Ann: The Married Years Ch. 33

He focused the camera, taking three shots. "That's it... stand up."

"Why?"

Then it hit her. She'd walked out of the restaurant that way in Nevada. He'd made her walk all the way to the parking lot topless. But that Wendy's was empty at the time. They were the only ones left inside. Yes, they'd encountered a couple walking in at the door, and that had been an incredible, exciting rush of adrenaline. But she could hear people now on the other side of the wall... lots of them. She would be walking past who knows how many diners.

He had walked past her, pushing the stroller, carefully navigating it up the couple of steps before locking the wheels in place.

"Are you serious? You want me to walk outside like this!"

He stood in the entry, motioning for her to turn around. "I never said that. Now face me so I can take a picture."

"Oh god," she said, her body shaking as she did as he asked.

"Smile Anna. Stop being such a prude, and embrace who you really are."

That comment was like she'd been hit in the gut. He was right. This was what she wanted. It was who she was. She needed to act like it, just like she had at the park. It was the same, except he was calling the shots. And it was that loss of control that scared her. It was also what turned her on.

Striking a pose, she flashed a sexy grin, channeling her inner slut. When he told her to show him her pussy, she boldly lifted the front of her skirt. Then she went a step further.

"Is anyone coming anytime soon?" she asked.

He looked to his left toward the front. There was no one currently at the counter, all the other guests already sitting at their tables.

"No," he shrugged, shaking his head.

"Good. Do this quick."

She slipped her hands into the waist of her skirt, swiftly lowering it over her hips. She let it drop to the floor, stepping out. Moving away from the table, she stood naked in the atrium, in full view of the windows.

"God... hurry Neil," she giggled as she struck not one pose, but several. In fact, she made the made the same ones she would have done if she were standing on the side of a road by a welcome sign. Well most of them, anyway. Since there was no post to use as a makeshift stripper pole, she had to improvise. She went to the window, her hand going to one of the stanchions between the glass panes.

That was followed by a couple of improvised moves before she made the last two he expected. One with her bending at the waist, grabbing her ankles as she spread her legs; the other with her squatting down in front of him with her legs spread wide, flashing her pussy ring as she cupped her breasts.

She had to scramble to put her skirt back on, unsure if anyone would be coming. She'd blocked out of her mind the idea that people would be able to see her passing by on the road or entering the parking lot. Grabbing her top, she looked at him, and the proud smile on his face.

"Am I wearing this or not?"

"What?"

"You made me walk out topless the last time. Am I doing that again?" He knew she would have done it, no matter how scared she was. But it wasn't a risk he was willing to take, at least not there inside.

"No, babe. I don't want to cause a problem inside the restaurant. Not with Owen in the stroller."

"Okay," she answered with a sense of relief, slipping the sweatshirt on, zipping it up almost all the way. She walked with them outside to the car, putting Owen back into his car seat while Neil put away the stroller, which woke him up in the process.

"I hate this!" she whined, struggling to maneuver her body so that she could strap him in.

"You hate what?"

"Dealing with a two-door car. It's so damn hard to get him in and out of this one, and yours isn't much better. We really need something with more room, Neil."

"We can't afford it right now."

"Yes we can. We just have to dip into our savings."

"We'll also have to make a payment. Both of our cars are paid for, Anna."

"I know. But isn't it worth it? Besides, we should also get something a little safer than this little thing. I love my car, but I'm just being practical."

He actually bumped his head on the hatch when he stood to close it, which only helped sell her point. Still, he was reluctant. Truthfully, he knew they could afford it if they needed to. And she was right; it was really the logical thing to do. But he was generally a frugal person, and parting with that much money wasn't a decision he would make quickly.

Finding middle ground, he offered a smile as he rubbed the top of his head. "Okay, I'll think about it. Let's just wait and see how much money we get back on our taxes so we can figure out what we want to get. I'd rather use that for whatever down payment we may have to make on top of the trade in. I don't want a high car payment. Is that fair enough?"

Her excitement overwhelmed her and she started jumping up and down. She'd been bringing up the idea for months, always meeting resistance. This was the first time he said he'd consider it. "Are you serious?"

"I said I'll think about it babe. And I will, I promise. Let's just get past the first of the year. We have a lot of expenses coming up."

"Like what?"

"Our anniversary; Owen's first Christmas; our Christmas, his first birthday... there's a lot of things you're going to want to spend money on."

Letting out a deep sigh, she nodded. "You're right. I never thought of any of that."

"I'm not saying no, Anna. I'm saying be patient."

"Yeah, because I'm so good at that," she said sarcastically as she pushed her seat back, now standing next to the open passenger door.

"You have been. Do you need another lesson?"

The thought of being Annabelle flashed through her mind. He reminded her of that lesson often, to remind her, and keep her in check. That was, after all, how she learned to accept the concept of patience. While she was enjoying him taking the lead and telling her what to do, she wasn't ready to go that far.

"No, I'm good. I can wait."

"That's what I thought," he teased. Grabbing the camera from the pocket of the stroller, he shut the hatch. "Okay... take off your top."

"Do what?"

"Take off your top."

"But I thought you said you didn't want me to do that."

"I told you I wasn't going to make you do it inside. Now we're outside, and Owen is in the car. So, take it off."

"Neil, be serious."

"I am. I want this to be as much like Nevada as possible. And so do you."

"Fuck," she whispered, reaching for the all too familiar zipper on the front. "How do you know me so well?"

"I love you. That's how," he said as he raised the lens.

"This has been a great day, Neil," she said as she took it off, dropping it on the floor of the car as she posed for him by the door.

As the shutter fired, he replied, "Oh... the day's not over yet, Anna. Not by a long shot."