Author note: Second of three parts, but still a stand alone tale.
She was lost and confused. Each minute seemed to bring her further and further into the desert. The directions that Jack had given her to his cabin seemed simple. "You take the third right past route 66. After thirty minutes, begin a gentle climb into the mountains. Then follow the signs to Wild Lake.β
Now she wondered whether the third turn included the highway or not. "Why had I not asked more questions?"
She knew the answer to that one. When she had heard his invitation, her only thought was a weekend with Jack. The cabin was Jack's private reserve. Not even his wife had been there.
The view from the automobile was one of desolation. There was sand punctured by low, dried shrubs. Not even a cactus was able to make a stand in such territory. With the temperature above 100, a shimmering heat rose from the ground. The hot air made the demons of the earth visible. Sometimes they were close, at other times they appeared along the horizon, but they always moved and shifted with the dry wind. For the unwary traveler, they meant many things and none of them good.
The air conditioner had not stopped its whine since the car started. Its cool air was the only defense against the outside. Her light summer dress revealed dark, chilled nipples. The sensitive nibs protruded provocatively. She knew how much Jack enjoyed torturing her by pinching and rubbing them raw. It was mostly exciting play for her also, up until the pleasure turned to pain. Nevertheless, this was their wanton weekend and the odor wafting from between her legs betrayed how much she looked forward to the time together.
Her thoughts turned to him βSOON, SOON, I will be with Jack! a glass of champagne for my parched throat and his arms around me."
Her revelry was broken by a soft hissing sound from the front of the vehicle. Then, the sickly sweet smell of antifreeze reached her nose. She knew it was only one thing, a radiator hose. Her fears were confirmed when a plume of steam poured from under the hood and the engine temperature light flashed its ominous warning. The car slowed noticeable as it began the climb up a small hill. If she reached the crest, the downslope may provide a rest for the labored engine.
"NO!, NO! this cannot be happening!" she half-sobbed and half-screamed while the car slowed to a stop some distance before the top.
It took a long minute to regain her composure. What finally brought her around was remembering the cell phone. It was in her purse and help was only a call away. She turned it on and quickly dialed 911. As she waited for the connection, she knew her tardiness would be punished by Jack. This may have not been her fault, but that would not make any difference to him. The phone remained silent. She was not within range.
Climbing out of the door, the blast of hot air was a wakeup call to the trouble she was in. It moved over her, engulfing her body in a blanket of heated oppression. She went to the front of the car to look for the hood latch and then stopped. Even if she could open the hood, she was not a mechanic and did not even have any water. Just this slight exertion had already made her damp. Where the dress hung on her skin, the material seemed to disappear leaving only wetness against flesh. Her dark brown nipples were easily discernible now, even though they were now trying to hide within her.
She slumped back into the seat to assess the situation. The road was not much more than a cattle path. βForty minutes and there has been no one. Looks like a long walk; but which way? It's hours back to the main road and forward may only lead further into nowhere. Either way, I must wait for the sun to go down and then how do I stay on the road." were her thoughts.
As realization of the danger became more evident, panic and fear overtook her consciousness. She sat in a near catatonic state waiting for something, for anything. Perspiration coated her skin, soaked the dress and drops began to quench the barren sand. Tears slowly added to the moisture dripping from her face. The squirrel cage that her mind had become continued to race in ever tighter, faster circles. She imagined all sorts of fantastic rescues and gruesome deaths. The shimmering desert added to her fantasies. She could hear and see help in all directions, but none arrived.
This last sound was particularly real. It was a deep throated rumble off in the distance. She looked back down the road and the desert provided another mirage to add to her torture. There appeared to be a moving dot followed by a plume of sand coming toward her. Wiping her eyes and trying to focus her senses, she realized this was real. A car was speeding in her direction. As the vehicle approach, it was too small for an automobile. What pulled up was a custom Harley, a big HOG, being ridden by an even bigger man. She chuckled with relief and fear.
The motor stopped and the rider, wearing jeans, boots and a leather vest, stepped off the machine. A good foot taller than her, she found herself looking into his muscled mated chest. No young kid, his face was rough chiseled, handsome and displayed years of hard-won experience.
Despite or perhaps because of her predicament, a tension between them was immediately evident. Through a quick exchange of pleasantries, she learned his name was Spike, but only served to heighten her desire. It may have been the heat or her expectations for the day, but the wetness between her legs was real.
Opening the hood with practiced ease, Spike peered into the engine. His head disappeared inside allowing her eyes to wander freely over his body. She noticed the bulge in his jeans. "Oh, God, that cannot be real. It must be a shadow or a fold in the material," was her appraisal. As he straightened from the examination, she could not divert her gaze. If anything, the bulge loomed even larger in her lust-fueled imagination.
The stranger returned her stare. His eyes seemed to take all of her in at one time. He grinned and nodded slightly to let her know that she had been caught with her eyes on the cookie jar. Her embarrassment started on her face and spread throughout. However, it only added to the growing fire within her steamy body. The additional blood reached her breasts swelling them in her excitement. The exposed cleavage deepened noticeably with each breath. The slightest movement of the light dress against her erect nipples sent chills down to the souls of feet.