I awakened on my left side with a body draped over me from behind. I may have been groggy, but I knew the naked woman hanging over me was Ashlee. I didn’t even have to look to know for sure because I could feel her sharp nips in my back. It made me hard just thinking about the way they pierced my flesh.
The sun wasn’t quite up yet, but I could still see that Bridget wasn’t next to me. When I realized she wasn’t there, I was about to push myself up so I could begin searching for her, but I quickly realized she was over by her closet grabbing some clothes. At that moment, all she was wearing was a white pair of panties.
It dawned on me that the poor woman had to work. She had mentioned needing to be up early in order to go to the diner, so I felt horrible for keeping her awake the previous night with our activities between the sheets. As she put a bra on, I tried to fight through my grogginess as I gurgled, “Bridget…”
The beautiful brunette turned to face me while leaning down to pull her leggings on. The amethyst necklace she always wore dangled between her mighty bosoms. “Oh, shoot! Did I wake you, Marcus?”
I rubbed at my eyes as I tried not to rouse Ashlee from her slumber. “No, you didn’t wake me. I feel really bad, though!”
“Are you sore from last night? I know I’ll be a little weak in the knees while waiting tables at the diner today!”
“I’m fine,” I assured the gracious woman. “What I feel bad about is the fact that I kept you up so late and you have to work now! What time is it, anyway?”
“It’s about a quarter after six. And don’t you worry about me…I’ll be totally fine!”
I was about to say something else, but under the bedsheet that was draped over my lower half, I suddenly felt some amazingly gentle fingers clasp around my manhood. They gingerly squeezed and gave me a tug as I grew rigid in a heartbeat. I glanced back and could see that the dark-haired beauty behind me was also awake.
“Good morning,” she said in a hazy voice while smiling at me.
“Good morning, beautiful,” I shot back, and did my best to give her a kiss. I prayed that my breath wasn’t too horrendous because hers was amazingly fresh somehow.
Bridget smiled at the two of us while pulling on a shirt. She then walked over to a dresser and started going through one of the drawers as she told us, “I’ll be off in the afternoon, so why don’t the two of you go back to sleep for a while and then catch up for a bit? When I get home, we can all hang out for a while.”
Ashlee grumbled as she released her hold on me and rolled onto her back. She placed the hand she had been using on me on her head as she sighed, “I should probably head back to the All the Way Inn. I bet my chums are totally pissed at me!”
I had completely forgotten about the other SPs. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if they were all the same girls who had been in the original band when I had first met Ashlee. I suppose it was something I would have to ask her about…as long as she was around long enough for me to do so. I crossed my fingers that she would be.
“Oh, shoot!” Bridget exclaimed again as she glanced our way momentarily. “I forgot all about them! I suppose the lot of you will be leaving today, huh?”
Ashlee moved her hand down and covered her eyes as she moaned, “Heading to the next stop on the tour. I don’t even know where it is.”
“Do you have to go?” Bridget queried. “If you could worm your way out of it, you’re more than welcome to crash here.” I was so grateful that the brunette had hit it off with my old friend and was being so courteous to her.
“I could never intrude any more than I already have, Bridget. Your hospitality has truly known no bounds…especially since you allowed me to have such an unforgettable reunion with the love of my life, here.”
I had no idea what to say. I adored Ashlee and loved her with every fiber of my being…and I didn’t want to lose her again. As crazy as it sounded, I would’ve loved settling down in Bridget’s small town and living out my days with the two women in peace. I knew it wasn’t feasible, but I would’ve done anything to make it a reality.
“I don’t want you to leave, Ashlee,” Bridget then spoke up, “But if you must, please stop by the diner on your way out of town. I really want to be able to say goodbye.”
Ashlee nodded and thanked the brunette for everything again.
Bridget then walked over and leaned across the bed so she could give me a kiss. “I’ll be back up before I leave, but I need to finish getting ready.”
“Okay,” I groaned since I didn’t want to see the wonderful woman go. I still felt bad since she must’ve been going on three or less hours of sleep.
Bridget was gone for no more than a minute when I rolled onto my back and gazed at the ceiling with Ashlee. It was the first time we had been alone since reuniting. I had so much I wanted to tell her, and I was terrified that I was going to lose her again shortly. I decided to just come right out with it as I told her, “Ashlee, I’m so sorry.”
