Half Past Midnight: The Novel

By Keegan Kennedy

So far, it’s been a long summer for Parker Wells. Working the graveyard shift at a gas station in a rural Mississippi town, Parker is saving for college and looking forward to his freshman year at Queen’s Landing University. But the young jock’s world is forever changed when a mysterious midnight shopper turns out to be a criminal who wants more than just the gas station’s safe... Short novel is approximately 32,500 words. This dark fantasy contains bondage, peril and kink.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Keegan Kennedy
• Release date: May 10, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310908460

Keegan Kennedy

Originally hailing from Mississippi, Keegan Kennedy is a writer based out of Memphis, TN. He's a self-described, ‘aging, former sex symbol’ with a kinky imagination. Keegan is fascinated with the natural power exchanges between dominant and submissive males, and his stories reflect that fascination. The fantasies that he shares are full of adventure, peril, bondage, and a dry wit. And he has a knack for uncovering love and romance in the darkest of places. With a tendency toward the melodramatic, he does more than arouse or excite the reader - he engages them.Author of Homecoming: International Number One in four countries: The United States, The United Kingdom, Germany and Canada. Author of Homecoming: International Number One in four countries: The United States, The United Kingdom, Germany and Canada. Author of eBook Number Ones: The Substitute Wife, Magnificent Pretense, Captivated, Ganymede 4, West Texas Rivalry, Taken, The Christmas Bottom, The Party Favor, Stupid Jocks Make the Best Submissives, College Endowment, Who Wears the Pants in the Family?, Saving Drake McKenzie, Heisting Hogan, Half Past Midnight, Crossroads, and Man of the House.

Book preview

Half Past Midnight

By Keegan Kennedy

Copyright May 2014 by Kennedy-Empire Media

Smashwords Edition

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. All characters in this novel are eighteen years or older.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher or author.

This book is a work of fiction. Places, events, and situations in this story are purely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is coincidental.

The opinions and comments made by the characters are not necessarily indicative of those of the author, Keegan Kennedy, the publisher, Kennedy-Empire Media or the e-Book platform from which this work was published.

Table of Contents:

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Other Titles from Keegan Kennedy

About the Author

Chapter One

So far, it had been the longest, hottest summer of my life… And no, I wasn’t talking about sex.

For the last several weeks, it had been over a hundred during the day, and at night, the lowest temperature had been 88; and it wasn’t even July yet.

Eagerly waiting to leave my small hometown for my freshman year of college at Queen’s Landing University, I was working the night shift at a gas station on the outskirts of New Albany, Mississippi to make money for college. The job was an easy one—just boring as shit. I worked seven nights a week—from ten PM to six AM on the graveyard shift.

Even though I was thankful to have the job, working at nights had killed my social life. I never saw any of my friends or my girlfriend, because with this job, I slept all day and then worked all night. Although I was banking a lot of money for school, I was bored beyond belief, and each shift seemed to drag by like it was an eternity.

Usually, after eleven—even on weekends—there were very few customers to break up the monotony of the graveyard shift. Occasionally, there’d be one or two meth heads or late-night travelers stopping in, but most of the time, I sat behind the counter of the old gas station alone—forced to listen to the country music station that Old Man Jenkins, the owner, had locked the radio on.

But the sameness of my job was about to drastically change…

It was a Tuesday night, and it was half past midnight. There’d been no customers since 10:15, so I’d been sitting on a stool behind the counter, playing on my cell phone. Dressed in khaki shorts, my black uniform vest and gray Nikes, my attention was focused on Facebook.

I was startled by the bell of the front door ringing. I looked up from my phone to spot a man that I’d never seen before walk into the station.

How’s it going, bro? I asked, greeting him.

He didn’t speak. Instead, he gave me an indifferent nod.

The dude appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties. He was a tall guy—several inches taller than my height of six foot. He was also built like a bodybuilder—not one of those tan guys who ran around in speedos in muscle magazines or one of my fellow jocks at New Albany Fitness—this guy looked more rugged. From my years on the high school baseball team, I was pretty ripped, but this guy looked like he was strong out of necessity —at least that was my observation.

Dressed in a snug black t-shirt, worn-out jeans that were torn at the knees and black boots, my late-night customer had biceps the size of bowling balls, and from the massive definition under that black t-shirt of his, he had a chest of granite and enormous shoulders.

To me, it looked like he could lift a bus.

With a shaved head hair and dark eyes, he had a couple of day’s growth of stubble and a scar running down the left side of his face.

