by S. Cook
I laughed at the visual.
“Do I look like a vulture?” I asked. “Because you sure as hell don’t look like a hag.”
“You didn’t answer the question,” she said.
“I'm from out of town and am only here for the night. I didn't know where else to go to get a drink. I’m not even sure how to get back to my hotel. And I could be gay. How do you know I’m not?”
She studied me for a few seconds and smiled a real smile.
“Oh, I know for damn sure you’re not gay. I already caught you checking out my tits when you thought I wasn’t looking.”
She’s slick.
I’d better watch out.
“Damn! You caught me red-handed. Now I’m in trouble for that too, I guess? What can I say? You’re a pretty woman and I couldn’t help myself.”
“Whatever,” she said with a dismissive wave. “If you needed a drink, I would’ve thought the minibar in your hotel might’ve been a better option. At least you could’ve avoided coming out in this damn heat.”
I shook my head.
“No, I’ve tried that already. For one thing, they charge eight dollars for a beer and two, I don't particularly like beer. Or stale potato chips.”
“A man who doesn't like beer? Ha! Now I know you’re not from around here,” she pointed out.
“You’re right, ma’am. I'm from Maine originally,” I said, picking up my drink and taking another delicious swallow.
“Ma’am? They must be extra polite up there in Maine. I don't think anyone's ever called me that before.”
“I guess that's something I picked up in the Army. Sir…ma’am. They taught us to always be respectful.”
“What’s a man from Maine doing all the way down here in Florida then? A one-night business trip in this hellhole of a town. How mysterious! And weird.”
I frowned. Her question reminded me of why I was here.
“No, I've got to take care of something personal in a tiny town nearby. Basket Carry. Do you know it?”
“Basket Carry? It's halfway between nowhere and hell,” she said with a laugh.
I frowned at her. “That bad, huh?”
“The worst.”
She stirred her drink with the tiny straw.
I held out my hand.
“I'm Gabriel.”
She rolled her eyes and shook my hand briefly. Her gaze met mine and I looked deep into her deep brown eyes, lingering a moment longer. My thumb stroked her knuckles. The rhythm of her breathing changed slightly then she pulled her hand away, as if she was just as reluctant to let go as I was.
“Lynn,” she stammered.
“Lynn,” I said, testing it out on my lips. It didn’t sound right.
I kept my eyes on her and she glanced back down at her drink. “What's this business you're here about? A drug deal?”
I shook my head.
“Just something I need to do for an old friend.”
“Sounds like you're here to put flowers on a grave or something,” she said absentmindedly.
“Something like that.”
“Well, I hate to drink and run, but I really should get back to my friend before she gets worried about what happened to me. It was nice talking to you.”
“You're not going to finish your drink?” I asked, pointing at the half-empty glass.
“No. I think I've had enough as it is,” she answered, pushing it away. “Never been much of a drinker. Too much to do and too many responsibilities to spend my time getting wasted. I have to get up early for work in the morning.”
I nodded and stood awkwardly.
She noticed my cane hanging from the bar and placed a hand on my arm. “You don't have to get up.”
“A gentleman always stands up when a lady leaves,” I answered.
She motioned toward my leg.
“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”
I shrugged, half dismissing the question.
“I don’t mind. An accident while I was in the Army. It's nothing serious.”
We stood there with neither one of us wanting to move. The song suddenly ended, and the rowdy crowd left the dance floor to surge towards the bar. Someone’s elbow pushed into her back, causing her to lose her balance on the tiny stool and trip towards me.
I caught her with both hands, careful to not to lose my own balance in the process. As she landed against me, she let out a soft moan that made me tingle in all the right places. So much that I had to shift my weight. My hands were on her back with her head pressed against my chest. I hoped that my heart was the only thing she felt beating.
She placed her hands on my chest to push herself away from me and hesitated for a split-second.
I wasn't sure why.
Maybe our bodies close together felt as good to her as it did to me. I moved my hand up. The skin on her exposed back was soft and smooth. She glanced up at me and her eyes were on fire.
God help me, I wanted her.
“Have we met before?” she mumbled. “In another life?”
“Never before,” I said. “I would’ve remembered a woman like you.”
I leaned forward, closing the distance between us, drawing her even closer. The touch of her lips against mine was a shock. My lips brushed hers softly, questioning, testing. She pushed against me, and wrapped her arms around my neck, filling what little space was left between our bodies.
I gripped her even tighter, and parted her lips with my own, slipping my tongue into her mouth tasting of vodka, coaxing hers into action. She returned my kiss and my hand traveled down her back to cup her ample ass.
“Hey! What the hell are you doing! You totally ditched me,” a female voice yelled over the noise of the crowd. “Oh, never mind. I can see what you’re doing! What happened to our girl’s night out?”
Lynn dropped her hands and pulled away from me.
A young redhead stood in front of us, grinning widely. Lynn glanced at me briefly and backed away.
“Who’s your new friend?” her friend asked after looking me up and down.
“He’s in town for business.”
“I’m Cheryl,” she said, introducing herself.
