Ties That Bind

by Neeny Boucher

  Chapter Seven: Slip Knot

  Christina, Lift, The Present, Friday, November 9, 2012

  “Riley, I can’t stay like this forever. I have work to do,” Christina whined.

  “Shhhh. Don’t move. I’m nearly finished,” Riley grumbled.

  Christina rolled over, wrapping a sheet around her body, indicating her annoyance. She’d been lying still for nearly two hours as Riley sketched her and she needed to move. “You said that an hour ago. I need to work, but more importantly, I need to go to the bathroom.”

  And she did. If she had to wait five more minutes, things would be unpleasant. Christina got up gingerly, shaking her arms and legs to get some blood flow into them.

  “You’re a brat sometimes,” Riley growled, but she just smiled at him, ignoring his discontent. “Christina Martin, you are a terrible muse.” He waved his hand. “Go on. Go to the bathroom, but come back quick.”

  “Being a muse sucks,” she threw over her shoulder, but he just grunted, making her laugh. He kept his head down, focused on his artwork, shading lines and then wiping his hand across the paper. She was accustomed to this image of him now, as she was of him insisting that she pose for him when he felt inspired.

  They’d been together for the last five days at Lift and neither of them wanted to return to civilization. If Christina thought about it too long, she felt tearful. If anyone asked what they had done, it would have sounded ordinary.

  As it was time spent alone, it was both magical and rare. They made dinner together, walked Cartman, talked, laughed, joked, and made love until they both collapsed from exhaustion. The lacerations on Riley’s back from Riot were healing, mainly because she insisted on slathering him with ointment three times a day. He’d grumbled about it, but gave in to her ministrations, while muttering about that ‘damn cat’.

  They had re-forged their bonds and were closer than they’d been in years. They were supposed to be getting ready to leave now, but neither was in a hurry to leave their sanctuary. Instead, Riley had woken her up early so he could sketch her.

  **********

  Christina returned from the bathroom, clutching the sheet to her and Riley raised an eyebrow. “Feel better?” He smirked.

  “That’s just rude,” Christina snapped with narrowed eyes, making him chuckle. She lay down on the bed on her front with her right arm outstretched, her face turned toward Riley. She watched as the man she loved worked, his green eyes staring intently at her, and the pencil moving across the paper.

  In this light she could see the faded scars on his eyebrow and top lip, evidence from his wilder past when he used to get in fights on a regular basis. People used to like to test Riley’s mettle and they learned the hard way that it was a mistake. Riley wasn’t a person to tangle with, unless necessary, because no one came away from an encounter unscathed.

  Christina could see his brain ticking and wherever he went in this creative journey, he went alone. Unlike her, Riley didn’t sleep a lot and it worried her. On average, he slept four hours a night and she was used to waking up to find him absent from their bed.

  She would find him working out, or with his head bent writing in his notebook, or drawing. She tried not to disturb him because they were alike in their work habits: single focused perfectionists that preferred to work undisturbed.

  Slamming his notebook shut, Riley sparked her from her reverie with an abrupt, “I’m done.” He wouldn’t allow her to look at his work, which annoyed her, but he distracted her with shiny objects. “Hey, I’ve got something for you. It’s your birthday present and I’m sorry. I should’ve given it to you earlier.”

  Christina wrapped the sheet around her tighter and sat up on the bed. Her eyes lit up because she loved presents, a fact he knew well. Riley returned with a rolled up sheet of paper, tied up with string, and he handed it over to her with a smile on his face.

  She grabbed it with glee, guessing it was one of his artworks. When she opened it, she stopped and stared. It was a drawing of her: her hair over one shoulder, a tender look in her eyes, and a smile hovering around her lips. Included was a poem:

  Leaving marks upon the body

  Echoes in the soul

  My love does not alter

  But changes and grows

  Love is dark eyes

  Fire and Song

  Infinite mystery, wonder

  Thoughts unknown

  In the dark, she whispers

  ‘Hold me’

  Her voice a plea

  I reach

  Offering my arms as shelter

  Her touch anchors me

  Christina read the poem over and over, analyzing the words. She glanced at Riley and he was watching her intently. Overcome with emotion, she pressed her lips together, fearing she’d burst into tears.

