Mile Long Club

We walked into the ornate, wood-panelled dining car, which was about half full of seniors and other assorted wealthy-looking white people, which was quite the contrast to the range of ages and races in coach. A chipper hostess seated us side-by-side at a table near the rear and handed us menus.

I let out a low whistle at the prices. "Shit, can you afford this?" I asked.

"Relax, Ben, we'll split an order of toast or something," she responded coolly. "We need breakfast anyway, and it's not like there are any towns around here." I checked my map as we waited for the waitress, and from what I could gather we'd refuelled overnight in Hornepayne and weren't due for another fuel stop until we reached Sioux Lookout. According to my pocket timetable we were due in Sioux Lookout at 9:05 AM, but I gathered from overhearing the train staff chatting that we'd fallen a couple of hours behind schedule in the night.

Presently the waitress came and took our order, and returned shortly thereafter with rye toast, which we devoured hungrily with strawberry jam. As we finished eating and waited for the bill, I felt pressure on my leg under the pristine white tablecloth, and I turned to look at Nicole. She winked at me and gradually inched her hand higher up my thigh, approaching my crotch, then backed off, then repeated herself, then again. I went to touch her back, but she suddenly turned to face me.

"Do you trust me?"

I paused. "Well, I mean I've known you less than a day, but sure, why not?"

"Great!" she answered. "Follow my lead."

As the waitress passed us, loaded with hot food to serve to a table of pensioners farther up the car, Nicole threw some money on the table, grabbed her towel bag, then bolted and walked as quickly as respectably possible for the door at the rear of the car, the one leading to first class. I stared for a second then quickly followed, heart racing. I kept waiting for the stern voice to call us out, but it never came, and two doors later, we were suddenly in a sleeper car. Nicole kept up the rapid pace until we were at least three cars further down the train before finally stopping to face me.

"We did it!" she exclaimed with a gleam in her eye. "Hot shower, here I come!"

My heart rate gradually started to slow down, and I took stock of my surroundings. The car we were in seemed to be separated by different types of berths, from the lower end bunks, stacked like pallets along the wall with only curtains for privacy, to the full-sized private bedrooms. We quickly found a shower, but could hear running water behind the door, so Nicole led on as we moved further aft. Each sleeper appeared to have one shower apiece, and each one was occupied in the morning rush as we made our way down the train. We eventually found another dome, then another half-empty restaurant car, but the guards had disappeared, as the entire remainder of the train was first class, so our presence aroused no suspicion. The waiter there even said hello to us. Finally, about ¾ of the way down the train, we found a shower that was unoccupied, and quickly bolted into it, locking the door behind us.

The room we were in was tiny; only about the size of two large phone booths bolted together. Half the room was the shower stall proper, and the other was a tiny changing area adjacent with a small counter, miniature sink, and mirror. The two were separated by a translucent plastic shower curtain.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, uncertain.

"I'm still having that shower," she responded, thinking. "I guess you can't exactly wait in the corridor for me, it would be too suspicious if someone questions you... fuck it. Turn around." She bent over and started unlacing her boots.

"What?"

"Turn around and face the door," she ordered.

I complied, and after listening to a minute or so of rustling behind me, I felt her hand on my shoulder.

"Hang this on the hook for me?" she asked.

I glanced and noticed she was handing me her poncho thing. I swallowed hard and forced myself to keep staring at the wall, carefully hanging her clothes up as I heard her bag unzip. I saw a towel appear on the small shelf beside me out of the corner of my eye, and finally, after an uncomfortable eternity, I heard the shower curtain close behind me and the water turn on. She finally handed me her bag to put somewhere dry. I noticed it had striped stockings, a grey bra and a pair of pale blue panties resting on top of it, and I tried not to think about what that implied.

"Okay, you can turn around now," she finally said. "It's not exactly super private, but it'll have to do."

