Wheels of Steel, Book 3

by Pepper Pace

  “Not with that…BABY DICK!” Robin cried out, eyes streaming. Bob’s hand formed into fists. Robin saw it and didn’t even care. But Bob turned around and stormed away. Robin couldn’t stop laughing long after he was gone. And then she threw up on the deck and after a few minutes of gulping fire into her lungs she couldn’t remember why she had thought his dick was so funny.

  When she got back to her room, Mama wasn’t in her bed. She checked the clock as she flopped down on her bed. After one am. Good, Mama was getting laid. Then Robin was asleep.

  Chapter 5

  New Years eve came on a Friday; the last day of the cruise. Robin had not gotten laid but it was okay because she had been around enough dicks to satisfy her curiosity. And best of all, Mama and Mr. Benali had been doing it day and night!

  Mr. Benali was from Atlanta and he was a widower. His kids had taken him on the cruise in hopes that he would meet a nice lady and get laid. Robin liked their thinking but they were girls and much older than her so there was no potential hook-up there for herself.

  The last day of the cruise was a fancy Captain’s ball in which everyone had to get dressed up. Robin had gotten a nice formal gown for it while back in the States, but she had no interest in putting on that sad party dress now. Besides, it was too hot to be wearing black crushed velvet! There should be an alternative toga party! This was the Bahamas for god’s sake!

  “Robin, are you sure that you don’t want to go to the Ball with us? Harry’s girls are going to be with us.”

  “No, Mom, you have fun.”

  Mom hesitated. “Well what are you going to do?”

  Robin shrugged. “Go to the casino and then the disco.”

  “Okay. Just don’t leave the ship alone. I don’t want you out gallivanting around by yourself at night.”

  “I won’t.”

  When her mother left, Robin put on short shorts over her bikini and then slipped on tennis shoes and she left the ship for the island.

  She knew the touristy part of the Island like the back of her hand, but she was curious about what lay beyond the open market where everyone tried to braid her hair and sale their cheap wares. She decided to roam the market area again. Things changed often and she had picked up a few knick knacks like hand make jewelry and such.

  “Hello pritty laty.” Came a thickly accented voice. A guy was sitting in the corner of a booth, watching her. She hadn’t even seen him and he grinned at the surprise on her face. Robin sneered at his smile and went back to her shopping.

  “Are you looking for anything in particular?”

  “Nope.”

  He stood up lazily and stretched his tall lean body. Robin peeked at him. He was caramel in complexion with a huge curly afro and the blackest eyes she’d ever seen. He had to have been six foot three or more and he wasn’t much older than her.

  “Is this your place?” She asked. He was very good looking.

  “No. My brother’s. He’s getting food. I told him I’d watch it for him until he returned.” He moved to where she was browsing. “You from one of the ships? Or one of the hotels?”

  “How do you know I’m a tourist? Maybe I’m here visiting relatives.”

  The guy snickered. “Maybe.”

  Robin put her hands on her hips. “Maybe?”

  “If you were really from here…you wouldn’t be caught dead buying this over-priced shit.”

  Robin threw back her head and laughed. “Then show me the good stuff.”

  Shawn was his name, and when his brother returned he took Robin to a club where they played reggaeton music and served superb drinks.

  “Take it easy, young one,” he warned when she downed the first drink. “This is Sky. You know about Sky?”

  “I know it’s what the people in the Bahamas drink.”

  “It’s called sky because if you drink too much of it you will be flat on your back looking at the sky.”

  Robin accepted his warning and slowed down on the drinking. She liked how Shawn did not ask her about where she was from, or about the States or anything like that. He danced with her but not in a dirty way, though he was damned cute and she wouldn’t have minded.

  In between dancing they ate things that she didn’t know, little fried foods and cakes and then when Shawn got bored with dancing he took her to a house party. Robin liked the music and the people watching but the girls there stared daggers at her because of her skimpy attire and Shawn took off his shirt and made her put it on to cover her bikini top. She did with a laugh.

  Shawn without a shirt was worth the hateful looks. He was toned, not big, not small but so tightly muscled that she knew he was a swimmer or some other type of athlete. He had a tattoo on his back and Robin reached out to touch it as she followed him through the house to where there was an available place for them to sit.

  “Do you like it?”

  “Yes, I always wanted one.”

  “Then maybe that is what you were really looking for.”

  He pulled a joint from his pocket and lit it. After a puff he offered it to her. Robin hesitated but then took it. She took a quick puff and surprised herself by not choking. She took another and messed up when she coughed and sputtered.

