The Barter System (16 page)

Shay was blushing from head
to toe in the fading light.  She whispered, “I knew it.  I just
knew
it.”  The sound of voices coming their way ended their chick chat, but Shay
added quickly, “You put him in my way and I’ll know exactly what to do with
him.”

They shared a hug and most
of the guests were filing out by the time the lightening bugs came out.  The
men laughed and clapped Victor on the back, all of them winking at her as they
left.  The women talked about how sweet she was and to come back anytime, she
was always welcome. 

His sister Amelia left
laughing and mumbling, “I guess I’m gonna be celibate alone now.  Damn it.”

Riya and Victor stood waving
on the front porch until the last taillights disappeared in the dark then raced
into the house, locking the door behind them.  The big man threw her over his
shoulder and stampeded up the stairs, to her screams of laughter, dropping her
without ceremony in the middle of the bed.  He pulled his clothes off fast and
yanked hers roughly from her body. 

Only when they were both
naked in the dim light of the bedroom did he pause as he knelt on the floor
between her knees.  She ran her fingers through the hair at his temples as he
looked at her.  “You did so much for me today and I imagine you’re usually very
private about stuff like that.”  He leaned up to kiss her lips, “Thank you. 
For the first time, I held my head up around the male members of my family.  No
one has ever done anything like that for me before.” 

“You don’t have anything to
thank me for, Victor.  I embellished our history but not our present - you are
amazing in bed.”  She smiled evilly, “And I am quite aware of what you’re
packing, I doubt any of them come close.” 

He shook his head shyly,
“You’re an original.”

With that, he worshipped
every inch of her body as if she were a goddess.  His own pleasure was
secondary and he wouldn’t allow her to focus on him, only herself.  She was
massaged with strong hands covered in lemongrass oil.  She was kissed, licked,
and cherished until her nerves tingled and her muscles were limp. 

When she was wrung out, he
climbed between her legs and made love to Riya slow and easy.  Kissing her with
whispers of her amazing heart and nuzzling her neck as he talked about how
grateful he was that she’d picked him, that she’d come here and changed his
life in two short days.

She lost track of how many
orgasms crashed over her but knew she’d had more than ever before.  They lay on
their sides, completely spent and talking, around three in the morning.  Riya
drifted off when Victor left to raid the fridge for leftover fried chicken and
cobbler, returning with both on a plate. 

He was surprised, but not
offended, when he found her awake with her laptop open when he entered the
room.  “I figured since we’re awake, why not get some work done?” 

He nodded with a smile and
climbed up to lean against the headboard with the plate on his lap.  She went
through the standard questions on the second survey and took notes.  He
answered as honestly as he could.  He fed her pieces of cold chicken while she
talked and typed, a fact she greatly appreciated since she’d burned off dinner
hours before.

SURVEY TWO

Subject Name:  Victor

What is the most common phrase you use
for intercourse?
 

Is “having sex” too simple?  I think
there are two kinds of sex, “making love” is the slow, gentle kind where all
you care about is giving the other person what they want, what they need.  Then
there’s “fucking” and that is down and dirty, every man (or woman) for
themselves and what they can pull from it.  Both have their place.  Both feel
good.  Just the mood is different, I guess.     

What is the primary trait that attracts
you to a member of the opposite sex?
 

Kindness, not being selfish, wanting to
please me as much as I want to please them.

When was your first sexual encounter?
 

I was seventeen.  Been dating a girl for
a few months and was about dying for her.  Blue balls all the damn time.   

Do you remember details of that
encounter?
 

Not much to remember, gave me a hand job
and licked my dick, it did the trick.  But she said I was built like the bulls
on her daddy’s farm and I wasn’t getting near her. 

I ended up losing it for real a few
weeks later during a trip to South Carolina when a woman in a bar offered to
take care of me for $30.  She was real smooth until I got inside her, she kept
her eyes clenched shut the whole time.

Have you ever had contact with your
first sexual partner after the first time?
 

Never.  Only usually have sex with a
girl once or twice and she’s gone.  Even the occasional pro.   

How often do you masturbate?
 

About once a day, I guess.  More if I’m
around someone I’m interested in and I get all worked up. 

Do you have a scenario to facilitate
masturbation?
 

