A day later, Jimmy awoke to the warm caress of early morning sunshine streaming through the tinted BMW windshield onto his face. He was completely disoriented, unable to remember either where he was or how he'd gotten there. Slowly, the memories of the last two days bubbled to the surface and, for a moment, he was gripped by intense panic. He looked around frantically for any sign of danger and, seeing none, finally allowed himself to relax a little. It was ok. Stefano and his thugs apparently hadn't followed, and even if they had he'd long since given them the slip on the dark rural road. He realized that the drugs had worked their way out of his bloodstream while he'd slept on the roadside, and he felt much more clear headed, much more in control; almost calm for the first time since he'd been plunged into this angry sea of circumstance.
Amria stirred a little in the back seat, deep in a fitful sleep. Gazing at her from the front seat, Jimmy resolved to leave her in peace. She'd been through a major trauma, and the rest would do her more good than anything he could offer at the moment. Quietly, he got out of the car to look around. He'd definitely made it to the middle of nowhere; nothing but scrub grass and empty road as far he could see. And yet, there was something vaguely familiar about this stretch of road in the daylight, as if he'd seen it or been down it before or--something.
Suddenly, a big goofy grin spread across his face. Eddie! Of course! Eddie lived around here, and very nearby, too, as it turned out. How he'd managed to drug and drive his way blindly across the desert only to end up so close to his old friend's place he'd never know, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse-hideaway in the mouth. Scrambling back into the car, he shoved the pedal down and headed off to what he had no doubt would be a safe and welcoming reunion.
Eddie Barlow trundled his large, middle-aged frame into the kitchen of his remote ranch house. Blearily, he put on some coffee, glanced toward the bedroom, and then padded toward the front door. Sauntering onto the porch, he inhaled deeply and smiled. He loved the serenity of the desert morning; about as far away as you could get from the heat and hustle of the city. He pulled his robe around him a little tighter and walked to the front steps. Without looking, he set his bare foot down into something decidedly slimy.
"What in the holy hell?"
He hesitated to find out, but curiosity overcame him. Peering down, he realized he'd stepped into a pan of thick, gooey, used motor oil--and it was covering his foot clear up to the ankle. But how in the world had it found its way to the front steps? Slowly, a scowl of comprehension spread over his face.
"Maggie!!", he roared.
Maggie Barlow sat in their bedroom giggling hysterically. With considerable effort, she collected herself enough to answer.
"Yes, babe?"
"Get your little butt out here, now! And bring me one of those old towels from the closet."
Biting her lip to control her laughter, Maggie snagged the towel, threw on her robe and headed for the front porch. Voluptuous and sexy; earthy and irresistible, she adored Eddie and she secretly loved it when he got all gruff and blustery. She bounded onto the porch and stopped short, making a big show of looking surprised; moving her eyes from his frowning face to his oil soaked foot and back again.
"My goodness, darlin'. Whatever have you gone and gotten yourself into already this morning?" she said, innocently.
"Goodness has nothing to do with it", he growled, snatching the towel from her hand.
She tried not to laugh as, precariously balanced on one foot--swaying and wobbling--he tried to wipe the oily residue from his toes, only to lose his footing and land with a hard thud on the porch swing. Tossing the towel aside, he looked at her, eyes narrowing.
"So, you think this is pretty funny, do you...dearest?"
"Well, I don't know how funny it is, babe, but it is what you deserve. How many times have I asked you not to leave your car junk all over the driveway...dearest?"
He was fuming now; muttering under his breath about how he was gonna show somebody what just desserts were all about. She just smiled her best "I-gotcha-and-you-know-it-so-there" smile and said nothing. Finally, he softened a bit and beckoned her to his side with a smile and a wink. She happily came to him and he wrapped her in his arms, kissing her passionately.
She moaned and wiggled in his embrace until, as if suddenly shifting gears, he unceremoniously flipped her over his lap, held her down with one big hand between her shoulder blades and quickly rucked her robe up around her waist with the other. She yelped and struggled to escape, but her efforts were futile and, truth to tell, she wasn't trying all that hard in the first place. He began to speak, punctuating his words with a series of hard, open-palmed slaps placed squarely on her bouncing, beautiful bottom.
"Did you really...."
"Ow!! Lemme go you big baboon!"
"...think..."
"Ouch! Ohhhh! Hey, stop it!"
"...that you were gonna get away..."
Yeeeeeoouch!!! I said...OWWWSHITT!!!...STOP IT!! You've got no couth, and even less idea of how to treat a lady!."
"...with THAT?" he chuckled.
"THAT hurts!" she howled.
The more he spanked, the more she kicked. The more she kicked, the faster he spanked. Her cries echoed through the empty yard, but they only seemed to harden his resolve. She suspected that something else was hardening too, and she began to wriggle and grind into his lap just to make sure. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a little cloud of dust that seemed to me moving up their long gravel driveway.
"Eddie...wait!"
He brought his hand down hard again, holding it against her bottom, letting the delicious sting sink in.
"No...no really", she said frantically. "Look!"
"Hmm?" he asked, utterly preoccupied with her delightfully hot and inviting ass cheeks.
The cloud of dust grew bigger and, as it approached the porch, turned into a black BMW coupe. She reached up and grabbed his hand, pointing it toward the approaching vehicle.
"Look, Eddie. Somebody's coming. And let me up you old fool!!"
Eddie blinked, laughed and let go of Maggie. She scrambled to her feet, blushing from head to toe, fumbling to fasten her robe just as the car came to a stop in front of the porch steps. Eddie got up stiffly and stood there, puzzled, unable to guess who in the hell would come calling so early in the morning.
Jimmy popped out of the car, grinning sheepishly.
"Um..did I interrupt something?"
Maggie blushed harder and Eddie vaulted down the front steps, wrapped Jimmy in a bear hug and lifted him off the ground.
"Well, I'll be damned!!! Jimmy MacDonnell! What in the name of heaven is a big city boy like you doing clear the hell out here?"
"Hey, Eddie. Hiya, Maggie. Eddie? Um...you can put me down now. I'm not going anywhere."
Eddie laughed and lowered Jimmy to the ground. Maggie composed herself and skipped down the steps to kiss Jimmy softly on his cheek, and then glanced into the car. Amria sat in the front seat, wrapped in a blanket and looking more than a little confused.
"My God, Jimmy," said Maggie. "What's happened to this girl?"
Jimmy looked from Eddie to Maggie and shook his head.
"It's a long story, and I'll tell you all of it, but first we need to get my friend Amria inside. Ok?"
Eddie, who had already moved to the BMW's passenger door at the sight of Amria, opened it and lifted her gently into his arms. She looked at Jimmy, silently, and he nodded his reassurance. Maggie took Jimmy by the arm, leading the way into the Barlow house.