Mountain Man's Proposal

by Lauren Wood

  I was sitting in his lap and could feel the heated column of his flesh rubbing up against me. My argument for the reason why we couldn’t be together was slipping through my fingers. I had the foresight to change into something more comfortable before coming over. Sweatpants and a sports bra were adorning my body.

  “I’m here for whatever you need me for. I can listen to you or we could adjourn to the hot tub. I can see how you are revved up. It’s a matter of convenience to have me ready for you at a moment’s notice. A late night booty call only works with a woman calling the shots.” His manhood had unfurled to its full potential.

  “Don’t be surprised one of these days I take you up on your offer. Nothing would make me feel better than to physically explore every part of your body. I could lose myself in your eyes and how you can bring the woman out of me too many times to count.” I was talking myself into a fling with my best friend Copeland.

  He was a tall, dark, and handsome man with the kind of body I could spend a lifetime getting to know. There was no point in leaving him on the hook any longer. My libido was charged to full capacity. Running hot and on fire made me feel like reaching out and touching somebody in a profound way.

  “I want you more than you can ever know. I think our friendship would deepen considerably if we were to expand our horizons. Life is a mystery and you never know how long you have. Time is a constant that never stops.” I got up on my feet and put my hand out to show him I was ready to commit.

  The brown couch was atrocious, but he wasn’t going to give it up. He had gotten it from his father and the sentimental attachment was too strong to let go.

  He followed me and I could hear him breathing heavy with his eyes on the prize. My jeans were meant to be a focal point for his eyes. I liked the attention. It made me feel good to be desired by somebody of the opposite sex.

  “This is your chance to be with me in the Biblical sense. We’ve been neighbors for the past few years. My family life is an open book. I still have my secrets, but I think the same can be said for you. I’m not asking to have a ring on my finger. I know you have questions and I can’t answer them. I want to trust you, but I don’t think that you could ever look at me the same way.” We stood toe to toe by the hot tub with my body energized with a sexual need.

  “I look at you and I think about what is about to happen. I’m nervous for the first time in my life. It’s usually very simple to seduce and sleep with a woman. You’re my friend first and foremost. I want you to remember that.” I saw where this was going and I wasn’t very happy.

  “You’ve been teasing me for months with sexual innuendo. Is what I’ve been saying finally sinking into your thick skull? I would be impressed if I wasn’t so horny. Don’t say anything. Ruining the mood will only make me feel embarrassed.” He grazed my cheek with his fingers and traveled down to my neck and shoulders.

  “I don’t know what has come over me. I should be all over you like a cheap suit. I can’t take advantage of you like this. You might not be drunk, but you are high on something.” My nipples were sticking out plainly seen. He was looking at them with intense interest.

  “I can’t say this opportunity will come around again. You are taking the risk of not being with me at all. I don’t sleep with strangers. The last time I was with someone was two years ago. I don’t have the time or inclination to deal with clingy men. This is easy between the two of us. Why make it harder than it has to be? I’m throwing myself at you.” To give him the proper incentive, I grabbed his package and felt it thrust up against the towel wrapped around his waist.

  “I know I’m going to be kicking myself all night. It’s the right thing to do and we both know it. I will say you have made a compelling argument to jump feet first into the hot water.” He was fighting his natural urges burning in his loins.

  “We don’t have to think about this. Sometimes the most amazing things are spontaneous.” I very quickly got rid of the only thing preventing me from seeing him up close and personal.

  The towel came undone and dropped unceremoniously to the tile floor. His cock was 9-inches and ramrod stiff. There was no mistaking his excitement. I tried to get closer, but he put his hands out to defend his honor. It was the damnedest thing I had ever witnessed in my life.

  “Rachel, you don’t play fair and you’re making it very difficult to say no.” He was losing the battle and it wasn’t going to take very much to sway him to my way of thinking.

  “I want you to touch me and tell me you don’t want me. If you can do that then I won’t bring this up again.” I took a hold of his hand and placed it against my heaving bosom.

  With each rise and fall of my breath, my nipple pressed with direct contact against the palm of his hand. We were looking at each other with the beating of our hearts the only sound heard in the vicinity.

  “I want to in the worst way, but I need to pull back. When you are ready and not using me for your own selfish reasons then we can talk about it.” I was giving him my best moves and nothing was working.

  “My body demands more than lip service. Don’t make me resort to the several different implements I have in my collection back at my place. It’s a pale comparison to the real thing. We both know we would be amazing together. The night will unfold with several different pleasures inflicted on each of our bodies. I will make you cum so fucking hard that your eyes will roll into the back of your head.” He turned me and made me walk in a straight line back to the door leading to the outside.

  “Our friendship means more to me than a one night stand. You would know that if you took the time to listen to me. I’ve been looking for the chance to tell you how I feel. I hide my true feelings with sexual innuendo. It’s a bad habit I need to break. I can easily break you and make you squeal in submission.” That was exactly what I wanted to be spent and exhausted with very little energy to my name.

