by B. B. Hamel
“Yeah, sure. Jay says we have to leave separately, so I’ll go first.”
“Sure. See you later.”
He nodded at me and walked back to his car. I watched as he climbed in and drove off.
I hated that Becca was on the radar of guys like Thom. That was exactly why I had warned her against going to that party. In normal circumstances, in normal towns, going to a party with a bunch of different people was no big deal. It was how you met new people, made new friends.
But in Ridgewood, things were different. The mob was moving in, slowly buying up land and taking over businesses, and selling drugs to the mostly low-income and economically depressed locals. People needed the money the mob brought, and the mob needed the customers. Some people saw it was a win-win.
I saw a bad situation that was only getting worse. I needed to get back on the wall, win some tournaments, and get my family the hell out of Ridgewood.
But first, I needed lunch.
I turned back and started the short hike back home.
An hour later, I pulled into the parking lot of the Blue.
As I walked in and took a seat at the counter, nodding to the waitress, I wondered why I always came to the Blue. The food wasn’t particularly good, and there were other spots to try. But the Blue had become like home in some ways. It was comfortable and familiar.
As the waitress, Jenny or Janet or something with a J, set a glass of iced tea in front of me, I leaned back in my chair and smiled to myself. The Blue was good. It was comfortable.
“Hey, Reid.”
I nearly fell off my chair. Standing off to my right was Becca wearing the full Blue outfit.
“Becca?”
“Surprise. Lindsey got me a job.”
I gaped at her and immediately felt my dick start to get hard. She looked incredible, fucking amazing in her apron and her blue button-down shirt. She smiled at me and I wanted to rip off her pants and fuck her right there on the counter for everyone to see.
There was something about her in that uniform that drove me insane.
“Suits you,” I said.
She frowned and looked down at herself. “I don’t know, I feel dorky.”
“You look pretty damn hot.”
She blushed. “Quit it. Someone might hear.” She moved a little closer.
I grinned at her. “Hear what? That your stepbrother can’t stop thinking about that kiss?”
“Yeah, exactly,” she hissed.
“Or maybe that he wants to lick your sweet little clit until your back arches and you come.”
“Reid, stop it.” She moved a little closer. I could see her begin to breathe faster.
“You like that, don’t you? You want me to push you down over this counter and fuck you from behind, right here. You want me to spank that firm ass of yours.”
She was struggling not to smile and I was hard as fucking hell. “Who taught you to talk like that?” she said.
“You bring it out of me.”
“Yeah, well, cut it out. You eating?”
“If you’re offering, I’d love to eat you in the bathroom.”
She smacked my arm playfully, just like she did all those years ago.
“That’s enough. I have tables.”
“Fine. You just think about me running my tongue along your clit.”
“Goodbye, Reid,” she said, looking away.
“Have a good shift, college girl.”
She walked off just as my waitress returned and smiled at me.
“So, what can I get you?”
My heart was hammering in my chest and I couldn’t stop thinking about slowly lowering Becca’s sweet pussy down my long hard dick. I wanted to make her sweat, to work her body until she came hard enough to forget her last name.
“I’m starving, Janey. How about some pancakes?”
“You got it, Climber.”
She gave me a little smile and walked off.
The Blue had just gotten a little more complicated. I couldn’t tell if I wanted more complications, but I definitely wanted Becca.
I leaned back in my chair, imagining all the different ways I wanted to get Becca off, and all the different spots throughout the diner that I wanted to do them in.
Chapter Eleven: Rebecca
We didn’t talk about it afterward.
I was afraid that if I said exactly what I was feeling, the mixture of fear and desire, then something would change between us. When I opened my mouth and kissed him, the world seemed to light up around me. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the climb, but that wouldn’t be everything. So much of him seemed to be designed to drive me insane.
By Friday, I was beginning to stress about the silence. I knew I could fix that pretty easily by just talking to him, but with every passing second there seemed to be a new obstacle put in the way. By the time I felt like I was ready to say something, it was already too late.
Reid was gone a lot during the week. He was either running guide jobs or he was out climbing or he was at some party that I wasn’t invited to. It almost seemed like he was too busy for me.
Except that I noticed the way he looked at me, like he was hungry and couldn’t stop staring, or at least that was how it felt.
“Hey, lady, you still working?”
I looked up, startled. The guy was staring at me like I was the biggest idiot in the world. I tightened my apron and moved across the Blue’s floor toward him.
“Sorry. Can I help you with something?”
“Yeah. How about some refills here on our coffee?”
I frowned. “Sure, right away.”
“That’s a good girl. Be quick.”
Fucking asshole, I thought as I went over to grab the coffee.
It was nearing the end of my Friday shift and I was already exhausted. I had started really early and was finishing up mid-afternoon. My last table was a bunch of asshole businessmen dressed up in suits. I had no clue what businessmen wanted with Ridgewood, but they were obnoxious and a pain in my ass, the perfect way to end my shift.
