by Adams, Zoe
“Because a woman would be insane to listen to you and not react on a very deep, physical level.” Lady eyed him ferociously.
Del thought for a moment. She was right. He had this land, and its family issues under control. Now he found something else he wanted.
The chicken and cake were pulled from the oven. He brought two full plates to the table. Dinner wasn’t complete without a few condiments from the refrigerator. He sat down across from her.
“Is this what you do every night?” Lady inquired.
“Mostly the same. I believe in four food groups. Fresh meats, frozen foods, sugar, and coffee. I usually decide dinner based on what cooks in five, twenty, or sixty minutes.”
Lady had been taking tiny bites of food, then she giggled.
“It’s nice to know you can cook dinner.”
Del laughed. “Yes, ma’am, I’m a professional. I can thaw the most frozen things, and then eat them. But, the only thing I really want to know is how to keep you smiling. I think a few birthday candles on the cake should do the trick.”
He jabbed nineteen candles on the cake. Del started lighting the multi colored shorts.
“Do you want me to sing the birthday song?” he asked.
Lady blushed. “No, please don’t.”
Del smiled, and soon the cake was properly blazing.
He looked up at her. “You’re so beautiful by candlelight. I won’t sing, so instead I’ll give you the old Ericson blessing. May the Gods who shone on your birth do it again: for today and for forever. Happy birthday, Ms. Lady, whatever your last name is.”
“Thank you.” Lady waited.
“Go ahead. Blow out your candles.”
“I will. This is just too much. You don’t even know me but say the nicest things.”
Del kept his mouth shut this time and pointed to the cake nervously.
Lady grinned at the dessert. The candles melted down into a multi colored layer of wax over the cake. Soon they would be nothing.
Lady looked at him slyly. “I know my wish. I’ve had it my whole life. I hope the first time I have sex is incredible.”
Lady closed her eyes and blew out the candles. Del’s lungs lost all oxygen as well. His body temperature rose. The room was suddenly stiflingly hot. He moved one arm without looking and swung a window open. He took a few deep breaths of air but couldn’t move. He stared at her like a helpless piece of frozen food.
She blew him over with the virginity announcement. She stopped looking at him expectantly, and put her attention on dessert. The fancy cake knife slid beneath the wax. Soon the cake was cut into neat little triangles.
“I can tell you’re still in shock. Here, take the first piece of cake. Maybe you just need some sugar.”
Del’s jaw dropped again. Earlier she really had been listening to him. It easily drew him into her world, and complimented him. The honor she gave him jolted his suspension from reality. If Lady wanted to give him something, then Del didn’t care how long the night lasted.
“Thank you,” Del said fervently.
If it weren’t for his old-fashioned upbringing, he wouldn’t have anything to say. He silently said a prayer of joy and took the offering. He took a bite of food. It was like cardboard in his mouth. All the conversation he could think of seemed trivial. His fork was set down gently.
“I’m done eating,” Del managed coherently. “You can have as much as you want.”
“I can?” Lady didn’t look at the cake.
She stood up and left the food behind. Stepping away from the table, she looked at him willingly.
“No man has ever seen all of me before.” Lady had her hands on her hips and started inching the dress up. “I want it to be someone with rough hands and Viking-ish qualities.”
Del took a heavy swallow of air. His brain needed more oxygen. He swallowed hard but remained transfixed. Usually he had lots of words for women. Usually he shocked them.
Lady was sent from somewhere else to test his manhood. Like an angel. He had been preparing for the perfect woman his whole life, but never in his wildest dreams did he imagine Lady to be all she was.
Del was going to make her a woman. He would do his species a great service and accept the little virgin. Bagging such a trophy stunned him. His mind couldn’t move forward. It was hopelessly lost on her.
She was a fire starter, and Del roared for her. Outwardly, he wondered if he looked as shocked as he felt. Every time he opened his mouth only air came out. Silence ensued but their eyes held a connection.
