Desert Trading Post

by Marilyn Foxworthy

  I said sheepishly, “OK. Courtney, I don’t want to make you think that I want to take advantage of you. I was afraid that if I bought you clothes and stuff that you might think I was going to expect you to owe me a favor or something. Or that you would feel that…I don’t know, that I was buying you or something. This is a gift. No strings attached.”

  She said, “Keep going.”

  I said, “OK, well, I thought that maybe if I had found the money, then it was as much yours as mine so I could give it to you and you wouldn’t feel obligated or worry about my um, intentions.”

  Courtney smiled and said, “See? Honest. You lose one point for lying. You gain two points for telling the truth after I called you on it. You get ten points for thinking about my feelings. Great,” and she took the money from my hand.

  She added, “Dave, this won’t be enough. If you need me to, I’ll find a way to pay you back. I don’t have a credit card I can use anymore.”

  I said quickly, “Oh, no, it’s not a problem. We…I mean, I have plenty of money for now. Really.”

  She smiled and said, “And five extra bonus points for that slip-up. You started to say that we had enough money as if we were in this together. It wasn’t really a slip up though was it? You just lied again. You wanted to say we. That was the truth. You changed it again because you were concerned about how I’d feel about being included as if we are a couple. Minus one point. Let’s get me some clothes.”

  I said, “OK, take your time. I’ll go buy us some snacks or something and meet you back here in a little bit.”

  Courtney frowned and tightened her grip on my arm and whispered, “Dave, you don’t get it. If you…if I um…Dave, it’s like the restroom. You have to stay with me. I feel panicky if…like they…just stay with me, OK?”

  I said, “Oh, of course. I just wanted…”

  She said, “…give me some privacy. Yeah. But that isn’t going to work right now. Thank you for being cool. Dave, I like you. Get used to it.”

  I smiled and said, “OK. Courtney, I really like you. But, you don’t have to…”

  She interrupted me and said, “Oh, shut up!” and dragged me toward the women’s underwear section.

  As we stood in front of a display of lacier panties, she said, “Well, what do you like?”

  I just muttered, “Um…”

  She said, “Come on. Get with the game. We’re on vacation. Me and my cute new hunk. But I hardly know you. Buy me something pretty. If I don’t like it, I’ll tell you. We’ll negotiate. Start high and we’ll compromise if necessary. I won’t be offended. That’s weird, right? Why would a girl be offended by a guy who loves her...Oh, wow, now that was a slip-up. Well, too late now. So, why would a girl be offended if a guy who loves her thinks she’d be pretty and sexy in a certain piece of lingerie? It isn’t bondage gear. And he doesn’t want her to wear something uncomfortable. And it isn’t shameful between lovers, right? So, assume for a minute that I’m all showered and smelling better than I do now. What kind of undies should I get? Look me over and think about what I’ll look like when my hair’s not a mess, and pick out something cute for me. And damn it, for yourself. Sweetie, if I can’t go to the bathroom by myself, you’re going to end up seeing me dressed and undressed eventually, even if you do your best to look the other way. Come on. If you do get a peek, even by mistake, what would you like to see me wearing? Oh, what if I’m wearing a short summer dress and there’s a breeze and my skirt blows up a bit? Oh, crap. Dave, I can’t help it. Forgive me. Dave, what if we’re at a restaurant, a nice cafe, and it’s sunny, and I get playful and I’m sitting across from you and I spread my legs because it’s so hot and I flap my skirt to fan myself, but nobody but you can see, and I flash you my panties? Because I want you to know that I’m interested in you in that way?”

  I asked in surprise, “Is that the kind of thing that might happen?”

  Courtney smiled and winked.

  I said, “Well, regardless, because you asked, I like these, I think.”

  She picked up the pair of panties and held them up to see what I’d chosen.

  She said, “Yellow tiny Brazilian cut butt-huggers? I like it! Good eye, guy. How many pair? I need three for today. We’ll get more later, after we’ve freshened up a bit. More of these or do you want some variety?”

  Getting much bolder, I indicated another item and she examined it carefully.

