Special Delivery 8

"Whoa oh oh-oh give me two strong arms to protect myself…" Jaq warbled happily to herself, singing along with the group on the radio as she drove along the road on her way back to base. The sun was glaring down and inside the van it was hot, but a cool wind whipping through the two open windows made it delicious rather than stifling.

She reached over and cranked the radio up, frowning a little as she finally registered the ominous rumbling coming from somewhere round her feet. It had been nagging at her for a couple of miles now, but she had done her best to ignore it, to pretend it was just road noise. Her stomach sank. Surely the van wasn't going to break down and dump her in the middle of nowhere?

Jaq was firmly of the ostrich school of thought as far as vehicles and their workings were concerned. If she couldn't see or hear the problem, then it wasn't a problem… However, with the best will in the world – not to mention the loudest music - it was becoming clear even to her that something was wrong here. The van lurched towards the ditch, and she reluctantly slowed down, checking no-one was behind her, and pulled off the road into a convenient gateway. She got out and walked slowly round the white Maestro, stroking her hand over its brightly coloured logos, smiling as she did so.

She had been delivering car parts to garages for a little over 3 years now, and she still loved it. Quite apart from getting to drive all day and listen to the radio, two things she really enjoyed doing, she also got to flirt with some seriously cute lads! A grin took the frown from her face as she remembered some of the banter from earlier that day.

"Oi Jaq, can I use my dipstick to check your fluid levels?"

"How's your bodywork love? Got any holes need filling?"

Jaq was used to the coarseness by now, and enjoyed it, giving as good as she got, and in most situations coming out as the definite winner. They didn't mean any harm by it, and most of them would have leapt to her defence if anyone had dared to really upset her.

She squinted up at the sun, suddenly thirsty, and longing for a cold drink. It was a very hot day, and even now, heading towards late afternoon, the grasses still gave off an aroma of baking bread and the heat radiated back at her off of the road, the smell of melting tar sharp in her nostrils.

In deference to the weather, she had put on some denim shorts and a tiny pink strappy vest top. She had a white cheesecloth shirt on over the vest, sleeves rolled up and buttons undone, tied in a knot at the waist. Williams Motor Parts weren't keen on their drivers being too casual, but the heat was unbearable when you were sat in a 4-wheeled oven, in a line of traffic, so the drivers had been allowed shorts and T's, on the condition that they were neat and tidy, and essentially, decent! Her clothes fitted all the provisos, but her long legs, nicely browned and finished off with neat tan leather kitten heeled shoes combined to make it look just a little less demure than in fact it was, a fact commented on at length by the testosterone fuelled mechanics at most of her calls that day.

She shook her head, making her little conker coloured pony-tail bounce, as she admitted to herself that really, there was no point her wandering round the van looking at it, as she had no idea what it was she was looking for. The wheels were still attached; the engine still ran, just that there was that rumbling noise, and the steering felt wobbly. She sighed, and looked around her, wondering what to do. She was pretty far off the beaten track, between towns, and she didn't have a mobile with her. Flagging down another car wasn't an option, in case she got a weirdo, so that left her with one choice only. Mike.

Sighing again, she got back into the van and pulled back onto the road, driving slowly, and with the hazards flashing just in case anyone should come up behind her and be impatient at her lack of speed. There was only maybe a mile or two to go to Mike's place, but as the majority of it was up a steep hill she hoped the van would make it. She didn't fancy the long, sweaty walk up to his remote old farmhouse and yard should it give up on her.

As she crawled along she thought about Mike. It wasn't that she didn't like him or anything, and he'd always been nice enough to her. In fact she couldn't really explain her reluctance to seek help from him at all. Maybe it was just that she didn't feel as at ease with him? He was quite a lot older than her 21 years; he had to be around 40. And he was a big man, well over 6', and broad. A bit scary looking in fact. He reminded Jaq of her brother when he was going through his hippy phase at uni, all wild hair and unpredictable behaviour, challenging her to justify every remark, to really think about what she was saying.

Mike certainly wasn't the usual grease monkey who liked to chat her up when in a gang, but became tongue tied if you tried to really talk to them on their own. He always seemed to have more questions than Jaq could answer, and when she was glib he seemed to look deep into her, and to sense her evasion. He was disconcerting, but strangely compelling too.