  “You can still change your mind. We can forget everything you just said. It seems foolish not to take every opportunity to have a little bit of fun. Life has a tendency to kick you around some. We deserve to be together.” I was fighting to free him from the burden of indecision.

  “Tell me where you were tonight and what you were doing. Don’t lie to me. I know you weren’t at one of your shifts at the diner. I called and found out you had the night off. Be open and honest. There’s no other way this is going to work between us.” He had me at a loss for words with my mouth open.

  “I know this is now or never. Give me some time. I don’t like ultimatums.” I was on the porch and the time staring at each other lasted forever.

  “Rachel, the best times of my life are those I spend with you. I have the lives of other people in the palm of my hand every day. I know more about them and their family than I do about you. You can change all that. I don’t think that you can do that.” Putting me on the spot was only going to make me defensive.

  “You are a drug and I need my fix. Don’t leave me in sexual withdrawals.” I couldn’t tell him what he wanted to hear without fearing some kind of retribution.

  “I don’t want to be your addiction. I’ve made this claim before and nothing has changed. I will have you, but it will be on my terms. This isn’t me seducing you. It’s the other way around. I don’t want any secrets between us. Being completely transparent is how we begin this budding relationship.” I felt entangled with a metaphorical chain around my neck choking off my air supply.

  “I thought it was going to be easy. I came over here to give you exactly what you wanted. Imagine my surprise when you don’t take me up on my offer. I crave what you can give me. I’m begging you to reconsider.” I was tempted to get down on my knees in a subservient role, but I couldn’t give him that kind of power over me.

  “I need some time to think about this. The risk factor of losing you as a friend is too strong. I have to be assured this isn’t going to make anything different between us. You can still come over, but don’t expect me to jump your bones.” I was bowled over with how
he was keeping his little friend in check.

  “Don’t take too much time. It’s likely I will go out and find myself something to hold me over for the time being. Closing that door will have me either going to the nearest bar after closing or taking matters into my own hands. It’s basically a 5050 chance one way or the other.” He closed the door and with it the necessary outlet to burn off the excess energy in my veins.

  I went over to my house and stopped with my body screaming at me to jump into his arms. The man was built to take a beating and keep on going. I wanted to see his stamina at work. I couldn’t bring myself to go and find another.

  It felt like I would be betraying the friendship I held dear to my heart. I had to find some use for the batteries and toys in my bedroom. It wasn’t even close to the flesh and blood man, not more than a few short steps away.

  Chapter three

  I tossed and turned most of the night twisting in the sheets until I was captured within it like a cocoon. I very carefully released myself from its bonds. Last night was a dismal disappointment. The only shining beacon was another criminal was off the streets.

  “I didn’t like how we left things last night. We need to talk about this.” His words echoed on the message he had left for me on my cell phone.

  I had listened to it verbatim for the past couple of hours trying to find some hidden meaning behind his words. My day job was waiting for me. I was lucky to have found someplace that complemented my extracurricular activities.

  I got into a plain gray skirt, zipping it up and putting on a nondescript white blouse to go along with it. I decided on my black leather boots. I was always bringing a little levity to a serious environment.

  I put on my black leather jacket. Standing there and getting the faint whiff of his cologne was taking me back in time. He was one of the main reasons I had decided to stop sitting on the sidelines. The final straw was seeing his dead body splayed on the concrete. My boyfriend’s death rattled me and brought up buried memories.

  Seeing him dead took me back to when my father was killed. It broke me into a million pieces. The only thing that kept me sane was giving justice to those who demanded it.

  I got on the bus and went through the routine with the other passengers from one stop to another. The smell of the diesel made me feel a little lightheaded. The prevailing opinion from those I could overhear was that the guardian was a beacon of hope to others.

  I saw my stop and stepped down to be greeted by a multitude of people with side arms. I was walking into the henhouse. The fox was right underneath their noses and they didn’t even know it.

  The Sergeant at the desk buzzed me up and I took my place in the civilian role of answering phones. It was a plum assignment for somebody of my unique understanding of the criminal mind. It gave me access to the cases they were working on.

  “Rachel, I was a little hesitant in hiring you, but I know when to eat crow. Your insight has proven to be invaluable. The research you have done has made a world of difference. I just wanted to come by to tell you how great a job you are doing for all of us.” Detective Rodriguez had a full plate and there was no way he could possibly know how close to his suspect he really was.

  “I’m just glad to do my part. I might be just a cog in the wheel, but I feel that I more than pull my weight. This job has given me more of a purpose. Your comments have touched me more than you can know. Before I forget, there’s somebody waiting for you in your office.” The chief of police was on a warpath looking to squash the rally of voices screaming for the guardian to come to their rescue.

  “I want you to remember this. Shit has the tendency to roll downhill. Nobody is willing to take responsibility without passing the buck. The Guardian is making a mockery of the police. Copycats are getting hurt trying to do the same thing. A young man tried to break up a mugging and is in a coma for his troubles.” It was not my intention to become a role model or somebody to emulate.

