Shifting Gears

Kyle nodded tiredly and moved by to wait by the door for it to be opened. Fiona shared a look with Gloria then let Kyle inside and locked up.

"Are you ok?" she asked. "He shouldn't have hit you so hard!"

Kyle shook his head. "He was right. Gloria is married and I shouldn't have done what I did with her."

Fiona started to get angry. "Is this some kind of machismo alpha male bullshit? Roger is married to Gloria. He doesn't own her!"

Kyle looked at her and shook his head. "No, it's not that at all and I agree with you completely about his not owning her." The steam went out of him and his nausea returned. "Could- could we maybe talk about this in the morning. I need a shower then many hours of sleep."

She nodded with a worried look. They made their way upstairs where he undressed. She saw the bruise on his tight stomach muscles and winced in sympathy. They took a chaste shower together then tucked in under the sheets to get some rest.

Fiona hadn't seen Kyle this quiet before and it disturbed her to see him so down. She could see he wasn't up to talking about it now. She'd have to wait for the morning.

Chapter 3

It took longer than Fiona expected for Kyle to finally open up. He seemed to be working through something.

He appeared to enjoy himself at the concert Fiona took him to in the Santa Barbara Bowl and the following day at the beach was so relaxing. Fiona loved riding on the back of Kyle's motorcycle and looked forward to their trip to Las Vegas.

They were reclining on their towels on the sand, soaking in the sunlight when Kyle finally managed to resolve what was tumbling around in his head and felt comfortable enough to open up to her.

Fiona had been remarkably patient but she was relieved that the wait was over.

Kyle rested back against the sand and felt the breeze cooling his hot skin. The sensation was soothing and he felt himself relaxing. This allowed the memories to rise up on their own.

"I never really understood it at the time. I was too young. It took years for me to mature enough to grasp what happened, even though I lived through it." He took a deep breath as Fiona listened.

"My father wasn't an easy man to be with. He... was nice enough but he just didn't share well. His thoughts, his emotions, his time, none of these things were readily available or willingly given. He... didn't connect well with others. For a time, when he was younger, he'd surfaced from inside his head long enough to find my mother and get married. They had me almost immediately. Sometime in those early years he slipped back inside his head and not even Mom could reach him." He sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"He was an airline mechanic. He was really good at it, kind of specialized in troubleshooting, so there was a high demand for his skills. He traveled a lot. It was just Mom and me for most of my childhood and she was incredible. She seemed to have a natural empathy for others. She was also incredibly selfless, loving, and strong!" He smiled and wiped a tear that escaped as he remembered her.

"When he'd come home it would be for a month, maybe three then he'd get a call and he'd leave again. When I got to my teens I needed him to be around and somehow Mom got that message through to him. He held off on taking any contracts away from home. That's when he bought the motorcycle. He worked on it and eventually allowed me to help. Handing him tools and learning how the machine worked. It was just training for him but for me it was everything I'd been missing."

Kyle shifted to get more comfortable and Fiona found herself holding her breath, afraid he'd stop. She quietly released it as he began again.

"He couldn't stay home forever though and shortly after I turned sixteen I heard my parents arguing. He'd taken a twelve-month contract with a company in Japan. I'd never heard my mother so angry before but she wasn't mad for herself. She accused him of abandoning me when I needed him. He stopped talking and just left the house with his duffle bag. We didn't see him again for eighteen months, the longest he'd ever been away." Kyle paused again as the next part was painful. "He said... he'd only come back to say goodbye and settle his affairs," Kyle forced out. He glanced over to see Fiona's concerned expression and looked away, his emotions riding too close to the surface.

"He told us he was dying and was going to spend his last months in the countryside of Japan. There was someone waiting for him there. He was going back to be with her." Kyle paused as he thought about this other woman he'd never met. He wanted to hate her but he just... couldn't.

"Aiko. Aiko Okamoto," he said quietly.

"Your father had an affair?" Fiona finally said as the silence stretched on.

"Yes, it seems so. Mom was hurt. Really hurt. She asked why he'd come back at all, if it was just to be cruel." Kyle frowned as he recalled their final heated argument. He gave himself a little shake and looked over at Fiona. "He just said, he always paid his debts." Fiona just looked sad so he looked away.

