The Challenge Read online

  The Challenge

  by Shermaine Williams

  Phaze

  www.phaze.com

  Copyright ©2009 by Shermaine Williams NOTICE: This eBook is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution to any person via email, floppy disk, network, print out, or any other means is a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines and/or imprisonment. This notice overrides the Adobe Reader permissions which are erroneous. This eBook cannot be legally lent or given to others.

  This eBook is displayed using 100% recycled electrons.

  Distributed by Fictionwise.com

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  CONTENTS

  The Challenge

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  About the Author

  * * * *

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  The Challenge

  by Shermaine Williams

  Published by Phaze Books

  This is an explicit and erotic novel intended for the enjoyment

  of adult readers. Please keep

  out of the hands of children.

  www.Phaze.com

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  The Challenge

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  The Challenge

  An erotic short by

  SHERMAINE WILLIAMS

  [Back to Table of Contents]

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  The Challenge copyright 2008-9 by Shermaine Williams All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  A Phaze Production

  Phaze Books

  6470A Glenway Avenue, #109

  Cincinnati, OH 45211-5222

  Phaze is an imprint of Mundania Press, LLC.

  To order additional copies of this book, contact: [email protected]

  www.Phaze.com

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  Cover art © 2008 Debi Lewis

  Edited by Michele Dowdey

  eBook ISBN-13: 978-1-60659-136-9

  First Phaze Edition—February, 2009

  Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

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  Chapter One

  She stared at the screen, at the fourth e-mail from the persistent man, and wondered what she had gotten herself into. She had hoped that ignoring the previous missives would be enough to make him give up, but he clearly wasn't of the same mindset.

  She would have liked to have blamed her best friend for convincing her to submit her story to an Internet site in the first place, but she knew she only had herself to blame. A schoolteacher had no business even writing an erotic story, let alone showing it to others. Solely revealing it to her best friend had led to it being displayed on the Internet and, consequently, an e-mail from some weirdo asking her to let go of her inhibitions and pose for erotic photographs.

  The idea of it! It was just too ridiculous for words and she called best friend, Carmen, to share the joke but didn't get the reaction she was expecting.

  "Why not? I can't remember you ever looking better, and besides, it's your birthday soon—I think it's a great gift to give yourself."

  "Are you mad?"

  "No, but you must be if you can't see the benefit of having some gorgeous photos to look back on in twenty years."

  Even after she put the phone down, Carmen's words resonated in Amanda's mind. Was she being too prudish? She was sure that most people would refuse a request to strip naked in front of a complete stranger, but she wasn't anyone.

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  She had penned an erotic story, so wouldn't that make her a hypocrite if she said no?

  The doubts wouldn't leave her mind, but the conversation with Amanda was enough to make her at least reply to him even if she didn't immediately agree.

  Not only am I not a model, you don't even know what I look like. Why are you asking me?

  As she stabbed at the keys whilst composing the message, she found herself feeling rather forceful about the strange situation that had suddenly arisen, but the sensation quickly dissipated after the message disappeared into cyberspace.

  Maybe she should have continued to ignore him—the contact might just encourage him.

  Regret washed over her as she continued to gaze at the screen, as if doing so would somehow help her to get the email back, to fix her mistake, but it was too late. In her mind, she fiercely rebuked herself as she turned off her laptop.

  * * * *

  Do you fear I'm some sort of dirty old man?

  Despite herself, she felt compelled to check her e-mail as soon as she awoke the next day and wasn't entirely sure about how she felt when she found a message from him, patiently waiting to be opened.

  Her conflicted feelings caused her to open the e-mail with some trepidation even though she was eager to do so. She was expecting an answer, not a question, but at least he went on to explain.

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  Meet me. You can find out for yourself how trustworthy I am.

  He went on to provide a link to his website where she could view his work. She didn't even bother with the pretence that she wasn't going to look. After clicking the website address, she clasped her hands together tightly and wondered why the new window was taking so long to open.

  When it finally did, her heart beat faster as she looked at the images of naked women in various poses. It somehow seemed wrong, she felt bad but not enough to make her stop looking.

  She didn't know exactly what she thought she was going to see, but she certainly wasn't expecting them to be so ...

  well ... beautiful. They were artistic, almost sensual, but she was sure that all the photos were posed by models, as they all looked fantastic.

