Текст книги "Coach"
Автор книги: Alexa Riley
сообщить о нарушении
Текущая страница: 1 (всего у книги 5 страниц)
COACH
Alexa Riley
Contents
Epigraph
Copyright
Dedication
1. Chris
2. Chris
3. Chris
4. Chris
5. Megan
6. Chris
7. Megan
8. Chris
Epilogue
Taking the Fall
Also by
Stalk the Author
Retiring from the NFL was the right decision, and at thirty years old, I've done things most people could only dream of. After all I've accomplished, coaching high school football should be easy...but when you've got a distraction in the form of a nerdy girl with curves, things can get complicated.
She's a student, she's barely legal, and she's my best friend’s daughter.
I didn't know what desire was until Megan. I had no idea obsession could drive someone insane, until I saw her. I wasn't prepared for the fact that once I laid eyes on Megan my life would really begin.
I have to have her, no matter what the cost. I have to breed her and bind her to me so tightly she can't ever get away. She'll be mine, even if I have to take her.
Warning: this book is ridiculous, over the top, completely unbelievable, and pretty much just about breeding the heroine. If you're okay with that, welcome to my dirty, dirty book! Just remember, I warned you.
Copyright © 2015 by Alexa Riley. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email to [email protected]
http://alexariley.com/
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Edited by Aquila Editing
To everyone who just needs a little over-the-top smut from time to time. This breeding is for you *winks*
1
Chris
She's asking for it and she knows it, I think to myself as I stare down at her barely legal pussy. She should know better than to taunt me, which is what she’s done all day.
The moonlight shines through her window, giving me a perfect view of her. Not that I need one. The image of her is branded into my brain, just like everything else about her. She’s an obsession that seems to grow more and more every day.
Lying on her back, her legs are spread just enough to get a nice peek at the pussy into which I’m going to unload all my cum. My balls ache, they feel so full. Reaching down, I pull myself from the black gym shorts I've already leaked a little cum into, the head of my cock glistening. I grab my balls and give a little tug, but it does nothing to stop the ache. No, but her pussy will.
Why shouldn't it? She’s the reason for it. Since she came stumbling into my life a little more than four days ago she's been taunting me. Well, she’s about to learn what happens when you taunt a man. I'm not one of those dipshit high school boys she's used to, the ones who probably do everything she asks in hopes of getting her into bed. I’ll take what I want from her, and she really needs to understand the difference between a boy and a man.
Her chest rises and falls with soft breaths as she lies there sleeping, her big tits straining against her tee, her hard nipples trying to break free. She looks like a sexy innocent angel that was sent to bait a man’s will, and she has. She has no clue of the predator standing over her while she sleeps. Maybe she thought she was safe from me because her parents are asleep down the hall in their own bed.
I’m on her before she can react, one hand over her mouth, the other around her throat. I can’t chance her parents catching me in the act if they hear her. Her legs spread wider for me, and I feel her pulse pick up in her throat, but she doesn’t try to scream. My cock is already rubbing against her pussy, the wetness turning me on even more. It takes me a moment to catch it, but I realize that it’s too wet to just be my cum leaking from my cock—something that seems to happen when she’s near me.
She’s wet. No, she’s fucking primed and ready for me. I tighten my grip around her throat a little more, and I growl in her ear, her soft blonde curls tickling my face, “You better have been dreaming about me.” The idea that she could’ve been thinking about someone else drives me fucking nuts. I didn’t know jealousy until she came into my life.
When I feel her nod in agreement, I release my hand around her throat and replace it with my mouth. The need to leave a mark on her rides me hard. She moans into my hand, making me suck her harder. Yeah, that will definitely leave a mark. Look at me, like a fucking high school kid leaving a hickey, sneaking into her room at night. I’d never marked a woman in my life. I can’t wait to walk past her tomorrow and see it on display. Everyone will know she belongs to someone.
Using my free hand, I push her tee up to grab onto one of her tits. I didn’t know an eighteen-year old could have tits as big as hers, but the proof is in my hand. I knead and pull on one, making the nipple even harder. Her legs spread wider for me, begging me to take her.
