Leather & Lace

Leather and Lace, the Return

By TxRad

"Cowboys," the bartender said into the phone as she mixed a Jack and coke.

"Is there a motel across the street from you?" A female voice asked.

"Yeah there is honey, the Davis Motel."

"Good, then I have the right place finally. I couldn't remember the name. It's been five years after all."

"What can I help you with?" The bartender asked a little impatiently.

"I'm looking for a guy--"

"Aren't we all," the bartender interrupted.

"This one was a customer there five years ago but I don't know his name. He lives over in Texas and only comes there when he's off work. He always gets a motel room across the street," the woman said in a rush.

"There are several that fit that description."

"He's older, wears a cowboy hat and boots, he drives an old pickup truck."

"Honey, that describes about half the guys in here on any night. The best I can tell you is get your ass up here and rope him, if ya see him."

"I... uh.... Thanks," the woman said and hung up.

The bartender shook her head as she finished mixing the drink order. "Some women don't have a clue," she said to the waitress across the bar from her.

"Count me among them," the waitress replied as she picked up her drink tray. "And sometimes, I can't even buy one."

*****

Carol had called nine bars before she found the right one on Thursday evening. Friday night at eight, she had her limo driver drop her off across the street from the bar. She wore the same western outfit as the last time she had been here. She wondered if he would be there or if he would remember her.

She took several deep breaths and let them out slowly. With her nerves and heart rate under control, she headed across the street to see if fate was going to be good to her or not. Her husband had died six months before and it had taken her this long to get her life and his finances straightened out enough to try and find her one true love.

Her heart had belonged to a middle class cowboy after one night of fun and passion. Before that, her head ruled her heart with an iron fist. If she hadn't caught her husband in bed with her best friend then she would not have been here that first time, that one and only time.

She paused outside the door and wondered what she would do if he wasn't there or if he was with someone else. Call the driver and go home was the easy answer. Cry her eyes out at the loss was the long drawn out one. With a deep breath, she opened the door and went inside.

Carol stopped a few steps inside and looked around. Her eyes darted from one face under a cowboy hat to the next. She slumped and sighed, as she did not see him. She started to leave but changed her mind and walked over to the bar. Maybe she was early or he was late. He might be working.

She stood by the bar looking around. "What can I do ya for?" The bartender asked from behind the bar.

"Uh, a Coors Light, I think."

"Sounds good to me," the bartender said as she went to get the beer.

Carol returned to scanning the room. No one looked familiar. The bartender returned with her beer and she paid for it. With a sigh, she leaned on the bar. She was so stupid; she had let the best thing in her life get away and for what. Money and lots of it, her mind supplied.

"Uh, excuse me but is your name Carol?" Someone asked from behind her.

She spun around but she did not know the man standing there. "Yes, my name is Carol."

"I'm Jack and my wife over there," he indicated a table against the wall, "thought it was you."

"It was me, what?" Carol asked in confusion.

"You're the one he talked about all the time, the one he hoped would come back some day."

"Where is he?" Carol asked sharply, hope once again making her heart beat faster. The man suddenly looked familiar. "You're the one that slapped the hood of his truck that night. The one who told us to get a room."

Jack grinned and nodded. "That was me alright and the lady with me that night is now my wife. Come over and join us. Lisa can explain things better than I can."

"Explain? Explain what?"

"Lisa is the brains of our outfit so I'll let her tell you. I'm just the manual labor," Jack replied as he held out his hand indicating for Carol to precede him.

With a mental shrug, Carol walked over to their table. Lisa stood up and smiled at Carol. "It's about time you showed back up. Bill has given up hope of ever seeing you again."

"I... uh.... Yeah, me too," Carol said softly.

"He's off working a long job down along the border and he won't be back for another month or so," Lisa informed her as they all three sat down.

"He waited for me?" Carol asked in disbelief.

"Honey, you made a total wreck out of him and ruined him for any other woman. You were all he could think about and you were the measuring stick he used on any other female that came around." Lisa paused and sighed. "No one and I mean no one measured up."

