by JC Szot
Their intimate relationship was also strenuous, emotionally and physically. Mick was very physical and tactile. Cara wasn’t accustomed to all the attention, yet her body soaked up a bit more of him each day.
She’d often feel her muscles burn with exertion the following day while trying to complete her cleaning duties. He invaded her thoughts with a different feel and tone now. The mere thought or touch of his hand caused a stirring inside her that was potent and hard to stay away from.
When she poked her head out the door of their room and saw Mick pushing a small motorcycle across the parking lot, questions bounced off the walls of her mind.
“Where did you get that?” she asked, her jaw dropping.
“The guy who was doing the painting at the deli gave it to me,” he told her, his face beaming. “Now we have a mode of transportation. I just have to tinker with the engine a bit.”
The idea of riding a motorcycle was alien to her. Concern wormed through her.
“We have to get helmets,” she said, running her hand over the narrow seat, the leather worn and creased.
Mick’s eyes flicked back to hers as he released the kickstand.
“That’s the easy part,” he laughed. “Don’t look so worried. We’re not going to go cruising on the Garden State Parkway with this thing. It’s just to get us around town. We eventually have to get a car.”
They’d opened up bank accounts two weeks ago. Cara had insisted. It had gotten to the point where they had too much cash lying around.
John and Stella, the owners of The Beachcomber had willingly allowed them to stay on, knowing that Mick and Cara would eventually find their own place once they got on their feet.
They were a nice, older couple who were actually looking to retire and sell their business. Mick was in the process of helping John prepare the pool for the upcoming season. He and Stella were providing Mick and Cara with a discount of the room in return.
Mick squatted next to the bike, wiggling wires.
“What do you think is wrong with it?” Cara asked, kneeling next to him.
“Gordy, the guy who gave it to me, thinks it’s just general tune-up stuff, a few spark plugs, a distributer cap, maybe. He took it away from his son because his grades tanked. Too bad.” Mick shook his head, glancing up at her. “You could take this to work, you know.” His brow lifted.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Cara said, her tone laced with uncertainty.
“I just have to teach you how to work the clutch. You can do it.” He ran a finger across the edge of her collarbone, making her shiver. “Christ. You’re so beautiful.” He leaned into her, kissing her lips with a gentle, relaxed pucker.
She loved the feel of his mouth on her. His tenderness turned her body to jelly. Cara rocked back on her heels, needing to keep things in check while out in the open.
Cars pulled in and out of the parking lot. The evening air chilled around them, fragrant with the newly bloomed scent of the season. Needing to direct their attention to something else, Cara asked Mick what he wanted for dinner.
“Eh, just cook us up some grilled cheese or something on the hotplate. I want to look at this thing so we can get it up and running.” His attention remained on the engine.
****
“Just make sure that you don’t let the clutch out too slow, or it’ll stall,” Mick told her, hopping off the bike. “Let me watch you start it before I leave.”
Mick had gotten the bike started. Their helmets were on order. John and Stella had allowed them to pay in cash for the helmets, and John had charged the cost on his and Stella’s credit card.
Mick killed the engine. Cara slid to the front of the seat and gripped the throttle. In one synchronized motion, she pumped the kick-start. The engine caught. Cara gunned the throttle with a quick snap of her wrist, revving the engine.
“Good,” Mick smiled in approval.
Mick’s job at the deli was over. He was now cutting the grass and doing general maintenance around the grounds of the motor inn.
Though Mick had given Cara several lessons on how to start the bike and work the gears, she was still a bit rusty. She’d taken a few practice spins around the parking lot of The Beachcomber. Mick had reassured her that she would learn by doing. Once their helmets came in she’d be able to ride the bike more and gain the confidence she needed to venture out alone.
Todd Conway was pleased with her work performance. All his rental properties were cleaned and ready. He would still need her to clean in between tenants, but her schedule would slow down.
Mick had walked with her to work, saying he’d come back for her at the end of the day.
