It was a crisp early autumn afternoon. The sky was a piercing shade of blue, the sunlight was a feeble amber hue, and the trees lining Schoolhouse Road blazed red and gold. At 3pm, the clanging of the day's final bell rang through Royal Woods Middle and a flood of students surged through the main doors, spreading into the town like lengthening shadows across the ground. Lincoln Loud stepped into a tepid breeze, put his hands on his hips in an unconscious imitation of his hero Ace Savvy, and took a deep breath through his nose. The tangy scent of burning leaves danced around his head, the soft whisper of rustling trees lulled his senses, and the warmth of the waning sun soaked into him like liquid fire. Though it was only late September, it had been a cool and wet summer and fall started early; the mornings were cold and foggy and the nights just chilly enough that you needed a jacket to be comfortable. Lincoln's coat, an olive green Swiss Tech zip-up, was draped over his shoulder and his bare skin basked in the sun, the hairs on the backs of his arms standing straight up at the bite in the air. At this rate, there might be frost tonight.

Slipping his thumb through the strap of his backpack, Lincoln went down the stone steps fronting the building and lost himself in the crush of humanity. He tossed an anxious look around, made sure none of his friends had spotted him, and hurried across the street. He started north toward the Elmhurst section of town but missed a step when someone called his name.

Darn it.

He looked over his shoulder and Stella stood on the curb across the street, struggling to get her overloaded backpack on. "Wait up!"

Lincoln's chest clutched. He loved and appreciated his friends, but right now, they could all piss up a rope. "See ya tomorrow!" Lincoln called.

"Wait! Linc!"

*Morgan Freeman Voiceover*

But Lincoln did not wait.

Leaning forward to cut down on wind resistance and throwing one arm behind him like Naurto running headlong into battle, Lincoln got the freak out of there. Stella's voice trailed behind him like a desperate prayer, but her backpack dragged her down and she didn't give chase. Lincoln didn't slow down until he was two blocks away and there was no chance that Stella would follow.

Whew.

Close one.

His phone chimed in his pocket and he fished it out.

When he saw that he had a text from Carol, his heart soared.

You coming over?

He blazed his thumbs across the screen.

Yep. On my way now.

He added a heart, and Carol replied with a heart of her own, making him smile.

It had been several weeks since Carol last danced for him at The Rumpus Room. Ever since, he had been going over to her house on the weekends and throughout the week for private "hang out" sessions. When her parents were home, he brought his school books and they studied together, Carol telling her parents that she was tutoring him. When her folks weren't home, they made no pretenses and got right to having fun together. Over the past month or so, they had settled into a routine: Carol would dance for him, then they would play video games together (Carol sometimes sitting in his lap). Next, they'd cuddle on the couch, which gradually led to touching each other through their clothes. Sometimes they made out and rubbed one another beneath their underwear, but more often than not, Carol would dance for him again. His favorite position was lying on his back with Carol's butt and pussy grinding his face. While she rode him, she squeezed and stroked the bulge in his pants until his dick swelled and spurted in his briefs. He really wanted her to put it in her mouth - or to at least take it out and play with it without fabric in the way - but he was afraid to ask. He figured it was best to let her set the pace. If and when she wanted to do that stuff with him, she would make the first move. Some girls might be timid and wait around for the guy, but Carol was bold and knew what she liked.

He really wished she'd suck him, though.

To explain being absent from home so much, Lincoln continued doing odd jobs around the neighborhood even though he didn't need the money as badly as he did when he was saving up for dances from Carol. If he vacuumed Mr. Grouse's house for an hour, he'd tell Mom and Dad that it took him three hours instead. Where was he the other two hours, you might ask? Why, dry humping Carol Pingrey, of course.

Carol's family was fairly well to do and lived in one of the better neighborhoods on Royal Woods' northwest side. Their house was two stories and brick with European windows and ivy growing up one wall. It reminded Lincoln of a manor house in one of the old gothic romances that Lucy read late at night when no one was around. The Pingrey family's financial status made Carol's job choice a little strange. Lincoln hadn't asked why she stripped in so many words, but he had broached the subject with her.

Though Carol's parents were well off, they wanted Carol to put herself through college as some sort of character building exercise or something, Carol was not, nor had she ever been, spoiled, but her parents were afraid that she would come to rely too much on them and therefore cut off her allowance when she graduated high school. They allowed her to live in their house for free and didn't charge her for food or utilities , but if she wanted anything else, she had to work for it. They did offer to help with Carol's college expenses if she held a steady job. Carol started at The Rumpus Room as a waitress but eventually wanted to be onstage. "Some of those girls make two or three hundred dollars a night," she explained. "That's more than I made in a week waiting tables."

