Mountain Rough

by Kelli Callahan

  “I THINK WE’VE GOT THIS cabin in good shape.” I took a step back and smiled as I looked what we had accomplished.

  “Yeah, I’ll need check the electrical before I’ll be comfortable letting an inspector in there, but we’ve got a lot more cabins to go before we get to that point.” Charlie nodded and looked around the resort. “On to Cabin B?”

  “Yep, I guess so.” I nodded and started walking in that direction.

  Cabin B required a lot of work, just like Cabin A. We spent the whole day working on it. When Charlie was finally ready to call it quits, I decided to head into town and get some food. Blue Ridge had a decent selection of local restaurants to offer, but it would have required me to venture into the tourist traps. I preferred the Mom & Pop type restaurants that had been around longer than I had been alive. They usually had a good menu and you could tell that they actually cared about what they were serving. After my belly was full, I stopped by the liquor store and restocked a few essentials before finishing my excursion at the grocery store.

  “RED?” A WOMAN’S VOICE stopped me in my tracks.

  “Susan?” I turned around with a look of shock on my face. “Holy fuck, it really is you.”

  We immediately hugged and for a moment, I was in another time. I was in the backseat of my car, parked in a scenic overlook, with her in my arms. She was my high school sweetheart, the woman I devoted my youth to, and the one I left behind when I moved away from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our bodies were like fire when they were united, but she didn’t want to leave and I didn’t want to stay. My love for her was strong, but not enough to keep me from seeking out the adventures that I thought were waiting on me outside of the place I grew up. She still smelled like jasmine and roses, after all those years.

  “Wow, you are back in town?” She blinked a couple of times.

  “I am, yeah.” I nodded and smiled. “You look exactly the same.”

  “Oh I don’t know about that.” She blushed and her cherry-red lips formed the smile I fell in love with. “What brings you back to Blue Ridge?”

  “My father passed away.” I sighed and my smile faded.

  “Oh, I’m sorry Red.” She grimaced and her face came together in a sorrowful expression. “I did hear about that. So you’ve been back in town for a while?”

  “I came back to deal with his estate and now I’m trying to fix up the resort.” I shrugged and sighed. “I wish I could say it was going well. Are you still local?”

  “Yeah, I never left.” She nodded and her lip twisted to a half-smile. “I took over my dad’s restaurant after he decided to retire to Florida. I guess a lifetime in the mountains made him decide he wanted to spend his retirement on the beach.”

  “I spent some time on the beach.” I chuckled and grinned. “I don’t know if it compares to this place, though. I thought the tourists were bad here…”

  “Mommy!” A young girl that appeared to be around six or seven years old came running up and grabbed Susan’s skirt. “Daddy says he wants some beer.”

  “Sally, did your father really tell you to come ask me if he could have some beer?” She glared angrily in the direction of the beer aisle. “Tell him if he wants some beer, he can come ask me himself!”

  “Okay!” Sally ran back in the direction Susan was looking.

  “A daughter.” I felt my eyes open a little wider. “And a husband?”

  “Yeah.” She nodded and smiled again—that damn smile. “A son too, but he’s staying with his grandparents for the weekend. Sally is a little too young for them to easily watch over on the farm. Are you married? Do you have any kids?”

  “No.” I shook my head back and forth. “I never got married—and no kids that I’m aware of.”

  “I don’t know what I’d do without my rug-rats. Anyway, I guess I better go check on my husband before he starts letting Sally try samples of stuff she’s allergic to.” She stepped closer and extended her arms.

  “Good luck with that. Well, it was good to see you again. Damn, it’s been so long.” I leaned in for another hug.

  “Yeah it has. Good to see you too, Red. I hope you found what you were looking for out there.” She pulled away from my embrace and started pushing her shopping cart in the direction of the beer aisle.

