Mountain Man's Bride

by Lauren Wood

  I found some time to be by myself, but I needed to confront him and see if there was any room in his life for me. It could’ve been a strictly physical thing without any kind of emotional involvement, but the only way that I was going to find out was to face him. I decided there was not time like the present. I was soon driving over to his place. I could only hope for a repeat performance of what we did there.

  “I know I shouldn’t be here, but we really do need to talk.” I was standing outside his home talking into the intercom. “If you’re trying to avoid me then it would be a good idea to put your car in the garage. It’s one thing if you have somebody there, but it’s another thing entirely if you don’t have the courage to discuss the future.” I waited and I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but I certainly didn’t believe for a second he would open the door. I heard his footsteps approaching with my heart in my mouth.

  “I was wondering how long it was going to take you to come here. I thought we could have a little bit of fun on the side while you work your voodoo with my staff. Women are all the same and they all want to talk about their feelings. Since you’re here already, you may as well come in and have a drink. I know that I’m going to need some liquid encouragement to get through this.” I didn’t think it was fair of him to make any assumptions, but he wasn’t wrong. I did have something on my mind.

  I had a glass of wine and the truth was hard to face without what he called liquid encouragement. Something happened when I held him and I was sure the idea of letting me down softly was his way of protecting his heart.

  He drank straight whiskey and he was beginning to make me doubt that our story would have a happy ending. “I’ve never considered a commitment in my life.” This was not where I wanted the conversation to go. “I’m not getting any younger and my biological clock is ticking. I find myself in the stage of life where I need something more than just a one night stand.” I didn’t dare to hope, but he did sound like he was ready to change his ways.

  “I’m going to stop you right there and it might be better to quit while I’m ahead. I hear what you’re saying and I never thought that I had this kind of influence on you. I don’t want to assume that I’m the girl you want and it’s entirely possible you’re talking about somebody else.” I had no reason to get my hopes up, but then he took my hand and placed the back of it against his lips.

  “I feel a need to apologize and I never gave your profession any kind of respect. I’ve done some research and the results are in your favor. Most who are willing to speak about their experience with you have told me how you have been instrumental in making them open up their eyes. Their not the only ones and I find myself wondering about the path not taken.” He had never had an interest in family and having children was something that he couldn’t even fathom bringing into the world.

  “It shows some real growth that you no longer want to play with people’s hearts. I was afraid of hoping for more than what you could give me. I would’ve taken anything, but this is beyond my wildest dreams.” We continued to drink and then inevitably our clothes began to melt from our bodies until he swept me into his arms and brought me to where the magic happened.

  My body craved his touch. The way that we moved from one position to another was a seamless act of acrobatics. I felt inclined to break out some old favorites from a certain Indian book of sex acts and positions.

  I knew he was the one for me when I felt him inject the sweet relief from between his legs. It didn’t stop and we continued to rut like wild animals. Nothing was going to stop us and then we flopped down onto the mattress completely covered in our own depravity.

  His cock was still inside me dripping the remnants of what he had just delivered like a demon possessed. It slowly retracted from inside my body. I had never had it this good. If this pace kept up I would need the female equivalent of the little blue pill. Relationships have the possibility of going stagnant and the sex can become routine which was something I did not fear coming from Jules.

  His issues with his family were going to continually affect his sex life, but I was going to be pretty damn happy until such time I cured him of such misconceptions.

  “I want to tell you that I never thought that I would be affected by a woman like this. I always considered a woman to be there for my pleasure, but you proved to me that a woman’s needs are just as important.” For the first time in his life, he had found a woman willing to meet him halfway. He no longer had to hold them to a lower standard. I was one that gave him the insight and it felt good, but I was a little hesitant to have him out of my site.

  This was an issue that I was going to have to work through on my own with the possibility of attaining a good therapist. I was not opposed to someone digging in my head, especially when I was dealing with the many secrets that had been unearthed. These people had problems and I was afraid of what would happen when the past would repeat itself.