  “It’s so beautiful,” she whispered. “The drawing, the poem… They’re incredible. You’re incredible.”

  Riley grinned, coming to sit on the bed beside her. “The real present is in your lap.” At first Christina thought he was being dirty, but then she saw it: a little hunk of black plastic with the name Nicholas Xavier Riley on it.

  Turning it over and examining it, Christina started at the black AMEX credit card as if it was dangerous. “No,” she shook her head, handing it back to him. “I can’t accept this. The drawing, the poem… I love them and that’s enough.”

  Riley sighed, dropping the card back in her lap. “It’s a gift. You can’t give it back.”

  “I can so,” Christina retorted. “This is too much. I like little, personal presents. Not big, expensive ones, like credit cards that could buy you a house.”

  Christina stared at Riley and then her eyes narrowed. His smile was warm and friendly; his eyes open wide. She knew that look. He was trying hard to look innocent – too innocent.

  “You forgot, didn’t you?” She hissed. “You forgot my birthday and then you lied. I can handle you forgetting, but the lying? Why would you do that?”

  Riley blinked giving his killer, panty-dropping smile. Christina’s eyes and mouth opened. “Nooooo,” she cried. “You – you did it to get me into bed because you knew I was angry with you.”

  He pursed his lips, frowning but his eyes were glinting. “Honey, technically you were already in bed. I lied so you’d let me in with you.”

  She shouldn’t have been surprised at his behavior, but she was. He was so dirty and right now, she was glad Riot had shredded him. Pointing a finger, she seethed, “And now you’re trying to give me a credit card… and it’s not even mine. It’s yours. It has your name on it!”

  Riley laughed out loud. “I did forget, but the card has my name on it because I didn’t have your details. It has its own pin number, so it’s yours. What’s the big deal?”

  Christina scowled at him, her mouth turning down in displeasure. She had never been a materialistic person and this embarrassed her. Looking up, she caught Riley’s eye.

  Running a hand over his mouth and chin, he grinned. “I thought we weren’t going to fight today? It’s our last day alone together. Stop being such a Proud Mary. I told you I wanted to take care of you and this is part of it.”

  Christina rolled her eyes. “I am a Proud Mary and it’s not as if you aren’t proud. I don’t need to be taken care of and I’m not going to slip into being ‘kept’ by you or anyone else.”

  “Kept? Seriously?” Riley scoffed. “What do you think? You’re my mistress? And I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but you do need taking care of. I don’t think anyone’s taken care of you in a long time and you’ve forgotten what it’s like.”

  Christina gaped at him and gulped. She was used to being self-sufficient and the one that took care of other people. If she was being honest, she couldn’t remember the last time anyone had taken care of her or even really wanted to.

  Her last boyfriend had taken more care of himself than her. She had taken it as a measure of her independence but in reality, he had just been self-centered in every way. It fe
lt more like a business merger than a meeting of hearts and souls.

  Riley sighed. “I just want to know, for my own peace of mind, that you’re protected.”

  “I’m not comfortable with this,” Christina said quietly.

  Riley put his head on her shoulder. “Well, what would make you comfortable?” An idea came to her, one that he would hate and test his resolve on how important this stupid card was.

  Smiling like a Cheshire cat, Christina murmured. “Okay. I’ll take it, but on one condition.” He tilted his head toward her smiling as if he’d won the battle.

  She grinned, leaning in and whispering by his cheek. “You have to let me drive the truck. Today. And I want to drive it all the way to Shanwick.”

  The look of horror that settled on Riley’s face was comical and she had to stop herself from laughing out loud. People had issues with her driving. She thought they were being overly critical and melodramatic, and quite frankly, offensive.

