The Volunteer

After Mr. Jones ended the call I tried to answer the rest of their questions, and we replayed the video clips of Sherry Smithfield planting and then removing the alleged hacking device from Melody's computer. Damn, now they have me sounding like a lawyer. It took another two weeks for us to get an appointment with a federal judge, and a week after that before any action was taken on Melody's behalf. I was told that the process was greatly expedited due to the level of injustice that Miss Farnsworth was subject to. What a crock of shit. I knew they didn't give rat's ass about Melody. All they wanted was their money back, and I was not going to give that up until I was sure she would be released. By this time my dad found out what was going on, to say he wasn't pleased would have been an understatement. I know he did grudgingly respect me for keeping my word and helping to bring a miscarriage of justice to an end, but he definitely didn't like the way I went about it, especially using my trip to Aunt Linda's house primarily to spy on Harvey Wallace. After talking with Linda, and her confirming that I did spend nearly every evening I was there with them and she gave me free rein to do whatever I wanted during the day, Dad came to realize that my visit really wasn't a hoax, and that I did what most people do when visiting relatives, mix a little business with pleasure. He reluctantly gave in and said he was proud of me. In the end there really wasn't much else he could do anyway, as it was now a legal matter and completely out of his hands.

I fought with myself as to whether I should be at the prison when Melody heard the news about her release. I so would have loved to see the look on her face when she found out that I had kept my word, but the last thing I wanted was for her to feel like I expected anything in return, or that she owed me for helping her. In the end I justified not going by claiming that I had already missed my first week as a high school senior, and I needed to get caught back up with my classes. Yeah, like I really gave a damn about that. I did get a rather unexpected surprise, however, when Mr. Jones presented me with my very own check for $500,000. I started to argue that it was supposed to go to Melody, but he assured me that she received one as well. He said that his company had recently doubled its reward offer in an attempt to get information that would lead them to the missing money. He purposely kept his mouth shut about it until the deal was signed, because he felt that I deserved to be compensated for all the effort I put into recovering the missing money and helping to correct a major injustice. I was also offered open end jobs by both Mr. Jones to help beef up their server security, and by Mrs. Marsh as an investigator for the state. Unfortunately, if I ever decided to work for her, I would have to dispense with a lot of my hacking, as most of the evidence I would uncover using these skills would not be admissible if they were presented by a court appointed representative. I decided for the time being just to be a regular student, and perhaps take Mr. Jones up on his offer when I finished high school. I obviously didn't need the money, and now with half a million dollars in the bank, Dad and I no longer had to worry about where my college funds would come from. I knew this was a huge load off his mind, and was grateful for the opportunity to reduce the burdens on him.

I hadn't heard a thing from Melody since she was released, and I just assumed she moved away and got on with her life. My birthday always coincided with the Thanksgiving holiday. Growing up, it kind of sucked. Don't get me wrong, I loved the fact that I was always out of school on my birthday, but I hated that we could never really plan anything special to do, because it was usually either too cold outside for one thing, or since Thanksgiving was so close, that even if I had friends to do something with, they would not have been able to spare the time to be with me. This year was shaping up to be the worst of all. It was the first birthday I would spend without either my mother or Jimmy. To top it off, Dad was called away on business and wouldn't be home to celebrate with me either. If I were being honest, I think he planned it this way, because he just couldn't deal with facing the day without my mother. Mom absolutely loved Thanksgiving. She would always fix a huge meal, and then be all giddy about getting up early the next morning and shopping for sales. This was the first year that I would ever have any real money, and I didn't give a damn about going anywhere to spend it.

As I was walking home to what I knew would be an empty house, I was wondering what I was going to do with myself for the week. I know it would be most teenagers' dream to have the house to themselves, but to me it just seemed lonely. As expected, there was a card on the table from Dad and another in the mailbox from Jimmy, but what I really wanted more than anything was just someone to talk to.

