Goldie. “Panties, please. And, don’t turn away—part of the fee is in the show.”
Goldie bit her rosy lips, her cheeks warm, but raised her pink flippy skirt and shimmied out of her panties, exposing her private bits and their sprinkling of golden curls. Her eyes never left Diedre Doomee’s face, and as she slid the garment over her high-heeled leather pumps, she wondered idly what the captain would do with them. Maybe she had a collection. Goldie handed over the panties and, unable to resist being a tease, slowly lowered her skirt back into place. Deidre held the panties reverently in her hand for a few moments then, with a pirate’s smile, slid them into her pocket. “One more kiss,” she said.
Goldie thought about turning her face aside at the last minute, but a deal was a deal, so she allowed the captain to touch her lip-to-lip for a long moment. Goldie wasn’t into girls though, and dissatisfaction dominated Diedre Doomee’s eyes as they broke the embrace. With a smile and a flip of her golden locks, Goldie left the disappointed Diedre Doomee desperately deprived.
Chapter 2
A long, yellow-cobbled road led from the port toward the valley at the middle of the island, but many hills made it hard to figure out what was ahead. There was a large swath of forest to pass through, and the road branched in three different directions. Goldie stopped to consult her GPS. She typed, “Dominant Men,” into the gizmo and it lit up all three branches of the path. Sighing, she realized she’d have to find her way on her own. Bear Island was fairly small, so Goldie hoped that she’d come upon what she was looking for soon enough.
She sped down the western road, enjoying the tree-lined highway, broken up with green meadows bright with wildflowers. The island was lush. The sky began to cloud, dimming the sun as rain threatened. She passed a roadside fruit stand, a small gas station, and a decrepit diner, before it began to pour. Lightning struck nearby, and she jumped, slowing the speeder to remain safe despite the deluge. Thunder rattled the little transport’s doors and gave Goldie a feeling of dread. It seemed prudent to find somewhere to park while she waited out the storm.
A little road, barely perceptible through the downpour, led off the main highway. Wet gravel spewed from beneath the speeder, though she throttled down to a snail’s pace. Visibility was down to only a few meters. Eventually, she came upon a corral with horses standing still as the rain pelted them, and then outbuildings, a barn, and not far from it, a shingled house. Smoke rose from its brick chimney like a welcoming banner. Goldie pulled up to it and hurried to the front porch. Although it wasn’t cold, the rain running down her back from her shirt collar chilled her and she shivered. Just as she reached to rap on the sturdy wooden door, it opened. Bright light spilled out, along with soft warmth, and the smell of baking bread.
A man stood in the doorway. He was a few inches taller than Goldie, though not a tall man. His eyes were crinkled at the corners, but his mouth was a grim line across his face, like he couldn’t quite decide whether to laugh or hit someone. Goldie took a step back.
“Well, hello there, Miss,” the man said. His voice was soft but firm. “Can I help you?”
“Hello. I’m sorry to bother you, but the weather is too awful for me to continue down the highway in my speeder. Would you mind if I sit here on your porch and wait the worst of it out?”
“I would most certainly mind.”
Goldie studied his face for a moment and then he smiled, his face transformed with the happy curve of his cheeks.
“I insist that you come inside where it’s warm and dry.”
She giggled, relieved. “You had me going there.” A drip of water went down her back again. “Yes, I’d like to come inside. If you’re sure it won’t be a bother.”
He opened the door wider and gestured her inside. “No bother at all.”
Inside,
Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain