Rumours

by Alison Tyler

  ‘Yeah,’ I said, my heart pounding. ‘Show me.’

  ‘Get your ass out of the tub, girl,’ Alden said. ‘And bend over.’

  I hurried to obey, my normally pale skin all pink from the hot water, my red hair curling around my face from the steam. I bent over the rounded rim of the tub and held on to the side, and in an instant Alden was behind me, letting me feel his very hearty erection against my naked ass. For a moment, I actually thought that he might spank me. That image made me wetter still, as the thought always did. But Alden couldn’t read my thoughts, and I found myself unable to ask for what I truly wanted. Johnny would have understood. Johnny would have taken my teasing for no longer than a couple of minutes before putting me over his knee, or bending me in a similar position to this one and smacking my ass with his open hand before giving me the fucking I deserved.

  Alden chose a different route. He simply fucked me. But that was enough. With his hard cock between my legs, and his hands roaming steadily over my body, I found myself trembling all over. He knew to touch me more firmly as he thrust inside of me, his fingers moving over my body, stroking my breasts before heading down, lower. The tips of his fingers brushed over my fur, and then he easily found my hot spot and pinched it tight.

  ‘Oh, God,’ I sighed, as his fingers slid in my juices, skating up and over my clit. As he played me, his cock continued to move thrillingly hard between my legs, his warm, muscled body pressed against me from behind. We were naked on my backyard deck, and it felt incredibly right, as if we had reverted to our most basic form, becoming one with the nature around us. I heard rustling nearby in the bushes, and that added to the sensation. We were out by ourselves, all alone in the woods, communing with nature.

  ‘See?’ he said, his face pressed to my hair. ‘See what you do to me?’

  ‘Tell me,’ I whispered. ‘Tell me what I do.’

  ‘You drive me fucking crazy, Charlie. Oh, Christ. You take me over the edge.’

  As he spoke, he pulled out of me and sat down on the turquoise rim of the hot tub. Then he gripped my waist and pulled me forwards, so that I was straddling him face-to-face, my feet dangling into the water. And now he entered me from the front, and I wrapped my legs around his flat waist, holding myself to him, pressing my tingling aroused body against him. With each thrust, he lifted me in the air, and then pulled me back down on him, and I gained the most perfect contact of my clit against his flat belly on the return part of every ride. I ran my fingers over his chest, over the faded scars there, then held on to the muscles in his strong arms, my hands too small to fully grip around them.

  There was something addictive about being in Alden’s arms. Having him so close to me made me want to be closer still, to merge my body into his until we truly became one. I wanted this time to last, and I tried my best to fight off the impending orgasm, but Alden seemed to understand what I was doing and he shook his head.

  ‘I can’t wait any longer,’ I murmured.

  ‘Then don’t wait,’ he whispered. ‘Come for me –’

  When I climaxed, I let myself be loud, crying out in the fading afternoon light, my eyes closed, my head tipped back. Alden remained more contained, but I felt the shudder work through his body as he reached his ultimate limits. We stayed locked like that, in a puzzlelike embrace with my legs around his lower back, and then finally, sighing, he slipped out of me and gently set me back down on the ground.

  ‘So you really liked how I looked this afternoon?’ I said, gazing at his expression of total satisfaction.

  He nodded.

  ‘Then I guess I should wear the same thing tonight.’ I reached for the dry fuchsia towel and wrapped it tightly around my body. ‘The ripped jeans. The old sweater.’

  Now he was the one to grin. ‘Well, if you want to put on one of your hip new San Francisco outfits, I suppose I wouldn’t have a problem with that –’

  But Sheila had a problem. She had a big problem. I could tell from the expression on her face as soon as Alden and I entered the bar. She and her friends had been waiting for us. That was clear from their position in the room. No matter how nonchalant they were trying to look, all draped over the edge of the bar talking to Noah Sweet and Zeppelin from the Daisy Diner and Darwin who I knew from the Cowpie and the three pretty Sweethearts, resplendent in their vibrant tie-dyed outfits. The women turned their bright eyes in our direction as soon as we crossed the threshold, and they gave me looks that would have made me turn around and leave if I hadn’t been on Alden’s arm. Not just leave The Saloon, but also leave town. Their eyes burned into me. But I knew that I couldn’t actually flee Raysville tonight. Mia was due in an hour, and I had to be there to witness her entrance. I hoped that I’d made the right decision by dragging her into this mess. What if it all backfired? What if everyone guessed that we’d concocted some sort of twisted plot in order to take the heat off me and Alden? That would undoubtedly make the front page of the Levee Road News:

