by Blair Grey
“I’ll send you flowers tomorrow,” I offered as a consolation.
“Yeah, do that. I told my parents that you were dead, and they were upset. Now, I get to give them the good news. Bet they’re gonna want some type of an explanation.”
“Yep.” I was sure she could come up with something somewhat logical. “Use that great imagination you have to make up something good.”
“I will.” I heard the sounds of doors closing. “I’m leaving your old house now. It’s kind of creepy to be in here after all these years and being all alone is freaking me out too. It’s hard to believe that you’re really alive and not some ghostly phone call I’ve gotten from being in your old house.”
“There goes that great imagination you’ve always had. You should become a writer. I bet you could become a great novelist.” I’d heard that writing could be a great way to deal with issues in your past, and she needed to do that.
“Anonymity will be a necessity. Becoming a writer might be my best bet for a career now. But a novelist? I don’t know. My forte is scriptwriting.”
“Hollywood movies then. Whatever you do, you’ll be awesome at it.” Even though I’d never liked the fact that she’d gotten into porn, she had risen to the top. “I believe in you, Janeen.”
“Ryder, what the hell happened?” she asked with a fair amount of concern in her voice. “I’m sure there’s a lot you have to tell me. And I’m ready to hear it all.”
“I will tell you everything about why I was in Atlantic City in the first place. But first, I want to get this straight with you.” I couldn’t let her think that we were about to pick right back up where we’d left off – before she’d pushed me away. “You have some things you should work on about yourself. You’ve been through a lot and you need to take the time to let all that work out. I want you to know that I’ll be around if you need to talk. But I am going to stay in Baltimore to give you the space you’re going to need to put all that’s happened to you into perspective.”
“Wow. That’s – well, that’s very insightful of you, Ryder. I had no idea you had it in you to see how damaged I am. Like anything that’s had damage done to it, the fixing can be done. With time.”
“I agree.” I had things I needed to deal with myself. “I’ve got my own issues to deal with. I’ve been ignoring them, but now it’s time to face the facts. My rebel ways need to come to an end. It’s time to change my career too, Janeen. I am hoping that, in the end, you and I will find each other again.”
“Here’s the deal on that, Mr. Winslow,” she said with a business-like tone. “I love you. You were my only love and you still are. I’d already given up men when I thought I’d lost you forever. I was ready to become a spinster. But that might be over now that you’re still kicking and breathing. I’m still on the fence about that.”
“Sure you are.” The smile that curved my lips wouldn’t go away. “So, did you go back to work before you ran away?” My fingers crossed on their own in hopes that she hadn’t.
Heavily, she sighed. “Well, as you know, I was on vacation when you went and got yourself fake-killed. After that, Moretti was kind enough to give me another week to mourn your death. There was a nice funeral for you and Rico that I didn’t attend. Candy had told me that Rico’s body was there, but that your body hadn’t been brought back to Atlantic City. Only a picture of you was at the funeral. But she said a handful of the guys said nice things about you.”
“Sweet of them.” Even if they didn’t know the real me. “And you didn’t go to my funeral because?”
“Because I wanted to mourn you on my own. I was the only one who really knew you. No one could understand the loss I felt.” Her voice broke and I knew she was recalling her emotional state at that time. “You were the last person to touch me intimately. That’s one of the main reasons that I left. I never wanted anyone to touch me again. I wanted you to be my last. You should’ve been my first – I was going to make sure you would be my last.”
“Really?” She was going to go without sex forever?
“Really, Ryder. And I didn’t want your memory to be tarnished either. You wanted me to stop doing porn and I wanted to honor you by stopping. But it was more than that. I wanted to stop.”
“You did?” She had no idea how happy she’d made me. But I wasn’t going to make it about me.
“Ryder, you reminded me of the way I used to be. Now, I made the decision to do what I did to make money to keep my parents out of jail and help my aunt with her medical bills. Those are righteous reasons to do what I did. But I never knew that I couldn’t walk away anytime I wanted to. I’m no one’s puppet. I am no one’s slave. And I never will be.”
She’s on her way. “You’re a strong woman with a great heart. You’ll be fine. Have I ever told you how much you rock?”
“I don’t think so. And proving to you that I can rock hard is going to be one of my biggest goals.”
Goals were things I needed to make too. “You’re inspiring me, Janeen. So, I’ll make the same goal you have. I’ll prove to you that I can rock hard too. Say goodbye to the boy you knew and get ready to say hello to the man I will become.”
“So, we’re both going to grow up, huh?” she pondered. “You know what? I think we’re going to make fine adults. They say that people who sow their wild oats early on make for the best adults.”
“Well, you and I have sown a bit more than our fair share. We should make the most excellent adults in the history of adulthood.” Looking around the tiny room I’d been living in since I’d been in hiding, I knew a real man would never live this way. “Starting this morning, I will begin the process. How about you, Janeen?”
“I’m with you, Ryder. Starting today I’m going to begin a new life.” She got quiet for a long time and I didn’t say a thing either. “One day you and I will be at the right time and place for us. I know it without any doubts at all.”