The raven-tressed stunner somehow looked just as amazing after first waking up in the morning as she did when she had been playing her heart out onstage. Any woman would have to be jealous of that. When the incredible female turned and leaned on her left arm so she could look at me head-on, she couldn’t help but ask, “What do you have to be sorry for?”
“For not giving you more of a chance nearly twenty years ago. For not listening to your end of the story. For being a stupid jerk and walking away instead of meeting the problem head-on the way any man should.”
With her right hand, the goth chick reached out and playfully shoved me while letting out a low laugh. “Will you stop with that, already? I’ve already told you that it wasn’t your fault and I don’t blame you for any of that!”
“But we could’ve been together all this time,” I told her as I thought about my foolishness in ever doubting her intentions.
“Well, we have each other now, so I don’t see any reason to dwell on it.” The tattooed vixen then leaned forward and gave me a quick peck on the cheek before noticing a rather large bulge beneath the sheets. Realizing I was still aroused from when she had grabbed me a few minutes earlier, she began fumbling around beneath the blankets until she had me firmly within her grasp again. She gave me a few jerks before moving the blankets aside and deciding to go down on me.
I had wanted to actually talk a little more, but at the same time, I couldn’t deny my lust any more than she could. We had been apart for too long and had lost time to make up for, so I let her begin pleasuring me with some amazing head as I placed a hand on the back of her skull. I ran my fingers through her dark locks and silently prayed that we would have more time together. A benevolent god wouldn’t return her to me only to take her away again less than twenty-four hours later. That would just be cruel.
Bridget suddenly returned and saw Ashlee wolfing me down. She couldn’t help but stop dead in her tracks and place her hands on her hips as she playfully lectured, “That’s not fair, you two! I’m going to be leaving and you’re having fun without me!”
Ashlee stopped for a moment and held my sausage by the base as she pointed it toward Bridget. She tried to be somewhat charitable as she offered, “Want a few sucks for the road?”
“I don’t have ti…all right!” Bridget threw herself down on the bed and pushed her brown locks out of the way as she placed her mouth over my cock. She went down on me a few times before finally pulling away and saying, “This wasn’t a good idea! Now I want to call in sick again!”
In all honesty, I would’ve made the call for her. I didn’t want her leaving not only because I wanted to plow that miraculous field of hers, but also because I wanted her to get some proper rest. The poor woman had to be going on fumes after being so active the previous day.
“All right. I really need to get out of here before we make Marcus explode and I get my face plastered in cum! I’m not sure what they’d think of that down at the diner!”
Ashlee laughed in response to the brunette’s words. “That would be something to see!”
I motioned for Bridget to come toward my face so I could give her a hug and a kiss goodbye. After our show of affection, she waved to Ashlee and reminded her to come visit if she ended up leaving town. Within seconds, the bountiful brunette was once again gone and had left the two of us alone in her humble abode.
At the exact same time, Ashlee rolled onto her left side as I rolled onto my right. We both laughed since we had almost knocked our skulls against each other, and after sharing our mirth, I wrapped my arms around the wondrous woman so I could pull her in close. I wasn’t sure how to say what I needed to say next, but I sternly declared, “Ashlee, I want to talk to you for a minute.”
She nodded as our naked bodies pressed up against one another.
“Since the last time you saw me…well, life hasn’t exactly been easy.”
“What have you been up to all these years?” The dark-haired beauty asked as she stared down at my chest and ran her index finger up the middle of it.
I let out a sigh as I told her, “Well, it’s been a little crazy. I could go into better detail, but we’d be here all day…and at least half of tomorrow!”
Ashlee forced herself to laugh since she knew I was trying to be humorous. “Well, anytime you want to tell me about it, I’ll be ready to listen.”
I hoped her words meant that she was going to stick around a little longer. I also couldn’t deny the fact that I could hear such sincerity in her voice that it made me hate myself all over again for ever doubting her when we were younger.
“Marcus?”
“Yes, Ashlee?”
Her voice somewhat wavered as emotions overtook her and she told me, “I just want you to know that…well, I want you to know that I would do anything for your love.”
I responded by telling my alluring friend, “You’d never have to because you’ll always have it.”