  In the next few days, I found that his business was suffering because of my interference. He had decided to go legitimate and was no longer taking cases where he knew they were guilty. A lot of people had to take a pay cut, but they were willing to do that to make a true difference. I had been put on retainer and given a permanent position not only in his bed but at the office.

  I was right about the staff needing to get some things off their chest and some were more shocking than others. I tried to separate my work from my home life.

  I found him willing to go through therapy at my hand as long as it was in combination with a happy ending. It could either come from my mouth, my tiny little hole, or even by the manual strangulation of my hand. If I wasn’t careful I was going to come down with a case of carpal tunnel syndrome. It would be worth it and the end result was that we were closer because of it.

  I was at first hesitant, but the added component of sex during therapy was a nice change of pace. I had to smile every time another one of his staff would lie down in the very same position that I had with my legs in the air. Had they known what had gone on, they probably would want to burn the leather couch and never be able to look at either myself or Jules the same way again.

  They probably thought there was no possible way that we would mix business with pleasure in the office, but what they didn’t know didn’t hurt them.

  I was certainly going to have my hands full and then I looked up from my desk to see that he was completely naked with a ribbon and bow to signify our one month anniversary. Nothing was for certain, but I was happy and I could only hope nothing was going to take that away.

  I would fight them to the death for what I had and the plus sign on the test certainly was a good indication of the possibility of him passing on his legacy to his prodigy. That news could wait until after I satisfied my sweet tooth.

  THE END

  SEDUCED BY ALIEN OVERLOAD

  Kayla Hartley has settled. She was taught, at the tender age of three, that she would never be good enough for anything or anyone. Life would come much simpler to her if she held her tongue and always said yes. Her mother was adamant to teach her daughter, she led by example.

  When Kayla was born, her father decided he wasn’t interested in changing diapers. He left. Her mother didn’t much care from changing diapers either. Her resolution was to place Kayla in an empty room and close the door. To this day, Kayla wasn’t certain if this act was to conceal her from temporary lovers or if it was a ploy to muffle her cries. Whatever the reason, Kayla’s familiarity with abandonment and loneliness is textbook. Her only comfort is found in the misfortune of others. Reason number one why she became a journalist. Reason number two: it rendered her immortal.

  Kayla’s concern with immortality spawned by the drunken hands of her boyfriend. At every given moment Kayla feared the loss of her life. Kevin was abusive and controlling. He would hand Kayla a black eye or a broken rib on a silver platter if she so much as took the long route home. Her life was a series of disappointment and abuse. Kayla was confident that her mother would be pr
oud of this fact. Had her mother not started shooting heroine between her toes, Kayla could confirm this assumed maternal approval. Instead she would step on her mother’s grave and curse that woman’s existence in her sleep.

  At first Kevin didn’t seem so bad. Even after the first broken bone, Kayla knew that Kevin lusted after her. She stayed. With each empty bottle, Kevin’s hand would fall heavier. With each empty bottle, Kayla felt inclined to settle. How would this man survive without her? Better yet, how would she survive without him? Kayla knew nothing other than control. Without someone to answer to, her life would become an abyss. She needed Kevin just as much as he needed her.

  ***

  Kayla looked at the time, four fifty. Uncomfortably, she shifted in her seat, twirling her long brown hair between her fingers. She had exactly forty minutes to get home before Kevin would see the bottom of his first bottle.

  “I’m sorry Mr. Gosbin, but I have to cut this interview short. I have prior commitments I must attend to.” Kayla outreached her fragile hand to the CEO of Industrial Cosmos Atlantic. She winced slightly at the pressure of the handshake. Her hand hadn’t quite healed from Kevin’s last escapade.

  This interview was potentially the most important of Kayla’s career. Industrial Cosmos Atlantic has been making leaps into accounts of space exploration. They had been improving means of transportation via space highways for several decades now. A trip to another galaxy was becoming as simple as a weekend road-trip. With seven new galaxies uncovered in the past year, Industrial Cosmos was well spread across newspapers and tabloids across Earth. Kayla was the first journalist they had allowed past the wrought iron gates. They had granted her an exclusive insider interview. It burdened her to cut it short.