"A day with a delivery to Mike is always an interesting day" she muttered to herself, and taking a deep breath she trundled into the overgrown yard that was Mike's car park.

There was his land rover parked up as usual, and a couple of cars with wheels off and various other bits missing, up on axle stands. She couldn't see any sign of Mike, and she suddenly wondered what to do if he wasn't home. She parked the van up, and got out, looking around the yard. It was very quiet, and she could see for miles across the fields, being so high up.

"Mike, hello?" she called, looking around the dusty yard. There was no answer, and it went from being peaceful to being lonely in the space of that split second. The doors to Mike's luxury fitted workshop – aka a tumbledown barn – were closed. Maybe he had the radio up and hadn't heard her arrive?

Clutching at this straw she picked her way through the baked hard mud ruts, and pulled open the heavy wooden door, knocking a few flakes of faded and peeling paint to the floor as she did so.

It was very dark inside, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the gloom. It was cooler though, so she stepped inside, calling a hesitant "Mike?" as she went. It was quiet and Mike plainly wasn't there, but she pressed on, driven perhaps by her reluctance to accept that no help was to be found here, or maybe just by her innate curiosity.

The barn was only small; enough room for 3 cars maximum, although there was only the one there right now. Its passenger door was open, and Jaq saw a can of coke on the seat. She swallowed, wincing at the sandpaper rasp as she did so, and the dry furriness of her tongue. She gave a quick look around, wondering even as she did so who the hell she was looking for, since Mike plainly wasn't there, and grabbed the can. She didn't even register the coldness of it as she snapped back the ring pull and took a long pull at the fizzy iciness within. She swallowed and then coughed as the bubbles tickled her dusty throat, and then swallowed again, throwing her head back and closing her eyes in bliss as the liquid gushed down her throat, chilling her it as it went.

She heard the rusty hinges protest and turned back to the door, which swung open, and sunlight streamed in, partly blinding her, but not before she'd seen the huge figure, framed in the light, putting her in mind of some figure from legend, a mystical warrior bathed in a golden aura maybe, or a giant eclipsing the sun…

And then he stepped forward, and was human again, was Mike.

"Enjoying my Coke then?"

He raised an eyebrow, as he cocked his head to one side and looked Jaq up and down.

She blushed under his appraisal and at the knowledge that she had been caught stealing, if you cared to face rude technicalities.

"Mike, I'm sorry, I couldn't find you, and the van isn't well, and I was so thirsty, and I had to have something to drink, and it was so hot – "

She stopped, as she realised she was babbling, and really, there was no need. She could pay for the coke if need's be. Surely he wouldn't begrudge her a drink on a day like this? Neither had she realised that she had been backing away as he advanced, until her back connected with the sharp edge of the open car door.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, stepping forward quickly. Too quickly, she realised, as she fetched up against his chest with a jolt, the can in her hand splashing cold cola onto her bared cleavage. With an exclamation of annoyance she went to brush it off with her hand, and felt a momentary twinge of unease when Mike took hold of her wrist, and with mock politeness intoned "Allow me…"

Before she had realised his intentions he had dropped his head and was licking the spilt liquid from her chest. Jaq was rooted to the spot, thrown into confusion by his actions and for a moment or two unable to move. She registered the heat of his tongue, in such total contrast to the chill of the coke. She tried to speak, but nothing came out except for a small sigh. She tried to push his head away, but found herself digging her fingers into his wild mass of hair instead. His mouth moved upwards, finally settling on her pulse which was racing wildly in the hollow of her throat. She felt his teeth pressing against her flesh and she moaned, an animal sound, all thought temporarily suspended and her legs turning to water. She stood there, one hand still wrapped around the catalyst that was the coke can, the other held fast at the wrist by Mike's rough hand, and she suddenly ached to feel him, to touch and stroke his shoulders and back and to run her fingers down his overall clad arms. And then, as she was leaning into him, starting to respond to his oral ministrations, he moved away from her neck and planted a resounding smacker of a kiss full onto her lips, "Mmmuaaahh!"