My words made Ashlee break down and weep. I pulled her in close and kissed her forehead repeatedly as she embraced me and had a good cry. I held her while she let it all out before raising her head to mine so our lips could meet.
We smooched for quite some time. There was no denying how aroused we both were. Not only was my stiffening penis poking into her right hip, but I could feel her wetness on my flesh. I didn’t want the moment to end, but I pulled away long enough to ask, “Ashlee, would you maybe take a minute to show me some of your tattoos?” It may have seemed like a random time to make my query, but I actually had a good reason for it. For starters, I wanted her to know that I had an interest in her life beyond sex…and then I’m going to immediately come off as a hypocrite when I say that my second reason was because I thought it might lead to something spectacular since I would be sensually looking her skin over.
Ashlee smiled and started showing them to me in order of when she had them done. I remembered the first few from when we had originally dated, and then she showed me how she had covered her left arm in a sleeve with all sorts of meaningful art. She also had a tiger head on her left shoulder blade, and on the underside of her right breast was an arrow – similar to one that would be fired from a bow – with the words “follow your heart” over it. The arrow was pointing in the direction of her heart.
The other tattoos that she didn’t have when I had been with her years earlier were the ones she had under her bellybutton on her pelvic area. Directly above her upside-down triangle of fur was an infinity symbol with the word “love” woven into it, and off to the sides were birds that resembled doves flying in opposite directions. For being a goth girl and a punk rocker, she had such meaningful body art. The woman had a beautiful soul.
After showing me her ink, Ashlee placed a hand on my chest again and looked to be hesitant about asking me a question. When she saw me warmly smiling at her, she finally mentioned, “I really like Bridget and think she’s a wonderful person. I’m glad you found someone like her, and I’ll always be eternally grateful that she ended up being one of the few women in the world who could possibly understand what we once had together and that she even allowed me into her home. As wonderful as she is, though, I’m kind of glad she’s gone to work because I really want to have a little time alone with you.”
I knew what she meant…and I was good with that.
Ashlee ran her hands over my chest and started crawling on top of me. We started off slowly by kissing again, and as we did so, I groped one of her breasts and gave it a tender squeeze. My blood ran below to my lower extremities as I hardened even more than I already was.
When we took things to the next level, I rolled Ashlee over so I was on top, but then I went down on her and started licking that delectable pussy of hers again just as I had the night before. It somehow smelled divine even though she hadn’t showered since first arriving at Bridget’s, and it tasted even better the second time around.
A week earlier, I had been chasing shadows and following the trail of a crazed wanted man, but now I was reunited with a past love and eating her pussy out on a current love’s bed. Life’s funny like that sometimes.
After I had the goth chick good and moist, I started backing away from her toward the foot of the bed. As I did so, I grabbed onto her thighs and pulled her back to the edge of the mattress. I could see the thrill in her eyes as she anticipated what would happen next.
From my position on the floor, I stood in front of the punk babe and was ready to enter her yet again. Being in her flooded pink the previous night after so many years had been cathartic, but as Ashlee herself had pointed out, it would be truly momentous to have relations without anyone else around. I loved Bridget to death, but Ashlee and I needed a little alone time.
I plopped my penis down on the goth babe’s pubis and heard her let out a squeak upon doing so. The head of my dick lay on her small bushel of prickly pubes, and I could actually feel how excited her vagina was as my length sat upon her labia. I knew I didn’t have to ask, but I wanted to be a gentleman as I inquired, “Would you be interested in a little morning intercourse, my belle?”
The raven-tressed beauty giggled as she nodded her head in delight. She was a woman who normally had more of a throatier laugh than a giggle, but she was as giddy as she had been twenty years earlier. Also, the play on words using her last name didn’t go lost on her as her cheeks became a rosy shade of red. The woman was absolutely adorable.
I braced myself and leaned against one of my partner’s legs as she suddenly lifted both of them into the air for me. I then used my right hand as I began shoving my erect cock into her drenched slit. I was hoping Ashlee’s wetness would aid us, but she was still pretty taut for the most part. Still, with a little force and her full cooperation, I was able to pop through the barrier a little easier than I had the night before. Within seconds, both the black-haired beauty and I were letting out sighs of relief and pleasure.