I must have fallen asleep on the couch, because I was woken by the doorbell ringing. Figuring it was probably just some neighbor dad had conned into checking on me, I was definitely not at my best when I opened the door, to get the shock of my life.

"Melody, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Well, I came to see you, silly, you didn't think I would miss being here on your birthday did you?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't I think that? First you got mad and wouldn't let me come visit you in prison, and then when you were released I didn't hear a single word from you for months," I complained.

"I was in shock on the day they released me. One minute I was sitting in my jail cell thinking that I would probably be there for the rest of my life, and the next thing I knew they were handing me a check for half a million dollars and telling me I was free to go. They even said that my record was wiped clean of any wrongdoing, and I would never have to admit to being incarcerated on a job application because there would no longer be any evidence of it. Can you even image what that felt like?" she asked.

"No I can't, but it has been months since your release, why haven't you at least tried to contact me?" I asked.

"Well, I did call and talk with your father," she started to say.

"You what?" I asked, completely shocked for the second time tonight.

"Yeah, um, we decided that it would be best if I waited to contact you until I was bit more stable," she admitted.

"So you're still treating me like a child, calling to ask my daddy if it's alright for you to visit." I said with utter annoyance.

"I did not mean for you to take it that way," she said.

"How could I possibly take it any other way, when I am not allowed to decide for myself who I want to be friends with?" I asked her.

"Look, perhaps this wasn't the best idea for me to come here. Maybe I should just go," she said while turning towards the door.

"That's right, run away again, just like you did when we were working together," I told her.

"Don't you understand how hard that was for me? I was becoming too attached, and knew you would be leaving soon. I was so depressed in that place I never let anyone get near me, and then you came along and were my link to the outside world. My problem was that the closer we became, the more I knew I would never truly be a part of that world. It was like freedom was dangling on a string, near enough for me to almost feel it, but yet so far away that it would take literally a lifetime to achieve. I had no choice but to run," she wept, her voice choked with emotion.

"Oh God, Melody, please don't cry. I know I went about it all wrong, and I shouldn't have kept telling you that I was working on getting you released, but I was just so desperate to be able to offer you at least some degree of hope that I couldn't keep my damn mouth shut. I'm so sorry that I hurt you. Can you ever forgive me for being so insensitive?" I begged.

"Forgive you, honey, you kept your promise, hell, you did more than keep your promise. Baby, I saw the tape. You know Mr. Jones recorded your entire meeting, right?" she asked.

"Yes, I was expecting him to. It didn't matter; I had more than enough evidence to reopen the case, even without the money. Once I had that as well, nothing was going to stop me from accomplishing what I set out to do," I told her.

"I just have to ask why you wanted me to have the reward money, when you were the one who discovered the truth?" she wanted to know.

"Hey, I got my share of the money as well," I argued.

"Yeah, but Mr. Jones had to trick you into taking it. If he would have told you about the extra half a million before the deal was signed you would have insisted that I got that as well, wouldn't you?" she asked.

"Yes, you can have it now, if you want," I told her.

"I am not taking one dime of that money. It's yours, and you more than earned it. What I don't understand is why you wanted to give it away?" she wanted to know.

"Melody, I worked for about a month gathering evidence to get you released, but you had your entire life ripped out from under you. When we first met, it was clear to see that you hated the world, then when you started to let me in I got just a little glimpse of the woman I could tell you used to be, and it was sickening to know how much they broke your spirit. I was telling the truth when I said I believed that you were innocent. I knew, because that is what my heart saw every time I looked at you. When I asked myself who deserved the money more, I didn't even have to think about it to come up with the answer," I explained, while watching her tears start flowing again.

"I asked you to stop crying," I teased as I dabbed her cheeks with a soft Kleenex.

"I'll try, but I just have to ask, what made you suspect Harvey? Hell, even I didn't think he had anything to do with what happened," she needed to know.

