Free Ride to Redemption by D. J. Wilson Page A

than you could ever imagine. Thanks to Pam, my very
first redhead at fifteen, I’ve been ready to fall madly in lust with you since
you first accosted me by the rail.”
    Pouring
two glasses of wine into red solo cups, I handed one to her while lifting mine
into the air. “To courage,” I exclaimed.
    “To
Pam,” Vic cheered.
    I
surely couldn’t argue that.
    Taking
on a more serious tone, Vic asked, “Why are you in Sioux City?”
    Against
my better judgment, I reluctantly shared with her my forthcoming bike trip and
my soon to arrive co-rider.
    “Really?
You mean this girl you barely know is flying in tomorrow to go with you on a
two or three-week bike trip? You’re either a really smooth operator or you’ve
got something else going on, D. That’s all I can say.”
    “That’s
just part of it, Vic. We’ve emailed and texted every day, too I mean It’s not
like we’ve just met.”
    “Woo-hoo…”
    “What
did you just say?” I asked her to repeat it.
    “Woo-hoo,
again, I’m impressed you’ve managed to keep it in your pants all this time. Just
talking about her is causing your jeans to rise,” giggled Vic, as she pointed
to my crotch.
    “Remind
me to tell you about my definition of woo-hoo, later.” I couldn’t seem to find
the right words. “I’m complicated, it’s complicated, and you’re making it even
more complicated,” I confided, suddenly at a complete loss for words.
    Vic
moved onto the king-sized bed and patted her hand on the mattress, motioning
for me to join her. “I’m the real thing, I’m here, and I’m yours right now. All
you have to do is make the move and I’ll be Pam, Candi, or whoever you want me
to be and more for the entire night.”
    “You
have no idea how badly I want you, Vic. I really do. I want to breathe in the
perfume on your neck. I want to kiss your beautiful lips. I want to taste you,
and make you scream with pleasure. But, but,” I stammered.
    Vic
spoke and she raised her forefinger and pressed it to my lips. “You don’t want
to potentially screw up this trip with Candi, just as it’s about to become
reality.’
    “That’s
the crux of it,” I confessed, shamefully.
    “You
do have willpower, D. I’ll give you that. Sitting in an excited state of need,
on this bed, with an almost naked woman who has basically thrown herself at you
… with no one to be the wiser … and you still won’t succumb to my charms. What
do you suggest we do?”
    “I
have an idea, but you’ll think it’s outrageous.”
    “Try
me,” Vic said, anxiously awaiting my reply.
    “I’d
like us to finish this bottle of wine and then I’d like to fall asleep in your
arms. Could you do that with me, without sex entering the mix?”
    “If
you’d asked me that question five hours ago, I would unequivocally have said,
‘Hell No!’ But, now that I’m in the here and now, with you beside me, I guess
my answer why the Hell not.”
    And
that’s how we left it. Sleep came quickly.
    * * *
    Reaching
down to the bed, I kissed Victoria gently on the cheek. “Good Morning,
Barrister, it's 6 a.m. I’ve brought you both coffee and hot tea. Pick your
poison, and I’ll dress it accordingly.”
    “Thank
you, D. You’re sweet. Are you sure you won’t reconsider making love to me, if
only for a quickie?”
    “You
deserve much more than a quickie, Vic. I promise if this doesn’t work out
between Candi and me, you’ll be the first person I call.”
    Sporting
a subtle frown, Vic began, “Last night will forever be etched in my mind; I had
an attractive man, in his underwear, mind you, with little next to nothing, and
I mean nothing on, and his virtuous will overcame my seductive wants and wily
ways, all night long. What do you think that does to a woman’s confidence? Come
on let’s get real here. No guy in my lifetime has ever turned me down after
sleeping in the same bed with me.”
    ‘They
have now, huh? I promise I won’t tell anybody, if you won’t. I’d hate to soil
your