“I’m…I’m sorry I’m so damn tight,” Ashlee stammered with a hint of embarrassment in her voice. “Maybe it’s a genetic thing or something!”
“This tight pussy of yours is nothing to be ashamed of!” I gave my opinion. “When I’m in and you clamp down on me, it makes for some incredible sex!”
The goth chick appeared to appreciate my answer as we reacquainted our privates with one another’s.
I gripped Ashlee’s thighs and began slowly thrusting as she stretched out on the bed and wiggled about. It felt so good to be with her again after such a lengthy time apart, and I thanked everything I held dear for such a moment being possible. I apologize if it seems like I’m babbling on about that a bit too much, but eighteen years is a long time to not have contact with such a special person. I defy anyone to not become overemotional and maybe even a little wordy when sharing a similar tale.
I continued to pump Ashlee at a moderate pace for at least two minutes until she asked me to go faster. I complied and picked up the pace, while at the same time, shoving more of myself inside her. I had only been going about halfway in at first, but the increased speed had me inserting even more of myself. My jaw dropped as I felt her insides saturate more of my pole.
Another two minutes passed as I listened to the black-haired beauty whine in ecstasy as I pummeled her puss. I could see a thin layer of sweat forming on her wheat skin, and I studied her tattoos a little closer as my forward and back momentum continued. At one point, my lust overtook me and I finally released my hold on her legs in order to reach forward and begin groping her breasts.
Ashlee had two of the most incredible tits to ever end up on any woman. They were moderately size, but each came to acute points that were nothing shy of incredible due to the sharp, pink nipples at their ends. They were soft to the touch and malleable in the most unbelievable of ways. I could play with them all day.
“Squeeze my tits,” the goth chick started to whimper in order to keep me riled up. As she issued the command, she started running her hands across her sweaty body.
I was about to ask if she was doing okay, but I thought better of it after the lecture both she and Bridget had given me the previous night. I knew her mewling tones were only due in part to the gratification she was feeling from our lovemaking.
We banged away for only a couple more minutes until Ashlee placed her hands on my chest and started slapping my pecks with hardly any force. She began squealing in a shrill tone as she begged me to pull out of her. I didn’t hesitate to do so, and when I did, my dick was accompanied by a clear liquid exploding out of her and splashing to the sepia-colored carpet beneath my feet. It was a lot like unclogging a sink.
“Fucking hot,” I wheezed in order to encourage the dark-haired female. “You’re so fucking hot. I fucking love it when you squirt.” I was positive that the tattooed vixen enjoyed hearing me curse, so that’s why I kept dropping the f-bomb.
Ashlee reached down and rubbed herself as she tried to impress me with a little more of her juice, but only a few dribbles came out. Her body spasmed a few times as she let out a few more squeaks.
I gave the goth chick a little more time before stepping forward and asking, “Would you like to keep going?”
The raven-tressed stunner nodded, so I reinserted myself in her without too much difficulty. I felt the walls of her pussy clamp around me and compress my dick as I once again started to move forward and back. It felt so damn good to be inside of her, and of all the beautiful women I’ve been with in my time, I can only think of one other woman who had been nearly as tight…but that’s a different story.
I was just getting back in the groove of things and obtaining a pace that I thought would keep Ashlee on the brink for at least a few more minutes until I suddenly heard something and glanced down…and saw that the black-haired beauty I had my erection buried deep within was crying. I instantly pulled out of her and leaned over her so I could place my hands on her pretty face. “Ashlee! What’s the matter? Did I hurt you? Are you all right?”
“I’m…I’m fine,” the raven-tressed dazzler blubbered as she tried to maintain her composure. “It’s…it’s just that after all this time…finally being with you again…it’s…it’s more than I could have ever wished for! I never thought I would see you again, and when I finally convinced myself a few years ago that it could actually happen, I thought you’d still hate me, and…”
I squeezed Ashlee’s face as I looked her dead in the eyes and told her, “I could never hate you, Ashlee…never! I’m so sorry we’ve been apart for so long, but as you yourself said: We have each other now and that’s all that matters. I’m not letting anything come between us again.” I’m not sure if it was from seeing Ashlee cry, or if I had perhaps become a little overcome with emotion also, but I had a few tears forming in my eyes and couldn’t help but let them flow freely. I leaned forward and placed my forehead against my beautiful partner’s as I told her, “I’m not letting you out of my sight again.”