  Her words stung. The last thing she said to me before I left was that she hoped I would find what I was looking for out there. She was crying back then. The look she gave me when she said the words for the second time was pity. It was like she could read my soul. It was hard to remember the eighteen year old kid that was willing to leave her behind. He broke her heart. It seemed to have mended. I was glad she was doing well, although it still hurt to think that I could have had that life if I would have known what I had from the beginning. Instead, I chased a dream that didn’t last very long. Stubbornness kept me away after that.

  “Here’s to you, Susan.” I poured some whiskey in a glass and lifted it to my lips.

  You and all those precious fucking memories.

  Chapter 3: Mandy

  It was pretty late when I finally got to the top of the mountain and saw an old battered sign for Blue Ridge Resort. It didn’t look anything like the website. The whole place looked like—for lack of a better expression—a shit hole. The fact it there were a couple of dirty mattresses stacked next to the sign didn’t exactly inspire confidence. I drove through an open gate that looked like it had too much rust to close and put my car in park. It didn’t just look like a shit hole, it looked like it was out of business completely. I could see the outline of a pool in the distance, but it didn’t appear to have any water in it. The main thing it lacked was people. There wasn’t anyone there at all except for me. Well, that wasn’t entirely true because a few seconds after I put my car in park, I saw a man walk out from a building near the entrance.

  “Hi.” I stepped out of my car and waved. “I think I may be in the wrong place. Is this the only Blue Ridge Resort?”

  “As far as I know.” He walked down the steps and tilted his head with what appeared to a very confused expression. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “I’m not sure…” I walked around the front of my car. “I won a contest on the radio to stay here for a week, but maybe this is the off-season?”

  I’m not sure there is an on-season for this place. It’s decrepit.

  “Uh, no. This isn’t the off-season. We’re just not booking reservations right now. We’re….” He paused for a second and looked around. “We’re under renovation—and new management.”

  “Well, this must be some mistake.” I shook my head in bewilderment. “I swear they said Blue Ridge Resort. Let me get the information from my car.”

  I walked back to my car and dug around in my bag until I found the information that I printed from the email I received after I won the contest. The address did appear to be the exact one I put in my GPS, but I had no idea what was going on. I walked back around the car and handed the paperwork to the man that greeted me. He took in his hand, scanned it quickly, and then looked up at me with the same expression of confusion. Even with a confused stare on his face, I couldn’t ignore how unbelievably hot he was.

  “This is definitely the right place.” The space between his eyebrows scrunched together and he shook his head. “Give me a second, let me make a phone call.”

  Please don’t get a knife or something to gut me with. Please don’t be Jason Voorhees’ long lost, very attractive son. A serial killer shouldn’t make me drool, right?

  The man didn’t appear to be dangerous, but he was enormous with broad shoulders and very large arms that were clearly visible, protruding from his sleeveless shirt like mountains. He looked fairly normal outside of his unkempt hair and beard, both of which could use a trim. I considered just getting in my car and driving away, but I was curious to find out how the radio station managed to give away a vacation that technically didn’t exist, especially if they weren’t taking reservations. After several minutes, he stuck his
head out the door and beckoned me with a wave.

  “Why don’t you come inside. I’m on hold.” He held the door open and motioned again.

  Well, here we go. Dead at nineteen—killed by a serial killer that takes one hell of a great mugshot—Amanda Greene. God rest her soul.

  I walked past him into what appeared to be a front office for the resort, but it looked like it hadn’t seen an update in quite some time. There was a rack against the wall that had a lot of DVDs, but the newest one appeared to be at least ten years old. A small sign next to the rack suggested that there were racier titles available upon request behind the front desk. I assumed that meant porn. I wandered over to a table that had brochures and I recognized the photographs. They were the same ones that I saw on the website. It was definitely the right place, but the photos had been taken when it was in a lot better shape. The guy that greeted me appeared to have disappeared into the office, which meant he was either sharpening his knife, or actually on hold like he suggested.

  “Okay, I think I got this figured out.” He opened the door and walked back into the office.

