by Ali Spooner
Luna’s eyes popped open at the sound of Marley’s voice. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry for falling asleep on you.”
“I was about right there with you and decided we both needed to head off to bed. As long as I’m snuggled next to you, that’s all I need.”
They walked into the bedroom and Luna pulled back the sheets and removed her robe. “Do you want a sleep shirt?”
“No, I want to feel your skin next to mine,” Marley answered as she dropped her robe and stretched out on the bed.
Luna climbed in beside her and kissed her sweetly. “I’m sorry, I’m so bushed tonight.”
“Don’t be. I’m perfectly content to be wrapped up in your arms.”
“Turn off the light then and come here,” Luna purred in a soft voice.
Marley reached over to turn off the lamp and rolled into Luna’s arms. She laid her head on Luna’s shoulder while draping an arm and leg across her body. “Good night, my love.”
Luna stroked her hand down Marley’s back. “Good night. Thank you for making my dreams come true.”
She felt Luna relax as she drifted back to sleep. She buried her face in Luna’s neck, breathing in her delicious scent and with a heart full of happiness, she followed her to dreamland.
Story continued in The Pleasure Workers by Annette Mori
Release date September 1, 2019
The Pleasure Workers
Chapter One
Alejandra didn’t feel like her name ever fit her. As soon as she earned the right to make a stand, she’d declared to her parents her preference for Alex. That name seemed to fit a whole lot better for reasons she’d never shared with her very Catholic parents. When she was growing up, her mama had wanted her to learn a more fitting vocation, something more suited to a woman, like nursing or teaching. Both were professions that contributed to society. Alex tried to remind her mama that even if she managed to get an education, she couldn’t possibly work for a hospital or a school without a valid social security card. But the real reason was she didn’t have an affinity to medicine or education, preferring to follow her papa around and learn all about fixing things. Papa was her hero. Juan could fix everything. He could do anything. She wanted to be just like her papa and she was good at it too. She took to plumbing, electrical, painting, and all manner of machinery, like a duck to water. Her mama had given up well before Alex hit puberty and seemed resigned to what was clearly Alex’s preference.
The wind kicked up again and the dirt swirled around her causing another round of uncontrolled coughing. As the truck approached and pulled onto the shoulder, the dirt tornado expanded. Her need to expel the foreign material from her lungs took on a new level of desperation. Alex liked giving her papa shit, so she’d joked with him on the afternoon right before everything came crashing down around her family and forced her into her current situation. That had been nearly eight long months ago. She was a desperate woman with no job, very little money, and no idea where to go. Not that she’d collected very much while living in Nevada, but for the second time in less than a year, she’d had to go on the run with little more than what she could carry in a pack on her back. A memory surfaced from the last conversation she’d had with her papa.
Her papa kept blowing his nose and complaining loudly as he tinkered with the small motor old man Hartford had brought in for him to fix.
“Hey, Papa, you should really find some triactin.” Alex handed her papa a small screwdriver anticipating his need.
“Triactin?” Her papa scrunched his face. “Is that a new remedy, Mija?”
“Uh huh.” Alex laughed. “Try acting like a man.” She leaned back and held her stomach while laughing without restraint.
“Very funny, Mija. You should become comedian and stop following your old papa. You not laugh so hard if you catch this cold from me.”
“Sorry, Papa. I couldn’t resist. Mama always says how much the men complain when they get a tiny sniffle and how the women endure so much more. She says that’s because it is expected of us.”
“True, your mama endure a lot to bring your enormous body into world. At nine pounds, I thought surely she give me a son.”
“Do you regret she could only give you one child and it was a girl?”
Juan reached over to pat Alex. “Never. You my pride and joy. So beautiful and talented. You take over family business when I die. It will expand. You not make the mistakes I have. I do not have good judge of character like you and mama.”
Alex sobered quickly. “I’m sorry I couldn’t handle all the work. I wish you didn’t have to hire anyone else and then we wouldn’t need to trust someone outside of the family.”
