My Road Trip With Zoe

The table was covered with empty plates and full wine glasses as the boisterous babble of a long late summer evening wafted into the darkness surrounding the Dexter's pool. I had taken a brief recess to check the Red Sox score on my phone when I was suddenly pulled back into the moment by a question from my wife, Jill.

"What do you think, Derek?"

"Huh? What? Sorry, I was just...."

"Jesus, he is addicted to that fucking phone," she clacked to the other couple seated at the long rectangular table. She turned back to me. "What do you think of our idea?"

"Idea? Sorry, I must have missed it."

Jill rolled her eyes and looked at our best friends with a grin that said, "What am I going to do with him?" Scott and Denise were smiling and chuckling at my dilemma as I shrugged my shoulders and tried to look innocent.

We were spending an evening with the Dexters, as we had so many times over the years, sitting next to their pool on a warm summer evening. Our kids -- now all in their late teens and early twenties -- were inside playing some kind of video game and getting into their own trouble. Our families had grown up together from the time Scott and I reconnected after college. We both lived in the suburbs west of Boston, though Scott had done a little better for himself than I, as his digs in West Newton attested to.

Still we were both mid-career in our chosen professions and the status of our professional lives never got in the way of our friendship. He'd climbed the corporate ladder quickly as COO of a Fortune 500 company, but I hadn't done too badly myself as a project management consultant for a large national construction concern.

"I was just suggesting to Scott and Denise that you might be a candidate for driving Zoe back to school next weekend. Don't you have to be in Chicago on that following Tuesday?" Jill asked.

"I do, but I was going to fly," I responded.

Zoe, the Dexter's oldest, was entering her sophomore year at Washington University in St Louis. They were allowing her to have a car this year, but were both concerned about her driving herself all the way back to school alone. The 1,100 mile journey, though a long straight slog across the Midwest, would be a test of endurance for a 19 year-old and, while I'd been checking my phone, Jill had been conspiring on how to find a travel companion for Zoe's trip. Her parents were too busy to make the journey and Zoe was insistent on having the car before her parents could deliver it on Parents' Weekend in October.

We'd watched the Dexter kids grow up, as they had ours, and in the past we had often felt like one big family. Now, as the kids were growing up and heading off to college, our family get-togethers were fewer and farther between. Still, there would always be a bond between our two crews.

Zoe had blossomed into a lovely young lady and had chosen to go a good distance away for college. She'd loved her first year, from all accounts, and was gearing up to return for her second year. Her parents had bought her a Jeep Cherokee and she was not returning to Missouri without it. I looked around the table at the three expectant faces.

"What?" I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"He'll do it," Jill exclaimed. "Problem solved."

"Jill, I have to be in Chicago for Tuesday morning," I protested.

"Derek," Scott chimed in, "I will reimburse you all your expenses, man. You can get a direct flight from St. Louis to O'Hare and make your meetings with time to spare. Bud, you'd be doing us such a favor," he pleaded.

While doing this favor for our friends would make me go way out of my way, I did have to admit the thought of taking a road trip with Zoe in her new car was not the worst thing in the world. While I'd always looked at her as our good friends' oldest daughter, she was now a very beautiful girl. And she had really blossomed in college. Perhaps being away from home for a year had matured her. Or perhaps she was just growing into her skin as a young woman. Either way her quiet beauty was beguiling at the very least, and intoxicating at best.

She'd been swimming earlier with the others and I did find myself admiring her slender curves and sexy shape shown off by her light blue one-piece suit. The swimsuit clung to her body, especially when wet, and highlighted the tight round bubble butt she had inherited from her mother.

She was 5-4 or so and had long brown tresses. Her hair, in fact, may have been her crowning feature. It was long and wavy down to her pert breasts and hung in swirling light brown waves with a few blond streaks. She had a way of flipping it over her shoulders that never ceased to gain my attention. Her breasts, while not large, were a very nice shape and size for her torso -- a 32B would have been my guess. Her waist was so slim, yet flared into womanly hips that swayed seductively when she walked.

In fact, the more I pondered the proposal, the more I began to like the idea of hanging out with her for a few days. While our families were close, I can't say I had spent much time with her one-on-one and our recent conversations had been cursory at best. I wasn't sure how she'd feel about having me accompany her on a two day road trip, but it was beginning to appear that that decision was being made for the both of us by others.

I spied Denice explaining the proposal to Zoe later as we were getting ready to leave, and while I detected a bit of disappointment, I sensed it was outweighed by the fact that she'd have her car from day one of her sophomore year. As we were getting ready to head home, I sidled over to Zoe just to close the loop

"Zoe, I've been recruited to help you make the drive to Missouri. While I'm sure you'd rather be making it alone or with a friend, I promise I'll be a good companion and get you back to campus as quickly as possible. Bring whatever road tunes you want; I'm cool with anything and....well, I look forward to spending a couple days hanging out, quite honestly."

Zoe smiled and reminded me of the same warmth that her mother's smile always expressed.

"Derek, don't be silly. It will be fun. I know you're going way out of your way to help me out. Mom and Dad weren't going to get my car out until October, so....you're really doing me a huge favor too. Thank you."

She reached up for a quick embrace of thanks and a good-bye for the evening. We made plans to meet bright and early on the next Saturday morning. She promised to have the Jeep packed, gassed up and ready to go.

I arrived at 6am as promised and our planned ETD was 6:30. The Jeep was mostly packed by the time I arrived and the last few miscellaneous items were being stowed aboard. I recall carrying one of the final boxes out to the driveway.

Zoe was bent over and leaning into the open lift-gate of the car. She was wearing black yoga pants and a short baggy sweat shirt that had lifted as she had reached into the back. Her lower back was exposed to my view, as was her exquisite ass. The yoga pants did little to hide the natural curves of a most impressive posterior. I took a mental picture, as I often did at such views of any curvaceous woman, and noted two distinct features. She had dimples on her back just above the low cut of her yoga pants. And, more importantly, her thighs parted toward the top and there was a clear space of two inches of prime gap between her upper thighs. I looked away before anyone noticed my gander. But the image would travel with me for the next two days.

Denise handed us both metal canisters filled to the brim with freshly brewed coffee with a bagel and cream cheese for the road. I offered to drive the first leg as I figured Zoe would rather be asleep at this early hour.

And so it began. As I pulled onto the Mass Pike and headed west into the gathering dawn, I set my seat to accommodate my 6-1 frame, adjusted the mirrors, and settled into the light flow of early morning traffic headed west. The weather promised to be beautiful for the next few days and I smiled at my good fortune. Next stop: Columbus, Ohio.

Scott had reserved a couple of hotel rooms for us in Columbus, allowing us to do a good 700 miles of our trip the first day and leave a shorter day for the home stretch and arrival.

As expected, Zoe zonked out before we'd hit Worcester and I drove and sipped my coffee and chomped on my bagel, wondering what this adventure might hold in store. We dropped off the Pike onto I-86 and headed into Connecticut with Zoe still down for the count. She began to stir just west of Hartford and I was ready for a pit stop and a change of drivers. We did our business and got back into the car. We'd barely said two words to one another since departing.

As she adjusted the driver's seat and rear view mirror, she asked if I minded music. I nodded and was curious about what college students were listening to these days. As we merged back onto I-84 she cranked up what was a very impressive sound system.

"So you bought a sound system with a car to go with it?" I inquired.

She smiled. "Pretty much."

As we sliced our way through western Connecticut, I offered an opinion or two on the tunes that were playing.

"Amazing that Billie won the Grammy," I opined. "And interesting that her younger brother produced all of this."

She looked at me askance and smiled. We drove on.

"Danger Mouse seems to have his hooks in all sorts of strange places these days."

She again glanced my way and shook her head. The sign said, "Welcome to the Empire State" as we crossed into New York State and would soon be crossing the Hudson River. Another tune came on.

"Oneohtrix Point Never? They listen to this in the Midwest?" I asked.

At this point she turned to me with a mix of amusement and amazement on her pretty face. "Who ARE you? How do you know all this shit? You're a friend of my parents, for God's sake. They know nothing about music."

She said this like I was a friendly form of vermin. "Hey, I have a healthy taste in music -- always have. I'm actually pleased you're not cranking some modern Country shit that would make for a very long trip. You know....St. Louis, and all."

"St. Louis is cool, Derek. Don't judge a book by its arch."

