Danielle Engle - Lavender Excursions

"No correlation," Taryn said. "Although I do wonder what you're doing out here in the north woods with this cocky reporter." She flashed a smile at Camarin. "I ran into Taylor down at the store and she told me you guys were staying here." Taryn chuckled. "Small world. I didn't know you and Taylor were friends."

"Yes, Taylor and I go way back. It was my weekend to do ski patrol and Taylor wanted to get out of the city for a while. So here we are." Having no idea what Taryn was planning, Camarin said nothing more. Instead, she gave her an expectant look, one that asked the obvious question, "What are you doing here?"

"Come inside and get out of those wet things," Taryn said in a motherly tone. She took both women by the arm and led them into the cabin. "You look like you went ice-fishing and fell in," she teased.

Camarin and Kimberly laughed nervously as they removed their wet coats and scarves. Taryn summarily took the wet items and hung them to dry. Meantime, Camarin sat on the bench and motioned for Kimberly to join her. They removed their boots and set them on the boot tray. Taryn returned and stood watching them. Finally, unable to stand the suspense any longer, Camarin asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Actually, I've been up north on business and was on my way back to Chicago. When I stopped to get gas and something to drink, that's when I ran into Taylor." Taryn motioned toward the main quarters.

"She told me about the smoke bomb," Taryn said. "Any idea who did it or why?"

"Uh, no," Camarin said. Seeing the puzzled look on Kimberly's face, she explained. "I was going to tell you about it when we got here. Someone, probably kids thinking they were pulling a cute prank, set off a smoke bomb in our cabin."

Taryn bit her tongue, trying to keep her anger in check. To give herself a few seconds to regain her composure, she said, "Let's move into the living room." The two women followed her, Camarin and Kimberly sitting on the couch and Taryn taking the armchair closest to the fire. Unable to stop herself, she gave Kimberly a coy smile and winked. "Now Camarin, be honest," she said. "Whose husband did you piss off?" She turned to Kimberly and explained, "Camarin just can't keep her hands off married women. I've repeatedly warned her that she'd eventually run into someone who would seek revenge." The smile never leaving her face, Taryn leaned back in her chair.

Camarin decided to let it go. If Taryn had something planned, there wasn't anything she could do about it. Ignoring the barb, she smiled and engaged in the mindless chatter of old friends entertaining one another with amusing stories of their personal lives. Time passed very pleasantly. Taryn looked out the window and noticed it was snowing again. She decided she'd better cut the visit short since she did want to return to Chicago tonight. "Looks like I better get moving," she said, pointing to the window. "Present company excluded, this is not a place I'd want to get stuck."

"Oh, my," Camarin said, surprised to see the unexpected snowfall.

She stood and walked Taryn to the door, Kimberly following a short way behind her. While Taryn slipped into her coat and boots, Camarin reminded her, "Drive carefully. You're not in Chicago where the roads are cleared within minutes of the first snowflake falling."

Taryn laughed. "I'll try not to forget," she said, opening the back door.

Camarin and Kimberly stood in the doorway, watching Taryn walk down the icy path. "I'll call you when I get back," Camarin called after her. "Maybe we can get together for lunch or something."

"Sure thing," Taryn replied. She hurried inside her car and started the motor. Drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, she waited for the car to warm a little. The snow was getting worse and it seemed to be getting colder. She decided to stop somewhere, pick up something to eat and fill her thermos with coffee. Backing her car out of the driveway, she started in the direction of the freeway.

Ten miles later, she was still driving and looking for a place to stop.

She spotted a tavern, just on the edge of another little resort town.

What the hell , she thought. After locking the car and kicking ice chunks from its sides, she went inside. The place was dark and dreary. Most of the customers looked to be locals indulging in friendly conversation while they chugged a few beers.

One of the men spotted Taryn right away. He whistled and yelled,

"Hey, pretty babe, wanta have some fun?" Giggling like an adolescent schoolboy, he ducked down so Taryn couldn't see who'd yelled at her. The other men joined in, whistling and making eyes at Taryn. Feeling braver now that his friends had joined in, the man raised his head and blew Taryn a kiss.

Taryn ignored the men as best she could, knowing a response would egg them on. She walked to the bar and ordered a large coffee to go. When she paid the bartender, he winked at her and said, "Ya'll come back now." She gritted her teeth, turned and strode out of the dingy little tavern.

Once inside her car, Taryn opened the coffee and took a sip.

"Whew, hot!" she said. The incident in the tavern dismissed, she started thinking about more important matters. Her mind was reeling and her cunt was on fire. No matter how much she tried to evade her feelings, the end result was the same. Taryn longed for Kimberly in a way she found to be very threatening to her hard-core independence.

"Oh, God," she groaned, running her hand through her hair. "I can't do this! Not now." Her hands were trembling so badly she dropped the key. "Damn!" she muttered, picking the key off the floor mat.

She finally managed to get it into the ignition. Her sleek Italian sports car started easily. It was getting down the mountain that presented a problem.

"Hey, there pretty lady," sounded a voice outside her window.

When Taryn turned, she saw one of the local studs peering through the glass. Instinctively, she jerked away from the door. Embarrassed by her obvious display of fear and realizing it made her an easy target, she rolled the car window down and asked, "You need something, mister?"

He was a large built man, reminding Taryn of her brother when he played football at the university. His face was handsome in a rugged sort of way. Taryn admired the blonde hair that was swept back from his face. It revealed a set of emerald green eyes that, unfortunately for him, were dulled by the excessive amount of alcohol he'd consumed inside the bar.

"Just checking on you," he said. "You look sort of lost and I don't recognize your car as belonging to anyone around here. I'd remember this one if I saw it," he added, gazing admiringly at Taryn's car. He leaned inside the window. "Why don't I have a seat inside and you can tell me where it is you're trying to go. I'm pretty good about giving directions," he added. "But it is a mite cold out here." He shivered for emphasis and rubbed his hands up and down his well-muscled arms.

"Actually I was just getting ready to leave," Taryn replied. "And I do know where I'm going. But thanks for checking." She shifted the car into gear and started backing out of the parking space. His large hand suddenly reached inside and he tried to wrestle the steering wheel out of her hands.

"Aargh!" she growled. With one hand shoving against his face and the other squeezing his fingers, she managed to get his arm out of her car. She floored the accelerator, sending her into a spin as she exited the parking lot. By the time she'd gotten back onto the freeway, Taryn was shaking with fury. Her coffee spilled all over the seat, she drove a few miles down the road and stopped. She refueled her car, cleaned the seat as much as possible and picked up another coffee. Anxious to get back to the city, she opened her window part way so the cold air blew against her face. "That ought to keep me awake," she muttered.