“See you this afternoon.” He pulled her into his arms. His fingers threaded through her hair, tipping her mouth to his. He kissed her leisurely and then stepped back.
“Wow… I’ll see you later.” Mick grinned. That now familiar fire burned in his eyes, flooding her body with an aroused awareness. The rays of the sun angled across his face. Mick stepped back, jamming his hands into his jeans. The hem of his T-shirt grazed a sculpted abdomen that Cara suddenly wanted to bury her face in, needing to smell his scent, a fragrance that mirrored all his strength and power. It was a sharp, manly musk that lingered in dark, clothed places, places only intimate lovers sampled. Her thoughts began to roam into unexplored territory.
Mick had made all the moves, shifting their relationship and directing it into new waters. He’d seen, touched, and tasted all of her. Cara wanted more. She wanted to give Mick everything he’d given her. Something had her second-guessing herself. Was her confidence lagging? She would never want him to feel rejected after feeding her desires, needs she’d only ever gotten from the written word.
Cara watched him as he strolled down the road, turning the corner. She needed to step up. Was she waiting to feel something more? Did his declaration of love have to align with her actions? He’d been so tender and affectionate. Was he now waiting for her?
Are we in love?
****
Once back at The Beachcomber, Mick decided to clean up the room. Cara did the laundry and most of the cooking, as far as cooking went with a hotplate.
Mick wasn’t one of those guys who frowned upon domestic chores, unlike his father, who refused to ever touch a mop or rag.
His parents bled through his thoughts. The Hollow had become a distant memory, like a low-budget movie that was quickly forgotten. This was his new life. Here, with Cara, striving to build a new future one brick at a time. They would have a wonderful life together. Mick was determined and hopeful, especially since their relationship had progressed.
Cara was receptive to his advances, as well as participating, yet something inside her hadn’t come completely undone, unlike him. If she read those books, then there had to be more inside somewhere. Mick had a deeper need for more of her. He wanted Cara to want to give him more, matching his desires, their hearts perfectly aligned.
He made the beds and tidied the disarray on both dressers. When Mick tossed the extra pillow up into the closet, his attention was pulled down to Cara’s pack on the floor, shoved into the corner.
Fuck!
There it was. Temptation had lured him in again. It was a test Mick already knew he would fail. He was well aware that was where her reading material was, hidden away from him and the rest of the world.
Once more, he told himself. She’d never read in front of him, and now he knew why. It was as bad as an alcoholic who craved their drink. It was something she didn’t want him to know about. Why? It was a natural urge. Why was Cara uncomfortable about it? Maybe she hadn’t gotten used to the ‘new level’ of their relationship yet, still questioning his acceptance on certain things. Mick was dying to share it with her. That wild unleashing, an uttered moan and airy confession of love, a love that sank so deep it made your bones ache. If Cara read about it, then she must want it.
Scarred and Marred sat cover-side down in the bottom of her pack. Mick bit down hard on his lip, cursing under h
is breath as he reached down and grabbed the book.
He sat down, leafing through the pages in an attempt to find where he’d left off. Lee and Kate had been going at it in the pool.
Mick fanned the pages, unable to return to that scene. The first sentence of chapter seventeen had his body flinching like a junkie. He settled back on the pillows and began to read.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“I haven’t parked since high school,” Kate said.
“You up for an adventure?” Lee asked, killing the engine.
The snapping of crickets filled the dark car as the headlights dimmed.
“Oh yeah,” Kate exhaled in wonder. “The lake looks beautiful. Let’s go for a dip.” Her body shimmied in the small confines of the two-seater as Kate removed her blouse and skirt.
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Lee said gruffly, releasing his seatbelt as Kate bared her breasts to him. Firm, ripe parcels of flesh tempted and teased.
Lee opened the door and stepped out into the night.
A slow-crawling fog moved across the lake, hovering over the surface. Narrow lines of water sloshed up and over the small sandy area of a man-made beach.
