by A. J. Downey
“Thanks,” Cell said and led me into the tall stalks of corn.
“Doesn’t really seem like much,” I said apprehensive, of course, just in time for a chainsaw wielding Jason Voorhees to jump out of the stalks, revving the machine. I jumped and screamed and, predictably, leapt right into Cell’s arms who was laughing.
I blushed furiously and climbed back down off his body, which was very nice, laughing nervously myself.
“Scariest corn maze in three counties,” he said. “Four and a half star rating.”
“It’s the middle of the day!” I burst out. “It can’t be that bad!”
“Eh, guess we’ll see. We have to find our way through, out the back to get to the other fun in store.”
“I can hardly wait,” I said rolling my eyes.
He laughed again, and it was a good sound. I started to relax, his hand warm and solid in mine.
We wound our way through the wide cut paths in the stalks. Clowns and creepy dead ghost children jumping out at us. Scary tableaus set into the dead ends with mad scientists, and serial killer’s burial grounds.
I laughed and ran my hand along the dry stalks, the whisper they made at our passing a light, airy sound that lifted my spirits even more. I turned around saying, “How much further do you think it is to the end?” but Duracell was gone. I was alone. I turned, my heart leaping in my chest. I turned, and spun, and looked this way and that, but nothing…
“Cell?” I called out. Several heartbeats and nothing.
“Cell?” I tried again, and same result. My shoulders dropped and I tried again.
“Cell, come on this isn’t – Ah!” A girly scream as he lunged out of the corn behind me with a cry. He scooped me up, arms around my waist and spun me while I laughed.
He set me down, one of my hands in his and spun me like a dancer so I faced him, his other arm hauling me up against his body. He laughed too and I shook my head.
“Alright, okay, you got me.”
“Yeah, yeah I did. I couldn’t resist.”
I giggled, both of us a bit breathless, “Pretty sure the exit is just up here,” he said and his voice was dusky, the moment hanging between us, just waiting for one or the other of us to capitalize on it. I thought for sure he would, but he smiled and stepped back, giving me a bit of room. I was half disappointed.
“Right! What’s at the end?”
“Ah, ah, ah… you just have to wait and see,” he teased. He took my hand and we plunged back into the maze. Three frights and one dead end later we burst free, into a clearing with food tents and market stalls, beyond them a great wide field full of pumpkins just waiting to be picked and carved.
“Hey! There they are.” I heard a woman call and I looked up. Several of the other Sacred Hearts members stood around with their women. Melody was the one who’d called out and I laughed.
“We’re about to go out there and pick pumpkin’s to carve, take them back to the club and carve them. You coming?” she asked.
“We’re coming,” Duracell assured her. “I just want to grab her some hot cider first. It was a cold ride and it’s chilly out here.”
“Already done, I have it right here.” I turned at Blue’s soft voice and took the steaming paper cup from his fingers that he offered me.
I smiled up at him and said, “Thank you.” He nodded and took another from the drink carrier he was holding and handed it to Cell.
“Good lookin’ out, man.”
He took the last and ditched the paper drink holder in one of the fifty-five gallon drums with the giant black trash bag flowing out of it, the recycling emblem spray painted on the side. He came back and joined us, putting me between them and I blushed, glancing quickly around at the rest of the club members to gauge their reactions.
None of them paid us any mind, there wasn’t any judgement on any of their faces, nor were any of them trying overly hard to not look at us. It put me at ease.
“Okay, go, go, go, go, go!” Mel encouraged and turned both Noah and Eden loose, toddling through the pumpkin patch. Melody took pictures while the fathers looked on, laughing and talking about it.
I hid behind the rim of my mulled cider cup, drinking the sweet and perfectly spiced liquid, laughing at some of the antics of the adults as much as the babies. I roused myself from staring at their angelic chubby cheeks and from indulging in their high pitched squeals of laugher and delight to find both Cell and Blue staring at me.