Carol dropped her eyes to the tabletop and shook her head. "I never meant for him to get hurt. He was a fantasy of mine from a long time ago and a fling to pay my husband back for an indiscretion, shall we say."

"Bill ain't one to kiss and tell but I could tell you put one damned fine--" Jack started to say.

"Shut up, dear." Lisa interrupted with a smile.

"Yes, dear," Jack said as he stood up. "I think I'll go order us another round."

"Take your time," Lisa replied and blew him a kiss.

As Jack walked away, Lisa grinned at Carol and whispered, "He's not the brightest bulb in the box but he's fun, he's got a good job, and he can eat pussy until my ears fall off. And that's not even mentioning his cute ass in those tight jeans."

Carol laughed and shook her head. "Lucky you. I let mine get away."

"It's been nip and tuck several times but he's still available and you have the inside track. The only track if I've read things right."

"I did a stupid thing," Carol confessed. "My husband had an affair with my best friend and I came here to fulfill a fantasy. Bill was that fantasy in spades. It was supposed to be a no strings thing but I got a lot more than I bargained for."

Lisa nodded. "I understand believe me, I've been there and done that. Jack was supposed to be about the same thing. Only it was after a messy divorce from a real asshole. Jack was supposed to be fun, flirting, and fucking. A way to get back on the dating horse easily."

She paused and grinned. "It looks like the joke was on me. I found a real sweetheart, a diamond in the rough. After a few dates I couldn't get enough or let him go."

"One date was all I had and that was more than enough. I did not want to leave but I had to. I was still married and in my mind, that was where I was supposed to be." Carol paused and looked at Lisa for a moment.

"He's dead now, my husband I mean. He had a heart attack on a business trip. I've never been able to get all the details and sometimes I think I'm glad of it. He was involved with some very bad and dangerous people. People I want to stay well away from."

Lisa did not say anything and after a moment Carol went on, "There was a lot of money tied up in all kinds of things. It has taken me six months to unravel it all and I'm still not sure I have it all figured out. Anyway, Bill has never left my heart and now I want to find him."

"If you're still thinking about him after five years then there must be something there. How can I help?" Lisa asked.

Carol chuckled and looked down at the table for a second. "I need to know everything. Until you told me, I didn't even know his name. I came here hoping he would be here and remember me."

Lisa laughed. "Remember you? You were about all he talked about for a year or better. Then he got quiet about most everything. Then he slowly over a period of several years stopped coming over here. Jack works for the same oil company is the only reason we stay in touch."

Carol sat back as Jack showed up with three beers. As he sat down, he said, "I can get word to him tomorrow morning. Reports go in at seven so he'll be around then for sure."

"I'm not sure...." Carol started and then let the sentence hang as she tried to figure out what she wanted to do.

"He'll be on the road like a scalded hound," Jack said with a laugh.

"But his job--" Carol started to say.

"The hell with a job when the love of your life reappears," Jack told her.

"Jack, honey. Am I going to have to gag you?" Lisa asked and batted her eyes at him.

Jack got a grin on his face from ear to ear. "Do I get any say in how you gag me?"

Lisa laughed and shook her head. Looking at Carol, she winked and said, "Like I said, until my ears fall off."

Carol laughed and then shivered as she remembered being breakfast. "I understand believe me. Bill had me for breakfast, which was a completely new experience."

"Been there, done that, got the ripped sheets to prove it," Lisa replied with a grin in Jack's direction. Looking back at Carol, she sighed and changed the subject. "Now, how do you want to play this?"

*****

The fairly new gray pickup bounced along the dusty white rock road leading off across the wide-open spaces of south Texas. Lisa with help from Jack had drawn Carol a map to the rig. Almost six hundred miles later she was getting close or so she hoped. She hadn't seen a road sign or a house in the last sixty miles.

She could see a drilling rig off on the horizon and it seemed to be in the direction she was headed. She grinned at the thought of her on a drilling location. Talk about your, what the hell am I doing, moments. If someone had ever suggested she would be hunting for a man in the middle of south Texas, she would have laughed.

Lisa's question of what she was going to do next had left her clueless. If Jack called Bill, then he would rush like a madman home. That wouldn't be good or safe and then there was his job. Money was not a problem but it was her money and Bill wouldn't be the kind to live off her.

