Road Games

by Road Games [Bold Strokes FF] (retail) (epub)

  I think I was supposed to tell you about me, but I don’t do that.

  I just said to your questing eyes: “I follow the sun.”

  “Sounds romantic,” you said and I felt my throat closing so I had to swallow deep.

  “It can be,” I said, acting cool.

  You pushed your hair away from your face and took your eyes from mine.

  “If you want it to be,” I said, wondering what fool had come out with those words.

  I don’t say those words, I don’t feel these things, I don’t do falling in love with a total stranger. But you seemed eager to ride with me, hell, you even left your shoes behind.

  So you rode barefoot pillion and we picked up your bag from the dead orange buggy and you just moved in like you were meant to, like you belong. I said I’d sleep on the couch and you looked hurt and shrugged, your eyes searching mine. You kissed me very lightly on the lips. I tried not to grin like a crazed fool. It was no good.

  “Whatever you want,” you said.

  “I want to sleep with you,” I said.

  You shuddered in my arms, kissed my shoulder, held on to me like I was trying to escape, which I wasn’t. It was weird and wonderful to be in bed with you, first time anyone had been in this bed with me. Amazing to be naked between sheets with your lovely body twined round me. I held you as close as my own skin. And we did it too, we slept together.

  Morning I woke first and we were in the same position. Your upper lip sucked your lower lip and you looked about three years old. When I eased out of your arms, you wrapped them round the pillow and kicked the duvet off your beautiful curves. Your ass was like two peaches. I did coffee and stretched beside you.

  I thought you were still asleep when your hand flopped on my thigh. Then, your eyes still closed, you climbed over me and pushed your head between my thighs. Your fingers unfolded me, and your tongue ran against me.

  “Mmm,” you said, “You taste amazing. Put your coffee down, you’re in for a bumpy ride. Okay?”

  “Be my guest,” I said, speechless with desire, loving the strength of you.

  You giggled as you ate me, then swam up on top of me after I came, licking your fingers and kissing me open-mouthed and salty with me. The sun through the blinds made rainbow scales over your back all the way down to your toes. Your shoulders were the color of pale wild honey, your hair a tangle of sugar spin. A gust of laughter seized me and you looked concerned.

  “I’m just really happy,” I told you, “really happy.”

  “Good,” you said, “I just want to make you happy. I don’t seem to have done much of that so far in my life.”

  We finished our coffee, then I kissed you, and your tongue played with mine, you teased my lips with your teeth, you let your mouth fill with the juice from mine and our tongues swam round each other like twin dolphins in the waves. My feet flippered down the bed and pulled me to hover over you. I nuzzled your hair and let my nose rub against the steaming smooth skin taut and trembling as you jackknifed your thighs apart for me. And what did you taste like, my darling, you were a rock pool at sunrise, fresh and salty, and your hair was feathery fronds of seaweed dancing in the tide. You were soft as an oyster, the pearl of your passion rising to my lips on the undulating crest of wave after wave.

  “Does this mean we’re going steady?” you said to my neck as we held each other, beached on the pillows.

  “Uh-huh,” I said.

  I wanted to marry you right that moment and the thought made my heart thunder like it would burst out of my chest. But I remembered you didn’t seem to like marriage too much, remembered that falling in love had always been a deep whirlpool for me, knowing I was already helplessly spinning into you. Thought that not using the words might just be a good idea.

  So we went on for the next couple of months, me dispatch riding, you waitressing, us making love more and more, my bare apartment filling with rainbow junk, music, and the sparkle of you. Never mentioned love, either of us, like you don’t walk on the cracks in the sidewalk, or under ladders. For all you had told me your life story I never told you mine, and I knew there was a lot more to you than that hurried bio on the cliff top by the coast road. I just thought some day you’d up and leave, and though you were closer than my skin my heart prefers nonverbal. That way you can be in the moment, not fretting over a future that no one can tell.

  Then there was the Tuesday when everything changed.

