Yak Read online

“Then I have your blessing?”

  “That you do, sweetie, always. You bring your lady around one of these days soon so I can meet her, all right?”

  I had to restrain myself from punching the air in triumph. “Absolutely all right, Auntie.”

  “Good. Now I believe your mother saved you a plate. Go get dressed and get some dinner. If you’re going to work night shifts and pitch some woo, you’re going to need your strength.”

  I laughed and stood up, folding the afghan neatly around Aunt Helene’s legs. “Pitch some woo? Should I find me a zoot suit and a fedora, too, Auntie?”

  “You could do worse, my dear. Heaven knows they always worked on me.”

  I departed in a good humour, whistling as I returned to my own room. I didn’t doubt that Auntie had an eye for the gents when she was my age. After all, she’d been married five times. I once asked her why she got married so often, and she told me that the men fell in love with her for her bohemian ways, then once the vows were said, wanted her to abandon those ways to become their idea of a conventional wife. She wasn’t about to have any part of that, so she always moved on, living her life on exactly her own terms.

  I threw on some clothes and went down to the kitchen, where Mom had saved me a plate from dinner. After I ate, I went out to the big, three-car garage to clean my Corolla. Herman’s greasy handprints were all over the hood, so it took me a while, but within a couple of hours, I had it shining inside and out—or as shiny as the old girl could get.

  Glancing at the garage clock, I saw I just had time for a shower. I wanted to make a stop at a drugstore on the way to work, too, so I had to hurry.

  * * *

  I got to the Jester ninety minutes later, and Aislin was already there. When I walked into the kitchen, she looked up and gave me a shy smile. That smile sent quivers ricocheting through me, and my goofy grin actually made her laugh out loud. It was such an unusual sound in the kitchen that Elliot, who had just walked through the door, stopped in astonishment and stared at Aislin.

  We both studiously ignored him and got to work, but all through the first half of our shift, we kept stealing glances at each other. When our lunch break came, we grabbed our coats, scarves, and gloves, and gravitated to the sheltered nook just outside the kitchen door where I normally took my smoke break.

  For the longest moment, we just stood staring at each other. Aislin’s eyes were shining, and all I wanted was to pull her into my arms.

  “They’ll be talking about us, you know.”

  I nodded. I did know that, but it didn’t bother me. “Do you care?”

  She took a step closer. “No...not at all.”

  I opened my arms to her and she stepped into me. Aislin wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my shoulder with a contented sigh. I was in heaven as I felt the warmth of her head against my cheek and her breath against my neck. Even all the layers of protective clothing couldn’t diminish the pleasure of holding her so close.

  I had no intention of doing anything more; I was blissfully content. But when she began to nibble on my neck, I just about toppled over. She murmured something to me, but the blood was pounding too hard in my ears for me to understand her.

  “Mmm?”

  “I said, do you need time for a smoke?”

  “No...I quit today.”

  Aislin drew back far enough that she could look at me. “Really?”

  “Really. I’m even wearing the patch.”

  The look of delight on her face reinforced the determination that had formed in me the previous morning. She had tasted so good when we kissed, and when I was driving home, I remembered what Von had said about kissing a former boyfriend who smoked. It was like licking a dirty ash tray. I didn’t want Aislin to ever feel like that about kissing me, so I quit—right then and there, on the spot. It had been awfully hard ignoring the urge when I was working on my car, but the patch—and Aislin’s smile—were making it much easier at the moment.

  Aislin tilted her head and I accepted her invitation, gently exploring her mouth as I pulled her even nearer. Completely lost in each other, we never heard the kitchen door open until Ed’s contemptuous voice intruded.

  “Jesus Christ. What a pair of sick freaks.”

  I raised my head and glared at him as I tightened my arms around Aislin. I didn’t have to say a word.

  He dropped his scornful gaze, and muttered, “Elliot says to get back in. Break’s over.” The door slammed behind him.

  We looked at each other ruefully as Aislin stepped away.

  “I guess we’d better get back to work.”

  I nodded reluctantly. Work could go hang for all I cared.

