Off of the Beaten Path

by Lizbeth Dusseau

  Finally leaving Greg’s office, Ashley was thankful to find that the airport offices were still deserted. It was likely no one had heard the conflagration that had just taken place. Grabbing her things together, she couldn’t wait to leave herself. There was such a mad rush of feelings she had to sort out.

  But turning around, Ashley was surprised to see Nick Torres suddenly appear in the doorway going to the tarmac, an odd smile on his face.

  “You ready for our date?” he asked.

  “Our date?” Ashley replied. She’d completely forgotten.

  “Oh my, I um …” she stuttered, not knowing how to answer him. And at the moment, her bottom was so sore, she couldn’t move without feeling a little pain, each ache reminding her of Jess’s face when he left. “I’m sorry,” she managed to speak. “Something’s come up, I’m going to have to take a rain check.”

  “Oh, I’m disappointed,” Nick said, as he sauntered toward her.

  “It’s nothing really, but I’m not at all in the mood for going out tonight. We’ll do it another time. I promise.”

  Nick was standing very close, looking down on her with strangely dark eyes that made her tremble. She felt as if her systems were overloading, everything that had happened in just this day, not to mention the entire week, and she didn’t know how to feel, or act, or what to think. All she wanted to do was go home and hibernate all night, then take off the next day in her plane, and get as far away from her life as she could.

  “Another time?” Nick said. “I can hardly wait.” It was a meaningful statement, but she didn’t know what it meant.

  “I’ll be better company, I assure you. Maybe next week?” Ashley said, seeing that Nick expected more from her, though she wasn’t sure exactly what that was.

  Nick nodded. “I’ll look forward to it,” he said. He was so close, the feeling coming from him so remarkable, for a second, she thought he might kiss her. Instead, he patted her bottom. “Now, you go home and nurse this sore bottom, I’ll have to check on it next week.” Ashley felt like shrinking into the woodwork and disappearing.

  He didn’t make her suffer long, giving her a swift smile and wave of the hand as he took off for his plane.

  He’d heard it all, how humiliating! It only made her more angry at Jess. If that man thought he was convincing her to love him more, he was failing madly. And Nick? Whatever would she say to him when he came for their date next week? And why, she wondered more than anything, did he find her spanking so fascinating? Was he too as interested in punishing her bottom as Jess?

  Chapter Ten

  Ashley fiddled with the engine on the Piper. It never seemed to work the way she wanted it to. She’d been waiting for that perfect engine hum when she took it into the air, and it wasn’t happening.

  “You’re a pilot, Ash, not a mechanic,” Greg said. “Let Marv handle this.” He watched the blonde leaning in with a wench in hand.

  “Shit!” She came up for air, and wiped a dirty arm across her forehead, then went back to work.

  “Ashley, just let Marv take care of it. That’s what I pay him for.”

  “He doesn’t tune the engine the way I want it,” Ashley muttered.

  “You treat these planes like they were your children,” Greg said.

  Ashley stood up and turned back to her boss.

  “Maybe I do. I was a one woman show in South America. It’s what I’m used to.”

  “Well this is civilization, hon, you need to relax a little.”

  “I’m perfectly relaxed,” she countered.

  “Yeah sure,” Greg said shaking his head. He was about to walk away.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.

  “Ever since you changed boyfriends, you’ve been hell to work with.”

  “I have not.”

  “Yeah, just listen to you,” Greg said. “If you weren’t so damned good looking, I’d just fire you.”

  “That’s a hell of a chauvinist thing for you to say.”

  “Of course it is. Hell, I’m a chauvinist, you should know that by now. And as for politically correct … it’s not gonna come from me.”

  Ashley’s face broke out into a smile, hearing him talk. Greg was one of the most free thinking men she knew. And maybe he kept her around because he liked looking at her ass bent over the plane. But, he also appreciated her flying ability, and made no bones about it. They communicated. She always knew right where he stood. She wished she could say as much for the other men in her life.

