Todd Manson - Atomic Surfer

Averting his gaze, then eventually returning it briefly, told even the young eighteen-year-old that his thirty-five-year-old teacher was interested. At the end of class, he had asked her if she could help him with a math problem after class. She had looked away -- again - then nodded, saying yes nervously.

After classes, Todd had returned to her classroom, but his "math problem" never came up in conversation. Instead, he asked her how things were with her. It had been nothing more but a way to break the ice with conversation. Todd was too young to have developed a seduction routine yet. But Mrs. Williamson voluntarily opened up to him as Todd merely listened out of both politeness and surprise that an older woman with authority over him was treating him as a trusted equal.

They had talked for close to two hours before she realized she had to rush home. But before Brenda Williamson did, she hugged him and thanked him for listening. His math question was long forgotten as she found herself captivated by the handsome senior.

The next day when he saw her in the hallway, she had blushed and slipped him a note. "I hope I see you again after school. I had a wonderful time."

Well, Brenda Williamson did see Todd after school. Locking the door, she had practically raped him.

Well... in those days, it was still legal if he was over eighteen, which Todd had been by two months. In current times, she would have been summarily dismissed and lost her teaching credentials. In some states, she may have faced criminal charges. If found out.

Instead, Brenda Williamson - the proper mom, wife, and math teacher - had gone home happy with a whole load of Todd's cum dripping through her panties. Once home, she did her walk of shame past her husband and kids to the shower. But this is not Brenda's story. You get the point.

Yet, without knowing, Brenda had helped create a monster. What she was not aware of was that Todd's mom, long out of his life, had been "caught" by his father having an affair with a man. Wanting a divorce from Jennifer, Liam had her drugged during an evening out and placed in a compromising position with a financially challenged good looking college student. For a price, the young man had claimed that the inebriated Jennifer had seduced him.

Of course, no one listened to poor Jennifer. Not even her parents or friends. The college kid was a stud, and Liam was older and relatively normal-looking. And of course, there were the pictures of Jennifer with the stud. The divorce did not go well for Jennifer.

Now, why had Liam done this to his young wife and mother of his son? It was not that young Jennifer was not pretty or attentive to her husband's needs. Quite the opposite. The problem was that she was from a relatively poor family. In comparison, Lana Wesgarten, Liam's future wife number two, was the daughter of a well-to-do businessman. Very well to do.

And so Jennifer Reardon-Manson became single again. And she was left without her son and just her clothes to her name. When she called her now ex to see Todd, Liam had snapped, calling her a slut and whore.

His father did so, knowing that the young Todd had been listening to Liam scream on the phone at his "cheating wife." From then on, Liam either did not mention Todd's mom or just muttered, "fucken, slut-whore," when referring to her.

It was pretty traumatic for a boy to hear such things about his mother. That continued until Todd's father remarried. Liam still trashed Todd's mother, but he was more discreet about it.

When Jennifer Reardon-Manson, tried to contact her son, Liam always got in the way to prevent it and told the boy his mother had given up on him. Distraught after three months of trying, Jennifer realized that Liam would never let her see their son. Jennifer was contemplating suicide while drifting aimlessly past a military recruiting station when a Marine Recruiting sergeant bumped into her.

"It can't be that bad," the short-haired muscular Marine had said.

"I lost my son in a divorce, my ex-husband tossed me out, and my parents want nothing to do with me. I had no place to stay and little to live for. Can you top that?"

The Marine sergeant sized her up for a second or two, But she could tell it was not a sexual appraisal she was used to from men.

"You look fit. Are you?" the recruiter asked. "And are you healthy?"

"Yes on both accounts."

"Come inside," the sergeant pointed to the recruiting station.

***

Knowing only his father's hatred for his mother, Todd had little respect for married women. And when Liam had caught his second wife screwing the gardener, Todd was convinced: married women were sluts.

After his affair with his teacher Brenda Williamson, Todd had rarely bedded single women. And while seducing the married ones fed the monster within him, Todd had become a vampire of sorts. Sooner or later, he had to "feed" on a married woman to recharge himself. Going in the service had been like sticking his hand in a cookie jar. There he had found multiple lonely and neglected military wives to bed. That week of the Gala, Todd was home for the holidays with an itch that needed scratching; the never-ending urge.