  Aislin turned, then looked back over her shoulder at me with a little grin. “So, where exactly did you put the patch?”

  I responded to the playfulness in her voice. “I’m not telling.”

  With a teasing drawl, she left me reeling. “That’s okay. I’ll find it for myself...later.”

  I wavered on unsteady legs as Aislin disappeared through the kitchen door. Oh, my God! Her intonation, boldly flirtatious yet absolutely certain, promised that we were going to take things much further...and soon.

  I have no idea how I made it through the next four hours. I kept my head down and tended strictly to my job, because I knew if I glanced over and caught her watching me with that look in her eyes, I wouldn’t stand a chance of finishing my shift. I’d march right over, take her hand, and lead her out of there—consequences be damned.

  In an odd way it helped that Ed was throwing murderous glares at both of us, though he had the good sense not to say anything else.

  Aislin’s shift replacement arrived earlier than mine, so I tossed her the keys and told her where to find my car. By the time I got out to the parking lot, she had the windows scraped and the car warmed up. Driving over to her house, there was little conversation, which was fine with me. The hand resting on my thigh told me all I needed to know.

  When we pulled into her driveway, Aislin finally spoke, her voice hesitant but hopeful. “You’ll stay?”

  “Yes.”

  I’d never heard my voice quite so soft, or certain, but then I’d never felt such a potent combination of confidence and exhilaration either. Strangely, all sense of urgency and nervousness had vanished. I knew what was going to happen—it was what I’d wanted for so long. Yet it simply felt like I was walking a pre-ordained path and there was nothing I need concern myself with other than following Aislin.

  I locked the car behind us and we walked into the house hand in hand. Once inside, we dropped our outerwear where we stood and turned to each other. November-cold hands and lips quickly warmed as we sought to express all we were feeling.

  Finally I caught Aislin’s hands in mine and raised them to my lips. “I need to call home so they don’t worry when I’m late.”

  “Tell them you’ll be very, very late, Leni.”

  I adored the sparkle in her eyes as she smiled up at me. “I will.” I caught a whiff of my grease-stained uniform and wrinkled my nose. “I’d also like to take a shower, if that’s okay.”

  Aislin leaned in for a quick kiss, then stepped away. “Of course. You make your phone call, and I’ll go start the water.”

  I watched her walk away and I swear no cook’s uniform ever draped the human form quite so provocatively. Wanting nothing more than to run after her, I almost abandoned the idea of calling home. However, I reluctantly tore my gaze away and scanned the living room for the phone. After locating it on the end table by the couch, I placed a quick call home.

  Ronnie answered the phone. “Hey, brat,” I said. “Will you tell Mom that I won’t be home today? I’m staying at a friend’s place.”

  “Whose place—Von’s?”

  I grinned as I heard Ronnie noisily crunching her cereal over the phone. “No, another friend. Just promise you’ll pass on the message, all right?”

  “Okay, but you should at least leave a phone number.”

 
I had no idea what Aislin’s phone number was, and a quick glance showed me that it wasn’t on the handset I was holding. “I don’t know what the number is here, Ronnie. Just tell Mom I’m fine, and I’ll either be home later this evening or tomorrow.”

  “She’s gonna want to know where you are, and I don’t want her mad at me just because you’re keeping it some stupid secret.”

  “Tell her...tell her Aunt Helene knows where I am.”

  That seemed to satisfy the pint-sized inquisitor and I hung up. I walked quickly down the hall to where the bathroom door was ajar. I could hear the water running so I stepped inside, then stopped and stared.

  Aislin had not only started the water for me, I could see her behind the translucent shower doors, hands raised as she washed her hair. Momentarily flustered, I wasn’t sure if I should retreat or advance. Then the sole remaining logical part of my mind noticed that she had laid out two towels on the counter. Did that mean she wanted me to join her? Luckily for my addled brain, she solved the question for me.

  “Come on in, Leni. There’s lots of room.”

  I hastily shut the door behind me and stripped off my clothes, tossing them into a corner. For all the steam that was billowing in the air, my mouth was incredibly dry.