  Shawn smiled and patted her back. “Baby steps, Little one.” He showed her how to smoke a joint but wouldn’t let her get stoned.

  “I want a tattoo,” she announced as she sat on the couch watching the beautiful people dancing to the exotic music. He laughed. “Will you take me to where you got your tattoo?”

  “How old are you?”

  “I got my ID!”

  “I’m asking for another reason. How old are you?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  “Okay. Come. I’ll need to get my bike. Have you ever ridden a motorbike before?”

  Robin hadn’t but she loved it. She especially loved hanging onto Shawn’s beautifully toned body as they sped through the streets. She wanted to scream out that she loved the Bahamas! She was brand new here!

  When they got to a more seedier part of town, Shawn put a protective arm around her after securing his bike to a post. He led her into a small shop that had beautiful drawings papered to the walls. Shawn greeted a man, speaking a different language and they spoke rapidly back and forth. The other man looked at her and laughed to Shawn, however Shawn remained very serious.

  “You want a tattoo?” He demanded of her.

  “Yeah.”

  “You have money?”

  “Some.” She had only walked out with fifty bucks.

  “You have ID?”

  She reached into the bag that she had slung over her shoulder for her wallet and Identification. She showed it to him and he handed it back satisfied.

  “What do you want? A little heart on your bum? Maybe a butterfly tramp stamp?” Robin flashed him the evil eye. She noted that Shawn hid a grin as he walked around the shop. He retrieved an album and showed it to her. Robin leafed through it. She looked up suddenly. She pointed to an image.

  “What does this say?”

  The tattoo artist shrugged. “How should I know? It’s written in Japanese.”

  Robin pulled out her cell phone and googled something. After a few moments she showed them the image of the Japanese characters that she wanted.

  “I can do that. How much money do you have?”

  “Fifty.”

  “Then it will be very small. Where do you want it?” She pointed to the spot just below her ear. The man hesitated. “Are you sure? That will hurt badly.”

  “Good,” was her only response. She lay down on a table and Shawn sat next to her. “Are you sure you want a tattoo on your neck? It will always be there for everyone to see.” She nodded. “What does it say?” He asked.

  She stared at the ceiling while the tattoo artist set up his instruments.

  “Breathe.”

  The tattoo hurt very badly, but Robin didn’t make a peep.

  “You are a curious girl.” Shawn said when it was all finished and taped up
with plastic. She was given instructions for the care of the tattoo and then she and Shawn climbed onto his bike and they headed to unknown destinations not previously discussed.

  When he drove the bike back to its original location, Robin figured this is where he lived. It wasn’t a bad looking house, just one that looked like every other home in the neighborhood. Shawn didn’t turn on any lights but led her through the darkened house and up a flight of stairs. They ended up in a small but neat bedroom.

  “Is this okay?” He asked.

  “Is there a condom in here?” She replied.

  “More than one.”

  “Then it’s fine.”

  Shawn undid his pants and slipped them off. Robin watched him. He had a very big dick and it wasn’t even completely hard. She slipped off her clothes and climbed into his bed. It smelled of fresh cotton. Shawn reached for a condom and then joined her in bed. He kissed her softly on each eyelid and then her nose and then he kissed her lips.

  Robin trembled and reached up and clutched at the curls of his head, pulling him down onto her. Shawn’s tongue slipped between her lips and she parted them and allowed it. This is the second man that I’ve kissed, she thought. Then his sheathed cock was entering her and Robin thought, this is the second man that I’ve fucked. And then when the tears slipped down her temples and wet her curls, he kissed them away and she thought, this is a man that I will never forget.

  Afterwards, Shawn drove her back to the ship. He watched her as she boarded it. He had never even asked her name.

  Mama wasn’t in the room and Robin showered and slipped on pajamas. She lay curled up in a ball staring at nothing as the ships fireworks went off and the melody of Auld Lang Syne drifted faintly from the Captain’s deck.

  Chapter 6

  ***FOUR MONTHS LATER***

  “Three. And that's a magic number…”

  The crowd always went wild when they played that song. They would go into hysterics when Robin would spit out the multiplication tables as they tried to sing along with her. It was a great song to end by. She walked off the stage when the applause died down. It was just a small club but her band played there every Thursday during open mic night. They were good, but not trying to break into the music business. It was just something to do to pass the time and have fun.