"He'd updated his will. He was leaving me the motorcycle. Mom was the only beneficiary and was on his pension. This wasn't going to make her rich but it would help. She wasn't impressed. She said some... pretty bitter things but then, he'd just admitted to being unfaithful. Instead of saying anything he just left the house as he'd done before and that was the last we ever saw him. The next little while was pretty hard for Mom. On both of us to be truthful. It came to a head the night I found her in the garage beating on the Harley with a hammer."

Fiona gasped.

"I took it from her hand and held her while she cried. She apologized for him being such a poor excuse for a father, for breaking his vows of marriage, for being an asshole. She begged me not to grow up like him."

"You're not!" Fiona blurted but he held up his hand to stop her.

He struggled with what he was going to say next. It was deeply personal and disturbed him. He shuddered and pushed on. "I think- I think I might have let Gwen change me because I was trying to live up to the promise I made to my mother, to not be my father. But... since I broke away from her I've experienced moments when I felt a... kind of moral ambivalence. A distancing of who I thought I was... to someone who just didn't feel connected to such concerns."

"You aren't your father! You said he was emotionally distant! He couldn't share! You are nothing like that!" Fiona insisted vehemently.

He nodded with a gentle smile. "That's my mom's influence. She was pretty awesome." His smile slipped. "I'm not saying I'm the same as my father. I'm saying I can be like him in moments of weakness. I think... I think he surfaced when Gloria asked me to do what her husband wouldn't. I knew it was wrong. I knew it was breaking the spirit of Gloria's marriage vow of faithfulness. It would have broken my mother's heart if she'd known what I did. Hell, it disturbed me... after the fact," he said with a frown. "I have to be more vigilant. I have to be a better man. I owe it to the memory of my mother and I owe it to myself."

Fiona moved over Kyle and kissed him tenderly. When she pulled back she smiled gently down at him. "You are a good man. Someday you'll come to realize that. I hope it's soon."

He gave her a smile and pulled her face down to kiss her once more, lingering on the touch of her soft lips and against his, enjoying the feeling of her tits pressing against his chest. Finally, the kiss ended.

"You are a delight to the senses and a balm for the mind," he sighed.

She smiled happily and laid back on her towel glowing from his praise.

They enjoyed the rest of the day on the beach, relaxing, enjoying the waves, and once they'd had their fill, they dried off and rode back to Fiona's condo on Kyles bike, her big tits pressing enticingly against his back the entire way.

He chased her into the living room from the garage as she giggled excitedly the entire way.

BRRRRRING! BRRRRRING!

They shared a look of surprise then Fiona pouted. She found her cell she'd left on the kitchen counter and glanced at it. "Oh poo! I have to take this. It's my parents."

Kyle raised his eyebrows and hands in surrender. She turned to answer and he made his way upstairs to take his shower.

He was surprised to have completed his shower without Fiona returning so he got dressed and made his way downstairs. She was sitting at the breakfast bar with a notepad before her scribbling something into it as she listened to the person on the phone.

"Ok mother, I got it. Yes. I'll be there. I'll leave shortly. You too. Bye."

Kyle stood by the counter as she hung up the phone and turned her sad face towards him. "I take it you have to go someplace for work, immediately."

She nodded and moaned. "I wasn't supposed to deal with this for three weeks but the designer for the new hotel we're opening in Paris had an opening in his schedule starting tomorrow! I have to fly to Paris tonight. Mother made me a reservation for a flight from the Santa Barbara airport to LAX to transfer for a flight to France. I have to go!"

"Is our visit over?" he asked.

"No! I'll be back on Sunday night. That's only four days. You can stay here until I get back," she said hopefully.

"Oh! Sure, if you're ok with it."

"Of course I am, silly! Now, I have to get ready fast. Excuse me!" She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and rushed off to her bedroom.

He followed at a more sedate pace. When he got to the room he could hear her in the shower. "Do you need a lift to the airport?" he called out.

"That would be great! You'll have to drive me in my car as I don't think my suitcase will fit on your motorcycle," she replied.

"Again, if you're ok with it."