  “Why don’t you take off for the evening?” Greg suggested.

  “I’m just about to do that. Nick’s flying in. Suppose to be here by now.” She looked at the sky, as if she expected his plane to be appearing on the horizon any second.

  “You ever hear from what’s his name anymore?” Greg asked.

  “Jess? Naw. He’s letting me cool down.”

  “Too bad. He was a nice guy.”

  That comment surprised her, but she said nothing, as she watched Greg shake his head, and wander away.

  Greg may have encouraged her with Nick Torres, but he wasn’t so sure that it had been a good idea, seeing the results. His strong willed pilot was more edgy and mouthy than ever. Maybe what she really needs is a good fuck all weekend long, just to get the lust out of her system. Greg turned around and stared back at the aviator as she went back to work on the plane.

  Ashley continued to fumble around with the engine for another half hour, until she heard someone approaching her from behind. She jerked up and saw Nick with his devilish smile looking straight at her, obviously he’d been admiring her behind too.

  “Hi!”

  “You look a mess,” he said.

  She looked down at her jeans and T-shirt.

  “I guess I do. But it won’t take long for me to get cleaned up,” she said. “What did you have in mind? The Burger Palace?”

  He winced and shook his head no. “I have something much different planned. Let’s get you home, there’s something I want you to see.”

  “What’s that?” she asked, her interest piqued.

  “Not telling. You’ll have to wait,” Nick replied. There was a wicked look in his dark eyes making her think this might be the special night she was waiting for.

  Reaching home Ashley, she bolted through the door on her way to her bedroom. “It’ll only be a few minutes, but I have to take a shower.”

  When she just out of the shower, she heard Nick call to her. She was dripping wet. Quickly drying off, and throwing on her robe, she padded out to the living room.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  “My surprise,” he reminded her.

  “Oh yes, tell me?” she said. Her eyes lit like firecrackers. She’d been dating Nick three weeks, since she broke things off with Jess, and she had to admit he was the strangest boyfriend she had ever had. While he’d made suggestive remarks the day of her last encounter with Jess, when she thought Nick had overheard the nasty punishment, her new boyfriend hadn’t said a word about that day since, as if he’d forgotten it, or she’d misread his signals. In fact, Nick Torres had been the perfect gentleman with her. They’d had a half dozen dates when he was in town, and so far nothing overtly sexual had taken place. There was certainly no hint of spanking. Dating him was rather old fashioned, though Nick was not an old fashioned guy. For some reason he was just waiting for the right time to change the mood of their relationship to something more erotic.

  Nick had a shopping bag in his hands, a present.

  “Is that it?” Ashley asked.

  “Open it,” he said, thrusting the bag into her hands.

  There was a mountain of tissue paper, and something heavy inside, at least too heavy to be clothes. Reaching inside, Ashley felt for her surprise, her hands finally grazing against something cool and smooth … leather! Grabbing tightly, she withdrew her hand holding the unexpected present.

  Nick was sitting on her couch, looking at her perplexed expression.

  Two pieces, a
skirt and what looked like a corset, which consisted of a single strip of leather with laces on either side.

  “This is nasty,” she said, realizing what she had in hand. “But where am I going to wear this? The Burger Palace?” she joked.

  “We’re flying to the City tonight,” he said.

  Ashley hedged. “We are?”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “There’s a nightclub I’d like to take you to, something a little more dangerous than Santa Rosa.”

  The man intrigued her, the steamy darkness in his manner was as intriguing as it was perplexing. All of this quite out of the blue.

  “Go on, try it on,” he said, nodding toward her bedroom.

  Ashley hastily retreated to her bedroom, and tried on the two piece leather outfit. It was perfect, the skirt fitting like a glove, the corset fitting around her middle was laced tightly up the bodice, leaving just enough room between the laces to be very suggestive. One glance in the mirror and Ashley gasped. It had been some time since she’d worn anything this outrageous. It certainly was a far cry from khaki shorts and T-shirts. This wouldn’t be a “ponytail” kind of night.

