Sugar Baby

by Robin Roseau

  The lesson ended with the trainer offering a final critique. Then Gemma did two more circuits before bringing the horse over towards us. Maggie froze, staring at Dream. Horse and rider came to a stop, and then the girl said, “You’re Maggie.”

  “Yeah. You look good up there.”

  “Thanks.” She bent down and patted the horse’s neck. “You can come through, if you want.”

  Maggie didn’t wait but slipped through the fence. I couldn’t tell if Gemma did something to encourage it, or if the horse did it on her own, but she stepped closer and nudged Maggie.

  And then she began searching for the carrots, and she seemed to know where they were, too.

  Maggie began laughing and crying at the same time, but she fished out a carrot and offered it to the horse, then said, “I hope that’s okay.”

  “It’s fine,” Lana said. “Dream sure does like her carrots, and it seems she knows where to find them.”

  “She can smell them,” Maggie said.

  “She remembers you,” Gemma said. “Do you want to ride her for a while? You’ll need a helmet. Did you bring one?”

  “No,” Maggie said.

  “Mine is too small for you,” said the girl, “But when Mom and Dad asked if I’d let you see your old horse, I knew you’d want to ride her. We made sure to have a couple of helmets. Dad, can you show her?”

  Dad got the helmets. Gemma climbed down. She and Maggie talked horses. Lana went through the helmets and picked one, then plopped it on Maggie’s head and did up the strap. Then Tim gave Maggie a knee up. Maggie grinned widely, then leaned over and talked to the horse for a minute.

  “If you want to run her,” Gemma said, “We can open the gate for you.” She gestured.

  “Could I really?”

  “You’re probably supposed to sign a waiver or something,” Tim said.

  “No one is here to ask for one,” Lana said. “Please don't fall off, Maggie.”

  “I won’t fall off,” Maggie promised. She twitched the reins and did a few circles of the yard. Then Gemma opened a gate, and Maggie aimed Dream for the opening.

  Fifteen seconds later she gave a whoop of joy as the horse thundered along the run.

  Gemma came to stand beside us. “I hope I’m that good someday.”

  “Do you mind if I ask how old you are?” Cassidy asked.

  “Thirteen,” the girl said. “But Mom says I’m thirteen going on thirty.”

  “I bet,” Cassidy said.

  Gemma gestured. “She was crying earlier. I don’t blame her. Dream is an amazing horse.”

  “You’re sweet to give her this opportunity.”

  “I thought about what it would be like to give her up,” said the girl. “She went off to school or something?”

  “Or something,” I muttered. Yeah, I’m subtle. The girl turned to me, raising an eyebrow. “Divorce.”

  “What?”

  “Her folks got a divorce and couldn’t keep the horse anymore,” I said. “I’m sorry if you weren’t supposed to know that.”

  She whirled to her parents and pointed a finger at them. “You told me her old rider outgrew her. You lied to me.”

  “We were just repeating what we were told,” Lana said.

  “Bullshit,” said Gemma. “Maybe you believed that story, but I bet Dad checked every I and every Tee.” And damn, but her dad turned away. “Like I said.”

  “You were nine,” Lana said. “Do not take this tone with us.”

  “You lied to me, and you lied now when you tried telling me you didn’t know.”

  “Technically,” Tim started to say.

  “Technically,” Gemma interrupted, “You might have been told she’d outgrown Dream, but technically, I bet you knew the truth.”

  And they both looked guilty. It was everything I could do not to laugh. The girl wasn’t done.

  “I get into trouble if I’m caught lying.” She put her hand on her hip.

  Lana’s gaze shifted to me. I shrugged and mouthed, “Sorry,” although I wasn’t, not really. However, I said, “Gemma, they let her come see Dream.”

  “No, they didn’t. Tess asked me if it was okay. I said ‘yes’. I wanted to meet the girl that could give Dream up. Then I saw her crying. Now it all makes sense.” She turned and looked at Dream and Maggie. “God, she loves to run.”

  “The horse, or the rider?” Cassidy asked.