I smiled and responded with a shrug. "Remains to be seen."

The trip began to take a new turn as we found common ground in music. I took over the wheel again east of Scranton and Zoe continued to commando the sounds. We had a spirited conversation as the miles rolled away. I may not have gained her respect quite yet, but I was clearly not on the normal musical wavelength of a person in their mid-fifties. This seemed to amuse Zoe no end.

Our conversation drifted to other topics as the miles rolled by. I particularly enjoyed the times when she was driving and I could turn to her in conversation. She was a gorgeous young woman and seemed to really come into her own as we drove further away from Massachusetts.

I felt a bit guilty in sneaking peeks at her body, but she had dressed as she had for a reason. It was hard to ignore the way her yoga pants hugged her thighs and dove seductively between them to form such a provocative pouch of black. Her breasts weren't particularly evident in her top, but it was clear they had a nice shape and profile. But, more than anything, her face and hair, her smooth skin and clear green eyes had me smitten and beginning to embrace the fact that the trip was as long as it was.

Our conversation never got particularly personal as the miles rolled by, but we were getting more and more comfortable with one another. Zoe had a sharper sense of humor than I realized and she seemed to appreciate mine as well. It occurred to me that, though our families had been close over the years, there had always been a divide between the adults and the kids. She would be off with my two and I had never, especially in recent years, spent enough time with Zoe to get to know her. That was all clearly changing on this trip.

We became a well-oiled machine as we headed west. We dropped down onto I-80 in Pennsylvania and pulled off for lunch in Bloomsburg -- opting for a drive-through at Wendy's so we could keep moving. Our conversation continued to be free-wheeling and wide-ranging as the afternoon progressed. Before I knew it we were being welcomed into the Buckeye State outside Youngstown. We grabbed I-71 in Akron and began our home stretch into Columbus.

Scott had clocked our total trip in at 17.5 hours and 1,170 miles. Columbus, Ohio was our stopping point at 11.5 hours and we were right on schedule -- hoping to get there in time to relax and have a nice dinner. The good tunes and great company had made the miles fly by and in no time we were on the outskirts of the city. Zoe's dad had booked us into a Meridien; a little nicer hotel than needed for a road trip, but a welcome comfort after almost 12 hours on the road. GPS took us a few miles off the ring road until we found our home for the night. We valet parked, grabbed our overnight bags and headed inside to check in for the night.

We settled in to adjoining rooms on the 7th floor to our amusement. We opened the adjoining doors between them, then each took showers and dressed for a quick dinner. Even though the hotel was in a hot area of Columbus, we were a bit road weary and decided to grab something in the hotel rather than venturing out.

Zoe sauntered into my room as I was slipping on my shoes, decked out in a lovely summer dress with spaghetti straps. There was no way she could be wearing a bra under such a revealing top and the natural curve of her breasts added credence to that theory. Her hair was down and she looked ravishing. I was quite sure anyone spying us in the restaurant would have picked us out as father and daughter. That was okay with me.

We had a nice leisurely meal and finally retired to our rooms, figuring we'd get an early start the next day and reach St. Louis by early to mid-afternoon. I was settled in on my bed after dinner when Zoe suddenly appeared leaning against the connecting door jamb. She was smiling and holding a pre-rolled joint in her hand.

"So.....interested?" God, what a seductive smile. I felt like I was being tested, but wasn't sure now was the time to take the bait. I smiled at her before answering. She wandered over and sat down on the edge of my bed.

"Hmmm. Am I interested? Why....yes, I am. But, is it a good idea? Honestly, I think not -- for two reasons."

"Hmpf," she exclaimed with mock indignation. "What two reasons, Mr. Buzzkill?"

"Yes, I guess I am. Well, one, your father booked and paid for these rooms. I don't want to get us in trouble, and him by association, by getting reprimanded by the authorities. It's a nice place -- too risky."

She nodded in agreement, but wasn't liking someone talking sense.

"Yes, Mr. Practicality. And what else?" she asked, clearly pouting.

I hesitated to answer this second part honestly, but she was offering me a joint and I figured I could speak the truth.

"Well, to be honest, weed makes me..." I took a sigh before continuing, "...horny as hell. And that might not be the best, umm, condition to find myself in right now." I suddenly realized I needed to save face here. "And, you know, not being able to do anything about it."

