by Kim Cormack
He kept shrieking, “Aliens!”
Lexy had always found that assumption slightly offensive and so she tore his shirt off of him, stuffed it into his mouth to shut him up, and then duct-taped it in place so he wouldn’t be able to spit it out. She grinned as she looked at the roll of duct-tape and just decided to go with it. By the time Grey showed up she had her assailant muffled, his clothes had been torn off and he’d been strung up with full body duct-tape, skillfully tethered to the ladder of the fire escape. She was applying the final touch, duct tape right up the crack of his bare ass and she couldn’t stop giggling.
She heard her Handler’s frustrated voice, “What in the hell, Lex?”
“I’m almost done,” she assured as she duct-taped his gun sideways to his forehead. It was missing something…If only she had a jiffy marker to draw a quick bow tie on his neck. They were in Vegas after all. Oh, well…No, duct tape tuxedo for the sketchy mortal. Next time…Finally, quite satisfied with the diabolical genius of her work, Lexy hopped down from her perch to the addition of Kayn and Zach’s astonished expressions. Grey was just standing there shaking his head pretending he didn’t think her creation was awesome, but she knew him better than that.
Lexy smiled proudly at her incredibly twisted work of art and announced, “I’m willing to bet that this was not the first time you’ve used that weapon on someone. Don’t worry the police will be here soon to get you down. If you haven’t used that gun for any other crimes, you’ll probably be free to go.” The man started to squirm and wriggle around in his duct tape suit. She grinned, “That’s what I thought. Gee, I sure hope it’s not excruciatingly painful when they remove the duct tape from your butt crack. You know people pay big bucks for the Brazilian that you’re about to get for free. No, need to thank me. Have a lovely morning.” She wandered away with a little skip in her step.
The others pulled up in the truck and they all got out and stood around in awe of Lexy’s duct-tape creation.
Frost stared up at the wriggling scum bag and questioned, “Why does the kid look so mortified.”
Kayn knew he was talking about Zach. She grinned from ear to ear and replied, “He’s naked under that duct tape. He’s also wearing a duct tape G-string. Think about it for a second. Let it sink in.”
Lily started to giggle and soon everyone was howling while the man continued his valiant attempt to free himself.
Lexy got into the truck, picked up her cell, called 911 and creatively reported her assailant in a way that was certain to make sure he had the most uncomfortable day possible. The light went off to signal the end of her call.
Grey opened the door and hollered, “Let’s go. This guy has a date with a body cavity search.”
The man let out more muffled screams as he flailed around.
They all climbed into the truck and sped away while Grey told the group what Lexy had said to the police. “She told the police that man was a drug smuggler. He just arrived on a flight and his car broke down. So, he tried to car jack us and we caught him.” They’d been driving for many hours before the group managed to stop laughing every time somebody brought up duct tape guy. Frost finally turned off of the highway and they began to drive down the back roads.
He glanced into the rearview mirror, and explained, “We need to drive the rest of the way on the back roads. We’re almost there. I need to see if we’re being followed. On the highway it’s a difficult thing to know for sure.”
Grey piped in, “Hey, when are we stopping for brunch? My stomach’s been singing for over an hour.”
“There’s no time to stop for long, but you can heat up something at the next convenience store we find. It’ll be a good opportunity to grab some drinks and snacks to have in our rooms for later,” Frost answered.
It took them a whole hour to find a convenience store while on the road less travelled. They raced inside, absolutely famished by then. Grey cornered her at the microwave when they had a second alone and whispered, “Let’s do something alone tonight.”
“Like last night?” she teased as the microwave dinged telling her that her barely edible ham and cheese melt was done.
He grinned; hip checked her and said, “No, I’m thinking more along the lines of laying in the desert and looking at the stars.”
