Back to Simple Stories

Slowly his breathing was returning to normal. He lay in bed trying to unravel his thoughts about what had just happened to him. In the bed, beside him, lay his co-worker. 

He had come home for lunch like he had done for five years. As he was unlocking the door he heard a car pull into his driveway. When he looked up it was Joan from the office. He at first thought there had been an emergency and she had tracked him down to let him know. 

“So this is where you hang out, Joe,” said Joan as she stepped out of her car.

“Uh, yes it is. Is there something wrong?” inquired Joe.

Joan grinned and said, “I need to talk to you.” 

Joe invited Joan in and fixed a drink for both of them. He invited her to sit on the sofa.

“Joe, I think you are a wonderful person. You are kind and gentle and understanding,” revealed Joan.

Joe caught his breath, “Well, thank you. My wife kinda sees it different.”

“Well, she’s a fool. Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that about your wife,” apologized Joan.

“That’s OK. No harm done,” Joe said, breathing a sigh of relief. 

“Joe, what do you do for fun?” asked Joan.

“Oh, not much. I’m pretty tied down to work. We just take the normal vacations, that’s all,” Joe replied. “What do you do?”

“Sex is fun to me,” breathed Joan. “Here I want to show you something.” 

Joan opened her purse and pulled out her compact. She opened it to reveal the white powder. She quickly made lines out of it and in an instant had inhaled two lines with her small straw. Joe was taken aback. He had never been into drugs, and the suddenness of it all left him short of breath. 

“Here, I’ve got enough for you too,” Joan offered while taking several short breaths.

“Uh, I don’t think so. I’m not really into to all that,” Joe declined.

“I can respect that,” replied Joan. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t love it so much. But it just makes me feel wonderful.” 

Joan replaced her compact inside her purse and turned to Joe, “Come on, I want to show you something.” 

She took Joe’s hand and led him straight to the bedroom.

 “Umm, you know, this is starting to be awkward,” Joe implored. He tried to keep his breathing normal.

Joan smiled as she looked at Joe, and then she turned and pulled her shirt up over her head and tossed it on the floor. Before Joe could object she reached up and kissed him hard enough to stop him breathing for a moment. 

“I, uh, I don’t think we should do this,” Joe objected, catching his breath.

“Why not?” Joan innocently asked.

“Well, uh, for one thing, I’m married. And I’ve never been unfaithful. And I don’t think I should start now,” said Joe trying to think of everything he could.

“I’m not trying to steal you away. I just want to have a little fun with you,” Joan replied as she removed her bra. She took Joe’s hand and placed it on her breast. “I’m in your hands,” she breathed.

“They, uh, they, Oh God, they’ll know we’re missing from work,” implored Joe, hoping his deep breathing did not give away how much he enjoyed holding her breast.

“I told them I wouldn’t be back this afternoon. And on the way over here I called and pretended to be your wife,” Joan said pulling him nearer.

“You what?” a stunned Joe replied.

“Yeah, I told them you got sick when you got home and wouldn’t be back ‘til tomorrow,” Joan said as her hand slid down to Joe’s groin.

“I really, I, oh shit, I really think we should stop,” Joe begged.

“Well, since you seem to be uptight about this, I’ve got an idea you might like,” Joan said as she was kissing him on the cheek. “Why don’t we just enjoy each other without really having sex. You see, we could leave our undies on and we’ll just play with each other.”

“Well, I don’t, uh, . . .” stammered Joe.

“Oh come on. We can’t do anything, so you’re really not being unfaithful,” Joan said. She kissed him long and hard, letting her tongue taste the inside of his mouth as her hands were unbuttoning his shirt.

Suddenly, Joan stopped and backed away. She unfastened her jeans and let them fall to the floor. With a grace Joe had never seen before, she unzipped his pants and pulled them down.

“This is looking good,” breathed Joan as she pressed her body against his. 

It happened so fast that Joe did not fully know how they fell into bed together. Joan thoroughly explored Joe’s body with her tongue leading the way. Without realizing how, Joe found he was nibbling on one of Joan’s breast. Their breathing was becoming one. 

