CHAPTER 37
Special K
It was another round of off-the-chain sex, followed by about ten minutes under the cold spray of the waterfall.
We both hollered at the stark temperature difference when the water beat down on our skin. And now we’re lying naked on the flat boulders at the pool’s edge, baking in the sun, recovering, drinking water, and eating snacks.
Each time our bodies connect, it feels more important to me, like it has more meaning. And even though she now understands just how much of a non-boy scout I really am, it didn’t seem to faze her.
Instead, she gave herself to me again.
Frankie is a generous lover and the most enjoyable companion I’ve ever had.
But it doesn’t matter, because she’s leaving, and no matter how hot the sex is, it won’t be hot enough to make her stay.
I think I’m getting the big picture.
It’s not going to matter what happens between us. She won’t tell me. It won’t matter how good it is or how much we enjoy one another or how badly we want one another. She’s not going to say anything about who she is or why she’s here.
I won’t pretend that it doesn’t sting, because it hurts like hell. But I brought it on myself. Frankie told me up front that she could never tell me the whys and whos of her predicament.
If I decided not to believe her—to think I could change her mind—then that’s on me, isn’t it?
“The sun feels so good,” she moans.
“We can’t stay out here much longer. The altitude is so high we’ll get burned to a crisp.”
“Is that before or after I drown in the flash floods and expire from dehydration?”
“Hey, I only speak the truth.”
“Were you serious about the hog?”
“I was.”
“Don’t tell me anything more about what happened with the hog.”
“Didn’t plan on it.”
She goes back to sunbathing when something interesting happens.
I’ve had a lot of unexpected firsts in the last couple of days, but the sensation I’m experiencing right now is beyond strange. The cat’s sandpaper tongue is licking the inside of my ankle, and it’s equal parts creepy and ticklish.
“Enough, Pussy,” I say.
“You’ve had enough pussy?”
I open one eye to see Boots roll over on her belly so that she can sun her bare ass and back. I want a picture of this vision of female beauty, though, of course, I’d never take one. So I roll onto my front, too, and prop my hands on my stacked fists so I can take her in.
The way her bottom rises. How her hips widen beneath her waist. How the muscles in her shoulders, arms, back, and legs catch the light.
She’s fucking magnificent.
“How did you pick that name for your cat?” I ask. “I mean, it’s a great conversation starter, don’t get me wrong, but…”
“I’m a stripper.” She blurts this out, and then slowly lowers her forehead to the boulder and rocks her head back and forth like she can’t believe she just let it slip.
I smile to myself. “Okay.”
“One night I found a kitty in the back dumpster after work.” She’s not looking at me. “I brought it in and some of the other dancers said there was only one obvious choice for a name.”
That’s pretty funny, but I stay quiet so that she keeps going.
“I’m a pole artist, too. And I give private lap dances when I decide the customer is trustworthy and the tips are going to be big enough to be worth my time.”
“Okay.”
“And you’re right—I started out as a bartender and then moved on to dancing. My boss encouraged me to do an amateur night, and, well, turns out I had natural abilities.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“And in three years, I’ve managed to get debt-free, save, invest, buy my own home, and buy a car. It’s been quite lucrative.”
“Okay.”
“And that’s how I know your neighbors, the Travis brothers. They’re excellent tippers.”
Ooooooooh-kaaaay.
If my fists weren’t already balled up…
Her forehead is still pressed to the rock. She doesn’t want to look at me while she tells me all this.
“Boots, I figured as much. And I meant it when I told you that I didn’t care.”
She raises up and blinks at me, her blond hair alive in the sun. She’s looking at me like she isn’t sure should believe me.
“Believe me,” I say. “I do not give the slightest fuck.”
Just like that, she pushes up and pops to her feet, spins around, and executes a flawless dive into the waterfall pool. She asked me earlier if the water there was deep enough for diving, but I didn’t think she actually planned to test it out.
I jump up and dive in after her, then I swim underwater until I can get into position. I shove off the bottom, spring up, and she goes flying into the air.
That surprised howl of laughter has got to be my favorite sound in the world.
She swims over to me, frowning but smiling at the same time, which is a new trick.
“Special K,” she says, treading water in front of me. “Seriously. It doesn’t matter to you?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
I shrug. “Like I said, it’s none of my business how you choose to earn a living. And what someone does isn’t the sum total of who they are. And I’m crazy about the woman you are.”
Oh, shit.
If there was a boulder nearby, I’d be planting my face on it. Because what the hell did I just let slip out?
Frankie tilts her head, frowning for real now—the smile’s gone. “Ask me anything.”
“You don’t owe me any explanation, Frankie. I already knew.”
“What tipped you off?”
“You’re killin’ me, Boots.”
“No. Tell me. How did you know?”
“Well,” I think about how to say this, then decide to just go for it.
“The fact that you’re the most perfectly stunning woman I’ve ever seen in the flesh, head to toe, from every angle.
And that you were smokin’-hot-molten-lava-sex poured into those white leather thigh-high boots the day I met you. ”
“Oh. They’re just PVC, actually.”
“And the way you own your body, how you understand and welcome what it can do. I see the way you operate. You possess bone-deep confidence, muscle mastery. You’re totally at home in your skin and at peace with your sexuality.”
“Oh.”
“And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with maximizing the gifts you’ve been given. In that way, you and I are a lot alike.”
“Really? You strip?”
I laugh so loud I scare the birds.
“No joke,” she continues. “You could make a very good living with your… attributes. If the ranching and tech stuff don’t pan out, that is.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Her tone suddenly turns serious. “I don’t see any judgment in you, Special K. Not a speck.”
“I’m in no position to judge, obviously. We all do our best to get by.”
She’s gone silent. All I hear is the waterfall.
“Why here, Frankie? Of all the places to hide out, why did you come here?”
“Oh.” She looks down at her hands moving in the water.
“One of my regulars was an older widower getting ready to move out of town. He came to see me one last time and handed me the deed to the cabin, saying he received it as a gift from his father when he was a young man. My regular didn’t have kids of his own and wanted me to have it. ”
I find myself leaning back a bit, surprised by her answer. “This customer of yours, he believed the deed was legit?”
“I think so, yes. There’d be no reason for him to lie about it. He was a good guy, a sad and lonely man.”
I move closer to her. She looks up and starts floating away, already shaking her head.
“Thank you for sharing that with me. I know it wasn’t easy.”
And I know this is where she’ll draw the line. I should be satisfied that she trusted me enough to share at least something. But I’ll kick myself if I don’t at least try to follow up.
“Who are you running from?”
“I can’t.”
“Who threatened you?”
“You can’t save me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
“We need to get back.”