  She said, “Ooh. Nice. I don’t mind G-Strings at all. This one is soft. I do like cotton, too. Satin is nice, but not during the day. You may have a flair for fashion, my boy! But hey, take a look over here. These are a different fabric, and I’ll like these a little better. It’s still a G-String, but feel how soft this is. Um, pick one.”

  I quickly scanned the rack and pointed to one.

  She said, “Really? White with pink polka dots? OK. Not what I would have chosen for myself, but maybe I need to think about myself a bit differently. Yeah, I can see this. And no, I don’t feel like you are pushing me in a direction I don’t want to go. In fact, I think that I very much want to go this way. White with pink dots? You know what? This was a really good idea. OK, one more. Can you choose one more in a different style? But nothing crotchless yet, OK?”

  I said quickly, “No! Um, no…”

  She laughed and said, “On second thought, do!”

  I said, “Do what?”

  She said, “Choose one crotchless pair, as a bonus. We might not wear it, but I want one. As a gift. To make me feel pretty again. Something that I can have to let me feel sexy. And I want you to buy it for me.”

  I said, “Um, Courtney, are you telling the truth now?”

  She giggled and squeezed my arm and said, “No! I lied when I said I might not wear them. I’m totally going to show them to you after I get all spiffed up. You get a point for calling me on it. We’ll go to that section in a minute, but first, pick one more. A different kind. A girl likes to have choices.”

  I looked around for a minute and pointed at one more pair of delicate undies.

  Courtney closed one eye and picked up the panties and said, “Well, they aren’t really crotchless, so no foul, but…no, now that I see them, yeah. These really are nice. Full coverage on the butt, tiny in the front, just strings on the side, and absolutely see-through! Now, if I thought that you were expecting to see these on me, I’d think that you were trying to get me naked even when I’m dressed. On the other hand, it was my idea for you to pick something that I could flash at you. If I was wearing these, I might forget that you would be able to see everything, since these are nearly invisible. Damn, OK, six points for following directions.”

  I smiled and said, “Courtney, you um, this is fun! Hey, is there a prize or something if I get enough points?”

  I knew that I was getting bold and maybe relaxing too much now, but she was in control of this game and she was enjoying it even more than I was. Her answer surprised me.

  Courtney leaned into my ear and said, “If you make it to a hundred points, I do things that I haven’t been willing to do for a very long time, not even as Amber,” and she nibbled my earlobe as she pulled away.

  She said playfully, “I’ll pick the crotchless ones myself. Do you think you can choose a bra or two?” and she led me by the hand to the bra section.

  I noticed that she took me to a specific rack, so I figured that I’d be safe picking just about anything there. Courtney surprised me by rejecting the first choice as too plain. The next was too thick. She hinted that she liked it when the fabric was thinner. And I was specifically told, no under-wires.

  Courtney said, “Dave, I’m kind of big. I’m kind of hiding it right now, but I am. I have been kind of hunching over as we walk and stuff, but trust me, I’m stacked. They might not even have my size, and if they do, the selection will be limited. I was just playing with you, having you try to pick one here. Come on, I’ll get one. We’ll need to order me something off the Internet if I have more than one. Here, this one will work. It’s a n
ice white lace. I’m pretty slim, and that makes cup sizes bigger on me than on a heavier girl. Have you ever heard of an E-cup? It’s the same as a Double-D. This should work. You know what, I’m getting tired. Let’s get me a dress and that other pair of undies. No, let’s wait on those. I don’t have to try any of that on. If we buy jeans, I have to try them on, and I don’t want to right now. Can we come back tomorrow, maybe?”

  I said, “Sure. Of course.”

  Courtney went to a rack in the dress section and picked something in a hurry and we checked out and the salesgirl removed the security tags.

  Courtney said, “Oh, we forgot the toiletries. Come on.”

  It took her about 15 minutes to choose what she needed and for us to get out to the car. The motel that I chose from a list on my phone was a few minutes down the freeway. Just two exits.