She came out of the bathroom completely naked and he felt himself immediately stiffen in his pants. She smiled happily at his hungry look but quickly got dressed. When his attention didn't lessen she gave his arm a playful slap on the way past. "Stop it! I'll be late if you keep looking at me like that!"

"Sorry, you just look really... good," he sighed.

She felt that tingle all the way through her body but she had to take her own advice. She would be late if she didn't concentrate. She packed her suitcase and rushed downstairs with Kyle carrying the bag behind her. She felt his eyes on her the entire time. She had to distract him or she'd climb on him and ride him until they were both exhausted.

"What will you do to keep yourself occupied until Sunday?" she asked.

Kyle thought about that and nodded to himself. "I think I'll just do a little riding. There are some great scenic routes in the area."

"Day trips?" she asked curiously as she packed the last few remaining items.

"Yeah, or maybe a ride with an overnight camping stay. I enjoy those. I'll pickup a tent in town," he said as the idea came to him.

"That sounds like fun!" she said with a wicked grin.

They got into the car, this time with Kyle behind the wheel. He got them on their way and kept their speed almost to the level Fiona drove but he felt safer. She provided directions to the airport as she tapped out a text message to someone with a mysterious smile on her face. Finally, she settled back and faced him.

"As you haven't had dinner, I've taken the liberty of arranging for Charlize to meet you at a gourmet burger place in town. It's called Eureka! The address is in the car's GPS. I meet her there from time to time. It's her favorite spot. You two can discuss the best routes for rides in the area."

He glanced over at her in surprise. "You know I don't need someone to keep and eye on me while you are away."

"It's nothing like that! I just feel bad that I have to disappear on you during your visit. Even for a short time," she said to block his protest.

Kyle saw she really was upset about leaving so after he pulled up to the curb in the departures area he leaned over and kissed her deeply as she clung to his shirt and moaned when he finally pulled back.

"Fuck! You got me all tingly and I'm going to be stuck on a plane for hours!" she whimpered.

"Just something to think about for when you get back!" he said with a sly smile.

"You wicked man!" she purred with a grin. They got out and he took her suitcase from the trunk then pulled her tight for a hug, pressing his growing erection against her sensitive parts.

"Oh god, I want that!" she moaned.

"Sunday night, you'll have it until you can't take any more," he growled.

With a lustful smile, she grabbed her suitcase and rushed away, smiling over her shoulder.

With a sigh, Kyle got back into the car and pulled up the address on the GPS. It wouldn't take long to get there, even if he took it at a more sedate pace.

When he arrived he parked and made his way inside. Charlize was already seated and waved at him to join her. He saw she was wearing a very tight muscle tank top which displayed her tattooed arms to their fullest. He noted she had on an array of leather and ornamented bracelets on each wrist as well as a series of gold earrings running up each ear. She smiled brilliantly at him after he gave her cheek a kiss and settled into his seat across from her.

"Hi! Did she make her flight?" she asked.

"Hi. She just had me drop her off at the curb. I think she had time," he responded, noticing for the first time she was obviously not wearing a bra under the tight shirt and had pierced nipples.

She quickly tapped out a brief message then grinned widely as the reply came through seconds later. "Yeah, she's on the plane but she said she's so horny!"

Kyle's face felt hot as Charlize was not keeping her voice down and heads turned in their direction. He just nodded at the information.

"Did she get called away by her parents as you two were about to..." Charlize asked with a wicked smile.

"A gentleman never tells," he said quietly.

"Fair enough. How long is she going to be away?" Charlize conceded.

"Until Sunday night. I'll pick her up from the airport."

"She texted me something about you going camping?" the petite woman said curiously.

Kyle smiled. "Not really camping. I'm just going to pick up a tent and a sleeping bag, ride some of the scenic roads and camp overnight. Just an overnight stay or two. I was looking online for routes and campgrounds. Saw a few interesting places."

She was nodding as he saw the idea appealed to her. "I've only ever done out and back loops with an overnight stay in a motel. I've never slept in a tent."

"Well, if you've got a sensitive back, sleeping on the ground is less than ideal. Otherwise, it can be an extremely liberating experience."

The waitress took that moment to arrive. "Can I get you a drink?" she asked Kyle.

"Just water with lemon please."

"Have you had a chance to look at the menu?" she asked.

