Chrome and Hot Women: Wayward Angels: Book-1 (4 page)

Ryan Savage smiled, looking over the crowd. "Thank you. Thank you. This is quite a reception. Thank you all so very much for coming here today."

Ryan Savage had jet black hair with a bit of a widow's peak. He stood about six feet tall. Kim found his smile to be kind of exciting. This must be what they meant by someone exuding charisma. The man was handsome as hell! His wife was one lucky woman to have a man like him.

He began to speak, "We have all heard in the news a lot lately about people living contrary to the will of God."

Many in the crowd nodded their heads in agreement.

"We are at war, people!" he yelled, slamming his fist down on the podium to emphasize his point. "Don't doubt for a second that we are at war here. God wants us to live a certain way. Guess what? That doesn't include being gay!"

Several people elicited
'no's'
from the audience, shaking their heads. He was really getting the small crowd fired up. Kim thought,
If this man isn't a preacher, he's missed his calling for sure.

He continued, "We have got to fight this scourge. We can't give up. I don't care how many states have been coerced into accepting this. It's against God's law. It is a sin! What about sin don't these people understand?" He cited a couple of verses from the books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus. "This is the law God himself laid down, my friends! It is there for a reason! Do you think it's just there to tell a story?"

Many more
'no's'
from the audience. Kim lifted her own hands in the air saying, "Thank you, Jesus!"

"We will win this war if we persevere. God will grant us the strength and the courage to do it. We must do it if we are to survive as true Christians. We need to help God bring His wrath down upon these people before it's too late. These people aren't only living in sin, they are the sin. They are living, breathing sin. My own sister, the well known architect from Denver, is part of this sin. She and her quote,
'wife'
are part of the problem." Ryan made a sudden, forceful air-quote gesture with his fingers. "They aren't sinners, they are the sin itself! My sister has been possessed by the devil himself, just like every other gay person on this planet. There is no hope for them anymore. No hope whatsoever!"

Ryan paced back and forth behind the podium, letting his message sink in.

"Are we gonna let this continue people?" he asked, looking over the crowd. Several people shook their heads. "I don't think so!"

Ryan Savage continued his vitriol-filled speech for about another twenty minutes before he invited people to come forward. "Ladies and gentleman, by now I'm sure you can see the way is clear. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. If any of you are ready to accept this truth, the ONLY truth, then I would urge you to step forward today. Don't hesitate ladies and gentlemen. This could be your last moment on Earth. Jesus is calling you into His service. The question is, will you answer Him?"

Kim rose up out of her seat, urging her friend, Marilyn Miller to come forward with her. Marilyn shook her head, mouthing the word
'no'
. Kim shrugged her shoulders in disappointment at her friend's lack of support.

Kim and another woman, along with a man, stepped toward the podium.

"Is this all the support Jesus is going to get today?" Ryan asked, scanning the audience. "This could be your one and only chance, folks. Don't let it slip away."

The three stood in front of him as he lifted his arms toward the garage ceiling. He said the following prayer, "Lord Jesus, I offer these three people to You today for Your gift of salvation. To be born again of Your blood, oh, Lord. Do the three of you acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the one and only Lord?"

"Yes," the three said in unison.

"Confess with your mouths now that Jesus is Lord."

"Jesus is Lord," the three added.

"Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and was raised from a state of death three days later?"

"We believe."

Ryan handed them each a paper. "Please read what's written here out loud," he instructed them."

The three of them read the following:

"God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross at Calvary, and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my King, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands, oh Lord. I ask this in Jesus' precious and holy name. Amen."

"Now come forward and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ!" Ryan exclaimed with jubilation.

Devon James stepped forward, removing a bottle of what appeared to be holy water from inside his leather jacket.

"Are you ready to be baptized in the name of Jesus?" he asked them.

"We're ready," they acknowledged.

Devon took the cap off the bottle, placing his finger partially over the opening. "I baptize you all in the name of Jesus. Let this holy water wash away your sins. You are now born anew. Amen."

A bunch of
'amen's'
rose up from the audience.