“Gabriel.”
“We’d better go,” Lynn said to her friend. “It’s getting late.”
Cheryl twisted her face into a confused expression. “Why? We’re having fun, or at least you’re having fun.”
“Let’s go,” Lynn said more adamantly this time.
“Well, okay. If that’s what you want to do. Bye, Gabriel.” Cheryl waved when Lynn dragged her off through the crowd.
I raised my hand briefly and watched as they quickly disappeared. I downed the rest of my drink and slammed the glass back down on the wooden bar. That’s when I noticed the gold handbag on the counter.
I picked it up before someone else could.
She’ll be back in a minute.
And if not, I’ll go find her.
Chapter Two: Lynette
“What the hell is going on with him?” Cheryl hissed.
I didn't explain. I just kept dragging Cheryl behind me. I needed to get out of there.
“Did that guy do something? I'll call security!”
I gripped Cheryl's arm.
“No, it's fine.”
“Then what?”
Once outside I stopped and took deep gulping breaths. The air was hot and heavy around us, and my ears rang from the loud music.
“Mind telling me what the hell that was all about in there? Because if that guy tried something.”
“No, he didn’t,” I reassured. “He was a perfect gentleman. I've just had too much to drink. I need to go home and crawl into bed.”
I started walking toward the car.
“That's not what it looked like to me. You two looked mighty cozy in there. I thought for a second that you were going to actually be nice to someone, if you know what I mean,” Cheryl said, following close behind me.
“I just tripped into him. That's all. That's al
l there was.”
Someone shouted behind me. Calling a name.
“Lynn!”
“Just tripped right into that kiss, huh?” Cheryl teased. “Wish I could trip into somebody that sexy.”
I recognized the name being called out but couldn't place it. I should’ve turned down the drink. The effects of the alcohol were hitting me hard and heavy now. My ears were thumping. I blinked to try to clear the fog settling into my brain.
“Yeah, I don't know. . .” I trailed off as the man called out the name again.
Lynn. Right, that's me.
I turned to face the sound. Gabriel was walking towards me, cane in hand, a pronounced limp on his left leg. He waved my clutch purse in the air. I looked back at Cheryl who frowned at me.
“Maybe you have had too much to drink,” she said. “You never forget your purse.”
“See, I told you,” I replied, hurrying toward Gabriel across the parking lot.
He stopped and waited for me to meet him. As I approached he held out the purse. The tiny gold sequined bag looked ridiculous in his massive hand.
“You left this on the bar.”
His voice still had the deep husky tinge, but his eyes were hidden in shadow.
God help me. I can't walk away from those eyes again.
“Thank you,” I said, taking it from his hand. I laughed nervously. “Can't believe I left this. I’m usually not this careless.”
He nodded and smiled.
“Have a good night. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I didn't mean to.”
“No!” The word came out much harsher than I meant, so I repeated it again, softer, “No, it wasn't you. I just...” I paused, thinking for a moment. “I just can't do this. Whatever this is, I can't. I'm sorry. I'm on my way home. Good luck with whatever it is you're here for and thanks for bringing my purse out to me.”
He nodded.
I moved to walk away when he reached for me, his hands clasping my arm gently. I turned and found myself stepping into his arms, back into his warmth and masculine scent. His grip was loose on me as he bent and quickly kissed my cheek, the stubble of his chin rubbing against my skin, sending tingles through my body, flooding me with desire.
“Thank you for talking to me,” he whispered to me.
I nodded, my tongue felt too big for my own mouth and there were no words. I knew I should move away but there was something about him, something keeping me still. Something that felt safe in him.
I shivered and looked back at Cheryl for a moment. His hand was still resting on my arm, his fingertips burning my skin.
Cheryl grinned and gave me a thumbs-up.
I turned back to Gabriel and asked, “You’re leaving tomorrow, right?”
He nodded.
“You don’t have to go home with me. I mean, if you want to of course, but you seem hesitant. And I don’t take advantage of intoxicated ladies.”
I stopped him, pressing my lips against his half-opened mouth. His left hand caressed the side of my face before dropping to my lower back and pulling me closer.
The kiss was feverish. The press of his body was urgent against me. His chest was a wall against my breasts, the hand on me steady, and still. The questioning from earlier was gone, it was clear what he wanted, what his need was. I responded, letting my fingers find their way into his short hair, surprised at its softness.
He ended the kiss, tapering it off slowly. His forehead leaned against mine, his breathing deep. His hand left my back and went back to my face. His thumb traced my bottom lip. I licked the tip of it as it passed and felt him shudder against me. His mouth was covered in lipstick stains.
A car honked twice behind us. I turned just in time to see Cheryl driving off.
“Figures,” I mumbled to myself. “She ditched me.”
He shot me a questioning look.
“Where is she going?” he asked.
I shrugged.
“She didn’t want to give me time to change my mind.”
He pushed me back gently with both hands.
“Lynn,” he said, as if the name was foreign. “We don’t have to do this. We don’t have to do anything. I can take you straight home or call you a cab. Do you live far from here?”