Lincoln could understand that, he supposed. If he was attractive enough to dance for hundred dollar bills, he probably would too. He told her that and she laughed. "I think you could pull it off," she said. "When you're older, of course. I'll teach you some of my moves."

"I'd like that," Lincoln had said.

Presently, he came to Carol's street, a quiet and shaded avenue of two story houses with expensive cars parked in the driveway even though all of them had an attached garage. It was here, among the middle class, that status symbols mattered most. The poor had nothing to brag about and the rich were so wealthy that they just didn't care. The middle class, on the other hand, was the logical in-between point, and middle class people cared far too much about impressing one another. So of course they didn't use their garages. How else would the Joneses next door know you got a brand new Lambo?.

Carol's house was on the corner, shrubs pressing against either wall and giving it a cozy Hobbit hole appearance despite its relative grandeur. The trees were so thick here that only the occasional shaft of sunlight could get through, and early twilight held sway. A light shone in the first floor window and the driveway stood empty. Carol's parents had two modes: Either they were here when he showed up, or they weren't and wouldn't be back for hours. He never got here only for them to show up from the store fifteen minutes later. It was hot or cold with them, no in-between.

That was perfect for Lincoln. When they were around, he and Carol couldn't do much but sit at the dining room table, giggle, touch each other's legs, and play footsie. When they weren't here, well...you get the idea.

Lincoln crossed the front lawn and climbed the steps. He rang the bell, then immediately knocked, shave and a haircut two bits. It was his secret knock; when Carol heard it, she would instantly know that it was him. A moment later, the door opened and Carol appeared in a light blue blouse, checkered skirt, and socks. Looking at her, you would think her a wholesome schoolgirl who never skipped church and said her prayers every night. You could be forgiven for that assumption, but if you say the things she did with her body, you'd realize just how wrong you were. She had the face of an angel, the mind of a pervert, the mouth of a sailor, and the gyrations of a demon.

A sly smile carved across her pink lips and her soft brown eyes twinkled with mischief. "Hey, Linc," she purred.

"Hey," he said. His jeans were already beginning to feel tight around his middle and a deep blush spread out from his loins, setting his entire body aflame. Carol took him by the hand and led him into the house, Lincoln pushed the door closed behind him and barely had time to turn the thumblock before Carol sprinted him into the tastefully appointed living room. She sat him on the couch and straddled his lap, her knees caging his legs and her body pressing lightly against his. She ran her fingers through his hair and placed a soft, sensuous kiss to the corner of his mouth. Lincoln's breathing sped up and he closed his eyes, the taste of her breath filling his mouth and the scrape of her nails across his scalp sending shivers down his spine. She brushed her mouth over his and swiped her tongue teasingly across his lower lip. Lincoln shuddered and his erection pushed out the front of his jeans, prodding Carol through her panties. She shifted her hips and grinded herself into him, her lips spreading around him. If they were naked right now, Lincoln was certain that he would be at the opening of her well-spring. All they would have to do is move their bodies in holy unison and their bodies would be joined.

That thought made Lincoln's boner quiver with need. Carol tilted her head and molded her lips to his, her tongue hungrily massaging his. He slipped his hands up the front of her blouse and squeezed her breasts through her bra. She smiled against his lips and raked her nails across his scalp.

Lincoln would have been perfectly happy to let nature take its course and go all the way with Carol, but that wasn't in the cards today; she broke the kiss, pinned him back against the couch, and favored him with a naughty grin. "I'll be right back," she said and got up.

"I-I'll be here," Lincoln said, unable to contain the tremor in his voice. He was so hard that it hurt and the fever in his body was great that he could barely think straight. He needed release now and a caveman part of his brain told him to throw Carol to the couch and rut her like an animal, but he didn't dare. Instead, he just sat there, missing her warmth.

He waited for ten minutes, and was just starting to think she had fallen and broken her neck or something when she returned, leaning against the doorframe separating the living room from the foyer. Lincoln's breath caught and his eyes widened as if to take in as much of her as possible.

She was wearing a tiny lace thong, a lace bra, and sheer, see through negligee. Her legs were long and silky and her stomach was flat and taut; her smile was wicked, her gaze gleaming, her lithe body begging to be touched and kissed. She pushed away from the doorframe and walked seductively over. Lincoln smiled and laid back on the couch, assuming the position. Carol knew what he liked and didn't have to ask, she just mounted him, turned away, and lowered her butt onto his face. Lincoln ran his hands up and down her flanks as she began to grind herself against his face. Lincoln's dick thumped against the inseam of his jeans and his heart raced. Carol bent and rubbed him through his pants, starting slow and getting fast. Her wet heat soaked into his face and her musky, mouthwatering smell filled his nose. He shot out his tongue and licked licked; though he could only taste fabric, Carol felt it and sucked a sharp intake of breath. He slipped her fingers into the waistband of Lincoln's jeans and his heart rocketed into his throat.

