Here for Shaye (2 page)

"I drove her to your mom's and told her we'd
call."

"Mom's?! I didn't want Mom to know I was gone this
weekend. She'll ask too many questions and I don't feel like
reporting."

"I know, but he could be a serial killer and your
mother is a cop."

"I could be a serial killer." Shaye tapped the
steering wheel. She was so late.

"You weigh one hundred and ten pounds and can't kill
a spider, I'm coming along."

"Shit, Dallas you can't come."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a guy. He's gonna think we're
together, together."

"We'll explain."

She didn't think thousands of explanations would do
her much good. She was bringing a man to another man whom she’d
told she was single. "He doesn't know you're coming, maybe he'll
bail.

"He's not gonna bail, but you could try driving,
seeing as it's passed four o'clock."

Shaye picked up her phone and texted Sir R.

Sir R: In that case, meet me at the yellow gas
station in Blythe. You can't miss it on your left.

Shaye: I can't wait to see you.

She bit the inside of her mouth and hit send.

"You didn't tell him did you?"

Shaye tucked the phone between her legs and shook
her head. She'd face Sir R's disproval rather then get dumped on
the side of the road before she even met him. He was one of a kind
guy for a girl like her.

Car idling on the side of the road, she considered
the mountain range that stretched along the highway on the left.
Her luck with men was something like the steep dip between the two
tops. If she didn't climb hard enough, if she didn't manage the
obstacles in the way, she'd never get collared. She wanted to keep
the collar he'd place around her neck this weekend. The collar to a
girl like her was akin to an engagement ring most girls wanted from
the boyfriends they planned to commit to. She didn't want
engagement or marriage, but a collar was a commitment, a sacred
vow, promising their needs would be met by giving up her comfort in
exchange for his guidance.

Dallas took her hand in his. "I was gonna find a
place a little further down from you guys and chill out. You gotta
take me with you."

He was a wonderful friend with the best intentions
even if not well thought out. Shaye didn't have time to take him
home and Dallas walked several miles all the way out here. She
couldn't leave him behind. "It's okay, we can all have a weekend
out." She turned on the highway and cranked up the radio in hopes
Sir R was an understanding man. He was. Right. She nodded an
affirmative. In the corner of her eye, she caught Dallas's
smile.

Blythe, a small California town about a hundred and
thirty miles east of Palm Springs, sat on the Colorado River.
Driving was made easy with few stop lights and nearly empty streets
separated by a row of carefully planted, partially dried palm
trees. On the left, low rise small business offices with chipped
paint stood in contrast to the right side of the road where tall
bushes and trees hid the river below.

Dallas pointed to the right. "This is the unpaved
road pass the town locals use to get to the river and that's where
he's taking you." He pointed to the left. "The yellow station. Pull
up there or you'll hyperventilate."

"Oh God, I'm so nervous." She drove between the
cafeteria on the left and the pumps on the right where a burgundy
truck and the man who leaned against it, waited.

She parked her car around the corner, on the side of
the gas station before the white WC sign. Her hands shook, sticky
with sweat, she wiped them clean on her scrubs. "What if it doesn't
work out?" Shaye ran a hand through her hair, and released the
clip. Hair brushed her shoulders. She placed the clip around the
shift handle and flipped down her visor. A mess of red curls
reflected in the mirror, her hairbrush left behind in the locker.
"He's gonna think I didn't even try to look nice." She finger
combed her hair. "What if it doesn't work out?"

"It'll work out."

She turned to face her friend.

Dallas smiled broadly and snapped open his seatbelt.
"You're cute and funny and smart. It'll be fine."

"He's forty-two, been there done cute, funny and
smart, along with several other combinations of blonde, blue and
peachy. What do I have?"

"Freckles. Make you seem younger."

Great. "What else?"

"Best tits in the Valley."

"Okay that's better, keep going."

"He's waiting."

"Shit."