  She could never look like that. That was her mindset and that was exactly what she told him in her reply.

  That was that. There was nothing more to say and, as she clicked send, she hoped that was the end of it. The sense of closure she got from sending her final response was very effective and she quickly forgot about the surreal exchange as she went about her day.

  She was surprised to find another e-mail from him when she got home that day—couldn't he take a hint?

  After reading your story I never would have thought you such a prude.

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  Prude? She couldn't believe what she was reading. This guy—who didn't even know her—was actually making a judgement about her character. How dare he!

  I imagined you threw off your inhibitions to w
rite your wonderful story and mistakenly assumed you were the same in your real life.

  It got worse. She was enthralled by the veiled insults and read the words several times over.

  How could he be saying these things? It was utterly ridiculous! The short message had her so riled up that there was no internal debate about whether she should reply or not—her fingers flew across the keys as she composed her cutting response, outraged that she had to defend her personality.

  Not that she knew why, but she felt the need to assert the fact that she definitely was not a prude. She had to make him aware of that, as if his thinking of her that way would somehow be bad. She was vibrant and open-minded, not some crotchety old woman, so she insisted that this stranger accept what she was telling him.

  His reply was almost instantaneous. In fact, she was still seething when it pinged into her inbox.

  I nearly believe you. The challenge remains extended—

  make me believe you.

  First Carmen had lost her mind, now this man was trying to drive her out of hers.

  Well, she'd had enough—that was it—she wouldn't communicate with him further and would forget about the whole situation. However, this turned out to be easier said 11

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  than done with Carmen around. She refused to accept "I just don't want to" as a valid reason for not going ahead.

  "Do you think he'd let me take your place?" Carmen asked distractedly, glancing at her reflection in the pane of glass they sat next to.

  Amanda found herself feeling self-conscious when people passing the coffee shop looked curiously at Carmen, imagining that she was watching them.

  "Come on! You wouldn't really pose naked, would you?"

  "Why not?" she replied with effortless nonchalance as she lightly tousled her hair, drew her shoulders back, and sat up straighter in her chair. "It's all downhill from here, I may as well get it recorded for posterity."

  Not knowing what to say, Amanda fell silent and took a sip of her latte to cover the sudden lapse in conversation.

  Finished with her sudden burst of vanity, Carmen turned her attention back to her friend. "So, how's work?"

  Amanda managed to reply in a sufficiently lucid manner to stop Carmen becoming aware that she was no longer in the building—she was taking a trip through her own head. She wondered what the result would be if she went out on the street and conducted a poll with only one question: would you have your photo taken naked?

  She was starting to think that there might well be a few more yeses than she anticipated. They managed to finish their coffees and their conversation without further referring to any possible future nakedness, but that wasn't enough to stop her thoughts from taking over. She was starting to doubt 12

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  her stance on the whole situation, maybe she was wrong to immediately dismiss the offer off-hand.

  Although she hadn't replied to his last e-mail, she hadn't deleted it, either. Soon after arriving home, she re-read it several times over. In fact, she read it so many times that she was able to repeat the words to herself when she left the computer screen in order to stand in front of the mirror to consider her figure. It was all right, she conceded, maybe it could look a bit better but, in general, she thought she looked quite good. She took a deep breath before returning to the keyboard.

  Even if I wanted to, I am a teacher so it would be inappropriate.

  As far as she was concerned, it was out of her hands: maybe it was something she could see herself doing but she couldn't risk the school finding out. It would create such a scandal. There—she was as liberal as the next person, but unfortunately, circumstances vetoed the idea. He must be able to understand that.

  Apparently not.

  Not a problem. No one has to know it's you: body-scape, a mask, rear view, there are many options so that's not a reason to turn down the idea. Any more excuses?

  If she was honest with herself, she expected him to respond—she had quickly concluded that the man was nothing if not tenacious—but she certainly hadn't expected what he said. It was a valid excuse that should have made him back off. Now what was she supposed to say? She couldn't think of any other excuses.

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  Chapter Two

  "Am I what you expected?"

  She had bitten the bullet, but not without insisting on a meeting prior to any camera equipment being brought out.