Having someone blow me.  My all-time
winner since I’ve had so little chances for that, until recently.  I can say
that, right?  

Have you ever engaged in sex with a
person you did not know?
 

Yes.  My first and I’d never do that
again.  Felt like I’d done something wrong.  You don’t know a person, well, you
can’t know what makes them happy.             

Where is the most unusual place you've
had sex?
 

The hot spring by my house, today. 
First time I’ve had so much sex anyway, never got to do it outside like that.   

What do you think you have to offer a
partner sexually?
 

I never used to think I had much. 
Everything I know, I learned from porn – not that I’m proud of that.  I found
things out by trying them on women who didn’t seem thrilled once I showed them
my dick.  Anything to relax them, stay just a little longer, let me please
them.  

After the last two days, I realize I
have a lot to offer, and I know I can put a woman I care about at ease once she
gets a look at how big I am.  Once I can get past that one roadblock, a woman
will be putty in my hand.

How many casual sexual encounters have
you had in the last year?
 

I don’t do casual sex usually.  I dated
one girl late last year and she was sweet until we got to sex.  Wanted nothing
to do with me after that.  She was real small and I think I hurt her a little
but I sure didn’t mean to.   

When Riya typed the last
entry, she saved the file, closed her laptop, and set it on the chest.  She
turned to Victor.  “I think you are one of the best men I’ve ever met.”  She
laid her palm against his stubbled jaw and kissed his mouth with all the
gentleness she’d felt while listening to his answers.  “You have so much to
offer, Victor.  So much.  Don’t ever doubt that.  I don’t.  Let me show you.”

She set the empty plate on
the bedside table and made thorough love to him until the sun peeked over the
horizon.  She started with the same full body massage he’d given her and he was
a puddle of goo by the time she took his cock in her mouth and sucked him off
to the sound of his moans.  When he recovered, she climbed over him and rode
him hard for a very long time, his hands all over her. 

Chapter
Eight

The next two days were a
blur of activity.  They had sex constantly and rode the ATV’s.  Victor borrowed
horses from his neighbor and they rode deep into the forest where he fucked her
fully clothed from behind over a fallen tree while the horses grazed nearby. 

Her fifth night, he took her
to a local honky-tonk.  The man had about come in his jeans when he saw her
walk down the stairs in a halter top with no bra, jeans, and her cowboy boots. 
Her hair was loose and she’d found an old cowboy hat in his attic to wear. 

When he found out she knew
how to two-step and line dance, he kept her on the dance floor for most of the
night which she loved.  He was good and loved flaunting his power by swinging
and spinning her all over the hardwood. 

They ran into a bunch of his
male friends and she made sure they knew how hot Victor made her.  She was all
over him, never bothering with a chair since she had his hard lap to use.  Riya
complimented him constantly and encouraged him to touch her in public, especially
the bare skin of her back, shoulders, and belly. 

At one point, she sat back
against his chest and used her hands to guide his palms over her stomach and
thighs.  She got so into it, almost gliding him over her tits and the crotch of
her jeans, she didn’t realize Victor’s friends were staring at her
slack-jawed. 

She gave them a little
half-smile and blushed.  She would leave no doubt with anyone who knew him that
he was a powerful sexual animal. 

When they got back to his
place at two in the morning, he fucked her so hard, so many times she couldn’t
feel her legs.  Since she’d known, and he hadn’t, that it would be their last
night to be together sexually, she made sure they had their fill of one another. 
By dawn, she was drunk on him. 

She knew the memories would
remain with her forever.  She made the last hoorah with sweet Victor as crazy
thorough as possible.

The next day, Riya insisted
on driving into town and going to Shay’s place so he could get his hair cut. 
He gave her one excuse after another which she promptly ignored. 

When she noticed he was
dragging his feet as they walked up the block, she turned to him and said
firmly, “You are acting like a little boy going for shots…what is
wrong
?” 

He sighed heavily, “I can’t
tell you.”

She laughed, “Oh yes, you
can.  I know you realize you can trust me…so spill it.”

Another sigh, “It is totally
disrespectful and I should be ashamed.” 

Riya cocked her head to the
side, considering.  “I’m going to guess, will you tell me if I’m right?”  He
nodded uncertainly. 