Her black work flats padded silently as she walked
next to the building and out to the main station lot. The station
was large for a small town. Four rows of three double sets of gas
pumps with only one occupied pump closest to the entrance. She
straightened her top with one hand while gripping the handle of her
purse with the other. She stopped at the sidewalk when he turned to
face them. They were only few feet apart but her legs didn't move,
couldn't close the distance.

He wore a light blue polo shirt with a red collar,
black swim shorts, and black tennis shoes. His tall frame was
muscular and fit, his face was clean-shaven, his brown hair was cut
to about two inches, and his eyes were covered with black sporty
sunglasses. He recognized her. They didn't share pictures over the
Internet, but he knew by description what she looked like. When she
didn't move towards him, he approached the sidewalk and stood
before them.

"I'm here for Shaye," he said and observed the
two.

"Hi.” She raised her hand to wave when he didn't
offer a hug. Or his hand.

"Dallas. Shaye's friend." He stepped forward and
extended his.

Sir R shook it, held onto Dallas' hand a little too
long. "Let’s take this inside." He opened the door to the cafeteria
and waited. She willed her feet to move.

The cool indoor air swept her like a wave, but
failed to cool her nerves. Shaye sighed a welcome for the empty
place that smelled like fast food then took a right for the red
plastic tables before the cashier's station and the yellow hot dog
stand. She stood by the table and waited for him to sit first and
when he sat facing the door, she took the chair across from him.
They folded their sunglasses on the red table. He placed his car
key, neatly, next to them.

His light brown eyes were almost hazel. They were
warm—usually—she was sure, but not now as they glided between the
woman he was meeting and a man with her.

"It's nice to finally see you," Shaye said. "I've
been looking forward to it since you arranged the meet, and I'm
sorry I was late. Work got in the way."

"Are either of you hungry? Do you want something to
drink?"

"No thank you."

"All right, SS35, let’s get straight to it. You are
not thirty five years old."

Oh no! She forgot she lied about her age. In the
beginning, when they opened the first chat she wanted to please him
so badly, get him to talk with her and when he asked about her age,
she lied. "I'm twenty four."

He took a minute, or maybe just few seconds, but to
her the wait felt like an entire summer.

"I wanted a woman in her thirties."

Ashamed, she hung her head.

He snapped his fingers. "Up here."

Eyes up, she said the only thing she could say. "I'm
sorry."

"That's it?"

"Out of over two hundred subs in the chat room, you
private messaged me and I was excited and well, honored. I mean, I
was just there to post pictures and didn't get my hopes up. When I
saw your message, I couldn't…I didn't want our age difference to be
in the way, and so I lied."

Under the table, Dallas kicked her foot. Under Sir
Robert's gaze, she shrunk. He was gonna bail. She'd have bailed
too. Lifestyle stripped to the bones, removed of the different ways
people engaged with each other, was left with consent and trust. It
was that simple. Everything else was to each its own. She broke the
carnal rule from the start. Would he find it in him to forgive?
Maybe give her a second chance?

She didn't think he would. The pile of problems his
previous subs laid at his feet metered his tolerance for bullshit.
He was a long time Dominant who saw right through her. She didn't
hide anything. At least not anymore. Tears blurred her vision, and
she placed her sunglasses over her face.

"Honest liar," he said and didn't reprimand her for
covering up her shame. "I didn't realize you were bringing a
friend. He's a friend correct?"

"My fault," Dallas said. "I crashed the party and
hitched a highway ride."

Sir R's eyebrows drew down. "You were
hitchhiking?"

"Yep." Dallas chewed his gum.

"It's illegal to solicit services."

"Hitchhiking is legal."

"Solicit services by the side of the road."

"What, you a cop?"

Sir R tilted his head then swung his brown eyes her
way. Avoidance wouldn't help and she'd already lied enough. She
cleared her throat. "I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure if
you'd meet me with a friend."

"So, let me get this straight." He leaned forward
and placed the weight of his upper body on his forearms. He
interlocked his fingers while his jaw flexed and his eyes narrowed.
"I meet a cute little pup who is a mature woman and wants the same
things I want—"

"I didn't lie about anything else I swear. I need
all things."