Ryan Savage stepped up to the mic. "Amen and amen! Thank you Lord Jesus! Let me take a moment to welcome Your new sheep. Now if anyone is interested, I have my new books and several brochures for you over at the table. Autographs are free of course!"

He stepped down from the podium and took a seat in back of the table. Kim was the first one in line. "I loved your speech and would like to buy your book."

He looked straight into her eyes, with a disarming smile, making her feel warm all over. She felt like she was blushing.

"Who do I make this out to?"

""Kim would be fine," she smiled down at him.

"Well, here you are, Kim," he said, handing her the book. "That'll be twenty bucks." The smile never left his face.

Kim fumbled with her wallet, "Oh, yeah, sure. Here you go," she said, handing him a twenty.

"Thank you," he said, slipping it into the metal change box on the table.

"Is there any way I can get in touch with you? I'd sure like to talk with you some more."

He handed her his business card. "Sure, just call that number."

"I will and thanks again."

She walked back over to Marilyn.

"Looks like you got stars in your eyes, girlfriend," Marilyn said. "You might want to be careful of that glimmer. The shine could wear off."

Kim barely heard her. She was too excited. "I feel so good, Marilyn. I really believe I've found my calling."

Kim was on cloud nine on the ride home. Smiling all the way.

Shannon had decided to ride with Cece in her F-150 back to Longmont, that Saturday. She was anxious to see where the woman that she was so enamored with lived. She was also looking forward to getting to know her better and to check out her restoration project on the vintage Triumph motorcycle.

It was a delightful drive. Shannon felt the urge to put her hand on Cece's leg, but thought better of it. Not that she didn't really, really want to. About a half hour later, Cece pulled the truck into her driveway.

"Home, sweet home," Cece smiled over at her.

Shannon could sense some chemistry going on. At least she didn't think the energy going back and forth between them was her imagination.

Cece shut off the ignition and the two women climbed out of the truck. She pressed a button on the garage door opener, revealing her two beloved bikes. The Triumph was a diamond in the rough, but Shannon had no doubt it would be a beauty when Cece was finished with the restoration.

"That's some bike," Shannon said, caressing the seat.

"You like?"

"Absolutely. Wow!"

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'll take a beer, if you got one."

"Now, that I've got."

Cece stepped over to an older refrigerator emblazoned with some Harley and other motorcycle related decals and pulled them each out an ice cold Coors. She opened them both, handing one to Shannon.

"Mmm, nice and frosty. Looks like you don't have to go far to get a drink."

"Well, I do spend a lot of hours out here in my spare time."

"I can relate," Shannon said.

"Let's go in the house and see what parts we can find online."

"Sounds great."

They walked from the garage, straight into the laundry room which led to the kitchen. They sat down next to each other so they could both view Cece's laptop screen.

"So what do you need to get it in shape?" Shannon asked her.

"Well, I'm fortunate that the majority of it is still intact. There are a few parts that are corroded, like some of the rubber. I also need to get the pitting out of the chrome. There's a lot of stuff on the market to do that. I'm gonna try it myself first. If that doesn't work, I'll see what Mick, at Carvell's Custom can do for me."

"What about Karen Bates? Can she help out?"

"Not with the chrome. She told me she only knows as much as I do as far as that goes, but with the mechanical stuff, yeah."

"You know I can help out, too, if you want."

"I want," Cece looked at her and smiled.

There went that chemistry again. Shannon could feel herself getting a little wet.

The two of them sat there going through parts lists and
Googling
for original manufacturer's parts, or OEM, as they were commonly referred to. Cece was able to find a pair of foot rubbers and some cables, so the day wasn't a total loss.

Cece gave her a tour of the house, showing Shannon her modest surroundings. It was a two bedroom, single level house. It, too, needed some upgrading, but Cece told her she got it for a steal. Built in the 1950's, the house still had the original red and gray linoleum tile on the kitchen floor, which surprisingly was in great shape, along with the matching gray-topped table and red vinyl chairs. Cece told her she planned on doing some restoration work inside the house over the winter, when the usual road construction layoffs came around.

Then they went to Cece's bedroom, which consisted of a chest of drawers, easy chair and a standard-sized bed with a cedar chest in front of it. Shannon thought she could get real cozy in that bed with Cece.

"Hey," Cece said, "Do you wanna go over to The Lavender Light and see what's going on later?"

"Sounds good. I'd love to!"

"We could go grab a bite to eat first, if you want. Do you like Thai food?"

"Love it!"

"I love hot stuff, too," Cece smiled what seemed like a seductive smile to Shannon. "I know this great place here in Longmont that we can go to. It's called, Thai One On. No, I'm not kidding, Thai One On."

The two of them chuckled. Cece locked up the house and garage, then the two of them jumped in the truck and headed for, Thai One On. Dinner was quite tasty and the pair were immersed in talk about motorcycle restoration, racing and the upcoming poker run. After about an hour of delightful conversation, the two of them headed for The Lavender Light. It was around 7PM when they got there and most of the usual Saturday night crowd hadn't arrived yet.

They both grabbed a stool at the bar, where Cookie Knight took their order. "How are you two ladies tonight?" she asked.

"Great!" Shannon exclaimed. "And how about you, Cookie?"

"Can't complain. Nobody wants to listen to it anyway."

"You know you can cry on my shoulder anytime, sweet cheeks," Arlene Snell smiled, laying her head on Cookie's shoulder. She smiled at the two women, batting her eyes.

"Hell of a way to talk to the boss, isn't it?" Cookie laughed.

"I smell sexual harassment charges coming." Cece snickered.

"I don't know how that would work," Arlene said with a puzzled look on her face. "I know an employee can sue for sexual harassment, but I don't know about an employer."

"Keep it up and you're fired." Cookie grinned.

"Fired?" Arlene stepped back, feigning shock. "Does this mean you're not going to accept my marriage proposal tonight?"

"Nope."

"Damn!" Arlene snapped her fingers. "I've been after this girl to marry me for months now."

"Now get back to work." Cookie shooed her away with her hand.

"Well, if you insist." Arlene sauntered away overdramatizing a pout. She started removing glasses from an empty table and wiping it down for the next customers.

"I love that woman to pieces. She is such an asset to my business. I don't know what I'd do without her."

"She seems like a great person," Shannon added.

"Yep," Cookie said as she went to take another woman's order that had just taken a seat at the bar.

'Uptown Funk'
started playing on the jukebox.

"May I have this dance?" Shannon asked Cece, holding out her hand.

The two of them hit the dance floor and Shannon was sure enjoying the show. Cece looked damned hot shaking her assets. They enjoyed a couple more upbeat dances before returning to the bar for another beer.

"Wow! You can really move, woman," Cece said, paying her a compliment..

"You've got some classic moves yourself." Shannon smiled, taking a sip from her bottle of Coors. She could feel the heat growing between her thighs. God, she wanted Cece, and she wanted her bad!

'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'
, by Roberta something or other began playing. Shannon forgot her last name, but it was such a timeless classic.

Cece reached out her hand, raising her eyebrows. Shannon took her hand and they stepped back out on the dance floor.
Oh, damn!
Shannon could hardly contain herself as Cece grabbed her gently, pulling her towards her for their first slow dance together.

A feeling like electricity coursed through Shannon's body as the two women embraced on the dance floor. She was tingling from head to toe. Her face nuzzled against Cece's neck. Her skin felt so soft and smelled so good. She about gave up all help for self control. Cece's arms felt so damned good wrapped around her shoulder and waist. Shannon let out a sigh as she felt her breathing increase. She had never felt as wonderful as she did now, wrapped in someone's arms. She knew she would never forget this song, this dance, this night. She felt so free, the way it was always meant to be. She was finally free to be who she was. She had broken the hinges off the closet door of her sexual being. She was beyond the point of no return. She prayed Cece was feeling the same.

***

Cece could feel herself getting extremely excited as she held Shannon close to her on the dance floor. Her hair was so soft against her cheek. And the scent of her! Oh, my God, she smelled fresher than a gentle mountain rain in Spring. Their breasts pressing against each other was almost more than she could take. She had to have this woman! It felt different being with her, like something she had never felt before. Unlike all her other encounters with women, and there had been too many to count, this felt fresh and new. There was something very special about Shannon Storm. Something very special indeed. She didn't want to blow it.

