by Anne Conley
“Hang on, Cody! I’ll be out in a minute!” She raced back into her bathroom to freshen up her makeup and drag a brush through her hair, slipped on some sandals, and opened the door.
Cody was standing there, snug fitting jeans and a plaid, long-sleeved cotton shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He grinned at her. “Wow, Alyssa. You clean up nice.”
She blushed at the compliment. “Thanks. You ready?”
“Yeah.” He walked her to his pickup truck and opened the door for her. She caught him eyeballing her legs as she swung them into the truck. For some reasons, his attentions made her uncomfortable, but she told herself to enjoy the experience.
“Thanks.” She hadn’t had somebody open the door for her in a while. In fact, she couldn’t remember when anybody had ever done it.
He hopped into the driver’s seat and looked over at her. “I have a surprise for you. I made a picnic for us. If you don’t want a picnic, we can go out somewhere, but I thought you might like some place a little more private than Applebee’s. You know how rumors get started. We’re liable to be seen, and the next thing you know, we’ll be getting married.”
Alyssa had mixed emotions about this. She was pleased about his discretion, but she didn’t really know him that well, and wasn’t sure how comfortable she would be in private with him. She would have to be careful. “I guess that sounds okay.”
“Good.” He smiled that dimply smile at her, and she grinned back. They sat in nervous silence as he turned his truck away from town and headed for the state park. As he drove through the twisty hills to get to the pavilion deep in the park, butterflies took flight in her stomach. She had never been here when there were other people around. This was definitely a place to come when you wanted privacy. Maybe too private.
“I haven’t been out here in ages.” She said to break the tense silence.
“It’s one of the most beautiful places around here, I think.” There was a moment of intensely awkward silence, where he cleared his throat twice, and she just looked out the window, biting her lip.
“Here we are.” He got out of the truck, and opened the door for her, helping her out. She tried in vain to keep her dress from sliding up her thighs when she climbed out of the enormous pick up truck, and she caught him noticing her legs again. He grabbed a small cooler out of the bed of the truck, and they walked to a picnic table in the trees.
“Um...I wasn’t sure what you would like, so there’s a lot of random stuff in here. I bought the sandwiches. There’s ham and cheese, tuna, meatball, steak and cheese, and a salad. I also have beer and soda. I wasn’t sure what you wanted.” She could tell he was nervous, he was repeating himself. Maybe he wasn’t so smooth after all.
“It’s okay. I like everything. Relax. You’re acting like this is a date, and it’s not, remember?” She tried to be reassuring, but he didn’t seem to relax much.
Cody laid the sandwiches out on the table, while she grabbed a beer, hoping it would relax her a little. One of them needed to chill out.
They ate mostly in silence. Alyssa could not think of a single thing to say to him. The awkward minutes dragged by. When they were finished eating, Alyssa said, “That was really good. Thank you Cody. This was nice.”
He looked at her, and panic filled his face momentarily. Then it was gone and replaced with a look of determination. They were standing face-to-face, and he reached out and touched her shoulder.
“Alyssa...”
Uh oh...
“Yes, Cody?” Please don’t do it...
His face came closer to hers, and he whispered, “You’re so pretty. Can I kiss you?”
She didn’t know what to say. Who asked to kiss a girl? “Um...sure,” she replied awkwardly.
His mouth came down on hers with such force, it took her breath away. His tongue was in her mouth in an instant, making shoveling movements across her teeth, and he was breathing through his mouth, like it was some sort of resuscitation. His hands grabbed at her dress, sliding up to her rear, pulling the dress up with them. She pushed him away.
“You can’t kiss me like that!” She said it without thinking. She didn’t mean to hurt his feelings, but sheesh, she wasn’t a chocolate cake.
“I’m sorry. I thought you said yes.” He looked at her beseechingly.
“I did, but that’s not an appropriate first kiss, Cody. You don’t just maul a girl.” She was furious at him, for taking advantage of the situation, of the privacy.
