Apple of Aphrodite Ch. 01

The following is what I hope to be the beginning of a long-form tale that grows in the telling, involving action, adventure, fantasy, comedy, and of course, lots of sex.

As an aspiring writer, this is a bit of an experiment for me, so to that end I'm open to any and all feedback. Between juggling life's complexities, I imagine this to be a long time in the making, and how you respond will help determine where it goes, if it goes at all, so please, if you make it to the end, take some time to leave a comment with your thoughts, or email me with feedback! I appreciate it so, so much.

With that preamble out of the way, thank you for reading, and enjoy!

Author's note: All characters involved in any sexual activities are over the age of 18.

* * *

Life is so boring, 18-year-old Hector Benson thought, his arm buckling ever so slightly to the bags of apples he had been carrying for almost 20 minutes. He watched his little brother zoom around his mother, powered by the sugar rush of one too many pieces of double chocolate fudge he knew she had regretted giving him.

Sam's Apple Barn was busy that day, filled with families taking advantage of the Earth's early autumn weather to seek out some of its most material delights. Donuts. Corn nuts. Hot cider. And of course, apples.

It was tradition in his family to venture out multiple times a year to claim their share. Hector remembered it fondly, the elation he felt when he was a kid, when it was all so new and exciting. Walking down the aisles, holding his mother's hand, apples of all shapes and sizes flanking both of his sides, shiny and bright. He recalled the first time he tasted one, the way his tongue sprung to life against its sugary juices and mild candied flavor, a delicious combination you couldn't find in any other food in the world.

But as Hector grew older, and his innocence was replaced with a knowledge that the world wasn't quite as sweet, all of that was overtaken by a sense of indifference that now made their annual visits more of a chore than a reward. He couldn't help but look at his brother with a bit of pity then as he begged his mom for one more piece of fudge, knowing that his enthusiasm would likely fade away with time, just as it had with him.

"There's no more Tim," his mother, Nora, insisted. "Please stop."

Her voice was strained with patience, the kind unique to tired mothers on the brink of exploding. Between the three of them, it seemed Tim was the only one enjoying the day's outing, which made Hector wonder why they had even bothered.

At least dad had the good sense to stay home.

In the beginning, the Benson visits to Sam's Apple Barn had always been a full family affair, but in recent years the entire ordeal had become so routine that his dad often declined to accompany them, choosing instead to take advantage of the rare moment of solitude and relax to an old CD. Hector was certain they'd be coming home that day to the house blaring the familiar sounds of Chicago or Phil Collins, his dad in his recliner, eyes closed, beer in hand.

Lucky.

"Tim, come here, stand by me," Hector said in an attempt to give his mom the reprieve he could tell she needed. But his little brother wouldn't budge, clinging onto his mom even harder.

She sigh as she stepped forward and handed the cashier her credit card.

"Two bags?" the cashier asked, looking in Hector's direction.

Nora nodded, and handed him her credit card. "Yes, thank you."

The cashier swiped the card, hit a few buttons on his computer, and handed it back, all as if on autopilot.

"You're all set. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, that's all," said Nora.

"Thank you for choosing Sam's Apple Barn," said the cashier with a feigned smile. "We appreciate your business. Come again."

Tim's sugar rush had reached its peak as they corralled themselves into the van, and crashed hard on their way home, turning into a full blown tantrum.

The accident strikes again, Hector thought.

He glared at his little brother from inside the side view mirror, wishing he would just shut up and give him and his mom some peace. He knew he wasn't being fair, but he wasn't in the mood for feeling guilty either. His whole Sunday had been wasted on this trip, and he was looking forward to spending what little of the weekend remained doing nothing.

As expected, they arrived to find the house filled with music, this time with the grating vocals of Janice Joplin--another of his dad's favorites--and Nora was in no mood for it.

"Jesus Dave, would you turn that down," she yelled over the booming bass of the stereo.

Dave grunted and stood up from his recliner, making no attempt to hide his disappointment as he walked over to the stereo.

"You should have come with us," Nora said. She handed Tim off to his father, who had passed out following his tantrum. "I could've used your help."

Hector carried the bags of apples over to the kitchen counter, eager to return to the solitude of his bedroom, and away from the bickering he knew was coming.

