I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories and follows on from Sweet 16.
It was a warm October late afternoon in Trinity South Carolina, a light drizzle cloaked the peaceful town and caused an eerie haze to gather throughout the streets.
Lucas Buck perched on the bonnet of his navy blue Crown Victoria outside the Diner his family so often frequented and thought about how reliable his car had been throughout the years, not like the rambling woman who stood before him. Lucas was a patient man and since his obsession with Gail blossomed several years ago he had given the women of his town a reprieve out of respect for her, considering his desires were solely focussed on her these days; however, a deal was a deal and he could not rightly let someone off just because they were a woman, he was all for equality after all.
'-You know I appreciate all you've done for me in the past Sheriff' Mandy continued, being taken off guard by this unexpected visit when she had finished her shift as she thought Lucas Buck had settled down for good with that Emory girl and forgotten all about their deal.
'Oh there's no chance of that Darlin', my Wife would be the first one to punish me for droppin' the ball on my obligations and it ain't rightly fair if I was to give you a pass. What would my people think if that got out?' Lucas interrupted coolly, growing agitated at her inability to do a simple task. 'Besides, who could forget about poor Linda? What a waste of a good soul takin' her own life due to the sentence you had damned her to for that little mishap of yours in college'
Mandy shook off his intense gaze and tried to push down her anxiety at the thought of what she had pinned on her best girl friend all those years ago. The truth was that she could not do what he expected of her, her conscience just would not allow it and there had to be another way to pay off her debt. Lucas Buck was a the most handsome man she had ever come across, she had heard the rumours of him being with Selena Coombs previously and she suspected he used to be into all sorts of sordid things before he had settled down with a family. She herself was devoted wife and mother; however, she was willing to do whatever else it took to pay off her debt.
Mandy let off a nervous sigh at the level she was about to stoop to then took off her t shirt, pressed herself against him while he sat on his car and pushed up her cleavage, showing him that she was willing to do satisfy him in any way that he pleased.
Lucas could not contain his laughter at Mandy's feeble unwise attempt to seduce him, as though he was not satisfied on a daily basis by a woman much more exciting and desirable than she was. 'Woah there Darlin', I know you don't really mean to suggest that I'm not happily married to a bombshell of a woman. Even if we were to push aside your beloved Hector, my Wife would have you beggin' for a punishment from Lucifer himself when she got a hold of you if she believed there was even the slightest attempt to take me from her' he warned, amused at how low people would go in an attempt to avoid his expected repayments when he came knocking.
Mandy took in a sharp breath at the warning then quickly put her t shirt back on, feeling a deep shame come over her. 'Look Sheriff, I just can't...Andy McGraw has been a customer for years and we all know about his allergy. He ate somethin' with a tiny nut in it a few months ago and his face swelled up like a balloon, he could barely breath!' she explained, praying that he saw sense. 'I mean, what did Andy ever do to you?'
Lucas let out a disappointed sigh and jumped off of his car, this was taking longer than he had initially intended and his patience was wearing thin. 'Are you tellin' me no Mandy?' he asked seriously, staring down at her dominantly.
Mandy gulped hard and felt the air catch in her throat. She had lived in Trinity all of her life and had heard stories about people who got on the wrong side of Lucas Buck but she just could not bare to do what he was asking. 'I have a family-' she started to plead, then stopped when she saw the dark look in his eyes.
'Yes you do, those 2 boys are lucky to have a good honest workin' father like Hector, I hear he's one of the most dedicated workers up at the gas station in Goat Town. I hope he's careful, it'd be a shame for those boys to grow up without a father to guide them appropriately' Lucas advised in a sinister tone, having grown tired of his present company. 'You get home to that lovely family of yours npw Darlin', there ain't nothin' more important than a stable unit' he ordered as he pushed her gently towards her car knowing her choice had been made, then laughed when she rushed to her car without another word and sped away not even risking a glance back at him.
The heavy iron gate creaked loudly as Lucas entered his garden and made his way to the side of the property, He gave a slight glance at the main study window where the light was shining brightly then continued on his chosen path discreetly and sat down on the large lounge chair on his side porch, kicking off his boots to allow him to stretch properly before laying back comfortably and closing his eyes at the information he had not long received.
Lucas took a large intake of breath and exhaled slowly, allowing his mind to unpack the happenings of the day and the telephone call that he had received an hour after he had allowed Mandy to leave. It had been a calm few months since Caleb's 16th birthday, his eldest boy had embraced the opportunity provided to him and finally let his darkness take a stronger hold. Any other Buck in his line would have been concerned at how easily the boy accepted this side of himself these days, given the inevitable power struggle which always took place between a father and son in their line; however, Lucas was far from being ready to let go of what was rightfully his and Caleb still had a long way to go before he had mastered his skills enough to make an effective challenger.
'There you go again presuming Caleb will be the one to step into your shoes' a sweet voice whispered in his ear from behind him, and he smiled when he felt soft hands caress his shoulders then push down his chest affectionately.
'You think you have the strength to challenge me Love?' Lucas asked amused at her confidence, knowing she had been locking herself away more often in his private library situated deep in their mansion when he was at work.