I should make sure she's completely ready to take me, eat her sweet cunt until her juices cover my face, but I can't. I have no control left. It all left the second her phone rang after dinner tonight while we were cleaning up the dishes. Her parents were still in the room so I couldn't react. I had to stand there and listen to her take a call from the high school quarterback, Croy, and agree to go to the Homecoming dance with him because, as she put it, “No, I'm not going with anyone already. I don't have anyone in my life right now.” I knew the last part was just for me. She stood there with a smirk on her face, one of her perfect little dimples showing, but her eyes were pissed. They had been for the past three days.
It's like my cock knows where it belongs. Slipping through her pussy lips as it slides right home, thrusting to the hilt and her tight little pussy clenching around my dick. I close my eyes, trying to get myself under control, but she pushed me too far. I’m afraid I’ll fuck her so hard she won’t be able to walk tomorrow.
I look down into her eyes. Not even a trace of fear. Here I am, looming over her in the middle of the night, and I think I just played right into her hands. Not that I can blame her. I had pushed her away, but I think she thought I meant pushing her away for good. I hadn’t. No, I was just trying to get my head back on straight, figure out how I was going to get us out of this mess we’d made before it crashed down all around us.
“You’re mine. Have been from the moment I laid eyes on you, since I sank into you Saturday night, took your cherry and claimed you. Do you understand me?”
She nods her head again, removing my hand from her mouth. I don’t give her the opportunity to speak because I know questions will pour from her mouth. I still don’t know what’s happening, or what is going to happen. All I know is that she is mine. I take her mouth with mine. Slow and sweet, letting her know this is more than just getting off, that I’ve missed her, and that she has driven me to the edge. She soon takes over, thrusting her tongue into my mouth, clinging to me like she never wants to let go.
I feel her trying to move her hips, wanting me to move with her. I’m barely hanging on to my control, and it doesn’t help when she comes at me like she’s starved. I release her mouth and flip us over, but before she can protest, I plunge my cock inside her.
“Ride me. Show me how much you want me.” I’ve never sought out a woman’s attentions before. I didn’t have to, and I never craved the need to know one wanted me, but with her I need it. I love seeing how much she wants me. It’s like an addiction. I feel like a puppy begging for a scrap.
Her hand lands on my chest, and she stares down at me wide-eyed, probably because she’s never done this. The first and only time we’d ever had sex, when I took her cherry, I was on top, the one in control. Now I’m giving it to her. Not that she really has it. I grip her wide hips, my fingers digging into her soft skin, and I move her. I love that she has no idea what she’s doing. Who knew that could be such a fucking turn on? I’ll teach her everything she’ll know about sex.
It doesn’t take her long to see how I want her to move. She slides back and forth on my cock, her juices coating me more. She looks like a goddess on top of me. Her hips sway, her tits softly bouncing, her nipples hard and begging for my attention, her head thrown back, her curly blonde hair so long it brushes my balls as she rides me.
Releasing one of her hips, I slide my fingers between her pussy lips, finding her hard little clit. Her body jerks in response, her juices covering me, making me wish I’d had the control to have eaten her cunt before I took her. I could have her taste on my mouth right now.
“Tell me you're mine. No one else touches you.” I need her to reassure me after the little stunt she pulled tonight.
She responds instantly. “I’m yours, only yours.”
I strum her clit a little faster, her words almost sending me over the edge. I need her to cum, for her to milk my release out of me.
“Then cum for me. Work all that cum out of my cock. Take me deep inside you,” I grunt. I marked her neck, now I want to make that same mark inside her; cover the walls of her pussy with me.
I feel her pussy tighten, and I know she is going to go off. I rise and pull her to me, catching her mouth with mine, swallowing the sounds of her orgasm. Her body jerks against me as I cum hard, deep inside her. Just when I think I’ve emptied all I can into her, my cock jerks again, releasing a little more inside her.
She collapses onto my chest, and I wrap my arms around her. “I missed you so much,” she says so quietly I almost don’t hear her. I’m not even sure she knows she said it. Her breaths grow deeper, and I know she has fallen fast asleep.
I’d thought I could just touch her a little, give her what she wanted, but not fully take her. I was fucking shocked that first night when I’d gotten her sweet pussy underneath me, only to realize it was untouched. It wasn’t bad enough I was fucking my friend’s barely legal daughter in his own house while he was sleeping down the hall, but I was also taking her cherry.