  Riley refused to let her drive, especially his truck. He had told her it was a ‘never in this life-time’ deal. This was a win-win for her. If he refused, she could return the card without argument, and if he agreed, she got to drive the truck.

  “You are not serious,” he whispered. “No. No way.”

  Christina shrugged, nodding adamantly, but finding it difficult to contain a straight face. “I am. I am serious. I just thought if the card was really important to you, you might be open to negotiation. But, obviously, it’s not…”

  Riley crashed back on the bed, putting his arm over his eyes. “You are evil. Evil.” He sat back up and glared at her. “Okay, but only as far as Steven’s place. I’ll agree to it, but you have to use the card as well.”

  Christina pressed her lips together. “That’s an extra condition, Riley. If you want me to use the card as well, I get to drive the truck all the way to Shanwick. Two hours,” she whispered meaningfully, wiggling her eyebrows. “Twooooo hours.”

  With a groan, Riley flung himself over the side of the bed, walking away, clutching his head. The rigid set of his shoulders indicated he was furious, which amused her even more. He turned back, glaring and pointing a finger for emphasis. “You are an evil temptress. Most women would be happy with a credit card for a gift. They wouldn’t put death wish conditions on it.”

  Christina couldn’t help it. She laughed out loud. “Well, why don’t you give it to one of them then?” She pointed at herself. “Me? I’m like a Ferrari. If you want an ordinary car, go get one.”

  Riley snorted. “You couldn’t drive a Ferrari. This is a bad idea, Dina.”

  They stared at each and she could see the corners of his mouth turning up. A wide grin stretched across her face and she raised an eyebrow. “I have another condition-”

  “Oh great,” Riley rolled his eyes. “What next? You want to drive the truck to Seattle?”

  “Ooooh, there’s an idea,” Christina grinned. “But it was more along the lines of this.” She knelt on the bed, throwing the sheet off, and exposing her naked body. She watched Riley stare at her chest and then his eyes slowly met hers. “I want to ride you like a wild beast before we leave.”

  Riley stood watching her and his green eyes begin to smolder. The gold flecks stood out and she could see he was trying to resist, but failing. She stayed where she was and cocked her head to the side.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he grinned, hauling his clothes off. He sat on the bed with his back to her taking off his shoes, but when he went to take his boxers off she stopped him.

  “Uh-uh, that’s my job,” she murmured. “That bad boy is mine.” Christina wrapped her arms around his shoulders, sliding a hand down inside his waistband, and gripped him tightly. He rested his head back against her and she kissed the side of his face.

  Before turning his lips to her, he murmured, “You really are a bad, dangerous woman.”

  “I know,” she whispered back. “Just the way you like it.”

  Riley grabbed her, pulling her forward, and claiming her mouth in a punishing kiss. They wrestled and fought, until she got on top of him. She pushed him flat on his back, straddling him.

  “Are you ready?” he hissed.

  “Oh, I’m ready,” she growled back. “Are you?”

  He chuckled, reaching for a condom. “I’m always ready with you, sweetheart.”

  She placed him at her entrance, sliding down onto him in one motion. Her eyes and mouth opened wide at the feeling, making her gasp. Riley mimicked her face, making them both laugh, and then she began to move.

  He pulled himself up so they were facing, staring into each other’s eyes. He had a look of awe on his face and she grabbed him, pulling him to her. She clamped her thighs to the outside of his legs and rode him at a furious pace.

  Riley grabbed her hips to steady her, whispering encouragement in her ear. Christina rested her forehead on his, closing her eyes feeling the heat build in her lower stomach. Her ferocity surprised them both and when the knot in her stomach unraveled, she gripped his shoulders, crying out his name. He came after her, and they held each other, as if they never wanted to let go.

  **********

  Riley

  “Christina, please. For the love of god-”

  “Where’s your sense of adventure?” Christina roared with laughter.