Psychologists could have written dissertations on how Todd was bedding married women in an attempt to connect with his long-lost mother. That the act of humiliating the husbands was but the subconscious revenge blow to his woman-hating father.

Todd had not been adept at seduction before Liam's divorce with the 2nd Mrs. Manson. But he was quite the operator by the time he met Heda. In less than a month, Todd enjoyed aspects of his stepmother that should have been reserved for his father alone. And there had been others. Many others in between missions with The Unit/Delta. The base was full of married women so was the local area.

Outside Ft. Bragg, the home of Delta, North Carolinian women gush over the military. Especially the beefy Delta men or the 82nd Airborne Paratroopers. Todd found the local women more of a challenge as their husbands ofter lived at home and were a daily obstacle to overcome. But to a man like Todd, that was but a challenge.

There were two such civilian women he was "servicing" in his spare time and two military wives. As such, Todd's married woman dance card was on the full side. But Todd was at Ft. Bragg currently, and only Heda was available to him, and she, being married to his father, had wifely obligations and limited time for Todd.

Sergeant Manson needed a distraction.

***

The price of the deal

And so it came to be that Todd was enjoying the company of Anna Sims-Renzetti as she shared her inner feelings and dreams with him. One would think that a soldier like Todd would not be interested in a young woman's dressmaking business plans at a Christmas ball. But Todd was not your average military man. Still, one could say that young Todd was following a standard military strategy in conquest. The weakness of the conquest target. And Anna's weakness was simple: her single-minded drive to attain her mother's goal at any cost.

"I would do anything to make that happen," she had said to him without realizing how she had spelled her own doom.

"And if you wanted to, how much money would you need to start?" he had asked.

"Oh, it's out of my reach," she had replied. "One hundred thousand to start. But then, I have the clientele and the knowledge to make it happen."

Anyone with a dream usually says they would make it happen if they had the money. In fact, given enough cash, one could do just about anything. But to be successful, one has to have the knowledge and drive. Todd wondered if she had both.

When the song set ended, Anna said she had danced too long and went to check on her coworker. For his part, Todd went on an intelligence-gathering mission like any good soldier would when planning a conquest. He found Heda and pumped her for information. No pun there. Todd had "pumped" his stepmother enough that she was no longer much of a mystery or a thrill. But the information he needed was priceless. Heda confirmed that Anna was indeed capable and knowledgeable enough to make a business work.

"Anna knows her stuff Todd," she said. "Why do you ask?"

Todd had given her a wry smile in answer and a grin.

"Todd, no! Anna is a good girl. She loves her husband and would never leave...."

"I don't want Anna to leave him, Heda," he had replied. "You know how I am."

"Yes, I do. That's what worries me."

"I'm a philanderer Heda, not a monster," Todd winked at her.

"You just want to score, don't you? Just like you did with me."

Todd remained silent, but his eyes and slight grin gave Heda her answer.

"Just curious, Todd," head continued. "Are you fucking me just because I'm married, or is this some sick father-son conflict?"

"I thought your degree was in business, Hedda. But if you want to play therapist-and-patient with me, I'm sure we can find a couch to do it on."

She snorted at his snarky remark then pursed her lips in disapproval.

"What do you want from me, Todd?" she said, exasperated with her stepson.

Todd smiled inwardly. He knew Heda was hooked on him but decided

"The question I have for you, Heda, is this. Is investing in a company created by Anna a good bet or not?"

"Wait," Heda asked, perplexed by his switch in aims. "I thought you wanted to screw her. Now you want to go to business with her?"

"Oh, Heda, you think so little of me," he replied. "Investing in her dream is the apple. The temptation."

"You are a snake," Heda replied.

"You had no problems swallowing my snake, Heda. You have no room to judge me. You and I are of the same make. We don't play by society's rules. We make our own. Now answer me. Is she a good investment or not?"

"She is," Heda had replied.

"Enough to invest some of your own money so you can be a part-owner? To watch the business when I am not around?"

"You are serious about this!" she shook her head in amazement. "If I didn't know better, I would say you are actually growing up."