I turned and saw the outline of her naked body, obscured but not completely hidden by the translucent curtain. I could clearly make eye contact with her through the small gap at the top of the curtain, and I averted my gaze as I saw her watching me through the gap. I could see her washing her long brown mane, and had a clear view to about her shoulders, but no lower. Through the curtain, I could see the faint outline of small breasts, pink nipples, and brown pubic hair. I stood in the tiny space, trying not to stare, but having nowhere else to look, as Nicole showered in silence. I saw her soaping the outline of her body, her legs, arms, breasts, back, between her legs.

Soon, my erection came back, tightening to the point of discomfort in my jeans. I felt self-conscious half-staring at her, but she didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable with me so close by. I turned and caught my reflection in the mirror, my sandy brown hair, my glasses, my maroon and grey McMaster hoodie. I thought I looked uncomfortable, and I tried to psych myself up a little. She wants you here, I told myself. She told you to turn around. You wouldn't be here if she wasn't okay with it. Relax.

After a few minutes of trying not to make it too obvious I was staring at her, she finished and switched the water off. "Hand me the towel?" she asked nonchalantly.

I passed her brown towel through the gap between the shower curtain and the wall, and as she claimed it from me, I saw clearly, for only a split second, one glimpse of a tiny perky breast, pink nipple standing at attention, glistening with moisture. There was no avoiding it -- I was horny now, and I could only pray that she didn't notice when I undressed in front of her.

As she finished drying, she groaned in frustration. "Fuck, I didn't think about this, but I can't change in the shower stall again now that it's wet in here without getting my clothes soaked, and there's nowhere for you to undress and get in the shower with me in the stall," she said pensively.

I said nothing.

She wrapped the towel around herself, then pulled the curtain back. Without speaking or acknowledging the fact I was clearly watching her, she stepped closer to me, to the point our bodies were almost touching in the confined space. I could smell the slightly floral scent of her shampoo as the room filled with the steam released by the opening of the curtain. She reached into her bag and pulled out a fresh pair of lime green panties, turned her back to me so that she'd have the room to bend over, and pulled them up under the towel. As she did so, her ass backed into my crotch, accidentally I think. I felt her body jump in mild surprise, probably at feeling the hardness in my jeans, which caused me to blush. I felt her stop for a moment, lingering, as though she was savouring the moment. I felt my cock twitch involuntarily. She must have felt that, I thought. I hope she's cool with it.

She eventually stood up, dropping the towel with her back still to me, and pulled her grey bra on as I admired her body from the rear. She was thinner and fitter than I'd realized under the shapeless poncho thing she had been wearing, with barely an ounce of extra fat. Her body was boyish in shape, with a tiny ass and hips for a woman, but her complexion was flawless, with no stretch marks, freckles, moles, or imperfections. With her back turned, I indulged myself in a little staring.

Once the bra was on, she turned to face me, close enough that we could have been awkward middle-schoolers slow-dancing at arm's length. "OK, it's your turn," she said. "I can finish up out here while you're in the shower."

She changed places with me, moving to the door as I turned towards the shower stall. She respectfully turned her back, and I quickly undressed, passing my clothes to her so she could hang them on the hook. My boner popped out as soon as I pulled my pants down. I couldn't help but touch it slightly as I undressed, savoring the view of the underwear-clad girl inches away as I felt the tingling between my legs intensify. Suddenly I remembered myself, and I slunk further into the shower stall, embarrassed, and closed the curtain.

As I turned the water on, I gave Nicole the all-clear to turn back around. I saw her eyes checking me out through the curtain, and as I saw her notice the outline of my stiffy I saw her eyes widen. She licked her lips unconsciously before catching herself and looking away with a smirk. She then turned her attention to the mirror in the room, wiping it clear with her towel before she started running a brush through her hair.

The hot shower felt incredible after a day's travel, and my erection gradually faded as I quickly went through the motions of getting myself clean. I kept checking out the girl on the other side of the curtain and watching her going through her morning routine, detangling her hair, brushing her teeth in the tiny sink, applying deodorant, still only dressed in the bra and panties. Finally, she turned and leaned against the wall as I finished, and handed me my towel through a gap in the curtain as she pretended she wasn't trying to check me out.

