by Dez Burke
"Thanks," she muttered, grabbing the keys. She just wanted to get to the production building and get out of there are soon as possible. Hopefully it was a fast car.
"Third one from the end when you go outside," the man said. "Red 'un."
"Thanks," she said again, and tossed her hair over her shoulder. Stepping outside, she was blinded again by the sun. She brought her hand up to her eyes and looked down the row of cars. Third one from the end, third one from the end.
She stopped in front of the car and looked down. A red Mustang. It was by far the nicest car on the lot, and she gave a silent prayer of thanks for her receptionist who knew exactly what she wanted at all times, even if she didn't know herself. If Seth wasn't gay, she would have married him three times over for his organizational skills alone.
Sitting behind the wheel, she let her fingers slide appreciatively over the leather steering wheel before turning the key in the ignition. The motor roared to life, and she shifted the car into reverse. Pulling out of the lot, the car bounced over a pothole, tires squealing onto the hot tar. A cloud of dust rose up behind her, and she was off.
It had only been twenty minutes on the road before Ruby was bored out of her skull. There were cornfields stretching out—literally—in every direction, and nobody else seemed to be on the road; the only company she had were the crows perched on the electrical wires above. The radio stations alternated between country ditties and talk radio, and after trying in vain to find some kind of tolerable music she gave up and turned it off completely.
Corn.
More corn.
She tried to play the alphabet game, but the only signs around were mile markers, so she gave that up too.
"Nothing," she said to herself. "Nothing, nothing, nothing." The motor purred, and her foot pressed down more on the gas pedal. Corn whizzed by on either side of her. Another twenty minutes passed.
"Nothing happening, nothing happening," she said, the words coming out in a kind of sing-song. "Nothing, nothing, nothing—"
A loud POP from the engine interrupted her. The motor whined and made a horrible squealing noise. She lifted her foot from the gas pedal, but she could already smell smoke. As she slowed down, more smoke came from under the front of the hood. The car rolled to a stop on the side of the road.
"Shit." Ruby sat in the driver's seat for a second, collecting her bearings. She checked her phone. Dead. Of course. Why hadn't she plugged it in?
"Shit!" She punched the steering wheel and the horn sounded loudly, scaring a group of crows off of their perch. Ok. She could handle this. Deal with it, Ruby, she thought.
Smoke continued to billow from the car, so she popped the hood and got out, coming around to the front. She wasn't an expert on cars, but it looked like the smoke was coming from the engine, and it smelled like burnt rubber. That probably wasn't good.
She looked around, her hands on her hips. The sun beat down on her head. Her perfectly tailored skirt, tight around her curved waist, itched like crazy, and her white dress shirt was already turning damp with sweat. In front of her, the road stretched on, corn fields on either side. Behind her, the same. The sun burned down from overhead and a crow cawed at her, taunting her.
"Shit."
She couldn't remember the last time she had seen a call box, but it couldn't be too far, could it? She looked up and down the dusty highway. Well, she couldn't just wait for someone to come. There had only been one truck she had seen so far driving on this road, and she was supposed to be at the facility within the hour.
Turning in the direction she had been heading, she began to walk alongside the side of the road in the dust by the cornrows. After two minutes, her heels were bothering her too much, so she slipped them off. After five minutes of carrying her heels and walking barefoot, her legs were covered in dust and her pantyhose was beginning to tear at her soles. She was dripping with sweat and had decided that wearing a business suit to Nebraska was the worst idea she had ever had.
No, coming to Nebraska at all was the worst idea she had ever had.
The blue call box loomed on the horizon, and she forced herself to keep walking at the same brisk pace until she reached it. She was itching and sweaty and horrible, and things were about to get even worse. For when she picked up the phone, the line was dead. She banged the phone against the side of the pole. Nothing.
"Shit!" Somehow, just one swear wasn't enough. Not now. Not when she could die out here on the side of the road. Ruby tilted her head back and yelled at the top of her lungs to the clear blue sky. "SHIIIIIIIIT!"