He stepped back and released her wrist, grinning at her. Numbly Jaq stared at him, her brain screaming for her to look cool for heavens sake, not carry on standing there like some gormless virgin overpowered by a gorilla in a pair of greasy overalls!

"Wha – I – uhh.."

She cleared her throat and raised the coke can again; eyes still locked on Mike's she swallowed the drink, hoping it would untangle the mess her vocal chords seemed to be making of speech right now.

"So, the van is poorly huh?" he asked, breaking the silence that had fallen, saving Jaq from having to make that embarrassing attempt at speaking again. "Best we go look at it then"

He turned on his heel, went out through the door, stooping a little to keep from knocking his head on the lintel.

Jaq breathed deeply, feeling as if she'd had the wind sucked right out of her. With a shaking hand she smoothed her hair a little, took another breath and walked out of the barn after the man that had just shattered her composure.

He was lounging against the van, rolling a cigarette and whistling slightly, out of tune of course, same as his singing had been the times Jaq had heard him accompanying his radio as he worked.

"What's the matter with it?" she called, hurrying a little, hoping it was fixable.

He carried on working on his roll up, licking the cigarette paper with infuriating slowness and precision. Jaq narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. She was tapping her foot impatiently although she wasn't aware of it. Mike lit the cigarette, taking a pull on it as if he had all the time in the world. He blew the smoke skywards with obvious enjoyment, following the smoke trail with his eyes as it faded away.

"Mike!" Jaq snapped, stamping her foot, holding back the anger, barely.

He looked at her, smiling indulgently as if she were a favourite niece or sister perhaps, rather than another adult.

"What's the matter Jaq, in a hurry to get away from me?" he grinned at her, well aware of how he was provoking her. "I can't tell you what's wrong with it until you tell me the symptoms and give me the keys, can I?"

He sounded so reasonable Jaq found herself hating him, and muttering darkly she dragged the keys from her shorts pocket and thrust them into his calloused and oily hand. While she told him of the rumbling he started the engine, revving it and listening carefully. He asked a few questions, then he asked her to open the gate to the field across from the barn, and he would take it for a test drive on the hard baked grass. She did as he bade; leaning on the gate she watched him, wondering what on earth had been the deal with the scene in the barn.

In a few moments he was back, parking neatly by the wall. Unfolding himself from the van he locked it behind, turned and chucked her the keys, saying "Phone's indoors, you'd best ring base, you'll not be driving that again till the wheel bearing's been replaced. They'll need to send the wagon for you both."

Sighing, Jaq found herself following after Mike again, this time to the big old farmhouse that sat solidly into the landscape as if it had grown there.

He led her into a kitchen that was surprisingly tidy, and deliciously cool. Through into a light and airy hallway with a flagstone floor, and finally into a small room, the air within heavy with a smell that she recognised. Old books. Jaq was stunned as she took in the sight of shelves full of them, wall to wall and ceiling to floor, books. In one corner of the room stood a beautifully elegant table, the wood rich and red with years of loving care and beeswax polish, on which the glowing blue phone seemed violently out of place.

Mike gestured her in, and she smiled up at him, saying "neat phone!" her mind still overwhelmed by the mini library, one of the last things she would have expected to find in Mike's home. As soon as the words were out of her mouth she cringed. But Mike smiled back at her, saying "I like it" then left, closing the door behind him.

As she dialled she took the opportunity to look more closely at the books, and what she saw both amused and intrigued her. There were certainly plenty of old classics on the shelves, but there were also more modern horror novels, autobiographies, even children's stories, as well as technical type manuals covering a wide range of topics. It seemed Mike was maybe not just a hippy mechanic. Jaq was fascinated, and her eyes kept returning to the books. She was blown away to see a particular childhood favourite of hers there, Mink Was No Ordinary Cat. Feeling quite sentimental she turned her attention to her phone call, as the voice of one of the order clerks came on the line.

Five minutes later Jaq was not a happy bunny, as was plain to see by the way she stomped back to the kitchen and slumped in a chair at the table, opposite Mike. He looked at her, but said nothing. When the silence was more than she could bear she blurted it out

"Ray is out with the wagon collecting a customer's car; he won't be able to get here till at least half past five!"