  “Are you certain you have enough information Mrs. Hartley?” Mr. Gosbin glanced down at his watch.

  “Ms. Hartley.” Kayla corrected, a placid smile across her pretty face. “I appreciate the time you have given me, I have exactly what I need for this article. Thank you again Mr. Gosbin.” She gathered her notebook and slung her bag over her frail shoulders.

  Thirty minutes later Kayla was crossing the parking lot toward her shabby apartment door. She hesitated, inhaling, before proceeding through the entrance to her living nightmare.

  “Hey babe, I’m early!” her voice echoed through the empty one bedroom apartment. She slid her bag off her shoulder onto the linoleum floor. Wincing, she massaged her shoulder from the weight of her bag. Since she dislocated her shoulder last year, it hadn’t felt the same. She learned quickly to stay clear of stairwells when Kevin was in the vicinity.

  Her greeting rang unanswered through the apartment. Kayla made her way around the hallway toward the kitchen. She parted the dusty rose-colored curtains and peered into the back parking lot. Kevin’s motorcycle was in its usual space. Certain that he must be home, Kayla called out again, “Kevin, are you hungry?” Again, no response.

  Assuming he had seen many empty bottles at this point, Kayla trudged toward the bedroom. Bucket in hand, prepared for the mess ahead of her. Without hesitation she leaned into the door and entered.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Kevin leapt out of the bed with a hand over his junk. A painted-up young girl clung to the stained sheets. Her breasts exposed and age concealed. Kayla estimated she would be pushing eighteen.

  “I’m so sorry.” Kayla dropped the bucket and automated herself to the door. She could hear Kevin bounding across the room toward her. This was the first time Kayla had truly felt betrayed by him. Through every bruise and beating, Kayla didn’t doubt his love for her. Seeing him with someone else, in the bed that they had shared, shattered all of her hope and diminished her false securities.

  Kayla reached the front door and snatched up her bag managing to bring it up to her shoulder. As Kayla’s hand brushed the brass door-knob, a bottle of Jack Daniel’s smashed into a thousand pieces two inches above her head. Kayla braced herself for what might happen next.

  “Look what you made me do!” Kevin shouted, fumbling down the hallway toward her. His words slurred under the wash of whiskey.

  Kayla knew better than to respond.

  “Thanks to your fucking job, I’m stuck in this dump alone every day.” Kevin took a swig of something that resembled burnt motor oil.

  What’s holding you back from finding your own job? Kayla withheld. She wouldn’t dare breath those words to him. The last time she mentioned finding him a job, he handed her a broken jaw.

  “Because of you I have to find a good fuck on the side of the road. Does that make you happy?” His hand wrapped around the back of her neck. He applied pressure forcing her cheek against the cold metal door.

  Kayla’s heart was broken. Not only for herself but also for the minor cowering under the sheets in the next room. She couldn’t remain silent any longer. Her next words were chosen carefully. “You could go to jail for even thinking about touching her. She’s a child, Kevin.”

  Kevin wound his fist back, ready to bring it down hard against Kayla’s vulnerable flesh. “I could fucking kill you right now.” He spat in her face.

  Kayla gathered what strength she had. “Let me go and I won’t lock you up.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut as Kevin slammed his fist through the drywall beside her. Adrenaline pumped through her veins forcing her to make a decision that might change everything she knew. There was no better opportunity, she slipped through the door and ran. For the first time in her life, Kayla didn’t look back.

  ***

  Sipping her café latte, Kayla tapped her foot impatiently waiting for something to happen. Feeling her heartbeat in her throat was not a sensation Kayla was unfamiliar with. However, this time it was different. It was a sensation of excitement and rejuvenation. Finally freedom greeted her without waving a choice finger.