The only answer was the cawing of crows in the distance. She was pretty sure they were laughing at her. Well, nothing to do but to keep going. Ten steps farther along the road her pantyhose tore straight up her leg, and she dropped her heels into the dust.
That's it, she thought, and began to tear off her pantyhose. She was balancing on one leg, her skirt hiked up and her stocking rolled down her thigh, when a motorcycle came roaring down the road. It screamed past her, churning up a cloud of dust in its wake. She tried to wave to the rider but the dust blew right into her face. She covered her eyes with her hands and was still coughing when the motorcycle slowed down in the distance and turned around back towards her.
As the bike drew closer, she realized that she must look like a wreck. Quickly she pulled up her torn stocking and rolled her skirt back down. Her hair was sticky with sweat and dusty with road dirt, but there was nothing she could do about that. She smoothed it down as best she could and smiled as the biker came to a stop in front of her.
He pulled the visor of his helmet up, and she squinted to see his face. Light gray eyes peered out from under the helmet, and a deep voice laughed.
"You look a little lost," the biker said, laughing all the while. She frowned deeply.
"My car broke down," she said. "I need a phone."
"Looks like you need a shower," the biker said. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and she could tell that he was teasing her. It was the last thing she needed right now. Hands on her hips, she raised one eyebrow and tried to look imposing.
"I need to borrow your cell phone," she said. "It's urgent."
"Sure it is, sure it is," the biker said, in a slow drawl that drove her crazy with every unhurried word. "Ain't got a phone though."
"You don't have a cell phone?" she asked, incredulous. He shrugged and looked down the road, then back to her. She stood in front of him, mouth agape. She really was having the worst run of bad luck.
"Could give you a lift to a phone," he said in his slow drawl.
"Is there another call box?" she asked.
"Sure there is," he said, and she sighed in relief before he continued. "Don't believe any of 'em work, though."
Her face crumpled in disappointment. Under his visor, his eyes crinkled again in laughter and she forced herself to keep from screaming into his face. How could he understand? He couldn't. She had a merger she needed to oversee.
"Where can I find a phone?" she asked, trying to keep her composure.
"Well, and I'm just down the road a ways," he said. "Got a phone there."
"Yes, please," she said, relieved.
"Alright then," he said, and motioned towards the back of his bike. "Hop on."
CHAPTER TWO
Swallowing nervously, Ruby approached the motorcycle and took the helmet he was holding out to her. She strapped it onto her head and tightened the clasp, then looked at the bike expectantly.
"Ain't gonna bite ya," he said, and scooted forward in the seat. "Just hop on over."
"Can you look away?" Ruby asked, suddenly self-conscious of her short skirt and torn pantyhose.
"Sure thing," he said, and looked towards the cornfield. Ruby quickly swung one leg over the motorcycle and shifted her weight onto the seat. She had never been on a motorcycle before, and she felt acutely imbalanced. The rider turned in his seat and looked back at her.
"Name's Josh, by the way," he said, holding out his hand. She shook i
t awkwardly, trying not to fall off of the bike.
"Ruby," she said. "Thanks for helping me out."
"No problem," Josh said, and put his hands back on the handlebars. "Hold on."
The motor revved and Ruby looked around frantically. There was no belt to buckle, no seat back, no handles that she could see.
"Wait! What do I hold onto?" she asked.
Josh looked back. His eyes smiled again behind the visor, and up close she saw that they were a bright, piercing bluish gray. Same color as the sky overhead.
He picked up her wrist and pulled it around his waist.
"Gonna have to hold on to me," he said. Again the engine revved. She brought her other hand around in front of him loosely, her face turning red in spite of herself.
As the bike pulled forward, she clasped his chest and gasped involuntarily, hanging on for dear life. He chuckled and shifted into second gear.
"Don't worry, you ain't gonna fall off," he said over the roar of the engine. He turned his head back towards her. "I'm very safe."