I had the idea that she was right. But how long will that be? And how old will we be when that time comes?
Epilogue
Janeen
Sitting under the tree in our backyard, I typed away on my laptop, creating the third screenplay in a historical romance series for a streaming video station on the internet. ‘The Irish Affair’ had won over a tidy sum of fans who’d kept the producers asking me for more scripts to keep them entertained. Of course, I was more than happy to oblige them.
The money wasn’t anywhere near what I’d been making. But there was absolutely no shame in my game any longer. My entire family could sit together and watch the films I’d had a hand in creating. Sure, there was some romance, but nothing that I had to be ashamed of.
Looking up at the green leaves of the tall tree I sat under, I pretended I was in an Ancient Irish forest. The wind blew, making the dried leaves on the ground around me scatter.
In the distance, an engine rumbled. I heard the power behind the sound. Instinct told me that a Harley was coming down our street. My blood ran cold as I jumped up to run inside.
A year had passed since I’d left the Wicked Warlocks. I used a pen name to write under to cover my public identity. So far, there hadn’t been even one incident where I had to worry if I’d be found.
The idea that I might run into someone who might know me from my time in the spotlight was a thing I tried not to think about. I kept telling myself that living right, right now, meant my past was just that – past.
Ryder had told me about the DEA coming down hard on the Wicked Warlocks. They had bigger problems than my leaving them. Seeking me out wasn’t a thing they had time for anyway.
It was nice to talk to Ryder on the phone. We hadn’t seen each other. He and I had things to work on. I’d used a therapist to help me. He used hard work to help him. Night and day, he’d worked in his MC’s motorcycle shop, making custom bikes until he began gaining a client base.
Like me, he needed to stay under the radar so no one who’d known him from Atlantic City would find out that he was alive. H
e’d come up with an alias to work under. We’d combined our fake names in a way that linked us.
I went by Winnie Slow, using Ryder’s last name of Winslow to create my fake moniker. And he’d used my last name of Smithers to make his. He went by Smit – just one name – like Cher. Using one name made sense as he customized Harleys and it sounded like something a guy like that would be called.
Dad looked out the front window as it rattled in the old pane. “I’m gonna have to replace these windows. The new ones you had put in our bedrooms don’t rattle at all. Plus, they keep out the cold like no window I’ve ever seen.”
“Double panes, Dad.” I’d bought eight new windows for the three bedrooms in the house. Mom’s snoring had Dad moving into the guestroom and making it his own a few years back. My first winter back home had me making the purchase without asking my parents about it first. I had them brought in and installed in one day. That night, we’d all slept like babies.
While I stayed away from the front windows, Dad looked out of them, holding the curtain open wide. “Would you look at that? A moving van just pulled into the driveway next door. Seems the old Winslow place has finally sold.”
“New neighbors?” A certain amount of disappointment settled inside of me. I’d often went to sit on the backsteps when talking to Ryder on the phone. That would be over. “Damn.”
The sound of the motorcycle had gotten even closer. And it got closer still as it sounded as if it had pulled into the drive next door too. “Dad, did someone on a bike pull up?”
“A hog, sweetie. A sweet ride too. Shiny black with red accents. Boy oh boy, Mom’s gonna like looking at that in the drive next door.” He turned to wink at me. “The man on it looks to be about your age too.”
“Not interested.” If Ryder and I never decided to give it another shot, I was still set on being a spinster. “Thirty-one is around the corner and I’m not feeling the pull to find just any old male to fill up my free time.” Curiosity had me going to look out the window too, while still being careful about being seen.
“That’s right, sweetie, no reason to hurry to the altar. Not just any man will do.” Dad patted my back as I leaned on the side of the window. “Why are you hiding?”
“I’m not. I’m just not trying to stand out.” I’d gotten great at not standing out. With the writing, I wore glasses, so that made me look a little different. And I’d cut my hair to look more professional. When I did put on makeup, I did it sparingly. And I never dressed sexy at all. Nothing tight. Nothing revealing. Nothing like the way I had dressed when I was on the other side of the film industry. Shirts a half size bigger than what I should wear and slacks that left my – a bit curvier than before – body shape to the imagination.
It had all worked. I no longer turned heads. And that was exactly how I wanted it to stay.
The man on the boke had parked on the other side of the moving van, so I couldn’t see what he looked like. Not that I cared. He was our new neighbor was all. Plus, if he did look to be around my age, he was most likely married with kids. He’d probably barely beaten the rest of his family to the new house as he’d rode his bike to it.
“I wonder where he’s from,” Dad mumbled. “The plates on the van are from New Jersey.”
Flattening my body against the wall, the idea came to me that Atlantic City was also in New Jersey. One of the members of the Wicked Warlocks could’ve decided to move to a smaller town for some reason. “Crap.”
“Why’d ya say that?” Dad pulled his glasses off his face to narrow his eyes at me. “You’re acting weird.”
I couldn’t keep acting this way the entire time the new neighbors lived next to us. So, I pulled my body off the wall and took a deep breath. “Well, if he’s my age, then I should be the one to introduce myself to him. I will be the owner of this home one day, it’s fitting.”