  Slipping into the shower, I found Aislin waiting for me. She reached out to take my hands and pulled me close.

  I wrapped my arms around her, rendered speechless by the erotic sensation of her wet body sliding against mine and the sensual sweep of her hands as they began to explore. When her hand slipped down between us, I thought I was going to crumble.

  Aislin chuckled, barely audible over the water, but she withdrew her tantalizing fingers. Gently she steered me around to face the other way as she picked up the shampoo. I closed my eyes, revelling in the hedonistic feel of her deft fingers, first in my hair, then lavishing soap and attention on the rest of my body.

  By the time Aislin finished, I had a death grip on the safety bar with one hand and her supportive thigh with the other. With both of us now clean, her hand had resumed teasing me mercilessly. Lost in the building sensations, I cried out when she stopped, but she pressed hard against me as she reached behind and turned off the water.

  “Not here. Not our first time. Let’s go to bed.”

  Dazed, I didn’t protest as Aislin slid the door open and reached for the towels. The room was completely filled with steam, and for a split second I thought I saw something hovering in the mist—something that looked eerily like a face. I wiped the towel over my eyes and looked again. It had vanished.

  Taking Aislin’s hand as she led me to her bedroom, I dismissed my flight of fancy. I had much more important things to think about.

  From the first moments when she guided my untried fingers on her sensitive flesh, to the point where fatigue finally forced us to rest, I’ve never felt so sublimely, joyfully connected to another human being. I told Aislin of my profound conclusion and she laughed softly, her hand idly tracing a line down my belly.

  “I imagine every lover has felt like that at some point.”

  “Impossible.” God, I loved the feeling of her nude body relaxing against mine. “If the women of Langston Heights knew what they were missing, they’d be lined up at your bedroom door ’round the clock.”

  She chuckled, and rewarded my heartfelt flattery with a languorous exploration of my nearest nipple. I wished that I had the energy to encourage her in her endeavours, but it wasn’t really an offer. She was as exhausted as I was. So with a final kiss to my breast, Aislin slid over on top of me and settled down, her sigh of contentment clearly audible in the quiet room.

  I barely had the energy to lift my arms, but I rested them loosely on her back. As she drifted off to sleep, I whispered into her hair. “I love you.” Her mumbled response was unintelligible, but it didn’t matter. Aislin would never be much of a conversationalist, but her eyes, her hands, her body—they had all spoken her heart loud and clear.

  You wouldn’t think there would be anything on my mind but the naked woman slumbering in my arms, but now, as my mind drifted, the image in the mist returned to my tired, blissful brain.

  It had only been an instant, yet the face had seemed so clear, so vivid. I’d gotten no sense of threat, only...what? Curiosity? Assessment, perhaps. Definitely intelligence. I tried to dismiss it as a figment of my imagination, but even as Aislin wriggled in her sleep and I caressed her back, I found myself unable to dismiss that haunting image.

  I finally found sleep by focusing on the contentment that suffused me. My inexperience may have rendered me a bit clumsy, even amusing at times, as I learned what made Aislin squirm with pleasure. But above all, our love making had excited and satisfied me beyond my most fevered expectation. And the sweetest part was seeing Aislin’s joy as I loved her. Honestly, I could’ve burned up from the sheer radiance in her eyes.

  On a day like today, nothing—not even imaginary phantoms—could detract from my elation.

  * * *

  It was dark when we finally woke up, and a quick glance at the bedside clock told us it was past eight.

  “I’m going to have to run home, Aislin. I need some clean clothes for work tonight.”

  “Mmmm, you don’t really want to leave, do you?” She looked at me hopefully. “I’ve got spare uniforms and lots of clean clothes. I’d be glad to share.”

  I was going to demur, truly I was, but she started nibbling on my breast again. Under such torture, what choice did I have? I’d have agreed to anything just to get her to continue.

  So she did.

  And we were almost late for work. By the time we pulled into the parking lot behind the kitchen with three minutes to spare, icy cold rain was sluicing down and we got soaked in the brief dash to the door.

