VAL, AKA OFFERING UP HIS MANLY FLESH

Lola’s on fire during the lunch rush. I can barely focus on work. I simply want to watch her. She moves like a dancer or athlete. I remember thinking she moved the same way the night we met.

I feel too large for the snug galley kitchen, yet Lola seems happy with my work ethic.

After the lunch rush, Lola and I sit in a back booth and enjoy our burgers. Her cheeks are still pink from the hot kitchen. She looks lovely in her domain, feeling comfortable here like she couldn’t during the engagement party.

“My cousin Poet lives half the time in a little Tennessee town. He’s got a place on the homestead, too. I don’t see how that can’t work for us.”

Lola looks ready to complain before stopping herself. Instead of pushing back, she says, “I made the decision the other night to be more flexible about moving to your territory. After all, this marriage will protect my family.”

“And it will give you access to all my manly flesh,” I say and then add in a whisper, “I’m going to send you to heaven with my tongue. Just you wait.”

Maybe my promise of oral pleasure is why Lola rushes us out of the diner after we’ve finished our lunch. She takes her truck to her apartment while I follow behind her.

Basin Rock is built similar to Tumbling Rock with everything exciting shoved into a three-block radius. Then, the town expands to suburban neighborhoods before spreading out into farmland and woods with scattered homes.

Lola lives in a “downtown” apartment, only minutes from the McGraw family’s businesses. A grocery store is within walking distance. So are a few restaurants. I could imagine myself hanging out here without missing the homestead too much. Well, assuming we mostly bunk at our future home next to my family.

The square-shaped, one-story apartment building is surrounded by old trees. With only a single assigned spot to park, Lola lets me use it for my motorcycle. She finds a spot on the street for her truck with the prominent “Basin Rock Bar” sticker on her fender. She likely isn’t worried about anyone messing with her ride, while mine might gain negative attention.

Lola struts past me as I wait for her next to my motorcycle. She gives me the once-over, admiring how I’m built. I follow her to a corner apartment with a tiny outdoor space. I look over the faded brown fence to see a seating area and a few potted plants. I don’t sense Lola does much gardening.

Inside, I find a large living area with hardwood floors and Lola’s eclectic taste. A dreamcatcher-style artwork hangs behind the couch. A slightly tattered yet colorful rug covers the floor in front of the couch. The apartment feels comfortable, even if I have to duck to get through the door.

A black-and-white cat looks up at us from its spot on the couch. Deciding I’m too much trouble, the furball bolts from the room.

“Moo isn’t used to me bringing people over.”

“I’m good with cats.”

Lola smiles at my comment and shows me around her one-bedroom apartment. The bedroom is smaller than mine at my parents’ place. I’m glad to find two bathrooms, one located off the living room and another in the bedroom suite. I didn’t want to fight over toilet time.

Once in her bedroom, I drop onto her queen-sized mattress and stretch out. “This place smells sexy like you.”

“No fucking,” she says and points her finger in my face. “I want to know if we have something besides sexual chemistry.”

“What if we just make out? Clothes stay on. No one finds relief. Real old-fashioned fun.”

Lola’s mask of irritation drains away, and she shuffles closer. “I want a real date where we eat and talk and then bang. Not the other way around.”

“That’s dumb, but I’m cool with whatever.”

“Why is it dumb?”

“We just ate lunch together and talked about lots of stuff. I know you collect neato rocks like a nerdy kid,” I say, and she narrows her blue eyes at me. “I also know you were an athlete in school until your lovely boobs got in the way.”

“And I know you got your road name from acting like a rabid cat.”

“Hell, yeah, I’ll claw a fucker’s eyes out.”

Finding me funny, Lola loses her grumpiness. She kicks off her shoes before joining me on the mattress. “Clothes stay on.”

“Yes, but I’m going to feel you up. It’s not even a choice. My hands are contractually obligated to seek out such fine tits.”

“Keep it over my shirt, and we’ll have no issue,” she says and scoots closer. “I might need to feel you up, too.”

“Don’t fondle my dick or I’ll jizz. You can’t know how hot you get me.”

Lola’s expression goes soft and possessive. I bet she’s imagining us in the future when my body only remembers her.

Her lips cover mine, and we’re off to the races!

With my hand cupping her head, I lean Lola back on the bed. She moans in reaction to my tongue joining the party. I lick at her teeth until she opens wider.

Lola wants to remain in control. She fears what happens when two people who nearly banged in a truck now have access to a mattress. We’re bound to bust through our clothes and find relief in the biblical sense.

My free hand strokes her plump left tit, finding her nipple already hard. Lola moans into my mouth and tugs my shirt up, so she can fondle me, too. That’s what I remember most about Lola from our time together in her truck. This is a woman who wants to give as much as she takes. Or maybe she’s a control freak. Either way, she likes to make me as crazy as I do her.

