by Emerson Rose
“Technically it’s already morning.”
“True, but you need to sleep a little. You have a big day tomorrow.”
He’s right, I am tired but if he wanted more I wouldn’t say no.
“Okay.”
He sits me up and plumps two fat pillows behind my back and reaches down to the floor to pull the comforter back onto the bed and over us. He nudges my shoulder until I’m on my side and spoons behind me.
“I like you Charlotte Deardon,” he whispers in my ear.
Smiling I whisper back, “I like you too Beau Hill.”
“I’m going to like you some more in the morning.”
“Promise?”
“Swear.”
I close my eyes and listen to the sound of an owl hooting in the distance. I feel Beau’s steady breathing and heartbeat against my back and realize that this thing happening between us is kind of scary.
I’m leaving tomorrow for two long months. What if this distance between us gets old for him? What if once I’m gone the novelty wears off and he goes back to his bachelor ways? What if he wants his house back or needs a vet before I graduate?
I’ve never been in a relationship like this before but pressing pause for two months when we have only been involved for two days seems pretty risky.
Lying in his arms like this I feel strong and self-assured but what about next week? Next month? I’d like to think what we have so far is enough but simply put, there’s no way to know.
Tomorrow I’m going to have to jump and I pray Beau doesn’t let me fall.
18
Incomplete
Beau
I was up early this morning, earlier than usual, which is damn early, making arrangements for Charlotte’s family to move into Carmen’s house. I had a couple of the part time ranch hands, that dad doesn’t know too well, go over and clean it up a little and stock the kitchen.
I let my princess sleep in and then I drove her to her truck around eleven o’clock. I didn’t want to let go of her, I kissed her breathless on the tarmac until her legs were weak. I wanted to fuck her again up against her father’s truck but she was running late already and I had to let her go.
My stomach felt like I swallowed a giant rock when she pulled away. I knew it wasn’t going to be the last time I’d see her. I insisted on being at the airport this afternoon, and after promising to hang back until her family was gone, she agreed.
When I didn’t go home last night and I didn’t go to work today dad came looking for me. He played a game of twenty questions trying to figure out what’s going on with me but I led him in circles until he got pissed and left.
I called Constance early and told her I would be over to check on my mom after lunch. I also told her my dad wasn’t happy about having a private nurse and not to listen to him if he gave her any shit.
She reassured me she knew how to deal with difficult people, she was a nurse, and it came with the territory. I sighed with relief at not having to worry about that very important issue on my list of issues today.
It is now one thirty and I am pulling into the parking lot of the Redwater Airport with a bouquet of pink roses in the seat next to me. I’ve never bought flowers for a woman. Never, not even my mom, she likes to grow her own. She always thought it was stupid to take the time to grow beautiful flowers just to cut them and watch them wilt indoors in a vase. I can still hear her saying, “Flowers are meant to grow in the earth not float in water on my dining room table.”
I sort of agreed with her on this point but that’s not why I’ve never bought a woman flowers. I’ve never wanted to, never had the urge, never even gave it a thought until this morning when I drove past McKernan’s florist and saw pink roses in the window.
They reminded me of Charlotte’s dress last night, and her panties, and her pink mood that made my heart clench in my chest and my dick hard in my pants.
God I’m going to miss this woman. If I could take two months off work and go with her I would but there’s no way that’s ever happening. I might be able to get away on the weekends once in a while but I’m needed here on Whiskey Hill.
Redwater airport is small, I can see every person who enters and unloads on the curb outside the front doors including Charlotte and her family. They all came to see her off like she said they would and like I wish they hadn’t.
You’d think I would have gotten my fill of her for a while over the past two days but I haven’t. I don’t feel like I ever will and that is an unnerving feeling.
Love ‘em and leave ‘em, or sometimes love ‘em a couple times and leave ‘em is what I’m known for but I absolutely cannot do that with this woman, I can’t.
I wait long enough for them to get inside and walk to her gate. I don’t wait long, her suitcase is small enough to fit in the overhead so they won’t be stopping to check her luggage.
Inside I scan the terminal and when I’m sure there are no Deardon’s in sight I head to the board with the flight information and find the one to Iowa. Flight 242 will be boarding at gate six in forty-five minutes.
I make my way through the thin crowd to gate seven straight across from where Charlotte and her family are sitting. Her sister Stella has her head bowed tapping away on her phone like Charlotte mentioned yesterday. Jake Jr. looks like he would rather be anywhere but here. Her mom keeps fussing with Charlotte’s hair, pushing it off of her shoulder, fluffing it, tucking little pieces behind her ear and her dad is speaking animatedly with his hands to whoever will listen.
Poor thing, she looks kind of miserable. But she’s patient with her mom, moving her hand away gently while she readjusts her hair and nodding at whatever her dad is saying.
I want to stroll over there and take her away somewhere private where I can kiss her beautiful bow shaped mouth and give her another proper goodbye. We decided to keep what’s happening between us a secret until she comes home permanently and moves into my house. She doesn’t need the added stress of her family’s disapproval when she’s trying to graduate and I’m good with that.
