The NYCE Girls!

by Raquel Belle

  “Uncle Trip!”

  “Huh?” I answer and blink rapidly. I look around wildly, and wipe my hand down my face. “Yeah, Kyle?”

  “Your phone’s ringing.”

  I don’t even hear it. “Oh, Okay… Hello, Mr. Gregor.”

  “Howdy, Tucker,” he says. “Say, you got a minute to help an old man?”

  “What do you need?”

  “My old Bessie got stuck in the mud, and it’s hard as heck to get her out.”

  “Okay. Give me a couple of minutes.”

  “You’re a fine lad,” he says in a gravelly voice. “Your papa did good raising you.”

  I smile and hang up. “Boys, how about we go give Old Mr. Gregor a hand getting his truck out the mud?”

  “Yay!” Conrad says. “Can I wear my cape? I can’t help without it.”

  I laugh. “Okay, go get it.”

  They both run back through the trees and to the house. By the time I catch up to them they’re already running back out—Kyle in his blue cape and Conrad in his red one.

  “Let’s go,” I say. “We should be back in no time, and then we’ll take showers and have supper.”

  They aren’t even listening. They charge to the truck and hop in. The entire ride they’re animated and pointing at things outside the truck only they can see.

  Mr. Gregor’s waiting for me outside his house when I pull up. He lives alone, since his wife died a few years ago. His two children live in different states and visit when they can, but for the most part, it’s just him.

  “Right this way,” he says and hobbles to the back of the yard. He’s bent over, after years of being a factory laborer. His clothes hang loosely on him, and his weather-beaten shoes lean to the side as he walks. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I wanted to drive to the store, you know. Got ahead of myself, it seems.” He laughs and looks back repeatedly as he talks.

  He lives on a farm, and used to have one of the biggest corrals when I was growing up. It’s empty now, and we see the loose pieces of board that hang from it when we get to the back of the yard.

  “It’s no problem. Anything I can do to help,” I say. “Come on boys,” I call to them.

  “You’d make a great father,” he says when he gets to the truck. “You and that pretty girl, Taylor’s girl…” He grins sheepishly, revealing several missing teeth in the front. “She’s a good match for you.”

  I smile at him. I check out the truck. The wheels are caught in the mud, so if he keeps spinning without any leverage, it’ll sink even deeper.

  “Mr. Gregor, you have to get in and hit the gas when I tell you. I’ll rock it loose.”

  “Oh,” he says, and gets in. He sticks his almost-bald head out the window. His sparse, thinning hair lays flat, and the freckles on his skin are even more pronounced because he’s older. “Now?”

  I check behind me and see the boys itching eagerly to get something done. “Kyle, Conrad, come right here next to me.” I position them in such a way so they won’t be in the way when the truck gets loose. “Push when I tell you and I bet we’ll get this truck free in no time.

  I press my hands against the door of the truck and brace to push. “Now, Mr. Gregor.”

  He starts the engine, and Kyle jumps back in fright. Conrad laughs at him so he pouts and gets up more determined than before. We push and rock as Mr. Gregor revs, and slowly the truck rolls out of the ditch.

  “Let go, boys!” I tell them, and they jump back.

  “We did it!” Kyle shouts and high-fives Conrad.

  I smile. “Yes, we did.”

  Mr. Gregor stops the truck and gets out. “Thanks so much, lad.” He grins a toothless smile at the three of us.

  “Anytime, Mr. Gregor. Are you sure you don’t want me to help with whatever you need at the store?”

  “I might be old, but I don’t want to feel completely useless,” he says and pats my back, “and I see you’ve got your hands full. Nice work, boys!”

  “Okay, we’ll see you around,” I say and round up the boys to head home.

  They’re still full of energy when we get back, but I tell them to get undressed and head to the bathroom for a shower anyway.

  I’m walking behind them when my phone rings. It’s Trisha. My brows dip. It’s odd for her to be calling me from work. I answer, “Hey, is something wrong?”

  “No,” she says. “I was just checking in on you and the boys.”

  “They’re about to take a shower.”