I should have walked away, but it was too late. I’d already tasted her, and nothing would have stopped me from seeing her virgin blood coat my cock as I pumped in and out of her, filled her with my cum until it dripped down her ass and covered my sheets—sheets I stripped from my bed afterwards and kept.
I was past the point of no return, and I don’t know why I ever tried to fight it. I’ll never forget the day she walked into my life and flipped it upside down.
2
Chris
4 days earlier
“Can I help you with something?” I ask Phil on my way out to the back deck, taking a long swig from my beer. He’s grilling steaks for a family cook out. His daughter Megan is set to come home any minute, having spent the summer at a creative writing camp.
“I think I’m all set, Chris. Just ready for Megan to get home. I hate that the camp fell on her eighteenth birthday, but at least we get to celebrate it now that she’s coming home. Her friend’s mom is dropping her off soon. Hopefully she’ll like the party,” he says flipping the steaks on the grill.
Sitting on one of the patio chairs, I stretch my legs out. The beer is perfect after having spent the whole day out in the heat. Two days on the football field can be killer in the Texas heat. I’m just glad I have a place to crash, and I’m not sitting in some hotel room after a long day at work.
Phil and I have been friends since I was in college. I played football at Texas Tech, and met Phil when he was doing his clinicals. Part of his job was to see to the football players, and my knee wasn't the best so we spent a lot of time together. He and I hit it off right away, even though he was ten years older than me. He always gave me great tips on how to keep my body in working condition.
After I graduated from college, I went on to the pros, playing center for the Houston Texans. I played until my knee finally blew out. Phil did the best to try to get my knee back in shape, but we both knew I was playing on borrowed time as it was. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did. He fixed me as best as he could, but I’d done some real damage. There was too much wear and tear, and if I went back on the field, I was taking a chance of never being able to walk again. It was a tough decision, but retiring was the right choice. I’d made a lot of money in my years there, saving and investing the best I could. I knew my knee could’ve gone at any minute, and it was time to hang up my jersey.
“Thanks for being here with us today. I know you’re ready for your place to be finished.”
I was, but Phil and Janet’s home wasn’t a bad place to crash for a while. It was huge, plus I got to talk football every night, and I could bounce ideas off him. Better than going home to an empty house, something that had been bothering me lately.
“I’ve enjoyed the summer with you and Janet, and I know you’re both probably ready for me to get out of your hair,” I joke, knowing they would have had the house all to themselves this summer if I hadn't been staying here.
“Are you kidding me? It’s been awesome having someone to talk football with nonstop. I’m looking forward to seeing what you’re going to make of the Wildcats this season.”
I raise my beer and knock it against his. “Here’s hoping my first year as a high school football coach is a winning season.”
I had been talking to Phil one day, telling him how much I missed being a part of the sport, even though I didn’t have the urge to play anymore. He told me his local high school was looking for a new head coach and I would be a perfect fit. Not soon after, I interviewed, got the job instantly, and made the move. Only my new house wasn’t finished so Phil offered to let me crash with them this summer while I waited.
“I’ll drink to that. Oh, and to your house being finished next week,” he laughs and we clink bottles.
“Remind me never to build again. It’s taken them a month longer than they said, but they’ve guaranteed it by next Friday. Either way, I appreciate you letting me stay with you this summer. It’s clear those boys needed me here as soon as possible; they were a fucking mess. I thought I was going to have to do three a days if that’s even possible.”
Phil lets out a laugh as he closes the grill lid. “No problem. Megan was gone the whole time, so someone needed to fill the silence.”
“Ha ha. Whatever,” I say, rolling my eyes. He and his wife have been far from quiet. I’m not sure if they always go at it like that or if it is because their kid is out of the house. “I’ll go check out front and see if she’s back. Wouldn’t want you taking your eyes off the grill. Remember the last time you got distracted?” I say this as Janet comes up behind him and puts her arms around his waist.
“I remember having to order out because the steaks were so burned. Good thing I didn’t marry you for your grilling skills.”
