Sixteen was fast approaching.
Sweet Sixteen!
Patti had no idea why her stepfather found that age significant but was sure he did. Possibly it was paranoia, but she was sure at times she had caught her stepfather looking her way, sizing her up, imagining what it was going to be like to add her to his nocturnal visits. She could feel his eyes roving over her body, imagining him salivating with sexual anticipation, knowing that soon he was going to make her body his. She knew that once she crossed that threshold and celebrated her birthday, she would be top of his hit parade – fresh blood, as it were. She knew in her heart of hearts that her bedroom would be his primary destination, as he revelled in the glory of a new, hot young body to make his own; he has had Amy, many, many times, so she was going to be his new appetite –she knew that for sure!
And she wasn’t going to have any of it.
There was still time.
There was still time, and she had a plan in mind, but first she had to test it, see if it was viable, or if she was merely fooling herself. That was how she had come up with The Experiment.
The Crane family did not have much except heartache, misery and depravity going for it. Any money made by her useless mother and disgusting stepfather was enough to pay the bills and keep them in booze and drugs; they did the bare minimum to survive, and after doing that, focused entirely on appeasing the various demons that filled their hearts, unaware that those demons were also slowly killing them. Unfortunately, they were not killing them fast enough. Patti realized she had one asset in life, and that was her body and her youth. She and her friends had reached puberty and their initial sexual awakening, and with that came possibilities, if you were cunning enough to use this awakening to your advantage – she was sure she was.
She had never been the most popular girl in town, seeing as she was tough and spoke her mind, but she did understand, based on everything she saw where beauty was the focus (advertisements, magazines, etcetera), that she was someone who would be deemed as beautiful or pretty. She also knew her body had started developing well, and knew that despite the fact she might not be that popular amongst her peers, that some of the boys at school had checked her out, noticing her budding sexuality and were intrigued by it.
She knew she had to figure out a way to use that to her advantage, seeing how if she did not her stepfather was going to use the same to her disadvantage.
Patti knew she had to lead with her sexuality. She had to change her image and see just how effective it could all be, and that meant holding her tongue and pretending to be a little more ‘girly’ than she would like. It was easy to observe that boys liked girls who seemed compliant, willing to follow their lead and make them feel superior and in control. It was easy to see that most boys were looking for a doormat, which, unfortunately, most of her female peers seemed happy to become. It was disgusting, but it seemed to be the dynamic that worked.
She could never be anyone’s doormat; and she never planned to be. Maybe because she was not popular, and had accepted she was an outcast, it had freed her mind of the silly teenage crap that was clouding the thoughts of her female peers. The desire to be popular and with the supposed ‘In’ crowd turned them into these insipid women, willing to give up their individuality, just so they could say they had a boyfriend and were invited to the popular parties and what not. Their goals were simplistic and simple, as far as she was concerned.
Love, Patti knew, was a Trojan horse. Maybe being with the right guy did bring you popularity and made your life easier in the hell that is high school, but a smart girl, one who understood what was going on between the sexes, could turn the tables on these boys. On the outside you could seem like a dainty compliant girlfriend, but on the inside, hidden away and waiting to strike, a smart girl could use her sexuality to secretly run the show, turn the tables on these boys. They may be considered the stronger sex, but Patti knew the lure of a potentially willing, enticing female body was far stronger than anything else in this world, at least where the relationship between the sexes was concerned.
The Experiment was simple; Patti was going to start toning it down and acting in a way that normally made her nauseous, but she would be doing it for a good cause – testing the limits of her true power. If she could use her beauty and her body to entice, despite her reputation, she could better understand how powerful or not it was – whether it was a commodity she could use to change her circumstances in life.
Chasing after Kevin Duggan, the high school’s most popular guy and the school’s quarterback, was not where she wanted to test her experiment, although she was sure if she wanted to, she could pry Kevin from Anna’s clutches. As far as she knew, Anna was just blowing him, and probably the odd hand job, but probably nothing else. If she could get his attention and offer up the mysteries of what pleasures lay between her legs, she could probably make him hers – but wouldn’t, as he did not deserve to explore that mystery. No, Patti set her sights on Logan Martin, one of those students who traveled with a popular crowd, but not too popular. They were just there, considered cooler than most, being invited to all the popular parties and what not, but not considered amongst the school’s elite. He and his buddies seemed to travel that middle ground that made them all things to everyone.
And so, the flirting began.
And it started with a smile.
Well, a smile and some enhancements to support that smile.