“I think you have a thing
for Shay.  I think when you first saw her in the kitchen the other day you got
so hot and bothered you had to have physical contact with me to try and ease
the pressure.  That you like her so much you’re scared to death of her
rejecting you so you avoid her completely.  That your interest in being part of
my research was in hopes I’d fuck the love you have for her out of your
system.  That even though we truly like one another, you now know it didn’t
work.  On top of all that, you’re worried about my feelings, hurting them or
seeming disrespectful of me.  How close am I?”

His mouth was open and his
lips were moving…nothing was coming out. 

“Nod yes or no.”  At his
nod, she smiled and took hold of his massive bicep, “See?  No worries.  Victor,
do you trust me?”  Another nod.  “You have to really trust me or I’m going to
make you suffer.  Like, putting flowers back in your living room again kind of
suffer.  Are we clear?”  A final nod with a hint of his sweet smile this time,
“Good, let’s go get your hair cut.  Have you ever heard people say a haircut
can change your life?  Well, this is one of those haircuts, baby.”

The shop was another couple
of doors down and a bell tinkled when Riya pushed open the door.  Shay was
behind the front desk with her legs propped up reading a book.  The place was
totally empty. 

Riya glanced at the hours on
the door and realized Shay was never open on this day of the week…she’d opened
just so Riya would bring Victor by. 

Her huge smile when she
greeted the other woman was sincere.  She was wearing worn jeans hung low on
her hips and a snug tank top with a crisp button down shirt over that.  There
were a few buttons undone so her cleavage was displayed to advantage.  She was
wearing cowboy boots and had her gorgeous red hair pulled back from her face
with a leather headband.  Dropping her feet to the floor and rising to her
feet, she approached them with a smile.

“Shay!  I’m so glad to see
you again.  Okay, we’re doing a wash and cut.  I know you’ll fix it without
losing the carefree nature of it.”  Shay was nodding shyly, unable to look
directly at Victor yet, who was just as unable to look at her. 

“Victor, can you please take
your shirt off.”  At his shocked expression, she rolled her eyes, “You’re a
man…no boobies…and you’re wearing a tank top.  I don’t want you to get hair all
over it or you’ll itch.”  Pause.  “Please?” 

His fingers went to the
buttons and she’d never seen anyone move so slowly.  Once he parted it and
pulled it off his shoulders, Shay sighed quietly.  He was a beautiful male
specimen, on that they agreed completely.  “My lord, Victor, you are so
gorgeous.  Isn’t he gorgeous, Shay?”

“Victor is a…very good
looking man.  All the girls around here talk about him,” she said innocently.

“Really?  Tell me all about
it.  You know men need to hear the good stuff just like us girls.  Having your
own business, I bet you get all the best gossip.”  They were walking toward the
back, Victor following like he was in trouble.  He was in very big trouble, but
Riya didn’t think it would have been fair to Shay to warn him about how much.

Shay put her hand delicately
on Victor’s bicep, pulling him to the shampoo chair.  Trying not to be too
obvious, she left her hand on him and ran her fingers over his tanned skin as
she warmed the water. 

“Riya, if you only knew. 
Victor keeps to himself, so all the people who really want him don’t get many
chances.  Meanwhile the only women he really sees are those no-class hangers-on
down by the marina.  Women who have no respect for themselves or their men.”

“I can’t stand a lack of
self-respect,” Riya chimed in sweetly from her perch on the other shampoo
chair.

“I agree.  A man needs a
woman who will appreciate him and take real good care of him.  Not some tart
who doesn’t know what he’s worth.  Anyway, we have quite the discussions about
Victor here.  One of the best looking men in town, so hard working, such a
gentleman.” 

She was pushing back against
his chest, lowering him so his head was over the sink.  She used the tiniest
bit of her nails to scrape across his chest as her hands moved back to the
sink.  His eyes were closed and his jaw was clenched tight, his hands gripping
the arms of the chair so tight his knuckles were white. 

“A good woman with a good
man.  That is a great thought.  You know, I have to leave in a couple of days. 
Victor and I are great friends and I’d hate for him to go back to being a
victim of those marina tarts.  Why don’t you keep an eye on him for me?” 