Phil turns around and scoops her up, kissing her lips. I take that as my cue and walk out. I’ve tried to give them their privacy this summer, but I can’t help but see them in moments like this and feel a spark of envy. I’ve never felt that way about a woman before. Never had a single thought of wanting something like that.
They are older than me, so I keep telling myself I have time, but at thirty years old, one would think I’d have felt something close to love. As it is right now, I just fuck to get off, and the women I’ve been with know the score. When I played college and pro, I kept my head in the game, even when it was off-season. I knew after I was done playing football I could try for something like that, maybe have a family, but it’s been a year since I left and I’ve still not felt any pull to want that with a woman.
As I walk through the living room, I look at all the birthday decorations, eyeing a Star Wars cake in the middle of the table. What kind of eighteen-year-old girl would have a Star Wars cake? Maybe there was a mix-up at the store. Taking a step closer, I see Megan’s name written across it in pink icing. The last time I saw her was when she was eight years old, trying to get me to buy her Girl Scout cookies. I’m happy I get to see her again after all this time. I wonder if she looks like her mom. If so, I’m sure Phil has his hands full. It’s probably why he sent her off to that creative writing thing. Janet is tall, with legs for days, tanned skin, dark hair and bright blue eyes that stand out against her complexion. If Megan looks even a little like her mom, Phil is in trouble with the boys from school.
I walk around the corner, thinking about their little family, and run into straight into a woman. The collision knocks us both down on the ground, and I land on top of her. I brace myself, trying to make sure she doesn't take the impact of my weight. I’m not a small guy, and I still carry all of the muscle I needed playing center in the NFL.
“Oh shit, I’m so sorry,” I say, pushing up on my arms and looking down at her. Suddenly, my cock goes hard as a rock as I see this knock-out under me. It's like I’ve never had a chick this close before. Blonde waves frame her face as ice-blue eyes look up at me through thick-framed glasses. Her soft full curves press against me in the best way possible, and all I can think about is how she’s so soft.
She raises an eyebrow and spreads her legs a little wider. It’s then that I realize our position, me between her legs and her spread out under me. “Wow. Don’t apologize,” she says, her cheeks turn a little pink, but a smile forms on her face, showing two perfect dimples.
This must be the friend who was dropping off Megan, and though I want to stay in this position, I don’t want Phil's daughter walking in and seeing us this way. I sit up, pulling her with me and helping her off the hardwood floor. Her arms go around my neck instantly, like she misses being pressed up against me. Who am I to turn down an invitation like this from the hottest woman I’ve ever seen in my life? That’s saying a lot with all the groupies and jump-offs I had running around me when I played pro. I turn us both so we are in the shadows in the hallway, blocked off in case anyone happens to walk by. She presses her hips to my groin, pushing her body against my hard cock. Her softness fits me perfectly. She’s so tiny compared to me in height, but her curves let me know she could handle me. Like I said, I’m not a small guy, so I could grab onto her and not have to worry.
I feel the heat between us light up fast, and I need to know more about this chick. “So I shouldn’t apologize for knocking down a gorgeous woman?”
“Not if you’re going to greet her like this,” she breathes, rubbing her body against mine a little more. Her actions are bold, but her cheeks redden even more. Shit, she looks innocent like that.
Jesus, who is this chick? Fuck if I’m not harder than I have ever been in my life, and that’s just from being pressed up against her. Her smell, her softness, everything is pulling me in. I feel like I’m drowning in desire. Maybe it’s been too long since I’ve been with a chick. My mind has been so focused on my new job that women haven't even been a blip on my radar. Some of the teachers have been trying to throw themselves at me since I started, but I didn’t have time or inclination. But this little curvy bundle of softness has got my attention.
“Megan?” I hear Phil calling from the back of the house. I feel the woman in my arms freeze, no longer rubbing up against me.
“Hey, we better get out there before Megan walks in. Give me your number. I want to see you again,” I say, looking down and searching her eyes, but her big-framed glasses hide them from me. Shit. I can’t remember the last time I asked for a chick’s number. Normally they are slipping them to me, but no way am I letting this one get away. Something about her feels different. Feels right.
The woman giggles and leans up on her tip toes, licking my neck and giving it a small bite, like she needs a taste of me. I nearly cum in my pants, and just as I’m about to, she pulls back, ducks under my arm, and walks down the hallway. I watch her go, feeling like I just got hit by a linebacker, and before I know it, I’m following behind her, watching her ass wiggle.