Patti’s jeans and t-shirts were given the hot water treatment and put into the dryer as opposed to hanging to dry. This resulted in shrinking them just enough that they no longer sat loose, but now seemed to wrap around her body like a second skin. She knew if she wanted to catch Logan’s attention, she had to give him something to look at and salivate over. Despite her reputation of being tough as nails, once she started wearing her modified clothes to school, she caught more than one boy stealing glances in her direction. She had successfully turned herself into a piece of meat, yet her reputation protected her from any advances. So, despite the form fitting clothes, it was the smile that had the most powerful, and puzzling, effect on Logan, seeing how he was the only boy at school she shared that welcoming smile with.
Confusion was the best way she could describe the look on Logan’s face the first time she smiled at him. Pure and utter confusion; she almost felt sorry for him, because although she had achieved her goal and completed her experiment, that smile had delivered quite a blow – she knew based on his confusion that she had underestimated the impact her sexuality could yield, and that seducing Logan might be easier than she had imagined.
Logan began noticing, as did she; the smiles continued, followed by the occasional, “Hello” as she passed him in the hall. He still had not said anything to her, he still seemed to be more than a little confused by the friendly attention she was throwing his way, but she knew it was only a matter of time. She never turned back and looked at him when she smiled at him or said “Hello”, but she knew, deep in her heart that he would turn and watch her walk away; she could almost feel his eyes burning into her well defined, heart-shaped butt as she continued on her way.
She was giving him the signs, but she knew it would take some time. She also knew he had probably talked about her with his dimwitted friends, and that was what was probably stopping him from acting on her apparent interest in him. She had quite the reputation, that had been well cultivated, and they were probably constantly reminding him that. Patti Crane was not someone you asked out on date, or was she? She figured their hormonal little minds were in conflict, as their big head wrestled with the little head that lay between their legs and had recently woken up. Even as they talked about what a bitch she had been, and was, they probably also talked about her body and just how tempting it was. More and more she caught Logan looking at her; more and more she caught his circle of male friends looking at her, and when they did, on her face she served up a little of the Patti they had come to know and loathe. She did not want any horny boy coming in her direction; she wanted to see if she could make the boy she set out to interest come her way, so it was Logan or no one.
And then it finally happened.
It was after school, while she was walking home, that Logan finally sidled up to her and said, “Hi.” This in itself was a huge victory, as Logan did not live near her, nor go in her direction at the end of the school day. His approach meant that he had specifically pursued her to talk to her.
“Hi,” said Logan, as he came up behind her and joined her on the sidewalk.
He would have startled her, but she knew he was coming; knew he was following her. Patti always liked to be aware of her surroundings.
“Hi,” she said. She almost laughed. As he said, “Hi” to her, he had a look on his face like he was not sure he should be doing what he was doing, but might just get slugged in the face or kicked in the balls by Patti.
“Ummm,” he kind of muttered to her “Hi”. He was obviously very nervous – she liked that.
She laughed. Not laughing at him, but one of those feminine laughs meant to be engaging; it was also accompanied by an engaging smile, one that let him know he was not about to be personally assaulted.
“You took your time,” she said.
Confusion – she had gotten used to that look on his face. It made him look stupid, but that was beside the point; she really was not interested in Logan Martin, merely in whether she could use her sexuality to wrap him around her finger.
“I wondered how long it would take before you said ‘Hi’,” she said, still smiling at him.
“I don’t...I...well, I didn’t know why you were smiling at me,” he said.
“Or you just thought I was a bitch,” she said, playfully. She knew he probably did – his friends did.
“It’s just, your reputation and stuff,” he stammered.
“Maybe I like you,” she said.
The playfulness in her voice disgusted her, but it was part of the experiment – what she had to do. If she wanted to see if she could control this boy, she could not be her usual self.
“You do,” he said, almost in the form of a question.
“Maybe,” she said, “I really don’t know you, and I know you really don’t know me. I think you think you know me, but I don’t think you really do.”
“Huh?” he said.
He really was a loser; and he appeared to be as dull and stupid as a rock, but he was here responding to her, and most importantly, she was in control.
“Maybe if you asked me out, we could talk some more,” she said. “You do want to ask me out, don’t you?”
It had taken Logan a while, but now, with her paving the way for him, reassuring him that rejection was not coming his way, he finally managed to gain control of himself, stop his stammering, and sound like he knew what he was doing.
“Yes, of course,” he said, “that’s why I’m here. I was hoping you wanted to go out with me. Maybe catch a movie, get something to eat, like maybe this Friday if you’re free.”
