Chapter 23 Austin - Road Trip
Chapter 23
Austin - Road Trip
W e jam-packed the Pinto Bean with our belongings, hugged our families, and headed west from Kansas City. Until we were in L.A., neither one of us had been further west than the state of Kansas in our brief lives. We decided to take a leisurely pace and do some sightseeing, giving ourselves five days to get there. I wanted to see the Grand Canyon, and Sydney wanted to spend a night in Las Vegas.
The first two days of our road trip were uneventful. We drove, ate junk food, listened to music, and watched the world go by out the windshield. We tried recommended diners and local cuisine. I earmarked part of my remaining royalty money to eat at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant when we got to Las Vegas. I loved watching Hell’s Kitchen and had been honing my culinary skills—although mostly in the BBQ realm. We slept in cheap motels in order to splurge on a decent room on the strip in Vegas.
On the third day, we stopped off at an interstate exit to get gas. When I tried to get back on the interstate, I took a wrong turn, and we ended up on a dirt road in the middle of Nowhere. Sydney had her nose in a book and didn’t notice my mistake. I waited to see how long it would take her to question our location .
“This interstate is rough. Are we in a construction zone?” She put down her book. “Where did the interstate go? Do you know a secret shortcut?”
“About a mile back, I made a wrong turn. I thought maybe if I kept driving, we’d run back into a major highway artery.”
“While I appreciate your train of thought, we should probably…” she pointed and shrieked: “Swimming Hole!” A faded wooden sign hung nailed to a tree. Hand-painted red letters and a red arrow pointing left showed the way. “Can we go swimming, Austin? Pretty please! It’s hot out, and the cool lake water will feel good.” She leaned toward me and batted her eyelashes.
Her joy was infectious, and I cracked under the pressure. “Okay. I suppose we can take another detour.”
“Yay!” She clapped her hands and bounced in her seat. “I’m so happy! I love road trips!”
We turned and followed a gravel road down to a clearing. The river appeared in front of us. We parked and got out to explore our surroundings. At the water’s edge, I stopped and took it all in. This place remained unspoiled by civilization. The trees and plants grew without threat of urban development, and the birds peppered the air with their songs. I breathed in deeply, inhaling the pure air.
We didn’t see any other people. It was like our own little private paradise. I sat down on a boulder and peeled off my boots and socks. Then I rolled up my jeans to my knees. At the water’s edge, I dipped my feet in the icy bath. The clear water became green in the depths. It had been a long time since I braved the frigid lake water at the creek near my house. Sweat dripped down my back, but I hesitated to commit any further than my feet. I didn’t want to freeze my nuts.
I heard an unfamiliar noise behind me. Sydney ran towards me, buck naked. My feet froze and my jaw dropped onto the pebbles.
“Yippie Kiyay! Let’s get wet!” she shouted as she streaked by me. She splashed into the water, diving under when she got up to her thighs. After a long time, she surfaced halfway across the river. “Woo-hoo! This is refreshing! Come on in, scaredy cat!” She waved at me.
Trying to recover from the shock, I found my voice. “I’m good right here. You have fun.”
She started swimming back towards the shore but stopped about fifteen feet away. She planted her feet, and the water covered her up to her collarbone. “What’s the matter? You know how to swim, correct? ”
I nodded.
“Then I don’t understand what the problem is. Explain.” She waited.
I hesitated. “Where did your clothes go?”
“I laid them on a rock to keep them dry. When we get back in the car, I didn’t want to wear wet clothes.”
“You have at least two suitcases in the hatchback. You couldn’t change clothes?”
“I didn’t think about that. Are you embarrassed about being naked? Cause I’m not.”
“I am not embarrassed,” I lied. My cheeks flushed and I hoped she couldn’t tell.
“Okay, suit yourself, chicken.” She pushed off and swam back underwater.
I stood there, feeling embarrassed and self-conscious at the same time. Sydney confused me with her exhibitionist behavior. I didn’t expect this from her normally conservative nature. I watched as she lay on her back, floating, her nipples alert from the chilly water. Her soft, rounded belly stuck out above the water, and I caught glimpses of her dark bush as she leisurely kicked her feet.
I wrestled with myself—and an unwelcome growing erection.
I don’t want her to think I’m a chickenshit, but I don’t want her to see me naked. How is it I don’t have trouble getting naked in front of a woman I met at a bar and barely know? Sex is different. That’s messed up, Austin. It’s blue blazes hot here in the desert. Besides, there isn’t a prize for staying sticky and miserable.
“Cowboy up,” I said to myself. I stood up and pulled my T-shirt over my head.
From out across the water, I heard, “Ooh, baby! Take it off!”
I almost put my T-shirt back on. Instead, I shook my hips and channeled my inner Chippendale dancer. I playfully pulled at my belt to release the buckle while I shimmed back-and-forth. I teased my jeans down below my butt and bent over for dramatic effect.
“Yes, stud muffin! Show me what you got.” Sydney clapped and whistled.
It spurred me on, and I dropped my pants to the ground. I crept my hands back up my legs and snapped the waistband of my boxer briefs. They landed on top of my jeans.