Ch. 1: Sandbox
Authorâs note:
Graphic descriptions of sexual actions and violence. Please respect the 18+.
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âCilly! Look at me! Look what I can do!â
I smiled and cheered at the little boy in front of me, who showed me he could ride the spring rider without holding his hands on the handles. Heâd done it several times before. But in his fantasy world, he did it in different ways each time, one more daring than the other, and the joy in his eyes was contagious. He was my little happy pill. And even though he wasnât mine, it felt good to be the one who took him to things his parents didnât have the time to do, such as the playground. How they could prioritize everything else before their own son was a completely different question. But at least he was happy when he was in the park with me.
âWow, Lucas! Thatâs great! Youâre the bravest little man Iâve ever met.â
He grinned proudly from ear to ear.
âThank you. Are you coming to my birthday party tomorrow? Weâre gonna have a piĂąata and everything!â
âThat would be fun,â I said and helped him down from the duck shaped figure and made sure he didnât hurt himself. âBut are you sure your parents would want that?â
âOf course! I already told them youâre coming.â
âReally?â I giggled, but it wasnât really a question. And he didnât take his time to answer either, because he was already on his way to the sandbox where he sat down next to another kid. A boy with dark blond curls, bright green eyes, and a few freckles. Lucas looked at him for a while, clearly wanting the little car he was playing with. But instead of asking if he could borrow it, he suddenly grabbed it out of the boyâs hand and started driving circles in the sand. I hurried over to correct him.
âLucas! That wasnât nice! Give him his car back.â
I reached for his hand and was so focused on returning the toy before the boy started crying, that I didnât see the person who came rushing from the other direction. We crashed into each other, and I apologized already before I saw who it was. Of course, it was the boyâs dad. Iâd seen him here several times before, and he seemed to be the father of three. Two of them, a boy and a girl, looked so much like him it was almost scary. The third child, also a boy and obviously the youngest, was probably more like his mom. It was difficult to tell though because Iâd never seen her here, and the boy was too shy to really look at anyone. However, I knew his name was Julian because his sister often called his name to make him come and join their game. Surprisingly, he rarely did.
âIâm so sorry! I didnât see you,â we exclaimed almost simultaneously, and I blushed all the way up to my hair roots. Thank God for the high dosage of melanin in my skin, so it wasnât so obvious.
He was tall and pretty handsome, and even more now when he was smiling at me. He could easily fall under the category DILF, but only for those who liked hairy and tattooed guys. I didnât. Besides, I already had a boyfriend, and weâd been going steady for almost two years. It still felt natural to take his hand when he helped me up, though, and to continue holding it when we greeted each other.
âHarvey,â he said with a charming wink, and I gently shook his hand. It was a lot larger than mine and had a firm grip that somehow spoke about integrity and something else I couldnât quite define.
âMadison.â
We looked at each other a little too long without saying anything more, and I actually felt relieved when Lucas shouted my name.
âCilly! He wonât let me have the car!â
Then he screamed.
âHe hit me, Cilly! Heâs mean!â
I quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him away, and I scolded him a bit for stealing the other boyâs toy. Harvey did the same with his son, even though it wasnât really his fault. Then he handed the car back to Lucas and went to find a little tractor from a bag on the bench heâd been sitting on before the kids started arguing. Soon after, the two boys were playing peacefully in the sandbox.
âI thought you said your name was Madison?â he asked curiously and hinted for me to follow him to where heâd been sitting. I reluctantly did, but I kept the bag as a safe barrier between us. He was a stranger, after all.
âOh. Yeah, it is. He just calls me by my middle name, Cilyah, because it sounds like âsillyâ. Itâs just this funny thing...â
I stopped myself before I started ranting about things that werenât interesting and bit my lip. I didnât understand why I suddenly felt nervous.
âCilyah,â he said thoughtfully and looked at the kids while he nodded. âI like that. Do you mind if I call you that, too?â
âCilly? Or Cilyah?â
He laughed.
âI meant Cilyah. Itâs beautiful.â
I blushed and studied the tip of my shoes intently. Then I tucked a stray curl behind my ear and shrugged.
âSure. I donât mind.â Then I suddenly became bold. âHow about you? Do you have a middle name, by any chance?â
He gave me a little smirk and turned towards me, while he leaned back and rested his arm on the back of the bench.
âActually, I do. Itâs Jacob. Harvey Jacob OâHalloran. Nice to meet you.â
His voice was deep and authoritarian, and I giggled at his slightly cocky attitude.
âMadison Cilyah Rockwell,â I answered and finally dared to look at him again. He had a massive mane, pulled back into a low man-bun, and I could see heâd shaved his head far down on the sides when he turned. What wasnât shaved, though, was his face. He had quite an impressive beard, a well-groomed one. It still made me shudder. I hated beard, and I was absolutely positive he would look better without. But since that wasnât any of my business, I decided to ignore it. He seemed like a decent man, no matter what he looked like.
âNice to meet you too, Jacob.â
I bit my lip again and turned away so he wouldnât see me blush. Why did I do that? And it didnât make it any better that I felt his eyes on me until his daughter came running with tears streaming down her cheeks.
âDad! Julian pinched me!â
I heard a deep sigh and saw Jacob lean forward on his elbows.
âI told you to leave him alone. Heâs... Just stop bothering him, okay?â
She sniffled a little and squinted at her brother.
âGo play with Zac.â
âHeâs stupid,â she mumbled. âHeâs always playing with that dumb car, and...â
But Jacob interrupted her with a strict voice.
âNobodyâs stupid, Matilda. And if you donât want to play anymore, we can just go home.â
âNo! Not yet! I wanna try the swing again. Can you push me?â
Jacob turned to me and smirked.
âDonât go anywhere,â he said, obviously believing that I would stay put until they were done. Maybe he was used to women swooning at his feet? The ones who gladly followed his commands without hesitation? Probably. But guess what? I had other plans. And right now, they consisted of bringing Lucas home in time for dinner.
So thatâs what I did.