Once I was dry, I wrapped the towel around myself at the waist and opened the curtain, and I watched her eyes as she looked up and down my torso with approval. I'm not exactly a musclehead, but I do keep fit. I grabbed a fresh pair of navy blue boxer briefs out of my bag and pulled them up, then dropped the towel, intending to give her the same show as she'd given me. I brushed my wet light brown hair and my teeth, turning in place to give her a view from all angles without making it obvious I was doing so. All the while, I was kind of enjoying the attention she was giving me, as she watched without even a hint of self-consciousness. She was seemingly finished her morning routine, but she had made no move to finish getting dressed. Finally, I turned to face her, back at slow-dancing distance, and we made eye contact.

"I kind of like this," she said, finally.

"So do I," I responded, "it's really intimate."

The steam by this point was so thick as to make seeing her difficult, even at such a short distance. That said, I could see her face and upper chest flushed bright red as she pulled in close to me, hugging me, and I felt her bare skin meet mine, her tiny boobs making contact and smushing pleasantly into my chest. She lay her damp head on my shoulder and I felt her shiver slightly and exhale with pleasure. I let my hands rest in the small of her back and she sighed as we held the moment. I debated kissing her, not entirely sure what to do, torn between what I wanted and not wanting to scare her off again. My cock awoke again, and as it pressed into her hip she made no move to adjust herself.

"I think we should go," she said, finally. "We can't get caught in here."

I agreed reluctantly, and we both dressed quickly, with Nicole pulling on a new long poncho skirt thing in black over new striped stockings, paired with the same purple boots as before. Finally, we packed up our wet belongings and exited the shower. There was an older guy in a bathrobe waiting outside with a towel on his arm, and he broke into a sly grin at seeing us, winking at me as I passed.

I turned to head back to coach, but Nicole stopped me. "We're probably not getting back into first class again," she said. "Let's go all the way to the end and explore."

She led on, as we walked a seemingly endless path of identical sleeper cars, with another dome and restaurant car at one point along, serving the wealthy clientele. Some of the first-class people were still sleeping, some were awake and watching the world go by. Nearly all were silent and keeping to themselves, a marked change from the friendly camaraderie among strangers I'd already noticed in coach. Finally, we reached the Park Car at the end -- a bar car with a dome of its own, and a panoramic lounge right at the rear of the train. I took a seat in the lounge, and I enjoyed the novel experience of watching the rails appear from underneath me as we blazed a path through the endless forest and muskeg.

Nicole disappeared for a moment, then reappeared having bought another two cups of coffee from the barman. She sat and handed me one of the cups, which I accepted gratefully. She then turned to face me. "So, I think I owe you an explanation as to why I flaked out last night."

I shrugged. "You don't owe me anything, but I wouldn't mind knowing at least that I didn't creep you out or push things too far. I mean, the events of this morning tell me that I didn't, but I'd at least like to know that officially."

She smiled. "You didn't creep me out. Far from it." She took a deep breath, and her brown eyes appeared lost in thought. "You know I spent the past year living in Japan and going to school there. I also mentioned last night I hadn't had a boyfriend in well over a year. And this might be a little too personal to tell a guy I just met yesterday, but fuck it, I'm gonna throw it out there.

"Japanese guys, some of them are really sweet, and there were a couple I was romantically interested in while I was there, but the sexual culture there is really repressed and different from the way things are here. One of the things that I found fucked up is that there's an expectation that the women will resist, at least at first, and the guys will push them, even when the women actually want it. I found it kind of rapey, and I'm not into playing coy. If I want you, I have no problem making a move. If I don't, you damn well better respect my saying no the first time.

"Each time, and there weren't many, but each time I got into a situation where I might be interested in a guy and we'd get alone, no matter what he was like before, he would get really aggressive. And I mean I was never pushed to do anything I didn't want to; I wasn't raped or assaulted or anything. It just turned me right off, and I noped out of there each time. After a couple of months of that I just gave up trying to find a Japanese boyfriend."

"That sounds horrible," I agreed. "What about expat guys?"