We’re twenty minutes into our make-out session when Lola’s lips break free of mine. She shoves me off and shakes her head.

“We have to have sex.”

“Right now?” I balk. “I’m not sure I’m appropriately beautified for that.”

She presses her hand playfully against my smiling face and gently shoves me. “Shut up. I mean I don’t think waiting until the wedding is possible. You make me so crazy hot.”

“So, get naked and we’ll do this thing.”

“No, I want tonight to be a date. I’ll cook for you. We’ll watch a movie and fool around. Then, we’ll get naked and go to town on each other until we can’t move. I might even call in sick tomorrow to rest from fucking so much.”

“Is this for real?” I ask when she climbs off the bed. “I sense you’re teasing me.”

“I’m dehydrated. I feel like you set fire to my vulva and it quickly burned through my every nerve.”

“I’m sorry I’m so hot.”

Lola looks back at me over her shoulder and smiles. “It’s not your fault. You come from sexy people.”

“Your dad is a stud,” I say and frown at the sound of a motorcycle riding by. “I think he might be ready to bust in here and dump a pail of water on your coochie. If that happens, don’t tell him I said he was a stud.”

“That’s not his motorcycle. It’s too loud. Duke likes to sneak up on people, not wake the dead when he rides down the street.”

When I follow her to the kitchen, Lola hands me a glass of fruity juice. “I need a shower to cool off or I won’t make it to later.”

“I could use a shower, too. But then, I’ll just have to put my sweaty clothes back on.”

“Do you wear boxers or briefs?”

“Boxers. I like to let my balls bounce freely.”

Lola snickers, almost spitting out her juice. “Well, I have a man’s shirt here that you could wear while I toss your sweaty stuff in the washer.”

“What kind of man’s shirt? I can’t wear something unflattering. I’m too vain.”

Lola walks to her small bedroom closet and reaches up to a shelf on top. She locates a Budweiser shirt and tosses it on the bed.

“Is this your dad’s?”

“No, Duke doesn’t wear shirts from gas stations.”

“The man has class,” I mutter and lift the shirt. “Who does this shirt belong to?”

“Cubby.”

“Why is it here?”

“We used to rock each other’s worlds.”

“What?” I ask, dropping the shirt and pouting. “And why?”

“We were only bang buddies thirty or forty times.”

“Why would anyone want that man in their vagina? First, my sister submits to his greasy hands. Now, I learn my beloved future wife has been jizzed inside by his slimy snail. What has gone wrong with the world?”

“So, what, you don’t want me now?”

“Oh, I do,” I announce, setting down my drink and taking her hand. “But first, I might need to fumigate your lady bits to ensure you don’t have fleas or ticks.”

“Dumbass. I ought to put you in the delousing shower.”

“I don’t know what that means,” I say and remove my shirt. “But it sounds sexy.”

Lola snorts. “When was your last pussy?”

“Two weeks before I met you, and I’ve washed a lot since then. Heavy soap usage,” I explain while she eyes my shirtless chest like she might ravage me soon. “I could whip it out for your inspection. Do you have one of those blacklight things to check?”

Laughing, Lola pats my chest. “Do you still want me even though I’ve known Cubby’s dong?”

“Yes, but please don’t call out his name during our mind-bending fornication. I will absolutely stop mid-thrust and finish alone in the bathroom. That is no idle threat, Lola.”

She kisses my chest and smiles at me. “Duke would lose his damn mind if I let one of the club guys inside my body.”

“So, cannibalizing them in a pinch is also out?”

“Smartass,” Lola grumbles.

I reach for the shirt. “So, why is this here?”

“He housesat when I was on a trip with my family at the beach.”

“Did he do a good job?”

“The apartment smelled of beef and feet when I came back, but he took good care of Moo.”

After glancing at her cat snoozing near the window, I smile at Lola. “Well, I will wear this shirt after my shower.”

“You will use that bathroom,” she insists and points at the hallway bathroom. “No, wait, you can use my bathroom shower.”

“How come? Is the hall one gross?”

“No, it’s small, and I don’t want you injuring yourself.”

“You’re a protective fiancée.”

Lola’s eyes widen when I use the last word. I think she hasn’t grasped what’s about to happen between us. This isn’t just two hot people horny for each other. We’ll soon live together. Life is about to change in a very real way.

I’m ready to move into her place and start ducking whenever I enter a room. The last few months without access to Lola left me mopey and pouty. Since I’m nearly never unhappy, it’s been a real struggle to adjust.

Now, with her heart opening up to me, I can return to my normal happy self.