Hanging up with Brayden was harder than I thought it would be. I was just glad he couldn't see me cry or how I blushed when he said he wanted to support me. That part almost made me swoon. Like, how did he say that out loud? 

I couldn't express how happy I was to hear that, though. I always thought men only would ever want to fix things for me, but he wants to figure things out with me. It was a huge leap from what I had known growing up, and I was loving it.

"Dinner!" I heard Mom call after a little while. I put the phone down and went to the dining room. As I passed the nursery, I looked in and saw Wendall getting Kyle. I kept on going and took a seat at the table. 

Once we were all seated, the awkward silence I expected never settled. Mom and Wendall kept up small talk, every once in a while asking me something. We talked about me going to college and I stayed quiet. I didn't want Wendall thinking that he was going to have to pay my tuition or that I expected him to do anything. 

After we finished eating, Mom excused herself for her book club. Wendall and I gathered up the dishes and brought them to the kitchen. We washed them in silence. Every once in a while, our hands would touch needlessly and I wondered in the back of my mind if it was intentional. He was being normal and was being kind enough to let me stay here, so I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

I walked back into the dining room and freed Kyle from his high chair. "Hey, Mr. Wendall?" I called into the kitchen. 

He stepped out with a smile. "Just Wendall is fine. What's up?"

"How should I clean up Kyle? He kind of has lasagna everywhere." I showed him the baby that was wriggling to get down. 

"Let's give him a bath," Wendall said after a moment. "I'll help you. Let me finish up here and I'll be right there. Go ahead and take him to the bathroom and get him undressed." He ducked back into the kitchen and I heard plates rattling and cabinet doors opening and closing. 

"Okay." I'd never dressed or undressed a baby and I was terrified. I'd heard they were like rubber and clothes didn't hurt them. That had to be the case, right? Parents did this all the time. 

I took him into the bathroom and laid him on the floor, scared he'd wriggle his way off the counter somehow. I started unsnapping his onesie and very carefully took it off. The diaper was the last thing, but I had no idea how to get it off. I felt the sides and then slowly peeled back a couple bits of tape and then got hit with a stench. He'd pooped and peed inside of it.

Logically, I knew that was what a diaper was for, and I knew that he was only doing what he was supposed to do, but still. How was I even supposed to clean that? I didn't want to stick him in some poopy bathwater. That was just unsanitary. I looked around the bathroom and saw some wet wipes. I grabbed them from the counter and looked. They were baby wipes, so I pulled one out and grabbed Kyle's leg. I lifted and realized it would be easier to grab both, so I readjusted my grip and tried again. 

His butt came off the diaper and I stuck the wipe under him. I wiped the poop off and slid the diaper aside. I looked back at him and wondered how to clean the rest. Maybe I should wait for Wendall to give him that bath. It was my first time encountering male bits, and I had no idea what to do with them.

"Ready for that bath?" Wendall asked as he wandered into the room. He had a towel slung over his shoulder with a washcloth in one hand and a diaper in his other. "I see you got his diaper off. Did you clean him up without being peed on?"

"Peed on?" I looked down at Kyle. I forgot that was even a thing. "Oh, um, I didn't know what to do so I didn't really wipe anything other than his butt."

"Fair enough. Well, he's about to get cleaned up, so it's fine this time." He sat everything he was holding on the counter and knelt next to the tub. Water started running and Kyle got up. He tottered over to the tub and watched the water. 

Wendall made quick work of cleaning the baby and getting him dressed. I just watched, surprised he could do all of that and do it so fast. Then again, I supposed he did this a lot on nights Mom wasn't here. He seemed to support her taking nights for herself. Maybe I was wrong about him. 

I followed him into the nursery and watched him set Kyle down in a large playpen with some toys. He immediately started playing with one of them and Wendall walked out the room. I went with him and stopped in the hallway. "Thanks for helping," he said quietly. "I take it you've never changed a boy's diaper before, have you?"

"Never changed a baby period," I admitted. "They're kind of a foreign concept to me. I think I held one some years ago, but I don't remember who it was." I shrugged. 

