Chapter 5: Back in the Saddle

I don't think I've ever felt so inadequate and ill-prepared for sex as I did that night. Thankfully, Natasha understood. Although it had been some time since she had been with a man, it was nothing like the years I had been celibate. I was beginning all over again. Natasha, however, knew how to get things under control.

I'd hardly begun after we'd undressed when Natasha made sure I understood she wanted oral sex. I had been caressing her lovely breasts and kissing her gently until she pushed my shoulders downward toward her completely shaved pussy. It was an irresistible invitation.

There are some things you don't forget. Cunnilingus is one of them. I took my time and within a couple of minutes I could detect her hips starting to react to the stimulation. As I continued, she became more animated and then vocal. Not words, but grunts, moans, and gasps. I kept at it until she let me know she'd had enough and wanted me in her.

I was careful not to just ram into her, despite the instinct to do just exactly that. I remembered how out of control I could get when the stimulus was right. I was doing all I could to hang on that first time. I only partially succeeded. Natasha looked after the rest.

After emptying myself into her, I collapsed beside her, about to apologize when she put her finger to my lips to silence me.

"I know. Next time it will be better," she promised. And it was. She used her lips and tongue and soft hands to revive me a few minutes later. But Natasha had a different expectation of me.

"Nail me, Nathan. Do me hard. I want your hard cock pounding me. Do it!" she ordered.

It didn't require any thinking. It was an instinctive reaction to her demand. It was furious few minutes that tested my fitness to its extreme. Natasha reacted just as wildly, slapping my ass, gripping my arms when she couldn't get purchase on my hair. She was reacting to a primal urge that drove her onward with me. I have no idea if she orgasmed. I couldn't tell from the wild gyrations she was going through.

When it ended, I collapsed onto my side while we both tried to suck air into our scorched lungs. However long we had be fucking, it was at the limits of my physical endurance, despite my coveted fitness. And it was fucking. No resemblance to making love. Just fucking ... and I loved it.

"There ... that got it ... out of our systems," she panted.

I snorted some sort of laugh. "Yeah ... it did that all right. Was this your plan all along?"

"Sort of. You said you'd hadn't even kissed a woman since you'd been married, so I figured it was going to be hard for you to be in control. We both needed some release, so ... what the hell ... I just thought we might as well let it all hang out."

"I don't know if I could handle a steady diet of this."

"How about just once in a while ... a wild while?"

"Yeah ... could be fun. But ... that kind of brings up a question."

"I suppose it does. You're wondering what happens when we get back to Canada."

"Yes ... but ... I think we should just see how things go for the rest of the trip. No need to rush into anything. I've been out of circulation for a long time, and I don't know if I'm going to be very good at rational decision making for a while."

"You want to test-drive some others?" It was a smart-alec question.

"Uh ... no. Just want to get accustomed to having a bedtime companion."

"That's a nice way to put it. So much better than a fuck buddy." I could tell she was teasing. "You weren't expecting this, were you?"

"No ... not at all. You surprised me. I didn't have any time to think about it."

"Let's get some sleep, Nathan. We've got another long drive tomorrow." And with that, she rolled on her side and pulled the covers up. I snuggled in behind her naked body and pulled her to me. It brought back memories, memories that once I had tried to expunge. All the same, I drifted off to sleep quickly.

When I awoke at my usual time, it was just beginning to get light. The sun was still behind the mountains to the east. I eased myself out of the bed without disturbing Natasha. She looked beautiful as she slept. I dressed quietly, wrote a short note, and let myself out of the room as silently as I could. There was beach access next to the motel, and I walked down to the sandy-pebbly shore.

The waves quietly lapped near my feet, and I felt the peacefulness of an early Saturday morning. Very few cars and trucks were rushing along the highway. As I walked, it gave me time to think. Think about last night. Think about Natasha. Think about tomorrow, when we would be back in Canada.

I couldn't presume to stay with her. Not yet. She was getting to me, I knew. I'd only had this happen to me once before, and that turned out to be a mistake. Was this a mistake waiting to happen? Too soon to tell. Take it as it comes, I admonished myself. Yeah. Easier said than done. I was all set to propel this relationship ... if that's what it was.