"He give you a lot of trouble?" Dave asked.

"He was bouncing off the goddamn walls the whole time." Nora grabbed a napkin from the kitchen table and wiped the drool off her shoulder.

"You shouldn't have given him chocolate," Dave said, noticing the brown blotches resting in the corners of his son's mouth. "You know how he gets."

"He wouldn't stop asking, so I caved," Nora snapped. "Can we not do this now? I'm not in the mood. Just watch him for a while, please?"

Dave nodded in surrender, and walked over to Hector as Nora shambled her way to the bathroom.

"You guys have a good time?"

"Not really," Hector replied.

"Your mother shouldn't have given him chocolate." His father said it in almost the exact same inflection as he had before. "It only makes things worse."

"It was fudge, and he wouldn't shut up until he got some. I don't blame her."

"Still--"

"Whatever," Hector snapped before his dad could continue. He slipped his hand into one of the bags of apples and grabbed the first one he felt. "See you at dinner."

As Hector walked to his bedroom, he took a bite from the apple, expecting the same flavor he'd experienced hundreds of times, but was stopped by the explosion of sweetness that filled his mouth.

Holy shit, this apple is delicious.

Curious, he took a few moments to inspect it. The apple was a balanced shade of red and yellow, bright and bold and sparkling with an outer sheen of juice that seemed almost unnatural. He couldn't explain it, but it felt like the apple was calling to him, filling him with an intense hunger that needed satiating. He took another bite, filling his mouth with more ecstasy, followed by another, then another, again and again, like a voracious animal. In mere minutes the apple was reduced to nothing but its core. He nibbled and sucked on it before tossing it in the trash in his bedroom.

It was so delicious that Hector had considered grabbing another, but his intense hunger was suddenly replaced by an equally intense feeling of fullness. Weighted by satisfaction, he closed his bedroom door, plopped down on his bed, and began scrolling through his podcast subscriptions on his phone, looking for the perfect one to spend the rest of his Sunday afternoon with. Eventually he settled on Myths and You, a podcast exploring how ancient stories influence pop culture. There were no new episodes yet, so he settled on an old favorite: The Odyssey - What Modern Fantasy Owes To History's Greatest Epic.

About a third of the way through, Hector's phone vibrated to life with an incoming message.

What r u up too?

Hector's heart skipped a beat when he saw who it was from. It was Kayla, his best friend.

More like only friend.

Nothing, just recovering from a day out with my brother. You?

Finishing up with homework. Algebra is killing me. Mind throwing me a bone?

Hector sighed and reached for his backpack sitting by his bedside. He had organized its contents by subject, making the location of his algebra homework easy to find. He pulled it out, took a picture of each page, and texted them to Kayla.

Thanks sucker :p I can always count on you.

Ha ha :| You owe me, as usual.

Of course. Name your price.

How bout another blow job?

Keep sending me homework and I'll consider it ;) ttyl

Hector sat his phone down and rubbed his eyes. Kayla and him had been friends since they were kids, at least until puberty struck, and the dynamic between them changed. For most of high school they managed to push through the awkward sexual tension, until it reached a boil one night when they were alone, and she revealed to him that she was still a virgin, after which he did the same. Feelings were confessed, anxieties expressed, and before they knew it their clothes were off and Kayla was on top of him, pecking his mouth with affectionate kisses.

"Are you sure?" Hector had asked. Kayla wasn't exceptionally pretty, but she was undeniably cute, with a round doe-eyed face and a petite freckled body. It wasn't like he didn't want her, but he knew that they were about to cross a line that couldn't be uncrossed.

"Yes," she whispered. "I want my first time to be with someone I trust. That's you, in case you didn't know."

"I'm flattered." Hector had cringed as the words escaped his mouth.

Kayla laughed. "Just shut up and fuck me."

The whole ordeal was as quick and awkward as they'd expected, and sure enough, things hadn't been the same since. It's not like they had stopped talking or anything dramatic like that. In fact they still fooled around occasionally, though they hadn't actually had sex again. But now neither of them were sure of where they stood with the other, and the casualness of their sexual encounters only added to the confusion.

