Unveiling Lina Abbas

*Warning: This is a fantasy story, not a guide on how to live, think, or act. It is a slightly different take on the old blackmail trope. No characters appear in the story who are under 18. Themes include reluctance, infidelity, heterosexuality, and religious taboos. Thanks to HeyAll for some editing and valuable advice which I may or may not have successfully implemented.*

Her reading interrupted by a knock on the kitchen door, Lina Abbas left her book and stepped quickly down the hall, pausing briefly to check her hijab in a mirror.

"Hello, Lina, I have your things here." It was Jason, the neighbor.

"Oh, Jason. Hi. Did you fixed it?" she asked, smiling hopefully. Jason smiled back. Her smile was the kind that involved her whole far, her dark eyes sparkled. There was also something hot to him about her slightly messed up English and her heavy Arabic accent. He wasn't happy to be bringing her some bad news, but it simply had to be done.

He shook his head. "Sorry to tell you, it's dead."

Lina's smile turned into a childlike pout. She was a shy woman but had strong, almost cartoonish facial expressions.

"Oh. Ok."

"The good news is that I'm pretty sure I got all your things off the hard drive. You won't lose anything. It's all on these USBs. Where do you want this stuff?"

Jason was holding the laptop like a tray, precariously carrying several USB sticks in a little plastic bag on top. Lina was torn between reaching out to take her computer from Jason as she held the door open, possibly dumping the USB sticks with all her files, or allowing him to enter her home with her husband not there, something forbidden in her religion. Jason was waiting. There was no time to think.

"Oh, um, put it please, on the table."

Lina stepped back to hold the door and let Jason pass into the kitchen. He gingerly placed everything down.

"Well, there you go," said Jason. Jason was a handsome man with extremely pale eyes, something unusual where Lina had come from. Lina caught herself staring.

"Okay. We said $80, right?" Lina looked around for her handbag before remembering she'd left it back in the living room. Her heart jumped now as she realized the uncomfortable situation of being alone with a non-mahram man was going to be drawn out a bit longer.

"Wait, please. I left the bag somewhere, one minute," she said. Jason said nothing. Lina felt his eyes on her as she left the kitchen and hurried back to the living room. She found the bag and was digging through it, wondering again why she'd failed to prepare the money.

"Stupid. I knew he was coming," she thought.

"Lina?" Jason's voice close behind her jolted Lina from her thoughts. Lina was visibly startled and spun around to see him standing there in the living room. She was shocked that he had followed her deeper into her home.

"Lina, don't worry about the money."

"Oh, you scared me!" Lina laughed. "No, Jason, you are welcome for it. You should have it, the money, you spended your time and saved all the things." Lina smiled nervously and held out the money. But Jason didn't move. Only his eyes. He was looking her over. The twenty-dollar bills trembled awkwardly in the air as Lina kept holding them out as Jason ignored them.

"Lina, there's another problem we have to fix."

Lina lowered her outstretched hand, straightened herself, and looked seriously at Jason.

"What problem?"

"I found your pictures."

Lina suddenly felt herself spinning, and put a hand on the wall. That terrible heat of deep embarrassment hit her, burning her face and chest.

"What pictures?"

"You know what pictures."

Lina backed along the wall and carefully sat on the sofa, looking at the floor. She felt sick. Her husband would kill her if he knew she gave the computer to Jason with the photos still on it, especially while he was away. Why didn't she just let the computer stay broken?

Lina stuffed the money back into her bag and looked up, her dark brows knitted in anger, arching over fierce eyes.

"Those were private. I asked to you to fix it, not search in it! You did something too wrong. Go out!"

"Lina, I have copies of the photos. Those photos... Lina, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and I couldn't make myself delete them. When I saw you in them, I lost control of myself. I need your help."

Lina stood up, speaking as harshly as she could without broadcasting the issue to the other neighbors.

"Really, you will find a big problem from this! Go delete them, really go!"

"Lina, look, I'm sorry. But I didn't ask to see them. You gave them to me. You knew they were on there. You knew I would have to search your computer. You knew I would see them. There's something going on between us and we've both felt it for a long time. You can't show me photos like that of yourself and then just ask me to forget it. We need to help each other to get out of this."

