Whatever, Forever

by Lael R. Neill

  “I came here for a vacation. I’ve had a very nice vacation, thank you.” Audrey’s tone went icy.

  “Whatever,” Kelsey responded with a dismissive wave. For years the derisive word had been used to snatch victory from the jaws of sisterly defeat.

  “Whatever,” Audrey mocked. “Now I have to get ready. We leave after dinner.”

  “For what? More dirt and smelly horses?”

  “Why’d you come to a dude ranch if you hate dirt and smelly horses? Besides, it’s way better than cigar smoke and guys with whiskey on their breath and you-know-what on their minds.”

  “Whatever,” Kelsey repeated, shutting down the conversation. It stayed shut down until Audrey left for the skywatch party.

  This time she rode a patient little sorrel gelding that tucked its nose up against the rump of the horse in front of it and would not have budged from its place for Gabriel’s trumpet. Dave, easy to spot because of Okie’s flashy snow cap, rode in a middle position where he could look after a family with three children. When they arrived at the campsite, tents had been erected and a bonfire already lit. Dave dismounted quickly, leaving Okie ground tied, and came to help her down. His hands went about her waist, and she laid her palms on the tops of his muscular shoulders. Their vital warmth beneath the cotton shirt sent the minimal contact to the marrow of her bones. For an instant she looked down into his smiling eyes, and then the tables were turned and he laughed down at her.

  “Thank you,” she murmured, suddenly shy because of the crowd around them. In a moment he was gone, helping the other two wranglers gather up the horses, run them into a pole-fenced corral, and unsaddle them.

  She wandered over to the fire, where children were already clamoring for s’mores. Someone produced guitars, and soon people were singing along. After it had a good start, Dave stepped over the log where she sat and lowered himself beside her. He lent his true voice to “Red River Valley” and she slipped in above him on high harmony. One of the other wranglers offered him a guitar, which he declined with a palm-down wave, and the singers moved on to other oldies everyone knew.

  This time of year the mountain twilight lasted until well after nine. As darkness fell slowly, Dave went to check the horses, and Audrey decided to take a stroll up the wooded hill and stretch her muscles before time came to settle down and watch the sky. She wandered through the open woods, where the fragrant duff smelled of earth and warm pine needles. When she had gone farther than she thought she should, she picked up a large, perfect pine cone. As she stood examining it, the sound of something moving through the brush made her drop it and whirl around. A huge, black nose poked through the buck brush, and she could make out glittering eyes behind the leaves. A little city girl, all she could think of was bear. With a screech she turned and started full tilt back toward the bonfire. But when she tried to change direction, the pine needles slipped under her feet and she fell flat. She could only cover her head and hope for the best. Then she heard boots across the duff and Dave knelt next to her.

  “What’s going on here?” he asked.

  “Up there! I saw a bear!” she gasped.

  He threw back his head and laughed. “I don’t think so. It said moo and ran away when I waved my arms.”

  She rolled away and sat up. “You mean...”

  “It was an Angus cow.”

  “Oh, crap. I really made a fool of myself, didn’t I? But do y’all have bears in Washington?”

  “Some places, yes. I wouldn’t worry about it around here. The biggest wild critter you’re going to find in these parts is the occasional elk, and they’re not aggressive except during mating season.”

  “When’s that?”

  “Late fall. You’re safe. Now come on. Give me your hand and I’ll help you up.”

  He made it seem easy to grasp her hand and flip her to her feet. She paused to dust the front of her jeans and her shirt. She did not know how she found her way into his arms, but his sheer nearness set off a lightning bolt that went from her throat to her knees and made them weak. His muscular shoulders felt like silk over warm marble, and he smelled of the woods about them, infused with the day’s sunshine: clean, wild, and free. She tipped her head up toward him, letting his mouth claim hers. She yielded herself to his kiss, and when she parted her lips, asking for more, he tasted of coffee and chocolate. The small intimacy as his tongue touched hers set off a desire inside her that she had never felt before. Its sheer intensity drove all thought from her mind. She was totally absorbed in how desperately she wanted him.