  We had a day off together and you turned to me in bed and said, I want to take you somewhere. It’s really important.

  I got that kicked-in-the-gut feeling as we dressed—hell, it was just too perfect with you and already my head was hurling smart one-liners for when you dumped me, each word sharp and accurate as a dart dipped in curare. You just hummed some shoo-doo-be-wop song, kissed my cheek, stroked my face, looked into my eyes—just the way you usually did, only I was reading good-bye in every gesture. But just like love, the word good-bye is one I didn’t want to use. Not with you.

  So then we were driving along the highway, as we’d done a hundred times before, only this time you said you’d tell me the way. We took the inland fork, and after a while, everything was greener, avocado orchards lining the road. We stopped at a taco stand and the sun dazzled off your hair and I was the fool wanting to say, Don’t do this, I’m in love with you.

  “Good coffee,” I said.

  “Not far now,” you said and my heart stabbed as you put one golden thigh over the Harley. Well, I’d have the Harley once you’d gone, and the engine roared right through my body—only the feel of your arms round my waist roared even more powerful through my heart.

  You tugged me right, then left, and we were virtually dirt-biking for the last few miles before you said stop.

  This was the end of the road anyway. I had never seen a place so green—a grassy dip fringed by trees. I peeled off my helmet and stood there while you walked a little way like you were looking for something.

  “This way,” you said, taking my hand, your eyes shining as if we’d been making love.

  Through the trees and over a low rise, and we were on the shore of a lake, silver and hazy right into the distance. Turquoise dragonflies skimmed the surface and a heron stood some twenty feet from us and never moved. You were still like I’d never seen you before—poised like a wild creature scenting the wind, your muscles quivered in the sunshine and your eyes were huge and radiant.

  “Sit with me,” you said and you slid your arm round my shoulders as we sat on a curved rock.

  “Something I have to tell you,” you said.

  I braced myself. Hell, I’m a big girl now. All my wisecracking would have to get me out of the hurt I knew was coming.

  “Look,” you said, “I have to tell you about when we met.”

  So now you were going to say it was a habit of yours to hang around the highway and pick people up. Like I did with waitresses. Something to do. And it would be something to do again, even if I was a walking riding dead person doing it.

  “I don’t know what you’re thinking,” you said, “but you’ve been strange all morning. Don’t be a stranger to me—please.”

  “Okay,” I said, letting our eyes meet, struggling to keep all my armor shiny and well buckled.

  “When you saw me I was working up the guts to just jump over the edge. I could picture myself flying out and down and hitting the waves, and going deep like a mermaid, bubbles streaming in my hair, the salty water filling my lungs and the riptide tossing me about, carrying me deep beyond it all. I had just prayed for a reason not to end it all. Prayed for an angel. Then you came roaring up, you and your bike, and there was the mermaid—and I don’t believe in coincidence.”

  You looked at me and my armor was rust blowing in the wind.

  “I’ve never brought anyone here before,” you said. “I found this place once and used it to cry in. Then to connect. The ripples on this lake gave me the strength to leave that marriage, the sparkle of these dragonflies kept me moving
and sparkling. You might think I’m crazy, well, you won’t be the first.”

  I kissed you, just a gentle lip-to-lip kiss, and held your hand. Jesus! You were almost not here and my heart thundered till my head was pounding—I had almost stopped at Ruby’s that afternoon as well, then simply did not wish to, never wished to do that again.

  “I know you’re crazy,” I said, “I’m crazy too. And I want to tell you I’m crazy about you, even if you don’t want it, well, it’s a good feeling to have. It’s good to feel. Don’t worry about it.”

  Your eyes widened for a second.

  “You too?” you said. “I thought you just tooled along Pacific picking people up. Wondered when you’d change the locks, tell me it was fun while it lasted.”

  I groaned from deep inside.

  “Do you think talking is a good idea?” I said, “Like me talking—you’ve just said what I’ve been thinking all morning.”