  Adding high heels to her feet, untying her hair and giving it a good shake, she added a little more makeup than she was used to, just because she knew it fit the look, then returning to her living room, she stood in front of Nick.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  Nick looked up from a magazine he was thumbing through, and his face broke out into a smile. “Exactly the way I imagined it,” he said. He took a few minutes admiring her.

  “I don’t know, Nick. Is this really me?”

  “I don’t know, Ash. Is it really you?”

  “You are the oddest man I’ve ever known,” she said.

  “Oh, I doubt that,” he said. He stood up and went to her, taking the casual liberty of running his hand along the skirt, especially along her bottom.

  “Garter belt?” he guessed, he could just barely feel it.

  “I thought it was appropriate.”

  “Nice touch,” he agreed. “I’ll have to buy you a leather one.”

  “Let’s not get carried away,” Ashley said. There was something explosive in the man, especially explosive next to her volatile nature. She wasn’t sure what it was, or why she was following along with him, and she was especially not sure how long this relationship was going to last. At least one night, she guessed.

  “You wearing panties too?” Nick asked.

  “A little lace thong,” she replied.

  He grinned. “Take them off,” he said.

  “Take them off?” she repeated.

  He still had his hand on her bottom.

  It was another degree of wicked, and a little more alarming. But it was all unseen. Who would know but she and Nick?

  She was about to pull away from him and go to her room to do the deed, when he stopped her.

  “Take them off here,” he said. “If you don’t mind.”

  It was that first overtly suggestive sexual thing in their young relationship. But like everything else so far that night, she was in the mood to consent.

  Stepping back, she looked Nick in the eye and began to pull up her skirt, wiggling just a little to make it move against her thighs.

  “Turn around,” he said.

  She raised her eyebrows in a question.

  “Yes, I want to see your ass.”

  Ashley didn’t say a word. She hardly knew what to think, much less say. But then, she was in the mood to consent, so she did. Maybe it would be a little easier this way, when she didn’t have to look him in the eye. Following his order, she did an about face, and began to raise her skirt. She pulled it up so that it awkwardly rested at her waist, and then lifting the edge of the black thong panties, she pulled the tiny garment down. Her rear cleft was right there on display, and this curious man that had hardly made a sexual move was seeing it all.

  Nick didn’t say a word the whole time. And when Ashley heard no response from him, she let the panties fall to her feet and pushed the skirt back down to cover her behind. Turning back around, his expression was as much a mystery as their unusual relationship.

  ***

  The candle lit restaurant was filled with all the sweet romance that Ashley expected from this kind of “relationship defining” date. She already knew she was staying in the City for the night, at Nick’s apartment. The celibacy would be ending. She could feel his erotic energy playing some kind of dance with her, the light his eyes, his mysterious expression and the very way that he moved spoke louder than any words he spoke. And only for second did she think about Jess, and the relationship that wasn’t. For an instant she felt a little guilty, but then, pushed the thought aside, determined to put the man out of her mind, and think of nothing but this new man, and this new relationship.

  “So, Ashley, tell me,” Nick said, as they were nearly finished with their dinner, “you ready for a little adventure?”

  “What kind of adventure?” she asked.

  “I thought we’d go dancing, show off the new leathers,” he replied.

  She smiled. “I’m all yours.”

  The light in his eyes was meeting the light in hers, something connecting, and feeling very good. It seemed so easy to be with him, and yet so strange; maybe that’s what made their pairing as fascinating as it was.

  “Good,” he said. “I really like women who give themselves to me.”

  “I bet you do,” she readily agreed.

  She thought that they were about to leave, but instead Nick sat back in his chair and cast a lusty gaze on her leather corseted bodice, and the glow on her wine flushed face.

