Rocks in Their Heads Pt. 03

"This is the new Deadmau5 album isn't it? I purchased it recently too. I love it!" Carole exclaimed.

"Yeah, I've been listening to it heaps at the moment. You like electro too?"

"Oh yeah, nothing beats it, if you know what I mean!" she said with a giggle. "Of course, Daft Punk are my favourite, being French and all. I have seen them a few times."

"Oh, mate, I love Daft Punk. I saw them once. I love when the music is so good at a club or festival, and it's like being on a drug, but without being on drugs! Well, of course some people need the extra enhancement, but I've never been into that part of the culture. Who needs drugs when you have killer beats?"

"Yes! Definitely. Though, I admit I tried ecstasy a couple of times when I was younger, but yes, the dancing and music is like a drug in its own way."

Carole and Scott shared eye contact for a moment and Scott's heart skipped a beat. He decided he best concentrate on reversing his car out of the car park. He was becoming more convinced he was being tested. First there was Jacqueline from work, with whom he shared many musical tastes and surfing. And now here was Carole, who also shared a love of electro dance music and rock climbing. And, despite being very different people, he felt a strong connection to both women. He briefly thought how Evelyn's and his own interests differed widely. Especially their taste in music.

In between directing Scott to her house, Carole regaled him stories of raves and festivals she'd attended across Europe and North America. Scott was enthralled by her stories, and when they pulled up in front Carole's house, his resolve to simply drop her home and then leave in a gentlemanly fashion died fast.

"Thank you so much for the lift, Scott. Um, I was wondering, would you like join me for dinner? I can make tartiflette, which is like a, how should I describe it? A traditional cheesy French potato bake from the Alps. Please, you must join me!"

"Sure," Scott said, any remaining resolve to flee disappearing in an instant. Carole's house was a typical old Queenslander style dwelling, sitting high on stumps with half of its wide verandas enclosed by casement-style windows which could be fully opened to enhance airflow in the hot and humid climate. The building was clad in timber weather boards, with ancient white paint peeling off from exposure to the harsh sunlight and humidity. Scott thought it was very similar to the share-house he'd rented during his years at university.

Carole selected French electro music on her phone, which she docked into speakers located on the battered timber dining room table. When Scott followed her into the small kitchen adjoining the dining room, he offered to help prepare dinner, but she shooed him away.

"You are my guest, Scott! There is a bottle of wine in the fridge, on the bottom shelf. Relax and take a load off." Carole smiled warmly before selecting several potatoes from a bag and began to peel them.

Scott was surprised her wine was a local Australian Riesling, and he was somewhat impressed, though not sure why, that she didn't live up to his idea of the French stereotype of one who'd exclude any wine which wasn't a product of France. He poured two glasses and sat on the stool by the side of the kitchen bench. He thought Carole was something else, with her feminine, but tightly muscled body, amazing legs, tight arse, small-but-firm tits, green eyes and pixie-style blond hair. And her seemingly permanent smile that he found adorable! He noted the way Carole carried herself with a natural confidence, which he admired greatly.

Carole finished chopping the potatoes and heaped them into a large saucepan, and Scott couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to walk over, dancing across the room to the rhythm of the music, and perhaps kiss her. Scott enjoyed cooking, and he also imagined himself making dinner for Carole, with them both sipping wine and listening to music and generally hanging out together. Perhaps in domestic bliss? His imagination wandered further, contemplating travel together, where they might rock climb and go to dance parties. He smiled to himself, lost in the idea of Carole, which was very pleasing to him indeed.

"Scotty, I forgot to ask, how is your lady friend?" Carole's question startled him, cutting his daydream short in an instant.

"She's okay. Well, we're kinda having a drama at the moment. Her daughter, Nicky, has found out about us and is not too happy."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear," Carole replied with a genuine look of concern on her face. "I hope it's not too bad?"

"To be honest I'm not entirely sure how bad things are. It only happened last Friday. You see, Nicky and I were friends when we were teenagers, but now Nic lives in Sydney. She came up to visit and wanted to catch up with me. She was staying the night in my spare bed, and she found her Mum's bracelet that she'd given her for her fiftieth birthday. Evelyn accidently left it in my bathroom, and I missed it before Nicky came over. To say the shit hit the fan would be an underestimate."