“That would be great,” she said, continuing to smile.
Logan smiled broadly.
Logan walked her all the way home, the two of them talking about the usual pointless thing’s teenagers talked about and thought were important – music, clothes, books, and their opinions and criticisms of their peers, those they called friends, and those they generally hated. It had taken a while for Logan to relax in her company, but he had.
Patti knew she had been possibly too bold when Logan had approached her, so on the date she toned things down a little. She kind of suspected it was important for the boy to think he was in control of things. She sensed this was a long-established dynamic that served to boost the male ego and was important in the dance between the sexes.
He had taken her to see A Hard Day’s Night starring the Beatles. At least he had some taste in music, a small bonus for him, but then again, who did not like The Beatles?
It was about a half-hour after A Hard Day’s Night started that Logan had made his initial move, placing his arm around her shoulders. He had faked a yawn and gone for it. She did not say a thing. They went out for burgers after the movie, and when he drove her home, he had attempted to move in and give her a kiss, but both of them had been startled by her stepfather, half in the bag, rapping on the passenger door window loudly. They had been so caught up in one another, they had not noticed him approaching.
“Get out of the car, goddamn you,” her stepfather had insisted, slurring his words, his veins full of whatever alcohol mixture he and her mother were able to get their hands on that evening. “Get the fuck out!”
He had not waited for her to do so, but instead opened the passenger door himself, grabbed her roughly by her arm, and pulled her from the car. She had fallen to the ground as he did. And as she was pulled from the vehicle, she could see the look of both surprise and confusion return to Logan’s face. She thought she had seen the last of that stupid look.
“What the hell you think you doing sittin’ out ‘er with this boy,” her stepfather said, as she tried to regain her composure. “Neighbors think you’re some kinda slut or sumthing,” he slurred.
Patti started to say something but held her tongue as her stepfather turned his attention back to the car and Logan, grabbing the passenger door and bending down to lean in and address him. She was able to catch a quick glimpse of Logan, and he looked frightened. She knew he should be. Her stepfather did not care if she was out with a boy, just so long as that boy was not trying to do anything too forward, like engage with her in some sexual way. Patti knew exactly what his anger was all about, he knew she was closing in on her sixteenth birthday, much sooner than later, and he did not want anyone touching her before he had a chance to do so; he had been waiting to take her virginity and was going to make sure he was the one who would do it, come hell or high water!
“You don’t be fondling my stepdaughter, you filthy pig,” her stepfather said to Logan, who just sat there mute – mute and terrified. Patti had no idea why he just did not put the car in drive and just pull away.
“Now git out of here you filthy bastard,” her stepfather slurred, “afore I get my huntin’ knife and cut off yer goddamn balls, you bastard!”
Her stepfather stepped back and slammed the passenger door closed. Within that time, Logan had regained his nerve, managed to start the car, put it in drive, and peel away from the curb. Patti just watched his car race down the street, as he endeavored to get as far away from this scene as possible.
“Now git in the house ya little whore,” her stepfather demanded.
At first Patti was pissed with her stepfather for interfering with her date, especially as Logan was going in for a kiss, which would further cement her hold over him. She had thought that her stepfather’s interference was the death of her experiment, as Logan would be too afraid to talk to her again. She had been wrong. Sure, at first, when he saw her at school on Monday, he had been a bit standoffish, but her beauty, her body, and her warm, friendly, flirty manner in addressing him, was too much for him to ignore. By lunch period, he was back in the fold. It did not matter how much her stepfather had scared him, the lure of her sexuality was too great for him to ignore. He just had one simple request, which she agreed to; they would never again meet or be anywhere near her home and her “crazy fucking stepfather” as Logan had put it.
It seemed the desire to be close to a woman, possibly enjoy her female charms, trumped fear in general. She made note of that fact.
For the next month, she and Logan became a couple, although a solitary couple; they did very little with his friends or any of their girlfriends. While Logan was willing to fall for her charms, none of them wanted her around, and that suited her just fine. This subtle adversity with his friends, further taught her the strength of her sex, in that he was willing to give up time with them – those long-term friends – just to spend time with her.
It started with kissing. They could not go to his house, as apparently his parents were quite strict and would not let any girl in their home, so they made out in his parent’s car, whenever he could borrow it, or under the bleachers at school, or the baseball dug out after the sun went down – it at least offered some privacy.