Do I love her? He pondered the question again, as he did often, and no matter how long or hard he did, the answer was never clear.

Does she even love me?

"Dinner time," Hector heard his mother yell. Her voice, shrill and sharp, broke through his concentration. He welcomed the disruption; the last thing he wanted was to fall down another vortex of teen angst.

Hector took a seat next to his brother. He was unusually quiet, which he was thankful for. It seemed the trip to the apple orchard had sapped away most of his energy, leaving him a docile little munchkin that could almost pass for endearing.

As Hector went to take a bite of his mother's customary roasted chicken, he realized that he was still full. Strange, he thought. He had only eaten one apple, and that was an hours ago, but yet it still sat heavy in his belly. He picked at his dinner with his fork, forcing in a few meek bites before realizing he couldn't stomach any more.

"Hector, what's wrong?" Nora asked. "You've barely touched your food."

"Just not that hungry," said Hector.

You feeling okay?" she asked before taking a bite of broccoli.

"My stomach hurts."

"You eat a bad apple?" Dave chimed in, half jokingly.

Hector thought back to the apple, remembering how delicious it was, how it seemed to draw and control his actions.

"Maybe," he confessed.

"How many did you eat?" asked Nora.

"Just one."

"All it takes is one," Hector's father chimed again. "Maybe you swallowed a worm."

"Don't be ridiculous Dave, that's absurd."

"It happens sometimes," he said. "I saw a video on the internet of a spider hiding in a banana. It was horrifying; I'm never having one again."

Nora rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her son. "Honey, if you're not feeling well, don't force yourself to eat. I'll save it and you can heat it up later, okay?"

"Okay." Accepting his mother's compromise, Hector stood up, only to feel a sudden sense of intense dizziness. "I'm gonna go lay down for a bit."

"Let us know if you need anything," Nora said.

"Thanks mom."

The world was spinning by the time Hector made it to his bedroom. He closed the door and flopped down onto his bed like a fish, and as soon as he did he felt himself begin to slip into unconsciousness. It was an immense relief, the most incredible and warm invitation to sleep he'd ever experienced, and in no time he was gone, floating in the empty ether of his mind.

* * *

He dreamt he was an apple, hanging in the sky off the branch of a tree, so tall he could see the world, from edge to edge. Time crawled at a snail's pace, and a million lifetimes passed beneath him, until suddenly he saw a woman approaching. She was beautiful, naked, long flowing chestnut hair covering her sizable breasts, skin white as snow. She opened her arms, a wordless invitation that he accepted without question, and as she approached, she grew larger, growing with each step she took, until she was a giant. The woman plucked him off the tree and brought him up to her eyes, blue as a clear summer sky and wide as an ocean.

"I've been waiting for you," she said, and opened her mouth. Hector felt no fear as he stared down the endless void of her gullet, and felt pure orgasmic bliss as she tossed him into her mouth. The giant woman's throat was like a dark, wet slide, and the further he slid down, the more intense his bliss became, until it was too much, and he exploded.

* * *

Night had set in when Hector awoke; the only source of light that of the half moon hanging outside his window. His body was drenched in sweat, and his heart was racing.

What a dream, he thought.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and as he did, he noticed a slurping sound breaking the silence, along with a pleasant, wet sensation encompassing his groin. Hector sat up, and looked down to see a woman, naked, her head moving up and down within the darkness, in rhythm with the pleasure that was swiftly overcoming him.

"Kayla..." Hector muttered as he rubbed his eyes again. But as clarity set in, he realized it wasn't Kayla.

"What the fuck!" Hector screamed, but before he could react the strange woman raised her hand, compelling him into an easy submission.

"Shh, don't move my love," she said without removing her mouth from him. "I'm almost finished." Her words echoed in his mind, lingering, soothing him like a soft lullaby.

Hector wanted to protest, but the woman's mouth felt like heaven, bringing him closer to an ecstasy he'd never experienced before. It took hold of him, of all sense and reason, until he existed only for her.

"Oh wow, oh fuck," he managed to sputter out, and the woman giggled, continuing to work him, hands and mouth in unison, bending him, bit by joyous bit, until he broke. He fell back and moaned, filling her mouth with life, his life, and she swallowed it all, and from that moment they existed together, in harmony.