I walked back to the motel, my mind wandering as I hit the asphalt. As I walked by my car, something caught my eye. It took less than a second to notice, but one of my tells had been disturbed. I continued walking, concentrating on not paying any attention to the Taurus. I slipped the card into the lock as casually as I could and entered the room.

I heard the shower running and quickly moved to the closet. I pulled out my clothes and packed them in my bag. I gathered up Natasha's, and as carefully as I could, I packed them in her suitcase, trying desperately to dream up a story I could tell her to cover my actions. We had to get out of there and it had to be soon.

It was all I could do to patiently wait for her to finish in the bathroom. When I heard the hair dryer, I assumed she was nearly done. It wasn't long afterward that she came out, wrapped in a towel.

"I hope you don't mind, I put your things in your suitcase as neatly as I could. I thought we could get an early start and have breakfast up the road a bit," I explained. It sounded lame, especially to me.

"What the rush?" She looked curious rather than upset.

"Just thought we could make some early time and then knock off earlier this afternoon." It was the best I could think of at the time.

She shrugged. "Okay ... but I'd sure like a coffee before we get too far."

"There's an espresso shack across the highway. Why don't I get a couple to go while you're finishing up here?"

She told me how she wanted her latté as I made for the door and ran across the highway to the shack. I wasn't gone five minutes by my estimation, and I'd had my eye on the door to both our rooms the entire time. No one had been visible anywhere near the rooms or the car. I began to wonder if something else had knocked the "tell" off its perch.

I opened the car and gave it an inspection as I put the two paper cups in the front seat cup holders. I was fairly sure neither the hood nor the trunk had been opened. Maybe someone just brushed up against the car by accident, rocking it enough to cause the upset. I tried to cool down and think rationally. Who knew I was here? I couldn't find any evidence of a locator device. Just the same, my senses were all on full alert.

I went back into the room and found Natasha waiting for me, ready to go. I took her suitcase and my bag, and put them into the trunk. I had enough little bits scattered around to let me know if it had been invaded. Nothing was out of place. Again, no evidence that it had been tampered with

As I pulled out onto 101, I was beginning to breathe a little easier. Maybe it was my overactive imagination, but something wasn't right. I would be on guard for the rest of the trip, that was a given. I even debated abandoning the car and finding another way to Vancouver, but that was just going to create more questions than answers. The last thing I needed was a nervous Natasha when we crossed the border.

If she had been suspicious with my behavior, she didn't show it. She sipped her coffee, made some small talk as we headed north and generally appeared to be relaxed. In the meantime, I was watching my rear view mirror for any sign of a tail. There was none. When we got to Port Orford, we found a small café and stopped for breakfast. We sat at a table that gave me a good view of both the car and the highway, but I saw nothing that was remotely suspicious. The traffic was exceptionally light for an early weekend morning.

I almost made a decision to leave Hwy 101 at Bandon and cut across to I-5, but figured I had more options on my original coastal route, so I stuck with it. It wouldn't arouse any suspicion in Natasha either. This was the way I told her we would go. I kept a close eye on my rear view mirror still, but nothing untoward caught my attention.

We made an early lunch stop at Newport, allowing me to leave the highway for a while. When I turned off, there was no one behind me, and I hoped that would be the end of my concern. We found a nice restaurant in the lower town, and had a light lunch before leaving to return to the highway. I filled the tank at a local station, so we were good for the rest of the day.

I had planned to stop in Tillamook for the night, but now I was pondering whether we might push on to Portland. It would make tomorrow's drive that much shorter. The route to the big city was less than a three hour drive, so with Natasha's approval, we set out for Portland. We would be less visible in the city.

I found a decent motor inn off the I-205 bypass, and we checked in just after three-thirty. This time, there was no pretense. We rented only one room. I flicked on the TV as Natasha was unpacking, and found a local college football game in progress. I was wondering if I hadn't made a mountain out of a molehill today with my worries over someone following us. I couldn't quite shake the feeling that something wasn't right, but I couldn't put my finger on a single thing other than the one disturbed "tell."