Messy Ch. 09

"Dammit," I growled as I checked the time on my phone. "Where are you?" I stood in the entryway of the Milwaukee museum, feeling as out of place as a dildo in Disneyland.

The interior of the cavernous building looked like the starkly bleached white skeleton of the massive beast it appeared to be from the outside, all arched supports and ribs and supports. Glass was set between almost every architectural element, giving a great view of the sky or the grounds, depending on where one looked, not that there was much to look at at four thirty in the afternoon the sky was dark gray sliding towards black and the grounds were a contrasting white, more snow falling like finely sifted flour. The building has been decorated for Christmas, and it was somehow elegantly overcrowded with Christmas trees, all wrapped with red ribbon and white lights.

It looked marvelously elegant. Dressed in jeans and an army jacket, I looked like a bum as I waited for Jessie to arrive.

I'd Skype'd her during the week, telling her that I wanted to come to her hometown of Milwaukee to catch an art exhibit and she was welcome to join me if she wanted.

"You just want to have more fantastic sex," she said, the grainy video on my convertible showing her pouting despite the mirth in her voice.

"I just had a weekend-long threesome, I'm tuckered out. I'd just like to hang out and see the city."

"But what if I just want to have more fantastic sex?" Jessie stuck her lower lip out at me.

"I'm sure we could find someone for you. I'm probably going to be spending the whole weekend in the museum." I wasn't, but playing hard to get never hurt.

We'd set the time and day, and I'd driven the six hours from Minneapolis this morning, checking into a very hip hotel downtown, dropping my car in their parking ramp, and then walking the short distance to the museum with minutes to spare.

Jessie was a few minutes late, and given the opulence and elegance of my surroundings, I was getting impatient to stop darkening the lobby with my scruffy self. Even the attendants were looking at me like I didn't belong.

Or maybe I just wanted to get moving because I felt nervous.

The last time I'd met this girl, I'd fucked her in the ass. That had been our sole interaction outside of video chats - which were themselves usually sexual - and I worried that neither one of us would like the other outside of mutual carnal interests.

And then a gust of frigid air blew in as the glass doors open and a a slim figure bundled in black walked in, huddled into itself against the cold.

"Jessie?"

The figure turned, pulling off gloves, and a smile split Jessie's pale face. She stepped up to me and for a brief moment I was unsure of how to greet her, given the intensity of the intimacy wed experienced briefly. Shake her hand? Hug her? Kiss her hello? I went for the hug, lifting her up slightly, putting her back down, and stepping back to look her over.

Now that we weren't overwhelmed by a wave of sexual frenzy, or talking via grainy camera and screen connections, she looked slightly different. Black jeans were tucked into well-worn black leather boots, a far cry from the supple brown designer boots that Sienna wore, these were weather and location appropriate. Underneath a snow-dusted, knee-length, black, wool coat she wore a heavy black military sweater that almost completely hid the slight swells of what I remembered were small breasts. Her face, now un-made-up, was just as pale, but now I could see her cheeks and nose were lightly spattered with freckles. Her gray eyes were wide-set, and the muscle and bone definition in her cheeks and jawline was strong.

Her smile was odd though, her small mouth pulling back wide to show her incisors. I remembered in a flash watching those lips twist into a feral intelligent smirk, her eyebrows arching up towards a short mop of black hair now devoid of any brilliant coloring.

"You look great," I said.

She pulled off heavy hiking gloves and stuffed them in her pockets. "A lot different than the last time we met, I bet."

There was that girlish voice, not quite so exaggerated as before, but still striking. I could hear in it the squeals and gasps of pain and pleasure that I'd inflicted.

"A bit."

I paid for our tickets and then we wandered left down the massive white wing of the museum. The display was landscapes, detailed, whimsical, not quite Painter-Of-Light, not so mall-kiosk, but still idyllic. Our boots tracked slush over the blond wood floor, and outside the windows, streetlights halo'd acidic orange onto snowbanks and the falling fluff.

"How was your day?" I asked as we examined a canvas of a red bird perched on a fir.

Jessie sighed. "Long. Frenetic. How was yours?"

"I don't like driving that far in one stretch, but it was worth it."

There was that smirk again.

"What do you do for a living?"

Another sigh and she ran her hands through her hair like she wanted to pull it out. "Part time web designer slash marketing lead for a tech startup, full time designer for a clothing startup. Today I was working at the clothing job. How about you?"