"I am not really sure of that one myself. I suppose that part of it could have been jealousy, but I guess the real reason is that your description of the man just didn't match my definition of a loving boyfriend," I confessed.

"You were actually jealous of Harvey?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? Harvey was your man; I was merely just some schoolboy nerd there to help fix the computers. I'm just sorry you had to put up with all the teasing that the women there gave you," I replied honestly.

"Hell the reason I was teased so much is because they were jealous themselves. I had an actual friend on the outside that I could meet with regularly, and they didn't. When they found out that you were the one most influential in getting me released they all gave me a message for you," Melody said.

"And that would be?" I asked.

"If you could do the same thing for any of them, they would make damn sure that nobody would ever be able to call you a boy again. They even went so far as to say that the first thing I should do upon my release is to find you, check into the nearest motel, and not let you leave until you couldn't get it up again for a month," she told me.

"As much as I would love for you to do that, I got you released because it was the right thing to do, not so you would be grateful enough to take my virginity," I told her.

"I actually feel the same way," she said, momentarily crushing my dreams of being with her tonight. "That is part of the reason I waited so long to contact you. I wanted to be sure what I felt was more than just gratitude. You deserve that," she finished.

"So how do you feel about me?" I asked, not really sure I wanted to know the answer.

"That is really a difficult question to explain. I have so many emotions when it comes to you, and let's be honest, gratitude is among them, but there really is more to it than that. I am attracted to you, both in body and soul. I realized that when we were working together, and it frightened me. To be honest, it still frightens me.

"Why, are you afraid I would hurt you?" I wanted to know.

"No, never that, I'm just concerned about you becoming too attached to me and not trying to find a girl your own age afterwards," Melody tried to explain.

"So it really is just about gratitude then. It's ok for us to have sex, but I am not good enough to consider dating long term," I asked.

"It has nothing to do with not being good enough, but I am several years older than you are. I have also been through some devastating experiences which have permanently changed my outlook on the world. I am just not sure that we would be compatible long term," she confessed.

"My mom was the only one I knew who could predict the future, and unfortunately she is not around anymore to ask. I admit that I have been attracted to you from the beginning, but I feel more than that for you now. I am not sure what it will lead to, but if you feel the same for me, don't we at least owe it to ourselves and each other to give dating a try?" I argued.

"But what if it doesn't work out?" she asked.

"Then we get hurt, we heal or stay bitter, and finally we move on, just like everybody else," I said.

"What would happen if I agreed?" she wanted to know.

"Well, I still would love for you to try and put me out of commission for a month, but we don't really need a motel room as Dad will be away on business for the holiday," I said.

"I know, your dad told me when we talked earlier today," she admitted.

"Dad knew you were coming, did he know why?" I asked, bewildered.

"Ryan, your dad is many things, but stupid is not one of them. I told him what I wanted to do, and he said you were of age and he couldn't stop us even if he wanted to. He did make me promise to be safe, however, which was part of the reason I waited so long to see you. I didn't want us to have to use condoms," she explained.

"Melody, I only want this to happen if it is something that you desire as well. Please don't make my first time only about you being grateful," I pleaded.

"Ryan, honey, right now I want you more than anyone I have ever been with, and that includes Harvey. I would be lying if I said that part of it wasn't gratitude, but that is not the only reason I am here. I am not a fortune teller either, but if you truly want me to be your girlfriend and not just some fuck buddy, or friends with benefits, or whatever they call it these days, I am willing to try," she relented.

I was truly fortunate to have a queen size bed of my own, as I would not have felt right about using my father's room for our activities. I knew that with it being my first time I could easily fall for Melody too quickly, so I had to keep some semblance of my emotions in check. That being said, I didn't want to squelch my feelings either. I guess that it would always be a fine line that adults would walk whenever they started a new relationship. I just hoped my heart was ready to partake in the adventure.