"Yes or no, Heda!" he pressed her. "I need to know now."

"Will you make it worth my while?" she asked, leaning close to him.

"Not tonight," Todd replied.

"I'll hold you to it," she said as the two once again conspired to betray his father.

"Deal," Todd replied. "Now, what about Anna?"

"But yes, I would invest in Anna's shop. She will need at least $150,000 to start the business, and if she is to rent a spot on Hilbert road, maybe more. Two hundred would be a safer number."

Todd thought about it for a while. He had plenty of money in his trust fund. It had become active when he turned twenty-five and growing by the minute each trading day. Not wanting to let people in the Army know how wealthy his family was, he lived on a small budget with occasional splurges away from the service. He had been making investments with his money on the side. Why not combine business with some well-needed pleasure if Heda was vouching for Anna?

"Good," Todd replied. "Now go get her and bring her to me."

Having determined Anna was knowledgeable about her business, Todd moved on to the next phase. Deciding how determined she was to make it happen.

Five minutes later, Heda led Anna into the office where Todd was waiting, sitting behind the desk. Standing briefly, Todd offered her a chair. Anna took it as Heda sat on another. The young redhead seemed nervous as she gazed at Todd.

"We meet again," Todd said to Anna.

"So it would seem," she replied, nodding nervously. "Heda said you had something to talk to me about."

"Indeed we do," he said, smiling at each woman in turn. "We have a business proposition for you."

"What kind of business?"

"After you talked to me about your plans, I did some research. Basically, I spoke to Heda here. She vouches for your expertise, work ethic, and business sense. And she and I think that you would be someone we would like to invest in."

"I appreciate it, but as I was saying, it would require a lot of money."

"We know. And it's more than the 100 grand you thought," he said, turning to Heda. "You mentioned at least $150,000. Maybe as close to two hundred, correct?"

"At least," Heda calculated. "Rent on Hilbert Road is not cheap, and it's getting more expensive by the day. Liam and I own some property on the strip and know the pricing there. Unfortunately, it is all leased. So you will have to find a place, and that will not be cheap. Then there are always unexpected expenses. Part of business 101, right?"

Anna stared at them both in shock. It took her a few seconds to process what they had just said to her. One minute she had been dancing with a dashing young soldier, and the next, he and his stepmother were offering to make her dream come true.

"I... eh... that is A LOT of money, Mr. Manson," she said, reverting to business manners. "I would have to talk to my husband."

"No, my dear," Heda cut her off. "This deal is a one-time, right now, take-it-or-leave-it offer."

"It's a big decision..." Anna said. "I should talk to him."

"Are you having cold feet?" Heda replied. "You have been telling me for close to three years how you hoped to do this one day. Well, this is the day."

Wanting to stay on her young lover's good side, Heda was doing everything in her power to manipulate the younger woman in his favor.

"But, I don't know what to say," Anna replied.

"We are hoping you say yes and make us all good money," Heda continued.

"How can I ever repay you?" Anna said, gazing at them thankfully. Tears of happiness ran down her cheeks.

Todd and Heda glanced at each other briefly with matching, barely noticeable grins.

"There is a price for this generosity and opportunity, Anna," Todd spoke in a low tone as he gazed into her eyes. "There is always a price."

She returned the gaze with trepidation.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, dear Anna is that you have to put up some collateral."

"We have twelve thousand saved," she replied, thinking of her and her husband's savings. Vincent had intended for them to buy a house, but Anna was ready to gamble it on her dream in that instant. "I am hoping to convince Vince to agree to it."

Mark shook his head.

"That is not enough, and you know it. The collateral I am speaking of is not money or property. If you had that, you would be in business already. So all that is left is a show of commitment to your goal."

"But I am..." she tried to say but never finished as Todd raised his hand to stop her.

"When we were dancing, you said, "I would do anything to make it happen," right?"

"I can't kill anyone for it. Please don't ask me that!"

Todd and Heda smiled at each other, leaving Anna to wonder what they wanted.

"As far as I know, no one has ever died from what you will be asked to do to show us you are serious." Heda scoffed. "In fact, no crime will be committed."