  No knife. That’s a good sign.

  “Yeah?” I raised my eyebrows in a questioning manner.

  “So, it seems that my dad had some sort of agreement with this radio station. They had a contest every year where they gave away a vacation and I guess he did it for the free advertising, which is why it didn’t show up on any of the accounts I reviewed.” He put his hand on the counter and sighed deeply. “I’m really sorry you had to drive all the way up the mountain to find that out.”

  “All the way up the mountain?” I shook my head back and forth. “I drove six freaking hours to get here.”

  “Oh shit…” He exhaled sharply. “Well, as you can see, this place isn’t really set up to accommodate guests.”

  “How does a mistake like this happen?” I pursed my lips and felt my temper flaring. “The website doesn’t say anything about it being shut down!”

  “Website?” His eyes got wider. “I honestly didn’t even realize Dad had a website.”

  “So this is your father’s place? Is he around? I’d like to talk to him about reimbursing my gas and paying for a hotel tonight.” I crossed my arms across my chest.

  “He’s right behind you.” He pointed and I spun around.

  “I don’t see—oh.” I saw an urn sitting on a shelf. “I’m sorry.”

  I guess asking him for gas money or a hotel for the night is out of the question.

  “It’s fine.” He exhaled sharply again. “He passed away almost a year ago now. I came to see what I could do with this place and found it pretty much how you see it, except for the things I’ve been able to repair myself.”

  “You would think people would have complained if they paid for this,” I picked up the brochure, “and ended up here.”

  “Yeah, the books are a mess, but it doesn’t look like business had been very good for a while. He had some people that worked here to clean the cabins and take care of routine maintenance, but most of it is still pretty fucked up.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Again, I’m sorry about all this.”

  “It’s fine. I guess I should go so I can get a hotel for the night.” I sighed angrily and shook my head.

  “Wait.” He walked towards the door and held it open for me. “I just finished most of the renovations on Cabin A. I mean, I know this isn’t exactly the dream vacation you were hoping for, but you could at least stay one night here.”

  I stopped when I got to the front porch and looked at the cabin his finger was pointing at. It didn’t look like it would collapse in on me in my sleep, but if it looked anything like the front office, I wasn’t sure it was going to offer much in the way of accommodations. He walked past me and I decided to follow him to at least see the interior. If it had a bed, it would be better than paying for a hotel room, provided that it wasn’t infested with rodents. He walked up the steps, which creaked under each step, and pushed the door open. I followed him inside and looked around the living room area.

  “It does look clean…” I pursed my lip and started walking around.

  “It’s even got a brand new mattress. You would be the first one to sleep on it.” He pointed towards the bedroom.

  “Are there sheets?” I walked in the direction he was pointing and turned on the light, which flickered before it finally illuminated the room.

  “I’ve got a clean set in my cabin. I’ll get them for you if you want to stay.” He nodded when I looked back in his direction.

  I guess it isn’t the worst place to sleep, even if it isn’t as advertised.

  “Okay, I’ll stay here tonight. Is there a key?” I raised my eyebrows inquisitively.

  “Uh.” He put his hand on the back of his head and scratched it. “I haven’t gotten around to installing new locks yet.”

  That sounds safe…

  “Okay, I’ll barricade the door so I don’t get eaten by a bear.” I chuckled and smiled.

  “That wouldn’t stop a bear.” He chuckled as well. “Okay, well, get settled. Are you hungry?”

  “I am.” I nodded, remembering that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

  “I’ll cook something and bring it by in a little bit. It’s the least I can do.” He nodded and started walking towards the door. “Oh, do you want a drink? I did restock the liquor—mostly for myself.”

  “Wine?” I shrugged and tilted my head.

  “I’ll see what I got. My name’s Red, by the way. Red Adams.” He walked over and extended his hand. “I guess I should have introduced myself earlier. Your name is Amanda, right? I saw that on the paperwork.”