“I can smell you from here,” she said. “Ever since that first time I saw you at the gas station tonight, I’ve been planning on seducing you.”
Del nodded. “I’m sure you could get me to do whatever you want. I keep thinking you’re as good as it gets. Then there’s more about you to like, and then there is something else. And I already reached my highest level of respect for you a while ago. You just go on and put a cherry on top of everything. You look very nice. Tonight I’m the country fool. Is it really this easy to fall in love? I could make love to you, slow and passionate, all night. Then fall asleep and you would rob me blind. Or worse yet, I wake from this dream and we have never met.”
Lady’s voice lilted, “To wake from a dream like this and be all alone again would be very sad.”
She snared him with her warmhearted bluntness. “We could stay up all night just to make sure. Country ways are nice. But you have to answer one question. Why are you single? I’m sure you can have anyone.”
“The same question goes right back to you.” Del struggled with his senses. “Maybe we were both waiting for the right person. I’ll definitely have you. But first, it has to be special. There’s a special place I want to take you.”
Del packed a cooler of beer and supplies. They made their way to the back of the house.
“It’s a walk from here. Can you make it?” Del asked.
“Yes, of course I can walk. Do I look decrepit or something?” Lady was being ironic and it shocked him back to some form of earth.
“No.” Del felt less awkward. “Just wait for the surprise. You’ll like it. I swear you’ll be glad you waited.”
“Yeah. I’ve been saying that for a long time and have never really meant it.” Lady sounded like she was frowning.
They walked a little ways and then she said, “I like your farm. Do you ever walk around naked?”
“Sometimes.” Del used a heavy voice. “But it’s really hard to shovel that way.”
Lady continued the serious charade. “I’m sure the land gives a certain admiration. Maybe it’s time for a person to give that to you instead.”
Lady’s voice was clear. He could hear and understand every word even when she was turned away. She was nervous or giddy. But it was a nice accompaniment to her wits.
“It’s everything about you, Del. I bet you look like a wild savage when your hair is down. You are dressed very nicely, like in a timeless way. Men have been wearing cowboy boots and vests for hundreds of years. You could belong to any one of those years. I like how you smell. It’s a nice combination of spruce, cinnamon, and leather. It’s the smell of things worked for. I guess it’s your sweat, but your house smells like the pinnacle of manliness. You act like a man who expects the best, and waits for it. But you dress poor and try to fly under the radar or something. You’ve worked through my grenade dropping with perfect poise. It’s refreshing that you work for a good outcome. I like your energy.”
Del’s mind was a whirlwind of information and feelings. On some level he felt equal to her. Like they were both intellectuals standing at the same height. Then he realized she was rich and put her back on a pedestal.
“I hope you like this.” He picked up her hand. “Are you okay? Is it too dark to see? Just focus on the ground right in front of you. It’s a little bit further and we’ll be at my teepee.”
Her skepticism came out loud. “Ha. You told me to skip the Super 8 so I could stay in a tent?”
&nbs
p; Del held her hand tighter. “You can tease me now, but wait until you see it.”
Chapter 3
The sound of four shoes softly padded across the field. After another minute of walking, Del turned them in a different direction. Soon, a tannish triangle appeared. It grew bigger as they approached. The teepee took up a grand space in a giant circle.
Del uncrossed the poles at the door. The gap of leathers loomed darkly in front of them.
“All right, Lady, this is it,” he said.
“Is it safe?” She remained permanently still.
“Ha, of course it is.” Del laughed. “I spend a lot of time here. The outdoors is peaceful. Look at the house. It’s lit up with one big light, and it’s all you can see out here. All of this space makes me feel small and big at the same time. I had to build something special here. So I built a teepee.”
Del wondered if she understood him. Lady’s expression was pure possession. She deserved to look like she owned him. It made him stronger and he leaned forward for a kiss.