Juan shrugged. “Price of success and fulfilling American dream.”
“I suppose.”
The truck skidded to a stop and Alex brought her face to the passenger side window as she peered in. The gapped tooth smile of a man with a deeply lined face studied her. He seemed harmless enough. Besides, at nearly six feet tall with well-defined muscles, Alex could easily fight her way out of a tight situation if she needed to. The man looked like a strong wind could blow him over, but it was always the small wiry ones she’d had to watch out for. The men who knew a hard day’s work and spent the day in the hot sun were not to be taken lightly. Even though the owner of this beat up jalopy appeared to be in his 70’s, he was one of those hard working types she’d known from hanging around her papa’s friends. Most of the men worked the farms. She made a split second decision and tossed her ratty old pack into the back of the open truck.
“Where ya headed young man?”
“East.” Alex wasn’t about to correct his error. Sometimes she was mistaken for a guy. She could live with that, especially if it kept the assholes from hitting on her. She lifted her baseball cap off her head and pushed her fingers through the perspiration that had collected in her short thick locks.
When she pulled on the silver handle to open the door, the truck groaned and squawked at her, almost as if trying to communicate that like its owner, she was old and this sprite young’un ought to treat her with gentleness and care. Folding her tall lean body inside, she cautiously closed the heavy door and winced at the loud clang. The vinyl seats were covered with gray duct tape in an attempt to patch up the numerous cracks and tears in the upholstery. No air conditioning. Well, beggars couldn’t be choosy. “Thanks for the ride. However far you can take me is fine with me.”
The old man’s eyes narrowed as Alex pulled the seat belt across her chest. “Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you was a fella. I suppose I shoulda looked closer. You sure don’t have a man’s face or uh, body.” He coughed. “You ain’t got nothing to worry about though. Been married to my wife for nearly sixty wonderful years. You know you shouldn’t be out here hitchhiking. There’s a lot of crazy people running around in the world today. Some that ain’t so nice.”
He offered his words of wisdom and Alex thought there was something sweet about him. She knew how shitty some men and women could be. This wasn’t the first time someone had mistaken her for a boy, albeit a pretty boy, they had said. She’d gotten her full lips and high delicate cheekbones from her mama. Her papa had contributed her smoldering brown eyes that some had described as bedroom eyes. She was glad to have inherited them from her papa. Many a woman had fallen prey to her expressive eyes.
The low rumble of the engine played in the background instead of music as the old man pulled his ancient truck onto the rough road. Alex noticed a large hole where a radio may have resided long ago. She settled in as the engine’s sound lulled her with the familiarity of riding inside an old jalopy.
“I’m pretty good at taking care of myself. Been doing it for a while now.” The reality was that she hadn’t always taken care of herself. She’d depended a whole lot on her family. It wasn’t until she had to go on the run, that life had handed her a crash course in how to be an adult. Before that she’d led a sheltered life in her sleepy little town. Following her papa around and taking the evenin
g meals with her mama and papa. She hadn’t even felt the need to move out of her family home.
“Name’s Henry,” he grunted. His cheeks looked like an alien was moving around inside, before he turned his head toward the open window and spit out a sunflower seed.
“Alex.”
Henry shook his head. “Just like my granddaughter. Had a perfectly good name, but said Georgiana don’t fit her. Makes us call her George. I don’t like it much cause it makes me think of those Bush’s from Texas.” He cackled. “You a lesbian, too?”
Alex raised her eyebrow. “If I answer honestly, will you still give me a ride?”
“Course. Love my granddaughter. She can’t help how she was born. God don’t make mistakes, ya know.”
Alex smiled. “In that case, yeah.”
Henry eased his truck back onto the road. “You single?”
Alex laughed. “Why? Is your granddaughter?”
“As a matter of fact, she is. But you ain’t her type. She likes em a bit frillier. You know, them lipstick lesbians.”