I already knew that he wasn’t from these parts, and after scanning the parking lot and the gas pumps outside, it looked like he’d walked to the store.

The tough-looking customer walked down the middle aisle, where the chips, candy bars and other snacks lined the four-foot high display shelves.

Old Man Jenkins always warned me to watch all the customers to make sure there was no shoplifting going on, and I halfheartedly did so as I continued to play on my phone.

I didn’t care what my boss said. Even if the dude did steal some shit, he outweighed me by at least seventy pounds. I was plenty strong, but despite the muscles that I had from playing sports all through junior high and high school, the dude would squash me like a bug if it ever came to blows between us. So, if he wanted to steal a bag of chips or some bubble gum, I wasn’t stupid enough to try to risk my life over shit that didn’t belong to me.

It wasn’t because of fear; I was just realistic and believed highly in self-preservation.

So, my attention returned to my phone, and I started checking out some pictures on Facebook of the chick with big tits that my bud, Cooper, was dating.

Hey, kid, a low, gravelly voice interrupted me from my online ogling.

I looked up, and the dude was standing just across the counter from me. I hadn’t even heard his approach.

With slight age lines around his dark eyes, the big guy had a rough and tumble face—looking like he could kick any dude’s ass that he wanted. His eyes fell to my nametag. Parker, he said, reading it. Where’s the beef jerky?

Down the middle aisle—right where you were looking, I replied casually.

Couldn’t find it.

Well, we got a section right past the chips.

He exhaled through his flared nostrils. I didn’t see ‘em. Can ya show me, kid?

Yeah, I grumbled, stepping from behind the counter and walking down the middle aisle with the big guy following close behind me.

I didn’t like being called kid, but I wasn’t going to bitch about it to a hard-as-nails fucker that was alone in the store with me at half past midnight—especially when he looked like he could rip off my head and shit down my neck.

I walked him to the beef jerky and nodded. Here ya go.

A subdued grin came over his face. Thanks, he offered. Oh, and one more thing.

Yeah?

He pulled a gun out of the back of his jeans, and he aimed it directly at my forehead.

Chapter Two

Where do ya keep all the cash?!

For a few seconds, my mind didn’t seem to comprehend what was happening; I was dumbfounded. Then, when I wrapped my head around what was actually going on, my eyes grew big, and my mouth fell open; I was literally frozen.

Where do ya keep the fuckin’ cash?! he growled again.

Finally, I spoke. Uh… It’s… uh… in the safe.

Where is it?

I’d never been on the business end of a gun before, and I started trembling. Again, the power of speech escaped me.

Fuckin’ kid! he spat. You’re gonna tell me!

The man shoved me against the wall beside the soda cooler, knocking the wind out of me. His massive body pinned me to the wall, while he held the gun at the small of my back.

Oh, shit! I was panicked. Please, bro, don’t shoot me! It’s back there in the office!

Holding me against the wall with just the weight and strength of his body, he covered my mouth with his left hand while keeping the gun pressed into me.

I ain’t your bro, ya little punk! He growled into my ear.

I could smell a mix of marijuana and whiskey on his breath.

His huge hand and calloused fingers forced my mouth to remain closed, but I tried to speak into his hand. Mmmmmmppphhh!

Shut-the-fuck-up! he spat. Do ya want me to kill ya, fucker?

Emphatically, I shook my head no.

Then, you’ll do exactly as I tell ya, kid, and I won’t shoot ya and cut your balls off!

My heart slammed in my chest, and I almost pissed myself.

A part of me wanted to fight him, but I wasn’t about to get myself shot for some bullshit in this store. The robber was way stronger than me, and there was no chance that I was going to overpower him, especially with the barrel of his gun pressed into my back.

It all seemed surreal. I’d seen plenty of cop shows and movies, but nothing like this had ever happened to me. I actually had a gun shoved in the small of my back, and my life hinged on the whim of this gorilla of a robber. The future that I’d been so looking forward to could all be over—snuffed out by a scumbag with a gun during a fucking gas station robbery. This was some fucked-up shit!

So, are ya gonna be a good boy and do as I tell ya?

With his hand still covering my mouth, I slowly nodded in agreement.

Good, he mumbled, removing his hand from my mouth and jerking my arms behind my back.

With my mouth free to speak, I couldn’t help but throw myself at the dude’s feet. "Please, man, don’t do anything crazy. I promise I won’t make