The Secret in the Back Room

My summer shorts were loose to begin with, and since I had put them on just to sleep, I hadn't even bothered with a belt. One quick tug, and they slid right off."Wow… Helen really picked out something good this time."Clarissa sounded excited now. She had moved right up behind me, close enough that I could feel her breath against my back every time she spoke.Inside, I was panicking and furious at the same time, but I didn't dare move. If she realized what was really going on, the embarrassment would be unbearable.What now? What was I supposed to do?Clarissa had already pulled my shorts down. My body was fully exposed right in front of her."Whoa, that's huge."Her voice carried even more excitement now.Her hands kept sliding over my hips, the warmth of her touch making my heart hammer against my ribs.Then suddenly, something warm, soft, and wet pressed against the most sensitive part of me.Was that… Clarissa's lips?My mind went completely blank.The realization hit

"Just getting a box of condoms."It sounded like someone had come in to buy protection. Clarissa might run the antique shop next door, but she stopped by my mother's place all the time to chat, so she knew her way around the store pretty well.I couldn't see what was happening out front. All I could hear was Clarissa rummaging through shelves, then telling the customer the price.My mind felt foggy.The air around me carried a faint, sweet scent.It was that aromatherapy oil my mother had bought recently. She had told me to light it when I slept because it could help me relax.Right now, though, the smell made it harder to think straight.A moment earlier, Clarissa's warmth had been wrapped around me. Now that I was exposed to the open air again, I felt a cool breeze brush against my skin.I shivered.Just then, I heard hurried footsteps coming from the front.It was Clarissa.It sounded like she had even locked the shop door, probably to keep anyone else from coming in.Th

What?Clarissa's words hit me so suddenly that my mind went completely blank. For a long moment, I couldn't react at all.Instinctively, I glanced at the candle beside me, then back at her."What do you mean… an aphrodisiac candle?"The words came out slow and clumsy as I repeated what she had just said.For a second, I didn't know what to think.What did she mean?Clarissa said carefully, "If you light those candles, the scent makes it really easy for people's emotions to get stirred up."She phrased it gently, but I understood immediately.And because I understood, I felt even more lost.Why would my mother do something like that?Why would she light something like that while I was sleeping?I was her son. What could she possibly gain from doing this?For a moment, I just stood there, staring at Clarissa, completely stunned."Usually, when I settle accounts with your mom, we do it on Fridays," Clarissa said slowly. "But this time, she pushed it back and told me to come

"But we didn't even do anything!"I shouted the words without thinking, my voice echoing through the office. I nearly flung the phone across the room before Wallace hurriedly grabbed my wrist to stop me."That's my mom's store! I was just there helping her watch the place!"My voice kept rising as I tried to explain. Wallace tried to calm me down, but the look on his face suggested there was more he wanted to say.He said carefully, "I know you're not that kind of person, and I believe you wouldn't do something like that. But the post has already spread pretty widely."My suggestion is that you don't focus on it right now. People will talk for a while, but eventually, they'll lose interest. That'll be better for you in the long run."You've also been working yourself pretty hard on your thesis. Maybe take a week off and go home to rest."So he wanted me to leave campus and let everything settle down.But why should I?"Mr. Sarratt, you have to believe me," I said desperately.