  Once on the road, Courtney started to squirm in her seat. She seemed to be taking off her underwear. Then she undid her bra without taking off her shirt and pulled it out through an armhole. I was in the right lane and as we pulled off the exit, Courtney rolled down the car window and threw both the panties and bra into the bushes beside the road.

  She rolled the window back up and said, “Those belonged to Amber. She doesn’t want them anymore.”

  Chapter 3 - Motel

  The motel was nice. Not a dive. Two stories, doors to the rooms and the outside. There was a pool and a free continental breakfast. I opened the car door for Courtney and she stepped out, keeping her dress down as she did. Oh, that’s right! She wasn’t wearing underwear now. She had brushed her hair somewhat in the car and now looked a bit less disheveled. She took my hand as we walked to the lobby.

  I liked it. I didn’t really know her, but this wild thing was exciting. And I liked holding her hand. I was one of those people who received love through physical touch. This might not be love, but it was fun. I had a new friend, who was flirting with me so much that it was fun even if she was just teasing me, and the circumstances of our meeting weren’t important to me right now.

  At the desk, I asked for a room, and the girl working told us that she had plenty of vacancies.

  She said, “We are completely non-smoking. Do you have pets?”

  I told her that we didn’t.

  She looked at her computer and asked, “Do you prefer a king bed or two queen beds?”

  Before I could consider my answer, Courtney said, “A king, please.”

  The girl said, “Good. Now, if I could see some ID, and if you could initial here and here. I have you staying one night, checking out tomorrow, in a king-bed room with no pets. I’ll need you to put down the make and model of your car and the license number.”

  I hadn’t thought about ID. I didn’t know if Courtney had any. But she did. She still had her purse and driver’s license. But she didn’t have a cell phone. I wondered why not.

  We finished the paperwork and the girl handed us two card keys to the room and showed us on a map where it was. It was on the backside of the buildings and we got back in the car and parked near the room. It was on the second floor.

  We didn’t have much in the way of luggage. Courtney had just her purse and a small bag from the store. I had a small travel bag with everything I needed for a two-day stay away from home, and my small laptop computer bag. I had other luggage, but it stayed in the car.

  I followed Courtney up the stairs, carrying my bags, and I happened to glance at her as she ascended. I didn’t want to look, but she couldn’t see me, so I felt like I could get away with a quick survey of her for the first time. She wasn’t wearing underwear. Not that I could see up her dress or anything. That wasn’t what I meant. I meant that since she wasn’t wearing panties, her dress draped itself between her butt cheeks and I couldn’t help but notice that she was very pretty. She was telling the truth when she told me that she was slim. And her butt wasn’t flat. It was cute. Really cute. Round and um, distracting. Damn. Seeing her butt, and thinking about the things that she had said at the store, and realizing that she had been blatantly flirting with me, well, it gave me a bit of a hard-on suddenly. Not too much, but enough to notice. I tore my eyes away from her pretty backside, but my mind started imagining what it would be like to reach out and caress her ass. And I fantasized about her grinning and letting me do it. And then she’d smile as I slipped my hand up her thigh from behind like this and feel her panty-less bottom. And now I was getting stiffer.

  When we reached the landing, I stepped in front and opened the door. The room was nice. It was clean. It was big enough. The bathroom was nothing spectacular, but it was adequate. There was a sink and a tub with a shower curtain. The bed was king-sized. There was a small sofa, a desk with a chair, and a mirror above a dresser. The view out the window was out over a weed-covered empty lot.

  We put our stuff down on top of the dresser and I immediately kicked off my shoes.

  Courtney said, “I want to shower. It’s OK if I go first, right?”

  I said, “Of course. Take your time.”

  She frowned and said, “Is the door locked?”

  I got up and made sure that it was locked and latched and that the Do Not Disturb sign was out.

  She said, “Dave, you have to sit with me, you know that, right?”

  I said, “What do you mean?”

  She said, “You have to get the desk chair and put it in the bathroom and sit with me while I shower. I’m so sorry, but I can’t do it otherwise. You have to be in the room with me.”