"Oh no, it sounds like a horrible situation! Can I ask, were you and Nicky ever intimate? Sorry, I mean, does she have a reason to be jealous of her mother?"

"No, nothing like that. Nicky and I used to be close friends, but when she was about fifteen she got caught up with older kids and was too cool for me. I'm not entirely sure why she's upset with Eve and me seeing each other, but Eve thinks it might be best if we take a step back from each other. I'm not entirely sure how far she wants us to step back though. Anyhow, enough about me and my problems. What about you?" Scott wanted to know more about Carole, and also no longer wanted to discuss Evelyn.

"Me? There is not much to tell. I'm still collecting data and will continue for several more months. I occasionally work on my publications, but it's slow going. Um, I rock climb as much as I can, but not often enough. So I don't really have much else going on. My work is busy, taking up most of my time. But I enjoy it."

They chatted over dinner and Scott learnt Carole was single, and though she indicated she wasn't looking for anyone, she mentioned she'd definitely consider dating someone she connected with. She said it matter-of-factly, with no hint of an agenda with Scott. "I don't need people around me," she stated. "I'm not saying I don't like people, because I do, but I don't feel the need to be surrounded by people or have someone in my life to have fun or feel complete. I'm as equally happy in my own company as I am among friends. Plus, I'm busy with my research, which makes things a little harder for me because I'm always coming and going. Does this make sense?"

"Yeah, I get it. I think."

She considered their conversation and continued, "I've dated guys who want me to follow them, or wish to settle down and have kids. Of course they want me to be the mother figure, or, I guess, they expect a house wife, but it isn't for me. I like my freedom. My parents say I'm selfish but I don't want children interfering with my lifestyle! I want to be able to study what I wish, or climb like we did today, or travel off to South America or Africa on a whim when I want to, and no one holding me back. I couldn't do these things with children wanting my attention." She spoke with a light hearted tone and smiled, conveying to Scott she wasn't overly aggravated by children, but simply didn't want them herself.

"Yeah, I get it. I'm not too keen on kids myself," Scott replied. "My previous girlfriend, the one before Evelyn, wanted kids, but I didn't. I'm only twenty six for fuck's sake! But my brother, Jake, is going to be a dad soon and I'm heaps happy for him. I'll be an uncle and able to play with my niece or nephew or whatever it is, and then be able to hand it back as soon as it starts crying or shitting!"

They both laughed and Carole became animated. "Exactly! My sister has three children, and I love them dearly, I really do. But they are such hard work at times and I can't be around them too long. And her husband is in the navy and often at sea, so my sister is always complaining how hard it is. Luckily our parents help her out, but it's not for me. I'm happy to know my sister has done her duty for our family so I don't need to!" They both laughed again.

"Yes! My brother's kid will share some of my DNA and so it can keep the Mackenzie blood line going. It's like, his kid will be a quarter me, or something like that!"

"Absolutely!" They clinked their wine glasses together and finished their meal. Scott thought the tartiflette was delicious and Carole told him about her family holidays, skiing and climbing in the Alps, and how they'd acquired the recipe there. It was a reasonably simple dish and she wrote down the recipe for him.

There was no dishwasher in the old house and Scott washed the dishes while Carole wiped them dry. All the while, her phone pumped out electro dance tunes from its speaker dock on the dining room table. He felt euphoric in her company, and despite their previous conversation about not wanting families, he enjoyed the domesticity of the simple act of washing up with Carole. He could tell she enjoyed his company too. He felt guilty and despised himself a little for even considering it, but he resolved, then and there, if he and Evelyn didn't work out, he'd likely ask Carole out on a date. Of course, things might turn amorous that very evening between them, which he increasingly felt was potentially on the cards. He'd only drank two wines, but the likelihood of slipping was increasing.

They sat at opposite ends of her old tatty red couch in the lounge room, eating chocolate Tim Tam biscuits and chatting late into the evening with the music playing on the dining room table. Carole's house mate, an English girl named Jill, came home and raised her eyebrows with a smile at Carole when she saw Scott. When Scott stood and introduced himself, Jill gave him a not-so-subtle look up and down. She smiled warmly when he shook her hand, and gave Carole another smile before walking into the kitchen. Carole told Jill she could have some of the left over tartiflette rather than make her own dinner.

