by TylerRose.
“But I’m with Doug,” she said, taking one.
“Doug? Out there with his hand up Melanie’s skirt?” Tyler questioned
The young woman dashed out of the curtains and saw exactly that.
“Five dollars green, your future be seen,” Tyler said to the next in line as the breakup ensued.
Another five dollars, and this time a choice of education. Business school and sit in a cubicle for the rest of his life and make a pile of money, or photographic journalism and travel the world. Four beige walls or the Kalahari Desert. Meetings without end or photographing moments of war the rest of the world would not otherwise see.
“Carry your camera ready and around your neck everywhere for the next six months,” she told him. “Literally everywhere. Then decide.”
He left with a smile and a free drink coupon.
Another five dollars, and she knew this young woman would be driving by the Sun Oil refinery on February 18th and would be vaporized.
“No crystal ball?”
Tyler smiled at her. “Crystal balls are the tools of frauds. I see in water.”
She poured from the teapot into the bowl, adding a little to what was already there.
“You are going to take an impulsive trip to a ski resort. Early this February, a coworker is going to offer you her extra ticket when someone else cancels. She’s offered before but you really don’t like her much. You have never gone skiing. You’re afraid of looking foolish.”
Tyler looked at her. “Take the ticket Jessica. Go have fun and learn a new skill. So long as you do what the instructor tells you, you won’t break anything. I promise. Three days in the Michigan snow and you’ll come back completely revitalized and with a terrific friendship that will last all your life. And you just might meet someone very special.”
Jessica stared at her. “How’d you know my name? You never asked for it.”
Tyler smiled. “Because I am no fraud. You have one brother and one sister. You are the middle child. You’re also wanting to change jobs. Trust me, when you come back from the ski trip in February, you will feel a new loyalty to your coworkers. Loyalty that will be well-rewarded.”
She left smiling, and with a 25% off entire bill coupon.
Tyler stopped for a while to have dinner with Jerome.
“So they are wearing costumes to ward away evil spirits,” Roc said.
“That used to be the idea,” Tyler said. “Like most holidays in the USA, there’s no actual meaning to it anymore. It’s just a thing we do and no one learns or cares why it started.”
Roc’s furrowed brow betrayed more questions.
“It’s a good excuse to have a party,” Jerome said.
“Oh!” Roc exclaimed, understanding that one.
The next day, Tyler took her to the local branch of the library and they found Halloween in an encyclopedia.
“Oh! I get it!” Roc said, and was shushed by the librarian.
Then Tyler went to the next holiday of note. Thanksgiving.
She shelf-read titles in the American History section, pulling down books about Native Americans from New York, Virginia, Maryland, another about Jerome’s Blackfeet ancestors. Another about Indians of the Great Lakes. Then one about the Trail of Tears. With a total of seven books, they checked out using Tyler’s brand new card.
With the Indigenous off the planet, and not likely to come back for a very long time, she could use the social security number herself. She could use the bank account in California.
Porting home, Roc immediately started to read. After so long with nothing to do, she was completely absorbed in learning about the country in which she lived.
Tyler went to Landra Ahr to ask for a list of all movies showing in the USA and the UK on a weekly basis. She asked him to start converting her “movies to get” list to the digital form compatible with the flash drive port of her Balnaatrus video player. She had some movies on dvd, but the technology had still been relatively new when she’d died in the other timeline. Through the video store, they had access to everything on VHS.
Handing over the 2 Terabyte memory flash drive the size of a stick of gum, she left him to figure it out. He would update a list on her vidpad and give the memory stick back whenever she wanted to watch something.
He spent the rest of the day studying it before asking Gable to bring up a small video player and ten movies from her list. He would have to play each movie in order to copy it into his own memory, then digitally enhance imperfections in the data and transfer it to her flash drive. He found he could speed up the video about twenty percent without compromising picture or sound quality. Still, it was a project that would take a great deal of time. She had many hundreds of movies in her list, a fair number of which weren’t available yet on VHS.
Tyler put the roast into the oven and checked on Roc. In less than three hours, she’d finished one book and was on to the second. Tyler left her be without interruption.
“You seem different,” Jerome captured her hand between runs to the table. “What is it?”
“Trying to let some things go a while.”
“That ain’t easy.”
“Like you don’t know,” she tossed a shake of her head and went for the last items.
There was much laughter and conversation around the table but Jerome saw Tyler’s constant distraction. She was too contained. Too controlled, even for her. After supper, he took her by the hand to get shoes and jackets on and then down to the Torino.
“We ain’t been for a drive in a while,” he said, opening the car door for her.
She waited until he hit the highway heading East. Hundred fifty miles an hour and they were following Route 2 toward Pennsylvania.
“What do you want to talk about?” she asked, knowing there had to be something.
“Nothing in particular. I’m just stealing you away for some alone time.”
In Pennsylvania, he pulled up onto a sightseeing ridge. They got out to sit in lawn chairs and look at the stars. Electric heater powered off the car kept her from getting to cold in the chill mountain air. About an hour of listening to her release one burst sigh after another and he took her hand. No crackle.