  “Kay, girl, what did I miss?” Lonnie slumped down beside Kayla stealing a sip of her latte. He winced at the bitterness and slid the cup back toward her. “What happened to drinking macchiato and double whips?”

  Kayla could only taste the bitterness of blood, she was biting her tongue so hard. Where would she begin? “I missed you, Lon.”

  Lonnie waived a passive hand in her direction. “Girl, you know I’m always here. Don’t be such a stranger.”

  “What have you been up to?” Kayla decided to shift the spotlight toward Lonnie while she gathered her own thoughts.

  “What have I been up to recently? Or what have I been up to over the past eighteen months?” Lonnie pursed his lips and turned his nose up.

  Heat reached Kayla’s cheeks. She hadn’t spoken to Lonnie since the first incident with Kevin. Lonnie begged her to press charges but Kayla argued it wouldn’t happen again, she loved Kevin. Even though, deep down, she always knew Lonnie was right.

  “I’m so sorry Lonnie.” The apology stained her lips. Kayla reached for her friend’s hand. “Tell me everything.”

  He bounced up with a forgiving smile wiped across his face. “I met someone.” He started, coyly.

  She was uncertain why, but Kayla felt a pang of guilt and envy strike her. Through a forced smile, “Tell me all about him! How did you meet?”

  “Oh Kay, baby girl, he is an absolute diva. I am so in love. You must meet him.” Lonnie took another hesitant sip of Kayla’s latte. “We met online sweetie! It’s unbelievable how many people there are in the universe just waiting to meet you. Rin is from Yeba.” His amusement captured Kayla’s full attention.

  “Yeba? That’s the new galaxy uncovered by Industrial Cosmos isn’t it?” Kayla recalled her previous interview with Mr. Gosbin.

  “Not only did they discover it but they have secured a truce. The solar highway passes right by Yeba. It’s strange that they hadn’t discovered it sooner.” Lonnie shook with excitement. “You’ll start seeing more and more Yebans on Earth now Kay. Rin is my soul mate. It feels like only yesterday space travel was so far beyond our reach and now it’s possible to find love in another galaxy!”<
br />
  “I left Kevin.” Tears burdened Kayla’s eyes. She could sense her mother rolling over six feet below.

  Lonnie’s eyes brightened but then settled when he realized his friend might need compassion prior to celebration. “Kay…” he grasped Kayla’s hands. “What happened?”

  “I caught him in bed with someone else.” Kayla was resentful. Fastidiously, she admitted the words she fought for so long to harbor. “But that wasn’t all. He hit me far too many times. So hard that I finally saw a glimmer of light.” Her weak attempt to play it off coolly.

  Silence surrounded them. Lonnie scrambled the words together. “I’m proud of you.”

  “Sure you are.” Kayla tossed her green eyes to the side. “You always hated Kevin.”

  “Truth.” He admitted confidently. “But you loved him. Leaving him makes you brave, baby-girl.”

  Sucking on this information was sour. She knew that Lonnie was right but couldn’t help scolding herself for retaining this decision for so long.

  “I don’t know what I am supposed to do next.” She conceded.

  A longing smile escalated across Lonnie’s face. “Sweetie, let me introduce you to Infinite.”

  ***

  Contrite, Kayla measured the lengths of Lonnie’s apartment. Escalating heartbeats and insecurities over unexplored opportunity. The computer displayed notification of Kayla’s potential future.

  Infinite was the largest grossing intergalactic dating service online to-date. With ninety-eight percent match success, Kayla figured she had little to lose and a lot to gain.

  “Are you going to check that?” Lonnie snuggled up to Rin on the sofa.

  Warily, Kayla looked over at the smitten pair. Granted, she longed for the comfort of their relationship but feared the alien concept in more ways than one.

  Her first encounter with Rin earlier today went much smoother than she would ever have imagined. He was polite and had adjusted to customs on Earth without a hitch. Kayla’s happiness for Lonnie overflowed and she couldn’t agree more with the newfound companionship.