"Watch the road!" she cried. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he laughed at her, but he turned back towards the road. The asphalt sped by under their feet and Ruby realized after a few seconds that she wasn't breathing. Inhaling sharply, she pressed her hands against Josh's chest and silently recited the phrase her therapist always made her recite when she was feeling anxious.
Everything will be fine; I don't need to worry. The motorcycle jumped into a higher gear, and she clutched Josh tighter. Underneath them the road sped by in a blur.
Everything will be fine. The wind whistled by her ears, and she felt the bike vibrating under her.
I don't need to worry. They passed the rental car, and she craned her neck to look at the red Mustang which was quickly receding into the distance. How fast were they going? Were they going too fast?
"That your rental?" Josh yelled back to her. She nodded, then realized he couldn't see her.
"Yes!" she yelled back.
"That Mustang breaks down every other month, it seems," Josh said. "You okay if we go faster?"
Before she could answer, he pushed the motorcycle into the highest gear. She focused on her breathing, her legs wrapped as tightly as they could around the bike, her arms wrapped as tightly as they could around Josh. Everything will be fine.
"Heyo!" Josh yelled. "Now we're talking!" The rumble of the engine shook her entire body, and she couldn't hear anything anymore over the noise of the wind. I am not worrying.
The sun shone brightly and the wind whipped the ends of her hair as they sped down the road. She felt Josh's broad chest under her hands and she breathed in, her chest pressed against his back.
Everything will be fine.
***
They pulled onto a dirt road, and Ruby experienced another moment of extreme anxiety. It was late afternoon, and the sun would be setting soon, and then she would be in the dark, alone with the guy on the motorcycle. What was his name? Josh? Her mind darted into one worst case scenario after another.
She was out in the middle of nowhere with no phone and no way to defend herself. What was she thinking, hopping on a bike with some Nebraskan stranger who claimed to not own a cell phone? He could be a psychopath. Or a rapist. He could be a serial killer planning to drag her off into the middle of a corn field somewhere and slice her into itty bitty pieces and bury her for fertilizer.
But then they turned into a driveway with a small cabin at the end of it and a Volvo station wagon parked in front of the porch. She breathed a small sigh of relief. Serial killers didn't drive Volvo station wagons, she didn't think.
Josh turned off the motorcycle, and it was a couple of seconds before she sheepishly realized that he was waiting for her to unclasp her hands from around his chest. She swung herself off of the bike, smoothing her skirt down over her thighs quickly before he could see anything. She scrambled to get the helmet off, but it wouldn't unlock.
"This won't come off," Ruby said, her fingers moving clumsily at the helmet headstrap.
"One sec," Josh said. He took off his own helmet and put it on the bike seat. Ruby couldn't help but stare at him as he stripped off his gloves and tossed them aside. With his tousled brown hair and strong jaw, he was the picture of a handsome country boy. And my god, those light eyes...
"Let's have a look," Josh said, moving closer to Ruby. She shook her head, trying to erase the image that had come to her unbidden of Josh taking off his leather jacket, then his shirt, and then everything else. His hands came up under her chin and she felt an almost electric shock as his long fingers grazed her neck. She tried to remember to breathe, but his eyes were inches away from hers, focused on the helmet strap. Just a hick, a Nebraska hick, she thought. Probably he's missing teeth. But Josh smiled a perfect smile, and she swallowed hard.
"There you go," Josh said, taking the helmet off for her. She smoothed down her hair, which by now had managed to become half limp with sweat and half frizzled from the wind. She could never do a company meeting looking like this.
The company meeting. Oh god.
"So, uh, your phone?" Ruby said, feeling acutely aware of how she must look, all breathless and disheveled from the ride.
"Right inside," Josh said, putting two fingers on her elbow to guide her in. She flinched nervously at the touch, but he didn't seem to notice. "Door's open."
Walking through the doorway, she looked around inside the small cabin. Bike parts and farm equipment littered the floor, and the bed—was this the bedroom?—was covered in clothes. But no, there was a stove here too, and a small table—was this the kitchen?—which was overflowing with half-dirtied dishes. She looked back at Josh, expecting him to apologize for the mess, but he just kicked aside the screwdrivers in front of the kitchen counter and slid the phone closer so that she could reach.
