by Luna Maye
Mina shifted in her seat, discreetly trying to get a better look at him, but he had wandered into the first station and the dividers blocked him from view.
“I’ll be right with you,” Isabel called. Giving the girl’s leg one last thorough wipe. She stripped off her gloves and pitched them into the trash, rising to meet the man. “Hi, I’m Isabel, what can I help you with?”
The man’s eyes were bloodshot and unfocused as he peered around the room. He scanned the faces of all of the women before his eyes rested on Mina, where he paused for a moment before continuing to peruse the shop.
“I wanted to know about your tattoos,” he slurred a little at the ends of his words and he walked in a zigzag line through the store. Mina thought he looked somehow familiar but she couldn’t place him. His face was deeply lined and scarred, surely if she had seen it before she would remember. He wobbled over a little to lean on the counter. Mina stood, ready to move forward if Isabel needed her, in case he started trouble.
“I have a pamphlet that has our hours, rates and some examples of styles we’ve done,” Isabel pulled one out and handed it to him, a little eager to get him on his way.
“Okay, thanks,” he said, turning and walking out the door without another word, leaving the brochure behind on the counter.
“He didn’t even take the pamphlet,” Shelli said, swinging her legs over the side of the chair. “That was weird, right? I feel like he wasn’t normal.”
“He was drunk, that’s all.” Mina stood, unnerved by the man’s visit and her inability to shake the uncanny feeling he was there to see her. “I’m going to get back to work. I’ve got some orders to fill today and I’ve been working on a new dog tag for a rather large puppy.” She wiggled her eyebrows a little, hoping to dispel some of the lingering tension in the room.
Saying her goodbyes, Mina made her way back to her little shop, picking up her torch and her safety glasses to get to work. Slowly, delicately she set pieces of stone and polished a few new pieces to be sent to the shop in Taos. Later, she would need to stop by Rita’s and help her box up a few things to send. It felt good to be back at her bench. Everything felt clearer when she was alone in her creative space. She blanked her mind completely, lost in the repetitive motions of polishing and the careful concentration she used when finalizing her designs.
Her time with Victor the night before was wonderful, but in the light of day she had to recognize they crossed well beyond her normal lines. He definitely wasn’t a hook-up or a fling. She knew now he was the kind of man she wanted by her side forever, her uncertainty lay in whether or not she was his kind of woman for the long term. They hadn’t ever talked in concrete terms about their future. Were they boyfriend and girlfriend? Dating? It felt more serious than both of those definitions and yet their time together had been so short. It was something she would need to get answers about and she tried to clear it from her mind until she could meet with Victor to discuss it.
When she was finished with her jewelry, she pulled out a fresh sheet of silver, cutting it into a rough dog bone shape. Her hands slid over the smooth surface as she gently engraved Andy on one side and Victor’s name and contact information on the other. It was a quick project, without much of the finesse or artistry of her regular pieces, but it was made with love. She smiled as she packed it away into its own little box. If she hurried, she could stop by Rita’s shop and the airstrip to drop off her gift before she needed to be back at the clubhouse.
Leaving out the back door, she locked the door behind her and turned, seeing a shadow move toward the edge of the building. She paused, every single muscle tensed, but she didn’t see any more movement. Her hand resting cautiously on a knife in her back pocket, she walked slowly, quietly to the corner of the building and peered around, only to see a completely empty street. No pedestrians or vehicles in sight.
As she stepped back and carefully packed the jewelry and Andy’s tag away in the saddlebags of her bike, she kept her eyes on the corner. Maybe all of this paranoia was just in her head.
She put her helmet on and rode out, eager to feel the wind in her face and clear her mind. She rode quickly, frequently looking over her shoulder as she made her way to Rita’s, but there were no boogiemen around the corner. It was a pleasant, quiet ride all the way.
“Oh, mija, it is so good to see you,” Rita met her at the door, hugging her close before ushering her inside. “Come in, come in, you haven’t been here in so long.”