"I had a few who were friends, but none that were dating material. The one I liked at first turned out to be a real player, and I didn't want to be a notch on his bedpost. As for the others, it was a small community, and I was scared of drama. I didn't want to risk losing the small group of Canadian friends that I could hang out with, drinking shitty beer and listening to the Tragically Hip. You need friends that remind you of home when you're living in a foreign culture."

"That makes sense."

"So where that leaves me," she continued, "is that I haven't gotten laid in well over a year. I flew back from Tokyo to Montreal and spent the week living with my brother, which, God love him, isn't exactly going to lend itself to bringing home any hot boys. And now I'm on the way home to my little house on the prairie, where I know pretty much everyone who lives within a twenty-mile radius, and where I already know there's no guys around who are boyfriend material. I was resigned to celibacy for a while longer yet. I'm okay with it. I'm used to it. And then..." She shivered noticeably.

"You kissed me last night. What a kiss. You were so self-confident and yet so gentle and tender. It's exactly how I like to be kissed, and I haven't been kissed in over a year, and in that moment my guard disappeared. It was like a dam bursting. A year of repressed sexual frustration exploded out of me all at once, and in that moment, I would have let you do anything to me that you wanted.

"And then I freaked out, because like I mentioned, I'm not looking for a random hookup, and I'm getting off this train tonight, and we're probably never going to see each other again after this. Losing control so quickly, and so unexpectedly, made me panic. I guess I just had to think some things over."

She paused, turning her attention to the snowy pine and birch trees whizzing by out the panoramic windows. I could see her reflection in the window, lost in thought.

"So where did you wind up?" I eventually asked her.

Nicole looked back at me. "I know you said this last night, but just to confirm, you don't have a girlfriend?"

"Nope," I responded. "My most recent one and I broke up around Christmas."

"I really don't know where I wound up," she responded. "I guess I wound up feeling like you're the first guy I've met in over a year that's worth getting to know a little better. Except we're parting ways in like eighteen hours. So maybe I'll just take it moment to moment. At least this way I won't spend the next eighteen hours obsessing about what happens after that."

She paused for a minute. "What about you? What are you looking for?"

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "I'm not looking for anything, but I'm okay if it finds me. I didn't want to have any expectations from this summer. I was just going to take it day-by-day and see what came of it. I wasn't expecting to meet anyone until I at least made it to Alberta. But I really like you, and I feel like we have a connection, and I'm willing to follow this wherever it goes over the course of today. I'll worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes."

"That sounds like a plan to me."

"It's not usually a good idea to talk about commitment on a first date..."

"Agreed," Nicole interrupted.

"So, given the circumstances, what if all it turns into is a one-night stand?" I asked.

Nicole winked at me. "Well, if you kiss that well..."

I leaned in and kissed her again, and she adjusted her body and leaned in to kiss me back. We made out tenderly for a moment before she pulled back. "We should really get back to coach class. We already look out of place here with all the well-dressed white hairs, even without making out in public, and I don't want to attract stares. Besides, I'm curious if Duncan has spotted any more bears."

With that we got up and started making our way back towards the front of the train.

As we passed through the last restaurant car, now being set up for lunch, our waitress from earlier shot us a dirty look. We passed through the door back into the coach class dome car, where the same conductor from earlier was waiting for us.

"Please, sit down, both of you," he said, politely, but with an edge letting us know he wasn't asking. We did as we were told.

"What are your names and your destinations?" he asked.

"Ben Maxwell, Jasper, Alberta."

"Nicole MacDonell, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan."

"I'm Pascal Leclerc, your conductor," he responded, writing our names down in a little notepad.

"I get it," he opened. "You wanted to see the rest of the train. I know what it's like to be cooped up in here, able to see the big train stretching out behind you from the dome but not being allowed back there. Assuming I don't hear any reports from my colleagues about you doing anything else you shouldn't have done, you're not in trouble. But Via Rail does not charge all the people in First Class premium rates so that coach passengers can go back there whenever they want to.

"I'll be keeping your names on file for the rest of the trip, and I will make sure my replacement when we change crews in Winnipeg has them too. This is your slap on the wrist and your warning. If we catch you back there again, you'll be put off the train at the next station. I'm trusting you to follow the rules from here on out. Don't make me regret it."