Slouching down in my seat I tip my favorite black cowboy hat forward to shield my face in case one of the Deardon’s looks my way. A rotund elderly woman is sitting on my right knitting the longest and ugliest black and green scarf I’ve ever seen. On my left is a kid, maybe seventeen years old who looks like a total stoner and smells even more like one. I’m surprised he got past security.
I entertain myself by people watching for about fifteen minutes before I’m bored out of my fucking mind and get out my phone to text Charlotte.
Me – You look beautiful.
I wait for her to receive the message and watch her slide her phone out of her purse. She reads it and smiles wide and suddenly her sister looks up from her phone to stare at Charlotte.
Her fingers glide across the keys quickly and she slips the phone back into her bag when she notices Stella watching her. My phone dings and I look down.
Charlotte – I don’t see you, which is good because hopefully my family doesn’t either and I’m just wearing jeans and a hoodie, not too glamorous but thank you.
My little princess has no idea what a knock out she is and that’s odd because back in high school she sure did. In fact, that was one of the reasons I didn’t like her from a distance. She strutted around in her designer clothes and expensive shoes with the in crowd flipping her long blond curls and swaying her hips.
I’m not saying that I don’t like her style or her hair or the way her ass sashays back and forth with every small step she takes. No, not at all, I love those things, but when you combine them with a bunch of snobby entitled kids and a queen of the school attitude they became downright ugly.
That’s not her anymore and it’s sad that it took a girl being raped to bring her to her senses but at least she did.
Me – You know how to rock a pair of jeans and a hoodie baby but I prefer you naked.
Her phone dings and I see her glance down at her bag but she ignores it when Stella arch
es her eyebrow high. I know it’s wrong but I send another.
Me – What, you don’t want to tell big sister you have a man?
Ding, ignore, repeat.
Me – You’re ignoring me, I don’t like it.
Ding, eye roll, ignore, repeat.
Me – Baby, I’m gonna keep on sending you text until you look at them so you may as well pay attention.
Her phone chimes for the fourth time in a row and she sighs with irritation and takes her phone out to read the messages. The corner of her mouth twitches with a smile at the first one but number two three and four make her frown. I watch her type a response and hit send.
Charlotte – You’re very stubborn and you’re going to get us caught. No I don’t want to deal with my sister right now. I haven’t even mentioned the ass hat she’s dating yet and I’m not ignoring, I’m avoiding. They will be gone soon and you will have my undivided attention, patience is a virtue you know.
Patience? I’m not a patient man and I don’t give two shits about virtue.
Me – I am stubborn and impatient I’ll give you that. Why did you have me look up her boyfriend if you’re not going to ask her about him? And ignoring and avoiding are essentially the same thing.
She glances down when she receives the message and fires one off of her own.
Charlotte – Meet me in front of the restrooms around the corner.
Now that I like. I unfold myself out of the tiny chair and make my way through the passengers getting ready to board flight number 542 to Las Vegas to find the restroom.
I watch her say something to her mom and dad who nod with understanding. But not Stella, she narrows her eyes and watches Charlotte walk away with her phone in her hand.
I text and walk at the same time. Me – Stella’s watching you, go inside the family restroom and leave the door open.
Charlotte – What? Are you nuts?
Me – No. Do it.
Charlotte – Omg, Beau, we can’t.
Me – Yes, we can.
Charlotte – What if someone needs in?
She’s making this difficult and it doesn’t need to be, not at all.
Me – Then they will wait.
Charlotte – You’re so stubborn.
Me – Yes, I am.
I lost track of her at some point when I was text arguing with her, but since I got the last word, I’m counting on her doing as she’s told.
When I reach the door to the family bathroom I look back to see if anyone is watching, namely Stella, but the coast is clear. I knock once and the door opens a crack. I step inside, lock it and before she can say a word I cover her sweet mouth with mine and distract the hell out of her.
Fucking hell she tastes good, and she smells even better. I’m a man used to getting what I want and Charlotte getting on a plane and flying fifteen hours away, five if your flying, is not what I want, not at all.
“You’re not even gone and I miss you already,” I say against her lips while we kiss. She sets about pulling my shirt out of my pants and sliding her hands up my chest while I lift her up onto the vanity counter that is meant for changing diapers.
“I need you,” she says her voice all hushed and sexy. My princess is learning to communicate her needs and I love it. Now if I can only get her to do it with a little dirty twist, we will have made stellar progress from virginity to sexual partners in a short amount of time.
“What do you need baby? Tell me what you want.”
She pulls away and looks me straight in the eyes, “I want you to fuck me hard right here in this bathroom while my family waits outside.”
Ah god she’s so fucking hot. “You got it baby.” I don’t waste any time unbuttoning her jeans. I slide her off the counter, turn her around and yank them down along with a pair of white lace panties that in the heat of the moment I remove and stuff in my pocket.
I unbutton my own jeans and place my hand on her back gently pushing her down until her cheek is pressed against the vanity. I came prepared with a condom hoping we might get an opportunity like this before she left.