As I returned and started to refill their mugs, the most obnoxious guy of the group leaned closer to me.
“You know, you’re not so bad looking,” he said, grinning at his friends. “For a waitress.”
They all burst out laughing. I smiled at him, but my eyes said I will rip your spine out, creep.
“Anything else, fellas?” I asked, trying my best to ignore him.
“Check when you get a chance.”
I nodded, relieved, and hurried off. Working at the Blue had been pretty good so far. The pay was decent, considering the tips, but the hours were long and I was always on my feet. I didn’t see Lindsey as much as I wanted, mostly because she got the good shifts.
Once the check was paid and I gathered my meager ten percent tip, I went into the back and hung up my apron.
“Hey, Becca!” Lindsey said, walking into the room.
“Hey, Linds. You just starting?”
“Yep. I’m your replacement. How is it today?”
“Not terrible. I just had one awful table, but otherwise okay.”
“Those business guys?”
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
She made a face. “They were being obnoxious as they left. I bet they’re terrible tippers.”
I laughed. “They really were.”
“Hey, listen. Feel like coming to another party tomorrow? This time I promise I won’t ditch you.”
“Will Josh be there?”
She shook her head. “Nope, and neither will Reid.”
“How do you know that?”
She shrugged. “I just heard he was busy, that’s all.”
I frowned again, noting her awkwardness, but decided not to press. “Okay, sure. That sounds fun.”
“Cool. I’ll text you.”
“Enjoy your shift.”
She grinned and waved as she walked out onto the floor.
What did Lindsey know about Reid that she wasn’t telling me? R
eid acted like he wasn’t close with Lindsey at all, and yet she seemed to know more about his schedule than I did.
He claimed she was a pill addict, but I hadn’t seen any evidence of that.
Annoyed, I headed back home, looking forward to taking a long bath.
I sat on the edge of the tub as the warm water began to fill the white expanse. I put my hand under the tap and smiled to myself, excited to finally relax.
“Becca, you in there?” Reid’s voice came as he suddenly started knocking on the door.
“Who else would it be?”
“You busy?”
I sighed. “No, not yet.” I stood up and opened the door.
Reid stood there grinning at me.
“You could’ve looked away. I might have been naked.”
“Exactly. That’s why I was staring.”
“What’s so important that you needed to interrupt my bath?”
“Come for a hike with me.”
“No way. That’s the opposite of what I want to do right now.”
“Come on. You can take the longest bath in the world after we’re done.”
“Why do you need to go right now?”
He shrugged. “Felt like showing you something.”
I paused. “What is it?”
“Can’t say. Much better in person.”
“I’ve already seen your van.”
“It’s not my van.”
“Is it cooler than your van?”
He laughed. “No, it’s not even close. But you’ll like it anyway.”
I stared at his cocky smile and knew that I should say no and take my bath. I knew that wherever he wanted to take me, I probably didn’t want to go.
But the truth was, I did want to go. I shouldn’t have wanted to, but I did.
“Okay, fine.”
“Meet me out back.”
And then he was gone. I watched him walk away, down the hall and then downstairs. I turned back and shut off the water.
For a moment, I allowed myself a second to mourn my lost bath time.
He was standing out back in hiking pants, hiking boots, and a tight black T-shirt when I was finally finished getting ready.
He looked back at me. “Took you long enough.”
“I can go back inside right now and take a bath.”
He laughed. “Come on.”
I had to hurry to catch up with him as he strode off into the woods. He was smiling and looked like he was having the best time of his life as he picked his way through the underbrush.
“Still not telling me where you’re taking me?”
“You’ll see.”
“You’re not kidnapping me, are you?”
He grinned. “If only you could be so lucky.”
“I don’t know. Getting locked in that van for the rest of my life doesn’t sound fun.”
“Please. There’d be conjugal visits. That would be more than enough to keep you happy.”
“You act like you have a magic dick or something.”
“I do. It’s my gift and my curse.”
I laughed. “Yeah, seems like a real problem.”
We made it to the fence around the property and he quickly climbed over it. He turned back and helped me get over it in a surprising show of manners.
Which he quickly ruined by saying, “Your ass looks great in those jeans.”
I sighed. “Thanks, I guess.”
“So when did you start working at the Blue?” he asked as we set out again.
“Not too long ago. Lindsey got me the job.”
“Still seeing that pill head?”
“She apologized for the party.”
“She should do more than apologize.”
“She got me a job.”
He shrugged. “True. I guess I have her to thank for seeing you in that uniform.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t know what it is about that uniform, Becca, but I was harder than I’d ever been as soon as I saw you.”
I blushed. “It’s just an apron and a blue shirt.”
“Yeah but you wore the fuck out of that apron. I’d love to see you in just that.”
“That’s never going to happen.”
“Never say never. I might have you begging for it soon enough.”
“I doubt it. The uniform thing is your fantasy, not mine.”