“I like you Alyssa. I thought that...I thought you liked me too. I thought we might be able to...I didn’t realize you were going to react like that.” He blushed furiously, and it dawned on her.
She realized then, whatever his feelings for her were, he had brought her here for one thing only. “How did you think I was going to react? Did you think you were going to have sex with me right here on this picnic table?” She really wanted an answer to this one.
“Um...I don’t know. I was hoping, yes. I was hoping you would.” He looked at her squarely, then seeing the expression on her face, he looked back down at his feet.
“Take. Me. Home. Now.”
Chapter 7
Dalton spent the next two days by his father’s bedside at the hospital. They had put him in the care of hospice, which meant he didn’t have long to live. Because of his weakened state, the hospital staff had deemed it necessary to leave him where he was, and not move him to a different facility, so the hospice team came to him at the hospital.
His dad was unconscious, and Dalton and Renae had said their goodbyes and were waiting for his peace. Mary was still hoping for a rebound, though, and her children were trying to be there for her, to pick up the pieces of her broken heart when their dad finally passed.
Dalton knew if his father was aware of the fact he was laying here, in this condition, he would just die right here and now. He would not want his family’s final memories of him to be of a withered gray shell lying in a hospital bed.
Dalton was sitting here with his dad, while his mom and sister were talking to the preacher and making final plans for Dad’s funeral. Mary was telling herself they wouldn’t be necessary just yet, and she was going ahead and making arrangements for herself as well.
Dalton shuddered at the macabre thoughts and turned his imagination instead, to Alyssa.
She had a date.
Of course, she hadn’t called it a date, but she’d gotten ready like it was a date. That was the first time he’d seen her with makeup on. She was gorgeous. And all of that shaving, shit.
Dalton shifted in his seat, and looked over at his Dad, as if to make certain his thoughts hadn’t woken him. He recalled the image of her in the mirror. Now that was an image he would take to his grave. He wasn’t sure what was coming over him. He had seen bald pussies before, but none of them affected him the way this one did.
And then that pup had come sniffing around her skirts, like he had any business there. Dalton was pissed at himself. What was his subconscious thinking, giving him this woman, to totally occupy his every waking thought, and then throw this asshole into the mix? When the asshole had done the sloppy grabass kiss, Dalton had come awake, madder than hell. Of course, after he managed to remind himself it was all a dream, make-believe, he had gone back to sleep and seen her reaction to it. That’s my girl...
“Too bad she’s not real, Dad. I think you and Mom would really like her.” Dalton said to his dad quietly. Richard shifted in his bed, as if he had heard him.
Renae poked her head into the room. “Thanks, Dalton. You can go pick up Kelly, now. Her school lets out in fifteen minutes. I got this. Mom’s coming up in a minute. She went to get coffee from the cafeteria.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tonight?”
“Yeah, I’ll probably be late, though.”
“That’s okay. You need me to fix you dinner?”
“That would be great. I’m about sick of McDonald’s”
He kissed her cheek and was out the door.
&nbs
p; Alyssa had car rider duty this week. Of all the duties to have, this one was definitely the best. High school kids did not enjoy being picked up by their parents. They would rather ride the bus any day. She just had to stand outside and make sure the overgrown kids didn’t get hit by a car or get into a fight.
She saw Kelly standing outside, alone, staring at the ground, biting her lip. Something inside Alyssa told her to walk over to the girl.
“Everything going all right, Kelly?”
“No, Ms. Fuller. My grandpa’s in the hospital, and he’s not supposed to make it.”
Alyssa got a sudden chill when she heard these words.
She swallowed, “I know it’s hard to lose somebody you love. Especially, if it’s family.” She remembered the pain of loss as a teenager when her grandma had died. That was one of the hard parts about being a teacher, watching the kids go through their growing pains. Her reverie was interrupted by the loud rumble of a motorcycle coming into the parking lot.
“Oh! That’s my uncle! He brought his motorcycle today. So cool!” Kelly’s sour mood vanished as she ran to the man on the motorcycle.