“I’m sorry, did I miss something?” I asked, but they both shook their heads.
“No, we were just watching you, watch them,” Cell said casually, taking a sip of his own cider.
“Sorry, I know it’s silly, but I always wanted kids someday…”
“Why is that silly?” Blue asked, frowning.
I closed my mouth and shook my head and hoped that they would just let it go. Cell actually came to the rescue then, saying, “You gonna pick your pumpkin?” It was a blatant change of subject, but a welcome one.
“What?” I asked laughing.
“Club tradition, the weekend before Halloween, we pick our pumpkins and carve them back at the house.” I looked over at the person who’d spoken and smiled, nodding.
“I see,” I told Dragon, the club president. He smiled and gave me a wink and went out into the field near Dray and Everett, who was showing. Hitting his son in the shoulder who was bent over moving pumpkins around for Everett to inspect and decide on.
“Get off my ass, Pops! Jesus!” Dray cried to Everett and Dragon’s laughter.
“Come on, babes. Your turn.” Cell took my empty cup from my hands and stacked his in it, passing it off to Blue who raised his in salute. Taking my hand, Cell dragged me gently out into the pumpkin patch mayhem.
“What shape you like?” he asked.
I looked around and told the truth, “I like the round squat pumpkins. The ones you always see in cartoons and mass produced.”
“You should find one with a flat side, though,” Trigger said, overhearing me. “It’s easier to carve the image and they come out better.”
“I didn’t think about that,” I said honestly.
“We’re pumpkin carving pros! We get all fancy and shit, tryin’ to outdo each other each year,” Reaver called over.
Hayden gave him a shove and said, “I make him carve mine.” She made a face, “I just scoop the guts.”
“A master is nothing without his assistant!” Reaver cried and his son, Connor, called out “Dad! Come look at this one!”
Reaver went over to where his teenager was with Maren’s little brother, Sage, while Maren and Nox looked on a little ways away, choosing their own pumpkin. A good portion of the club I knew, but the ones I didn’t I had learned about through Melody and her pictures. She would bring them to work sometimes and show me when it got slow. She’d told me she wanted to come photograph some of my windows, but I hadn’t worked up the courage to invite her to my studio.
“Everybody pick two!” Dragon bellowed and I jumped.
Cell winked at me and said, “You heard the man.” He straightened up and called out over the field, “Hey Blue! C’mere!”
I smiled, amazed at how comfortable I was feeling around Cell, and super pleased that I got to see Blue today, too. We picked our pumpkins and loaded them onto the floor of the hay ride tractor after buying them for the ride around the corn maze and back to where we parked. The guys were really good about tagging the stems with everyone’s names, to make sure there were no pumpkin mix-ups. It was clear that they had done this before, long before any kids and that it was one of those grown-up traditions that had been tempered down for the little one’s enjoyment. Some of these guys were really just big kids themselves.
“You want to ride with Blue?” Cell offered after lifting me down from the back of the hayride and I thought about it for a long moment. As much as I would rather ride with Blue because Blue wasn’t insane on the road, I decided that wouldn’t be fair. This was Cell’s date, and as Cell’s date, I
should really stay with him… especially if this was going to work the way they seemed to want it to.
I shook my head and he smiled, saying, “I won’t tell him so, might break his heart.” Blue’s hands landed on my shoulders and he pressed his thumbs, kneading between them. I jumped and whirled and he smiled down at me. I scoffed, incredulous and swung back in Cell’s direction lightly slapping him in the chest for not telling me Blue was behind me.
Cell cringed back at my pathetic assault and laughed. “Hey! Easy, tiger.”
“It’s your date,” I said, then turned back to Blue whose smile lit up his eyes. “You understand, right?” He nodded happily and bent down, placing a kiss against my forehead. He let my shoulders go and Cell smiled at him and winked.