We both knew I would cum quickly, and Melody did everything in her power to make it happen. She wanted my first couple of loads out of the way before the real fun began. I don't know about her, but I was already enjoying myself quite nicely, if you know what I mean. The first time a woman takes you in her mouth is unfathomably erotic. There is nothing like the feeling of hot wet lips and a tight throat to totally immerse your body in utter ecstasy. It's amazing, when you think about it, how versatile certain parts of our anatomy can truly be. Orally, she could talk, chew, drink, eat, breath, and yet now she was giving me more pleasure than surely any man had a right to receive. Every nerve in my body felt like it was on high alert as I soared towards my pending release. Being the gentleman that I like to think of myself as, I naturally tried to warn her that I was on edge, but she just continued to manipulate my manhood until there was just no holding back the obvious outcome. It's funny the images your mind can conjure up at the most inopportune of moments. I started to picture Bruce Banner as he fights with everything he has trying desperately to contain the rage that flowed through his body when he loses the battle within himself to once again be transformed into the mighty beast. That is the way I felt as I struggled with all my might to delay my upcoming release. As my body finally gave into the feeling of utter bliss, my manhood erupted in a tidal wave of warm flowing goo that coated her throat with what I later learned to have a salty pungent flavor. I had never tasted my own discharge before, but how could I possibly deny the offer of my sweet Melody's lips as they pressed themselves to mine after she had worked so diligently to make my first orgasm at the hands of another person such an unbelievable pleasant and memorable experience.

After coming down off my exuberant high, I decided it was time for me to step up and repay the favor. Being new to the game, I really had no idea of what I could actually do to satisfy her. I tried to focus on all those times I watched guys, and even some ladies, go down on one another on the internet. I knew that this was real and not some fantasy porn scene portrayed by over-the-top actors, but besides Melody's own direction, this was really all the education I had to work with, so I deciphered what I felt was tangible and tried to mimic those actions. I knew my technique wasn't anywhere near as good as she deserved, but she did seem to moan at the appropriate times, and when my face became covered with a thick musky liquid I began to wonder just how real those porn movies actually were. I explored her body like it was some archeological find of the highest importance. I left no facet unexamined, foolishly worrying that I may never again be granted such an opportunity like the one presenting itself to me this evening. I adored the feeling of her vagina as it seemed to tug at my fingers, inviting me to probe deeper into the mysteries hidden inside her most private of treasures. Although I so wanted to prolong our relationship, I was in constant distress that a boy like me could not adequately create the level of pleasure necessary to sustain a woman of her caliber. She did seem to be enjoying herself, but I prayed that she wasn't faking a reaction just to inflate my delicate ego.

Melody eventually pushed my face away from her mound, and after we kissed on the lips, with her tasting the juices still present there, she announced that it was finally time for us to forever alter my virginal status. I don't know how others reacted when they faced this coming of age event, but for me I think that every feeling I had ever experienced was kickboxing with one another in an effort to emerge as the dominant emotion. Melody assured me that she already had a handle on the issue of birth control, so all I needed to do was just relax and enjoy my initiation into the world of adult activities. Well enjoy them I did, but as for relaxing, there was not a chance in hell that was going to happen. It would be intimidating enough to have your first time with a mere schoolgirl, but being aware of Melody's previous experience caused my level of anxiety to skyrocket exponentially. I knew that I would have the time of my life, hell, I was already doing that, but would I really be good enough to satisfy someone like her? That was my big dilemma. As much as I professed to be a man, in the area of sexual activities I was still just a boy. What do I know about pleasing a woman? You know, it's funny, but at that particular moment I started to think about my deceased mother. No, not in the sick perverted way that you are all imagining, I remembered how she used to say that people can communicate by a multitude of different methods, besides the mere exchanging of words. She taught me to listen with not just with my ears, but also my eyes, touch, and most importantly, my heart. It was through the use of these techniques that I was able to be certain of Melody's innocence. What was stopping me from using them now?