Alyssa’s eyes followed her, making sure there was another helmet on the bike for Kelly to wear. What she saw made her stomach clench and her body react in ways she hadn’t imagined were possible.
The man on the motorcycle’s face was covered with his helmet, but everything else was visible. His white tee shirt clung to broad shoulders, which tapered into a beveled chest. Bulging biceps led to corded forearms, gripping the handlebars of the bike. On one forearm, there was a tattoo of a stylized ram, that looked familiar to Alyssa. His faded jeans outlined muscular legs wearing worn leather riding boots.
Inexplicably, saliva filled Alyssa’s mouth, and she swallowed hard. She crossed her arms to alleviate some of the tingly ache in her breasts, and there was absolutely nothing to be done about what had just happened in her panties.
After watching Kelly put on the helmet the man offered her, she watched them ride carefully out of the parking lot, Kelly with her arms wrapped around his waist. Alyssa suddenly wanted to know more about this uncle...
Her knees weak, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and called Summer.
“A Summer Place.” Summer answered on the third ring. Summer was at work.
“Summer, this is Alyssa. You know that dream guy I was telling you about?”
“Yeah,” Summer answered.
“Can we talk tonight? Will you come over for dinner?”
“Sure. What’s going on? You sound really weird.”
“Summer. I think I just saw him.”
Summer showed up at 6:00 with a bottle of wine, appropriately called "Mommy’s Time Out." After a quick supper of chicken alfredo and a salad, Alyssa started telling Summer about the dreams in a little more detail than she had previously. When she finished up with the mysterious motorcycle rider who picked up Kelly, Summer let out a whoosh of air.
“Wow.”
“I know.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Summer took a sip of her wine. “How long have you been dreaming about him?”
“Three weeks? I think? It seems like I’ve been dreaming about him my whole life though. I know that sounds weird, but I dream about him all night long, every night. And now I think he’s real, I’m wondering why am I dreaming about him?”
“Do you think he’s dreaming about you too?”
Alyssa blushed furiously at the prospect. “God, I hope not!”
Summer finished her glass of wine, “I’ll ask around with some people I know, and see if anybody’s ever dealt with this kind of thing. I’ll call you in a couple of days. “ She kissed Alyssa on the cheek, gave her a tight hug and left.
That was why Alyssa had called her initially. Summer knew all kinds of people. While she did all kinds of international trade online with the bookstore, she was also an open lesbian, and her partner lived in Dallas. Her ties to the LGBT community, in addition to her partner’s ties to the paranormal community, and her own sixth sense gave her a lot of contacts that “normal” people didn’t have.
After Summer left, Alyssa went to her bedroom and pulled out her vibrator.
“Well, will I ever get to meet him?”
Vibrator just stared at her, silently.
“Are you mocking me? Do you think I’m going crazy?” She wondered if it was all just an elaborate hoax in her head, like the Dennis LeHane novel about the detective in the mental asylum on the island.
“It would be amazing if he was real, though. And if we met, somehow. Don’t you think?”
Vibrator continued to stare.
“If we met, do you think he would do a better job of kissing me than that idiot coach?” She closed her eyes and let her memory of his escapades take over. She imagined his lips on hers. She ran her hands over her breasts, pretending they were his. She opened her eyes and cocked an eyebrow at the vibrator, “I’m at least getting better at touching myself, yes? Now it sort of feels good.” The vibrator continued its silent gaze, as she closed her eyes again and allowed her fantasy man to make love to her in her mind, until she fell asleep to dream about him some more.
Chapter 8
Dalton had a rough beginning to his week. For some reason, the highlight was going to pick up Kelly from school. Something about that one experience every day made him feel really special, like somebody was appreciating him. Not anything he could put his finger on, but it was definitely there. It was probably just because Kelly seemed so excited to see him every afternoon. He would have to take his bike out more often. It was certainly enjoyable to ride. And his dream girl seemed to like it.