"I wasn't finished," he said, firm and also,
annoyed.

Her shoulders slumped.

"As I was saying, I find a pup out of all the other
available submissives, and I'm thinking she's worth the risk of
meeting in private. Maybe I'll get to keep her because let me tell
you what it looks like from my perspective. I've been around long
enough to know wasting my time in chat rooms is futile unless I got
something good going. It was good wasn't it?"

The huge rock in her throat blocked her words, so
she nodded.

He leaned back and looked out the window for a
second then placed his hands flat on the table. "It was nice
meeting you. Hope you find what you're looking for."

Shaye didn't see him leave. Not really. Her eyes
filled with tears. She didn't imagine their meet would end at the
table. They were supposed to do the dirty, the naughty, the filthy,
and they were supposed to get to know each other while at it. She
stared, thoughts wiped blank, at his empty chair while the tears
finally poured over and slid down her face. Well-earned tears.
Desperation for a Dominant, for a man to share her kinks with,
wasn't an excuse to lie. Some girls learned the hard way, and she
was one of them.

"He's pounding that pavement outside," Dallas said
and brought her back to the background noise of the spinning fans
above them.

"He's at the car. Door handle jerking. Ups, forgot
to unlock."

A car alarm blared through the station.

"Hands in his pocket. Wait, wait, wait."

Shaye looked outside. He was padding his shorts,
searching for keys. A dark, muscled hand extended before her face
and pressed the button on the car key. Alarms silenced, car lights
blinked off.

"He's so mad, he forgot his stuff," Shaye said.

"Nope, I swiped his fucking sunglasses and keys.
What an asshole."

She turned to face Dallas. "He's gonna…he's
gonna…"

"It's a sign Shaye, you deserve this."

"I lied."

"I don't care." Dallas wore Sir R's sunglasses and
leaned back in the chair. "Here comes caveman."

She stood, yanked the sunglasses off Dallas's face,
and grabbed the keys. Dallas laughed his ass off. Cafeteria
doorbells, like huge wedding ones, pierced the hollow room. When
Sir Robert stood at the table with his hands on his hips, she
thrust his things to him, her eyes wide. She placed her fists in
the pockets of her scrubs and tried to think of something polite to
say. But, she didn't get a chance.

"Oh!" He tackled her, and threw her over his
shoulder. "Oh my God," whooshed out with the air from her lungs.
She couldn't believe he was doing this, didn't think this kind of
handling would ever happen to her.

Head bobbing to the rhythm of his long strides, she
hung onto his back pockets for dear life. A young man wearing a
yellow hat and a red uniform rushed out of the back room. "Whoa,
duuuude! What the hell you doin'?" He picked up the phone.

"It's okay! Don't call!" Shaye said as Sir Robert
pushed open the door. "He's my…my—"

"Daddy," Dallas supplied.

Sir R led them down the steep climb over the rocks
and under the rich green trees. For the first time today she was
glad she stayed in the scrubs. Behind her, Dallas cursed as the
desert's shrubs nicked and pierced his uncovered skin. Shaye fought
the branches with her hands, and hurried behind Sir R. In one hand
he carried her large purple duffle with a small tent, some spare
clothes, and barbecue utensils she'd packed and left in her trunk
before leaving home. In the other, he shouldered a bag of charcoal.
"I can take the bag," she said.

"It's heavy, don't want you falling on your
face."

"I eat spinach."

He propped the charcoal bag and turned. "Excuse
me."

She pointed to her bicep. "Iron."

He blinked.

"Popeye?"

Sir stood there, face blank. Dallas rounded the two.
"She thinks she's funny. Just laugh, it's for the best."

Sir threw the duffle then the bag on the ground and
hopped three feet down to the gravel-like terrain. He offered her
his hand. When all three of them stood grounded, he didn't let go
of her hand and swiped his thumb against her palm. She squeezed,
acknowledging his affection.

"Wow, nice set up boss," Dallas said. "I've been
farther down a few times, but this place is hidden. Diggin' it." He
walked to the river, his shudders rolled along with his exaggerated
swagger.