Between her bouts of sniveling, Ashlee reached up and grabbed one of my wrists as she gently ran her face over one of my palms. When she was finally able to meet my eyes, she asked me, “May I come with you?”
I realized in that moment that I maybe hadn’t thought through everything I had said very clearly. I truly did want this woman at my side – along with Bridget – but I had failed to think about what I had come to this little town to do in the first place. I was hunting for a dangerous man who had killed and would kill again if he wasn’t stopped, and there was no way I could ever involve two wonderful women in such a perilous mission. If they were hurt because of me…
With her eyes glazed in liquid lament, Ashlee continued to stare into my orbs and waited for an answer. I don’t think she could’ve survived being rejected after so many years of searching for me.
“What about your band, Ashlee?” I asked. “What about your friends and all the fame you’ve garnered? I’m sure you’re probably making pretty decent money also, not to mention that you get to see the world during your travels. You wouldn’t want to give all of that up, would you?”
“I’d walk away from all that and more to be with you.”
I gave the dark-haired beauty a passionate kiss before looking her directly in the eyes as I sternly told her, “For the last decade and a half, my life hasn’t exactly been easy. I’ve been on the road for most of it…with a brief interlude of normalcy that I spent with a wonderful woman named Eve. Unfortunately, it didn’t last since I know I’ll never be able to have an ordinary existence again. Still, I try not to bitch about it and I keep moving along. On the occasions when I push too hard and feel like I can’t take another step because my body has failed me, I move forward with nothing more than my spirit to guide me. Some days are better than others, but I’ve decided to walk the road I’m on for personal reasons.” I paused after my lengthy proclamation. “Ashlee, I don’t want to ask you to come with me due to the threats I encounter on a daily basis, but I can’t help myself. I need both you and Bridget in my life. I’m not sure what exactly you believe in, but since I feel that a god or higher power truly is looking down on me, I feel think he led me to this town for a reason…and it wasn’t to finally find the man I’ve been after so I can bring him to justice. No, I believe I was led here to instead have unrestrained joy brought back into my life by first meeting Bridget and then being reunited with you.”
Ashlee remained silent for the most part. I think she was trying to put together everything I had just told her. She knew from what I had said that I lived a life fraught with peril, and while my statement may have been somewhat vague, she was intelligent enough to put the pieces together. She wrapped her arms around my neck and stared into my eyes as she gulped, “So…?”
“As much as I don’t want to endanger you,” I started to clarify, “I want you to know that if you decide to stay with me, I’ll do everything in my power to protect you.”
Ashlee wiped a tear away from her right eye before pushing herself forward and kissing me. The way she invaded my mouth just felt right, and I knew that even though I was imperiling her, we were both making the right decision. I really would safeguard her with my life if it came to that. Hell, maybe she, Bridget, and myself could find our own little corner of the world and enjoy each other until our dying days. It seemed like a long shot, but it was something worth fighting for.
After the passionate kiss we shared, I reminded her, “I plan to ask Bridget to come with us as well. After last night, I know you’re obviously not the jealous type, but I hope it will be okay with you that I’m inviting her along.”
Ashlee laughed a bit as she mentioned, “I know I should resent Bridget, but I don’t. I don’t know what it is about you, Marcus Veovin, but you have a way of making your ladies feel quite important. When you were plowing the two of us at the same time, I never once had the feeling that you were doing so only for the satisfaction you were receiving from the moment. Most men would partake in a threesome just for the thrill of it. They don’t give a shit about the women they’re with, but not you: You truly love us…and that’s saying something!”
I smiled and gave Ashlee another sloppy kiss. I then climbed off her and stood back as I outstretched my hands for her and offered to help her up. She accepted, but looked a little perplexed.
“Um, Marcus?”
“Yeah, babe?” I asked as I pulled her close and felt her body next to mine.
“Um, you never…came.”
I chuckled as I thought about what to tell her in response. The fact of the matter was that I was so riled up from being with her, I could’ve easily hosed her down from head to toe in some sticky, white cream. However, I also wanted her to know that I didn’t always have to cum every time we made love because I didn’t want her to think it was always about me. If she could achieve a stimulating climax, I could be pleased that I did right by her. I finally decided to tell her, “There’ll be plenty of time for that later! Why don’t we go have a hot shower together and then meet up with your band? I’d like to be there with you when we tell them that we’re staying together…unless you’d rather do so alone, of course.”