I slide it on and run two fingers along her seam and into her hot wet pussy making sure she’s ready for me because this is going to be fast and dirty bathroom sex.
I take ahold of her hips and lift her up until she’s on her tiptoes. When she’s aligned with my cock I thrust in with a grunt. She gasps and spreads her arms wrapping her fingers around the edge of the counter to hold on and that’s a smart move.
I’ve been gentle and slow with her so far, making love to her, building her orgasms for hours, but today, we’re fucking. I slam into her at a punishing rate over and over digging my fingers into the flesh on her hips watching the muscles in her ass ripple from the force.
Her body tenses in my hands and her pussy spasms around me. I let go, gritting my teeth hard enough to chip them when I suppressing a roar.
She closes her eyes and I collapse on top of her kissing her back and murmuring my thanks against her skin. I needed to claim her one last time before she got on that plane but like M&M’s or popcorn it only makes me want more.
“I’m coming with you.”
Her head pops up and I slide out, dispose of the condom and help her off the counter.
“Beau, you can’t, you have the ranch and I have to concentrate on studying. There is no way in hell I will be able to concentrate with you around. I’ll want to do this all the time and I’ll end up flunking out of college, is that what you want?”
Of course it’s not. In the heat of the moment I lost my mind and got desperate. Beau Hill doesn’t do desperate, or at least he didn’t used to.
“I know princess, I lost it for a sec, you have a way of doing that to me.”
There’s a knock at the door, she jumps and we both turn our heads to the closed door. Then I look at her and hitch my thumb toward the door.
“Occupied, be out in a minute,” she says lying with ease, which doesn’t go unnoticed.
We adjust our clothes and I push my hand through my hair until it doesn’t look like I just fucked my woman in the airport bathroom. She does her best to rake through her own with her fingers and I help by adjusting her twisted hoodie.
“Do you have something of mine?” she says referring to the lacy scrap of material in my pocket.
“Yep, consider it a going away present.”
“I’m not going to be very comfortable like this.”
“You never go commando?”
“No, I don’t. Do you?”
I shrug, “Sometimes if the mood strikes me.”
“I don’t think there is a kind of mood that would make me go without panties.”
“I’ll have to teach you about that when you come home.” I wink and she fidgets in her jeans adjusting to the feel of the denim on her bare skin.
When we are ready I take her face in my hands and kiss her long and soft to give her something else to remember until I can get to Iowa.
“You go out first and hustle back to your gate, it’s close to boarding time. I’m going to head out to avoid running into your family since we got our goodbyes taken care of.”
“Okay.”
I turn and put my hand on the doorknob, she covers it with hers and I turn to her.
“Beau?”
“Yeah Princess.”
“You’re really coming to see me in Iowa?”
I straighten up and pull her against me when the impatient person who wants our family restroom knocks again.
“Yes, I am really coming to see you in Iowa. Every chance I get.” I kiss her on the forehead and release her. “We gotta go, another family needs the bathroom,” I say with a wink.
Her smiles relay that she is sufficiently reassured, sated, and ready to go back to school. My work here is done. I open the door half way and give her ass a swat when she passes me. She giggles and when she’s been gone a few seconds I step out to face a scowling red faced mother with a small baby on her hip and holding the hand of a toddler with the ot
her.
“Family emergency, sorry,” I say with a smile and a shrug. She harrumphs and stomps into the restroom and I make my way out of the airport just as they announce Charlotte’s flight is boarding.
Perfect timing.
When I’m in my truck I send one last text. Me – Fly safe princess, I don’t want anything to happen to you. I need you back here with me safe and sound a.s.a.p.
I start my truck and head home not expecting a response right away. I figure she’s hugging her parents and saying her goodbyes before she boards her plane but she text me back right away.
Charlotte – I’ll relay the message to the pilot, as I have no control over my safety other than wearing my seatbelt and listening to the flight attendants emergency exit spiel. I will do both of those things diligently though I promise. I’ll miss you.”
Me – Thank you, me too, call me when you get home.
Charlotte – I will, turning off my phone now, getting dirty looks from a flight attendant.
I don’t respond, one because I can’t drive and text and the light has turned green and two because I want her to stop texting so the flight attendant will take good care of her for me.
For the first time in my life I feel incomplete without a woman.
I need Charlotte with me.
I need my princess back.
19
Beau and the tornado
Charlotte
When my flight lands in Des Moines around nine p.m. I can hardly drag myself out of my seat, the stress and physical exertion of the past few days catching up with me.
A kind looking older man who sat across the aisle from me hands me my suitcase from the overhead compartment. I give him a weak thanks and trudge off the plane pulling it behind me. It feels like it weighs a thousand pounds instead of twelve but I’m glad I don’t have to stop at baggage claim. I have a forty-five minute drive home and I want to get going.
My bag isn’t the only thing that’s heavy, so is my heart. I’ve never had separation anxiety before. When I came to college it was a relief to be away from my family and friends and all of my ranch responsibilities. But tonight I feel the miles separating Beau and I deep in my bones. I developed a Beau addiction after my first hit and it feels like I just checked into rehab.