Shay kept a completely
serious tone in her voice as she replied, “I can’t imagine anything I’d rather
keep an eye on.”  Victor’s eyes popped open in shock.  She was wetting his
head, scraping her fingertips along his scalp slowly. 

“As a matter of fact, I’ve
been keeping my eye on him for a long while now.  I tell you what, Riya, a lot
of women wouldn’t like you being here and all.  Me?  I think I’ve never been so
grateful for another person in all my life.  Maybe he needed someone bolder to
kind of wake him up.”  She put shampoo in her hands, leaning forward to massage
it into his hair, her full breasts no more than an inch from his face. 

“I feel the same way, Shay. 
Like I was brought here for a reason.”  She watched as Victor dealt with Shay’s
breasts in his face and was pleased with the healthy erection forming in his
pants.  “Victor is one of the best men I’ve ever known.  The woman who lands
him will be very happy.”  She let the suggestion hang in the air around them.

Shay took her time rinsing
the shampoo then conditioning his hair and rinsing that out as well.  The
entire time she kept up pleasant conversation with Riya.  When she wrapped a
towel around Victor’s shaggy locks and pulled him into a sitting position, she
straddled his legs to rub it roughly over his head. 

Riya was duly impressed at
the slight jiggle of her ample cleavage.  When she finished, she dropped the
towel in the sink behind him, leaning over him to do it.  He never took his
eyes from her face. 

Her green eyes were smiling
when she finger-combed his hair before stepping back and tugging him to his
feet.  She was about the same height as Riya so he still towered over her. 
Riya thought they made a lovely couple and would make one another very happy.

Shay led him to her salon
chair.  “I don’t have to raise you up at all…you’re just so big, Victor,” she
said to him in the mirror.  She rested her hands lightly on his shoulders and
never broke eye contact with him as she asked, “What do you want me to do for
him, Riya?”

Riya had withdrawn to the
reception area, putting more and more distance between her and Victor.  “Shay,
I trust you completely.  I think you’ll take very good care of him.”  She stood
up and headed for the door.  “I’m going to take a look at a couple of the shops
along here.  You have to join us for lunch…please say you will.  Victor wants
to take me to his Aunt Cyndi’s diner.  I’m going to get some work done so no
rush.”

“I’d love to.  Thanks, Riya. 
We’ll meet you there as soon as I’m done with Victor.”  And Riya was gone with
a cheerful wave.  When the door closed all the way, Shay walked to it and
flipped the lock with a look of total resolve on her face. 

When she turned back to him,
he was eyeing her warily as she approached.  “I’m not open on Mondays, Victor. 
When Riya showed me how much time I’ve wasted, I couldn’t wait to get here
today.” 

She stepped behind him,
grabbing a huge cover-up to keep from getting hair all over him, her eyes locking
with his reflection.  She dropped the cover over him and smoothed it in place
over his shoulders.  Picking up scissors and a comb, Shay moved methodically
around his body as she got to work.

“I’m leaving the length,”
she informed him, “I think it looks good on you.”  She ran her hands through
the hair at the nape of his neck and tugged on it firmly causing his hands to
clench on the arms of the chair.  “We’re just going to clean it up a bit and
see how you like that.”

He was afraid to move or
speak.  Afraid the moment might pass or end up all being a misunderstanding. 
She was circling him, snipping and combing.  She never stopped talking.

“I know all about why Riya
is here, you know.  I think she’s incredible and so much braver than I could
ever be.  Hell, I couldn’t approach a man I’ve known and been half in love with
my whole life and she’s putting her faith in strangers and changing their lives
in so many good ways.  I know she respects you and really likes you as a man. 
She’s enjoyed great pleasure with you and she worries about leaving you in a
couple of days.  We had some nice girl-talk, she and I.” 

She was snipping the length
in the back, just behind his shoulder.  “She asked me what in the hell was
wrong with me, allowing things to get to a point where she could intrude on my
territory.  I told her I had no right to think of you like that and she said
she was surprised at me.  She didn’t think I was weak.”

She pulled out a blow dryer
and moved it over his head and upper body to remove the loose hair.  Then Shay
stepped in close and used her fingers as the comb while she dried it
completely. 

When she was done, she
pulled off the apron and ran a soft brush over his neck just in case there were
any other hairs.