So that was that. She picked up the receiver and dialed her office.
"Seth? Hi, this is Ruby. Not so good actually." She leaned on the counter, then pulled her arm back. The surface was slightly sticky, whether with motor oil or something else. "Can you get me Bill? It's urgent."
Josh was standing in front of her, plainly listening to her conversation. It was off-putting, but what could she do? It was his house, after all. If you could call it a house. His phone. She turned away from him, hoping that he would get the message.
"Bill, the rental broke down. I'm going to be late to AgriCorp. I need you to smooth it over. I—" She frowned, listening intently. "So he's not even there? Should I hold off?" Her foot tapped anxiously on the wood floor, and she rolled her eyes involuntarily.
"Tomorrow? I have to stay in this hellhole another day?" Her eyes came up and met Josh's, and she realized that he was still listening in rapt concentration. She mouthed silently to him: I didn't mean... Josh shrugged it off. She couldn't believe him, standing in front of her, listening.
"Ok, Bill. I'll meet them tomorrow at AgriCorp, same time as planned. Tell Seth to reschedule my appointments. Yep. Mmmhmm. Thanks." She hung up the phone and looked up to see Josh's intent eyes fixed on her.
"I need a hotel."
"Need a phone, need a hotel. You're one needy lady," Josh said.
Ruby stared at him with a look of disbelief. She couldn't tell if he was joking or not until one corner of his mouth pulled back into a small grin.
"Look at how tense you are," Josh said "Lighten up."
"I am light as a feather," Ruby said, tossing her hair. "I just like to get things done. And I need a hotel."
"You're going out to AgriCorp? That's right close."
She raised her eyebrow. Was he getting at something?
"Hotels are all back by the airport," Josh said, leaning back against the wall. With one hand in his pocket, he could have been taken right out of a magazine catalog targeted towards rugged sportsmen. "You're welcome to crash here."
"I don't know if there's room for me," Ruby said archly, letting her gaze sweep across the cramped and messy quarters.
"Tiny thing like you? Plenty room," Josh said. "But we can call you a cab if you'd rather go back."
Go back. Ruby felt the weight of the past few weeks come crashing down on her shoulders. All of a sudden she felt more tired than she had in days. She didn't want to drive through cornfields for another hour. She didn't want to deal with finding a hotel. All she wanted to do was smooth over the acquisition and go home. Her fingers came up to her temples and she grimaced, rubbing her head.
"Hey now," Josh said, his voice suddenly softer, more gentle. He came over to her side and leaned onto the counter beside her. "Take it easy, everything will be fine."
"You don't understand." Ruby's voice was strained, small. "This is a half-billion dollar acquisition."
"I understand that you're stressing over something you can't do nothing about." He put his hand on her shoulder. "So tense."
She knocked against the table, flinching away from his touch. She couldn't. Not now, not here. She had to keep her mind straight, focused on business. No distractions.
"I'm fine." Ruby pulled out her agenda, looking through her schedule. There were so many things she had to get done...
"You don't look fine."
"Yeah? How do I look?" she asked, her voice hard. Immediately as she spoke the words she regretted them.
"You look," Josh said, a grin spreading over his face, "like a crazy person."
"I'm not crazy, I'm driven," she said, slamming her agenda closed.
"You're driving me crazy," Josh quipped. "Relax for two seconds, would ya?"
Ruby inhaled deeply, then exhaled, trying not to let her frustrations boil over. What did her therapist say again? Let the feelings wash through her. Deep breath in.
"I need a shower," she said, exhaling.
"Need, need, need," Josh said, the grin not leaving his face. "So that means you're staying here tonight?"
"I guess it does," Ruby said pointedly, and crossed the room, peering through the doorway. The only other room was a small bathroom with an old-fashioned porcelain tub. Country living. Better than driving another hour to a hotel, she guessed. And she wouldn't risk being so far away from AgriCorps. With her luck, any cab she took would break down on the way to the company.