“What’s your fantasy, then? Sweaty stepbrother with a big cock?”
I couldn’t help but feel a rush run up my spine as I pictured him wearing only a tight pair of briefs, his huge bulge growing stiff under my touch. As we kept walking, I realized that I was soaking wet, mentally cursing my ruined and useless panties.
“Not exactly,” I said.
“Not exactly? Don’t tell me you’re the S and M type.”
I laughed. “No way.”
“No? I think you’d like a little spanking.”
“Okay, did you just bring me out here to talk dirty, or is there a point to all this?”
As excited as I was, I knew that I was going to have to turn back soon if he didn’t stop pushing. We were very alone out in the woods together and I didn’t trust myself not to do anything.
“We’re getting there,” he said, grinning at me. “Although I’m really enjoying the trip.”
I sighed. His smile was light piercing down through the thick canopy, and that scared me. It excited me too.
We walked for another ten minutes, picking our way around the trees. As far as I could tell, he wasn’t following a path at all. He wasn’t using a map or a compass, either, which worried me just a bit. He looked like he knew where he was going, but there was a small voice in the back of my mind that worried we were going to get lost in the woods forever.
Which was silly, because after about forty-five minutes of walking, he abruptly came to a stop.
“We’re here.”
I looked around. The patch of woods we were standing in looked exactly like every other patch of woods we had walked through. There was nothing around in sight, no tree houses or special vans or anything, just a stretch of forest continuing up ahead.
“Really nice,” I said sarcastically.
“Here,” he said and pointed at a tree.
I walked over and looked. “I’m not seeing it.”
He laughed and pointed right at a spot. Carved into the tree were two letters: R.C.
“You wanted to show me two initials someone carved into this tree?”
“Think about it for a second.”
And then it hit me. R.C. were his initials. “You did this?”
He nodded. “When we first moved here.”
“Huh. I’m amazed you remembered how to find it.”
He leaned up against the trunk. “I come here every once in a while if I feel like being alone.”
I leaned next to him. “It’s a decent spot.”
He laughed. “No, it’s not. But here.” He held out a knife for me. “Why don’t you add your initials?”
I took the knife. “I thought this was just your special place?”
“Nah. I figured you’d want to make your mark, since you’ve been gone so long.”
And in that moment I realized that was exactly what I wanted. I had been gone so long that the town seemed like it had forgotten all about me, even though it had barely changed at all.
I wanted to do something to make them remember. I wanted to be part of things again. For some reason, carving my initials into some random tree actually seemed like it would feel good.
I had no clue how he knew that it would be something I’d want. But for whatever reason, I desperately wanted to leave my mark on Ridgewood, even if it was only in the form of vandalizing a tree. I knew the poor tree didn’t do anything to deserve me cutting it up, but I figured she wouldn’t mind too much.
And so I carved. It was hard at first until Reid showed me how, and then it went pretty fast. In the end, cut deep into the tree’s bark next to his initials, were the let
ters R and F.
“I thought you might make a B,” he said.
“Rebecca is my full name.”
“Makes sense.”
We stood and admired my handiwork for a minute, letting the sounds of the forest fill the silence for us. I felt at peace for whatever reason, even though stabbing my initials into a tree wasn’t exactly changing anything. Still, I felt like I was now a part of the forest, and as long as the tree stood, so would my initials. Nobody would know what they stood for, but I would.
“Nice out here,” I commented.
“It grows on you.”
“How long did it take?”
He looked at me. “For what?”
“For it to grow on you.”
He thought about that for a second, looking out across the woods. “Not until I found climbing. That was like finding my place in the world.”
I nodded. That made sense to me. That was the thing I had been searching for, the thing I had left and gone to college to try and find. My place in the world had never been obvious or simple or easy, but for some reason, standing with Reid against a tree with our initials carved into the trunk, I felt at peace. More at peace than I’d felt in a long time.
Without thinking about it, I reached out and grabbed his hand. He didn’t seem surprised at all as our fingers intertwined. He looked at me, and I knew what it meant.
He turned away from the tree and faced me. I looked at him, my mouth hanging slightly open, as he pressed his body against mine, pinning me to the tree. His eyes were intense as I inhaled his smell mixed with the piney scent of the trees around us. I could feel the earth vibrating all around me, or maybe that was just my arousal at his ripped body so close to mine.
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.
After a second, he leaned forward slowly and kissed me hard.
I melted in that moment. Everything in my life dipped away. The stress of a new job, the stress of a new place, the fear of the future, it was all gone as his lips worked against mine, his body pressed close, his hands roaming along my body. I gasped as he bit my lip and grabbed my breast while his other hand touched my face.
That was it. I knew it was happening, I knew it was what had to happen after our kiss on the cliff. It was what had to happen ever since we first kissed, ever since he got lodged into my brain and never shook himself free.
I reached forward and began to unbuckle his belt.