Lee wasn’t sure who owned the property now, but it looked just as desolate as it had all those years ago. He’d brought a few girls here, but never had baptized his fleshly body in the water. He stepped out of his slacks and briefs, draping them over the hood, laying his shirt on top with care. Lee stepped into the water, sinking in the cold, mucked bottom, feeling it ooze between his toes.
The scent of damp earth and woods filled his nostrils as Lee waded through a cold pocket.
“I see lightning bugs,” Kate called, splashing into the lake behind him. She scooped up handfuls of water, pouring it over her breasts. Lee groaned as he indulged in the sight. Water trickled down the rounded swells, dripping from stiff nipples. His cock extended, ribbed and solid, as he studied her beautiful nudity.
“Look at you,” Kate said. Her tone lowered into a sultry, feminine growl. Her brow arched, her eyes dark and wicked. A naughty smile curled her glossy mouth. Strands of red hair flamed under the hazy light of the moon. Her flesh was glazed over as if airbrushed.
“What d’ya want, precious?” Lee walked toward her, the water lapping at his thighs. His erection skimmed the water. “You’ll see,” she told him, her voice laced with need.
Kate lowered herself in the water. The only disappointment to the vision at his feet was that her body was now submerged, escaping his gaze.
“Spread ’em wide, captain,” Kate said sharply, her voice rebounding around them.
“So hot,” Lee murmured. He wound his fingers through her hair, steering her mouth to where he knew he wanted it to be, and Kate seemed more than willing to appease him. Glinting green eyes stared up at him as she stroked his cock and slowly fed it through her lips, pulling him deep into her mouth.
“Ah.” Lee sighed, thrusting his hips into Kate’s face. Her internal heat sparked up the taut flesh of his cock, sending lines of fire straight to his balls. Lee’s spine ignited with heat, his body arched as he soaked up the sensation. Her cheeks hollowed as she drew him in and out of her mouth with a sweet suction that had Lee going weak in the knees.
Her head bobbed as she pleasured him. Her hands skimmed up and over his thighs, slipping back to his buttocks, cupping each cheek in her palms. Her touch skated down the seam of his ass, opening him to a balmy breeze that gusted across the lake, rippling the water around them.
“That’s it, babe, eat me up,” Lee said, his words garbled, crippled with a feeling of pure decadence. “I’m coming for you, you sweet thing. Get ready to drink me down.” He held her head tighter, feeling the delirium set in.
His body quaked, shuddering and shivering with a chilly thrill. The momentum of his orgasm was snowballing, building fast.
“Fuck, you’re good…”
****
The entire room shook as the door slammed, propelling Mick back through the dimly lit tunnel of a fantasy only a skillful author could create.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Cara’s harsh tone carved right through him.
Mick hadn’t even heard her come in. The tempting, fictitious words of the written page had seduced him, hurling him into another realm, a realm that could now cost him everything he’d worked toward.
Mick jammed the book under his thigh, meeting a glare in her eyes he’d never been forced to look at before.
“I can’t believe you went through my things!” Cara lunged for the bed and yanked the book out from under him, her eyes blackened with anger.
“I— Listen,” Mick stammered. Heat burned through his body, filling his face with shame.
“Thanks a lot,” she seethed. Her cheeks lit up, her skin glowing with what Mick knew was embarrassment.
Mick jumped off the bed, his erection blatantly evident. Cara’s eyes fell, seeing the strain of his crotch through his jeans.
“Jesus Christ,” Cara bit back at him. The expression that hardened her features, transformed her face into an enraged stranger. It siphoned a bit more of his ego out of him.
“This is just great. Is this where you get all your ideas? Huh?” She turned her back and flung open the dresser drawers.
“Wait … no, hold on,” Mick said, his tone harder than intended.
Cara spun around, her personal breeze wafting under his nose.