“We parked over here, I didn’t want to give away the surprise,” Cell told him. Blue nodded and gave us a wave, drifting back over to the rest of the club where the pumpkins were almost finished being loaded into the back of a box truck, full of what looked like shelves of parts and tools on either side.
“Come on, darlin’.” Cell held out his hand to me and I took it, and let him draw me along, back in the direction of his bike.
“You having a good time so far?” he asked and I nodded.
“The best, thank you.”
He stopped me and looked me over, studying my face and gauging me. I waited patiently, wondering just what it was he was looking for when he silently answered my question by lowering his lips to mine. He kissed me, gently at first, but all too quickly it was as if a fire had been ignited, and he devoured my mouth. I couldn’t say I didn’t like it, but that intensity was back, there, in his kiss, in the way he drew my body tightly into his own.
I felt my arms go around his neck and shoulders and I pulled myself closer. He smiled against my mouth and drew back slightly, kissing the tip of my nose.
“That’s what I like,” he murmured and I felt myself flush.
The ride to the club was far less exhilarating after that earth-shaking kiss.
Chapter 10
Duracell
I was almost disappointed. She was proving to be far easier to win over than I thought she would be. She just needed a firm hand. I kind of hated it when they gave it up that easy. Of course, I was pouring on the charm.
I’d specifically engineered our date to have Blue as a backup, in case I just couldn’t read her right. I was thinking that maybe she wasn’t as deep as what Blue claimed but when I cornered her again, coming out of the bathroom, and got my hand up her sweater, I didn’t get any further than a caress against her ribs before she pulled my hand away, forcing it down.
“I’m not ready for that,” she breathed. “Not on the first date.”
“I can respect that,” I said automatically, but the fuck I could. Looked like I’d be hitting one of the whores at Sugar’s later tonight. I didn’t give a fuck, I wanted to fuck and I was in the mood for real pussy, not Blue’s man-pussy.
I gave Hayley some space, still pretending, cursing in my head that I’d given my word to Blue that I would see this through, do this his way. She went back out to the common room and I went to deal with my own need to hit the head.
When I went back out, Blue was with her, smiling, talking softly, and my frustration cooled some. I played my role the rest of the day, did what needed doing until I could take her home. When I stopped at the curb in front of her place she got off the bike hastily and I had to smirk. She hated my driving. That screamed she was boring, but at the same time, my initial assessment of her may have been wrong. She was going to be a tougher nut to crack than I’d thought.
I kissed her goodbye, because it was expected and part of the long-con to get her in my bed. Then I left, hit the strip club and got my freak on.
When I got back to the club, Blue was waiting.
“Sugars?” he asked with a disappointed expression.
“Yeah.”
“Hayley?”
“She was alright,” I lifted my shoulder in a shrug. “Wasn’t going to give it to me though, so I had to get it somewhere else.”
He nodded, and went back into his room, shutting the door. He knew better than to argue by now. He also knew the only reason I was in this at all was for his punk ass.
Hoped he fuckin’ appreciated it.
Chapter 11
Blue
I sat near Hayley and watched her. She was sitting on a metal stool, staring down at her large worktable covered in white butcher paper, a pencil in her hand and a worn down gum eraser, yardstick, and ruler nearby. She was staring at the blank paper as if waiting for it to speak to her.
She hadn’t even noticed me yet, she was so inside her own head, and I simply sat a ways away, watching, waiting, wanting to see what she did and how she worked. It was the week before Thanksgiving and our third date, and we’d agreed on a quiet evening in her studio. She wanted to work on a project for a local bookstore.
I’d arrived and found the lights on in the converted garage. I’d knocked but no answer. I’d seen her through one of the many panes of the window set in the door, and had tried the handle and found it unlocked. So, I’d quietly let myself in and had taken the empty stool she had set out.