  “I am shit at mind reading,” you said. “And so are you and so is everybody. Talk to me, no matter what, or I’ll just go ahead and fill the silences. As you know.”

  Our embrace filled the silence. I breathed in your hair, your skin, my body breathed you.

  “So are we going steady?” you said.

  “I want to marry you,” I wanted to say, the throbbing heat in my head unbearable. Instead I said, “Oh yeah!”

  We were naked in seconds. You pulled me to my feet and we ran into the lake, water like silk rising along our legs, clusters of bubbles caught in your hair. Maybe I should have said marry, what the hell, you hadn’t dumped me, you drew me into your arms, your legs curving and strong as a mermaid’s tail. I dived to catch your beautiful breast, floating in the clear water, you gasped a deep breath and undulated down to suck my toes, nibble my knees like a grazing fish, the feel of your hair sweeping over my skin was electric.

  “Float for me, darling,” you said.

  I floated like a starfish and you were my fifth arm, darting into me, spouting clear water over my belly as you rose to gasp for air and dive again. Your toes wriggled a frill of bubbles on the surface, your widespread hands splashed me and the sun dazzled me even through closed eyelids. If I drown now, I thought, I die happy. My nipples stung as they clenched erect, I was so hot suddenly the water was icy cold and every nerve in my body plugged into the main grid as your lips gripped me and your tongue was hot as a geyser. You slid along my shuddering body as I came over and over, convulsing from deeper inside me than anyone else has ever been.

  Our wet faces kissed and you lay on my arm, and I trod water as my hand spread between your thighs, fingers finding your wonderful hot wetness, my thumb coaxing the fabulous fins of your sex stiff and trembling.

  “Live with me forever,” I said to your sky blue eyes and your mouth whispered

  Yes

  And then you gasped and screamed yes to the wide blue haze spinning high above our heads.

  “Let’s ride round the lake naked,” you said. “No one ever comes here.”

  “Just you and me, huh?” I said, and our laughter was echoed as a skein of waterbirds clattered up from the reeds.

  “And,” I said, “going steady? I want to marry you.”

  “I was going to say that,” you said. “You really mean it?”

  “I do,” I said.

  “Okay then,” you said, drawing a silver ripple round us for a ring.

  We staggered to the shore along a path of sparkling sunlight like we’d rescued each other from drowning.

  Open View

  Gun Brooke

  The glass elevator slowly ascended the amazing height of the hotel. Through the window, Deborah saw the lights of San Antonio glimmering like precious jewels against the velvet night sky. Behind her, she felt the heat emanating from her lover’s body. When a soft kiss landed at the back of her neck, she gasped in surprise.

  “Hi, beautiful,” Haylee whispered, raising her hands to Deborah’s waist. “I trust you remember what you promised me?”

  “What?” Deborah managed.

  “You know what I mean, love.”

  “Ah. That.” Deborah felt her cheeks warm. She had tried to keep from thinking about her promise. “Do it for me, as a present, and I will return your kindness…in full,” Haylee had said before they left for the formal function that had brought them to San Antonio.

  Being without panties was one thing, but an entire evening of “going commando” among the top brass of her agency had made her feel entirely vulnerable, and every time Haylee had caught her glance across the room, Deborah blushed profusely. She had also feared that her increasing arousal would give her away. Fortunately, scents of ladies’ perfume and men’s aftershave, together with the drinks and finger food, drowned out any of her pheromones.

  “Yes, that.” Haylee spoke with a low purr, and there was something indefinably dangerous in her tone. She stepped closer; Deborah felt the fabric of her black pantsuit against her back.

  “You like my dress, though?” Deborah tried to change the subject as Haylee pressed close against her back. At the outer perimeter of her mind, she thought she noticed the glass elevator moving slower.

  “I like your dress very much. I think you look amazing in that blue color, and the sequins over your breasts have lured me all evening. There’s only one other thing you look even better in.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “Nothing. You look best wearing absolutely nothing.” Haylee didn’t move, trapping Deborah at the window. Haylee slowly caressed Deborah’s shoulders and played with the spaghetti straps holding the dress up. “You smell divine,” she murmured.