As they stopped for air, Joe said, “I just don’t understand.”

“There’s nothing to understand,” Joan whispered.

“I mean, I’m thirty-six, and you’re what, twenty?” asked Joe.

“Oh, I’m twenty-one. So I like older men. It’s no big deal,” Joan explained.

“Yeah, but I’m old enough to be your father,” objected Joe.

“Well, I thought my father was sexy, too,” laughed Joan.

“You mean, you and, you mean, you and your father?” asked a shocked Joe.

“Oh, don’t be silly. He never asked me,” she smiled and gently pushed Joe onto his back. 

Joan placed herself on top of Joe and started moving her pelvis in a slow rhythm. “See, this feels good and we’re not doing anything wrong. We still have our undies on,” smiled Joan.

“Well, I guess, oh. . .,” Joe said as he caught his breath.

“Oh, this feels so good,” Joan moaned. She continued her slow back and forth movement while both of them closed their eyes and enjoyed the moment in silent pleasure. Eventually Joe reached out and started tenderly caressing Joan’s breast. She kept her eyes closed as Joe took her nipples and gently massaged them between his fingers. After a while, Joan opened her eyes and broke the silence, “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we take your briefs off? I’ll leave my panties on, but that way we can feel each other so much better.”

“Well, I, . .” Joe weakly objected.

“O come on,” laughed Joan. “There’s nothing going to happen so long as I keep mine on.”

“I guess, . . .” 

Joan tugged Joe’s underwear off and threw it on the floor. “Oh, that is nice,” smiled Joan as she ran her fingers over his penis. Joan placed herself back on top of Joe and continued her slow rhythmic movement. 

“See, no sex, just fun,” breathed Joan. She bent down and nibbled on one of Joe’s nipples.

“Yeah,” is all Joe could muster. 

Joan started kissing Joe’s neck and worked her way downward. She took her tongue and slowly made circles around the head of Joe’s penis. Joe held his breath as Joan drew his penis into her mouth. She held it there for a moment and then slowly pulled away.

“There’s another place where it could do a lot more good,” offered Joan as Joe deeply sighed. 

While holding her balance with one hand, she took the other hand and removed her panties. Then she worked her way back up until she was once again on top of him. 

“I’m sorry, but you just feel so good,” smiled Joan as she very slightly wiggled her pelvis.

“I think, I, oh, it’s fine,” surrendered Joe.

“Are you sure? I’ll stop if you really want me to,” Joan said as she kissed his chin.

“No, don’t stop,” Joe said as he breathed deeply.

“No, really,” teased Joan. “I’ll stop and get dressed, if that’s what you really want.”

Once again she gave a slight wiggle.

Joe caught his breath, and was barely able to say, “No, please!” 

Joan kissed Joe long and hard. Then looking straight into his eyes, she took a hold of his penis and placed it against the lips of her vagina. With very slight thrusts she slowly and deliberately worked Joe’s penis deep into her. With his penis locked in place, she stopped her movement and looked at Joe’s face. She smiled, kissed him on the nose and once again started a rhythmic movement, this time with Joe participating. 

“Oh, this is good,” Joan moaned. “I hope I feel as good to you.”

“Oh-h,” was all Joe could muster. 

Their movement became faster and the thrusts became harder until they both cried out with undeniable pleasure. Now spent and breathing deeply, they slowly separated and lay looking at each other. 

Joe lay there wondering how he was going to explain all this to his wife, Sally. Then he realized that the best thing to do was to say nothing. Why should he speak up and possibly ruin a good marriage of thirteen years? He and Joan had plenty of time before Sally came home from work. He would have to clean everything up, but he was sure he could make it look like nothing had happened. 

Joan stirred and sat on the edge of the bed. She stood up and went into the living room. Shortly she returned with her purse. She pulled out her compact and drew some more lines of cocaine. 

“You sure you don’t want any?” she asked.

“No, no thank you,” smiled Joe. 