"So this is probably your first time encountering a guy's junk, huh?" My spine stiffened. Who was he to ask that? "It looks a lot different as they get older. Then again, that old man of yours must have educated you."

"Excuse me?" I hissed. Was he really standing there insinuating my father exposed himself to me on purpose? "My father was violent, yes, but he never laid a finger on me that way."

"So you really haven't seen a man before? Good to know." He backed up a step and opened the linen closet. "I'm going to take a shower. You can go on to your room if you'd like. Your mom will be home in a few hours."

Hours? With this pervert? I went to my room and heard him laugh when I closed the door. There was no lock, so there was no way to keep him out if he wanted in. I sat my suitcase on my bed and neatly added all my clothes to it. The thing was nearly full, and it was kind of heavy, but it was still some sort of relief to know everything was there in the event I needed to run. Which, I was sure, would be soon. 

I wasn't going to put up with things anymore. Not after what my father put me through. 

---

Time dragged on that night. Nothing happened after that. I stayed sitting up on my bed until after I heard Mom come home. The front door opened and closed, there were some hushed voices in the living room, and then some flirty giggles that made me want to gag floated down the hallway as Mom headed to her bedroom with Wendall. 

There was no way I could tell her that she chose a pervert. No way. I just needed to get out of the house as fast as possible. That was it. 

As the week slowly progressed, Mom looked into applying to the university. With my high school transcripts, I was almost immediately accepted. The first week of my stay was coming to a close, and I was ready to choose my major and start ordering the books I would need, as well as choosing to commute or stay in a dorm. I voted for dorms, but Mom and Wendall begged me to stay with them. 

No matter how hard I put my foot down, the more my mother resisted the idea. Finally, I gave in and agreed. 

The second week came, and the night that Mom went to her book club arrived. She made something simple again, got her things together, and left. Wendall and I did the dishes in silence. He took Kyle and got him ready to wind down in his room while I went to my room and checked my phone for anything from Brayden.

We texted a little since he was working still, but then I herd footsteps stop outside my door. There was a knock and then the door opened. Wendall was wearing a robe and it wasn't tied well. His chest was showing and it was sparsely covered in what looked like soft, curly hair. "You should start getting ready for bed," he said, leaning on the door frame. 

"It's still early, though." I checked my phone. It was barely after eight. Mom wouldn't even be back for another two hours, if the previous week was anything to go by.

"If you get ready for bed, we can watch a movie together until your mom gets back."

If we were together in the main part of the house, then surely he wouldn't do anything. Right? "Okay. What movie are you thinking of?"

He shrugged. "I have a VHS of Arachnophobia. Do you know what a VHS is?"

"Of course."

He chuckled. "Okay, then. Well, get changed and come on into the living room." He lingered in the doorway, as if I were going to start changing in front of him. 

"Um, privacy, please?"

"Oh! Right, sorry." He went out into the hallway and closed the door behind himself. 

How would this movie go?

I changed into pajama pants and a long shirt that hung loose on me and came right up to my neck. There was virtually no skin showing. Which was more than I could say for Wendall. His robe was open to his thighs, barely covering his crotch, and the top was even more undone than when he was at my room. 

Even worse, he was sitting in the middle of the couch. My choices were to sit next to him, or sit where I would likely be flashed if he wasn't wearing underwear. I chose to sit by him, but with my feet against him. I hugged my knees to my chest and propped my head on a pillow. "Ready for the movie," I said when I was comfy. 

He'd been watching me the whole time, and I could tell he was disappointed by what I was wearing, but oh well. I wasn't giving anyone - not even my boyfriend - a free opportunity with me. I was going to be as far from enticing as I could be in hopes he would give up. 

Of course, I was naive in my thoughts. Part way into the movie, he jumped and grabbed my leg. He laughed it off, saying he forgot about that scene, but he didn't let go of my leg. It was my calf, so I didn't say anything. I grit my teeth and let it be. However, about halfway through the movie, he stretched and spread his legs even more than what he had. I didn't look at him, acting like I was invested in the movie.