She was lovely, dressed comfortably in black yoga pants and thick white athletic socks. A gray college sweatshirt with the neck artfully cut away hanging from one shoulder, the racerback of her sports bra peeking at the back. Her hair she’d clipped up, but stray tendrils escaped, framing her face, tickling the side of her neck which was long and graceful, begging for my lips to trace the sensitive places and make her shiver.
We’d been growing closer, more intimate, but we hadn’t gone much past kissing and heavy petting. I’d just barely managed to keep my hands out of her panties and off her breasts, but the struggle was real. I wanted her. I wanted her badly.
Cell had been growing irritable with the lack of progress and was losing interest in the chase, but for once I couldn’t care. This was at Hayley’s pace and I, for one, was enjoying the slow burn.
She took a deep long breath, let it out, and dropped her pencil, pressing her hands to her face and her fingertips into her eyes, rubbing them. I got up and the stool I was sitting on creaked. She jumped and let out a little scream, nearly falling off of her own seat.
“How long have you been there?” she cried and I smiled and went to her, folding her into my arms. I kissed the top of her head and massaged the back of her neck. She looked up at me, her wide brown eyes just slaying me.
“Long enough… what’s wrong?”
“Just frustrated, I guess.”
“Yeah? With what?”
She looked off to the side, and for the very first time ever, she lied to me and it was adorable.
“I just can’t think of something to do for this window. I just don’t know what to draw. Not that I’m very good at the whole drawing part anyways.”
I smiled, knowing full well that wasn’t it, that something else, something far more important was bothering her, but like with everything else my Hayley required patience.
“Sounds to me like you could use something to eat. Let me take you out for a quick bite and we can brainstorm.”
“Really?” she asked, swallowing hard.
“Really. It’s too cold out there for you for the bike, can we take your cage?”
She visibly relaxed a little more and said, “Yeah, absolutely.”
“Okay, find some shoes and a coat and let me take you out.”
“Sounds good.”
She went up to her loft and came back down in some sturdy running shoes. I got up and went over to her as she lifted a knitted scarf off of the coat tree. I plucked down a down jacket and held it out for her to shrug into, which she did, and handed her down her purse. She plucked her keys off the hook and smiled at me and it held an edge of tiredness.
I took them from her and asked, “Mind if I drive?”
“Not at all.”
It felt good. It felt normal, like we we
re a couple, and I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t fully indulging in the sensation.
I placed my hand lightly on her lower back and led her outside, turning only to lock up her space, the one I was honored she let me into. She hadn’t brought Cell back here yet, and that wasn’t lost on me.
I held the passenger door to her cage open for her and closed it for her. Doing everything a gentleman was supposed to do, not because I was a gentleman, that was laughable, but because she deserved it. She deserved to be treated well, because everything about her behavior screamed long and loud that she really hadn’t been up until now.
“Is diner food okay as long as it’s not your diner?” I asked.
“Sounds great,” she said. “I could really use a good milkshake.”
I smiled and drove us in silence, waiting to see if she opened up, growing concerned when she didn’t. I took us out to another diner Cell and I frequented when we were just too far from Hayley’s to make it, which was honestly just a handful of times.
It was a little flashier but the food wasn’t quite as good. I wondered if it would improve with the company. I held the door for her and the waitress seated us in a booth by one of the front windows. When we’d ordered our drinks and then our food I decided that I was going to have to pry if I was going to get to the bottom of what was wrong.
“Hayley…” I said and she looked at me, her face falling when she got a look at my expression.
“Do you like me?” she asked and I tipped my head to the side. I loved her. I loved being around her and exploring this new thing. I loved going out and learning about her and what she liked and I tried to tell her as much with my eyes while keeping it careful with my mouth.
“I adore you. I love every minute of the time we spend together. What’s wrong?”
“If… if you like me as much as you say,” she shifted uncomfortably and a fiery blush overtook her, and the lightbulb went off.
“Then why haven’t I made more of a move?” I asked. She nodded mutely and burned with shame. I chuckled I couldn’t help it. “Because I’ve been waiting on you.”