"Boring life. Accounting degree, worked in a bank for a while, now I've got a cushy gig teaching accounting to college students and hot blondes throw themselves at me."

"Oh yeah, how did that go?"

We moved down the wing, looking at more summer paintings. Quite the dichotomy, summer on one wall, winter behind glass on another. "The three of us spent a very nice weekend in Minneapolis last weekend, and I think she's spending the weekend with my neighbor starting tomorrow."

Jessie high fived me. "Nice."

"How about you? Attend any fun parties lately, sit on stockroom shelves and scare the crap out of passerbys?"

She shook her head. "Been working a lot. I only go when my friend invites me, and she's been busy too."

"Awww... That's sad. You should be putting those skills to good use." I elbowed her playfully and she gave it right back.

"I haven't been totally alone or unsatisfied in the last month," she said salaciously.

I held up my hand for a high five. "Nice."

We kept walking, commenting on the art, the weather, my excruciatingly long drive, and her frantically busy day trying to prototype sketches with less than adequate materials in time for the marketing people to get them to a meeting.

She was funny. Obviously hard working, obviously educated, and far more self aware than a lot of people. I'd grasped a uniqueness about her back in the warehouse, but today those small breasts weren't on display with a corset, and I wasn't riding high on lust and an aggressive need to dominate.

I genuinely enjoyed her company.

Our tour of the display took us down one side of the museum wing, around a corner, and down the other side. At this time of day, and in this weather, the museum was mostly deserted. We'd passed only two art students sitting on a bench attempting to duplicate with Sharpies on cardboard what had been done with paint on canvas. As we rounded the corner, Jessie elbowed me in the side. "C'mon," she said in a hushed tone. "Over here."

The elbow in my side propelled me towards a partly open supply closer, mop and bucket just visible in the shadowed interior.

"I don't think there's anything in there," I said with a grin.

"Oh, I think there's something in there you'll like..." Jessie very deliberately licked her lips.

"Can I take a raincheck?"

She cocked her head, put her hands on her hips. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. I may be a walking hard-on, but I'm a self-aware walking hard-on. One of reasons I'm here is to prove to myself I can spend time with a woman without jumping into bed with her."

"And I'm your guinea pig?"

"No, you're the gorgeous woman who is taking all of my willpower to resist."

"At least I haven't lost my appeal..."

"Let's see where the evening leads. The night is young. And besides, there's a security camera right...there." I pointed at the black hemisphere on the ceiling.

"The night is young, that's true... But I want you to be aware, I've been thinking about your cock for the last month."

"At least I haven't lost my appeal..."

Jessie playfully slapped my chest. "No fair using my words against me."

We kept walking, checking out the paintings. Now though, Jessie was hanging closer to me, constantly brushing against me, keeping me aware of her close-by presence. We wandered through the gift shop, unanimously mocking the number of tacky goods the museum could put their logo on. Back out into the arched lobby and Jessie headed over to the broad windows overlooking the lake, while I excused myself to hit the head.

Coming back, I took a moment to observe my companion standing at the glass, looking out onto the barely lit, snow drenched scene. She was nearly invisible against the windows, black on black, completely still. I walked up and put a hand on her shoulder, stared off into the night with her. Below, snow gathered on the lawn and sidewalk, and further out wind tossed chunks of ice to and fro out on the lake. The moon shone dimly under the heavy layer of clouds, a lemon trapped under the frozen surface of a slushy pond.

"Beautiful night," Jessie said softly.

"Yeah."

We stood there for a while, taking in the winter scene.

"You wanna get something to eat?" I asked finally.

"I don't date." Her voice was still quiet.

"Oh thank goodness. 'cause I was just hoping to get something to eat."

She looked over at me, and that intelligent, energetic sparkle was back. "What do you eat?"

"Bar food. You drink?"

"Oh fuck yeah." And with that, she turned and strode across the lobby. I got my backpack from the reception desk, and we headed out into the snowy night.

"C'mon, I'll drive," I told her as we walked through the parking lot. "It's just a short walk to my hotel, I left my jeep there."

"Nah, lets walk."

I held my hand up and caught nearly a snowballs worth in a few seconds. "In this?"

"Yeah. C'mon." She tugged at my hand, pulling me along.

"But it's cold."