Her going to him seemed like the best idea. Saturday, she had her driver take her truck shopping. They had looked at new trucks but this one had caught her eye. It looked a lot like Bill's but was newer. She bought it, got it serviced, and dropped it off at the Davis Motel.

Carol had decided to keep as much of what she was doing private as she could. She trusted her driver. He had been with her since the early days of her marriage. She had let go most of the household staff after her husband died. The housekeeper was the one exception.

She still felt watched and a little paranoid at some of the things and people her husband had been involved with. She had packed a small bag Saturday night and had the driver drop her at the bar. He had left but made a circle and used the back alley to leave her bag at the motel room.

Jack had spirited her out the backdoor of the club and drove around to make sure he wasn't followed. He dropped her by the same back alley route at the motel room. Carol had spent the night there and left town early the next morning. Shorts, a baggy t-shirt, and a ball cap were her kind of, sort of, disguise. A stop for cash was her only stop.

Now it was late Sunday afternoon and it was hot even with the AC in the truck turned as high as it would go. Carol lost sight of the rig for a while and then she topped a rise and there it was, not a mile or two away. She was grinning as she went down hill.

At the bottom of the hill, she slowed for a dry creek crossing and then rounded a bend to see someone running along side the road. It was a man and he was going the same way she was. She slowed quickly to keep from drowning him in dust. She was idling, as she got closer. The man wore shorts, tennis shoes, and a gray sweat stained sweatshirt.

He looked oddly familiar but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out from where. Then he turned and glanced back. Carol gasped and hit the brakes with both feet. The truck slid to a stop and she just stared. It was Bill. She sat frozen as emotions, feelings, and memories played tag in her mind. The fact that she could hardly breath told her that he was the right one. Not that she had ever had any doubts.

Bill looked forward and waved for her to go on past but he didn't slow his pace. Carol took a long deep breath and wondered, what now? Should she drive past and then wait for him to catch up? Should she drive on to the rig and wait for him there? In the end, she shut off the truck, got out, and ran after him.

She was almost to him when he glanced around again. His mouth dropped open and then he was engulfed in a hug as he tried to turn and stop at the same time. He hit the ground with Carol on top of him. Dust billowed around them as they kissed with growing passion.

The kiss suddenly broke and they were both talking at once. They both shut up and then began talking at once again. Bill laughed and she grinned as they both shut up again. She put her hand over his mouth and whispered, "I love you."

Bill nodded and she moved her hand. "I love you," he whispered.

The kiss was back on with even more passion. Carol suddenly realized that her legs were spread wide by his hips and her hips flexing up and down against him. She groaned loudly and broke the kiss. She sat up and wiggled her hips as a grin spread across her face.

"I think we need a room in the worse way," Bill said as he sat up. He was grinning as wide as she was.

His arms around her felt so good. "I've had two days almost to think of what our meeting would be like but this scenario never crossed my mind."

"How the hell did you find me?" He asked and then whispered, "Jack and his better half."

"Lisa is a sweetheart, an angel even," Carol whispered.

"She's too good for him but she's also the best thing to ever happen to him," Bill whispered.

Carol laughed. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Bill looked over her shoulder and said, "Uh, you need to get up and run for the truck."

"What?" She asked in shock. "You're trying to get rid of me?"

With a laugh, Bill shook his head. "No way but there is a fuel truck coming this way at a high rate of speed and we're going to be in the middle of a dust storm in a minute or less."

Carol twisted sideways and looked behind her. A tall plume of dust was moving fast in their direction. "Oh shit!" She said sharply as she jumped to her feet. Without waiting for Bill she took off at a dead run toward the truck. She could hear him laughing behind her.

They made the truck with time to spare. Carol even had time to pull off the side of the road and stop before the semi blew past in a huge cloud of dust. Bill grinned at the surprised look on Carol's face. "Welcome to my world," he said a moment later.

"Wasn't he going a little fast?" She asked. "This ain't the interstate."

Bill laughed. "To him it is. He makes the run out here to keep our fuel supply topped off about every four days."