He kept his eyes open until the last second. He made sure his mouth landed right on target. His lips smacked onto hers. She leaned forward and his arms circled her body.
The kiss was hot. Del enjoyed this step of mating. She was a good match for him. Lady gave him strong feelings, and met everything new about him with great interest. She held his attention with care.
Del would never forget her honest objection of the teepee’s safety. He would cradle it and protect it. The question of safety was already engraved in his heart, and he would carry it forever.
His lips relaxed into a welcoming stretch. She slowed her searching tongue and gave a long circular lick. She pulled back and he opened his eyes.
Del wanted to kiss her forever. Being willing to stare and talk came with the territory of a new romance. Thinking of her that way made her more beautiful than before.
“You are so…” Del tried to offer praise but was dumbfounded.
She’d shaken him to the core. It felt like everything he’d already known was jolted and disheveled. Now they were struggling to regain their previous placement in his head. But Lady was the new forefront. Everything else had to regroup around her.
Dell wondered if she realized his displacement. She didn’t ease up on his brain power. It was his job to seduce her. This was his turf. Being comfortable on his own stomping ground should’ve helped.
There would be no regrets. He didn’t believe in them. Not tonight. Not any night for that matter. Even though he was already caught hook, line, and sinker, he didn’t want to appear desperate.
Del loosened his hold on her. It offered more air for his failing lungs. For the millionth time, Del was grateful for all of his solitude and obsessive thinking. Words finally started to roll out of his mouth again.
“I hope you’re ready to enter my own personal time warp.” He was serious about her future in more ways than one. He wanted to sound light but his joking fell short.
Del stepped aside for her, and they ducked through the entrance. Its insides carried a dark shade of brown. Lady stopped right inside the entrance. Del went past her and navigated the circle.
“First we need a fire.” Del’s voice sounded loud. “I mean a real fire. There’s too much distance in the dark.”
The things he usually liked about the teepee were cumbersome tonight. Lady was waiting for him, and it put a significant rush on things.
Lady’s voice was a timid whisper. “Yeah, we need light so I can see my Viking warrior.”
Del navigated the fire pit. He had everything nearby to start a fire. Kindling and brush already sat in the stoned circle. Strips of leather held up or hung down from things like lighters. Or if he wasn’t in a hurry, then the flint and knife would do. Tonight he wanted to see Lady fast, so he grabbed the lighter. The long strip of leather fell past his knees, and the familiar swish reassured him.
Del flicked the lighter and shadows began to disappear. A little burst of light led to much better things.
He could see Lady again, but it didn’t make the lighting ritual any easier. The fire pit began to offer wisps of romantic lighting. Herbs and brush were stuffed under the wood. He threw other dried bundles of sweet smelling things into the fire. It flared up quickly. The teepee began to smell like sage, cinnamon, spruce, wild things, and other spices.
Del always lit a fire. It helped keep the air moving. He rebuilt the logs, and fire crawled under the wood.
Lady was examining a hand carved lodge pole. It had received hours of his sweaty grip. She could look around for hours and still not see everything Del had made.
“This is so nice. I know you carved this eagle’s head, but it’s so smooth.” Her comment grabbed him.
Del groaned. “Do you want to know what’s nice? It’s sharing my life with someone. You top my dreams. I’ve been waiting to bring a woman into my little sanctuary.”
He thought this would be easier. Usually he was on auto pilot when doing tasks. But right now he only had one instinct. It was the reproductive one, and it multiplied itself as time went by. He struggled with air.
Lady took off her shoes. Standing there barefoot, she swished a foot through the rug.
“This is the softest floor I’ve ever felt.”
“Sheep skin,” Dell answered her. “I have a friend of a friend who rears them.”
He shook the subject away with a shake of the arm.
“There are so many things I want to do. We can dance or…”
“Do whatever you want.” She shrugged. “But how is there electricity in here to play music?”