  The hand that caressed her cheek felt electric, setting off flashes of need that robbed her breath. Then he backed away, putting a few inches’ distance between them. His hands ran down over her shoulders and her sides, stopping at her belt, holding her away from him. “Audrey, I know we’ve only just met, but...”

  “I know. But it’s like I’ve known you forever.” Even as the words were out, she knew they might well be futile. Were he only another guest, a little roll in the summery pine needles would be no worse than a minor embarrassment, but if they were discovered, it could be a disaster for him. However, she found it impossible to keep her hands to herself. She reached out toward his face, lightly tracing the curve of his lower lip. He responded by nibbling her fingertips, touching them with the tip of his tongue. The suggestive contact, carrying the promise of much more, made her gasp.

  “I feel that way too.” His voice sounded deep and husky, echoing her desire.

  “Can we?” she whispered, looking up at his face in the gathering gloom.

  “Do you want to come with me?”

  She refrained from telling him she would follow him clear to Timbuktu or the dark side of the moon if he wanted to take her there. “I trust you,” she responded softly.

  He led her up the hill through the trees. Finally they came to a barbed-wire fence. He stepped on the center wire, lifted the top one, and motioned her through. Once on the other side, she did the same for him. He took her hand and led her a short distance through the trees to a very old but well maintained cabin.

  “It’s a line shack the cowboys use during the fall roundup,” he explained. He opened the squeaky-hinged door and ushered her in. Then he held out his arms to her. She came to him, pressing herself against the firm muscles of his chest. He dug his hands into her hair and his lips came down on hers, possessing, demanding. Her heart took off, trying to slam its way out of her rib cage. She gave back as much as she received, opening her mouth to the caress, letting her tongue toy with his. His nearness filled all her senses, from the sweetness of his lips and the sensual way he touched her, to the sigh of his breath flitting over her ear.

  Dave backed the intensity down a notch, reaching for the buttons on her shirt and undoing the top two, just enough to admit his hand. His fingers slipped into her bra, gently exploring her breast. She finished unfastening her blouse and let him work it out of the top of her jeans. He eased it over her shoulders and laid it out of the way on the table. Then he reached behind her back and unhooked her bra; she was glad she had worn the only really sexy, lacy one she owned. It joined the shirt, while he took her liberated breasts in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over her nipples. Under his light, teasing touch they grew almost painfully hard.

  Then she demanded her turn. She slowly undressed him, letting her hands roam over his chest and shoulders, taking in the texture of his skin, with its soft vitality reminiscent of woven silk. When she unbuckled his belt and slid his jeans and shorts down, his aroused desire loomed wonderfully large. She took it between her hands, a marvelous mix of hard and softly warm. Then she dipped down and took him in her mouth. As she worked her tongue down his length, she heard his quickly indrawn breath. He cradled her head for a long moment.

  “Audrey, that feels wonderful, but enough is too much. I want to please you too.” Reluctantly she let him go and stood up. There were a few giddy moments while they both rid themselves of puddled jeans and boots. When they kicked the last of their c
lothing aside, Dave knelt before her as if worshiping her body.

  He upped the ante, burying his face against her belly while his hand slipped between her thighs. He gave her a moment to relax under his touch, then gently eased his fingers upward to touch the source of her ultimate pleasure. She felt ready to melt, staying on her feet only by virtue of her hands on his shoulders. He spread his shirt on the floor, and laid her down on it. She yielded to him as he lowered himself next to her.