They kissed and she allowed him to grope her breasts, first through her shirt, and then by putting his hands under her t-shirt. This seemed to excite him to no end. As they kissed and he moaned in pleasure, she put up with his clumsy gropes; there was nothing pleasant in it at all; she had no idea what he thought he was accomplishing, or whether he knew he wasn’t kneading bread. She never complained because the more she allowed it to happen the more compliant he became in her hands.
Kissing and groping were not enough though – this she discovered. Men, or in this case, a boy, were not that hard to figure out. She knew their goal, or at least Logan’s goal was for her to allow him to have sex with her – that was the proverbial Home Run. He did not say that for a long time, but she knew that was his goal, because as she allowed each new thing, he would enjoy himself and his progress towards that Promised Land before he would ask for more. The kissing and groping soon turned into her allowing him to dry hump her. They would lie down in the back of the car, on the ground, on the bench in the baseball dugout; he would climb on top of her and while they kissed and he groped her breasts, she allowed him to rub the boner she could feel straining against his jeans, up against her jeans until he had managed to bring himself to orgasm. She found it pathetic, him rubbing himself up against her, but he did not seem to mind. She, however, wondered how was that any different from peeing yourself? Either way it was a mess.
As they began to explore one another sexually, they spent time talking about movies, TV, and music. Along with the Beatles, Logan was fascinated by a new band out of Britain called The Rolling Stones. Whereas the Beatles were cute and lovable, he explained to her that they were dirty and gritty. He seemed to like that. During this relationship, she had been pretending ignorance regarding a lot of things. She never disagreed with him, but instead saw how she could use subtle means to get him to do things she wanted him to do, all the while knowing the reason, he did these things was because he knew if he did, later that night she would allow him to grab some boob and rub up against her. She knew who The Rolling Stones were, but it stroked his ego allowing him to believe he was introducing her to some new and great band.
Finally, he asked for more. He was no longer happy with rubbing himself to orgasm through their jeans. He asked her for a blowjob. She was not ready for that. She suggested a hand job. Not wanting to push his luck too far, he agreed.
She had seen a penis before, namely her stepfather’s before he climbed on top of her sister – at times the bedroom was not that dark when he came visiting. The sight of one was not all that surprising, but being that up close and personal with one, actually touching it, had been initially fascinating. The first hand job had been nothing but sterile and mechanical, at least for her. They were in the baseball dugout, and had been making out, or necking as other’s called it, when he asked her to make him cum. They had sat up on the bench, and he had undone his pants and freed his member from it. He seemed excited, and she faked interest. She grabbed it and began stroking it; he just seemed lost in his own world as she did so, as if she wasn’t even there; if whatever was stroking his penis did not stop, he probably did not care what it was. It did not take long before came. This fascinated her. This is what her stepfather had been shooting into Amy – disgusting!
A few more hand jobs defined their dating life, and as long as she performed this simple act it seemed to please him to no end. Any request she made after that, he readily agreed to. If she kept pleasuring him, she was pretty sure she could get him to burn his Beatles and Rolling Stones records.
A request for a blowjob again followed quickly enough. Until she allowed him to have sex with her, the request for more and more sexual activity would continue to escalate – or at least his demands for more and more would.
Did she have enough?
Was The Experiment over?
Men were going to be predatory – that she knew. Her value to them were her looks and her body and her willingness to let them enjoy both. She was pretty sure future contact with all kinds of men was going to reaffirm this again assumption. The act of having sex was inevitable, so should she allow Logan to be her first – the boy the one to claim her virginity? From what she knew, taking that virginity was a coveted act – an all-important conquest for a lot of men.
Why not get it over with?
She had considered this, but in the long run, Logan was not the one. She had considered, briefly, testing the power of sex further, but could not think of anything viable to do so. She was pretty sure, if she wanted, she could get him to rob a gas station or variety store for her, if the end result was her rewarding him with sex, but that would be stupid. Someone as dimwitted as Logan was sure to get caught, and when he did, he would sell her out in a second to try and protect his own hide. The Experiment could not end in her incarceration – that would be foolish.
Patti realized The Experiment was over. She had managed to defy her previous image at school and get a semi-popular male student to fall under her spell. Yes, it was not because he found her charming and engaging but because she was willing to perform sexual acts for him; she had discovered the power women held over men, if they were willing to yield it, and she was.
If she was to survive in this world, she would have to. For the first time in her life, Patti knew she had found the means to take control of her life, and possibly break free from the hell it presently was and would remain if she did not take drastic action. How did Amy not understand this?