Jill occasionally appeared around the door, pretending to be busy, but was clearly keeping an eye on Carole and Scott. Daft Punk's song Get Lucky began to play and Jill briefly passed through the dining room, crossing to her bedroom, softly singing, "She's up all night for some fun, she's up all night to get lucky!" Hardly a minute passed before she retraced her steps across the room, back to the kitchen, this time whistling to the tune of Get Lucky.

Carole leant in close to Scott, whispering with a giggle, "She's checking up on us so she can gossip with me latter about you. She's not used to me bringing boys back here."

Scott looked into Carole's jade green eyes, only thirty or so centimetres from his own, and he smiled as the feeling of butterflies became overwhelming, and for a heartbeat Scott almost said, let's give her something to talk about! All he had to do was lean forward and kiss her. It would be so simple, and he believed he saw Carole move her face ever so slightly towards his, and knew she'd kiss him back.

"Hey," he heard himself saying. "It's been great catching up but I have to get up early in the morning for work. Thanks for the dinner, it was delicious! We should do this some other time." He prided himself he'd never cheated on any girl in his life, and despite the strong amorous feelings between him and Carole, plus the unmistakable fact he faced the opportunity to throw all caution to the wind this very moment, cheating wasn't in his nature.

"Oui, oui, of course," Carole pulled back from him and smiled, but Scott was sure he detected disappointment in her voice and on her face. "Your company has been a true pleasure, so oui, let's do it again. I do have to go to the gas fields next week for my research, and will be away for a little while, but I'll let you know when I return. I'd like to go climbing with you again."

They farewelled each other, but both found it hard to part ways and ended up chatting for another fifteen minutes at the bottom of Carole's front stairs. Scott's journey home was not long, but he spent the whole time replaying the events of the afternoon and evening over and over in his head.

He thought of Evelyn too, and wondered what he'd been thinking, trying to pursue and maintain some kind of romantic relationship with her, especially when she'd offered him an early out, right back when they'd travelled to the Granite Belt wine region when they began dating. Perhaps it was time to move on? Sure, he felt strong feelings of affection for Evelyn, and he even felt he loved her, but she'd often given reasons why they must hide their relationship from friends and family, because of their age difference. And Nicola's reaction to their relationship confirmed Evelyn's concerns, so perhaps she was right.

Another person who was often in Scott's thoughts was his friend Jacqueline. They'd known each other for several years, and though his strong connection with her rivalled his newfound feelings for Carole, his mutual attraction with Jacqueline had taken much longer to ignite. Yet, the feelings were unmistakably there and difficult to ignore. Every weekday he looked forward to seeing Jacqueline, and no matter how excited he was to see Evelyn on the weekend, he felt a slight loss every time he said goodbye to Jacqueline each Friday afternoon.

The thoughts of Evelyn, Carole and Jacqueline kept Scott awake as he lay in his bed. He thought of Evelyn and their current problems, wondering if there was a way forward. With Carole, it was a combination of excitement and frustration about the intensity of their connection, and with Jacqueline it was the ever present and strong desire to spend time in her company.

The activity in Scott's mind kept sleep at bay, and he wondered if a wank would help relax him. Long before they began sleeping together, his masturbation fantasies often revolved around Evelyn, having an intensely potent effect upon him. However, despite making love to her almost every weekend for the past ten months, his cock showed no interest as he conjured up detailed mental images of them engaging in passionate foreplay, kissing and fondling one another.

Scott swapped his thoughts to Carole instead, while playing his fingers over the end of his dick, trying to motivate it to rise. He imagined sitting with Carole on her old red couch, laughing, smiling and chatting. He thought about the moment where their faces were so very close to one another, and how Carole appeared to move her face slightly towards his. Scott's imagination deviated from reality, mentally leaning in to Carole, joining in a soft and gentle French kiss. Her hands roamed his body, tearing his clothes off and his cock responded quickly between his fingers, engorging with blood.