I smiled up at his earnest expression.
“I know, but I want to.”
He nodded and walked me to his car. I laughed at the fancy Audi in the parking lot full of trucks.
“What?” he asked, opening the door for me.
“An Audi? Really?”
He laughed back.
“It’s a rental. I’m only in town one night so I figured, why not have a little fun?”
I slid into the leather seat and he closed the door behind me.
That’s right, this is just a little fun. Why not have some fun for a change?
He slid into the driver’s side seemingly having no trouble with the leg or the cane.
“Sorry for seeming nervous,” I stumbled out. “I never do this kind of thing.”
He ran his fingertips over my thigh.
“It’s alright. I never do this either.”
A blast of warm air hit me when he started the car which quickly cooled as the A/C kicked on. The drive to the hotel didn’t take long. We didn’t speak on the way.
I was surprised when we pulled up in the front of a rundown hotel. For all the money he spent renting the car, I noticed he was frugal about the room.
Almost reading my mind he said, “Yeah I didn’t much care where I slept. Just so long as it was clean. I wasn’t expecting company.”
He had a little bit of difficulty navigating the steep, metal stairs leading up to the second floor, but I acted like I didn’t notice.
The room itself was clean, if bare. Just a bed, small desk, and TV. The bathroom was off to the side providing the only light in the small space. The A/C was blasting, making it chilly. I took my heels off, dropping down about three inches in height.
The door clicked closed and I felt his body surge against my back. His arms wrapped around my belly, while he traced the curve of my neck with his lips.
My sex tingled and flooded as his mouth met my ear.
“We don’t have to do this,” he whispered. “Tell me what you want.”
He pressed against my back, his own desire apparent against my body. He licked the cusp of my ear. I moaned softly as his fingers slid over my breast, finding my nipple, teasing it with tiny strokes.
I hadn’t been touched like this in months and my body responded by flooding with desire. I arched my back against him. He groaned as I pressed my ass against his body.
“Touch me,” I said, in a small voice, almost half in a whisper. “Just touch me.”
He pushed the dress down with one hand and unclasped my bra with the other, letting the garments fall silently to the carpet. I gasped as the sudden cold hit my nipples and then again as the chilly air was quickly replaced with the teasing touch of his fingers. He stroked my breasts, drawing the nipples into points.
My fingers fumbled against his pants, finding his belt and undoing it behind my back. He dropped one hand from my breast to between my legs. His fingers ran over the soaked cotton of my panties. I shivered as his fingers traced the line of my slit through the thin fabric.
“Keep going,” he whispered.
He caressed me slowly, his arms caging me, keeping me upright. My legs felt weak as my fingers found their way past the buckle and belt of his pants until there was only him filling my hand. He leaned back against the wall, still holding me as I stroked him, feeling him harden in my hand. I released him to tug at his shirt. He pulled it off himself exposing his bare chest thickly strung with muscle. Standing on my tiptoes I reached up and kissed him.
He locked me in his arms, drawing me closer, my bare breasts pressing against his. His light chest hairs tickled me. I met his hunger with my own, drawing his mouth down to mine, letting my tongue dance with his. I pulled back from the kiss, half dazed and full of want. I kis
sed his neck, biting at the soft skin there making him gasp then moved down. I made a trail with my lips until I was on my knees in front of him.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, you really don’t.”
He sucked in air as I took his cock into my mouth. I moved slowly, focusing on the head. He was thick and heavy in my mouth. He was dripping, and he tasted like salt against my tongue.
I could feel his fingers clutching my hair. I moved down taking more, sucking slowly against him. Gasping, I could feel him fighting not to thrust his hips against me. With a regretful sigh, he pulled himself out of my mouth.
“Easy there,” he said.
He hauled me up to my feet and pressed his mouth against me.
“Take off your panties. Now.”
His voice was husky and deep and I felt my own wetness begin to seep into my panties.
I smiled and walked over to the bed, letting the underwear slowly drop to the floor, exposing my ass. Behind me I could hear him pulling off his pants.
I turned and sat on the bed. In the half shadow of the room I could see him, naked. There were scars all along his left side, but his eyes trapped my attention. They flicked over me as he moved towards the bed.
He sat down next to me, his weight lifting me slightly. One hand grasped my face and turned me to meet his mouth. The other slid between my legs finding my heat and wetness. He pushed my thighs apart, stroking my clit. I shuddered and moaned against his mouth.
He pushed me back on the bed and slid his fingers into me. I moved his fingers slowly in and out of me, letting his thumb run over my clit. Waves of pleasure were building inside of my body.
“You’re so wet,” he murmured pulling his hand away.
I whimpered, and he smiled, moving his slick fingers over my swollen clit. My hands tightened on his arms.
“Tell me what you want,” he whispered, his fingers teasing my pussy.
I didn’t hold anything back. Knowing I would never see him again freed any inhibitions I had.
“Oh God! I want you inside me,” I half-begged.
He nodded, pushing me back on to the bed. He let his left leg hang straight off the edge of the bed, using his right to hold his weight.