"But you FEEL cold," Jessie said, as if that was an explanation.

So we walked.

The buildings towered above, lit and occasionally lit cheerily for the coming holiday, Christmas lights glowing around windows, tracing rooftops, or strung between streetlights. Wind whipped those streams of lights with whirls of snow, the cold air buffeting us as we walked. Occasionally the air gusts through the concrete canyon would cease, and the stillness was beautiful - almost warm.

"Isn't this better than driving?" Jessie commented as we crossed a bridge bedecked in Christmas lights, the colors rippling in the water underneath.

"Still cold," I grumbled, but it was half-hearted. I enjoyed walking with her, seeing her world, listening to her point out the landmarks and history of the downtown.

"Yeah, but isn't it great?" She skipped ahead and then skipped backwards, keeping in front of me.

Watching her was interesting. I'd never met - much less had sex with - anyone quite like her before. Tori was an intense, coiled, muscular energy, as befitted a lifelong martial artist. Sienna was a confident, if somewhat awkward beauty. Jessie though, Jessie was lean grace. There was no coltish demeanor, no potential for violent movement, just a dancers fluidity.

The cars whipped whirlwinds of glittering ice crystals at us as we waited at stop lights, and Jessie hung close to me yet again, her tall, lean presence next to me reminding me uncomfortably of the body under all that black. Much as I wanted to prove to myself that I could spend friendly time with a woman without fucking her, she was driving me insane.

We pushed through the doors of the bar, and the bartender waved to Jessie as we found a beat up table in the back under the shadow of a staircase. I slung my backpack across the back of the seat and settled into the hard wooden chair.

"So what do you drink?" Jessie asked, squinting at the laminated menu in the dimness.

"Vodka, usually. What's your drink?"

"Vodka? Seriously? Why do you want to drink something without any flavor?"

"Because I like it," I said slightly defensively.

"Have a drink that tastes like more than water." She waved the waiter over and ordered two doubles of Wild Turkey. I ordered a burger and fries, and Jessie got the same.

We sipped at our drinks in silence, watched the snow fall outside the window of the nearly deserted bar. Not many people wanted to venture out in the snow for a drink on a Thursday apparently.

"Hell of a night," I commented to break the silence. "It's really coming down."

"Supposed to keep snowing like this through Monday. I think they said like twenty five inches over four days."

I grimaced, both at the bourbon and the forecast. "Fuck that's awful."

"Gotta love Wisconsin," she said wryly. "Course, it's not much better in Minnesota probably."

"Nope, it's not. But, I'm going to spend the next next month voluntarily snowed in, so I'm not one to complain."

"How so?"

"My parents cabin way up north. I stay there from mid December until I have to start teaching again. I drink and hunt and decompress."

Jessie thought for a moment. "Hunting season ended like last month."

I grinned. "I was teaching then. Don't tell the game wardens."

"My lips are sealed."

"There's no cellphone service, no cable, no internet, it's just me and the out of doors and the deer and usually my neighbor Tori."

A smirk lit up Jessie's face. "I knew there had to be a girl."

"She's just a very good friend with very good benefits. We like hanging out together, dressed or undressed, doesn't matter."

She raised her glass. "The best kind of friends."

I matched her toast. "So yeah, this is my last chance to really do anything before I go into winter hibernation. Thank you."

"Thank you."

Our food arrived and we tucked in, hungry from the long walk and the later hour. Jessie's appetite matched my own, and I enjoyed watching her eat. Usually when I ate with women, they ate like birds. Jessie devoured her burger and ordered us two more doubles.

"Also," I said after I had pushed my plate back, "in addition to seeing that exhibit and having dinner with you, I wanted to give you this."

I turned in my chair, dug out the package from my backpack, and set it on the scarred wood in front of her.

Jessie mock-glared at me and went for her purse, but then looked around at the people and decided against whatever she was thinking. Instead, she gently ripped the tape away from the seams of the glossy dark brown wrapping paper.

"What is it?" she asked, turning the box over in her hands.

"Exactly what it says." My heart was racing and I didn't know why.

"I was hoping this was just a box," she said softly, opening it and gingerly opening and closing the convertible inside. "I can't accept this."

"Yeah you can. Besides, I tossed the receipts. Can't return it now that it's open."

"But this had to cost like five hundred dollars. Why?"

I thought. Hemmed and hawed. "Honesty on and set at one hundred percent," Jessie said with mock crossness.