“No! You wait a minute,” she said. Cara’s breaths huffed between them. “Just what the hell am I supposed to think? After all these years? I’m like your dream girl, now? Yeah, right.” She shoved past him, took her pack out of the closet, and began stuffing her clothes in.
“Don’t.” Mick dragged his hands down his face. His fingers dug into his cheeks, needing to find a solution and quickly. “Please don’t leave. I’m sorry, it’s just that…” His words stalled. Could he say everything he wanted and needed to say? It’d been so jumbled in his head, the thoughts and words spinning around for weeks now, weaving together with their newfound intimacy. I am so fucked! Now that chaos had broken out, Mick couldn’t put it all in proper order.
Cara stormed into the bathroom and tossed all her toiletries into her pack, zipping it closed. She charged him, her nose to his. Her brown eyes lowered into dark slits like the line of a pen.
“Is this what all this is?” Her hands motioned around them. “Some fictional fantasy brought to life to meet your needs?”
Mick reached for her. His throat closed. He swallowed hard, his stomach about hurl at her feet. Cara stepped back, creating a space between them Mick couldn’t look at.
“No,” he said, his voice wavering. She was plucking at a sensitive root, a seed she had implanted in him so long ago. “You have no fucking idea.” His emotions split in two, ripped in half with devastation, and frustration.
“Oh really,” Cara said. Her hard tone knifed through him. Her lips twisted, her expression tight. “But I think I do.” She pushed past him, slamming the door, creating a barrier between them. Her potent breeze knocked him flat on his ass, right where he deserved to be.
Chapter Twenty-Six
It had to be The Sandpiper on the opposite end of the main thoroughfare. There wasn’t anywhere else to go.
Now what?
After the anger raged, fear began to course through her body, mixing with her blood. It leaked into her veins like a poison. Cara’s mind spun with questions she couldn’t answer.
After checking in to The Sandpiper, she counted her cash on hand and looked at the bank book. She and Mick had opened up a joint account.
Big mistake!
Cara had almost $400 on her person. They had accumulated almost $3,000 in their account. Half of that was hers.
She unpacked and set her things in the drawers, and littered the bathroom vanity with her toiletries. She was due at work tomorrow at 8 a.m. The time was fast approaching where Todd wouldn’t need her on a regular basis.
The events of the a
fternoon had her suddenly feeling homesick. She really needed to talk to Val. She and Lacy had been friends also, but Cara had a much closer relationship with Val. They’d worked together for three years. Cara did have Val’s phone number. Val was famous for using one of those pay-by-the-minute cell phone plans. Cara just hoped Val had enough minutes left so they could catch up.
Cara grabbed her jacket and headed out, locking the door behind her. As she walked to Conway Reality she began to plot her excuse, hoping Todd would let her use one of his phones.
Cara ate a bag of trail mix on her way to the office. When she arrived she was relieved that Peggy was the only one there. She arranged her thoughts before entering.
“Cara, I didn’t think I’d be seeing you today,” Peggy smiled, closing the filing cabinet adjacent to her desk.
She couldn’t falter. If she looked like she was full of drama it would only warrant Todd asking questions later. He trusted her and saw her as a stable person. Cara wanted to keep it that way.
“I was wondering if it would be possible for me to use the phone?” Cara asked. She bit down hard on her lip.
“Sure, why don’t you go into the break room. You’ll have privacy there. I need to type two more invoices and then I’m heading home,” Peggy smiled, pleased with herself.
“Thank you so much.” Cara directed her steps down the hall and closed the door slightly. She grabbed the phone and quickly punched in Val’s number.
Cara leaned against the wall, mumbling under breath. “Val, please pick up.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“Hello?” Val’s voice carried through the line, tugging Cara back to an old world, one that seemed so distant. So much had changed.
“Val, it’s me, Cara,” her tone straining. The silence expanded. Cara sat down at the small table.
“Cara, oh my God! Where are you? What happened? Everyone’s been so worried.” Her words flowed together, squeezed into one, long breath.