Lina folded her arms, and tilted her head.

"How much you want?" she said curtly, her face disdainful.

"Money isn't the problem here."

Lina closed her eyes and took a breath. She knew where this would go now.

"Lina, it's easy. I just want to look at you. Just once. Nothing more has to happen. Unless you want it to."

"No, go out, you are a crazy man. Sick man. Go to a mental doctor." Lina made a dismissive gesture with her hands and crossed her arms. She looked away in disgust.

"Lina, I'm being honest with you. Some people would just make money from those pictures. Your face and body would be famous. But I'm not doing anything like that. I don't want that. I want everything to stay between us, absolutely private and safe."

"You will go to jail and maybe my husband is gonna kill you before it."

"The police won't care. Pictures like that aren't illegal in America, and you gave them to me on the laptop, you let me have them. You knew I would see them, I think you wanted me to see them, and any cop or judge in America is going to understand that. And you did all this while Zaki and your kids were away. I don't think that's a coincidence, and neither would anyone else. You've wanted me as much as I've wanted you. This was your chance. You sent me a signal, I'm answering it, and I don't think either of us want to miss it."

Lina looked back at Jason with a look of utter hatred. "How dare you say that, I love my husband. You are going crazy, you need to get calm or I'm gonna call him."

"If your husband knows you gave me those photos, he will understand what you started and will blame you more than me. But he's not even in the country right now. If we work together, he will never know. I'm willing to erase the pictures and everything else. Everything is going to be fine. Nothing we do today is going to affect your family or your life. You just have to work with me a little."

Lina flopped back down on the couch and put her face in her hands. She knew nothing of the law in this country, and now she was unsure if Zaki would believe that she was innocent. What if he ended up divorcing her, or worse? She hardly knew anyone here. She had no idea who to turn to or what could happen. Couldn't this all just stop?

"Listen, I just want to look at you. Look, only. I won't touch you, unless you want that. And then I'll leave and never bother you again, if that's how you want things to be. I will delete everything I have saved. I've already seen you naked anyway. Just let me see you one more time, here, and that will be enough. This whole problem will end, and no one will ever know. Your life can go back to normal and nothing bad will happen."

"I'm married and a mom. I'm a Muslim woman, Jason. You can't ask this."

"If you're worried about sinning, it's already happened. I saw every part of you in the photos. So letting me look now isn't doing anything more. We don't really have any other way out of this, so it's not your fault, only mine. I take the blame and responsibility. I promise nothing bad will happen to you or to your family life because of this. Everything will be private."

Lina just shook her head. Jason had seemed like a nice man to her, she couldn't believe he was so cunning. She wasn't going to answer him. She needed time to think. A deep feeling of utter dread formed within her, overpowering her. Suddenly she found herself sobbing into her hands, her mind spinning faster and faster through the narrowing range of terrible choices. What would be the easiest? Why couldn't this all just stop?

"Here take a tissue."

Jason had brought her the box from the end-table. She took one, wiping her eyes and nose. Somehow this gesture seemed to calm her. How long had she been crying? Jason was squatting in front of her, watching her with what looked like concern. She looked around the room, breathing deeply and more evenly.

"Jason, what you want, really?" Maybe she hoped the answer would be easier for her this time.

"Lina, it's not going to be something bad. Remember, I've already seen you like that. You already showed me. Get this over with, and the problem will go away. Everything that happens between us will stay completely secret."

Lina sat still for several minutes. It seemed like the fastest way to end this was to just give him what he wanted and get him to leave, and get her life back. She felt terrified of things getting more out of control and destroying her marriage, her family, her everything. She just wanted this to be over. The chemicals released in her body by her crying started to kick in and make her feel a little better.

"Okay. Okay. Can I have some water?"

Jason searched her face. She wouldn't try anything. "Yeah, hold on." When he came back with the glass she was still sitting exactly as she had been.

She took the glass from him, saying a quiet "thank you" automatically. Jason crouched in front of her patiently as she drank in measured amounts, breathing deeply, composing herself.

She handed Jason the empty glass.

"Where?"

"Lina, do you promise me you'll go through with this? That you'll let me see you, all of you? If you promise me this, I will promise to delete all the photos and that no one will ever know about this."