  “Okay. Did you eat dinner?”

  “I’m not really hungry. I ate on the road,” I say, all the while scratching my head about the conversation in general. Maybe she’s just concerned the boys are being a handful.

  “Okay. Well, later then.”

  “Sure.” I hang up. I stare at the phone for a couple of seconds and then shake my head. “Okay, then…”

  The boys are waiting for me, and in a couple of minutes I have them clean and ready for supper. They pass out on the sofa only minutes later, leaving me with nothing to do.

  I go out to the porch and sit on the swinging chair. The air is cool, and I listen to the sounds of the night as I relax. It’s a full moon tonight, and it gives me an idea.

  I take out my phone and call Jazz.

  “Miss me already?” She answers on the other end.

  “You know it. What would you say to a moonlight stroll?”

  “Tonight? Are you crazy? Trip, it’s cold.”

  “Not really,” I say, as I rock back and forth. “I’m outside now, and it feels great. I could use the company.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yes, really. So, what do you say? We can go to my barn… Remember the old haystack?”

  She begins to laugh. “The haystack? Really? Trip, I’m not sixteen anymore. I doubt that my parents will think it’s cute for me to be sneaking out at twenty-eight years old.”

  I smile. “Fine, no haystack. But you’re not getting away that easily.”

  “I’m sure I won’t,” she says. “Good night Trip.”

  “Good night, Jazz.”

  I stare at the phone long after she hangs up. I smile when I remember our first kiss, out in the barn. She had been so nervous, and I was so anxious I’d get it wrong. Of course, we both messed it up the first time. But we had a long time after that to get it right. And we were always more than happy to keep trying.

  I laugh into the night air, as the memory comes into focus. My Jazz, I think, and I relax into the chair and wait for Trisha to return.

  Chapter Ten

  Jasmine

  “Good morning sleepyhead,” Mom says with a giant smile as soon as I enter the kitchen.

  I’m still groggy and I haul myself up onto one of the barstools by the kitchen island. Mom slides a cup of coffee over to me. I accept it and yawn, then breathe it in. “Morning, Mom. Thank you very much.”

  The coffee feels good going down, and after a couple of sips, I’m feeling more awake.

  “There’s something really great about waking up here,” I say, and set the cup down. I place my hands on the island and lean forward. “It’s so quiet and peaceful.”

  Mom just smiles while she prunes flowers for the vase, snipping and maneuvering her head around to ensure her arrangement is perfect. Finally, she sets down the knife. “Yes, it is.”

  “There’s my little girl,” Dad calls when I hear his boots thumping behind me.

  “Get those things out the house!” Mom says, and her pleasant expression changes to annoyance as she stares at his work boots.

  “I’ll be out in a minute,” he grumbles and comes over to kiss my head.

  I smile and rock into him. “Hey, dad.”

  “Aren’t you going to have something to eat before you go out into the yard?” Mom asks, her face still tight.

  He waves her off. “Just some coffee. I’ll eat when I get in.” Dad whispers in my ear, “the house feels a lot better with you here,” and I start to giggle.

  “I heard that,” Mo
m calls after him.

  “The woman is insufferable,” he says, but when I glance over at her she’s smiling.

  Dad moves from beside me, clunks over to her, and takes her hand. He starts to dance to a silent rhythm and attempts to twirl her.

  “Pete, stop this nonsense,” she says, and blushes as he pulls her to him and forces her to move to the imaginary tune.

  “Aww…” I croon at them.

  “She likes it,” Dad whispers loudly, and we both laugh as the two shuffle across the kitchen floor, until Mom manages to get loose and swats him off with the kitchen towel.

  “I think so too,” I say, laughing.

  “See you later, Jazz,” he says gruffly and walks past, sinking his fingers into my collar as he does.

  I watch him go and then I turn to Mom. “It’s nice to see you guys still so happy after all this time.”

  “Hmm,” she says. “I wish the same thing for you, and don’t get me wrong. It isn’t easy. It’s a lot of work and compromise, but with the right person, it’s worth it.”