  In the shadows she saw his expression, a mixture of rapture and passion. “Oh, Audrey, you’re so beautiful,” he whispered, his hand going to her breast. All the times Kelsey had denigrated her unenhanced little 32Bs vanished as he lowered his head and took a nipple into his mouth. His tongue drew scintillating wet circles there before he turned his attention to the other side. By the time his lips and tongue reached her belly button, her hands dug themselves into his hair, and she urged him farther. He moved her legs apart and toyed with her sweet spot, then kissed her there. His tongue slid even father down, teasing her sensitive center. Fire erupted inside her, radiating outward from the point where his lips touched, engulfing her from crown to soles. Then, when she felt herself almost too ready for him, he shifted above her and lowered himself ever so slowly into her. She shifted a little to take in his length. Their foreplay left her so aroused she had to throttle herself back to give them time.

  He merely settled into her for a long moment, then began stroking, first a slow, deep thrust, following it with an almost complete withdrawal. He teased her and toyed with her until her breath came in ragged gasps. She felt the moment when the universe paused.

  He drove himself into her. The earth did not move—it shattered. It rent apart, ripped the whole of creation into shards, and scattered them into parts unknown. The most intense pleasure of her whole life cascaded over her in such incalculable waves that she scarcely felt his release. It left her so spent she could do no more than wrap her arms loosely around him and lie there against his vital strength. He evidently felt the same way. He slipped from above her to stretch himself along her side, his head gently on her shoulder. She drifted amid the wheeling fragments of the universe, her only reality Dave’s vital warmth against her, dangerously close to sleep until he finally stirred.

  “Audrey, as much as I’d like to spend the rest of the night here, we can’t,” he whispered next to her ear.

  Reluctantly she came back to earth. He sat up and she followed him, reaching for the clothes he had left on the table. In the shadows she dressed, letting him help her with her shirt. When they had both put themselves back together in some sort of order, he turned to her and pulled her into his arms.

  “Believe me, this is no one-night stand,” he murmured, kissing the tip of her nose. “You haven’t heard the last of me, I promise.”

  “Even if it is, I never knew what making love could be until now,” she responded just as quietly. He responded by kissing her, long and softly.

  “Just hold that thought.” She felt him chuckle against her.

  “Tomorrow is...”

  He cut her off with another kiss. “Tomorrow is tomorrow. Let it take care of itself.”

  “All right,” she sighed. “Then I guess it’s time to go back.”

  “I’ll take you back to where we found each other. You go sit by the fire. I’m going to go fiddle around in the corral, check the horses, waste some time. Then when nobody will put two and two together I’ll come and sit with you.”

  She agreed, letting him lead the way back through the summer-warm night.

  As the moonless sky grew darker, the stars made their appearance. Eventually Dave, as he had promised, stepped over the log where she sat and dropped down beside her.

  The bonfire burned out, with the help of one of the wranglers who raked the larger logs apart, making the darkness even deeper. As the earth turned on its axis, presenting their longitude to the front of its orbit, the meteors increased. Some were mere clips of light, only little sparkles against the blackness of the night, but others seemed to make it clear to the horizon. By midnight, some of the campers had already abandoned the skywatch for their sleeping bags, and others, overcome by the fresh air, dozed where they sat. When one giant meteor blazed down to its doom, trailing a long green plasma tail, Dave slipped his arm around her, and as they kissed a moment later, the warm softness of his lips kindled fire in her veins that echoed the fire above them.

  “Oh, Audrey, I know I said let tomorrow take care of itself, but I don’t want this week to be over. I don’t want you to leave,” he whispered, his lips brushing her forehead.

  “I don’t want it either, but life goes on.”

  “You’re right. But I promise you haven’t heard the last of me.” That proved enough for the moment. She sank down and rested her head on his shoulder, dividing her attention between nature’s light show and his nearness.

  The display had nearly run its course and the deep darkness heralding dawn had already set in when she crept into her bedroll. Consequently, when the wranglers awoke them for breakfast, she felt sluggish and gritty-eyed, but Dave looked as chipper as though he had spent the entire night in his own bed, sleeping the sleep of the innocent.

  Shortly before noon the party arrived back at the ranch. Audrey went back to her room and showered, disturbing an equally cranky, hung-over Kelsey, and flung herself into bed for a nap.