  Sometimes she stayed to have a drink with Becca and Tracey; the other two girls that made up her group ORANGE CRUSH. It was the name they had chosen before she had joined. Robin herself did not particularly care for the name but she did like the two members of the group. They were both 21, fun and they each had the same voracious love of music that she had. The band played a hodge podge of different genres from Top 40, Alternative, classic rock and R&B to whatever played on the radio that interested them, then either Becca or Tracey would pull out their guitars and try to play it.

  Robin stepped down from the stage and several people moved forward to tell her how good they had played. She thanked them and began dancing alone to the Progressive music that was now blasting over the speakers. Soon the other two girls moved to join her and the three gyrated until Robin was too thirsty to go any longer. She gestured to the bar indicating that she needed a break but then abruptly stopped before she could manage one word. Robin’s breath froze in her chest as she stared at the body that limped out the door. It was the willowy figure of a dark haired girl with a slightly crooked posture. Robin strained to get a better look at the familiar figure but the girl was swallowed by the throng of dancing bodies.

  Robin shuddered, a bad taste suddenly flooding her mouth. Tracy tugged her arm until her attention was back on the subject at hand; a well needed drink. She forced a smile and joined her friends at the bar. Robin drank the first gin and tonic quickly, barely realizing that she had just tossed it back. Her mind fought to push back thoughts and memories that were not wanted in her new life. But soon the liquor warmed her and she relaxed again.

  A man offered to buy their second round but Robin declined even though the others were happy to accept. She got up and went back out on to the dance floor without them. Sometimes men thought that just because you said hi, accepted a drink or danced with them that you wanted their stinking hands on you. But this was not the case for her anymore.

  A few hours later she was in the bathroom stall puking. She spit one last time into the toilet. There was no blood in it, but it was time to stop drinking for the night. She flushed and then left the stall to wash her hands. Two girls looked at her with concern.

  “You alright hun?” One spoke. “You were vomiting pretty good.”

  “I’m good.” Robin said while looking at herself in the mirror. She thought that she still looked okay despite dancing until the sweat plastered the clothes to her body and drinking until she puked. Over the months, she had made subtle changes to her look. However, she decided to keep her hair cut short—only, she now went to a hair salon where they expertly tamed it to showcase the big pretty curls that had been hidden within the kink and frizz of her previously unprocessed hair. Robin grabbed a paper towel and dabbed at the sweat that was threatening to melt her makeup. Her nylon shirt was plastered to her body but it didn’t matter since it was designed to stretch and mode over her toned, athletic torso. After touching up her lipstick Robin went back out on the dance floor with her friends.

  Becca was holding another drink for her and Robin took it forgetting that she had just told herself that she wouldn’t drink anymore. She carried it onto the dance floor where she danced with it before deciding to finish it off so as not to spill it. A man began dancing close to the three of them. Soon his body began to move closer to Robin’s.

  “Hello,” he finally yelled to her.

  Tracey watched the exchange with amused curiosity, knowing what was going to happen. Robin blinked a few times, pulling herself from the pleasant alcohol buzz as she realized that he had purposely invaded her personal space. She gave him a look of displeasure.

  “Hi.” She moved away from him so that they were no longer in jeopardy of touching. But he was already interested in her and began to close the space that she had created between their dancing bodies. Tracey and Becca both smirked.

  “What’s your name?” He asked, yelling over the loud music. He was very attractive; college aged, tight jeans that outlined an above average body.

  “Not interested,” was her response. She turned her back to him and Robin’s friends cackled. Robin shot down more guys than anyone they knew. Tracey was convinced that she was a lesbian but Becca didn’t think so and had advised her friend not to even try to hit on her. Tracey would not mind getting to know Robin more intimately but she honestly liked the girl; too much to get shot down like the rest.

  Becca had said that Robin was a man-hater, which meant that if she really wasn’t a lesbian, than some guy had done something pretty bad to her at some point in her mysterious past. But there was no point in asking her. Robin never spoke about a life prior to Brown Mackie College where she had met her two friends. Robin was cool, she liked to dance, party and sing. But you could only get just so close to her before she began turning away from you.

  As it got closer to midnight, Robin decided that it was time to go home. She thought about the girl that had looked like Amberly and just thinking the name brought a familiar pang through her body that was part anger and part sadness. Her mind reluctantly sifted through the unwanted memories.

  After returning from the Bahamas, she had never gone back to Pinnacle and had immediately enrolled in Brown Mackie College. When she thought about what she wanted to do for a living, the answer now came to her easily; she wanted to be a physical therapist. Specifically she wanted to work with disabled children. Brown Mackie offered a fast paced program in which she could become a Rehabilitation Assistant in a short time.