  I groan after her mini speech and rest my chin on my folded arms. “I think I’m going to die alone. New York is a tough place to date.”

  Mom comes over to me and sits on the stool next to me. “Well, you have a perfectly good man right here.”

  “Mom, that’s the problem. Trip’s life is here. Mine isn’t.” I rock my head and finally rest my cheek on my arm. “I don’t want to start something that won’t go anywhere. And I don’t want to hurt him.”

  “You shouldn’t worry about him. He’s a grown man, and he knows what he’s doing. He’s no idiot. And anyone with eyes can see he’s still in love with you.”

  I sigh. “It doesn’t matter. None of that matters anymore. In a few days this will all be over.”

  “So, you’re not going to see him again?” She tilts her head and smoothes my mess of curls.

  “I am, actually. Today,” I say. “It’s not like we don’t have feelings for each other. But this won’t work. I don’t see how.”

  “Life has a way of working things out for itself, my child. Just you wait and see. Sometimes all it needs is a little push.”

  “Well, you saw to that,” I say, reminding her of what she did when she stopped by the auto-shop after she picked me up at the airport.

  She laughs softly and gets up. “I didn’t say you had to be the one to help it along.” She winks and walks off, and I’m left with the thoughts she planted in my head. Maybe not planted, but at least watered. They’re already there. I can’t help the feelings that have been stirred by being with and around Trip.

  He touches me, and my body melts. He’s near me, and I want him to touch me. I’m away from him, and I watch my phone eagerly, hoping to hear from him. There’s no doubt I’m still in love with him, but is that enough?

  I finish my coffee and drag myself back to my bedroom. I fall back on the bed, just as my phone starts ringing.

  My heart races, and I lunge at the device as if it’ll explode if I don’t catch it on the first ring.

  “Hi, good morning,” I answer sweetly when I see it’s him.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” he says, and the way his voice sounds groggy, I know he’s only just left slumber-land.

  “Did you just wake up?”

  “Yep. Had to have my morning cup of Jazz,” he says, and all parts of me begin to tingle.

  “Oh, yeah? So, what do I get?”

  “You get anything you want,” he says softly, his voice deep and caressing. “As long as I’m giving it.”

  I’m hugging my pillow and rolling around the bed before I realize it. “What are you doing today?”

  “Same as always. I’ll go by the shop. I’m betting some tourists will be by today.”

  “Okay. I don’t have any plans. Just might help Mom around the house if she needs me to.”

  “So, I’ll see you later, then?”

  “Careful, Trip,” I say. “You don’t want to take up all of my vacation time.” I start to nibble my lower lip. I’m now on my belly with my feet in the air.

  He laughs. “And here I thought I was being sneaky about it. You caught me!”

  “Were you now?”

  “Yep.”

  “What do you have in mind this time?” I ask.

  “I’ll think of something,” he says, and I hear the bed creaking as he moves. He’s getting up, and all I can think about is him naked. I cover my eyes, like that’s going to help.

  “Okay. See you later then.”

  “Later, babe.”

  He hangs up, and I flop onto my back and clutch the phone to my chest. What am I going to do with you, Trip? What am I going to do at all?

  I sigh and stare at the ceiling for a while, knowing I’m walking into a blazing furnace with no escape. I’m definitely playing with fire, and damn if it doesn’t feel good.

  I hang around for the rest of the day, helping Mom, talking to dad, and most importantly, watching the time.

  Mom looks up from her knitting and says, “Have a date?”

  I blush. “I do.”

  She just smiles. I hate when she does that. She has a sixth sense about things that can be downright scary sometimes.

  It’s after four when Trip calls, and I’m delirious with anxiety.

  “Have fun,” Mom calls after me when I get up.

  I make a funny face at her and walk quickly to my bedroom. He’ll be picking me up by five, after he goes home and freshens up.

  This time, I’m deliberate about what I wear. No jeans. No leggings. Something a bit more on the flirty side. I slip into a long, black maxi dress that sweeps my ankles, but also reveals my curves. It’s sleeveless, and I throw a cardigan over my shoulders to stave off some of the chill in the air.