  Outsiders from LA. try to pull the wool over the locals’ eyes. Nice try, girls, but even though we live at the end of the road, we’re smarter than you think …

  I was glad that I’d decided to dress a bit nicer tonight. In honour of Mia’s impending arrival, and on the pretence of showing off my new wardrobe for Alden, I had forgone my recent standard local-girl outfit of jeans and a camisole in favour of a pair of dark green velvet slacks and a pale green cashmere cardigan that was so soft I couldn’t stop stroking my own arms. I knew the green set off my eyes and contrasted becomingly with my hair.

  Cody was seated in his corner spot, and he knocked the brim of his battered old cowboy hat up and down in a greeting. He seemed to expect my arrival with Alden, and he gave me a wry grin, nodding in the direction of the angry pussycats at the corner of the bar, perhaps in an attempt to warn me off a dangerous situation. Then he smiled more broadly, his eyes twinkling, as if to say, ‘I told you so,’ and went back to his beer and banter with Nica, the lithe and lovely bartender. Tonight, her hair was free of the braids, and it cascaded past her shoulders in perfect corkscrew curls. She had on a pink halter top with a deeply slashed neckline that revealed several tattoos I’d missed on my earlier visits. I found myself staring at her multicoloured designs as Alden steered me to a small leather booth in the corner, away from the bar. I was thankful for that. I didn’t want to get involved in the throng.

  ‘What are you having?’ he asked.

  ‘She drinks tequila, straight up,’ Sheila said, suddenly at Alden’s side. ‘Didn’t you catch that last time, Aldie?’ She ran her long, delicate fingers through his short hair in an action that was clearly possessive. I saw her red-shellacked nails rough up his hair, before she settled her hand on his bicep. Alden shrugged her off, but she didn’t move away. I felt more confident being in his presence, but I sensed danger, nonetheless.

  ‘Is that what you want, Charlie?’ Alden asked.

  ‘I’ll bet I can guess what Charlie wants,’ Sheila said. She had definitely been drinking already. ‘Charlie wants you to fuck her in a phone booth.’

  I flushed, and stared at her, open-mouthed.

  ‘Isn’t that right, Charlie?’ Sheila continued, her eyes blazing. ‘Don’t you have a thing for small, confined spaces?’

  Alden looked from me to Sheila to me again, and I could tell from his expression that he didn’t know what the woman was talking about, although he definitely appeared curious. I did my best to compose myself, but I knew somehow that, at least for this round, Sheila had won. She’d got an upper hand, and she’d done it by stating the truth. No, I hadn’t actually fucked anyone in a phone booth except myself, but she’d let me know she’d worked out that the write-up in the newspaper was all about me.

  Now she slipped her arms around Alden’s waist from behind and nuzzled her foxy chin against his strong shoulder blades. I pretended not to notice, but how could I help myself? In a physical way, she was showing him that she wanted him, and letting me know how comfortable she felt touching him all ov
er in public. She was practically dry-humping him like a she-cat in heat. For an instant, I wished I had the nerve to tell her exactly how we’d spent our afternoon. I could see myself doing it, letting her know that we’d fucked not once but twice, and that I still had the marks on my wrists from the handcuffs to prove it. I wanted to show her the lovebites he’d left behind, and explain that I still felt tender between my legs from the intensity of our steamy session. But I couldn’t muster the energy to engage in that sort of catty behaviour. Sheila, on the other hand, had no such qualms.

  ‘So what have you two naughty kids been up to? Heating up the day with some water sports?’

  My face flushed further. How did she know about that? It had only happened this afternoon. What was going on? I knew I looked as guilty as I felt, but luckily Geneva chose that moment to make an appearance, sliding into the booth on my right side and handing me one of her most recent NUDE flyers.