  I said soothingly, “Oh, of course. Courtney, It’s OK. Really. You don’t have to be sorry about that. I’ll do whatever you need me to. I’ll get the chair and sit facing the door.”

  She said quietly, “Thanks.”

  I got the chair and took it to the bathroom and set it just outside the door where I could sit with my back to the tub with the door open.

  She said, “No. Inside. It has to be inside. And don’t leave. Promise me you won’t leave!”

  I moved the chair and said, “I won’t leave. I’ll sit right here. It’s all fine. I’ll be happy to wait here for you. Here, I’ll sit here and close my eyes and you go ahead and get in the shower. I’ll stay here while you do your hair and stuff afterward.”

  She said, “OK. Thanks so much. I’m kind of a freak about this, aren’t I? I was never like this before. I lived alone. I don’t know what my problem is.”

  I said, “It’s fine. You’ve been through a lot. It’s actually kind of nice that you trust me. Um, you do trust me, right? Oh, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have said that. You don’t have to…”

  She said, “Dave, Sweetie, I do trust you. I really do. It’s not really weird either. Believe me. Courtney knows how to see people. Amber might not have. But I do now. I always did. I didn’t lose my ability to know if someone was a good person or not, but I sure didn’t use that ability for the past year or so. I’ll feel better after we both get to shower. Maybe you can shower while I dry my hair if you want to.”

  I had my eyes closed facing out the door to the bathroom and I could hear Courtney starting to undress.

  Suddenly, she exclaimed, “Oh shit! A shower curtain! Oh no!”

  I said, “Courtney, what’s wrong?”

  She said, “There’s a shower curtain. I can’t do it. I can’t! Oh no!”

  I said, “Because you won’t be able to see me?”

  She started to cry.

  I said, “It’s fine. Just leave it open. It’ll get the floor a little wet, but we’ll just mop it up. It’s no problem. We’ll work it out.”

  She said, “OK. Thanks. You’re so sweet. Thank you. I’m such a freak right now.”

  After a minute, I heard the water come on in the tub and assumed that Courtney was adjusting the temperature. Then the sound changed as she pulled the lever to start the shower. Less than a minute later, the water stopped.

  Courtney sounded exasperated and a bit annoyed as she said, “Dave, stand up.”

  I stood up and kept my eyes clo
sed.

  She said, “Put the chair outside, but stay where I can see you.”

  I fumbled about, picking up the chair, and opened my eyes just a bit so that I could see to push it through the doorway in front of me.

  Courtney said, “Step into the room and turn toward the tub.”

  I stepped carefully, feeling my way forward.

  She said, “Stop. Now turn toward my voice. Dave, open your eyes.”

  I opened my eyes, expecting Courtney to be wrapped in a towel or something. But she wasn’t. I quickly shut my eyes again and pointed my head at my feet.

  Courtney said gently, “It’s OK. Open your eyes. It’s the only way this is going to work. Open your eyes and look at me.”

  Courtney was standing in the middle of the tub, dripping wet and absolutely naked. And beautiful. More beautiful than any woman I had ever seen in person. I had only seen a few naked women in person, so being more beautiful than that small number wasn’t hard, but I could see immediately why she was qualified to model nude. She was stunning.

  She said, “Come on. Look at me. Look at me, Dave. Really look. Be honest with me. Look at me honestly.”

  I opened my eyes normally and looked. She wanted naked honesty from me, so I gave it to her. She wasn’t asking me to tell her what I thought, she was just asking me to be comfortable seeing her like this. So I looked at her.

  Courtney was about five-foot-seven. Her hair was blond. She wanted honesty, OK. Her pubic hair was mostly shaved, but she had a slight fuzz in the shape of a triangle above. That was blond too. And yes, her breasts were large. She was shapely and trim and toned. She must have worked out regularly. She had to weigh less than 120. I didn’t know how to judge that.

  She said, “Dave, take off your clothes, Sweetie. We have a problem and this is the only way. But, to be honest, I’m glad. You need to understand. This is the only way, but it is also what I want. Get undressed. Really.”

  I started to undress, pulling my shirt off, and then my socks. I hesitated when I got to my pants.