Carol looked around at the total white out they were sitting in. "I guess being parked when he passes is a good idea."

Bill slid over next to her and pulled her face over so they could kiss. Carol groaned softly and shivered as the kiss went on and on. A few minutes later, Bill broke the kiss and let go of her face. "It's clear enough to drive now," he said with a grin.

Carol grinned and shivered harder than before. "The air might be clear but my head is still spinning from the kiss."

"Want me to drive?"

Carol chuckled and shook her head. "Me and this old truck are starting to be friends, so...." She left the sentence hang as she stared the truck.

"This is not what I ever dreamed you would be driving, if I ever saw you again."

Carol grinned as she put the truck in drive and started forward. "Me either but I didn't think the limo would make it in on this road from what Jack told me."

"Oh, this road is in good shape compared to some, especially with the weather being dry for a while."

Carol held her speed down and slowed even more as they reached the edge of the location. She noticed that there was a lot less dust here on location. "Uh, what happened to the dust?"

"The rig crew keeps things watered down if we have any incoming trucks. Normally things move at an idle," Bill replied and then added, "The third trailer on the right. Park next to my old truck."

Carol pulled in next to his truck and parked. She looked up and down the line of trailers. "So this is home away from home huh."

"Yeah, a two bedroom, two bath madhouse most of the time," he said as he opened the door. "Where is your luggage?" He asked with a grin.

"The one bag behind your seat. I'm traveling light for a change."

Bill cocked his head to the side and said, "You didn't even have this much last time I saw you."

Carol shook her head. "I was stupid but I didn't know it at the time," she whispered as she opened her door.

The noise from diesel engines and clanging iron assaulted her ears. She looked toward the rig and shivered. A big yellow block looking thing went up in the air with what looked like pipe hanging below it. It stopped suddenly. There was a loud whirring sound and then the pipe swing and clanked as it was sat down against other pipes.

Bill appeared at her shoulder and said, "You got here for all the noise and excitement. They're tripping the pipe out of the hole for a bit change."

Carol looked at him and shivered. "I'll have to take your word for it. I know nothing about this business."

"Hang around me for very long and you'll know a hell of a lot more than you probably want to know," Bill said. "Come on inside, it's cooler and quieter."

He led the way into the trailer. It was a lot cooler and somewhat quieter. There was a big desk in front of the window by the door and a couch against the other wall. The wall to her left was covered with paperwork, drawings, maps, and other assorted stuff.

"Welcome to my lair," he said as he walked past a counter into a kitchen with a small dinning table. "My bedroom is back here."

Carol followed him down a short hallway with a bathroom behind door number one and a washer/dryer behind door number two. His bedroom was at the end of the hall. It consisted of a double bed, a chest of drawers, a chair, and a dresser.

"Toss your bag over in the corner. You can unpack later," he said as he whipped the sweatshirt off over his head.

Carol did as he said and then whipped her t-shirt off over her head. A few seconds later, she was in his arms and they were kissing again. His hands roaming over her back made her whimper and moan softly her hands were on his back also.

When one of her hands roamed down to cup one of his ass cheeks, both of his ended up on her ass and pulled them tighter together. Carol broke the kiss and gasped for air. "You, you need to get rid of those shorts," she said between deep breaths.

Bill grinned and said, "I need to shut the bedroom door first. People show up unexpectedly in this trailer."

Carol groaned as her hands went to the snap and zipper on the front of her shorts. "You better hurry or you're going to be too busy to worry about it."

Bill hurried to the door and shut it. The lock clicked and Carol was in front of him pulling his shorts down. "I, uh, need a shower," he said quickly.

"Fuck a shower," Carol said with a growl in her voice.

The next thing Bill knew, she was trying to swallow his dick. He groaned loudly as his hands found her shoulders. "Be, be careful. That thing is loaded," he said between clenched teeth as her head bobbed up and down.

A few minutes later, it was unloaded as they both groaned long and loud. Bill staggered sideways and sat down on the edge of the bed. Carol grinned at him and licked her lips as she slowly stood up. She moved over and sat down beside him. "I've dreamed of that for five years," she whispered a moment later.