She folded her arms on the table top, rested her chin on them and sighed with exaggerated gloom. Truth was she was strangely excited about the prospect of spending the next couple of hours with Mike. He may have been teasing her when he kissed her in the barn, just playing with her for taking his soda, but it had unleashed something in Jaq that she was having trouble putting back in its box. She studied him, covertly, under her lashes. He was attractive she now thought. Not conventional, certainly, but when he grinned he was charming, and when he had touched her there was electricity. She remembered the feeling of his teeth nibbling her throat…and she couldn't suppress a shiver.

"Cold Jaq? It can get chilly in here, I've got to do some work for a minute, d'you want to come and give me a hand?" Mike pushed his chair back and stood up, stretching as he did so, a towering giant of a man.

Jaq closed her mouth with a snap, realising it was hanging open as she took in the sight before her. Mentally grabbing herself by the scruff and shaking, she shook her head, no.

"I think I'm going to sit in the sun for a while, think about some stuff" she smiled at him, hoping that would soften her refusal, and help to keep the friendliness that seemed to be developing between them.

"Deep thoughts then? Decisions to be made?" he looked at her, seemingly serious for a moment. "Choose carefully, make sure you do want what you think you do" he advised, "no reason for regrets then." And with those few cryptic words he walked back out into the sunshine.

Shivering again, she watched him go. Her mouth felt dry again, and her body felt itchy and gritty. On an impulse she undid her shirt, shrugging it quickly from her shoulders, and still watching Mike's disappearing back through the window, she swiftly undid her bra, slipped one strap down over her shoulder and out of her sleeve, performed the same act on it's partner, and with a flourish whipped the lacy wisp out from the hem of her vest.

"Tadaa!" she announced to the empty kitchen, wishing suddenly that Mike would turn around, come back in, shove her down over the table and start suckling on her breasts.

"Whoa! Where did YOU come from?" she asked the thought, as it danced around in her head, refusing to go away. It didn't answer, just continued teasing and dancing. With a watchful eye on the window, she pulled her vest shoulder straps down, and put the filmy shirt back on. A swift shrug down of the vest over her boobs, and an even swifter knot tied between them with the cheesecloth, and Jaq was decent again, barely. Her nipples showed through the material if you looked closely, but she defiantly told herself she didn't care. She pulled the pink vest off over the shirt and crumpled it into a small ball. Then she sighed, uncrumpled it, and folded it neatly into a small square, no bigger than a hankie.

Ignoring the taunting temptress within that was urging her to go and find Mike, and pout and flash her nipples at him, provoking him into ravishing her, Jaq went back out into the yard.

There was a somnolent quality to the over heated air that dulled the brain and slowed the limbs. She submitted to its spell and let it wash over her, calming her agitated thoughts and soothing the lust that coursed through her veins. Deliberately not looking towards the workshop she crossed to the van, sitting quietly and impotently in a patch of sunshine. She stowed her discarded clothes in the glove box, and considered the roof of the van. It only took a foot on the front bumper and a little hop, and one final scramble, and Jaq was queen of the hill. Stood atop the van she grinned to herself, thinking how ludicrous she could look should she strike a pose and imagine herself as a scout for an invading army, checking out the land falling away beneath her. The impulse was too strong to resist though and she raised one hand to her eyes, shading them, and planted her feet wide, imagining a spear in her other hand. She scanned the fields for rebels, and finding none she giggled and carefully sat down on the van roof, then lay back, luxuriating in the radiated heat from the metal.

She didn't see Mike stood quietly in the shadows, watching her as she played. When she settled down, he turned and went quietly back to the house, shaking his head as if he had a lot to mull over. In the kitchen he opened the freezer, and took out an ice lolly from an open box. Sitting at the table he sucked hard on the frozen fruit pole, eyes narrowing as his mind worked. Eventually a low chuckle broke from him, and with a final crunch he devoured the rest of his cool treat, and grabbing 2 cans of cola from the fridge he strode from the house, into the dry heat again.

In her mind, Jaq was on a sun-lounger, with the rays beating down and turning her a beautiful golden brown. She could hear the light breeze whispering through the palm trees surrounding her, and could almost smell the tang of the sea, and the hot glassiness of the sand as it baked, till it became too hot for all but the hardiest of feet.