Hector's head was swirling when it was all over, and it took him a few moments to align himself back to reality. He expected the woman to disappear, a remnant of some strange erotic dream, but as he sat up he saw that she was still there, sitting on the edge of his bed, cast in light and shadow.

"Wow," Hector exhaled. "That was incredible."

The woman wiped her mouth. "You like that huh? Most men do. But you're not most men, are you? I wouldn't be here if you were."

The woman laid back on the bed, exposing her perfectly shaped breasts. Hector was hypnotized by how they jiggled as she fell back, almost as if to defy gravity. Then, just as quickly, she flipped onto her stomach and arched her back, teasing him with a full view of her perky pink nipples, inviting and dark against her snow white skin.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" she asked, coyly, knowingly, demanding his attention.

"I..uh..." Despite having so many questions, Hector couldn't think; his mind drawn fully to this mysterious alluring woman. He drew his eye across her nubile form, down her back and to her ass, equally perfect as her breasts, firm and bubbly, yet small and delicate. She was intensely beautiful, and the longer he looked, the more attracted to her he felt, sending a wave of desire across his body.

"Like what you see?" The woman flipped her chestnut hair like a model, and suddenly Hector recognized her.

"It's you," he managed to squeak out amidst his delirium. "The woman from my dream."

She nodded. "See, we aren't quite strangers. Especially after what we just did. What we...will do."

The woman glanced down at Hector's manhood, flaccid and glistening with cum and saliva under the moonlight, and just then he realized how exposed he was.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry." He frantically began pulling his boxers back up, but the woman merely laughed, then vanished, stopping him in the process. There was a vibration in the air, and suddenly she was sitting next to him, still naked, her hips touching his.

"Shh." She placed her index finger on his lips. "Calm your storm, my love."

My love? Hector thought. What does she mean by that?

Just then he felt a softness on his cock, and saw that her other hand was on him, her fingers dancing along his shaft. It pulsed and shivered to her touch, soft as velvet, pushing all his thoughts of modesty away once again.

"Do you like that?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," Hector grunted, feeling his cock grow harder with each passing second. "It feels really good."

"I know baby."

She cupped him by the cheek and turned him to face her, forcing him to look into her eyes. They were uniquely blue, crystal clear and pleading. "Do you think I'm sexy?"

"Yes," Hector grunted again. "You're the sexiest woman I've ever seen."

The woman giggled and smiled. "I've heard that a lot. So many times, from so many men." She leaned forward and kissed him, lightly, letting him savor the sweetness of her lips. "But it means so much more coming from you. Speaking of coming..."

She sat up and positioned herself on top of him, aligning herself with him in a way that suggested experience.

"May I make love to you?" Her voiced cracked with an ache that Hector could not deny.

Without thinking, he pulled the woman down upon him and kissed her, eating up more of the heavenly taste glazing her lips. He wanted more, so much more, and as he consumed her she consumed him, drawing his fully erect manhood into her center. It glided in, aided by her endless wetness, until it was gone, and so was he.

"Oh fuck," Hector moaned. The woman was tight, and exquisitely warm, enveloping all his senses.

"Wow, you feel so good inside me." She sat up and began writhing her hips against his, giving Hector full view of her incredible body. Her breasts twirled hypnotically, again, and with both hands he reached up and took hold, gripping them as she rode him. Her nipples grew hard in his hand, tickling his palms, sending vibrations throughout his body that, together with her expert movements, brought him to an early boil.

"I'm coming," Hector said.

"Good," the woman cried out. "But first, tell me you love me. Please."

"I love you," Hector moaned without question, and just then he exploded, unleashing rivers of life inside her, sending her reeling, screaming, and all the while he couldn't tear his eyes away, watching in awe as she accepted him without question.

"By the gods," the woman gasped before collapsing on top of him. Hector wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, and for a short while neither of them said anything, lost in their own unique post-orgasmic bliss. He didn't know why, but he felt connected to this woman. Safe. Loved. And somehow, he knew she felt the same.

Eventually reality took hold of all sense, and one question rooted itself to the forefront of Hector's mind.