The gothic beauty wrapped her arms around me and gave me a huge hug as her head fell against my left shoulder. “It will be difficult to tell them, but they’ll have to understand. It shouldn’t be hard to replace me; I’m only a bass player, after all. We lost our original drummer to an overdose years ago…”
“I’m sorry to hear about your friend,” I told Ashlee as I kissed her on the forehead, “But you should know that you could never be replaced.”
The raven-tressed stunner tightened her grip around me and nuzzled her face into my neck. “Fuck, Marcus! You just know all the right things to say! What a ladies’ man you are!”
I simply laughed since I had never considered myself anything of the sort.
“Are you sure you don’t want to cum? If you want to take a few minutes to get it out…”
I really believed what I had mentioned earlier, but at the same time, I certainly didn’t want Ashlee to feel inadequate in any way. She had to know that there would never be a time she wouldn’t be able to turn me on, but still, I didn’t want to take the chance that I’d be letting her down. With a sly smirk, I started guiding the black-haired beauty out of the room as I told her, “Maybe I will delay our conversation with your band a few extra minutes in order to have you help me…but if you don’t mind, I’m thinking maybe we should do so in the shower where it will be easier to clean up!”
*
Needless to say, we managed to get pretty dirty in the one place meant to help people get clean. We were probably in that bathroom for a good forty-five minutes as we did all sorts of naughty things to each other. She let me titty-fuck her glorious rack as she knelt before me, and she pleasured me with some of the most outstanding oral I’ve ever had the pleasure of receiving. I even backed her against one of the walls and went muff-diving like never before at one point. The room was quite steamy by the time it was all said and done…and the shower had nothing to do with that. When our love fest culminated, we had to spend an additional twenty minutes scrubbing one another down. We made a royal mess of each other…in a good way, of course.
When we finally left the house another twenty minutes later, we walked through the small town and made our way for the All the Way Inn. We passed a few people out strolling the streets along the way, and they warmly greeted us in passing. It was a nice feeling to be in a modest community that valued such polite social behaviors. I thought about how when I passed people in the bigger cities, they would do their utmost best to avoid eye contact at all costs.
We passed an elderly man in dirty overalls and a straw hat loading the back end of a pickup – which was a sight to behold since I hadn’t seen many other automobiles besides my own – with a bunch of leather sacks. Ashlee wasn’t the least bit surprised when I stopped to lend him a hand. She even offered to pitch in as well, but I told her I’d have his items loaded in no time…which I did since I didn’t think the bags were all that heavy. He greatly appreciated my help and offered me a few coins in return, but I told him it was no trouble as we moved along. He tipped his hat to Ashlee while telling her she had a keeper. She laughed as she latched onto my right arm and responded, “Don’t I know it!”
We continued along and passed a couple of people sitting on a bench out in front of what looked like an antique store. One of them was a man who looked to be in his early sixties reading a newspaper, and the woman next to him looked to be in her early fifties. We overheard them discussing the band that had played at the Treasure Chest the night before, and the female of the duo was going on about how the music was too loud and nothing like what she had grown up with. The man simply responded with, “Yeah, but did you see the body on that one playing the guitar?” As the woman swatted at the man, Ashlee couldn’t help but laugh.
We eventually reached our destination and both studied it with bated breath. I don’t know why, but I think I was almost as nervous as my gothic companion was to approach her friends and give them the news that after so many years, she was officially up and leaving the group. I wanted to think that they would understand her decision since she had been reunited with the love of her life after almost two decades, but I could also see them trying to persuade her that I wasn’t good enough for her since I hadn’t been a fixture in her existence for the last eighteen years. It seemed ironic that a guy who had dealt with psychopaths in the past was actually afraid to confront a band of naked, female rockers.
Ashlee led the way since she had been with the others when they had checked in to their room the afternoon before. When we reached the wooden portal marked with a simple “2,” we both looked at each other as if to ask one another if we were doing the right thing. In our hearts, we both knew that we were and that our existences essentially required the other. The gothic beauty decided to not prolong things and knocked on the door since it was locked. “Hey, Nikki. Rachel. Shyla. Open up.”