When she was finished she crawled back into bed, and looking at Joe, asked, “You ready to go again?”

“Well, I will be with a little help,” said Joe while taking a deep breath.

“My pleasure,” laughed Joan. 

This time it was less intense but just as satisfying. When they had their fill of pleasure they separated with Joe gently brushing Joan’s hair with his hand. 

“If you don’t mind, I think I’ll take a quick bath,” Joan said.

“Sure.” 

Joe lay in bed with his eyes closed. He could hear Joan start the water for the bath. Joe could not fully understand why Joan would pick him out of all the men at the office. His thoughts turned to how she had expertly seduced him. She sure knew how to do it. He had never in his wildest dreams thought of this happening to him. 

The sex with her had been superb. He could not remember ever having better sex. The sex with Sally had become routine years ago. This was fresh, exciting and somewhat dangerous. Joe took a long deep breath. He felt as alive as he had ever felt. 

Suddenly, Joe opened his eyes. He could hear the water still running in the bathroom. Joan should have turned it off by now. He had a strange feeling that something was wrong. 

He got out of bed and discreetly put his underwear back on. Joe made his way to the bathroom and opened the door. At first he did not realize what was happening, but catching his breath, he stood and looked on in horror as Joan lay submerged in the bathtub with the water still running. 

“Oh, my God!” shouted Joe. He ran to the tub and turned the water off. Joe grabbed Joan by the hair and pulled her head up out of the water. 

“Joan, Joan!! Come on. Don’t do this!” begged a hard breathing Joe. Joe pulled the drain plug and let the water start draining from the tub. He could tell Joan was not breathing. Joe propped Joan up the best that he could and tried to find a pulse. There was none to be found. 

“I’ve got to call 911,” he thought to himself. “No wait a minute. Let me think.” 

Joe tried to breath normal and think things through. It was evident to him that Joan was already dead. No one could bring her back. If he called “911” he would have a lot to explain to a lot of people, including his wife. Joe searched his thoughts for a better way. He still had time before Sally came home from work. What could he do? He had to think. Joe took several deep breaths to try to clear his head. 

Joan’s car was still in the driveway. Her purse was in the bedroom. He could get the keys and take care of the car. But what about Joan’s body? With a deep breath, Joe decided that he could take Joan’s body out to her car and drive her to some remote place where she could be found later. This way no one could connect her being with him. It sounded somewhat farfetched, but Joe felt he could make it work. What other choice did he have? 

Joe rushed back into the bedroom. Breathing heavily, he told himself to calm down. He had plenty of time and rushing would cause him to make mistakes. This had to be done carefully, and it had to be done right, or his whole life with Sally would be over. Joe put his clothes on and gathered up Joan’s clothes and purse. He went through her purse and found her car keys. Then he took her clothes to the car and put them in the back seat. 

Joe darted back into the house and went to the bathroom. He was surprised to see that Joan was already starting to turn blue. 

“Stupid bitch,” Joe thought. “She knew how to have great sex, but she didn’t know how to control her habit.” 

Joe took some towels and dried Joan off as much as he could. He then reached down and grabbing her under her arms, he picked her up. 

“Damn,” muttered Joe. She sure was heavier than she had been a few minutes ago when she was on top of him. Joe struggled to get her up on his shoulder. She felt so heavy that Joe could hardly breathe. With a grunt Joe managed to hoist Joan onto his shoulder. As he turned to leave the bathroom, his foot hit a spot of water that had spilled onto the floor. His foot shot forward. Joe caught himself before hitting the floor, but Joan went crashing with her head smashing against the cabinet. Groaning Joe gathered himself back up. He looked down at the gash in the side of Joan’s head. It was starting to bleed. 

“Shit, shit, shit,” Joe yelled. He was breathing heavily again. “Now what am I gonna do?” 

Joe tried to calm himself again. He had to think. After a few moments, he decided to get some trash bags and wrap Joan in them. This way he would not have to worry about any blood spilling in the house. He took some towels and wiped up as much blood as he could. He had time to take care of the rest once he got Joan out to her car. 