It was going to happen.

It was finally going to happen.

She was going to pull his dick out of his underwear and touch it skin to skin. If he was really lucky, she'd even let him fu -

That thought cut off when Carol sighed and leaned over to grab her cellphone. Lincoln had been so caught up in her that he didn't realize it had been chiming and then ringing this entire time. She rested one hand flat on his crotch, swiped her thumb across the screen, and read a text.

"Who is it?" Lincoln asked, his voice muffled.

She sighed. It was Lori. Lori was Carol's best friend and had been since they were in the fourth grade. For years, they spent every waking moment together and shared everything - their clothes, their shoes, their hopes, and their dreams. Carol became a part of Lori's family and vice versa. Lori, in a way, was the sister that Carol never had, and Carol loved her to pieces.

Lately, though, she didn't have the time for Lori Loud.

Lori had been calling and texting for a week straight trying to set a date for them to hang out like they used to, but between work and school, Carol was too busy. Any free time she had automatically went to Lincoln. She loved hanging with Lori, sure, but she loved hanging with her little brother even more. Carol had been outright ignoring Lori for more than two weeks, not even bothering to come up with an excuse for why she wasn't available.

A rush of guilt overcame Carol and for a brief moment, she felt like the world's biggest turd, but then Lincoln's dick twitched beneath her hand and she forgot about it. She leaned over, arched her back, and wrapped her lips around his boner, her saliva soaking through denim. A shiver ran through Lincoln's body and a moan escaped his throat, making Carol smile. Right here, with Lincoln underneath her, she felt like she was on top of the world. At the club, the men she danced for leered at her like she was a piece of meat, but not Lincoln. Lincoln adored and worshipped her as a goddess. Lincoln made her feel good and making him feel good was the best thing in the world. It was addicting and coming from Lincoln, a boy she knew and cared about, made her endlessly happy. She didn't want to throw that away for anyone.

Even Lori.

Putting the call out of her mind, Carol looked over her shoulder at Lincoln; his cute little cowlick stuck out from beneath her butt but everything else was pinned below her. She ran her core back and forth over his face, and the prodding of his nose and cheekbones against her throbbing pussy made her toes curl. "You alright back there?" she asked with a teasing hilt.

Lincoln's muffled response sounded a lot Never been better.

She laid her hands on his bulge and kneaded it, feeling the shaft beneath his jeans with her fingertips. She shifted her hips and bit her bottom lip at the quivers of sensation that raced through her. There was a large part of her that wanted to unzip his jeans, take his dick out, and ride it until they both came. Instead, she slid her fingers into his waistband, tangled her fingers in his pubic hair, and grinded faster. She wanted to take things to the next level, but she wasn't quite ready yet.

Soon, she thought.

Soon.


Across town, Lori Loud stabbed the END button and tossed her phone onto the bed with a sigh. She crossed her arms sullenly over her chest and made an unconscious pouting face that took ten years off her age. This was literally the millionth time that Lori had called or texted Carol and gotten no answer. Though she had no supporting evidence to back this up, Lori was almost certain that Carol was ignoring her on purpose. On the rare occasions that Lori did get through, Carol made up lame excuses about needing to run errands for her parents. Lori bought that line the first few times, but she drew the line at twenty.

Then there was Lincoln. Weeks ago (maybe months at this point) Lincoln asked her for Carol's number. She thought nothing of it at the time, but it wasn't long after that Carol started ghosting her and Lincoln began disappearing from the house for long periods of time. He claimed to do odd jobs around the neighborhood for extra money, and in the beginning, Lori accepted that explanation. But now...now she wasn't so sure. What was he up to?

Whatever it was, it involved Carol somehow. He was the reason Carol never had any time for her.

Or was he?

She mulled that thought over for a long time. She could just be jumping to conclusions, but her gut told her otherwise. If this was Lincoln's doing, there was no way that he had been doing all that work he talked about. He would have to be with Carol.

Right then and there, Lori decided that she was going to get to the bottom of this.

And she was going to start by talking to neighbors.

If Lincoln was responsible, she was going to find out, and God help him. No one, and Lori meant no one, got in the way of her time with her BFF.

Not even Lincoln.