Mina leaned into Rita’s embrace, savoring the warmth of her motherly connection. If she could have picked a normal family for herself, it would have been here, growing up with Tia Rita and Mattie and Moises as her brothers. They didn’t have much but they had each other and there was a security in their relationship she always craved.
She sat down at the table, pulling out the small boxes of jewelry she brought with her from the shop. “I brought you some jewelry, I thought we could pack up a shipment for Taos.”
“I already have a box started,” Rita said as she hurried back to her sewing room, emerging with a large box. “I tried some new colors this time, we’ll have to ask the shopkeeper if they do well.”
They spread the shirts, skirts and dresses out on the table, deciding on prices and carefully folding them to be packaged alongside the jewelry. When they finished, Rita made plans to send the box to the post office with Moises when he went to town the following day. When the business was done, she poured them two tall glasses of lemonade and they sat at the kitchen table catching up.
“Now, a young man has come here for lunch almost every day the last week, wanting to know everything there is to know about my Mina.” Rita hid her smile behind her glass, looking up at her with eyebrows raised. “He’s a sweet boy, mija, he would be good to you.”
“I know that, Rita, he’s shown that already.” She sighed looking into her lemonade glass like it would give her the answers to all of life’s questions. “I want him to be the one for me, but I’m scared. How do I know if I’m the one for him? What if I’m not enough?”
“Oh Mina, is that your worry? From the first day, at the mention of your name his eyes lit up as if you are the sun, the very center of his world.” She reached across the table to take Mina’s hand in her own. “You are beautiful and strong. There is so much good in you and you share it so selflessly with others, so much so you often neglect yourself. Victor recognizes and loves those things in you and you love and recognize him. This is the very foundation of a lasting union. My Hector and I were much the same.”
“It’s just been so fast.” Mina examined her own heart. She never doubted Victor — his strength and encouragement were unwavering. Her own worthiness, her ability to keep one man happy for the rest of their lives, as happy as Victor made her, those were the questions surfacing in her mind. But he had made it clear to her in his actions and reactions over time that her past held far less sway with him than her present, and for that reassurance she was grateful. In the end, if the speed at which she had fallen in love with Victor was her primary concern amid what could have been a myriad of other worries, she guessed it was a good sign.
“Ah, my Hector met me and married me within a month,” Rita shrugged. “We had the boys soon after. The man was insatiable for my time, my touch, much the way I assume Victor is with you, yes?”
Mina sighed, huffing as if admitting his desire was a profound annoyance. “Yes.”
Rita smiled knowingly and Mina rolled her eyes. Tia Rita always knew best. “Thank you, I appreciate you sharing about Hector with me. You, Mattie and Moises are my family, if you ever need anything at all, I’ll be here for you any time.”
Rita got a little teary eyed, discretely attempting to dab at her eyes. “Oh, I almost forgot. I have something for you.” She shuffled back into her sewing room, bringing back a small shirt box. “If I had a daughter of my own, I would be making her a box of pretty things like this to take into marriage. And since I consider you my daughter I have started a few
pieces for you.”
She took out a white cotton nighty delicately embroidered in a variety of red, turquoise and yellow wildflowers. Mina fingered it softly, touched by her gesture.
“Now, I started on a similar long white dress that matches this on the first day Victor came to see me, but it is still weeks away from being finished so keep that in mind when he starts trying to talk you down the aisle.”
She gasped a little, gently swatting at Rita with the back of her hand. “You did not!”
“Oh I did. I have always known, mija, there is a sense to these things. You will thank me when the time is right.”
“Okay Tia Rita, you are wise in all ways,” she said it somewhat sarcastically, but there was a kernel of truth behind the statement. As she packed up her things to leave, she gently folded the nightgown into the box and placed it inside her saddle bag. “Thank you for this, Rita. I love you.”
Rita came and kissed her cheek, hugging her close again. “I love you, mija. You come back sooner next time, you’re always welcome here.”