Kyle glanced at it and nodded. Then he looked to Charlize. "Ladies first."

With a smile, she looked to the waitress. "My usual."

The young woman smiled and turned her attention back to him. "Oh! Ok. I'll have the Eureka American with no onions please."

"Ok, that's a Jalapeño Egg Burger and a Eureka American Burger. One water with lemon and would you like another beer?" she asked Charlize.

"No, I'd like a water with lemon as well, please."

"Coming right up," the waitress said cheerfully and walked away.

"Have you picked out a route yet? I know some really truly breathtaking roads!" she gushed.

He smiled as he shook his head. "No, I haven't set anything in stone yet."

"Are you set on going alone or would you be open to someone joining you?" she asked with a hopeful expression.

"With you riding the Supersport?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. She nodded. "I'd never keep up," he said with a grin.

"I promise to rein in my need for speed and just enjoy the scenery this time!" she pleaded.

He gave her a serious look. "I don't want to diminish your enjoyment of the ride. If you need to go fast feel free but just understand you may end up waiting for me from time to time."

"Does that mean yes?" she said with a delighted grin.

"Sure, having company would be great! Are you sure you can take the time?" he asked.

"I'm a partner in a sports injury clinic. Grace Medical Sports Clinic. I work as a physiotherapist there and have loads of vacation days I haven't used yet. My partners can cover for me."

Kyle recalled something from their previous conversation. "Hockey players."

Charlize grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I arrange most of my dates at work. Something about a woman putting her hands on your body makes these guys agreeable to going out for a drink and a tumble in the sheets."

He decided to move the conversation to a different track. Her smile showed she noticed.

"Partners in a clinic! Doing well?"

"Yes! We started about fifteen years ago and now we have clients from all over the country coming to see us. We've gradually specialized in professional athletes. Very lucrative!"

"It could only be successful if you had the skills to get the job done. These are professionals. I doubt they'd be willing to put their livelihood on the lines. They're looking to protect their investment. Good on you!" he said, giving her an impressed smile. She nodded her thanks as she glowed under his praise.

The food arrived and while being a little drippy, the burger was really good!

As she finished up hers, Charlize went back to discussing the trip. She seemed very enthusiastic.

"I know the perfect route! There are some really nice campsites along the way as well. Depending on how long you want to ride each day." She stopped to think about the logistics of camping as she'd never done it. "What about meals and showers?"

"Dinner we eat in a restaurant earlier in the evening before finding the campsite. Breakfast we find after we break camp. Pack a brush, toothbrush and toothpaste, deodorant, a few shirts, underwear, and socks. I bathe using wipes. This kind of camping isn't about amenities but minimalism," he explained.

She nodded thoughtfully.

Kyle raised a hand to cover a yawn.

"What made you so sleepy today?" she asked with a coy smile.

"Nothing. We were relaxing on the beach for most of the day. Did a little swimming, that's it! I can't get over how beat I am!" he said in surprise.

"Yeah, being outside all day at the beach can do that to you," she replied with a smile. She raised her hand to catch the waitress' attention and gestured for the bill. "Dinner was my treat." She held up her hand to prevent him from arguing. "You're letting me join you on this little adventure so dinner is the least I could do."

He snorted but nodded his thanks.

She settled up the bill and they walked out to the parking lot. He stopped by her motorcycle and admired the Yamaha. It was sleek and black.

"Damn! It looks fast even sitting still!" he said quietly.

Her smile said it all. She loved her ride! She pulled him into a hug which he returned. She was so much shorter than him but she certainly didn't feel like a child.

"Where should I meet you tomorrow and when?" she asked when she pulled back.

"How about 10AM at REI? Unless you already own one we have tents to buy. Sleeping bags too. I guess I'll carry them on my bike as yours doesn't appear to have room to carry a loaf of bread!" he teased.

She punched his arm gently. "I'll have a small bag strapped to the seat... but yeah, your bike would be better for carrying the bulky items. I'll see you there!"

He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek and she turned and got one on the lips instead. With a cheeky smile, she pulled her helmet on and started up the motorcycle. It throbbed with power and she nodded to him as she pulled away and out of the lot.

Shaking his head with a smile, he made his way over to the car and headed back to the house. He really was pooped and he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow.