Hunter's Prey

Dani shook her head. "I'm sorry, Kristin, but none of this sounds like Hunter to me."

"That's because you're too close to the situation to see it," Kristin countered. "Dani, he is using you. He's using both of us."

"He has treated me better than anyone in my life," Dani said. "If that is using someone, then I don't mind being used."

"Is he? Is he treating you well, or is that the lie that you live with in order to justify what you're doing with him? One of the tricks that sociopathic narcissists use is to separate their victim from friends and family, gaining absolute control over the victim's life. I'm betting that you live in one of his houses."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I live in one of his other houses," Kristin said. "Just outside of my university. I'm going to guess something else: you pay him rent, and in exchange, you do work around the house and...serve him in other ways."

Dani looked away and shook her head. "What, have you been following him? Staking out his house?"

"No, Dani. I know this because I'm in the same situation as you! Don't you get it? He's turned both of us into his slaves. We do all his housework, all the cooking, and give him sex whenever he demands it. And we pay him for the privilege!"

Dani shook her head once more. "I...I just don't know about all of this. He's been nothing but good to me. He's given me so much."

"Has he ever asked you to perform some...services for his friends?"

Dani's head spun in Kristin's direction and her eyes widened. "Yes! But I didn't do it."

Kristin looked down, and she brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I did," she muttered. "Just once. I...I was a little drunk."

"I still don't understand how you know who I am," Dani said, changing the subject. "How did you find me?"

"Like I said, when I started taking that class, so much of it sounded familiar, and I began thinking about things that happened over the past year that made me suspicious. There was one time I went to his office and left a bunch of balloons for his birthday. The secretary asked who I was, and I said I was Hunter's girlfriend. She gave me a strange look, almost like pity. Later that night, Hunter came home, and I kept waiting for him to thank me for the balloons, but he didn't. Finally, I asked him, and he thanked me and apologized for not mentioning it."

"He wasn't sure which girlfriend delivered them," Dani noted.

"Exactly, so he kept his mouth shut until I said something. Another time, he was texting someone for a long time, and I happened to glance at his cellphone before he pulled it away. I saw the name, 'Dani.' Later, I asked who he was texting, and he said it was Danny, a guy from his construction crew. I thought it was odd, because no guy spells his name like that. But I thought, why would he lie about that? I assumed that maybe he was just a bad speller."

Dani nodded. She searched her memory to find similar moments where Hunter may had let his guard down, but could not think of one.

"Then, earlier this week, I saw some papers lying on his desk," Kristin continued. "One of them was a rental agreement for Danielle Murphy. I put two and two together, and suspected that maybe you were the 'Dani' on his cellphone. So I did a search for your name on Facebook. That's when I saw the pictures you posted from your vacation to San Juan, with Hunter's arms wrapped around you."

Dani couldn't help but smile as she remembered that time. "Yeah...that was a nice vacation."

"I know," Kristin said. "He took me to the same exact resort. Did you notice the strange looks from the staff?"

Dani felt a sharp pain in her chest. "I just assumed it was because of our age difference."

Kristin nodded. "I thought so, too. And speaking of strange looks, did he take you to see Doctor Maldonado?"

The expression on Dani's face, and the accompanying silence, provided the answer to that question.

"What days are you together?" Kristin asked.

"He comes home Sunday night, and leaves on Wednesday morning."

Kristin smirked. "He comes to my place on Wednesday night, and leaves Friday morning. How much do you want to bet that there is another girl who gets the weekend?"

"I...I don't want to even think about it," Dani said. "I don't think it would matter."

"Listen," Kristin said, moving closer to Dani on the bench, "we can't let him get away with this. You and I can combine forces and bring this sociopathic asshole to his knees. Maybe we can find that third girl, and the three of us can do it. We'll find out his weaknesses and exploit the hell out of them. Hell, I don't even know if the guy works anymore, but I know he still owns his business. We can destroy his reputation and his business! We can take our story to social media. We can..."

"Kristin, I'm not interested in destroying Hunter. I don't even know if anything you've said is true. I need some time to think about all of this. I know for a fact that he loves me, and I love him more than anything in the world. Even if what you say is true, it doesn't change a thing about how we feel about each other."

"Dani, you have to be kidding me! Don't you see it? He doesn't love you. He never has! He has manipulated you from the very beginning! He has played both of us and used us as pieces in this sick game of his. Why do you think he brings us to the same places to meet the same people? He gets off on seeing their expressions, knowing exactly what he is doing - and getting away with it! He's a sick monster!"

"I...I understand that you feel that way, Kristin, and I wish you luck with whatever you decide to do, but I can't be a part of it."

With that, Dani stood and turned to leave.

"I won't let you go back to him!" Kristin shouted as Dani continued to walk away at a brisk pace. "You don't understand what you're doing to yourself! You don't realize who he really is!"

***

Dani cried so many tears that evening, and all through the night, that she woke up feeling dehydrated. When she finally rose from her bed, she wasn't sure whether she had actually slept at all. She repeated her conversation with Kristin again and again and searched her memory for any hints to indicate that what she had been told was true.

It was possible that Hunter could be leading a double (or even triple) life, and living with other women while he was supposedly working out of town. He had the resources to afford it, and certainly possessed enough charm to seduce more than one woman at once.

I'm not enough for him, she thought, over and over again. Each time those words echoed in her head, the pain in the pit of her stomach reoccurred, and the tears streaked down her cheeks. Of course she wouldn't be enough for a man like him, with his relentless sexual appetite and demands for perfection. Even if everything Kristin told her was true, she wouldn't blame him for wanting more than what she had to offer.

No one woman could ever satisfy him, she justified to herself. At least, no woman had ever been able to satisfy him to that point in his life. She could be that woman, however. She could step up her game and prove to him that she was capable of being the type of woman he had been searching for his entire life. She knew, deep down, that he truly loved her, and would give her that opportunity.

That evening, Dani waited patiently at the front door, on her knees. Her heart began to pound when she heard the car pull into the driveway. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She smiled when he came through the door. Rather than return her smile, he simply acknowledged her with a seemingly casual disdain.

He stepped in front of her, unzipped his pants, and pulled out his cock. She wrapped her warm mouth around it and used her lips, mouth, and tongue to bring him to full hardness, just as she had been taught. She wore her hair in a ponytail, as she knew he enjoyed using it to yank her head back and forth along his cock. He did just that, fucking her mouth in sync with the bobbing of her head. Within moments, he filled her mouth with his hot cum, which she eagerly swallowed as if it were the world's sweetest nectar.

He pulled her head away by yanking on her ponytail, put his dick back in his pants, and zipped up. She looked up at him in anticipation, waiting to hear those two words of praise she longed to hear: "Good girl." Instead, he simply looked down at her with an expression of contempt. She attempted to rise from her knees, but he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Stay down there for now," he said. "I have something to ask you."

"What is it?" she asked, nervously.

"Does the name Kristin Harris mean anything to you?" he asked.

Dani's eyes darted back and forth as she considered her answer. She had no intention of mentioning her meeting with Kristin. "No," she said. "I mean...I don't think so."

"So you didn't meet with a woman named Kristin this weekend?"

"Oh, yes. Sorry, I didn't put two and two together. Yes, she asked to meet me." Her stomach churned. She felt like she was a little girl being scolded by the principal.

"And what did she have to say?" he asked.

She hesitated. How much should she tell him? How does he know about any of this? "She...she told me that she's your girlfriend. She said you live with her two days a week."

"And do you believe this?"

"I...I don't know." She could feel her eyes water and her nose tingle, and she fought against it.

"You don't know," he repeated. "No, you really don't know, do you? What else did she tell you?"

"That's pretty much it," she said, her voice wavering. "We didn't talk for long. I didn't know what to believe, so I just left."

"And you didn't think to tell me about this?"

"I...I didn't want to upset you."

"Well," he said with a laugh, "it's too late for that. You see, I received a text this morning from Kristin, letting me know that you two - and I quote - 'won't let me get away with it', and that you're planning to 'take me down' any way you can. Is that right? Are you two working on some sort of master scheme to take me down? Do you really think you're smart enough to do something like that?"

"No! I swear! I never agreed to do anything like that!"

"Oh, but you talked about it, right? And you didn't think to tell me."

"I'm sorry," she sobbed.

"You want to know the funny part about this, Dani?" he said with a grin. "Kristin? She's a lunatic. I mean, she's a straight-up psychopath. Yes, we used to date - emphasis on the 'used to.' We went out a year ago, and she was such a psycho bitch that I dumped her. She's been trying to get back at me ever since. And you were willing to play along with her. After everything I've done for you, and everything we've been through, you believed all the lies she told you. You colluded against me with her, and you sat here and lied straight to my face, pretending you didn't even know who she was."

"No I didn't!" she cried. "I'm sorry, Hunter! I'm so, so, sorry!"

"Sorry's not enough," he said. "Actions speak louder than words, and your actions tell me I can't trust you anymore. Now get up, and then get out."

"Wh—what?"

"You heard me. I want you out of the house. You can come get your stuff after I leave on Wednesday. Then I never want to see you again."

"Hunter, no! You can't! I love you!"

"Then you should have thought about that before you betrayed me." He turned and walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and walked out onto the back deck, shutting the sliding glass behind him and leaving Dani weeping in a pool of tears by the front door.

***

With nowhere else to go, Dani stayed with Courtney that night and slept on the floor by her bed. She cried herself to sleep and refused to talk to her old roommate about anything that had happened. To her credit, Courtney recognized that her friend simply needed to be left alone, and she did just that.

Dani awoke on Monday morning with a new sense of determination. She would do whatever it took to regain Hunter's trust. That evening, she showered in the dorm, borrowed the smallest pair of shorts and tightest tee shirt from Courtney that she could find, and left for Hunter's house. She arrived in time to find his driveway filled with cars, forcing her to park on the street.

She stood at the front door and took a deep breath before she rang the doorbell. She wasn't sure what to expect when Hunter answered the door, but he appeared unsurprised to see her.

"What are you doing here?" he said. "I thought I made myself clear."

"Hunter, please, just hear me out," she said. "I swear, I had nothing to do with Kristin's plans, and I have no interest in doing anything that would ever harm you. You know I love you more than anyone or anything in the world."

"These are just words, Dani. They're meaningless."

"Then let me show you," she said. "Let me prove to you how much you mean to me."

He paused and looked deep into her eyes. "How so?"

She moved closer to him and whispered, "You have the guys over to watch the game tonight. I'll suck all of their dicks. Each and every one of them. I'll suck them all dry. I'll swallow every drop of their cum, and won't stop until they beg me to stop. Master."

A grin crept over his face and his eyes twinkled. "Come on in," he said, holding the door for her.

He escorted her to the center of the living room just as the game was about to begin. There were seven men, roughly the same age as Hunter, seated around the room in a semi-circle. They spoke loudly to one another until they noticed Dani - at which point the room became silent except for the sounds from the television.

"Gentlemen," Hunter said, squeezing Dani's hand, "this is Dani. She will be serving us tonight. And by 'serving', I mean she will fetch you beer and snacks, rub your feet, massage your back, stroke your cocks, and blow you to completion."

At those last few words, the room erupted into hoots and whistles. Hunter raised his hand to silence them. "This," he said, grabbing Dani's pussy through her shorts, "is all mine. The rest is free to use as you wish."

The room erupted in celebration once more while Hunter proudly grinned from ear to ear. He kissed Dani softly and whispered in her ear. "Start with Steve on the end," he said, motioning toward his friend seated in a chair to her right, "and just work your way down."

He left the room and took a seat at a small table adjacent to the living room. He poured himself a glass of Scotch and savored his first sip, shutting his eyes and feeling the pleasurable burn at the back of his throat.

"Holy fuck!" he could hear Steve shout over the noise of the television and the sustained chatter. "What a mouth you've got on you, girl! Guys, you're in for a treat!"

Hunter opened his eyes and swirled the liquid in his glass. He could only see the top of Dani's head bobbing up and down in Steve's lap. Steve held a can of beer in one hand, and his head was tilted back, with an expression of pure pleasure on his face.

"Oh, God!" Steve shouted. "Oh...oh, fuck! Don't...don't stop, honey. Don't...oh, keep doing that. Oh, fuck! Oh, I'm gonna cum. I'm gonna..."

"That's one down!" one of the other guys shouted, causing the others to laugh and high-five each other.

"Oh, fuck!" Steve repeated. His face was red, and he looked exhausted. "Okay, okay, honey, you can stop now. Holy shit!"

Hunter took another sip of Scotch and chuckled to himself. Steve approached his table on wobbly legs, and Hunter removed his feet from the other chair and kicked it toward him.

"You better sit down before you fall down," Hunter said.

"Man, where the hell did you find that girl?" Steve said, raising his beer. "She's fucking amazing."

"Yes she is," Hunter agreed.

"I mean...she has that innocent girl-next-door vibe, but that fucking mouth..."

"I know what you mean," Hunter said with a laugh.

"When you told me you sent her away, I figured that would be the end of it."

"No, I knew she would be back."

"I'm glad you were right," Steve said. "I've been waiting for this night for a long time...and I don't even like basketball!" He glanced back into the living room and shook his head in admiration as he watched Dani's head bobbing up and down in another lap. "You know, with those glasses and the hair, she sort of reminds me of that girl...who am I thinking of...?"

"Holly Raburn," Hunter said. "Class of 2005."

"That's the one," Steve said, pointing at him. "Whatever happened to her?"

"She's married now, with a kid on the way," Hunter said.

"I don't know how you remember them all," Steve said, taking a swig of beer. "You have an encyclopedic memory."

"They're my pride and joy," Hunter said, watching as another of his friends unleashed a torrent into Dani's hungry mouth. "I remember each and every one of them."

"I was looking forward to Thursday night," Steve said. "Sorry to hear it was cancelled."

"You win some, you lose some," Hunter noted, raising his glass to the light. "I misjudged that one from the beginning, and got sloppy somewhere along the way. I'll find out from Dani where I slipped up. I guarantee I won't make the same mistake twice."

"You've got it down to an art form, my friend."

"Thank you, Steve. I appreciate that."

They turned and watched together as Dani moved on to the next man down the line. "I may need to go again," Steve said.

Hunter laughed. "Be my guest. The night is still young."

Steve leaned toward Hunter and lowered his voice. "Hey, are you really going to let this one go?"

"Of course," Hunter responded.

"But why? Man, she's perfect. You have her perfectly trained. After all that work..."

"That 'work', as you call it, is why I do it," Hunter explained. "It's all about the journey, my friend; not the destination. It's like fishing, I suppose."

"But what about her?" Steve asked, motioning toward the living room.

"She'll be fine," Hunter assured him. "I'm performing a public service. She is going to make some lucky man a terrific girlfriend and wife someday. And although she will be devastated at first, eventually she will have nothing but fond memories of our time together."

Steve shook his head and emptied his beer. "Well, thanks for sharing her with us. You are a god among men."

"That's what friends are for," Hunter replied.

***

The petite young waitress hurried to the table to deliver the check to the handsome older man who had been flirting with her in a subtle way since he arrived.

"Thank you," she said, "and have a nice afternoon."

"Thank you, Sarah," the man replied.

Sarah hurried to the back of the restaurant to snatch another order waiting for her on the kitchen counter. Her long, auburn-colored ponytail bobbed up and down as she walked, and she bit her pouty bottom lip as she navigated between the tables holding three plates aloft.

She set them down and returned to the table where the older gentleman was seated to collect his check. She grabbed the billfold and hurried to the cash register. She stopped dead in her tracks when she opened the faux-leather holder and a hundred-dollar bill nearly slid to the floor.