"You know, I'm not feeling all that well," I said, pushing aside my smoothie and standing up from our table. "I think I'm going to take off."
Kassie narrowed her eyes. "There's something you're not telling me, Chloe," she said.
///
"No, I think I'm just really tired," I said. "I'll see you later."
I left the smoothie shop and walked through the mall, then got into my car and went in search of the first motel that cost less than $200. I would take my stepdad's advice and disappear for a night, to spend some time by myself and figure out what in the world I was going to do now that I couldn't go back home.
Home. The realization that I didn't have a home to go to instantly made me sad. It's not my fault that I am so attracted to my stepdad. You don't choose the person you fall for. But he didn't want me, and now I would have to move on with my life.
Driving through town, I felt like I was going to cry again.
IV.
My room at the Radcliffe was only $115, leaving me with money to burn. Spending some cash would certainly make me feel better. By now it was late afternoon, and my room was pretty decent, with a king-size bed and huge flatscreen TV. But best of all was the jacuzzi in the bathroom.
I left the hotel and went to the Target nearby, and I loaded up on supplies for my night away from home. I bought a bottle of bubble bath, of course, a bunch of candles, and a six-pack of wine coolers. My fake ID was so legit, the clerk never suspected that I was only eighteen.
Not being over 21, or anything else, was going to come between me and a night of relaxation.
Back in my room I ordered a pizza and vegged in front of the TV, feeling better after my second wine cooler. Before long I was feeling no pain at all. Screw my stepdad. I didn't need him. I'd get by on my own until college started and I was able to move into the dorms.
Okay, I was getting pretty buzzed by now. I brought the last couple of wine coolers and set them beside the jacuzzi, and drew a bath of steaming-hot water and poured in the bubble bath, breathing in the pleasant aroma of lavender. The candles flickered. When I turned off all the ceiling lights and the reading lamp by my bed, the entire room and bathroom was illuminated in beautiful candle light.
I was ready for my bath. I peeled off my top, then unfastened my bra, freeing my perky breasts to jiggle and bounce as they pleased. I looked at them in the mirror and frowned, then grabbed each one in my hands, massaging them.
I dropped my shorts and was down to nothing but my lacy thong. I liked the conspicuous curves of my hips, and I turned to admire the roundness of my ass.
"Mason has no idea what he's missing," I harrumphed.
Shimmying out of my thong, revealing the little triangle of hair above my mound, I eased into the piping-hot water and allowed my body to adjust to the temperature, the jets of hot water battering my backside. I closed my eyes and sighed contentedly.
"Nope, Mason has no idea," I repeated.
I wondered what Mason was doing at that moment. He was probably getting ready for his graveyard shift at the firehouse.
Mmm, Mason. Why do you have to be such a sexy man? Why couldn't I have ended up with an ugly stepdad? But Mason was definitely not ugly. Anything but. Fireman calendars were practically invented with him in mind, his body hard in all the right ways.
I remembered our kiss, reliving the fun part, not the awkward and terrible ending, when his mouth was pressed against mine, our tongues locked in a passionate kiss, the result of sexual tension that had been building for months.
I remembered the way his rough hands felt on my body, touching me, caressing me, and without even realizing it my own hands began to run over my breasts. My nipples tightened and I teased them, one little nub in each hand. Closing my eyes and sighing with pleasure, I let one of my hands stray down my body, into the hot, sudsy water, exploring the sensitive folds between my legs. I caressed my mound, pretending that my hand was Mason's, teasing apart the lips of my pussy and rubbing circles around the hard bump of my clit.
A gentle moan escaped my lips, and my body sank farther into the bath as I gave into the pleasure of my roving fingers. Every ounce of my being was building toward the sexual release that I so desperately needed. An overwhelming tingly feeling surged through my body, and I felt light-headed. My clit was pulsing and my upper thighs began to quiver, and then the waves of orgasm washed through my body.
I could picture Mason's bare chest and could feel the firmness of his body pressed against mine. My fingers became his fingers. The second orgasm clenched my body, then sent it trembling.
I slumped in the tub, completely satisfied for the first time in what felt like weeks. Thrumming jets of water soothed and warmed my skin, and the fragrant scent of lavender filled the steamy air. Soon I was unable to keep open my eyes, and I drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
///
V.
When I woke up, I had no idea what time it was. The first thing I noticed was the cold water on my naked skin. The tips of my fingers were wrinkled. Then I noticed the smell. Acrid and harsh, it singed my nostrils.
Dark gray smoke billowed under the bathroom door. I screamed and jumped out of the tub, my boobs bouncing everywhere as I rushed to the door. I started to grab for the handle but remembered what Mason had taught me when I was a little girl. I held my palm close to the metal knob and could feel the heat emanating from it. Thank God I didn't just grab hold of it.
But what else was I supposed to do? The smoke was really pouring in, now. There was no other escape. I tried not to breathe in too much of the fumes, but then I started coughing hyperventilating and I couldn't help it. The smoke was being sucked into my lungs, hurting them.
Feeling woozy and lightheaded, I tried to think what I should do, but I couldn't focus. I was fading. I lay down on my tummy, hoping to find clearer air to breathe below the rising smoke, and the porcelain tile floor was surprisingly cool against my skin. A coughing fit overcame me, my lungs trying desperately to emit the poisonous smoke.
I was so sleepy. In my smoke-induced haze I just wanted to fall asleep, there on the floor, and not ever wake up. I thought of Mason, and I told him goodbye, and then I slipped into a state of unconsciousness.
I don't think I was out for long. Maybe just a few minutes. Through my groggy haze I heard a commotion, the sound of splintering wood. A man emerged through the smoke. It was Mason, coming to rescue me. He scooped me up like I was light as a feather, cradling me in his arms, and he turned and ran through an enormous hole he had chopped through the bathroom door.
The smoke was even worse in the bedroom, and flames licked at the bed and the curtains. Other firefighters were battling the flames, spraying them down. Everything was sizzling and popping. Mason jumped over a line of knee-high fire, then dodged a falling beam all glowing red-orange. My hands clung to his neck, my body helpless. Within seconds he burst through the door of the hotel and we were outdoors, the cold night air bracing my skin as I coughed and coughed.
I was dizzy and confused, but I kept my eyes on Mason the whole time. Knowing I was in his arms made me feel safe and protected, although everything was happening like it was a dream.
Mason dropped his helmet on the ground and immediately found a heavy blanket to wrap around my naked and soot-stained body. He carried me like a sleeping infant to a waiting ambulance, and he did not leave my side for the next four hours, while I was treated for smoke inhalation. Doctors pumped me full of life-giving oxygen, and I felt sleepy again, but when I woke up Mason was still by my side, his elbows resting on the edge of my hospital bed.
"You're awake," he said.
I nodded and smiled weakly.
"You gave me quite a scare," he continued. "I never should have told you to go to that hotel room."
I took his big rough hand in my own much smaller fingers, and held him. I tried to speak, to tell him that everything was all my fault, but my throat was too hoarse and the words wouldn't come.
Mason ran his hands through my long hair, which still reeked of smoke, but he didn't seem to notice. His blue eyes were lost in mine.
He leaned in. I thought he was about to kiss me on the cheek, but his mouth met mine and his lips gently nuzzled me for a moment. My mouth parted, willingly accepting his embrace, enjoying his taste. He pulled back and cupped his hand on my chin. His eyes were smiling.