Joe went into the kitchen to find the trash bags. All of sudden the telephone rang. Joe looked at the caller ID and froze. It was Sally calling from her job. Joe started not to answer, but then he realized that Sally must know that he was home. She would never call for him at home unless she was sure he was there. He tried his best to control his breathing. He made a note to himself that after he talked to Sally he was going to take some medicine for heartburn. He could feel his stomach starting to turn sour. 

Joe took a deep breath and composed himself.

“Hello.”

“Joe, are you all right?” came Sally’s concerned voice.

“Well, yeah, I guess.”

“I called for you at work and they said you had gone home sick,” replied Sally. “What’s wrong?”

“I guess I’ve got a little indigestion,” Joe said.

“Well, I’m going to take off from work now. I’ll be home in a few minutes,” declared Sally.

Joe felt panic rising.

“No!! I mean, there’s no need for you to do that,” Joe said trying to remain calm.

“Don’t be silly. If my hubby’s sick then I’m going to take care of him. See you in a few. Love you.”

CLICK.

“No, hello? Hello? Sally? Damn. Shit, shit, shit,” yelled Joe. What was he going to do now? Joe hung the phone receiver up and noticed his hand did not feel right. He shook it a couple of times to get the feeling back in his fingers. 

He had to do something and he had to do it quick. The best thing he figured he could do was take Joan’s body out to her car and move it to the end of the road. Later tonight or even tomorrow he would move the car to where it could be found. Joe rushed back to the bathroom with the trash bags. Breathing heavily he wrapped Joan’s body as best he could. Once again, he struggled to hoist Joan up on his shoulder. Joe was breathing so hard he felt that if he did not hurry he would pass out from a lack of oxygen. 

Joe waddled out of the bathroom and made it to the front door. He carefully balanced Joan as he felt for the doorknob. Against all odds, he managed to open the door and struggle out into the front yard. 

Joe did not know and he did not see that one of the neighbor’s children had left their garden rake in the yard. Not only had they left it in the yard, but it was lying face up waiting for an accident to happen. 

Joe was breathing as heavy as he ever had in his life. As he made his way across the yard, his right foot came down on the teeth of the head of the rake. The handle of the rake swung violently upwards, and before Joe could even blink, the wooden handle smashed into his nose. Joe lost his grip on Joan and she went spiraling onto the yard. He grabbed his nose and when he pulled his hand away, it was full of blood. 

“God! I’ve broken my nose!” cried Joe. 

Trying to catch his breath, he made his way back into the house. What was he going to do now? Sally would be here in a few minutes and it would all be over. He had to think of something. His nose hurt and now he could feel a tinge of pain in his chest. This was no time for an anxiety attack. 

Joe went to the bathroom and washed the blood off his nose and face. It sure did hurt. His mind raced wildly trying to figure out what he could do and how he could explain this to Sally. The pain in his chest was not helping matters. 

He left the bathroom and walked into the living room when it hit him. It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer and hit him full force in his chest. With a gasp, Joe fell to his knees. He could hardly breathe. Joe knew he needed to get help. The phone was in the kitchen and Joe tried to stand back up. Everything seemed like it was moving in slow motion.  

Joe was able to get one leg up before the sledgehammer hit him in the chest again. This time he slumped to the floor. His breathing was labored. He could see the phone on the kitchen table. With all the effort he could muster, in vain he reached his hand out for the phone. His breathing had become shallow. 

Joe thought of Sally. He was sure he heard a car door shut. It must be Sally. How would he ever explain all this? Joe thought of his nose. It did not seem to hurt anymore. He wondered if it was still bleeding. Joe thought of Joan. He thought of her wrapped up in trash bags. He thought about the gash in the side of her head. He thought about her being dead. Then he thought, “Oh, my God! They’re going to think I’m a murderer!” 

His breathing stopped. 

THE END

Copyright ©2003 by Jerry W. Crews  

Chasing A Hearse (1st sequel to "Heavy Breathing")