In his mind, Scott removed Carole's tight fitting tee-shirt and imagined kissing heavily down her chest and breasts, sucking on each hard nipple. He kissed her belly, and soon his mouth was at her shaved pussy, where he growled her out, tonging her clit vigorously. She loved every moment of his attention, responding with moans as she came, her pelvis lifting off the couch and pushing hard into his face. Scott imagined entering Carole, their eyes locked together at the moment of penetration, and her mouth opening slightly with a tiny gasp. With these images strong in his mind's eye, he gripped the girth of his dick, giving it long and slow strokes from tip to base and back again.

Scott imagined Carole's lip on his own, and their bodies hard together, and in reality he increased the tempo of his strokes up and down his shaft. He kissed her cheek, sucked her earlobe and kissed her neck while she writhed under him, gripping his back and digging in her fingernails, while wrapping her legs around him. He whispered ever so softly into her ear how he found her incredibly sexy, all the while she cried out in orgasmic delight. He was close to cumming and once again he looked deep into her jade green eyes as the tingling in his body intensified, and she cried out "Oh, Scotty!" in her French accent, and he unloaded streams of warm sticky jizz, which landed on his right cheek, then chest, with the rest pumping onto his belly and hand.

Scott lay on the bed for a moment, coming down from his masturbation high, after which he cleaned himself up with a quick shower and fell straight to sleep.

~~~~ Chapter 8 ~~~~

The weekend following Easter was the wedding of Scott's work colleague, Michael, and his bride, Fiona. Despite Evelyn's tentative agreement to attend with Scott as his plus one, she pulled out. Scott was annoyed, but expected she'd not join him given their troubles with Nicola, and decided he wasn't going to let the events over Easter ruin his night.

At the wedding reception, Scott was seated at a table with several work colleagues, including his supervisor Doug, and colleague and friend, Jacqueline. After completion of formalities, there was much drinking and shenanigans.

"Hey Scotty, what happened to your plus one? Did you make this Evelyn girlfriend up to make us think you're popular with the ladies?" Jacqueline teased, pointing to the empty seat next to Scott and gesturing with finger quotation marks when she said Evelyn's name.

"You know what, Jackie, I fucked up the spell and she turned into a pumpkin before midnight rather than after." Scott replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Awww, pumpkin, so sad," she said in faux sympathy and with an exaggerated pout.

"Anyhow, Jack, why don't you have a plus one?"

"Plus one's have to meet my standard, and sadly very few come close these days."

"Aww, that sounds like such a sad excuse, Jackie," Scott mocked Jacqueline's previous tone and they both pouted at each other.

"Speaking of sad, check out Phil dancing. He's murdering the dance floor," Doug laughed.

"At least he's out there. You should get out there, Doug, show him how it's done," Scott responded with a grin. "Actually, let's all get out there and dance!"

They swilled their drinks and took to the dance floor, each with their own style. There's a tradition in Australia, especially in the state of Queensland, occurring at many wedding receptions, involving the 1970s song, Eagle Rock by Daddy Cool, where males congregate on the dance floor and drop their trousers for the song's duration. Michael and Fiona's wedding was no different, and midway through the night, Eagle Rock came on, leading to many male guest's trousers coming down, followed by a great deal of cheering, whistling, laughing and pointing from the women in the room.

Scott became lost in the moment, with his trousers around his ankles, beer glass in hand and arm around Michael's shoulders, singing loudly with the other blokes, "I'm just crazy 'bout the way we move...doin the eagle rock!" He saw Doug nearby, similarly caught up in the pants down festivities, and Jacqueline cheering them all on from the edge of the dance floor, sticking her fingers between her lips and letting loose an ear-splitting whistle in their direction. Scott made eye contact with Jacqueline, and he didn't even think of Evelyn as he smiled to himself, enjoying the shenanigans.

The bride and groom left before midnight, while Scott, Doug and Jacqueline sat out on the reception venue deck in the cool night air, each nursing a Scotch and watching the last dancers on the dance floor through the open sliding door.

"Ahh, man, I haven't had so much fun in ages!" Doug exclaimed, before taking a sip of Scotch.

"You should have seen how ridiculous you boys looked out there," Jacqueline replied. "If I'd thought about it at the time I'd have filmed you fellas doin the Eagle Rock to post on YouTube!"