  ‘We need you, Charlie,’ she told me, her breath heavy with alcohol. I looked into her chocolate-brown eyes and saw clarity, even though she was pretty steamed.

  ‘Everyone needs Charlie,’ Sheila said in a sing-song voice.

  ‘Ignore the bitch,’ Geneva hissed gruffly. ‘She’s all talk and no play.’

  ‘So why do you need me?’ I asked, grateful to have something else to pay attention to.

  ‘You’re a graphic artist. I heard that from Alden. And I went up on your website and saw some of the examples of your work. You’re good, you know it?’

  I was flattered that she’d done so much research, and as I smiled I could feel myself blushing further.

  ‘You can help us get a better look. We’re on to our next campaign: NO MORE BUSH.’

  ‘Yeah, Alden told me about it.’

  ‘Oh, did he?’ Sheila purred, dragging Alden away with her. ‘You’re talking pretty intimate subjects with your little Lost Angel from down south, aren’t you, baby?’ As she spoke, she kept pulling on him. I saw him hesitate for a second and then follow, and my stomach tightened at how quickly Sheila had been able to woo him back over to her crowd at the bar. Alden gave me an apologetic look and a ‘one-sec’ sign with his finger, as if he’d be right back.

  ‘Ignore them,’ Geneva hissed again. ‘Pay attention to me, Charlie. I have much more to offer.’

  Her hand was on my thigh under the table, and I couldn’t help but smile at her. Was attractive new meat that rare in the town that both the heteros and lesbians had to fight for the same cut?

  Chapter Eleven

  Mia arrived in the middle of Noah Sweet’s second set. I did my best not to look as if I was staring at her, but after a moment I realised that it didn’t matter even if I gawked outright. Nobody was checking out my reaction. All eyes were on the beautiful Mia Long. I could tell she’d won Noah’s attention when he turned to face her directly as he finished his song, a reggae-beat cover of The Doors’ ‘Light My Fire’. The three Sweethearts kept their eyes locked on her every motion, and their adorable little hand gestures froze in the air as Mia headed to the bar.

  She’d done good. As if to spite my worries that she’d overdo her outfit, she had toned herself down completely. In fact, I couldn’t believe how well she’d put herself together. Mia looked convincingly local yet stunningly beautiful, as always. She had on inky-blue boot-cut jeans that fit her lanky form to perfection, and her long blonde hair shone bright as polished foil even in the pale light of the bar. She was wearing make-up, but not her standard full LA face. In the mirror behind the bar, I could see her reflection. Her eyes were outlined and her lips were pouty and biteable, but she didn’t appear to be trying too hard.

  ‘Would you look at that,’ I heard one man nearby say to his buddy as Mia ponied up to the bar.

  She had on a blue-and-white man’s style Western shirt that was cut for her body, nipping in tight at the waist and tucked into her jeans. The pièce de résistance was her belt, complete with a rhinestone-studded heavy metal buckle that I recognised from one of her Halloween costumes. She’d gone as a sexy urban cowgirl several years earlier and had snagged the buckle from a $5 bin at Aaardvark’s Odd Ark on Melrose Boulevard. We’d laughed for hours about the weight of that thing. Now I saw that the belt fit her outfit flawlessly, as did her boots, just broken in enough to look real, with a mild heel that was low enough for dancing but gave her a sexy lift, adding just the right amount of height to her 5′ 10″ form.

  The only person who didn’t seem to be captivated by her appearance was Cody. When I glanced in his direction, I saw that, rather than checking out Mia, he was looking directly at me. I felt as if he could see right through me, read my thoughts, understand somehow that Mia and I were connected in ways that Noah and the Sweethearts couldn’t possibly guess. Then Cody grinned and tipped his hat brow again, and I realised that he looked mildly embarrassed at having been caught staring. Maybe I was reading something into his expression, but right then I had the genuine feeling that Cody had been watching me all evening, and that I’d only just caught on right now. That was something to think about, but at the moment I was far too interested in how Mia was going to behave. Or misbehave.

  While I watched, she hoisted herself on to the one free seat at the bar. The middle-aged rancher at her left turned to smile at her, and then asked if he could buy her a beer. When Mia responded with pleasure, the girls in the pool area came forwards to the doorway, as if they simply had designs on checking out the band, but obviously to check out the newcomer. They were like a Greek chorus, twittering amongst themselves, their bodies moving automatically to the seductive beat of Noah Sweet and the Sweethearts.