  Elliot poked his head into the kitchen just as I was tying my apron.

  “Leni, you need to double your usual numbers, especially on the pies. People like comfort food on a night like tonight. With a major storm coming, I expect there’ll be a lot more travelers pulling in to get out of the weather.”

  “There’s a storm moving in?” I hadn’t exactly been monitoring the weather forecasts all day.

  “Jesus, where have you been? It’s been all over the news for the last twelve hours. They’re expecting freezing rain and winds gusting to sixty klics tonight. It’s going to be hell out on the highway, that’s for sure.”

  Elliot turned to go, then did a double take. “For crying out loud, Leni, did you shrink your uniform or something?”

  I glanced down at my legs. The pant legs barely reached the top of my socks. “Huh, must’ve left them in the dryer too long.”

  “Order some new ones then. You look like a hobo.”

  I heard Ella call him from the dining room, and Elliot disappeared back out the door. I glanced over to where Aislin was chopping vegetables and trying not to laugh.

  She turned her head just long enough to give me a wink, her big knife never missing a beat.

  I grinned, tugged my borrowed pants lower as best I could, and got to work.

  Elliot turned out to be an accurate prognosticator. People poured into the Jester as fast as the rain poured from the sky and froze on the ground. Truckers, travellers, cops, and tow truck drivers filled all the booths and lingered, reluctant to return to the dangerous roads. My pies and cakes were devoured as fast as they came out of the oven.

  I could hear Ed cursing monotonously over the grill, the wait staff hollering orders, and the loud buzz of incessant conversation from the dining room, but I was so busy that I barely lifted my head from my station. I was vaguely aware of overhearing Ella tell Sharon that Darla Mae was having a meltdown in the ladies room, but I assumed she was just reacting to the stress of the unusual night rush.

  There was no time for a staff lunch break. About four in the morning, Aislin set a thick ham and cheese sandwich down beside me. In return, I offered her a freshly made cruller, which she accepted with a smile. Ed had just gone back into
the cooler, so I seized the opportunity to seal our barter with a quick kiss.

  Aislin backed away, slowly running her tongue over her lips. Laughing, I whispered after her, “Incorrigible!”

  She winked at me and got back to work, munching on the cruller as she made her umpteenth pot of chili. Always tasty, it was finding particular favour with the truckers on this cold, icy night.

  By seven a.m., the entire staff was more than ready for their relief shift, but only the day manager arrived on time in his 4x4 truck. Nerves were fraying as our replacements slowly trickled in; everyone was snapping at everyone else, except for Aislin and me. I think we were still coasting on yesterday’s high, and since we were at the end of our work-week rotation, we’d have two whole days to spend together. I was pretty sure she was looking forward to it as much as me.

  Our replacements finally arrived at the same time, both complaining bitterly about roads as slick as skating rinks and the inability of the highway department to keep up with sanding and salting.

  Aislin had just come over to join me when we heard raised voices coming from the cooler. It was Ed and Darla Mae, and it was impossible not to overhear them.

  “Whaddaya mean you’re pregnant?” Panic was evident in Ed’s voice.

  “What don’t you understand? I’m pregnant...ya know—with child? The little stick doesn’t lie. You’re going to be a daddy.”

  “The hell I am! It ain’t my problem if some guy knocked you up. Don’t be putting this on me.”

  Aislin and I looked at each other in shock.

  “My God, Eddie—you know it’s you. There is no one else.”

  “Yeah, right. Like I believe that.”

  Darla Mae’s voice rose, her indignation and incredulity clear. “Edward Arthur Conroy. You know good and well that I was a virgin when we met.”

  “So you said, but you slept with me on the first date. Who knows who you’ve been fuckin’ around with since.”

  Between escalating sobs, Darla Mae choked out, “There’s a little thing called DNA tests, you know. I’ll prove you’re the father.”

  Ed snorted. “Like I’m gonna stick around that long. If you’re smart, you’ll get rid of it, but I ain’t gonna to be here one way or another. I’m outta here!”