  When she awoke, her mood was not much better than it had been. This was it: the last day. While Kelsey took at least an hour to shower, blow-dry her hair, and then take a curling iron to it until she had fluffed it into the proper state of chaos, Audrey ran a comb through her Hershey-brown lengths and went straight into the makeup phase. By this time Kelsey was able to act almost civilized again.

  “So how did it go with Mr. G. last night?” Audrey asked.

  The reply was a moué of disgust. “He’s a pig. Would you believe he wanted me to have sex with one of his sleazy friends so he could watch? He said he was this shit-hot movie producer. He makes porn, for God’s sake! I told him to go screw himself and watch that.”

  Though she felt sorely tempted, Audrey did not dare laugh. “You should have gone to the star party with me.”

  “Tell me about it. What a waste of a perfectly good vacation. I got a pig and you got a peon.”

  “Somehow I think I’ll settle for the peon. He even told me he wants to come to Houston, but I’m sure not holding my breath. A plane ticket from Seattle isn’t cheap.”

  “I’m the one who ought to know that. Oh, well, there’s always St. Thomas this fall.”

  “Don’t count on me. I’ll either be out of money or I’ll have a new job and be tied down for the next six months or so.” She leaned close to the mirror to stroke glimmery swimming-pool-blue eye shadow on her lids. Then she went to the mascara, while Kelsey impatiently pulled on her underwear.

  Audrey had selected a flirty little flower-print dress with a ruffled hem and daring green patent peep-toe pumps made for dancing. She teamed the outfit with her only good jewelry, an Edwardian emerald-and-diamond pendant and matching earrings. It presented no threat to the rocks some of the women would be wearing, but at least she would look, as Kelsey put it, like she tried.

  They went down to the dining room, a huge, elaborate hall that often functioned as a wedding reception and concert venue, and took seats next to each other, carefully avoiding the group Kelsey referred to as “Mr. Pig and his filthy herd.” Surreptitiously Audrey looked around for Dave but did not see him anywhere. He had promised her he would at least show up to say goodbye. She tried hard not to feel disappointed. He had probably been called to fix a tractor, or maybe there was a light out over Mrs. Gotrocks’s bathroom mirror.

  The chef outdid himself yet again, but even the fresh-caught alder-grilled salmon held no interest for her. She would gladly have eaten hay with water poured on it if Dave had been there. As it was, she pushed her food around, coming to the surface only as Kelsey waved away the server with the
dessert cart. Audrey followed suit, not out of concern for her figure, but because of her disappointment-blunted appetite. Then, after the staff had carted away most of the dishes, a tall, blocky man in a sport jacket took the dais. He thumped on the microphone, the booming reverberation serving to silence the guests. Then he leaned over to speak.

  “Well, did everyone have a good time this week?” he asked with the voice of a carney huckster. Some scattered applause followed. “Oh, come on. You can do better than that. Who had a good time this week?” This time there was cheering. Audrey and Kelsey even clapped half-heartedly.

  “We have some great entertainment for you tonight. Travis Guidry and his band Swamp Buggy have come all the way from Houma, Louisiana, just to make you clap your hands and stomp your feet. But before I turn things over to Travis, I’d like to introduce someone I know you’ll want to meet. Bradley Kingman, CEO of Kingman Enterprises, is with us tonight. Mr. Kingman, the microphone is yours.” He gestured grandly as a figure emerged from a doorway on the other side of the room. The Great Poohbah, himself. Reasonably tall and well built, he sported a much more casual outfit than his manager: gray boots, knife-pressed Levis, a white shirt, a string tie, and a charcoal leather jacket that looked like it cost more than a small sports car. He took one long step up onto the dais and she had her first good look at him. Her breath caught as every muscle from throat to thighs seized up. Dave! He took over the microphone while she tried to catch her breath and put the brakes on her wheeling brain.