  “So do you,” Deborah said, swallowing against the dryness of her throat. It was true. Haylee’s signature scent of citrus and musk was making Deborah lick her lips. Her knees threatened to give out when Haylee pressed her lips to the base of her neck and kissed her way along her shoulder.

  “Mmm,” Haylee purred. “So soft. So tasty.” She nibbled the skin and let her tongue caress the little bites.

  Deborah tipped her head back.

  “Oh, Haylee,” she sighed. “Let me turn around. Let me hold you.”

  “No, sweet thing. You’re fine just where you are. I can see your reflection in the glass while I’m touching you. Stay as you are.”

  “If I can,” Deborah murmured. “My legs seem awfully weak.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

  Haylee slid her hands down Deborah’s arms, causing goose bumps to appear and her lover to gasp out loud. Not missing a beat, Haylee gently raised Deborah’s wrists and guided them to the window frame.

  “There, hold on,” she said huskily.

  Deborah nodded and gripped the frame on both sides of the large window. She saw herself reflected in the glass. Her eyes were wide and her ragged breath produced a steamy little circle, distorting the image of her flustered face.

  “Now, where was I?” she heard Haylee say quietly behind her. Determined hands pulled at her dress and began to slide the the soft fabric up her legs.

  “Oh yes, you know how I like you,” Haylee said. “Naked. Especially this part of you.”

  Deborah could only nod. It excited her that Haylee liked to watch her, observe her in the most intimate of ways. Haylee bunched the silky garment up over Deborah’s hips and held it there with one hand, resting the other one on her hip.

  “Mmm, you feel so soft. I have wanted to do this all evening, you know. I’ve been such a model of restraint.” Haylee caressed Deborah’s hips and left no crevice or curve untouched.

  “Yes…you have,” Deborah had to agree. “But please let me turn around. I’m half naked in front of a window on an elevator, for heaven’s sake. What if someone’s out there?”

  “We’re high up. Unless they have binoculars. Then they’ll get a bonus show they didn’t count on, trust me.” Haylee kissed her way down Deborah’s neck. “Besides, doesn’t the thought of some stranger standing in a dark room, watching us—maybe jerking off at the s
ight of my fingers in your wet pussy—make you hot? I think so. Just hold on like that.” She put her arm around Deborah’s waist and held her up. Sliding her hand beneath her raised dress, she caressed Deborah’s hot center. Deborah shivered, unable to take her eyes off the alluring image reflected in the window. “That’s it. Spread your legs, sweet thing.” Haylee ruffled the soft strands of hair between Deborah’s legs.

  Deborah inhaled sharply at the no-nonsense tone of voice and complied. When Haylee commanded her like this, she knew she had no choice but to surrender. It was as if Haylee had a sixth sense about when to take control. It had scared her the first time and she felt a little apprehensive even now, her breath coming in excited gushes. Slowly she spread her legs, giving Haylee access to the swollen heat between her legs.

  “Good girl,” Haylee cooed. “You know just what I want, what to give me, right?” She trailed her fingertips through the wetness and spread the moisture over Deborah’s sex.

  “Oh, Haylee,” Deborah moaned. This immediate assault on the sensitive area made her cling harder to the window frame. Watching their reflection in the glass added to the fire at her core. “What are you doing to me?”

  “Taking you,” Haylee said breathlessly. “Making you mine. Making you never doubt that you belong with me.”

  Haylee’s fingers performed a tantalizing drum roll on the ridge of nerves between Deborah’s legs. Shivers coursed through Deborah, making her gasp out loud and throw her head back. Wetter than she’d ever been, she envisioned their nameless onlooker, a women their age, standing with her binoculars, or perhaps even a telescope. Would she push her hands into her panties and fondle herself as she watched the two strangers in the glass elevator?