"What a week," she thought to herself as she drove down Interstate 30. Getting away was the best medicine she thought as she brushed her cheek with the back of her hand wiping away a tear. "Give us some space, that's what we need."
She had called her friend and told her she would be driving up for an overdue visit. She was not expected until tomorrow but she had to go, get away from the phone and think. She figured that one night in a Hotel room alone would be all right. So she started out on the four hour drive.
Time slipped by after she had been on the road awhile. Her mind was elsewhere.
She seen a sign that made mention of a detour ahead. She knew that was not where she wanted to be, in the middle of road repairs, so she took the first exit she came to. The sign read, " Kelsey Bottoms."
As she turned off of the main road onto the tar road, she looked at her cell phone on the console and thought what a nice little route this was going to be. Tall trees shaded the road. Wild flowers splattering colors all along the roadside.
Shay was so caught up in the scenery, she had not noticed the dark clouds forming ahead. They were some pretty intense thunderstorms with rolling clouds. You could see the hail and rain. She began to smell the approaching rain.
She was a little shocked at how fast this storm slipped up on her. She never liked driving in the rain, much less a storm like this that she had headed right into.
The tall trees shaded the road normally but the black skies made the headlights necessary. She cut her Kenny Chesney CD off to allow her to concentrate more on the roads and she began to slow down. She knew how easy it was for her Mustang to hydroplane. Her speed had dropped to 35 miles per hour as she approached a curve. The rains were pouring and her windshield wipers were not able to do their job...
~o~
The smell of coffee filled her nostrils as she opened her eyes. A few blinks to focus her eyes. Her mind was racing. There was a fire along one wall of this old place. Smelled musty and was lit only by the glowing fireplace and an oil lamp in the center of a table. The windows were boarded up on the inside. There were two old chairs by the fireplace. She recognized the clothes draped over them and along the hearth. She reached for her head as she sat up in the bed grabbing the old quilt that was on her. Her long blonde hair was wet. She felt a knot on her forehead that explained the confusion. She could her the wind howling and the rain beating down on the tin roof. There was a drip from the ceiling in the corner hitting a wooden table.
The old door flew open and she squinted her eyes to focus on the frame of someone forcing the door closed.
A twinge of panic went through her. Who was this, where was she she wondered as she glanced over at her clothes across the room.
As the stranger turned and began wiping the rain from his face he seen her sitting up in the bed holding her head.
"I knew the smell of that coffee would get you stirring," the man stated with a little hint of humor.
Shay asked calmly, " Where am I at? Where is my car? And my cell phone?" She then started to pull the quilt up on her as she started to get up.
"Hey! Hold on pretty lady. Your all right. You took a hit on that head when your car hit the ditch." By then he was at the side of the bed. He could tell she was scared.
"Just stay down Shay!" he said as he reached for her bare shoulder and she pulled back away from him.
"How do you know my name?" Shay asked abruptly.
"I looked at your drivers license to see what your name was. OK! Now let me look at that head again" he ordered.
Shay pulled away more, " I'm OK. Just get me too my car. Please."
"My name is Rick," he stated as he climbed up on the bed As she moved away more he pinned her against the wall looking at her forehead.
"Dayumm!" Shay shouted as she pushed his hand off of her head. "Is it cut?" she asked.
Climbing off the bed he replied with sarcasm in his voice, " Fuck no it's not cut, and this is just what I needed. I leave one 'poor helpless bitch' in town and I get boarded up with another!"
Shay took offense by his remark but she was still a little concerned about the situation she was in.
"Just give me my clothes please and I will get to my car. My cell phone must be in there. I will call for help for both of us. You wrecked too?" she asked.
He began to laugh. He pulled a cork from a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon wine he had picked up from the table, " Lady, about two years ago I wrecked when I got tied up with the bitch."
Shay could tell he was a little disgruntled about someone. She knew she wanted out of there.
She watched him take a drink from the bottle of wine. He was at the old rickety table and the light from the oil lamp illuminated his face. He was a nice looking man. She could see his muscular build through his wet T-shirt.
His jeans were wet as well.
Without looking at her, he took another big swig of the wine and placed it back on the table.
"We have a problem here Shay. The bridge is washed out. Even if you could get your sweet little ass to your car, you could not get out of "Kelsey Bottoms". So looks like you are stuck here with me." His tone in his voice was just enough to piss her off.
Shay touched her forehead and then began to climb off the bed. " I think I can take care of me. I want to get to my car, my cell phone is there. I didn't ask for your help but I do appreciate your taking the time to help."
As she shuffled to her clothes draped on the chairs, he watched her. His hands on his hips, he was smiling to himself. He knew what was under that quilt. He did take his time as he undressed her while she was out of it. He even touched the gold 'S' charm resting inside her navel. " Bet I could make that wiggle", he thought to himself.
As she reached for her jeans, the quilt slipped off her right shoulder and exposed her tanned back. From the angle she was standing, Rick could see the round full breast attached to her chest. The thought of her breast still fresh in his mind excited him.
Shay felt his eyes on her. She glanced over at him.
"I would not be much of a man if I let a lady out in this storm. You really need to stay till the storm lets up," Rick said with a smile on his face. It made her uncomfortable. " Yeah, you will stay here."
"Excuse me?" Shay asked with touch of resentment in her voice. " Who the hell do you think you are?"
By now Shay had forgotten about modesty and had let the quilt fall to the floor as she wiggled into her jeans. Her breast fully exposed. The fire light flickering making them seem to be dancing in a seductive motion. He caught a shimmer of light beaming off the gold 'S' charm in her navel. His eyes then went back to her luscious breast.
Rick watched them and he knew she was going no where.
"You mentioned some 'poor helpless bitch' earlier. That's not me and if your attitude with her is like it is now, she is a very lucky lady that you are gone." Shay pulls her blouse on and begins to button it. Not even bothering with her bra.
Rick tipped the wine bottle up again and laughed out loud as he placed it back on the table.
"You know," Rick replied as he sat on the table, " her 'good luck' as you put it of me being gone, just became your good luck Shay. You see...we have these little tiffs pretty regular. We always make up. I will go back into town tomorrow, she will be pissed, I will take her down right where she stands, give her a good fuckin', we will talk all around our problems but we will start all over again. I will practice the fuckin' she is going to get on you." He had her attention. He gave her a wink and a nasty smile that made her really become concerned.
Her mind was racing even more. She decided to take the 'I am not in the mood' approach, hoping it would work.
She slid her boots on and was zipping them up and blasted him. " Look...I have left a situation for a day just as you have. I am not in the mood for this shit! If I wanted to be talked to like this, I would not be out here in the middle of fuckin' nowhere soaking wet, a headache and some smartass wanting to use me for a test run for what he has in store for 'the poor helpless bitch' at home." She began walking to the door.
Shay had no idea, that approach only excited him.
She pulled the door open and the blowing rain had her soaked again but she was determined to get to her car.
Shay made it off the old porch when she felt arms surround her and her feet were off the ground.
~o~
Shay was kicking and telling Rick to put her down.
He did. He slammed the door and walked holding her from behind to the bed. He laid her on the bed quickly and laid his wet body on top of hers. Pinning her down with her arms out stretched. Wedging himself between her legs forcing her to spread them.
"Now see what ya done Shay!" he shouted out, a little out of breath. For a tiny lady she was a fighter. " We are both soaked again."
His right hand took her right hand to the left one so he could securely hold them both with one hand. He then slid his left hand between them to the snap on her jeans. She could feel his hand.
Now she was concerned.