As Mina pulled away, heading down the road to Victor’s, her mind was occupied by the words Rita had said. Her assurances were exactly what she needed to hear, to feel in order to be comfortable moving forward. Her head spun with the possibilities of the future, of growing old together, giving Rita adoptive grandchildren, keeping the compound up every night with their insatiable need for each other. She smiled, her heart warm, the sun on her face, and not once did she look back to the road behind her. Perhaps she should have.
17
Victor
Perhaps he should call her? Was that too desperate? It had only been five hours since Victor last saw Mina but she was a delicious addiction he couldn’t shake. He was midway through soaping up the larger jet for a quick rinse when he heard motorcycle exhaust pipes in the distance. A sound that set him on edge the first day now filled him with warmth and he dropped his sponge into the bucket, standing with his hands on his hips, eyes to the horizon as he waited to see his woman ride over the rise.
When the familiar classic bike topped the hill, Mina was illuminated with late afternoon sun. Her black leather vest fit snugly, highlighting the luscious curves of her body — curves he now knew tasted sweet as sin — and her hair fanned out behind her in a wild dance. As she pulled to a stop in front of him and took her helmet off, he felt like he watched her in slow motion. Her eyes were lit with contentment and freedom, her hair a ratty mess from the wind and her arms coated with red dust. She was beautiful, vibrant and all his.
He didn’t even let her dismount the bike before he scooped her up in his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist.
“I missed you,” he breathed out. It may be completely pathetic to say it so soon, but she was his moon and stars, his everything. Being apart from her, even for a few hours, left him feeling like something was missing.
“I missed…” She only got half the words out before his lips descended. He had held back, focusing on the mental and emotional aspects of their connection before he moved on to the physical. He wanted to be sure her past experiences with men wouldn’t damage her trust in him or her enjoyment during their sexual interludes. Now that he knew firsthand neither of those things were factors? All bets were off.
He completely dominated her mouth, tasting the sweet lemonade she no doubt drank at Rita’s as he slicked his tongue inside, intent on reminding her of their time together the previous night. She whimpered and dragged her center up and down his throbbing shaft. His poor girl was so needy, he could feel the moisture gathering on the fly of his jeans. Rocking her back a little while keeping up their lips’ frantic contact, he braced her bottom with one arm, using the other to flick open her jeans.
“Poor baby, do you need my help? How long have you been like this? You’re soaking wet. Next time you’ll come to me earlier, right?”
He stroke his hand down her belly ready to delve inside, but when she didn’t answer him, he pulled his hand back, giving her a little pat right on her ass. She flinched and whimpered harder, pushing her chest closer to his, her legs squeezing him tight.
“Next time you need pleasure you’ll come to me, Mina. Who takes care of this pretty pussy for you now?” He cupped her from the outside of her jeans, applying gentle pressure when she needed so much more.
“Y-you do, please.” She squirmed some more and he shifted her in his arms before he replied. “That’s exactly right, baby. Now hold still for me”
He reached in to her open jeans and immediately began rubbing her clit in the tight, circular rhythm he knew she enjoyed. Sliding two fingers inside her sopping wet heat, he quickly found her g-spot, the angle making it easier to get it just right. With his thumb applying pressure to her clit, she went off like a rocket in mere seconds. She lay her head in the crook of his neck, her arms becoming like limp noodles around him. He squeezed her close, enjoying the soft vulnerability she displayed when they were intimate and feeling a deep sense of satisfaction that he could so easily offer her pleasure. He had many years of making up to do on that account.
“Wow, that was some welcome.” Mina shifted around and he gently lowered her back to her feet, zipped her jeans back up for her and re-doing the button. “Do you…?” she asked pressing her palm against the tented denim at the front of his jeans.
“Not right now, baby, but you can help me out in another way.” He wiggled his eyebrows a little suggestively at her; he enjoyed teasing her like this.
