A Dark Ride

He had been right about the heater, confirming my worries. The truck blew hot air, but not nearly enough to keep the cab warm. It didn't help that the stranger always kept his window cracked even when he wasn't smoking. I kept the man's hoodie pulled close over my arms and chest. I didn't feel right just putting on some random other person's clothes, but I draped it across my body and was thankful of the warmth it provided.

I tried again to study that arm of his, but when I cut my eyes over I saw him glance at me. He cleared his throat.

"So, you guys come out here from the city?" He asked.

I nodded absently. "Yeah. We're from just outside."

"Huh. Weird." The man must have noticed the look I gave him. "It's just sorta backwards. Usually people go into the city to find a place to party, instead of driving out here."

"My sister knows one the band members," I said. "The drummer. I think she likes him."

I realized the stranger was staring at me past the sheets of his black hair. It surprised me when he started chuckling.

"Dean?" He scoffed. "She likes Dean? Why? Guy looks like he's stuck in mid-transformation between a man and a giant bird."

I couldn't bite back my short bark of laughter.

"Look," the man said tossing his cigarette out the window, "tell your sister she has pretty shitty taste. And a pretty terrible sense of priority."

Thinking of Leah made me annoyed, but it also made me feel grateful to this guy. I still wasn't ruling out any danger, but I felt like I needed to tell him again.

"Listen, thank you for... well, everything," I said. "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't showed up back there. Those guys probably would've given me a really nasty beating."

The man shook his head. It made his black hair sway.

"No, probably not," he told me. "They're just a couple of spoiled dorks driving suped up trucks and sports cars their daddies pay for. They were just drunk and looking to make their bloated ego's a little bigger. They wouldn't know a good ass whipping if it was handed to them."

I didn't see the sense in arguing the point with the guy.

"That guy," I said. "Neil? He called you 'Killer'. Is that like a nickname or something?"

The stranger gave me a smirk. "No, uh... heh, he was being a smartass. He did say 'Killer'. My name is Kellar. Well, that's my last name. No one uses my first name since I got back. But it's James."

I nodded. "James. Well, it's nice to meet you, I guess. Be nicer if it were different circumstances."

James didn't reply, but simply stared out the windshield. I spoke up.

"I'm Sam."

James nodded to me as though he approved. I didn't know how to take that. Feeling slightly more comfortable, I adjusted in the bench seat tucking one of my skinny legs underneath of me. Tucking James's hoodie closer, I studied him a bit more closely. He wasn't incredibly built, but he just had this natural kind of figure about him. I still couldn't clearly see his eyes. His hair fell to barely rest on his thick shoulders... where I noticed my eyes lingered for a bit too long.

"You said when you got back," I said. "What did you mean?"

James stared straight ahead. For a while I thought he wasn't going to answer me.

"I was stationed at Pendleton," James said. "The military. For a while I was overseas. Came back a couple years ago. Still go by Kellar. The old me is... I dunno, kinda gone."

I thought about the way Neil and his friend had acted. In the dark I imagined I could just make out an eagle in the swirl of tattoos on James's arm. I shifted in the truck seat. Something was making me itch deep inside. Looking at his straight black hair that shrouded much of his face, I tried to imagine James with a shaven head. Already the cab of his truck was seeming to grow warmer.

"Why did they back down so quickly?" I blurted.

James looked at me. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you basically told them to go away and they did, immediately after they saw who you were. Why?"

He shrugged, but made the strangest face. "Ah... bunch of long stories and even more tall tales and bullshit. It boils down to what I said, though. They're fake and I'm pretty sure they know it, no matter how many beers they've had."

I watched his fingers fidget near the steering wheel as he spoke. This only drew my eyes back up and down his tattooed arm. James wasn't saying everything, that much I could tell. Against my better judgement, I gave in to my natural curiosity. Maybe it was the intoxicating smell of the hoodie, of the inside of his truck. I wanted to know more of him.

"Why did you help me?" I pressed.

James hesitated. Then he shook his head. "I... I dunno. You looked like you needed help. And they were being pricks. Tiny victory in the world, you know? Not everyone out there is an asshole. Pretty sure they thought you were an easy target."

I frowned. "Meaning?"

He looked at me again. For some reason, I enjoyed getting him to do that.

