The 22nd Secret (56 page)

Read The 22nd Secret Online

Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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The
door
B
e
n,
rea
l
l
y
?
D
on’t
y
ou th
i
nk
y
ou n
ee
d
t
o
c
lose the d
o
o
r
?

B
e
n
c
lo
s
e
d the door
a
s
P
a
t
t
y
w
a
lked to the
c
o
u
c
h.

You

r
e
not w
e
a
ri
n
g
a
b
r
a
,”
B
e
n sai
d
. He
turn
e
d
a
round
to see
P
a
t
t
y
r
e
c
l
i
n
e
d on the
c
o
u
c
h, l
e
g
s s
l
i
g
ht
l
y
spr
e
a
d,
h
e
r
a
rms b
e
hind
h
e
r h
ea
d
e
x
posing
h
e
r b
r
e
a
st
s
.


I
’m not w
e
a
ri
n
g
a
n
y
p
a
nt
i
e
s eith
e
r.”

Th
a
t w
a
s all it
t
ook.
B
e
n
w
a
s on top of
P
a
t
t
y
in a
mo
m
e
n
t
. He
strug
g
l
e
d to pu
l
l her
T
-shirt off
b
e
tw
e
e
n their
f
ra
nt
i
c
kis
s
e
s. He
w
a
s
g
r
a
b
b
ing
a
t h
i
s own shirt wh
e
n
he
not
i
ce
d
P
a
t
t
y
w
a
s shive
r
in
g
.


W
h
a
t’s w
r
o
n
g
?
You
c
ol
d
?


I
’m so
e
mb
a
r
ra
s
s
e
d.”
Pa
t
t
y
c
ov
e
r
e
d h
e
r
f
a
c
e
with
h
e
r h
a
nds us
i
n
g
h
e
r
a
rms
to cov
e
r her
c
h
e
st.


I
t

s ok
a
y
,
P
a
t
t
y
.
W
e
don

t have
to do a
n
y
of this
i
f
y
ou do
n
’t w
a
nt
t
o.”
B
e
n
g
e
nt
l
y
pul
l
e
d h
e
r h
a
nds
a
w
a
y
f
rom h
e
r
f
a
c
e
but
a
l
l
ow
e
d h
e
r to
c
ont
i
n
u
e
to h
i
de
h
e
r b
r
e
a
sts
with her
a
rms.


No it’s not
t
h
a
t.
I
’m s
c
a
r
e
d.
I

v
e
n
e
v
e
r
r
e
a
l
l
y
b
e
e
n
a
n
y
fu
r
ther
t
h
a
n th
i
s with a
man.
O
h
,
B
e
n
I
w
a
nt
y
ou to
l
ove
m
e.
I
w
a
nt
t
o ple
a
s
e
y
ou
b
ut
I
’m
a
f
r
a
id
I
’ll l
e
t
y
ou
g
o too f
a
r.
I
love
y
o
u
,
B
e
n, but
I
w
a
nt
t
o sa
v
e
s
ome thin
g
s fo
r

w
e
l
l
,
y
o
u know.”

“F
or
that s
p
ec
ial man, t
h
e
man
y
ou’ll spend the
re
st of
y
our li
f
e
with.
W
h
a
t
m
a
k
e
s
y
o
u th
i
nk
I
’m not th
a
t
m
a
n
?

B
e
n
w
a
s surp
r
ised
a
t
t
he
sinc
e
ri
t
y
o
f his wo
r
ds.
H
e
h
a
d said si
m
i
l
a
r
w
o
r
ds
to o
t
h
e
r wom
e
n in
t
he
p
a
st,
but
t
his
t
i
m
e
he
me
a
nt
t
h
e
m. He
w
a
s on the
v
e
r
g
e
o
f
p
r
o
posin
g
.

P
a
t
t
y
w
r
a
pp
e
d h
e
r
a
rms
a
round
B
e
n
’s n
ec
k
a
nd b
u
ri
e
d his f
a
c
e
in her
c
h
e
st.
P
a
m w
a
s h
a
ving
f
u
n with h
i
m.


Oh B
e
n, t
e
ll
me
y
ou love m
e
, tell
m
e
I
c
a
n let
m
y
s
e
lf
g
o.
T
e
ll
me
I
c
a
n tr
u
st
y
ou,
y
ou won

t hurt m
e
.”

B
e
n
r
a
ised his he
a
d up
a
nd looked
in
t
o
P
a
t
t
y
’s
e
y
e
s.

I
love
y
o
u
.
I
love
y
o
u more
than
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
.
P
a
t
t
y
will
y
ou
ma
r
r
y
me.”
T
h
e
d
e
e
d w
a
s don
e
.
W
h
a
t surp
r
ised Ben
wa
s
that he
m
e
a
nt i
t
. He
loved h
e
r
a
nd
w
a
n
t
e
d noth
i
ng
e
lse but to sp
e
nd
e
te
r
ni
t
y
with he
r
.


Y
e
s. Oh,
y
e
s
B
e
n.
I
wil
l
.
I
love
y
o
u so mu
c
h.”
Pa
t
t
y
pul
l
e
d Ben to her
l
i
ps.
Th
e
y
kis
s
e
d for
a
s lo
n
g
a
s eith
e
r
c
ou
l
d
, then h
e
ld e
a
c
h other
c
l
ose.

T
e
ac
h me how to p
l
ea
se
y
ou
B
e
n
, t
e
ac
h me
w
h
a
t
y
ou l
i
k
e
.”
S
he
whisp
e
r
e
d in
his
e
a
r.

Th
e
re
w
a
s not a
lot
of t
e
a
c
hin
g
.
B
e
n
f
ra
nt
ic
a
l
l
y
removed the
re
st of their
c
l
othes.
I
t
w
a
s ov
e
r qui
c
k
l
y
.
P
a
m
m
a
de
him
b
e
l
i
e
ve
she
wa
s
a
vi
r
g
in. The
o
v
e
r
a
ll
e
x
p
e
r
i
e
n
c
e
w
a
s dis
a
ppoin
t
i
n
g for
h
e
r.
B
e
n
w
a
s not v
e
r
y
skil
l
ful
a
t sex
a
nd
P
a
m
would not be
a
ble to te
ac
h him
a
lot
without jeop
a
rdi
z
ing
h
e
r
c
ov
e
r. She
did not
look fo
r
w
a
rd
t
o the
f
uture
with
C
h
e
n
W
e
n
B
in as
h
e
r lov
e
r.

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