“Megan! There you are!” I see Phil scoop up the woman, giving her a big hug. Then I hear Janet scream “Megan!” while wrapping her arms around the two of them. The family of three embrace, and I’m just standing there with my jaw on the floor.
Well, fuck.
After a second I shake the fog away and grit my jaw, making sure I wipe the confused look off my face before anyone notices. I think about what could have just happened. I should apologize to Megan, to her family, but I can’t find the will right this second to mean it. I’ve never been so struck by a woman before, and it’s laughable considering she literally struck me.
Phil and Janet turn to look at me. “Megan, do you remember Chris, an old friend of mine? He took the head football position at your high school.”
Her nose scrunches at Phil’s words. I step forward and hold my hand out and she takes it. “Good to see you again, Megan.” I rub the inside of her wrist with my finger, feeling her pulse pick up.
“Hmm, it’s good to see you too. Not sure I remember you, though.” I study her for a second, not really shocked she doesn't remember me. It was over ten years ago and we only met once. I never hung out with Phil at home because I was usually on the road.
“Megan doesn't care much for football, or sports for that matter so she might avoid you like the plague,” Phil jokes, and I almost want to laugh at his words. If he only knew what happened moments ago. That was definitely not avoidance.
Regretfully, I release her hand, and Janet pulls Megan toward the back deck. As they go, she looks back over her shoulder at me, one of her dimples showing, and her blush returns. My dick twitches, and I curse under my breath. I storm to the bathroom and splash some cold water on my face, trying to get my head straight. I look in the mirror and give myself a pep talk. ‘Jesus, Chris, she’s your best friend's daughter, and she’s barely eighteen. Get it together.’ I reach down and adjust my cock, trying to hide the fact that the thick bastard is hard as a rock and ready to fuck.
When I make my way out back with the family, I look over and see Megan saying hello to everyone who’s come to celebrate her homecoming and birthday. I grab my beer from the patio table, retake my chair and just watch her.
It’s then I realize how young she really does look. When she was pushed up so close against me I couldn’t see all of her, more just feel her.
Her long blonde hair hangs in waves to her ass. Her bright blue eyes are partially hidden behind her oversized glasses, so I can only catch a glimpse of them here and there. She wears a shirt that fits tight to her tits and reads: I never received my acceptance letter from Hogwarts, so I'm leaving the Shire to become a Jedi! Whatever the fuck that means, I have no idea. She has on loose jeans that she’s rolled at the cuff, and simple white tennis shoes.
If she wasn’t so curvy I would think she was trying to downplay her looks. It’s almost like she rolled out of bed and just threw something on. Not something that typical of a young woman. I can't keep my eyes off her as she moves around the backyard, talking to people and saying her hellos. She glances over at me every so often and as time goes on she gets bolder whenever she looks, her glances lingering.
I try not to stare at her, but it’s hard. Looking around, I start to notice that everyone here is my age or older. Shouldn’t this place be loaded with other teenagers? I just push it to the back of my mind, thinking maybe it’s just for adults, and Megan will have another party with her friends later.
“Coach Burns.” I pull my eyes away from Megan at the sound of my name. I see Croy, my starting quarterback, standing in the doorway of the back porch. “You said I could stop by and grab that playbook,” he says before I can ask what he needs.
“Yeah, I’ll go grab it.” I completely forgot he was stopping by, and I’m sure that has something to do with the woman I can’t seem to keep my eyes off of. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Making my way upstairs, I grab the playbook off the desk in my room, but stop outside Megan’s door. I’ve never had the desire to open it before, but I find myself pushing it open now. I’m not sure what I expected to find, maybe pink walls, fluffy pillows, and posters of teenage heartthrobs on the wall, but what I get is something completely different. Her walls are a bright green, with a model of the solar system hanging from the ceiling. Books cover every free space. Three computer monitors sit on her desk, a screensaver of the periodic table divided across the screens. Her walls are indeed covered in posters, but I don’t understand half of the slogans and phrases emblazoned across them. The one that says "Dear Nasa, Your Mom Thought I Was Big Enough” gets a bark of laughter from me.