About twenty seconds later, the wood finally creaked opened and Nikki stood in the doorway with an angry scowl on her face as she glared directly at Ashlee. “Where the fuck have you been?” she asked with enough attitude to scare off an entire fleet of armed soldiers. Oh, I should probably mention that she was naked apart from some long stockings. It definitely made me feel a little out of place.
Ashlee sighed and pushed past the lead vocalist as she told her, “Put some clothes on, you skank. I have company with me.”
Feeling awkward about the whole situation, I thought it would be best if I just waited outside. I wasn’t going to pretend to know anything about the camaraderie between fellow musicians, but I wondered if all of them were comfortable hanging out naked in front of one another.
Nikki followed Ashlee into the room and left the door wide open for me. Since I hadn’t officially been invited in, I went with my gut and thought waiting would be a good idea. When I suddenly heard Ashlee call out for me to come in, I let out a bit of a sigh and reluctantly entered the room. I wanted to support her, of course, but I had no idea what I was in for.
Thankfully, the woman named Shyla was pulling a shirt on and Rachel was already dressed. Nikki started to pull some pants on also when Ashlee saw me averting my eyes and said, “When you travel together as much and as long as we have, we normally forget the others are even there most of the time.”
I nodded my understanding as I heard Nikki complaining about having to get dressed in the first place. She muttered something about how “he should feel lucky to be in a room full of naked women.” Ashlee countered her words by telling the vocalist I wasn’t a pig. I was glad to know that even though I was banging both the gothic babe and Bridget, the black-haired beauty still knew I didn’t have eyes for her colleagues. It probably sounds ironic to say, but I wasn’t that “slutty.”
“Oh my god!” Rachel suddenly called out when she had a better look at me. “Is that fucking Marcus? Oh my god…it is!”
“You mean you didn’t recognize him right away?” Nikki bluntly shot back while pulling on a white shirt that looked like something had been spilled on it. It barely covered her heaving bosoms. “He looks the same as he did back when we were in school…except a little older.”
“Thanks…?” I mumbled since I wasn’t sure what else to say. I remembered both Nikki and Rachel rather well. While we had never really been friends back during our academic years, I can’t say that I disliked them by any stretch of the imagination. The drummer, Shyla, was unknown to me.
Getting right down to brass tacks, Ashlee decided to come right out with it and told them, “I’m staying with Marcus, you guys. I’ve decided to leave the band so I can pursue a life with him.” She started picking up a few bags that held her possessions.
“Um…what?” Nikki asked with obvious attitude in her voice. She glanced at me with anger in her eyes before once again focusing on her bassist. “You plan to just walk out of here…just like that?”
“It’s fucking Marcus, for crying out loud!” Rachel suddenly intervened as she appeared to be taking Ashlee’s side. “I don’t know what she sees in the guy, but she’s been crying about him for the last eighteen years! You had to know this was coming when you realized it was him thirty seconds ago!”
Um…I’m right here, you know! I couldn’t believe how blunt Rachel was.
Shyla weighed in by saying, “I never met the guy, but I can see he’s kind of cute in a rugged ‘over-the-hill’ type of way. Besides, Rachel’s right: Ashlee’s been going on and on about him ever since I hooked up with the rest of you, so I’d say let her go.”
Over-the-hill? Come on! I was still two years away from forty!
“She can’t just walk out of here and leave us high and dry! We have a show next weekend on the other side of the continent! Without a bass player, we’ll have to cancel! How can you two be so cool with this?”
As much as I didn’t want to venture any further into the room, I made my way past Nikki and over to where Ashlee was collecting her things. I started grabbing the bags for her and told her I would be fine with carrying the load. She didn’t want me hauling all her effects, but I laughed her kindheartedness off and told her to let me be her “knight.”
“Aw, that’s kind of sweet,” Rachel made the comment as she watched our interaction. I knew she obviously wasn’t sold completely on me coming back into the picture and sweeping her friend off her feet, but she was certainly more supportive than Nikki.
“And I thought chivalry was dead!” Shyla added as she watched me heft a sack over my right shoulder.
