Charlene awoke to the smell of bacon and coffee and sex.
Sunlight poured through the open window accompanied by a mountain breeze. She stretched and yawned, pausing to smile about her newest conquest and an athletic night of pleasure.
She oriented herself in Luc’s bedroom and spotted a shirt of his that was cast off on the floor. She rolled out of bed and threw it on to hunt down her prey or at least the breakfast he was cooking.
Luc saw her, "Good morning missy. Coffee?"
"Sure.... or tequila...", she replied.
"Sorry. The musicians drank us dry. Besides it’s too early for that."
Twirling her long pony tail, Charlene sidled up beside him. "Is it too early for this?"
She planted a long kiss on him, climbing up his body with her long legs. He lifted her up until she was off the ground, then walked over to the nearby table and deposited her unceremoniously in a chair. "Breakfast first, then I need to get to my chores. Daylight’s burning."
Charlene sat stunned, sharing a look with the demons that circled the room. The dark creatures shared in a frustration of being close to their prey, but unable to close the gap. Charlene had never been refused, so for her the sting was fresh and the demons regarded her with some hellish semblance of pity.
Luc finished plating a farm breakfast for each of them, then topped up both their coffees.
Charlene sipped at her coffee, her heels tucked under her on her chair, "Last night was really nice. I want you to know that was special."
"Well I have been around a lot longer than those boys you hang out with. Experience counts, I guess." He smiled, pleased with himself."
Charlene replied seductively, "It sure seems to lover boy." Charlene let a shiver run through her. She knew this game and how to play the prey.
She reached out to touch his hand. He took it and raised it to his lips for a kiss.
Luc looked her in the eyes, "Look Charlene. I’ve got to tell you that I’m not really looking for things to get complicated. I’ve had enough complications in my life."
Charlene was taken aback again. "What, I thought we were friends? she said.
Luc replied, "Friends, sure, you could even say friends with benefits. But I’m finished with anything more than that, same as I’m finished with drinking to a stupor and fighting every chance I got. It’s the benefit of experience. I don’t have to do things that I know are going to hurt, a lot."
Charlene tilted her head, and got up to wrap her arms around his neck. "Somebody hurt you. Come on. Tell me about it lover boy."
Luc nestled into her arms and opened up about his first marriage, his cheating spouse, his broken heart and the pain he endured. Charlene took her time unbuttoning his shirt and dropping it to the floor.
~~~~~
~~~~~
Charlene couldn’t help herself. More often than she wanted she would make her way from the crowd at her private table to join Luc at the bar talking war stories with Lucky. Sometimes she would ride back out to the country in the right seat of the Challenger. She couldn’t quit the feeling of being in his strong arms, being submissive, accepting his energy instead of taking it by domination.
Riding with him down the dusty backroads to his place, arm out the window and sun beaming down, she went back to her childhood, before young love and lust had turned everything bad for her.
Her father had driven her through the country roads in the foothills in his rusty old truck. Her hand flew through the air outside the window as they bounced and rattled their way on the old roads.
All of the darkness was washed from her soul in these moments. The old fissures in her heart started to heal riding down country roads.