  By e-mail, they arranged to meet at a neutral venue—a bar that was convenient for both of them. Wanting to be the one to spot him first, she purposely arrived late to see his reaction when a black woman turned up. After nearly ten minutes with him, she couldn't decide whether he'd had the same idea or whether he was just a poor timekeeper.

  Whatever the reason, he arrived several long minutes after she did, leaving her nervously nursing a glass of wine while she remained on the lookout.

  He certainly wasn't what she expected.

  The only reason she glanced up at him was because he was another body entering the bar, but she immediately ruled him out as the man she was waiting for. She was quickly proved wrong when she looked up again to find him standing directly in front of her.

  They quickly established that his image of her had been correct, which was why he made a beeline immediately for her. Almost as soon as he arrived, he left—albeit briefly—

  while he went to the bar for the purpose of following her lead and getting himself a glass of wine.

  His voice lingered with her after he left. It was rich and melodic. She immediately loved it.

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  He returned with a bottle of the same wine that occupied Amanda's glass and took it upon himself to top it up though it didn't need it and she didn't ask him to.

  Making a mental note to keep an eye on the amount she imbibed, she thought about how to reply to the question that he posed. She wondered what he expected her to say.

  His deep blue eyes seemed to see straight into her, reading what she was thinking. She had no doubt that he'd know if she was lying.

  "I didn't have any expectations."

  One of Benjamin's eyebrows rose ever so slightly at the confidently uttered reply. She pretended not to see it.

  Normally a rather confident woman, she was unsure why she felt so nervous under his steady gaze. His eyes were warm, and yet he still had an intense look about him. Without even trying, he had the ability to make her feel self-conscious. Was he sizing her up? Trying to work out whether she would make a good subject for a nude photograph?

  Though fully clothed, she felt naked as she sat opposite him.

  He was disarmingly handsome to the point where she found it difficult to even estimate what age range he was in.

  He looked powerful—tall and broad—but his face and voice were gentle. The contrast was so conspicuous that, by rights, the whole image shouldn't work, it was a front that she should be able to see through, but it did work and she found herself quickly at ease in his company.

  Having been prepared to be on her guard, she found that his candour made her defences fall and she felt quite relaxed 16

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  him. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was happy to reveal information about himself, seemingly without expecting her to reciprocate. She did anyway. Confessing to her apprehensions was strangely liberating. He understood.

  "I think everybody should experience what it feels like to throw off their inhibitions and you've done that, to a certain extent, with your wonderful story. I assumed you'd be the type to go further for that reason."

  His momentary pause wasn't long enough to en
able her to consider how to respond, let alone do so.

  "I got very turned on by it, by the way."

  Her contemplative state quickly gave way to a pleased one, flattered by the fact that he enjoyed her work and strangely coy at her ability to make another person horny with mere words.

  "What are you afraid of?"

  His sudden return to the original topic befuddled her mind, forcing her to abandon her pride and again think about the idea of posing nude. The wine gently warmed her body and mind and it failed to cross her mind that it may be intentional.

  Though she tried to concentrate and return her thoughts to the reason they were there in the first place, she couldn't help but wonder whether he really was aroused by her story or whether he was just being polite. Maybe it really had even got him to a point where he needed to relieve the pressure.

  Slowly opening his fly, he seemed to want to savour the act he was about to perform on himself. In reality, her gaze skipped over his face and travelled down his chest and along his arms, coming to rest at his hands as he slowly stroked the 17

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  stem of his glass. In her mind, she watched as those same hands enabled his cock to spring free and stand proud.

  How could a daydream produce such a mesmerising sight?

  Compelled to touch it, she saw herself getting between his legs, resting her hands on his thighs to steady herself as she got to her knees, firmly squeezing them as she did so. Her hands didn't remain on his thighs for long.

  She gazed at the finest example of an erect member that she had ever seen and took her cue when it twitched eagerly.

  A loose fist slipped over the head of his cock caused a heavy, contented sigh to escape his lips. As she slowly slid her warm fingers along his length to the base, she found herself hoping to elicit more from him. Looking up at him, she stared into his returned gaze, holding it steadily as her lips neared their destination, closer to where she knew he wanted them to be.

  To where she needed them to be.