She didn’t answer she just smiled at him knowing that anything they did would be fun. They always had fun together and it went without saying that she would go anywhere that he went. They piled back into the truck and drove for the remainder of the afternoon until they reached a familiar hotel. She was pretty sure they’d stayed here before but it looked a little different. Maybe, it had been painted or something? Perhaps, there was a new owner? Grey passed her bag to her and said, “I’ll catch up with you in a couple of minutes make sure our room has a view.”
Lexy chuckled as she walked away knowing they were in the desert and there was no view…not really. There would be no Jenna to interrupt them tonight. They were on their own. The thought excited her but if they didn’t go through with it they’d be able to stay in love and this feeling of being completely and totally content would continue. For the first time they were both equally in love; they were already well into the next day. Every fiber of her being wished this could be real. Lexy strolled towards the large outdoor pool and she grinned as she recognized Melody, Haley, Astrid and Molly. They were here and the group began to laugh and embrace. The three newbies had managed to keep the girl.
She wasn’t feeling a large group of people, what she felt like having was a nice private bubble bath and a maybe a nap. Lexy left the Ankh canoodling around the pool, as she snuck away she heard the calamity created by one of Grey’s cannonballs and smiled. She adored that lovable goof ball. She’d leave him to his shenanigans, knowing he’d figure out that she’d taken off once he stopped messing around. Lexy made her way to their room and as she entered she knit her brow. This was an epically strange room. Ironically, every surface of the room had been decorated with black jiffy marker. There hadn’t been a jiffy marker anywhere when she’d needed one for her duct tape tuxedo idea after the attempted carjacking in Vegas. She took in the art on the walls. There were poems and signatures…everywhere. It was a little weird and that meant a lot coming from her. She slipped off her flip flops and wandered across the funky plush carpet. At first glance, the bathroom appeared to be normal. Lexy started to fill the tub, realizing that she didn’t have any bubble bath. She’d have to get creative. She dumped a couple of tiny bottles of body wash into the water because bubbles were bubbles. She watched as the white foamy bubbles began to form on the surface of the water. That would work. Lexy noticed a marker attached to the wall by the sink and found it strange that nobody had put any graffiti on the bathroom walls. She took the felt pen out of its holder, opened it and grinned…it was invisible ink. What an amazing idea. There was probably tons of graffiti on the walls; she just couldn’t see it with the lights on. Lexy strolled over, turned off the lights and smiled at the masterpieces that could only be viewed in the dark. It was kind of incredible. She was still holding the invisible marker, so she drew a heart and wrote Lexy loves Grey inside of it. She had second thoughts and tried to wipe it off. Oh, lovely, it was invisible permanent marker. Of, course it was… She turned on the light and noticed the height of the water in the tub was getting pretty close to the rim. She’d gapped right out there. Lexy scrambled to turn off the water to the tub, stripped the rest of her clothing off and got into the luxurious yet comically tiny tub full of bubbles’, and closed her eyes. She’d just started to relax when Grey knocked on the door and complained, “You locked the door, Lex.”
Lexy smiled, picturing his pouting face as she responded, “I just got in the tub give me a minute.”
She heard the lock moving and knew what he was doing. Lexy made sure the bubbles were covering her as she scolded, “Greydon! Quit picking the lock with that wire coat hanger!”
The door opened and her naughty privacy ignoring Handler came into the washroom wit
h an enormous grin on his face. He strolled over, knelt beside the tub and seductively enquired, “Don’t you need me to wash your back?”
One of her breasts peaked out from its hiding place beneath a layer of bubbles and as Lexy shifted the bubbles to conceal herself, she giggled and replied, “Grey, we don’t have enough time to mess around. We have to order pizza and…”
He ignored her pleas and stepped into the tub with his swim shorts on, she shimmied forward to give him some room as he sat down behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and mischievously tugged her back against him.
Grey grabbed the soap and whispered, “Don’t worry about the time. I’ve already ordered the pizza’s we have at least half an hour; I’ll start with your front.”