Ashlee suddenly placed a hand on my left shoulder and then told me to put the bags back down. I was a little puzzled at first and my heart almost stopped when I thought she may have changed her mind at the last second, but she then reminded me, “Your pickup’s parked all the way over by the saloon. Maybe we should bring it around so we’re not carrying everything so far.”
“Could you at least look at me when we’re talking?” Nikki asked my raven-haired compeer. “I can’t believe you plan on leaving without a little more explanation!”
“What’s there to explain?” Ashlee finally asked as she stared at the blonde vocalist. “You know how I feel and how I’ve always adored Marcus! You know that I’d do anything to be with him, and now that I’ve finally found him, how can you be surprised that I’d want to leave with him?”
“This guy dicked you once and walked out on you!” Nikki tried to remind her friend of past events in a biased manner. “Shouldn’t that be enough to give you second thoughts?”
Rachel was apparently chewing on some gum or something as she added, “But he did give us our band name with that awesome sex tape!”
“Oh!” Shyla then chimed in. “So this is the guy! That’s right! I should’ve realized that right away!”
I’m sure my cheeks were reddening. I shouldn’t have been so embarrassed, but I was certainly out of my element around these kinds of women. I was definitely an outsider trying my best to not be noticed.
“I don’t care how gratifying the sex was,” Nikki tried to talk sense to Ashlee, “But he fucked you and left you! What happens when he does it a second time?”
I think Ashlee had a decent rebuttal prepared, but she didn’t need it. I finally stepped in as I looked Nikki dead in the eyes and told her, “I love Ashlee. I always have and I always will. I made a mistake back then that I’ve carried with me for eighteen years, and it’s high time I rectified that and made her a happy woman.”
“What? Do you plan on marrying her?”
All eyes in the room went to me…including those of Ashlee. I had no idea how to respond since our situation was certainly “different.” Under normal circumstances, I may have been spontaneous enough to propose without a ring right on the spot just to prove a point, but I also had Bridget. Ours was a romance that wasn’t easy to explain on paper.
Ashlee grabbed my closest arm and started dragging me toward the door. “Let’s go get your truck and come back for my stuff.”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Nikki called out from behind us as we made our way back into the hallway. “You’re going to give up your entire life after one night with this guy? What kind of sick hold does he have on you?”
The goth chick attached to my left arm guided me along and spoke a few low curses under her breath as we made our way out of the inn and back into the sunlight. She certainly wasn’t happy with Nikki, but in a way, I found that I couldn’t be upset with the lead vocalist.
The blonde “leader” of the SPs was only being protective of her friend. They had traveled up and down every road of the continent together for nearly two decades. She wasn’t sure that she could trust me…or even that she wanted to for that matter. And when I really thought about it, how could I blame her? She was only lashing out because she was doing what she thought was best for a girl she had known for most of her life.
Ashlee stormed onward with purpose as I did my best to keep up since she was tugging me along. I asked her to slow down a bit, but she was focused on locating my vehicle and gathering her things. When I finally begged her to stop, she finally came to a halt and turned to look at me. I could tell that she wasn’t pleased, but she also didn’t want to upset me. “What is it, Marcus?”
“Ashlee, I don’t think you should be upset with Nikki!”
“And why not? Rachel seemed to support us being together…and so did Shyla! Hell, that bitch doesn’t even know you!” Upon looking at me, I think the goth babe could see that I didn’t understand why she would refer to a friend as a “bitch.” She decided to clarify by saying, “I can’t stand that twat, just in case you cared to know. After Aurora died, it was Nikki’s choice to bring her in…so her opinion has never mattered much to me.”
I decided it would be best to just nod. I had known before we had even confronted the rest of the SPs that this wouldn’t be an easy moment for Ashlee. She was taking a big step in her life in order to be with me…not to mention a huge risk.
“Hey,” the raven-tressed beauty snagged my attention as she held a hand over her trim tummy. It abruptly growled. “Before we get your truck and grab my things, do you think we could visit Bridget at her diner? I’m awfully hungry. Maybe some food would help me settle down a bit.”
I suddenly thought about how long it had been since I had last consumed a decent meal and realized it had probably been even longer for poor Ashlee. I agreed with her and placed an arm around her shoulders as I guided her toward the little restaurant so we could grab a bite to eat…but more importantly, so we could see Bridget.
END OF PART EIGHT OF NINE