"C'mon, Sam," James said. "It's kind of obvious that place was not your scene. An extremely feminine male at a redneck bar in bumfuck? Southern rock and guys that are swallowing as much chaw as they are beer? You might have stood out to them a little bit."

I blinked. "Well, yeah, but that shouldn't mean they get to fuck with me in the parking lot."

"I didn't say it did," James told me. "That's why I helped."

Watching him watch the road, I inhaled the sweet smell of his hoodie again. It was like a drug, even forcing a tiny grin onto my cheeks.

"You think I looked ridiculous in there?" I probed.

"I wouldn't say that," he replied.

I nodded. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

"Not ridiculous," James went on.

I grinned a bit more, but looked out the windshield attempting to hide it and waited silently.

"Not at all," he continued. "You actually look really good. Just surprises me to let your sister talk you into coming out here."

James hit the nail on the head, but I didn't show him that. I'd heard exactly what I wanted, but I decided to keep on playing. I let my eyes wander in the dark again. My skin tight pants were starting to feel a lot tighter in certain areas. I felt an ache even deeper than that.

"What makes you think she dragged me here?" I asked him. "I could be trying out new places, seeing what all is out in the scary parts of the world."

I couldn't believe the ironic truth in what I was saying! Was I actually trying to flirt with this guy? A stranger I just met? I was in a truck in the middle of nowhere!

James shifted. His arm extended to lie on the top of the seat. I eyed every curve and bulge in that arm, and even shivered at the thought of how close his fingers were to me at the moment.

"Well, I guess I can call you crazy if you're out this far looking for that kind of guy," James said. "But I hate to tell you, there's nothing but more assholes and rednecks out here."

"Yeah, I found that out," I agreed. "I guess I was just... I dunno. Looking for something a little different. Maybe something more dirty or rough around the edges. I didn't plan to be stranded of course, or assaulted."

A pocket of cold air was stuck in my chest. My skin was starting to flush hot, though. The more I spoke, the more I wished I hadn't... but I couldn't stop. I could see James's tight midsection now with his body opened to me as it was. All I kept thinking about was raking my fingers across that hard flesh. Every time I glanced at him in the dark, my imagination built more and more twisted little hallucinations. And god, I could smell his perfectly enticing aroma. It was like the barest taste of his skin that I had yet to savor.

I realized when my eyes finally looked up that James was looking at me constantly now. He was watching the road, but also watching me... a bit too closely. The glimmer of his dark eyes was fixated on my face, my hair, my lips, and much lower.

My lips. Damn it, I was licking my lips. It was the slightest little habit, but James must have taken notice because he'd spotted the tip of my tongue.

"You said I look really, good, didn't you?" I asked directly. "Is that why you helped me?"

I could see he was doing his best to hide a smile behind his hair. My heart was pounding, louder than the hum of the engine. But I kept going.

"And is that why you gave me your hoodie? Something you totally didn't have to do?" I said. Even as I spoke the words I fidgeted with the fabric in my hands.

James still said nothing but I could see that my words were having some affect. I couldn't believe it. Something inside of me was glowing brighter and brighter. I decided to take a chance. I'd already come this far. The thought of it was still terrifying. James was still a stranger without a doubt... which made me want it even more.

I was trembling. Maybe from fear, maybe from excitement. I gathered my nerve and slid myself across the bench seat until my legs rested against James. Through his body I could feel the vibration of the truck. I was so close to him now. I could smell the smoke in his hair, the spice under his arm, the sweet musk of his breath. God, what was it? What was in that smell?

I could see the stubble on his hard jaw. I saw the tiny tangles of his hair. I could practically taste that long curve of his neck that swooped down to his bulging shoulder. When James turned to look at me, it stole the breath from my mouth.

The tint of green in his eyes was so sharp that I thought I remembered the taste of mints on my tongue. I saw so much beneath those eyes, all of it bottled together. Worry, anger, fatigue, kindness, remorse, and darkness... all of it swayed together like windblown green pastures.

I felt his arm close around me and pull me even tighter to him. James's hand didn't stop though. I felt his long fingers fan out across my straightened back. They slid down, further and further. The tips of his fingers just barely teased at the edge of my pants before his hand squeezed the back pocket of my tight jeans.