Lina didn't really know what else to say.

"Yes."

"Ok, then I agree to my promise also."

Jason's pale blue eyes scanned the room. Lina had only seen eyes like that in films before she moved here.

"Stand in front of that wall."

Lina stood where he had pointed and faced him with an expression of equal parts anger, resignation, and shame. Jason was looking her up and down. She was dressed elegantly as usual: a blue head scarf wrapped around her head and draped over her upper chest, a longish white tunic, and loose blue linen harem pants that scandalously showed a bit of ankle below the cuffs. She was barefoot, with well-maintained, soft-looking feet.

"What now?" Lina asked curtly, putting a hand on her hip.

"You know."

Lina took a breath and started unpinning her hijab. Her hands started shaking and she took some time getting the pins out. Finally she managed to unwrap it. She asked for forgiveness and then tried not to think as she removed it completely. She felt a rush of deep embarrassment, as no non-mahram man had seen her like this since she was maybe 12 years old. She put the pins in the fabric and tossed it in a ball onto the couch, a quiver of shame causing her shoulders to tremble.

"Let down your hair."

Lina shot Jason a mildly defiant look, but complied. She took the clip from her hair and tossed it on the couch with the hijab, smoothing her hair with her hands as it fell past her shoulders, before resuming an icy stance, arms crossed over her chest. Her hair was long, thick, a little wavy, jet black. It complimented her dark, arched brows and elegant Arab nose well.

"Wow, Lina... you are beautiful. Do you know how beautiful you are? You have a lot of strength to hide such beauty."

Lina didn't answer.

"Keep going," Jason said, gesturing to her upper body.

Lina gripped the hem of her tunic and paused. Her hands were trembling again. She felt dizzy, like she was floating. Everything started to feel dreamlike. She took a breath. There was a blur and a rush of sound as she pulled off her tunic. She had modestly sized breasts clasped in a purple bra, her honey-colored torso ending in a slightly rounded belly that tingled as the cool air ran over it.

"Lina, I love your skin color. That golden, olive tone is just so beautiful on you."

Jason examined her slowly, thoughtfully. It wasn't exactly a lewd gaze, it was more what one might imagine from an interested patron studying a priceless object in a museum. She noticed that her deep navel, one of her husband's favorite morsels when they were newlyweds, held Jason's gaze for a moment. She felt another strong rush come over her, a new kind of heat, as she became aware of her belly heaving under Jason's watch.

"Your body is amazing. Most women would be showing that off, your husband has got to be one of the luckiest guys alive. Please, keep going."

Lina took another breath. Her hands were shaking so much again she had a little trouble untying the drawstring of her trousers, but soon the strings fell loose. Her loose pants slipped down on their own, and she stepped out of them, kicking them over with her other clothes. Lina was pear-shaped, her hips and buttocks were round and full, but not flabby. Amazing for a woman and mother just turned thirty-two. Her panties were also purple and were plain, her fancy lingerie reserved for special occasions with her husband Zaki. Jason could see her legs were freshly groomed.

"You are in awesome shape, wow. Look at you. There are a lot of skinny, boney women out there, and plenty of chubby ones, and I like them all. But those women who have perfect curves like this are rare diamonds. You are a very finely shaped diamond, Lina."

So exposed, on the verge of nudity, Lina was now struggling to control herself. The strange heat that had been running through her began to settle between her thighs. She felt herself getting turned on automatically and starting to get wet. She had long yearned for attention like this from Zaki, but he was more the jolly and silly type than a romantic. Jason had a slight smile and was openly enjoying her body. She noticed his eyes move down to her panties, searching out her shape, a wave of intuitive sexual excitement almost breaking into her consciousness at this. She felt she had to stay focused on her outrage to suppress unwanted, traitorous feelings. She was a pious woman, and had to stay true to her husband and to her religion, at least in her heart.

"Keep going," Jason finally said, after a thorough study of her subtle cameltoe, just barely visible against the purple fabric.

"Jason, it's enough, please."

"Lina... I know you want to resist. But I also know you want this. You wanted to show yourself to me."

"Stop saying that, I hate you."