  Gemma laughed. “Both, I suppose.”

  “It’s very generous of you to let her have this time,” Cassidy said.

  The girl shrugged. “I get to ride every day.”

  “But won’t she be, I don’t know, blown out or something?”

  “You mean tired?”

  I snorted. “Yeah.”

  “That’s the idea. She needs exercise.” She gestured. “She’s getting it. I’ll ride her easy tomorrow, but she’ll be more than ready to run Monday.”

  Maggie tried to bring Dream back twice, but Gemma told her, “No, no. You got her worked up. Now you walk her.”

  But finally Gemma opened the gate again. Horse and rider slipped in, and then Maggie climbed down. She communed with the horse for a minute, then Gemma stepped to me. “Got her number?”

  “Maggie’s?” The girl nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Mom, I need my phone.” A moment later Gemma said, “Shoot.” I pulled out my own phone. Gemma punched numbers as I recited. And then Maggie’s pocket rang. “There!” Gemma said. “Now you can reach me.”

  Maggie turned. Her eyes were wet, but she wasn’t crying.

  “I wouldn’t want you to come every day or anything,” Gemma said. “But I can send you photos, and you can come once in a while.” She grinned. “They’ll make you sign a waiver.”

  “I bet,” Maggie said. “I could?”

  “Yeah. Once in a while. If it’s not too hard for you.”

  “You’re good for her,” Maggie said. “Thank you.”

  Gemma stepped over and took the reins from Maggie. Then Maggie took the helmet off and handed it to Lana. Then she turned to Dream. She spoke for a minute, then she began sobbing and took off, running for the car.

  “She doesn’t have to,” Gemma said, watching. “But she can come, if she wants.”

  “We’ll make sure she knows,” Cassidy said.

  * * * *

  Maggie was sitting in the back of Cassidy’s car when we arrived. I climbed in back with her and pulled her to me. “I had the worse ideas,” she said eventually. “I was sure Dad was lying to me.”

  “I don’t think he was lying,” I said.

  “No.”

  Cassidy was turned around. “Gemma was serious that you could come, but you shouldn’t do it too often.”

  “I know,” Maggie said. “God, I’m so embarrassed!”

  “For crying?”

  “I used to be her size!” Maggie said. “I was terrified I was hurting Dream.”

  “You weren’t,” Cassidy said.

  Maggie put on a fierce expression. I wasn’t sure what she had decided, but then she nodded. “Thank you for coming today, Cassidy. I’m glad you were here.”

  “I am, too,” Cassidy said. “Do you have to be anywhere?”

  “Nope.”

  “Then why don’t we make a picnic? It’s a beautiful day.”

  “Actually, may I ask you something else?”

  “Of course.”

  “What would a car cost me?”

  “Oh, that’s a loaded question,” Cassidy said. “It depends on the car and how much you drive it.”

  “A shitty, shitty car,” Maggie said. “A complete, total rust bucket, but one I can use to get to a job.”

  “Do you have a place to keep it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you paying cash or do you need a loan?”

  “I’ll probably need a loan, but a shitty car.”

  “I get it,” Cassidy said. “You can’t get loans for shitty cars, though, not from the bank, especially with no credit history and no job.”
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  “I’ll get a job.”

  Cassidy pursed her lips. “How long of a loan?”

  “I don’t know. What will the car cost?”

  “Insurance is probably somewhere between one hundred and one-fifty a month. Licensing is cheap for old cars, about the cost of one tank of gas. The cheapest you’ll find a car that runs is probably twelve-hundred, maybe two grand. I haven’t bought a car that old since I was little older than you are now.” She paused. “You won’t get a bank loan. Would your mother loan you the money?”

  “She doesn’t have it. Dad might.”

  Cassidy offered a glance to me then said, “Try your father first. Otherwise, I will loan you up to two thousand dollars if you tell me how you’re going to repay it.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Maggie said.

  “Well, try your father first.”

  “If he says ‘yes’,” Maggie said…

  “We can take you to a car dealer,” Cassidy offered.