“Too bad. I don’t have a type. I like them in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Never met a woman I didn’t appreciate.”
Henry grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds. “Me too and then my wife tamed my wild side. When you meet the right one, she becomes your type for life.” Nodding, he shoved the seeds into his mouth. He pointed at the bag offering some as they traveled along the road kicking up more dust.
Alex declined his offer. “If you don’t mind me asking, how far can you take me?”
“How far you need to go to get away from whatever you’re running from?”
Alex stiffened in her seat. “A couple of hours on this road should do it. Maybe to a truck stop where I might be able to catch a longer ride. How’d you know?”
“I been on this planet for a lot of years. I reckon I know about stuff sometimes. It’s the way people look around or carry themselves. I can tell when someone’s a good person and hasn’t had a fair shake in life. Never been wrong before and I don’t ‘spect I’m wrong now. I got just the place to drop you off. I might even know someone to give you that lift.”
“Thanks, Henry. You remind me a little of my papa. Maybe my luck is changing and this is a sign.” Alex turned away and looked out the open window. She didn’t want Henry to see the tear that had formed and think she was soft or something. She suspected he knew but ignored her sudden flash of emotion. Yes, he was a lot like her papa. She was going to find a way to bring them back, no matter what it took. She figured Henry might see the resolution in the setting of her jaw, so she forced herself to relax and smiled at him.
†
Holy shit. Henry screeched into the truck stop, his tires leaving their mark along with the pungent smell of burning rubber. “Henry, I still have a lot of years ahead of me. Are you trying to kill us?” Alex placed her hands on the dash bracing herself as the truck skidded to a stop.
Henry pulled on the door and jumped out. “Come on, Alex, Rosie’s getting ready to leave. Guess I got to jabbering too much and lost track of time.” He began running toward an eighteen wheeler starting to ease out of the parking space the big rig had recently occupied. He was waving his hands madly in the air.
Alex thought for an old man, he was very quick. She was afraid the truck couldn’t see him as the sky began to darken. She jumped quickly out of Henry’s old beater and joined him in his waving routine. She winced when she heard the squealing brakes. A minute later a compact woman with short cropped salt and pepper hair jumped down from the cab. She placed her hands on her hips and frowned.
Alex didn’t ever like to feed into stereotypes, but diesel dyke was what popped into her head and she mentally chastised herself. For an older woman, she was certainly attractive enough, but then again as Alex had told Henry, she didn’t have a type. All women were appealing to her. Nothing compared to the sheer beauty of a woman reaching climax as she threw her head back in pure ecstasy. Alex lived for those moments. Although she’d had to discover those opportunities outside of the tiny town she’d grown up in, and lived most of her life before she went on the run.
“What the hell, Henry. I almost mowed you down,” the woman said. As if the woman all of a sudden registered there was another person standing next to Henry, her eyes roamed across Alex’s body. Alex felt like the woman was leaving no stone unturned as she checked out every inch of Alex’s tall frame. Her eyes spent a few extra seconds on Alex’s breasts and then a slow smile emerged on her face. “Who’s your friend, Henry?”
“This is Alex. She’s a sweet young gal who needs a ride east. I didn’t want her accepting a ride from some low life, so I thought you might give her a lift.”
“I sure can. Come on sweet thing. Grab your bag and I can take you as far as Atlanta. Name’s Rosie.” She took several steps closer and held out her hand. “Very pleased to meet ya.”
“Um, I sure am appreciative of the ride, ma’am, but can you not call me sweet thing. I’m a bit more sour than sweet.” Alex took Rosie’s hand.
“Fair enough if you don’t call me ma’am. I already feel old. I’ll look forward to the company and the energy of someone on the younger side of life. Thanks for bringing a nice woman I can pass the time with, Henry. You give my best to your wife. Oh, and tell that adorable granddaughter I said hello. If only I was thirty years younger.”
“You old cougar. You know she had a crush on you,” Henry teased.