"Really? Honestly? I have no idea."

"Fair enough. Thank you. You can't imagine how much this will help me with work."

I reached over and covered her slim hand with mine. "Good."

We ordered more bourbon, and dessert, and coffee after the bourbon was gone, talking about work and life until the bartender started putting chairs up on tables and glancing significantly in our direction. "I think that's our sign to leave," I said, taking one last drink from my coffee cup. Shit tasted like mud.

Jessie rose from her chair and I tipped mine over in my rush to get to the bar, laughing at her disapproving scowl as I beat her to paying.

After we'd gathered up our things, we walked out into a much colder night. Snow still fell, glittering in the streetlight, but the wind blew strong and harsh now, unrelenting. We huddled in the doorway of the restaurant as I called up Uber on my phone and requested a ride. Jessie swore as she checked her phone as well. "Fuck, its morning already. I've gotta work in a few hours."

"Time flies. I'll give you money so the driver can take you back to your place."

"Why don't I just stay at your hotel? I work downtown, it'll be easy for me to get there in the morning."

Visions of us flashed through my head, images of our nude bodies joined and moving together. I desperately wanted to hear that exaggeratedly girlish voice expressing pleasure and pain again. I could feel the testosterone surging in my body, I wanted to be rough with her, wear her out, fuck her ragged, and I knew she'd let me.

Jessie's lips curled in that now-familiar intelligent predator smirk, and I knew she was thinking the same things as me.

I fought the urge back and shook my head. "Bad idea. We wouldn't get any sleeping done."

"What's wrong with that?"

"You've gotta work in a few hours, I don't want to keep you up."

"But what if I - " she cut off as I stepped up closer to her, a scant few inches between me and me pushing her to the wall. I breathed hard, the urge not to to kiss her taking more self control than i thought I had.

This girl was magnetic. Dangerous. The pale skin and dark clothing reminded me of vampire legends, weren't they supposed to be irresistibly seductive as well?

"I want you rested for work. And for dinner tomorrow night."

"Dinner tomorrow night." Jessie sounded incredulous. "I thought you don't date either."

"I don't. But I'm going out and having a great night on the town, and I want the most beautiful woman in the city on my arm. Yes, I'm that egotistical." I smirked at her to lend humor to my words.

She put a hand to her chest. "I'm the most beautiful woman in Milwaukee?"

"If you can find her, I'll take her instead. But I'm going with what I know."

"You don't know many people here, do you?"

"I can't imagine there's anybody I'd rather be seen with. Or, on the off chance, go to bed with."

Jessie was silent for a few moments, our playful banter cut short. When she spoke again, it was with seriousness. Even her body language changed, she seemed smaller. "Why are you doing this? Why me?"

"I told you before, I have no idea. I asked that question of someone recently too, and I don't think there is a good answer."

The car pulled up and we piled in, thankful to be out of the snow and wind. The drive to my hotel took minutes, unlike our long walk. I paid the driver for my trip and hers, and as I opened the door, I felt a hand on my sleeve. "Last chance," Jessie said, the mirth and slight squeal back in her voice.

I turned back, and the sight of her ignited another firestorm of testosterone in my body - a desire to fuck, to hurt, to claim, to own. Once more, my self control held, but only just. "Wear something fancy tomorrow. Fancy but functional. I can meet you here or pick you up, whatever works."

I slammed the car door before my baser urges took over.

Back up in the hotel room, sleep didn't come easily. I paced. I watched TV. I took a shower. I did pushups and situps like a prisoner doing hard time.

The sun was coming up as I lay down, and on impulse I grabbed my phone and started flipping through pictures. Pictures of Tori and Sienna in various Mall Of America dressing rooms. There were the pics of Tori and Nina, the self made porn they'd sent me while I was up north. Flipping further back were pictures of Sienna having just woken up.

I realized that fantasizing about a woman was no way to calm down and go to sleep, but at this point, I had to get my mind off Jessie somehow.

I stared at Sienna's photos a long time, remembering the ferocity with which we'd made out in my livingroom, the confidence with which she'd undressed and pleasured herself for me, her excitement at getting to finally start trying all of her fantasies and sexual needs. I recalled the way she'd stood with Tori in the darkened hotel room after I'd come up from swimming, patiently waiting for my touch, accepting whatever came next.