  “Craig’s List is better for-” I broke off, almost using a word I wasn’t allowed. “Old cars,” I said finally. Cassidy flashed a smile at me.

  “You guys wanted to picnic.”

  “Call your father,” Cassidy said.

  So Maggie pulled out her phone, punched buttons, and then held it to her ear. “Oh, Cherlyn,” she said. “It’s Maggie.” Pause. “Oh. I kind of wanted to talk to him.” Pause. “Um.” Pause. “Um.” Pause. “I want to get a job,” she said. “But to get there, I need a car.” Pause. “I’d need a loan, but I’d pay it back.” Pause. “A horse farm.”

  I didn’t say anything. It would kill her to see Dream every day.

  “No,” Maggie said. “That would be too hard. The old one. It’s closer, and I bet they remember me.” Pause. “Cherlyn, I’ve been a shit to you.” Pause. “Cassidy said maybe two grand.” Pause. “Yes, I’d pay it back, but I don’t know how quickly.” Pause. “I know.” Pause. “No. I’d pay you back.”

  Then she hung up the phone and looked at us. “She wants to go with if we shop for a car. Cassidy, is she trying to buy me?”

  “Maybe,” Cassidy said. “I’ve never met her. Or maybe she could hear how important this is, and maybe she’s giving you a chance to prove yourself. Are you going to let everyone down?”

  “No,” Maggie said firmly. “I’m not. Would you take me somewhere?”

  “We’d love to.”

  * * * *

  An hour later, Maggie came out of the building for her old riding stables. She made it ten steps towards us before jumping up and down screaming, “They hired me! They hired me! I start the day after I find a car.”

  “Well then,” Cassidy said. “Let’s take you to your father’s, look at Craig’s List, and see what Cherlyn is doing.”

  We researched cars. It was Cherlyn who actually took Maggie shopping. I went with, and would make my way back to Cassidy’s later.

  It was rusty. The A/C didn’t work. The right rear power window would only go down an inch, and then you had to help it if you wanted it to go back up again.

  But the owner had paperwork that said the brakes were good. Cherlyn said there was life left in the tires. It started and didn’t even spew nasty smoke, or any nastier than the next car.

  Cherlyn already had cash, actual cash, and she paid for the car, but she checked the title carefully and took photographs besides.

  Maggie had a car and a job, and I got the first ride.

  * * * *

  That night, we lay in bed together. Cassidy had gone for tender rather than kinky, and we were holding each other while staring at the ceiling.

  I almost said it, but I didn’t.

  It? You know. It. The L word.

  But I didn’t.

  Sophomore

  Summer went by too quickly. It’s weird. In the summer between high school and college, I couldn’t wait for fall to arrive. I was so excited to start my new life. But this summer went too quickly.

  Cassidy took me away several times. Twice were just to parts north. Summer was recreation time in Minnesota. But she took me to New York for four nights. We saw shows, ate at fabulous restaurants, and saw the sites.

  Oh, and had lots of fabulous sex every night, but that’s a given, isn’t it?

  The other trip was even more grand; she took me to the Pacific Northwest. We flew into Portland and then drove out to the coast. She rented a house on the beach for the week. We walked on the sand, ate a lot of seafood, and had lots of fabulous sex every night. The water was too chilly to swim, which I found disconcerting, but I enjoyed spending the time on the beach with Cassidy.

  She looked great in a swim suit, or so I thought.

  I saw Maggie every week or two. Originally, I thought it would be more than that, but her job started early in the morning, and she was working every hour they’d let her have. She was exhausted, but for the first time since we met, she seemed happy with her life choices.

  About half the time we got together, she came to Cassidy’s for dinner.

  Yes, they shoved me into the tickle bench.

  I didn’t mind, even though I protested vehemently.

  But then September arrived, and it was time to return to school. I returned the scooter to Cassidy’s garage, and together we stored it. The movers arrived, and we stored my things, too.

  And then we spent a very, very kinky evening in her basement.

  * * * *

  In the morning, Cassidy was first from bed. I fell back asleep, but she came in eventually, fully dressed, and kissed my cheek. “Rise and shine. Go shower.”