As his soap-sudsy hands slipped over the peaks of her breasts, she arched her back in response, while blissfully closing her eyes and allowing herself the luxury of succumbing to the pleasurable feeling of his familiar touch. What a perfect world it would be if they could always be like this…but this would end, as it always had and she would be the only one left with these beautiful memories. Why was she doing this to herself? Her heart would be shattered and left in ruins if she didn’t take a step back.
Grey whispered in her ear, “The bathroom door is locked. I’ll let you get out of the tub in five minutes, if anyone shows up before then they can bloody well wait. Five minutes, that’s all I’ll need to satisfy you.” He slipped his sudsy hands between her legs. Lexy gasped as she tried to block his naughty soapy exploration by grabbing hold of both of his wrists but that didn’t deter him.
She shivered as the pleasurable friction caused by his knowledgeable stroking of her surged and began to build a wave of intense carnal gratification within her. They didn’t have time... They might hear them… As she neared her climax Lexy ceased to care as she relaxed her hold on his wrists and succumbed to the decadent game. The rapid skilled rubbing of his expert fingers quickly created a molten hot eruption of gratuitous pleasure within her. Lexy whimpered, moaning as she reached her climax and melted against him.
When her head stopped ringing and her limbs finished humming, she sighed and whispered, “What time is it?”
Grey chuckled as he quietly responded, “Don’t worry, we have plenty of time. Lexy smiled as she soaped up her hands, and returned the favor. Perhaps, it was possible to keep their relationship going if they didn’t fully consummate their love? Maybe, this was the way around it and his memory wouldn’t be wiped as long as they strategically bent the rules? It was worth a try. What could it hurt at this point?
They got out of the tub, towel drying each other, while stopping to periodically laugh and make out again. It was perfect…almost. They were both dressed and ready for company to arrive when the pizza delivery guy showed up. They paid and before they’d had the opportunity to close the door, the rest of their clan arrived with their six packs of beer and witty banter. They began to behave as they always did, without allowing anyone to know that anything had changed between them. The group devoured the pizza and drank together until the party began to break up. When everyone went back to their rooms, Grey convinced her to go for a walk and they took off together hand in hand, just as the sun began its inevitable descent, marking the end of another day. They wandered around to the back of the hotel and as they strolled through the sandy lot they noticed a vehicle parked all by itself. There was a sign on the dust covered window that read, ‘Free, if you can start it.’
Greydon glanced at her and announced, “Drive it is,” as he opened the door, and the keys were conveniently in the ignition.
Grey popped the hood and declared. “She’s from the early nineties. Do you mind if I tinker around with her for a couple of minutes and see if I can get her to run?”
In another life Grey could have been a mechanic because he loved tinkering around with old vehicles, and he was good at it. Just as Lexy was beginning to lose patience with waiting for him to give up on his extracurricular activity to come to fruition the engine began to purr. They hopped in, pulled out of the parking lot and started to cruise away from the lot with the dust from the road clouding the air behind them. They drove towards the setting sun and found a place to park by the side of the road so they could watch the crimson fire of day as it lit up the grains with vibrant colors and then vanished into the sand. They both got out of the vehicle, slipped off their sandals and sat on the hood of the car, while staring at the world before them that was now rapidly being concealed under the veil of darkness.
A sunset like the stunningly gorgeous one they’d just witnessed had always been the closest thing on earth to watching the time shift in the clean slated desert of the in-between. She missed the in-between. It felt like it had been a long time since they’d been there, even though it hadn’t, they’d just been insanely busy and that always seemed to make the hour glass of time in the afterlife flow much faster. Weeks would whiz by and it would feel like days. She couldn’t even imagine what life would be like for the older ones.
Lexy looked at Grey and exclaimed, “Could you imagine what life would have been like a thousand years ago?”
“Where did that thought even come from?” Grey chuckled as he slid off of the hood of the beater. He held out his hand, Lexy took it and he gently tugged her into his loving embrace.
The warm desert sand felt wonderful underfoot yet not nearly as glorious as it did in the in-between. She rested her head on his shoulder and replied, “It was just a random thought.”