Plus, if it was someone I’d known back then, I would have to test things out to see if they would recognize me.
I’m a strong woman with the capabilities to take on anything life throws at me!
Pulling the front door open, I went outside then down the steps, trying to sound chipper, “Hi there. Are you my new neighbor?”
A man’s voice came from the other side of the van, “No.”
Then what is he?
From under the van, I saw a set of old leather boots coming my way. When he rounded the corner, the smile on his face melted my heart. “You’re not my new neighbor at all.”
His arms spread open for me as I ran into them. Lifting my feet off the ground, he whispered in my ear, “I’m your old neighbor who has missed you so much that I bought my old house back just to be closer to you.”
When he put me back down, I took his face in my hands, gazing at him in the afternoon sunlight. “I’ve missed you too. I’m glad you bought this house. I’ve been afraid of who might move in. Please tell me that you won’t be having loud parties,” I teased him. “Or girls running in and out of your place.”
“Well, there might be one. She’s pretty chill though. I don’t think she’ll bother you and your family much.” He tweaked my nose. “Will that be okay with you, neighbor?”
“As long as the girl you’re talking about is me, then I’m okay with that.” He’d cut his hair into a short style that made him look a lot more professional – but in a hot way.
Nodding, he made a quick movement, then swept me off my feet. “Cool. Time to make your first visit to my new home then. We’ve got unpacking to do and you’re going to help me with setting up this place.”
“And why would I do that?” I wrapped my arms around his neck as he carried me away with him.
“Well, you’re gonna live there too if I have my way. But I don’t want you to worry. I’ll make an honest woman of you. I won’t let you live in sin.” His lips brushed my cheek as he walked to his open front door. “Honey, we’re home!”
Yes, we are!
Ryder
“A little more to the right.” The moonlight made the golden strands in her hair stand out. With a sigh, I took her all in. “Yeah, baby, that bike and you were made to go together just for me.”
Leaning over the gas tank, Janeen pressed her plump tits against the red paint. “So, come and play with us, you bad boy.”
Dropping my pajama bottoms, I went right to her. “Having an attached garage is better than having a man cave.”
“And how is having me as a wife rather than just your old lady going for you, hubby?” With a wiggle of her finger, she had me floating across the cement floor toward her.
We’d been married a whole week and had just gotten back from our honeymoon in Ireland. She’d wanted to see the place in person since she wrote about it for the series she wrote for. “Having you as a wife is a dream come true.” But there was something that made it even better. Easing onto the bike behind her, I kissed her shoulder as I moved my arms around her to take the handlebars in my hands. “Knowing that we’re having a baby in six months is a bonus dream come true.”
“I’m glad our little surprise makes you happy. I have to admit that I thought you might be a little upset that we hadn’t got to plan our first baby.” She wiggled back on the leather seat then raised up enough to give me easy access to her best parts.
Grazing my mouth up her neck, I recalled how her news had made me feel. “Planned or not, this baby will be loved. He’s the beginning of what will become the Winslow brood.”
“A brood, huh?” Moaning as I eased into her with my rock-hard cock, she shuddered with desire. “Okay, a brood it will be if that’s what you want.”
“I want whatever you want.” Moving my hands to her waist, I moved her nice and slow. “So, what do you want?”
“At least one girl.” Putting her hands on top of mine, she moved herself a little faster.
“I’m not God,” I reminded her. “I know it’s easy to get the two of us mixed up since I send you to Heaven with my sensual touch, but I’m just a mortal man, my love.”
“Mortal?” Swiveling her body in a way that shook me to my core, she groaned with pleasure. “You are no mortal man. You came back from the dead.”
“So, I’ll give the girl thing a try, I guess.” What could I do? She had a point.
“That’s all I ask.” He bare thighs slapped the leather seat underneath us. “Using the bike for sex was an amazing idea. The leather feels insane on my skin.”
I’d installed black screens on the windows on either side of the garage door so I could leave them open when I wanted to start my bike up inside of it, without opening the large door. With the screens, no one could see inside.
Moving one hand off her waist, I reached up to turn the bike on. Thunder rolled in our garage as we both moaned with the new sensations. “Yes!” Janeen loved it when I turned the bike on.
Lifting her ass up higher, I moved her in a way so I could go deeper into her. With the vibration of the engine, we didn’t have to do much moving. The connection was all that was really needed to get to where we were going.
Her hot pussy clenched around my cock as I eased her down on me. She hung onto the handlebars and it made her tits move in waves. Pressing my hands against them, I felt every little move they made.
Closing my eyes, it felt like we were going down some country road, taking in the night as we took each other in. We’d found our sexual compromises. She didn’t tell me when she was teaching me something new and I didn’t act like a jealous jerk when I figured out that she’d done that before.
We’d also found a love that would see us through hard times. Times when we didn’t agree on things. Times when one of us was sick and the other would have to step up – not only helping the other to feel better but taking over their household responsibilities too.
In six months we’d bring a baby home. While both of us were afraid of the unknown, what we did know made it bearable. We knew - without a doubt – that we had each other’s backs. No matter what might come our way, we would never leave the other’s side.