Gail Buck stopped for a moment not realising he was aware of her activities of late, then let out a small laugh at her foolishness for being so distracted with her reading and planning to sense his spying. 'I know our fate is bound Soulmate, and our end will be one for the ages. Although it might come more quickly than anticipated if you return home to me with the scent of another woman on you again' she said disapprovingly, unimpressed by the cheap perfume she smelt clinging to his shirt.
Lucas sat up slightly, turned his head up towards her, then pulled her down in one swift motion and secured her tight against his chest. 'Behave woman, you know my eyes are solely for you...I gather your escape out here is linked to a certain little ones activity today?' he asked curiously.
Gail let out a shocked gasp at his quick reflexes but allowed him to pull her to his chest, knowing better than to resist when he had set his mind on securing her. 'I gather your sudden thoughts of our eldest is linked to some strange occurrence earlier this evening?' she shot back at him, smiling when he leaned back in the chair and squeezed her tighter.
Lucas let out a small laugh and disregarded her question. He knew by now the demeanour of his wife when she had to step in to keep their families reputation clean, and he sensed how frustrated she was even though she was trying to hide it.
Gail closed her eyes and sighed, then looked up at the clear black sky in an attempt to calm herself and shook her head. It was bad enough that she had an inordinate amount of tasks to complete on a daily basis, add her youngest son's inability to behave like a normal boy for even a short period of time when left to his own devices at school and she felt like she was being stretched beyond her capabilities. 'Remind me again why I let you damn my soul Sheriff?' she asked casually.
Lucas smiled mischievously and reached his hand under her thin jumper, then nipped her neck as he squeezed her breast teasingly. 'I reckon I display some characteristics which outweigh your incessant morality and allow you to push aside any misplaced faith in the so called good life' he smirked against her neck and began sucking it playfully.
An aroused moan escaped Gail's lips and she cursed herself for being so easily controlled. The truth was that she had sensed his desire to escape her judgement as soon as he pulled into their driveway; however, she was happy to push away dealing with her inevitable discomfort for as long as possible and welcomed this distraction from their children.
'Careful what you wish for Mrs Buck, I'm not against dragging you deep into our property and locking you away where only I can have my way with you' Lucas whispered in her ear, relieved that she was as eager as him to avoid a fight.
'Oh I'm all for a good fight Master Buck, I'm just not in the mood for the one that you're clearly going to start when you inform me of our eldest's activities after the day I've already had' Gail responded to his unspoken thoughts, then reached behind her for his manhood and moaned into his lips when he squeezed her nipple hard.
Lucas nipped at her lips as she failed to hide her arousal, then stood up abruptly and put her over his shoulder. 'Alright Love, locked away where only I can have you it is then' he laughed, spanking her behind with his free hand before dragging her to the back of the property to work off their frustrations.
Caleb crept towards his dark home and closed his eyes tight when the heavy gate creaked loudly as he tried to discreetly enter the property. 'Dang it!' he whispered to himself, then glanced around the area frantically for any sign of his mother's unimpressed eyes. When he was satisfied that no-one had heard him, he tip toed to the front door and turned the nob slowly.
'Boo!' Luke screamed as he jumped out from behind the coat rack and began giggling uncontrollably when his brother jumped.
Caleb grabbed Luke roughly by the scruff of the neck and dragged him into the side door. 'Damn it Luke, you're gonna get me caught!' he snapped angrily, not believing how loud his younger brother had screamed, then released his hold on him and glanced up towards the staircase when no one had stirred. 'It's 11pm' he said finally, sensing something was off.
'And you're late' Gail Jr sighed, unimpressed at both of her brothers for disturbing her nap in the study and folded her arms over her chest in irritation.
Luke shook himself off and stood tall in front of Caleb, showing that he was wasn't afraid of him. 'Momma went out and didn't come back, Merly sent Uncle Abe to bed and left when we wouldn't go sleep without momma' he shrugged, stifling a yawn and trying to pretend he was not concerned that his mother was absent.
'Mom's gone?' Caleb asked worried, then noted there had been no mention of their Father.
'Daddy didn't come in' Gail Jr said sadly reading his thoughts, knowing the boy's must have done something to anger their parents and hated that she was always lumped in with them for the fall out.
'I didn't do nothin'' both Caleb and Luke lied in unison defensively, then stared at each other accusingly not knowing which one had upset their mother.
'Ass's' Gail Jr sighed, then rolled her eyes when they both looked at her offended and headed back to the study to snuggle back up with Gideon by the fireplace.
Caleb thought for a moment about his options, then let out a long sigh. He had seen his Father answer the call at the gas station when he could not resist revisiting the place he had chosen to have some fun earlier and assumed that his mother would have gotten wind of it already, which is why he had struggled to motivate himself to get home within curfew as he had not wanted to face her yet. Now he wondered what Luke had done to add to the matter and cause both of their parents to leave them without a word, this was not going to be good for either of them.
'What do we do?' Luke asked quietly, realising from the look on his brothers face that they were in real trouble.
'We all get to bed like well behaved children and hope that momma doesn't realise we all stayed up past curfew. God knows she don't need any more reason to be mad me' Caleb laughed uncomfortably, then signalled for Luke to go to his room and headed to the study to collect his sister.
-To be continued-