As the song ended, they broke their embrace. She and Shannon stood there, face to face, holding each other's hands. Shannon smiled at her. "That was wonderful."

Their concentration was broken when two women approached them, one with had shoulder length brown hair and was wearing a pair of glasses. "Well hello, Cece. Long time no see!"

"Professor, how have you been? And Staci, nice to see you again. I've been wanting to touch base with you regarding the poker run for the
Realm Of Caring
."

"Well, would you care to join us at a table?" Jennifer asked, looking between Cece and Shannon.

"Uh, yeah, sure-Shannon?"

"Yeah, I'll go grab our beers."

Staci, Jennifer and Cece made their way to a table.

"New love interest?" Jennifer asked Cece.

"Yeah. She's great, isn't she?"

"You look smitten. Sounds serious," Jennifer said.

"I hope so," Cece smiled.

Shannon brought their beer over to the table.

"I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce everybody," Cece said. "Jennifer, Staci, I would like you to meet my date, Shannon Storm. Shannon, this is Jennifer Holloway and her girlfriend, Staci Walker. Staci is the woman I was telling you about that works for
Realm Of Caring
, in Boulder. Jennifer lives in Boulder, and teaches at the University Of Colorado. Shannon lives in Boulder, too."

"Great to meet you," Jennifer said, offering her hand.

"Same here," said Staci.

"So are you two out kicking up your heels tonight?" Cece asked.

"It's been awhile since we've been here. We needed to see if the place changed any," Jennifer said.

"And...?" Cece asked, taking a drink from her bottle of Coors."

"Not really-which is great!" Jennifer said.

Arlene came over to take their drink order. Jennifer and Staci opted for a couple of Peach Bellini's.

"How 'bout the two of you? Can I get you another Coors?"

"Sounds good, Arlene. Thanks," Cece said.

The four of them sat there talking awhile and dancing some more. Soon it was time for everybody to head back to Boulder.

***

The drive back was filled with pleasant conversation and smiles. By the time they arrived back at Shannon's place it was almost eleven o'clock.

"I enjoyed our evening, Shannon," Cece smiled after pulling the F-150 into the driveway.

"Well, you are coming in aren't you? I won't take no for an answer, woman."

"Well, if you insist. How can I resist?" Cece swung her legs out of the truck cab and followed Shannon toward the house.

Shannon could feel the excitement growing within her. Her mouth was getting dry and she licked her lips. There was no damned way she would be sleeping alone tonight. Time to bring the walls down on her inhibitions. The devil be damned! She told Cece to sit on the couch and make herself comfortable while she went into the kitchen. She came back out, carrying two cold bottles of beer. She took a bong off the bookshelf and grabbed a small zip-lock bag of bud out of end table drawer. Then she put on a mix of great music that usually made her end up feeling a bit sensuous. Her heart was beating with excitement.

"You get high?" she asked Cece.

"Oh, hell yeah! Let's spark that thing up!"

Shannon sat down on the sofa next to her and placed a small bud in the bowl of the glass bong. Cece pulled her monogrammed Harley Zippo out of her pocket, flicking the metal top open. She rolled the wheel across the flint and the flame jumped to life. Shannon took a toke from the bong, the bubbles began roiling inside the glass bottom of the bong. She pulled the glass bowl out, inhaling a deep hit of smoke. She breathed out, coughing slightly.

Cece took the bong from her and did the same. They each took a couple more bong hits before Shannon placed it on the coffee table in front of them.

Cece turned the Zippo lighter back and forth, looking at it. "You know, this lighter once got me in some deep shit."

"Yeah, how? Did you burn somebody's house down?"

"Not exactly. I did almost burn somebody's relationship down, though."

"Oh, yeah? How's that?"

"You know Jennifer and Staci? The two women I introduced you to earlier?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, Jennifer and I used to see each other occasionally. It was nothing serious. Just one of those friends with benefits things. Her girlfriend, Staci, was out of town over semester break during Christmas. Jennifer and I got a little loaded and one thing led to another. Well, when Staci got back from break, she found my lighter in Jennifer's couch cushion. It has my name on it. She put two and two together."