A Hundred Miles from Anywhere

I feel flat, empty, light. Like if Diane were to take her hands off my hips, I'd simply float up off the bed.

With a smile, Diane's face appears from between my legs. She kisses her way slowly up my stomach, stopping to place a quick kiss on the end of either nipple in a way that makes me jolt ever so slightly. Then she rolls sideways, pressing herself against me with a tangle sheets caught between us. Under the heave of my own breathing, I can feel hers--much lighter, brushing against the side of my neck.

"So," I exhaled the word, gathering my voice for a moment before continuing, "about that generator..."

Diane laughs, the burst of air moving a couple of hairs over my shoulder. One of her hands rests against my stomach, tracing from the bottom of my breasts down to my belly button and back up; a mindless gesture.

"Price has changed."

"Well alright," I lean down slightly to kiss her forehead, "but I might have to leave a bad review. What's the price?"

"Seven figures."

I hum softly, "Sounds a bit out of my price range." My hands goes over hers, fingers curling together so that my fingertips are pressed against the top of her palm, "Think the seller is flexible?"

"Oh she's very flexible," I can hear the grin in Diane's voice as her legs curl around one of mine, pulling it slightly closer to her, "Your phone number. Seven figures. Seems like a fair trade to me."

I laugh, nodding against the top of her head, "Sounds fair."

Three hours later, Diane and I are climbing back down the ladder into the living-room of her cottage. As we reach the bottom, I pull her into my arms and plant a kiss against her lips. She smiles against mine. As I step back, I find myself laughing.

"Your sweatpants are on backward," I nod toward her waist.

Diane glances down, raising her eyebrows slightly and nodding a couple of times, "So they are. Anyways, unimportant. Let's get that generator loaded up."

It took us about ten minutes to maneuver the generator onto a sled and get it to the back of the truck. Between us, we managed to lift it into the cab. I slammed the tailgate. Opening the drivers side door, I quickly pulled four fifty-dollar bills out of the center console. Then, retrieving a pen and a pad of sticky notes from the glove box and replacing the bear mace, I quickly scribbled my number on the sticky note and stuck it to the top bill.

Turning back around, I offered them to Diane. She glanced at my hand. Ignoring the money, she pulled free the sticky note and tucked it into her pocket. One blue eye dropped closed in a quick, secretive wink. Shaking my head, I tucked the money back into the pocket of my jeans as I climbed into the truck and closed the door. As I started it up, I rolled down the window. The light had done slightly dimmer as evening approached, the afternoon slowly giving way before it--I knew it would be dark by the time I got home.

"Call me?" I asked, hearing the hopefulness in my voice.

"Next time I've got a generator kicking around, I'll give you a call. I think I might be getting rid of one this weekend."

Before I can respond, she lifts herself up on the front of her feet and leans through the window. I bend sideways slightly to return the offered kiss. She draws back slowly, then straightens. One of her hands slaps flat against the rubber bottom of the open window.

"Excuse me," she smile at me as she steps back--the same smile that I saw for the first time through the open cottage door, "I have to go clean up some glass."

A Hundred Miles From Anywhere ---- THE END.