  “Just one question, I’m curious,” he said.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “A little curiosity, a little speculation … did your friend leave marks with the cane?”

  “What?” Ashley asked.

  “The cane, when he laid it on. Were there marks?”

  “My god, you did know,” she said.

  “Just answer the question, love,” he said. His insistence grated on her.

  “Yeah, some,” she finally responded.

  “And you liked it?” he asked.

  “That was something between Jess and me,” she said. She felt herself closing up when she didn’t want to, but this line of questioning was so completely unexpected, and even threatening.

  “But you still liked it,” Nick pressed her for an answer.

  “No,” she stated.

  “You mean yes,” he countered with a sly grin on his face.

  “I mean no!” she repeated herself adamantly.

  “Don’t get haughty on me, Ashley. Your fucking desires are written all over you,” he said.

  Nick didn’t give her time to respond. He was on his feet and pulling her to his side. There was no further conversation, the man turned silent. It was something Ashley was pretty familiar with for herself; but she wasn’t prepared for it from Nick. She had a few things to say to him, but the close-mouthed Nick wasn’t listening.

  The nightclub was a mass of noise and lights and bodies moving. Most in leather, pressing against each other. It was the sort of hot intimate place where bodies collided but no one had to speak, and no one had to look at anyone in particular. It was a good way of losing herself, and for three hours she and Nick danced and drank and let go. Ashley was especially tolerant of Nick’s roving hands. He didn’t seem to have much shame, about how and where he was touching her, but then neither did anyone else. The nightclub was intended for blatant exhibitionism, a nipple appeared here and there, in one case two bouncing naked breasts bounced right by their eyes. Hands on crotches, on thighs, on tits, down skirts and inside bulging pants. The heat, the lights, the blaring sound made it feel like an unreal dream.

  When Nick and Ashley were dancing close, his hands were on her bottom, casually lifting her skirt so he could fondle the bottom of her ass cheeks, and it wasn’t even bothering her. The a
rousing warmth felt good to her all the way inside, she figured it was about time this relationship was getting out of first gear.

  It was late in the evening, when Nick backed away from her and excused himself to the bathroom, leaving Ashley in the middle of the dance. Moments later, without realizing what was happening, another man scooped her up in his arm, and drew her attention to his own hip gyrating dance. To the same wild pulsing beat, the two were moving groin to groin just as Ashley had with Nick. And the same divine abandon seemed to be moving through every part of her. Even if she was feeling a little dizzy, she was happy just to let go. How long had it been? Maybe years since she’d felt this carefree.

  It only affected her for a moment when Nick pushed himself between the dancing throng and grabbed her hand, taking her off to another side of the room.

  “I leave for a second and you’re screwing some other guy,” he mumbled so she could just barely hear him.

  “Screwing? We were dancing,” she tried a righteous protest, but he wasn’t listening.

  Nick pressed her against the back wall of the place and planted a mean kiss on her lips. Holding her hands on either side of her face, he had her pinned to the wall. A little delirious, it wasn’t like Ashley to let any man take these kinds of liberties with her. Not even Jess, not like this.

  But, she was in that strange consenting mood, so she went ahead.

  “You like acting loose?” There was a natural scowl on his face that wasn’t changing, like he was really angry with her. “Better watch yourself.” He backed away from her.

  “Isn’t that what you want?” she asked.

  “Maybe,” he said, the same mysterious question was in his voice that had been in him all day long. “But you are going to pay for throwing yourself at that guy.”

  “I am?”

  His unexpected judgment sounded like a charge of infidelity; it seemed so out of place in the frantic atmosphere of the uninhibited nightclub. Maybe Nick was an old fashioned man. She smiled at him, though there was a little shiver running along her spine, and a curious gnawing in her gut. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him, except that he obviously had her captured by his enigmatic charms. Letting her disquiet pass, she danced with Nick again, realizing that she was having a very good time.