  I saw Mia lean in to the barmaid, and in moments she had a long-necked beer in front of her. The rancher’s eyes seemed to go even wider in approval: beautiful girl, correct drink, no frilly little paper umbrellas. Now he looked as if he’d won the lottery, or at least the cowflop contest during Western Days when locals put down cold hard cash to bet on which numbered grid a favourite cow would leave her chips. Mia gave him a shy grin, then swivelled on her stool to watch the band. I could tell that she’d sized Noah Sweet in a very positive way when she glanced over her shoulder in the mirror, met my gaze for one instant and winked.

  Yeah, I thought. He’s fine, isn’t he? That’s why all the girls are watching you watching him. They want to know your deal. But Noah doesn’t care about your deal at all. He sees you as new blood in town. A new potential conquest. Or at least something unusual to pass the time with on a slow Saturday night.

  I looked over at the bar again. Alden was still there, caught in a group of his friends, but standing next to Sheila, and I started to wonder whether I’d been a player in a scene orchestrated equally by the two of them. Had he been messing around with me in order to renegotiate his status with Sheila? Had he known that, by having me drive his truck, he’d get the word out to everyone that we were together? If so, then why had he shown up on my doorstep the night of the firecall? And why had he spent all afternoon romping around with me?

  While I stared at them, the group started to laugh, as if one had told a joke. In mid-laugh, Sheila leaned in and kissed Alden fully on the mouth. He didn’t seem to actively participate in the kiss, but he didn’t push her away, either. When they parted, she blushed prettily and then used her fingertips to wipe away a trace of cranberry-coloured lipstick from his mouth. I couldn’t stand it.

  Sheila definitely appeared to be more interested in him now than she had the very first night we’d met. Now she had her hand wedged firmly in the back pocket of his jeans and, if he did decide to come back to my corner, he’d have to physically remove her, or drag her along after him. Now, that was a scene that would have the locals talking.

  After a moment’s consideration, I grabbed my black beaded purse and headed for the door. Alden caught sight of my departure and disengaged himself from his buddies. He had to hurry to meet up with me on the steps outside because I didn’t slow down for a moment. Two smokers moved aside to give us some space
, although they didn’t move far enough away to give us any privacy. That wasn’t surprising. Not in a place like this where everyone’s private dramas were believed to be intended for public consumption.

  ‘Where you going, Charlie? You don’t smoke.’

  ‘I’m going home.’

  ‘Well, how? You came with me.’

  ‘I did, didn’t I?’ I hated the snide sound in my voice. I didn’t want to fight for him. I wasn’t even sure I wanted him after watching him interact with Sheila.

  He gave me a sad sort of puppy-dog look, as if he didn’t expect me to call him on the carpet for his behaviour, but I couldn’t help myself.

  ‘I don’t like being ignored. I never have.’

  ‘Look, I told you how this town is. You’ve got everyone tied up in knots here. I can’t forget about my friends just because you’re here.’

  ‘But you can forget about your date because your ex-girlfriend is here. That is, if she really is an ex. That kiss didn’t look very ex-like to me.’ I felt as if I were teaching him a lesson in manners. He still had lipstick on his face. I shook my head. This was not my ideal role. Cody appeared at the doorway then, unlit cigarette in hand, unconcerned look on his face, as if he’d just chanced to walk outside while Alden and I were having it out. California law bans smoking in any bar or restaurant. The clients of The Saloon get around this law by standing in one of the two doorways and puffing the smoke out into the street, their bodies inside the building, their cigarettes outside. Nobody would ever think to call in the health inspectors. Not way the heck out here.

  I could feel Cody’s striking blue eyes on me. He was paying careful attention to my interplay with Alden. Too inebriated to notice, Alden kept pawing at me and trying to get me back inside. He swung an arm around my waist and pulled me in close, but I put my hands on his chest and firmly pushed him away. Was he envisioning some sort of threesome with me and his ex? The sort of thing you might catch late at night on the Spice Network? Sheila might have been pretty, but that sure as hell wasn’t going to happen.