  When I came back, wearing very little, the bed was made, with my suitcase atop it. Cassidy was just closing it, and when she turned to me, she looked guilty. But she waved at me. “Cover up, or I’m not responsible if you spend the rest of your life locked in the basement.”

  “I can imagine worse,” I said. But I did what I was told, and I put The Suitcase Incident behind me, entirely forgotten by the time I was fully dressed.

  Cassidy drove me to school. Maggie and I were in a new dorm this year, so I had to direct her. Then she insisted on managing my suitcase but told me to see to my other things. Maggie and I had already talked. She was working today, her last day at the stable until break, and wouldn’t arrive until late afternoon, and so Cassidy and I arrived at an empty dorm room.

  “Which bed is yours?”

  “Maggie told me the first to arrive got to pick,” I said.

  “She said this knowing she was working today?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “So which one is yours?”

  “I dunno.”

  “What did I say about slurring your words?”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t know.” I grinned at her. “Going to help me break it in?”

  “Yes.”

  “All right then.” I stepped to the door and made sure it was closed. “Pick one and help me make it.”

  “This one is yours,” she said. She tossed my suitcase on top of one of the two beds and then stepped to me. She gave me a deep kiss then headed for the door. “Call me tonight.”

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “This is me trying not to cry, Astrid.”

  “Are you dumping me?”

  She spun around. Her eyes were wet. “Absolutely not! Call me tonight and tell me when I can count on seeing you.”

  “I have a Saturday morning class. You can have me Saturday from lunch until breakfast on Sunday, but then I have to study.”

  “One night?”

  “No. But I need to see what the homework pattern is likely to be. Can we play midweek by ear, at least for now?”

  She nodded.

  “You’re really taking off? Got another girlfriend waiting for you?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “You’re really not going to help me break in the bed?”

  “Astrid, for absolutely anything I want to do with you, you’re loud, and I don’t want campus security called on us.”
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  “I could be quiet.”

  “I didn’t bring a gag, and as I recall, you’re still loud.”

  “Only because I can be.”

  “Uh huh. Call me tonight.”

  “Cassidy,” I whined.

  She closed the distance then set her hands on my shoulders. “Call me tonight,” she said gently. “We can have phone sex.”

  I snorted.

  “On speakerphone.”

  “I’m not having phone sex on speakerphone with you!”

  “Your loss,” she said. She kissed my forehead and turned for the door.

  “Cassidy!” I complained.

  She laughed, turned around, and pulled me into her arms. We exchanged a steamy, steamy kiss, and then we stood, holding each other. “Promise me,” I whispered.

  “You’re mine,” she replied. “And that’s not ending any time soon.”

  “I don’t want it to ever end,” I whispered. I squeezed her tightly.

  A minute later, she was gone.

  I sat down on my unmade bed and eyed my suitcase. I suddenly didn’t want to stay in this room, not alone. I made sure I had my key and ran out and down the stairs. I arrived at the parking lot in time to see Cassidy’s taillights. I sighed, staring after her.

  No one seemed to notice.

  * * * *

  I spent the day roaming the campus, reacquainting myself, so to speak. Maggie had agreed to text me when she was close, so I beat her back to the room by moments.

  The door opened, and I expected my roommate. Instead, I received a modest surprise. “Hello, Astrid,” Cherlyn said.

  “Hey, Cherlyn,” I replied. “I didn’t know you were bringing her.”

  “Her father is helping with the luggage,” she said. Then she held the door widely, and first Maggie then her dad lugged bags in. Maggie dropped hers, squealed, and ran for me. We hugged tightly, and then I offered my hand to her dad. “Hello, Mr. Graves.”

  “Tim,” he corrected. We shook. “It’s good to see you again, Astrid.” He strode further into the room and looked around. “Nice view,” he commented.

  “Yeah,” I agreed.

  “Have you had dinner, Dear?” Cherlyn asked.

  “Not yet.”

  “Then you two can unpack later,” she declared. “We’ll take you to dinner.”