  “Yes.” I nodded and watched his enormous hand practically swallow mine when he shook it. “But everyone calls me Mandy.”

  “I’ll be back with your food shortly, Mandy.” He turned and walked towards the door.

  Okay, well. I guess I really am going to get in touch with nature.

  RED AND I MADE SMALL talk when he brought me a rather delicious steak and baked potato later that evening. It was a sweet gesture, and I was convinced he wasn’t going to murder me at least. He even managed to find a bottle of red wine that wasn’t half bad. He didn’t eat, but he sat with me for a little bit while I did, and then put some sheets on my bed with a light blanket I didn’t think I would need. He seemed pretty charming and his whole face lit up when he laughed, completely removing those serial killer features I saw earlier. When I watched him put the sheets on the bed, all I could think about was how nice it would be if I wasn’t going to bed alone—or more specifically, how it would be if he was tucking me in for the night.

  I bet he would read me one hell of a bedtime story…

  It was dark when Red left and I fixed another glass of wine before walking out onto the front porch. I sat in a swing that didn’t feel like it was going to break, and listened to the absolute silence of the evening. There was nothing around me except a breeze blowing through the trees and the occasional animal screaming into the night, almost like a horn blaring.

  I guess it is a good thing Hannah didn’t come, because she would have ripped me a new one for ruining her lake house trip with Brady.

  I stood up and walked down the steps, still holding my glass of wine. The breeze felt amazing, especially when there was no cabin to block it. There wasn’t much light, but the moon was so bright that I could see everything fairly well. The stars had never looked prettier. I walked around the perimeter of the resort, seeing the remnants of the things from the brochure. After a while, I started to actually feel a chill, so I decided to head back to my cabin. The shortest route took my past the only other illuminated cabin in the resort, which I assumed belong to Red. I wasn’t trying to snoop when I walked by, but something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye and I paused in my tracks.

  Oh wow…

  The window I was standing near appeared to be his bedroom, and I was walking by right as he pulled off his shirt. It was hard to look away, e
specially since the window was low enough to the ground that I could see him as plain as day. There was a sheer curtain covering the window, but it wasn’t enough to keep me from seeing every inch of his sculpted chest. His hands went to the button on his jeans and I instantly looked down. I blushed, even though he didn’t know I was out there, and then slowly lifted my head. An enormous cock hung from his pelvis, resting on top of a set of gigantic balls. He walked to the television and I saw him pick up a DVD case. He dropped it in a DVD player and took a step back. The television screen lit up with a menu for what appeared to be pornography.

  I should go now. This is is about to get weird.

  I started to take a step, but before I could, the movie started playing. It appeared to be a rather old porno movie considering the clothing the people were wearing, but they got right down to business. He turned towards his bed and I saw that his cock was already starting to get hard. My mouth fell open as I watched it grow. He collapsed down onto the bed and stretched out, wrapping his hand around his unbelievably large dick—which only seemed to get larger as he stroked it. I badly wanted to leave, but I was mesmerized. I had never seen a cock hard before in real life, and I had certainly never seen a man masturbate.

  Fuck, that’s hot. That’s really, really hot.

  I felt my body burning with desire for something I had never experienced before. His hand moved up and down his shaft, keeping a fairly fast pace. I could feel my panties getting wet while I watched and before I knew it, my hand was unfastening my jeans and sliding down to my pussy. I held the wine glass in one hand while the fingers on my other hand explored my wetness. My eyes stayed transfixed on Red and his monstrous dick getting worked over as hard as he could. My pussy was on fire and I rubbed my clitoris harder than I had ever rubbed it before. I watched as Red’s body started to squirm and then cum shot out of cock. It ran down his hand and his dick as he stroked it. It was more than I needed to see to orgasm, because it engulfed my body. I moaned, bit down on my lip, and right as it took full control, my body shook and I felt the wine glass slip from my hand.