Before I knew what was happening, my own hand was on his thigh. I wanted to squeeze it or to explore his leg slowly. Feeling his hand groping my ass spurred me onward. My tiny hands moved deeper into his lap. I found what I was wanting. I felt the warm bulge along his thigh. My eyes nearly rolled into my head when I felt the tip nod stiff beneath his jeans at the touch of my fingers.

I was so close to him now, and he held me there as he watched the highway in front of us. I felt scared but reckless... it was so confusing. Allowing my body's needs to take over, I brushed James's black hair past his ear and brought my lips in close.

"Were you watching me when I walked past?" I whispered against his ear.

I felt his body tense and his hand tightening on my ass.

"Were you watching me in the bar?" I let my lips brush the soft tissue of his ear. "Was this what you were wanting?"

James's lips parted and I heard the breath that escaped them. I grinned but kept going.

"Were you looking for a way to get me out of there?" I whispered. "Do you like the way I dressed? You like that I looked pretty to you?"

My hand was rubbing the bulge in his jeans. I could feel my own erection begging to be freed.

"Were you planning to rescue me from that place all along?" A terrible and exciting thought left my brain. "Were you planning on abducting me?"

"O-oh god," I heard James say.

"Well you did it," I whispered. "Here I am. How can I ever thank you?"

I was already too deep in the daze. Before I could even consider what it was I was doing, I was placing soft wet kisses on James's face, while my right hand began to undo the zipper of his pants. A part of my brain was screaming at me, but I was hooked. The knowledge that this guy, this stranger from a rundown bar, admittedly wanted to fuck me was too much. All I could think about was his cock. It was mine, right here for the taking. He wasn't stopping me. I didn't want to stop. I wanted it in my hand. I wanted it so badly.

James's zipper was down. I heard him tighten his grip on the steering wheel. My lips found his neck. It tasted so good, twice as enjoyable as the aroma I'd been ensnared by earlier. I worked my tiny hand into his pants and dove deep toward his thigh. I felt his hair, the soft flesh... the shaft.

I literally groaned when I tugged James's rigid dick out of his pants. For a moment I bit down on his thick neck and squeezed his shaft in my hand. When I started to gently stroke him, James adjusted into his seat a bit. He was starting to exhale slowly.

It wasn't enough. It just wasn't. James felt so good and thick in my hand, it left me wanting more. I backed my body across the seat and sank down into his lap. James's hand swept my shirt up and caressed my bare back. I heard his breath quicken.

Briefly, I smelled that lovely, manly musk. Then, the plush tip pressed against my lips.

I couldn't tease him or make him wait any longer. I wanted it. My mouth opened and I slid my head down into the dark of his lap. Pulling back, I let my wet lips drag back up the sensitive skin of his cock to the very tip. Then in a slow rhythm, I bobbed my head on his dick, coating it with a layer of saliva.

James throbbed in my lips, his cock nodding hard against my cheek. I heard him moan. His tip prodded my tonsils as his hips rose out of mere reflex. I moaned onto his dick, voicing my arousal. I continued to work slowly, occasionally adding a swirl of my tongue against the sensitive skin of his shaft.

It was impossible to maintain such a maddening pace. Already I was dick drunk. My head bobbed more quickly while I tugged at the base of his cock with my fingers. With every lick of my tongue, his engorged dick would swell.

James ran his hand up my spine to the back of my neck. He caressed my head gently as I slurped and slobbered in his lap. I felt that same hand slide all the way back down to my ass. This time, James plunged his fingers right into my jeans. His hand groped at my ass cheek, squeezing hard every time his cock hit the back of my throat.

I couldn't see a thing. I imagined what his thick cock must have looked like. I pictured the look on his face, contorted in pleasure under the glow of moonlight through the windshield. James was thrusting ever so slightly. I wished for him to do it harder. When I rolled my tongue around the bulging tip, I heard the roar of the truck and felt it lurch from acceleration. Just hearing this made my own cock strain in my pants.

James massaged my asshole with a single finger, and I couldn't help but match his pace with my head. I moaned loudly and dove deep onto his dick... he'd just slipped that long finger inside of me. My eyes rolled. I knew the head of his dick was down in my throat now. I twisted and shook my head. James must have been assaulted from the sensations. His finger plunged deeper into my ass and his hips drove upward hard.