“That’s what I wanted,” he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.
“What?”
“For you to decompress. Babe, I gotta commend your effort, but letting it go just makes you more tense. You can only let it go if you completely remove yourself, like now. So don’t put yourself through it, okay? You are far more at ease when you know you are in control of everything around you.”
“Well, yeah. I was trying to follow my Gramma Addie’s advice.”
“She may love you, but she don’t necessarily know what you need. Letting things go is too against your nature.”
She did not reply, trying to keep from crying for once as a car slowed to pull in behind the Torino.
“It’s a cop,” she said softly. “Nothing suspicious. He’s just checking.”
Car door thump closed. Boots on gravel.
“Evening, folks.”
“Evening, Officer,” they said in unison.
“Enjoying the stars tonight?”
“Very much,” Tyler smiled up at the sky.
“Come all the way from Ohio just to see them?” he asked.
“Absolutely,” Jerome replied. “They look much better here, away from the cities and all the street lights.”
“That they do. Can you name any?” the officer asked.
Tyler pointed. “Well…there’s Gemini. Next to it is Cancer in the upside down q. Over Orion’s bow is Taurus. Two up from Taurus is Pleiades and over that is Perseus. Cassiopeia is on the other side of that, but it’s over there behind us,” she pointed. “Over there are the stars belonging to Sistair, Voran, Deek’Trai and K’Tran.”
The officer laughed. “Well all right then. The lady knows some constellations.”
“Astronomy is my favorite class,” she smiled at him.
“Good for yo
u. You all aren’t drinking alcohol are you?”
“No, Sir,” Jerome said. “No need for alcohol when you got fresh air.”
“Okay then. You kids have a good night. Be careful out on this ridge. This is bear country. Cars have been known to get hit by tired drivers too.”
“Thank you, Officer,” she said. “We won’t be much longer. It’s getting cold.”
“In fact, which way is the nearest diner? And a motel?” Jerome asked. “Back toward Ohio was at least ten miles to a motel and it’s getting too late to go all the way back to Toledo.”
“Go on up the road about two miles and there’s three or four motels and several restaurants. Mattie’s has the best homemade pumpkin pie.”
“Oooh, that sounds good,” Tyler said, and meant it. “Let’s go get some tea and pie. I want pumpkin pie.”
Jerome could only smile at her. “Thanks, man. Appreciate the information. Tea and pie it is.”
The officer went to his vehicle and drove in the direction he’d pointed them. Jerome kissed her hand.
“I think that’s the first time in my life I wasn’t afraid I was going to be arrested,” he said.
“I know that feeling,” she chuckled. “He was real curious what you were known for, though.”
“Shouldn’t be known for anything. Record expunged at 21, on final resolution of my probation.”
“FBI still knows your ass. That’s what it’s from. Lemme know if you see Feds sniffin’ around.”
“We should get going. He’s right about the bear country thing,” Jerome said.
“Yes, I know. There’s been one approaching for five minutes now. He wouldn’t have noticed but the officer’s lights caught his attention.”
She got up from the chair to stand at the front of the vehicle. “It’s okay. You can come see.”
A small black bear meandered out cautiously. He was young, weighing around three hundred and fifty pounds, and sniffed his way over to Tyler.
“What are you doing?” Jerome asked.
“I’m making a friend,” she said, unafraid to stroke the top of the bear’s head. “He’s a good boy. He’s a hungry boy, isn’t he?”
Another pat on the head and she mentally coerced him into heading down the side of the mountain toward the river, and created a splash that flopped several fish up onto the bank. He smelled them and grunted into a jog to get down there faster.
“You are crazy, woman,” Jerome declared, unplugging the heater and putting chairs away.
They drove those couple miles and found the exit ramp leading to exactly what the officer said would be there. Into the diner and they ordered hot tea and pumpkin pie. Tyler ordered two whole pies to take home as well.
Across the parking lot and into the entry drive for the four floor national chain, and Jerome took the overnight bag from the trunk. He requested the top floor, a room facing Northwest, with two beds. Tyler promptly moved all the pillows and the blanket from the one near the window to the one near the door while he unpacked new toothbrushes and toothpaste and called Landra Ahr to check in.
“Go on and lock down the property. We’ll be back sometime tomorrow.”
“I do not approve of these unexpected overnight trips.”
“Then it’s a good thing you ain’t her father, isn’t it?” he hung up and turned his phone off. “Your phone off?”
“Oh, no. It’s in my room at the warehouse. You wouldn’t let me go upstairs, remember? I hadn’t thought until now to bring it to me an’ I’m not gonna.”
He chuckled.
“You put something in there for me to wear?”
“Nope. I want you naked,” he said, turning up the thermostat to seventy five degrees.
She was standing there, looking at him. He went to her, arm around her back with the other hand stroking her cheek.
“When’s the last time we were intimate?” he asked.
“Ummmmm…”
“Mmmmhm. You been tryin’ so hard to let go of things that you pulled back from me too. I’ll only allow that for so long and I reached that point last night.”
When she’d refused him and gone up to her own bed for the third night in a row.