Which I was, honestly. The movie was unsettling to say the least, and I had a feeling I'd have a hard time getting to sleep afterwards. However, about three-quarters of the way in, his hand moved. This time, it moved to my knee. Again, I just let things be, deciding that if he moved it again that I would move too.

The movie was nearing the ending, and Mom wasn't back yet. Wendall's phone rang and he answered, pausing the movie. He got up and walked into the kitchen. After a few minutes or so he came back, his rob still barely tied around his waist. "Your mom is going to be out a while still. She just called to let me know the club was watching the movie of the book too and the movie is still another hour or so long. Looks like you're stuck with me for the evening." He gave me a grin that unsettled me, resuming his position with his hand on my knee. 

We watched the rest of the movie and then, during the credits, he turned to me. Our eyes met and he slowly raked his eyes down my body. "What?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"I was just wondering about how many times that boyfriend of yours saw what you're hiding. I mean, you're young, so you have a nice body, surely. You shouldn't hide it in clothes like that."

"This is just comfortable to sleep in. Besides, I don't like what you're implying."

He raised an eyebrow. "That means you're still pure. You haven't seen a grown man before." His hand reached for his robe and the next thing I knew, it was all the way open. My eyes trailed downward before I could stop them and, to my relief, he had on underwear. He laughed at me. "What? Did you really think I'd let you see anything?" He laughed some more as I felt my face catch on fire. His eyes lingered on my chest before sliding up to mine as his laughter died out. "Unless... you really do want to see."

I opened my mouth to say something, but the next thing I knew, his hand was there. Cupping my face. "What are you doing?" I asked venomously. He ran his thumb across my lower lip and then dipped it into my mouth, just barely. 

"Beg me, and I'll let you see anything you want."

A chill rolled down my spine as I barely kept myself from gagging. His other hand ran up the outside of my leg and the next thing I knew, he'd raised my shirt in one swift yank. "Stop!" I tried to push him away, but he didn't budge. His hand held my shirt around my neck as I felt fingers wrap around my throat. I froze, unsure what to do at that point. 

The hand on my face left. His hand slid around behind my back and unclasped my bra. I gasped and the hold on my neck grew tighter. "Don't make me leave a mark," he whispered in my ear. "Or do you want your mom to know you were trying to entice me all night while she as away?"

That was the last thing I wanted. Fabric slid down my arms. Tears flooded my eyes, both from the lack of air and sheer embarrassment as I felt cold air hit places it shouldn't. His eyes roamed freely. I shut my eyes so I couldn't see the lust coating his features. How was I supposed to fight back? I tried to raise my arms to cover myself, but his hands quickly pinned my arms. 

"I thought so. You have a great body. Flaunt it more." The hands tightened their grip as my shirt slowly fell, covering me up. Finally, after an eternity, he let go. "I can't wait to see more," he said ominously. "Tell your mom what happened, and I'll tell her that you came on to me. You'll be out on your own long before you get to move into any dorm. People out there will see that body and want it and won't be afraid to take it for themselves. Now, go to your room. I don't want to see you again tonight."

Glad to be told to go, I grabbed my bra and ran from the room. My door closed quietly behind me. I took my desk chair and propped it under the handle. I wanted so bad to call Brayden and tell him to come get me, that I'd go back to Rapid Falls with him, but the thought of telling him what happened was mortifying. 

I looked at myself in the mirror and took off my shirt. My eyes took in everything he saw. I could still feel his hands on me. My fingers went to my throat. Was I going to have marks there tomorrow? It felt like I had the word violated tattooed on my forehead. When someone else saw me, would they be able to see it?

Tears that I'd been holding back finally spilled over and I sank to the floor. Sobs wracked my body, but I tried to be as silent as I could. I didn't want him to know the effect he was having on me. 

I wanted, so badly, for Brayden to be the first one. For him to be the first one to see. I hadn't realized it until his hands were on my throat, but I wanted to give that to him. Now my Mom's husband was the first one to take a peek under the hood. 

Giving in to my desire, I pulled myself up from the floor and crawled into my bed. I called my boyfriend and pressed my ear into the phone, trying to get as close to him as possible. I would just leave out what happened. He didn't really need to know. Not yet.