She smiled sinfully before responding. "Well, you do have a point there, Mr. Downer. And, you're probably right -- this is very physical weed - some kind of indica blend, I guess." She hesitated before continuing herself. "That's one of the reasons I love it so much. But.....your loss I guess," she added airily with an exaggerated sigh and a salacious smile.

"So you stocked up at the local dispensary before heading back to school?" I queried.

"Well, a friend did. I'm not old enough. But, yes....back to school supplies and all," she smiled.

"Hmmm, I tell you what. I do have some bourbon in my bag. How about I go down the hall and grab some ice and we can have a couple of night caps?"

"I see -- and bourbon doesn't make you horny?"

"Well, not in the same way, I suppose. You in?" She nodded and flipped her hair over her shoulder as she smiled. I padded down the hall barefoot with the ice bucket and returned with a half bag of cubes. I rounded up a couple glasses, clanked some cubes into each and poured a few fingers of the golden nectar. I placed the bottle on the bedside table and handed her a glass.

"Woodford Reserve? Well aren't we fancy?" she grinned.

"Only the best for a long road trip." I smiled and tipped my glass toward hers as she smiled and responded with a toast.

The room was silent, but for the hum of our soft conversation and the clinking of ice as we swirled our drinks. I smiled as I thought about the day. We'd started in veritable silence, but I was now drinking a nice bourbon as my best friend's daughter sat on the edge of my bed, her dress rising surprising high along her smooth slender 19 year-old thighs. She'd offered me the body high of a strong indica, yet she'd deferred for whiskey.

I had a vague sense of where things might be going -- my desire for young Zoe was growing with each waning hour. But I also felt it wise to take my time, or for us to take our time. Tomorrow promised to be a very interesting day, indeed.

We finished our night cap after a very pleasant conversation and I got up to drop the glasses on the counter. Zoe stood to head back to her room. We both wanted to get an early start and an early bedtime would ensure that. She smiled and reached for a hug goodnight. It was an innocent hug, as it should have been -- a young coed and her father's best friend. But it lasted just a second or two too longer than it should have and we both felt it. And another thing I felt. As my hand drifted off and down her back -- it was quite clear she was not wearing panties under her short thin shift. She had been sitting on my bed, drinking bourbon, in just a short summer dress. Nothing else.

"Good night, Derek," Zoe said, with a lilting tease in her voice.

"See you bright and early, Zoe." I watched her head for the adjoining door and couldn't help but let my gaze follow the seductive sway of her tight ass under the short summer dress. She turned, smiled, waved and disappeared through a door that would remain open all night. I washed up and turned in, smiling about what an amazing day tomorrow portended to be.

We were both up bright and early the next morning. We grabbed some breakfast, hailed our valet and were back on the road by 9 in the morning -- six hours or so to go. I drove as we found our way out to I-70 and headed due west. While Zoe slept I steered us toward our destination in the lightest of Sunday traffic. I drove a good stretch, occasionally glancing over at her sleeping form.

She was wearing small denim shorts that had ragged hems and holes in devious places. They tucked up into her curves so seductively. Her skin tight top came short of the hem of her low cut shorts and left a sinful display of teenage skin. She wasn't wearing a bra and I could make out the outline of her nipples as I stole peeks here and there as we drove on.

She began to stir as we headed into Indiana and we pulled over to switch drivers somewhere east of Indianapolis. She was perked up after a good snooze and we cranked the music and got into road trip mode. What a difference 24 hours had made.

We skirted Indy on the ring road and rejoined I-70. We were just west of Terre Haute when I looked over and observed Zoe for the umpteenth time. She was a study in conflicts. On the one hand she still had that sweet innocent youthful look I had always associated with her. On the other her body had become womanly and she was dressed to show it off. It felt like the further we got from West Newton, the sexier she became, at least in my eye.

Our conversation was wide-ranging, but I used it mostly as an excuse to turn and look at her. Her thighs looked so smooth and the way the denim shorts tucked between her legs was sinful. Her neck was long and taut, and with her wild wavy hair up, thoughts of kissing my way up that neck were barely burbling below the surface of my psyche. She was one hot young coed; there was no two ways about it.