  Soon after, Trip arrives, wearing shorts, and I shake my head.

  “Wow,” he says when he sees me. When his hand touches the small of my back, I shudder, and he notices and grins. “Cold?”

  “Not really,” I say. “Maybe a little too warm now.” I get in the truck and turn to face him when he’s inside. “So, where to now?”

  “I’m glad you don’t think it’s cold. I have a quilt in the back, some sandwiches, a bottle of wine…”

  “Oh, you thought of it all, didn’t you?”

  He grins at me. “Yep.”

  “And where are we going? Or is that a surprise?”

  He winks at me, and the truck pulls onto the road. It doesn’t take long for me to realize where he’s going, and I start to laugh when I do. “Mill Creek?”

  “Took you long enough,” he says, with a broad smile on his face.

  It’s a river on the edge of town, and where we spent so much of our time as teens. We finally arrive. There’s a gorge that overlooks a grove of trees, and I wander over to it, already feeling the effect of the memories.

  I hear him behind me, and I turn to see him bringing the blanket and goodies over to me. “Here, hold this,” he says and hands me a basket.

  “Smells good,” I say, taking a whiff of the smells emanating from within.

  He finishes with the blanket and sits down on it, then pats the spot next to him, and I fall to my knees…not quite on the spot he’d indicated.

  “No, not there,” he says and grabs me, pulling me to him. We fall over, and I’m on top of him, eyes wide and heart pounding.

  He moves the hair from my face, in the most sensitive way, and then makes a low growling sound before he reaches up and kisses me.

  I clutch the back of his head like it’s life or death, as we begin a slow waltz of our tongues. I’m breathing nervously, and it gets worse when I feel his hand moving down my side, down to the curve of my ass, and back up again.

  “Trip,” I mumble, still fighting what I know is inevitable.

  “Shh,” he whispers in my ear, and I tremble when I feel his tongue tracing the outline of my ear. “Not this time.”

  I throw my head back and let him kiss my neck, and when I feel his hand cov
er my breast, I know there’s no going back. There’s no sense in it.

  I curl my hand around his neck, and he slips his hand inside my dress. His hand is warm over my breast, and I turn breathless as he thumbs my nipples.

  “I’ve wanted you for so long,” he mumbles against my skin, as he dips his head and circles my nipple with his tongue.

  I moan and reach up to grab a tuft of his hair. “Oh, god…”

  His mouth is warm, even through the fabric, and when he moves it away, the cool air mingles with his hot mouth, and sends me into a heated rush.

  I pull my legs up under myself, just as his fingers start sliding over me and down my legs. His hand comes back up, a handful of the fabric with it, as he pushes my dress upwards.

  I’m panting now, and my head feels like a neon balloon—light and floating away from the rest of me.

  He presses against my thigh, and I can feel his hardened erection throbbing and twitching against me. I reach down and use my thumb to massage the peak through his shorts.

  He hisses and grunts before he moves up my body again. “How do I get this thing off?” He asks as he pushes on the dress.

  I giggle and raise myself on my upper back to slide the dress under my ass.

  “Fuck!” he moans and stares at the lace thong I’m wearing.

  He runs his palm over it, and then he gropes it, and I suck in a deep breath as sensations run amuck in my body.

  His lips find mine again, and this time it’s his tongue in my mouth, probing. I lock my fingers behind his head, pressing his mouth tighter onto me.

  He begins to move his finger over my clit, and I shake harder. I can’t control the feelings he’s invoking, and he’s forcing me to the edge faster than I want to get there.

  “I’ve always wanted to taste you,” he says against my mouth, and his eyes twinkle when he lets go of my lips and starts sliding down my body, kissing every part of me until he hovers over my hot, soaking, pussy.

  I stare at his head, my chest heaving, and when his tongue darts out of his mouth and connects with my pulsating clit, I lose it. The moan escapes my mouth, mixing with the sounds of the night.

  His head bobs, as he works his tongue, massaging my clit and causing temporary madness inside me. I grip him at his temples and bury his head further into my cunt, spreading my legs wide to give him full access.