“Now you know you don’t have to lay that bunch a malarkey on me. I’d be eager to give this handsome little gal a ride. She’s definitely brightened my day.” Rosie winked and her blue eyes twinkled.
Alex got a mental picture of Rosie’s sapphire eyes darkened in arousal and she considered whether there was enough time or opportunity to finagle a way for her to experience that versus simply imagine the scene. She was good at two things—sex and fixing things. Her papa always said she should capitalize on her talents and not dwell on the things she wasn’t very accomplished at. Especially cooking. When she was barely ten, she’d attempted to impress him with disastrous results. He’d kindly informed her she best leave the cooking to her mama, who was the only master in the kitchen they’d ever need. If Alex took away that joy, her mama wouldn’t be utilizing the talents God bestowed on her. Juan insisted God had decided on a whole different set for Alex. Alex mused that if only her papa had known about her other skill set, he might not have encouraged her so much to find her niche in the world.
Alex’s mama had different ideas about cooking. She had decided the importance of passing down their culture and her gift was more valuable than the numerous messes she’d have to clean up. Her mama never gave up and taught Alex how to make homemade tamales and a decent breakfast burrito. If that was the only authentic meal she could make, so be it. That skill might come in handy one day if she was trying to impress a woman. Besides, she got to spend time with her mama and that made them both happy.
Alex showed Rosie her gleaming white teeth as she offered her most seductive smile and then ran back to Henry’s truck to retrieve her bag. Maybe this woman would appreciate being on the receiving end of her touch.
Pack in hand she grinned at her new friend and said, “Ready whenever you are.” Turning to Henry she felt a rush of affection and dropped her pack, then pulled the wiry man into a bear hug. “Thanks for the ride, Henry. I won’t forget you and your kindness. Will you give me your contact information? If you don’t mind, I’d like to keep in touch and maybe someday find a way to repay you for picking up a stranger and giving me a reason to have hope for mankind after all.”
“Dontcha worry about that, Alex. I was happy to have you come along when I saw ya on the side of the road. I’ll give you my address. I like the idea of getting a letter from you. Knowing you’ve settled somewhere and things are looking up for you will make this old man’s heart soar.”
Rosie pulled a pad from the front pocket of her shirt and handed it to Henry. She began patting her pants pockets until sh
e found a ballpoint pen that Alex figured she’d shoved into the back pocket of her jeans.
Henry grabbed the pen and started scribbling his contact information. “I guess you’re always prepared, Rosie.” He winked. “Ya never know when you’re going to meet the one, huh? It’d be a shame not to have paper and pen to get their number.”
Rosie smacked Henry on the arm. “Now ya know that ain’t why I carry those things. Gotta jot down if my cargo has a problem on delivery. Boss man always wants the details and I write down exactly what the customer says, word for word.”
Henry chuckled and handed Alex the paper he’d ripped off the pad, and then gave Rosie back her pad and pen. “I know, Rosie. I just like to tease ya. But ya know ya ain’t getting any younger. When ya gonna settle down with a nice little gal who can have a meal ready for ya when ya come home from a long stint in the big rig.”
A sad smile crossed Rosie’s face. “Maybe someday, Henry, but I gotta convince the one I’ve had my eye on for years and so far, no luck.”
“I’m rootin’ for both of ya.” Henry waved and returned to his old beater.
At least Alex got to say a leisurely goodbye to this man who reminded her so much of her papa. That wasn’t a luxury she’d had when they took her mama and papa away. She tried not to let the melancholy get to her as the memory flashed before her eyes. A warm hand on her arm interrupted the sadness Alex felt. She quickly painted a smile on her face as she followed Rosie to the large eighteen wheeler in the middle of the truck stop waiting on them.
Alex looked up at the enormous vehicle with the bright yellow paint job. It reminded her of one of those cartoon suns—all bright and shiny. She liked the smooth round surface over the top of the cab and thought the rig matched the owner perfectly. Rosie had a broad smile on her face just like a ray of sunshine.