  “The Guardian might find imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I don’t presume to know what is going on in his head. I’m sure you have commissioned a psychological work up. These people are fed up and want to make a difference. They might not be going about it the right way, but everybody has free will. Appeal to their sense of safety for their family’s and loved ones.” He was nodding his head and was about to speak to the chief of police with the door open a crack.

  “I don’t want to hear it. The police have become a laughingstock. I’m holding you accountable. Get results or you will be pounding the pavement with the rest of the patrolman.” Rodriguez was never one to keep his mouth shut and this was going to be no different.

  “I don’t like the tone of your voice. I’ve been chasing down every lead. My team is talking to all of their criminal informants. I could shout out the window and see if the guardian decides to make an appearance. Hello…Mr. Guardian, come out wherever you are.” I heard his comments and they made me smile by how he was showing his frustration.

  “I’m getting heat from the Mayor and the Governor. There’s no reason to be flippant with me. I’m only repeating what I heard at the crack of dawn. It’s absurd for them to think we have the kind of resources to track down one lone individual playing by their own rules. There’s no pattern. There’s nothing to indicate how he picks his victims.” I was the cause of their argument.

  “The cases are not even localized to one precinct. I’m doing what I can get to the bottom of this. I don’t know why we have dubbed this individual a male. I’m not ruling out the possibility a woman is involved. Women tend to carry their emotions around on their sleeve. The lack of any real violence makes me hesitant to believe a man is responsible. There are no visible wounds and they are incapacitated with electricity.” I was becoming too predictable and was going to have to change my modus operandi.

  “I don’t know any woman capable of overpowering men twice their size. Don’t waste your time pursuing this line of investigation. Concentrate your efforts on disgruntled family members of victims. There’s a vast pipeline of those who have been wronged. Shake some trees and see what develops.” He was adamant and my fervent hope was that Rodriguez was going to take his advice.

  “I promise this will end with the person responsible behind bars where they belong. The more they do this the better chance they’re going to make a mistake. I’ve tracked several different instances dating back a couple of years. It started on December 24. I suspect there is meaning behind that date for the vigilante. I have some of the best minds working on it as we speak.” I didn’t like how this investigation was getting close to my doorstep.

  “I will let you get back to work Detective Rodriguez. I wanted to come down to impart to you the displeasure of those looking for answers. I like that you don’t get flustered. You have a bright future. I won’t be in this chair forever.” He stormed out and flew past my desk with a puff of air pushing against my fragile frame.

  Detective Rodriguez gathered his posse into his office to go over the pertinent details of the case. He came out for a few moments to give me some research. I was going to have to do everything in my power to limit my exposure. Giving him false leads and sending him down dark alleys was preferable over getting a pair of handcuffs on my wrists.

  The rest of the day was electric with activity. They depended on me to find that crucial piece of evidence. I was very good at finding a needle in a haystack. I couldn’t show that kind of fortitude during this investigation. Slowing it down to a tortoise crawl was necessary. I couldn’t give them those nails to pound into my coffin.

  I was sending them down the path of least resistance. It was easy to make them dance like puppets. It wasn’t amusing and I felt bad for making them chase their tails.

  I retrieved their lunch orders and came back to find Rodriguez screaming at a patrolman. He was pushing his finger into his chest inserting his dominance.

  “You’re the one that made the mistake. Don’t come back until you rectify it. I don’t want to hea
r any excuses. That camera independently recording the scene for a blog could have some damning information on it. Take back up and get that camera by any means necessary.” I swallowed hard and wondered if there was the slim possibility of being captured for posterity.

  I clocked out at 5:00 PM. The patrolman was back and carrying a camera in a plastic bag to preserve the chain of evidence. I had to get a look at it. I had no idea how I was going to accomplish such a feat. They would take a look at it when they arrived early in the morning. I was going to have to get there first. I couldn’t go back without raising suspicion. It was a risk to wait, but I was going to have to keep a low profile.

  I looked in on Copeland and found him at the bottom of a bottle of tequila. He was alert and I was able to slip in using the bathroom window. He was lying on the bed wearing only his boxer shorts with one hand holding onto the bottle. His equipment was working just fine. The liquor hadn’t subdued his excitement at seeing me in front of his eyes.

  “You’re dreaming.” He was under the influence of a controlled substance.

  “I’ve been dreaming about you all day. I can’t open up my eyes without thinking about you. I had to take a day off from the hospital claiming I was sick. I don’t want to feel this way. You tease me with satisfaction and I make the mistake of kicking you out of my house.” He got up and threw the bottle with enough force to make it shatter into a million pieces.

  “I’m a figment of your imagination. There are no limits when it comes to fantasies brewing in your head. Take me like you have thought about too often.” I quivered with anticipation when he pushed me down the hall and against the cold surface of the fridge.

  “I’ve always wanted a taste.” He had both hands on my face and was staring at me with his lips pursed.