“What do you mean I can help you out?” Her gaze got so suspicious and she crossed her arms, cocking her hip to one side, her cute little butt jutting out.
“Well I’m in the middle of washing my plane, I thought you could lend a hand.”
Mina’s face went from suspicion to shock to laughter so quickly if he had blinked he would have missed it. “Ohmygod, why does washing your plane sound so dirty?” She laughter even harder until he made his move, chucking the sponge from his soapy bucket straight toward her face. It softly hit the side of her head, filling her curls with soapy bubbles and spraying wash water into her open mouth.
“You didn’t!” She shrieked, running after him to pick up the garden hose from the ground, spraying him mercilessly with the high-pressure nozzle. By the time they finished, both of their bodies were considerably wetter than the plane itself, but it was worth it for Victor to see Mina smile and enjoy herself so thoroughly. He invited her to stay for supper — he had steaks and potatoes to cook and beer in his fridge — which was better groceries than he’d had in quite a while. Shelli and Rita had been spoiling him with leftovers and treats.
Mina agreed, hurrying to grab a small package out of her saddlebag before she headed inside, stripping off her soaked tank top as she went. Victor packed up his wash gear and parked the plane back in the hangar before he started toward his front door. As he reached for the handle, he heard a motorcycle start up close by. It sounded much closer than any of the Honeys should have been, but sometimes the cliffs around the valley made sound travel strangely, so when he didn’t hear or see anything else he went inside.
Mina was sitting on the couch, already wearing one of his clean t-shirts with Andy when he walked in. The dog loved sitting straight up on the cushions just like a person and while it always looked a little funny and unnatural to him, it made his dog happy.
“Tada!” Mina wiggled her fingers dramatically around Andy’s neck and upon closer inspection he saw she added a tag onto his collar. It was delicately engraved with Victor’s information and Andy’s name and it couldn’t be more beautiful to him.
“This is amazing, Mina. Did you make this for him?”
“Yeah, I was thinking about you guys today and I had a little time.” She shrugged her shoulders a little as if it was no big deal but it meant the world to Victor. He scooped her up, pressing soft kisses into her hair and whispering how proud he was of her art, of her thoughtfulness as he carried her into the kitchen, Andy trailing behind at his feet. He sat Mina on the c
ounter and handed her a beer from the fridge while they talked about their days as he prepped for supper.
Andy lay at their feet as they ate, quietly gnawing on something between his paws as they spoke. After a few minutes of a slightly metallic sounding munch coming from under their table, Mina leaned back and looked at Andy.
“Did you give him a bone or something to chew on?” she asked, as she watched him, waiting for Victor to answer.
“No, just his dog food earlier. Why?”
“Do you not hear him crunching on something?” Mina leaned down, lifting Andy’s head up to her a little and seeing he had disconnected his new tag from his collar and was happily gnawing away at it like the hooligan he was. “Andy! What are you doing, give that back.”
But as Mina reached for the silver piece now dangling between two of his canine teeth, Andy saw an opportunity for a merry chase and he lit out over the yard, weaving and bobbing between plants and hopping over brush. By the time Mina and Victor caught up with him they were very short of breath and he looked like a very satisfied pooch, his new tag now firmly on his collar once more.
After they returned to the back porch and set their dinner dishes inside, the lay down, exhausted in the hammock on Victor’s back patio and he cradled Mina to his chest, enjoying the last hour of sunlight.
“What’s that over there?” Mina asked, pointing to a tripod set up outside his bedroom on the other end of the patio. Oh…that. He had some explaining to do.
“Well you see, I’ve just been so concerned lately about making sure you’re safe and the other night when you were scared I wished I had a way to check up on you… so I set up a scope.” He winced a little, waiting for her to object. As he looked up, her face looked a little confused but not angry.
“You’ve been watching me? Can you even see anything through the trees?” She got up and approached it, leaning down to peer through the lens.
He knew she would see a clear view through her bedroom window, it was a high powered scope with a clear picture.