“There is no electricity.” Del ducked under a lower space.
He picked out a vinyl record and set it on a turn table. A few cranks later, the record spun. It was an old record player. Crisp lines of a faded singer came through the curved megaphone.
“It’s almost like magic.” Lady giggled. “One thing is certain. I’m the youngest thing in this room.”
“Your smile is worth every hand crank record player in the world.” Del ignored the comment about her age.
“This is quite the country estate. I stepped back in time, and then time stopped moving.”
The fire danced between them. They circled the pit like two adversaries. Everything about Lady was alluring.
Her dress covered mounds of chest, and looked like the top of a heart. Sequins shimmered down her hips like dragon scales. Shiny black looked gold when reflecting firelight. The back of her dress was low and showed a bony spine. The rest of the dress dragged on the ground like a serpent’s tail.
Missing armor showed everywhere her flesh was exposed. The openings welcomed hands and eyes, but his brain couldn’t function.
Del stopped walking the circle and so did Lady. She hesitated for a moment and tilted her head back. The top of the teepee was a gaping hole. The stars were bright and twinkling. She stared at them for a while.
“You must spend a lot of time looking at stars.”
“Yes, ma’am. You’re exactly what I asked a shooting star for. Do you like my teepee?”
“Yes, I do. It smells like leather, fur, and smoke. Just like other man caves.” She ran her hand along a sloping wall. “But this is definitely not a man cave. If it were bigger and had a pool table or wet bar then it could be a man cave. This is manlier. I can tell just by looking at your things how detail oriented you are. And you spend your time making things look good. You are creative and an artist. Don’t you get bored on tractors?”
“No,” Del bit out the words, “I get bored being alone.”
He immediately realized the tone of voice that cut into the night. He may have appeared too eager or desperate, and tried to lighten the mood.
Del joked, “I made this teepee big enough for two people. But your dress takes up too much room.”
Lady’s polite smile turned into a full laugh. “Yes, maybe it’s a little out of place.”
Del tried to make a move. “If it’s out of place then it�
�s because you should’ve been naked a while ago.”
Lady turned toward the makeshift leather walls. They had been painted with bright primary colors. Del wanted them to look fresh with pointy, new, and clean lines. He’d seen enough Native American artwork look old and crackled. He adapted original symbols but wanted them to look new. Horses, arrows, moons, and stars counted years of record making.
“I got carried away on the authenticity of making a teepee. I figured it would be better if the whole thing felt treasured and cared for. Instead of being a simple seasonal thing, I use the teepee year round. It’s turned into a game of fundamentals and what you really need to survive. I might be Tarzan of the jungle, but you’re a mystical dragon. Listen here, Lady. I’m meticulous about everything and expect reasonable doubt from you. Later you’ll check my credit and research me on the computer.”
Del snapped his fingers. “But that isn’t romantic. I want to know the future, and how long I get you for. But tonight I get a virgin; I get to be the first.”
Saying it out loud didn’t make it any easier. Del couldn’t believe it. “This is why I’m led to believe in a higher power. I always prayed and stuff, but seems like I work extra hard for everything. And now I get a virgin. I know where my lips and body will be. The question is, how much will you need?”
Curiosity made her look young. Something flashed in Lady’s eyes. Her atmosphere broadened and a huge smile brought out more character. She charmed him.
“Your teepee is beyond my wildest dreams. You’re beyond my wildest dreams. You look like the perfect harmony for the best of a man’s body.”
Lady put her head back and accepted his trail of kisses along her neck. He felt her melt and gasp. Her voice was low and breathy.
“Oh yes. Tonight I’ll be changed forever. I always wanted a real man who had experience when he handled me.”
Del half heard how she goaded him. His kisses went lateral. Lady turned her head to the other side. Del began kissing the other spaces and hollows of her neck. She kept talking while his kisses got larger.
“I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Does the country bring other goodhearted men to a girl’s aid every day?”