“So I’m going to assert myself and remind you why you like sleeping in my bed. We’ll start over here,” he concluded, moving her to the stripped bed.
Lights dimmed to the barest glow, he undressed her with patient insistence.
“I very much enjoy that you almost never wear a bra. You know that, right?”
She grinned, lying back as he stretched out over her.
“You do that so easily,” he said with a consuming kiss that left her breathless.
“Do what?”
“That, with your arms. Crossing your wrists like that. All ready for pinning you down if I want. I like that a lot.”
She only smiled, waiting for his next move. Three condoms on the table next to the bed. Three more on the other side. Small tube of lube on both as well.
“I very much look forward to the day you no longer have to hold back,” he said.
“Me too,” she whispered, looking into his left eye.
“Do you know how much that turns me on?”
“What does?” she asked.
“That you look into my real eye when you look at me. Some people get freaked by the fake one and don’t know what to do. They try to figure out if one’s real and one isn’t. You never did. You always knew.”
Her fingertip traced his left eye socket. “This one shows me your soul. I was not afraid of what I saw there.”
That dangerous smolder. She’d be in for a hard riding if she’d only say yes. He eased onto his side, turning her, hand under her thigh to lift and open her.
“Did you know that’s all I have to do to smell your sex?”
“Mmmhm,” she hummed, kissing the side of his neck. “That’s why I sometimes wear a skirt with no underpants or leggings.”
“Oh, so you admit you do that shit intentionally.”
“Of course. I know what you like,” she teased.
His hand went iron heavy, holding her to the bed at the elbow. “And I know what you like.”
He reached for a condom, watched her anticipation as she watched him open the package. Building anticipation as the roll opened down the length of his index and middle fingers. Reaching for the lubrication, he felt her tense. A generous but not too goopy squirt onto the pads of the two fingers and he stroked slowly between her buttocks to spread and warm it. His left arm held her close, held her face to his neck. Wound up as she was, he chose slow and gentle penetration.
“Relax.”
Shiver and a sigh of “Sifu,” breathed warm over his neck and shoulder.
“Is it good, baby?”
“Mmmhm. Please never stop. Not even when we’ve been together five hundred years.”
Soft chuckle as he slipped fingertips into her. “Is this one of your favorite things?”
“Mmmhm,” she hummed, melting for him and trying to open her legs wider. Her hand found his hardness and stroked the same speed as his penetration.
“Ready for me to go deeper?” he asked when she started to move with his penetrating rhythm.
“Please, Sifu.”
“So polite,” he smiled , adoring her blind smile and closed eyes.
She was so trusting of him, unlike the distrustful girl who had run away. Unlike the woman she had been just a few months earlier. Once those walls came down, she gave all she could.
“If I started talking dirty, you’d think I was asking you to go all the way,” she replied.
“Ancients forbid,” he whispered, and drove deeper and with more strength. “Now shut up and let me fuck you. The only words I wanna hear out of you are ‘yes, Sifu.’ Clear enough?”
“Yes, Sifu.”
Another moment of her delicious whimpering and he slid backwards to make her roll onto her belly. Pausing long enough to put a condom on his other hand with more lubrication and he knelt behind her.
“Up. On your knees. Open wide.”
She complied, breasts and head remaining on the bed. Right fingertips slipping in deep, followed by the tips of his left. Two fingers each until he was in to the first knuckle. The right came up as the left drove deep and she got a double-pumping as though she was taking two cocks in tandem. Face buried in the mattress, she screamed and shrieked at full volume until he paused. Then it was those husky groans of energy still needing to be expended. He pried open her anus to make a gaping, open hole and then doubled pumped again, stronger and deeper, relentless. Gasping sobs, orgasmic and desperate, and he paused to let her catch her breath.
When he was ready to continue, he slid his cock between his palms. Another round of double pumping, the rolling friction on his cock bringing him quickly to his own climax. Guiding with fingers, prying her channel open, his cum jetted directly into her anus without penetrating. He lowered over her, brought her down to the mattress to rest. A kiss to her cheek as he stripped the condoms off one inside the other.
“Still a virgin. But your ass is full of my cum.”
He slid over to lie beside her, watching her heaving ribs, feeling that out of control rush of air. He waited until she was still and quiet before leaving the bed to get his smokes.
“Would you consider quitting smoking?” she asked.
“Not at this time. Does it bother you?”
“Depends on the moment. Right now it makes me want one. Other times it repulses me. You taste better before you’ve had one.”
“Gimme time to think about it.”
“I’m not gonna push,” she said. “No ultimatums. I was just asking.”
“I know. How about we smoke one of these instead?” he asked, taking a joint out of the package to light it instead.
They moved to the other bed to be comfortable as they smoked, and he flipped through channels on the television.
“Here,” he said when the joint was nearly gone, holding it out for her.
She didn’t take it. Looking down, he saw she’d fallen asleep on his chest. He shook his head at himself. He sure could put her to sleep when he wanted to. Joint crushed out and swallowed, light off, he slid down to try to sleep. As always, the Staff Power made slumber difficult. He dozed a bit but that was all.