I took it as a challenge. Letting my eyes roll again, I bounced my head into his lap. James's stiff cock slid into my mouth, up and down over and over again.

I needed more. Using both hands, I hovered over James's lap working frantically to loosen his pants completely. When at last I tore the button and belt free, I began shoving his pants as far down his thighs as I could. At last I had all of him. My tongue raced right down the underside of James's shaft to the soft skin of his balls. Here I let my tongue go wild. I sucked and bit gently at the skin, ignoring the thin bit of hair coating the flesh.

When my head rose back to his swollen tip, I dropped my jaw and shoved my lips as far down James's dick as I could manage. I heard him cry out in ecstasy. His finger worked tirelessly in and out of my ass while the roar of the engine grew louder. My left hand explored the hard flesh under his shirt. I was gasping and groping and groveling in this stranger's lap as he no doubt sped down the highway.

His cries became frequent. God he was pulsating in my mouth. It wouldn't be long. I wanted it so bad. I was already so hooked on the flesh, I needed him to explode.

Without warning, I felt James jerk his hand from my ass and pull me up by my shoulders. I wasn't eager to let go of his cock, and it popped loudly from my lips. I sat up so quickly I grew dizzy. I had wanted to flash him a grin, but I was confused. James had his foot mashed on the brake. The truck was all but sliding to a stop.

Through the windshield, I scanned for anything he might have seen. When I saw nothing, I searched his shadowy face.

He didn't look at me, but James responded anyway.

"Not this way," was all he said.

I watched as he pulled the wheel to the left, guiding the truck off of the highway. At first, I braced because I thought he was steering us into a ditch. James had selected a relatively level stretch of desert. He clutched me close to him as the truck bounced into the barren desert.

As we sped off into the middle of the desert, I glanced nervously back toward the disappearing highway. I then looked back at the shadowy face of James once more.

What was he doing? Had he lost it? Where was he going to take me? I could only hang onto him as the truck barreled across the dusty desert landscape.

****

James finally brought the truck to a stop. I still clung to his side. Peering through the windows, all I could see in any direction was ghastly moonlit desert. I thought the bar was out in the middle of nowhere. Apparently I hadn't seen anything yet.

My mind was racing but I had no time to put any of my thoughts in order. James took my chin in his hand and turned my lips to his. I was met with a firm, desperate kiss. For what seemed like minutes I fell limp in the seat of the truck. I tried to get a grip on what was happening. I'd not been kissed by a guy in so long, and here I was kissing a complete stranger.

Letting my mouth fall open, I allowed his tongue to spill inside. I let him take full control. He cradled me in the seat, and I felt suspended in his arms. The scent of his hair was all around me as it brushed my face. My soft cheeks were assaulted by James's stubbled jaw. As his tongue dove deeper still into my mouth, he cupped the crotch of my pants and rubbed my sore, hard dick.

When our lips parted, it felt like I was staring into the murderous eyes of a wolf. James planted a few more kisses on my lips, before he spoke to me.

"Get what's in the glove box," James panted. "We're going to need it."

In seconds, James had slid out of the truck, leaving me alone in the cab. I tried to catch my breath. My heart was galloping in my chest. I looked over my shoulder into the dark. I saw him outside near the tailgate. I watched as he pulled the tight green shirt over his head and tossed it in the bed of the truck.

My head snapped back around. I couldn't keep from shaking. For some reason, the gravity of the whole situation started to pull me down from cloud nine. I looked around again. My god... I was really in the middle of the desert with a stranger. I could still taste his cock on my lips. Hazy lust was clouding my eyes once again simply thinking of his thick meaty shaft in my mouth.

I blinked. I had a good idea of what was next... or did I? Could I really be sure that I wasn't about to become a corpse? Would he use me, then strangle me, and leave my body to rot? My eyes fell to the glove box. Even as my mind screamed these horrible thoughts, my fingers popped open the small compartment. A tiny bulb lit the contents within.

When I saw the pistol, I froze. The chill of the desert air came creeping back into my lungs again. I could feel my stiff nipples against the soft fabric of my shirt. He had a gun. James could just put a bullet in my head. What the hell was I thinking taking off with him? Was I just as stupid as my sister?