own, a double meaning lurking beneath her teasing. "Just remember, you're a good girl."

But Dutch had already taken Skye's hand, leading her away into a shadowy corner of the bar that was tucked away from view. The soft glow of the bar lights barely illuminated their retreat, leaving Skye's flirtatious laughter to hang in the air like lingering smoke.

With a wave that went unseen, Nicola followed Mark out from behind the bar, then stepped out into the crisp night air through the back door. Mark cast a glance over his shoulder as he led Nicola out of the darkened building, wishing her goodnight, blissfully unaware of the tangled web of emotions and events that were set to unfold.

As Mark locked the door behind Nicola, Jake re-emerged from his hiding spot in the gloom, he offered a dark smirk to his friend.

"So, we've got James Brayburn's daughter all to ourselves" Jake stated, a hint of mischief dancing across his lips.

"Seems that way," Mark replied with an all-knowing nod, his eyes sparkling with the thrill of the night ahead. "Let young Dutch get her in the mood first, shall we?"

Jake chuckled, following Mark back into the now-empty lounge bar. The atmosphere shifted dramatically, the lively buzz of earlier replaced by an eerie stillness.

Mark poured two glasses of whiskey, the amber liquid catching the dim light as it poured slowly with a satisfying sound.

From the bar next door, unmistakable sounds began to filter through the wall. The sounds of raw passion and fervent desire. As Dutch and Skye entwined, their passion was laid bare, soon passing to the throes of lust.

Mark paused, glass in hand, a playful grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He leaned against the bar, listening as Skye cried out at the height of an ecstatic climax.

"Seems to be enjoying herself," Mark chuckled, "So, I'm guessing young Dutch is too."

"She's a long night ahead of her," Jake replied.

The words slipping from his tongue as he felt a whirlwind of emotions rise within him. Excitement mingled with a sense of foreboding, a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins.

In the moment, amidst the echoes of pleasure and the bitter taste of the whiskey, Jake found himself caught in a swirling vortex of desire of his imagination.

Impatient to discover young Skye just as Dutch was in this moment.

So close now to what he had hoped would happen for months.

Skye's night was about to take a sinister turn, as much as he felt the weight of the consequences slowly tightening around him, young Skye Brayburn had no ideas of the metaphoric noose her neck was in

Patiently, Jake positioned himself at the bar waiting in the shadows

The growing feeling that something was about to implode, and that the aftershocks might be far more powerful than any of them could anticipate.

He did not dwell on such thoughts as he imagined once again how sweet Skye Brayburn's submission will be.

The Crown Inn, with all its usual warmth and charm tonight began to harbour a dark storm.

***********

Skye Brayburn, her blonde hair tousled, and her cheeks flushed, stepped through the darkness towards the bar with Dutch.

She could see his cocky confident smile as she repositioned her bikini top and fastened her shirt back into a knot that sat just above her midriff.

"What happened to my underwear?" She giggled as she reached her arms around Dutch and kissed his lips.

"I'm sure the Cleaner will find them" Dutch chuckled as he broke away from the kiss.

"Seriously" Skye chastised him playfully as she reached for the drink she had left upon the table next to the bar. A thirst born of the last twenty minutes quenched as she consumed the majority of the contents of the slender glass. From somewhere in the building, a wave of cool air swept and caused goosebumps to break on her sweat-soaked skin, inwardly she chastised herself for giving into Dutch's ministrations, the feeling that lingered in her body from the heavy orgasm she had experienced outweighed her emotions though.

Skye straightened her creased skirt as best she could, a small attempt to regain her composure. She approached Dutch once more as he leant on the bar, a sense of excitement lingering in his eyes. The night had taken an unexpected turn, and she could not help but revel in the exhilaration of it all.

"That was unexpected... and fun," Skye said playfully, leaning against the bar iherself n a casual yet flirtatious manner.

Dutch turned to her, an eyebrow raised. "We can continue the night back at mine if you want?"

His tone was inviting, yet as Skye finished her drink she was minded of Dutch's motives being driven purely by physicality.