She’s a dork. And fuck, why does that turn me on even more? Get it together, Chris. Shutting her door, I try to push all thoughts of Megan out of my head. Off limits. I tell myself again. When I get back to the deck, I look around for Croy, and my jaw tightens when I spot him. Megan has her back pushed to the wall of the house, and I see Croy leaning into her, his hand resting beside her head. She’s smiling at whatever he is saying.
I have the sudden urge to punch him right in the face, which is contrary to what I’ve been doing all summer: making sure his ass doesn’t get hurt so our season doesn't go to shit. Wouldn't look too good if the coach punched the starting quarterback right in his pretty-boy face.
“Anderson!” I snap his last name like we’re at practice, and it achieves the effect I want. He snaps to attention, looking like a deer in headlights. “Here’s your book. Now get your ass home and get some rest. We had a long day today.”
“Sure thing, Coach,” he says, but not before he turns and tugs a strand of Megan’s long hair. “See you Monday.”
My grip tightens on the playbook, but he releases her hair and makes his way over to me before I can snap at him again. Handing it over, I resist the urge to tell him to stay away from Megan, who’s just staring over at us. I wish I knew if it was me or Anderson she had that dreamy look in her eyes for.
Croy makes his departure, and Megan continues to stare at me. Fuck, I can’t do this. I break eye contact and walk back over to where I was sitting. I go through the motions for the rest of the night—staying long enough to eat and sing happy birthday so I don’t seem like a dick for bouncing out too soon.
I make the excuse of a long day out on the field with the boys, and head to bed. I debate masturbating; my cock is still hard from watching Megan bounce around the backyard all night. She would sometimes huff out a laugh that would turn into a snort, making her blush with embarrassment, and fuck me, if that didn't get me hard too. I decide against rubbing one out. I know I’d think about her while I did it, and that wouldn't help the urge I was struggling to keep away. I’ll just go without as a little self-punishment. Stripping out of my clothes, I climb into bed, letting images of a curvy blonde play through my mind as I slowly drift off.
It’s not long after when I hear a click, and my eyes pop open, unsure of what the noise was. I wait a second, and when I don’t hear anything else, I start to drift back off.
Moments later, I feel the blanket shift, and my eyes fly open. I see Megan standing beside the bed, her hand creeping under the bedclothes.
Reaching out, I grab her wrist, pulling her close to me. A gasp escapes her lips, and she’s probably shocked by my fast movement. My heart starts racing, but I want to be quiet so her parents don’t hear us.
“What are you doing?” I whisper, looking over to the door. I see that it’s locked. Megan must have flipped the lock when she snuck in. Her parents are just down the hall, and they could hear us if we’re too loud.
She leans in and whispers just as quietly into my ear. “I couldn’t sleep. I thought maybe...”
Her words trail off, but I feel her hand run across my naked chest and down my stomach. It’s then I realize where her hand is headed, and I’m not wearing any underwear. I like to sleep naked in the summer, and I’m thinking that wasn’t the best decision with her in the house, but my cock has been hard all night, pressed against my pants, and I’d wanted to let it breathe.
“You need to go back to your room,” I say through gritted teeth, but I don’t let go of her wrist or push her away. I look down and see she’s wearing an oversized t-shirt with the neck cut out, so it hangs off one shoulder, exposing her collarbone to me. I’m so fucking hard at being this close to her, seeing her skin, and smelling her sweetness. I breathe deeply and I catch a hint of something more, something that smells like desire. I close my eyes tightly and try to be strong. “Leave, Megan, or you’ll be sorry you stayed.”
Her hand pushes forward under the covers, and I feel her fingertips touch my dick. Cum starts to seep out of the tip at this slight touch, and I have to hold it back to keep from cumming.
“Megan,” I warn, but she doesn’t stop. Instead, she leans closer to me, putting her neck against my mouth and grabbing my cock under the covers. I moan at the sensation, but lean back to try to break free. As I do, she puts a knee on the bed, making her t-shirt rise, and opens herself to me. I can smell her pussy, and my mouth starts to water. Her juices must be coating her legs, and I look down, seeing her teenage cunt open and ready, begging to be taken.