  Riley glanced quickly at Christina and then at the road. Her smile was so wide, he could see her dimples, and her eyes crinkled at the corners. Her laugh was maniacal and unlike him, she was enjoying this experience immensely.

  Christina cackled. “Where’s the boy that used to take me to Sea-Tac and let the planes fly over for a rush? Or the one that dared me to make out in a graveyard?”

  “He’s now a man,” Riley pleaded. “One that wants to live, grow old, have kids one day… with you.” At the moment, however, he didn’t fancy his chances.

  “What about when you used to say ‘so long as we’re together we had nothing to be afraid of’?” Christina grinned at him; her eyes wicked.

  “That was contingent on you not driving,” he countered and his comments were met with gales of laughter. He looked down at Cartman patting her on the head to soothe her. Even the dog knew something was wrong because she’d been unnaturally quiet for most of the journey.

  Under normal circumstances, he would have derived pleasure in Dina’s happiness, but this was a bad idea and he was annoyed at himself for giving into her. Riley didn’t have a nervous disposition, except when it came to this. He didn’t know what he feared more: her dying or him.

  Positioning him close enough to Christina to take evasive action if necessary, Riley tried not to crowd her. He turned the radio on and Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel” was playing.

  Yes, Jesus. Please take the frigging wheel! But heaven was silent to his desperate plea and the song felt like a bad omen.

  They had been driving for half an hour, but he didn’t know if he could take much more. He watched her: half amused, half terrified. Christina’s stick arms looked like they’d break every time she turned the wheel and her skinny legs hitting the pedals would have been funny, if it weren’t so terrifying.

  He went to change the radio station, but she halted him. “I love this song! Sing it with me,” she laughed, throwing her head back. She closed her eyes and Riley thought he was going to have a heart attack.

  “The road, Dina!” He whined. “Watch the goddamn road!” If driving was a metaphor for life, Christina’s ability or lack thereof, was revealing. She was either too cautious or too reckless and there was little in between.

  Christina drove like she was two different people and not quite properly integrated. Sometimes, she would be aggressive and in control. Other times, her mind would drift off into space, where her speed slowed to a crawl, and he would have to remind her to watch what she was doing. She had no driving awareness or skill that he could identify.

  The only saving grace was that the road was almost empty. It was late afternoon, still light enough to se
e, but darkness was approaching rapidly. Riley actually felt he was failing in his duty of care in protecting Christina, even from herself.

  “I don’t get it,” she giggled. “Why is everyone so scared of my driving? I mean has anyone died? No. So, I don’t get the problem.”

  “Yet,” Riley groaned. “No one has died yet and don’t say shit like that. You’ll jinx us.” He tried to think of other things, trying to dispel the jinx because her comments sounded like a challenge to the universe, and he didn’t want to test their luck.

  Riley knew they were in a battle of wills and he was this far from ordering her to stop the truck, but he didn’t want to blink in the staring contest. He would suffer this journey before losing to her, but it was close. He needed something, however, to take his mind off the images of carnage that kept playing in his mind.

  He sat staring straight ahead at the road because he was too wary to look out the side window, just in case evasive action was needed. “Talk to me, Dina,” he said quietly.

  “About what?” Christina turned, gazing at him. She stared too long for his liking, so he pointed meaningfully at the road. Rolling her eyes, she shifted in her seat, making the truck lurch to the right.

  Riley grimaced, trying to keep calm, but he gripped the door handle of the truck until his knuckles went white. Somewhere there was a bottle of Scotch with his name on it. “I know you’ve been working on ideas for the project. Why don’t you tell me about those?” Riley asked hopefully.

  Over the last few days, he’d watched her work in fascination. Riley often wondered what she was like as a lawyer, because he’d never been able to picture it. Listening as Christina gave him a run-down of what she’d been working on, he found himself smiling at some of her ideas. They were good: meticulous and sound, but also, creative, like she was.

  “Now, I know this isn’t my domain, but I’ve been thinking,” Christina frowned, pressing her lips together. “Where does Lift fit into all of this?”