Anna was beginning to figure out that it involved something she would not like, but she just could not fathom what it could be.

"Then what?"

Todd leaned in, looking at her directly again. Instinctively, Anna swallowed hard and almost backed away.

"To prove you are serious about this proposal and deal, you will have to break one vow and pledge another."

Anna froze. Vow! Break one vow! That could only mean one thing, she thought. It was clear to Todd and Heda that she had figured it out. Todd smiled at her confidently.

"It was your words that made me realize you were committed, Anna. "I would do anything to make it happen." That is what you said, is it not?"

"Yes, but..."

"Anything... is something, Anna. Something of value and a show of commitment. If Heda and I commit capital and support, there has to be a quid-pro-quo. Do you know what that means?"

"Yes," she replied in surrender. "Something for something. You want me to put out. To cheat on my husband, to lie to him and betray him."

"More than that," Todd said, looking at a smirking Heda. "We want you to decide what is more important to you. Your wedding vows or your dreams coming true. You can't have both."

"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked, turning to Heda. "You know this is what I have wanted all my life."

The older woman smirked but deferred to Todd.

"I knew that the minute I heard you say "I would do anything to make it happen," that you would do this. That your dream was more important than "anything." More important than your promise of fidelity to your husband.

"You see, we are not going to invest in someone who is not going to fight for the business we are about to finance with our money. We need proof of commitment and drive to succeed. Do you understand?"

She nodded, looking down at her hands. The weight of the decision upon her tormented her. She was so torn between fidelity and the realization of her dreams. She should not be. Not if she truly loved Vince. But she was conflicted. What did that say about her?

"This is crewel," she said as tears ran down her face. "He is a good man, he doesn't deserve this."

"He?" Todd asked as Heda watched him work on Anna. "He had a name a few seconds ago. Now your husband is just, "he." And we both know why, don't we, Anna?"

The young woman bawled now as she shook her head and covered her face with her hands.

"No... oh no!" Anna lamented as Todd grinned at Heda.

His stepmother remembered how Todd had tempted her as well and talked her into betraying his own father. And he had not even promised her a life's dream. Only sex. Good sex! Great sex, as she would find out and crave. Heda knew that Liam had her watched. That man was such a wife hater, she wondered why he had married her if he never trusted her. Probably just to torment her with mediocre sex so Heda would crave an affair. And affair she could not have and stay married to Liam.

Liam had made sure of that. A prenuptial agreement signed by her said that she would be on the street with the clothes on her back if she cheated on her older husband. Liam had trusted only one man to be alone with her. His only son, Todd. The man who had seduced her the previous summer and would visit to continue their illicit affair. On his time and conditions, of course. The Manson men were evil, she thought. But then Heda had a pact with the younger Manson. It was too late to back out, and there was no room for morality plays. If she backed away now, Todd would expose her. Heda realized she was in a trap of her own making.

Anna was no better than herself, Heda thought, staring at the dithering girl with disdain. She should have felt sorry for the seamstress, but instead, she loathed that the redhead still had an option; unlike Heda, who was trapped for life.

She was about to snap at Anna in anger. But Todd saw it and raised his hand to stop his stepmother.

"Enough talk," Todd said, rubbing his hands. "You had your chance. Your husband wins. We lose. And... no dress shop dream for you, Anna. But who knows, two other rich people may just give you such an offer down the road. Right?"

Anna was still crying, but her sobbing was dry, reduced to hard breaths as she hyperventilated. Her life's dream, so close minutes ago, was being flushed down the drain.

She stared in anguish as the dashing yet diabolical young man in uniform stood and started to walk out. Heda shook her head at Anna in disgust and followed Todd out of the office. Anna's dream went with them in tatters.

***

"I thought she would cave," Heda said as Todd stopped ten feet away from the door.

He looked back at Anna, who was staring back and pleading.

"Please!" the young redhead begged. "Please..."

Todd turned, gave her an unblinking look, smiled, and walked off.

"NO! PLEASE! Don't go!" Todd and Heda heard Anna begging behind them.

Heda almost turned, but Todd raised a finger to stop her. She stared as he smiled and turned to face the defeated Anna. He then walked up to her placing a finger under her chin.