He started to sway her back and forth as he teased, “Those are the best ones.”
He always wanted to dance and she could never deny him anything. She wrapped her arms around his neck and for a moment everything was right in her world. Lexy suggested, “Let’s just stay out here until morning.”
“That was the plan, wasn’t it?” Grey whispered as he nuzzled her neck.
She recalled the conversation they’d had earlier and stated, “It’s a good thing your memory works.” She regretted that statement a second after it had slipped from her lips. His memory didn’t work. It had been tampered with repeatedly and the most beautiful events had been wiped. Lexy looked up at the glittering ceiling above her knowing that even if she made a wish on each and every last one of the stars, eventually their tryst would have to come to end. What was she doing to herself? She’d been trying to get over him.
Grey maneuvered her towards the side of the car as he pulled away to look into her eyes as he spoke, “I don’t think it’s possible for me to love anyone else more than I love you. Maybe, that’s why my feelings for you can’t be permanently erased?” He opened the door that led to the backseat and urged her to get in.
Lexy grinned, as she grabbed him by the front of his T-shirt and towed him into the backseat with her. Grey chuckled as his lips met hers. It was a hilariously small backseat. He struggled to sit up. She straddled his lap with her head cocked to one side because there wasn’t enough room to sit up straight.
He sighed, “Well, making out in the backseat is obviously a no go.”
She got off of his lap, opened the door and announced, “Maybe, there’s a blanket we can use in the trunk? We can sleep under the stars tonight.”
“Now you’re thinking,” Greydon answered, as he walked around to the back.
She popped the trunk from the lever on the floor, slammed the door and wandered around to the trunk. He was using the flashlight from his cell phone to search through the contents. The whole trunk was suspiciously lined with plastic. There was a blanket, a bag of salt and a shovel. To each their own? Lexy shrugged, grabbed the ratty old dusty blanket, and shook it out. She stated, “This will work.” They spread the blanket in the sand, right beside the vehicle and both of them sprawled out and gazed at the twinkling display of stars that lit up the night sky. This had always been one of her favorite things to do with him. She glanced at Grey for a second and smiled. She’d had a serious shortage of favorite things before she met him that day in the w
oods. Sometimes, when her mind travelled back to that moment she wondered if her heart had always recognized him as someone that would be of importance to her even when her brain had only been capable of thinking of her next meal.
Her phone buzzed. It was late, far too late for a random communication from someone, if it wasn’t about something serious. Lexy sat up, dug her cell out of her pocket and looked at it. The message read, ‘Where are you?’ Who would be texting her at this hour? She didn’t have everyone’s contact info in this phone…Maybe it was Orin?
She texted back, ‘I’m with Grey’ knowing if it was Orin that would definitely silence his end of the conversation.
Grey questioned, “What’s up?”
“Nothing important,” Lexy replied as she placed the cell down on the blanket, and scooted in closer to him. Lexy snuggled against his chest and whispered, “This is nice,” as she slid her hand under his shirt and traced his defined abs sensually with one finger. She slid her hand down and was pleased to find that he was already straining against his jeans.
He stopped her naughty exploration as he mischievously threatened, “If you keep touching me there, I’m going to snap and just take you right here.”
“Maybe we should just do it?” Lexy deviously provoked.
Grey mimicked her last sentence, “Maybe we should just do it...funny.” He chuckled as he began to playfully tickle her sides. She tried to squirm away while giggling, stopping only to swat at him but he wouldn’t stop, so she reached past the edge of the blanket, grabbed a handful of sand and tossed it at him. Whoops. She hadn’t meant to toss it directly into his face, but she wasn’t really sorry she did it.
Grey blinked the sand out of his eyes and while he wiped it off of his face with one of his hands, he glared at her and said, “You need a good spanking.”
She flirtatiously sparred, “You can try but we both know in the end it will be me spanking you.”
An enormous grin appeared on his face and he jousted, “God, I hope so…” He raised his eyebrow, and reached for the button on his jeans.