"Well if you want this to be over, you have to keep going."

Lina didn't know what to say. She was furious that he would insinuate she would just violate her family and her faith and let him see her like this willingly. However, she couldn't silence something in her that wondered if he wasn't at least partly right.

"Lina, please."

Lina reached behind her and unbuckled her bra, trying to just act, not think. Somehow showing herself to Jason seemed almost better than thinking about what he'd said. Her breasts swung free as she tossed the bra on the ground. Lina's whole body flamed again with humiliation and heat as she crossed this line. Especially as she felt her large, brownish nipples becoming erect, something that could not have escaped Jason's gaze, as his eyes moved from one to the other.

"Lina, your breasts are perfect. If I was your husband I'd kiss them to sleep every night. Do you like to have them kissed? Sucked?"

Lina said nothing but stood straight, allowing him to fully view her. He paced around her again. She tried not to watch his eyes as Jason centered himself in front of her.

"Continue."

Lina bit her lip. At least this was almost over. She felt so dizzy. She took another breath. She closed her eyes as she felt her thumbs hook into her panties and slide them down. She realized they might be a little wet and quickly kicked them aside. Her meticulously waxed pubic region and the slightly puffy lips below now must have been visible beneath her soft belly. She looked at Jason to see what he might do next, but he was completely lost in his gaze. Another tremble of shame shook her from her shoulders to her knees, and then a heat, again settling between her legs, this time more concentrated. She found herself instinctively turning from Jason and covering herself with her hands, as though there were any way to hide her nakedness and the feeling building in her from his eyes.

"Don't do that, stop. I have to see you. We have a promise, Lina. Straighten up, please."

Lina obeyed. The heat and tingle she felt became so intense that she shook a little as she struggled not to touch herself or press her thighs together. She watched his eyes wander over her, from her exposed vulva down to her feet, back up to her belly, navel, breasts, when he came to her throat she couldn't help but to swallow hard. It was like her body was in collusion with Jason, against her, sending him signals of its own desires.

"Lina, lean back on the wall. I want you to open yourself and show me inside you."

Lina took a few steps in reverse, and leaned herself against the wall.

"No, put your hips forward a bit." Lina was confused and looked at Jason, her face and a slight head-shake signalling that she didn't quite understand.

"Keep this on the wall and move this out." Jason said, pointing and gesturing at the relevant parts. Lina pressed her shoulders against the wall, stepping forward, moving her hips out in front slightly. "Open up. Open yourself," said Jason, now kneeling close in front of her. Lina felt a surge of explicitly sexual excitement between her legs as she spread them apart. She was hot there now and, though still against her will, there was no suppressing it at this point. He was looking right at her, into her, so close.

"Lina, use your hand and open it."

Lina spread her lips apart with two fingers. It was very quiet in her house, and there was a slight sound as she opened herself. She couldn't believe how wet she was, feeling it as the air ran over her. Of course Jason noticed.

"Lina, you sexy woman, your pussy is soaking wet. We made your beautiful, perfect pussy wet. You really wanted this, didn't you? I think giving the pictures to me made you wet too, didn't it? I know you felt something, just like I did. I saw it in your eyes. Do you like showing your body to me, Lina?"

"No," was Lina's hoarse reply, her gaze hardening. She had to keep her heart clean and fight these feelings, no matter how her body reacted, even as she felt her clit now throbbing inches in front of him, signalling to him, as she held open her most intimate place to his blue eyes.

"Lina, I have been honest with you. Please be honest with me. Tell me you like to show your pussy to me. I just wanna hear you say it."

Lina closed her eyes, ignoring what was happening as best as she could.

"Lina, I won't leave unless you say it. Say you like to show your pussy to me."

"Okay, okay. I like to show it to you."

"Tell me I made you wet."

"You made me wet."

"Use my name. Say, 'Jason, you made me so wet.'"

"Jason, you made me so wet."

Saying these words gave a new power to the feelings inside her, she felt herself on the edge of a total loss of control. She was sure he could see it. He seemed to know everything about her before she did. She just wanted to release this craziness inside, she felt she was going to go mad.

Jason moved closer to her to get a better view, but Lina was startled and flinched, backing away slightly.