He decided his subconscious had gotten bored with just showing Alyssa’s life to him every night. Now it was showing Alyssa to him, while she watched Dalton. It was almost comical, like a hallway full of mirrors, each one showing it’s other’s reflection into infinity.
He could remember her reaction to his motorcycle picking up Kelly that day. He enjoyed feeling the tightening of his loins from a woman’s perspective. It felt completely different, more intense. And the way her nipples rose to stiff little peaks at the sight of him was astounding. They actually tingled a little. He had to admit, there was nothing else quite like it. The damp spot he felt in her panties was a little disconcerting, even though he knew exactly what it was and what it meant. He had woken from that dream with the biggest hard on of his life, and he wasn’t sure what would make it go away.
Well, there was one thing. Dalton got ready to go to the Gin on Wednesday night. It wasn’t The Church, but surely there would be willing, able-bodied women there, and surely one of them would be amenable to his desires. He just needed to find somebody to let some of this pent-up sexual frustration out with.
Once he got there, he was reminded once again this was definitely not The Church. The giant cowboy belting out George Strait at the karaoke machine almost made him walk out the door, until he remembered Alyssa’s rendition of "Turn Around Bright Eyes," and he turned himself around and walked over to the bar.
Drink in hand, he surveyed the sparse crowd. Not much here. There was a woman over there, but she didn’t look like Alyssa. What was that all about? If he wanted a woman who looked like Alyssa, he might as well just leave. She was a figment of his imagination, and he wouldn’t find anyone like her. If that was what he wanted, he needed to leave right now. There. There was a woman. That was all he needed. She appeared to have the necessary equipment.
He watched her for a little while, sipping his drink. She was dancing alone, wearing a short gathered skirt and cowboy boots. She had on a halter-top that showed an ample amount of cleavage. Yes, she would do nicely.
Abruptly, his thoughts turned to Alyssa, and her plans for next weekend. He remembered she was supposed to work a booth at the Hot Pepper Festival. It might be fun to go to that, even if she wouldn’t be there. His subconscious must want him to go. Why not? He could take Kelly, it might get her mind off of her grandpa.
He continued to stare at the woman on the dance floor. He enjoyed watching her dance, but he found even though she had all of the right equipment, he wasn’t interested in fucking her. He wanted a figment of his imagination. He tossed back the rest of his drink and went home.
Alyssa was barely making it through this week. Between parent conferences at school, teaching classes, and avoiding Coach Ridley, she was busy at work. Then when she got home with the kids, she had all of her home stuff to do, in addition to fielding calls from her mother and Steven, each having their own opinions about what she should be doing with her life.
Tuesday night, when Cayden came into the kitchen to tell her the bathroom was full of soggy toilet paper, she followed him to find that sure enough, it was.
“What happened?”
“Sierra flushed the roll of toilet paper down the toilet.” Cayden patiently explained.
“NO I didn’t!!!” Sierra cried.
Alyssa closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and counted to ten. “It doesn’t matter, it’s done now.” Alyssa said. “Sierra go get the mop. Cayden, I need a plunger. Please don’t stick it on your face.”
When she had cleaned up the mess, the toilet wouldn’t flush. Alyssa made a mental note to call a plumber tomorrow. Her cell phone rang.
“Alyssa?” Her mother.
“Hey mom, what’s up?”
“I need you to come get my Halloween decorations down, before October is over, and I don’t have a chance to decorate.” Alyssa’s mother loved Halloween almost as much as Christmas. She decorated her house and she dressed up for trick or treaters, then she forgot to leave her porch light on and complained every year about not having any kids stop by.
“Sure mom, I’ll be by soon to do that for you.”
“If you don’t come do it, I’ll have to climb that ladder and get them myself.” Alyssa sighed heavily at her mother’s blatant attempt to get her over there.
“If you climb that ladder, I’m putting you in a nursing home.” Alyssa had to pull the receiver away from her ear as the resounding click echoed across the lines.