Traditional Change (6 page)

"Hippie. They let it all hang out." Neely's attack of giggles continued. "At least you don't have a full bush."

"No, then I'd have a 70s bush based on that damn article. But it's still bad that I have a 90s bush. God! Why did no one tell me?"

"Didn't you notice when we were sweating our asses off in the sauna?"

"No! It's not like I examine others women's hoohas!" Rebecca took another drink, taking in the insanity that she had somehow missed this important female hygiene memo. "So…" She paused for a moment, trying to figure it all out. "So, you just shave the whole thing?"

Neely continued to laugh and nodded. "Yes, or you could wax it. Haven't you heard of the Brazilian?"

"Yes, but I can't imagine having the hair ripped off my pussy lips with hot wax!" As if the Gods were against her, Caine walked outside right as Rebecca said the words, 'pussy lips'.

"I'm going to run to the store. Can I get you ladies anything while I'm out?" he asked, acting as if he hadn't heard her, but revealing his discomfort by not making eye contact.

Neely just laughed and shook her head as Rebecca said, "No, we are fine."

Rebecca's face was on fire as Caine retreated back inside.

Taking a calming breath to control her laughter, Neely asked, "Do you at least trim that patch of yours? Or do you have this bushy patch of weeds?" She squealed with laughter at her own question. "When Andrew went down on you, could he floss his teeth?" And the laughter continued.

Rebecca crossed her arms in a fake pout. "Funny. My bush isn't out of control or anything. I shave… sometimes."

"Do you use those little grooming scissors, at least?"

"Scissors? No. I don't have any scissors. Oh God, this is classic. I've had the wrong bush for almost two decades."

"Well, I guess you know what you're doing tonight," Neely said, as she swallowed the last of her drink.

"Yes, I do. It's time to say goodbye to the 90s."

Sawyer sat in his studio, grateful that he'd only had one client and they had been an easy one. His head just wasn't in the game, and hadn't been for several days. Rebecca consumed his thoughts. The spanking was one thing, and a huge thing at that. But it was more. There was something about that skinny, freckled-faced, redhead that mastered his thoughts. She wasn't his usual type at all. Sure, she had—or would eventually have—a full back tattoo, but he usually dated women who were covered in ink and piercings. His women were harder, edgier, and a hell of a lot more wild. They also were open for all sexual kinks, whereas he had a pretty good feeling that his little Rebecca was as straight as an arrow when it came to sex. But there was something about her. Something that made him want to see her again.

And the spanking! She hadn't resisted; in fact, she'd pretty much asked for him to give her one. His palm itched at the memory as he smiled, thinking of her cute St. Patrick's Day panties. It was tiny little things like that which had him melting for this girl. She was different, a tad quirky, strong and independent, yet reminded him of a broken bird at times. Everything she did was a contradiction, and he loved not knowing what to expect when it came to her.

He grabbed a magazine that some of his tattoos were being showcased in and started flipping through. Anything to get his mind off this girl. It was crazy. He barely knew her. They had only spent, what, several hours together? Eighteen, to be exact. Maybe he was just in desperate need of getting laid.

It had been a long time since he'd been with anyone, and even longer since he'd even considered a relationship. Hooking up with some tattoo groupie would be easy enough, and he'd sure as hell taken advantage of that fact in the past. He was a hot-blooded man, after all. But if he was being honest with himself, he was growing tired of it. And after all the Domestic Discipline talk with Rebecca, he had a new desire for it. He couldn't really have DD without commitment, and he knew that. Some hot, BDSM, naughty girl spankings, sure, but not true DD. And he wanted it. But was Rebecca the girl? Allowing her panty-clad ass to be spanked out of curiosity more than anything else was a far cry from agreeing to a DD lifestyle—very different.

"What's up your ass?" Amos asked, snapping him out of his daydreaming. His brother sat across from him and started messing with the ink bottles on his workstation. Amos' hands shook, dark circles plagued his face, and his eyes were still bloodshot—from a hard night of partying, no doubt.

Sawyer slapped his brother's hand. "Leave my shit alone."

"Jesus, man. Someone on the rag today, or what?"

He loved his brother more than anything, and after their mother had died, Amos was the only family he had, unless you counted their deadbeat dad. But the man could work his last nerve. His brother fought his addictions on a daily basis and struggled with life in general. Amos did everything to the extreme, regardless of the law or the safety of it. With a heart of gold and a spirit unmatched by anyone, Amos exuded living life to the fullest.

"I have a lot of things on my mind."

"Yeah, well whoever
she
is, she must be a hot one."

Sawyer smirked. His brother knew him well. "That she is."

"Good in bed?"

"I don't know."

"You haven't fucked her yet, and she already has you all dreamy eyed? Jesus Christ!"

Sawyer winced at the crude sentence. He didn't like Rebecca being thought of or talked about like she was just some bar fly. "It's not like that. She's one of those good girls."

Amos chuckled. "Yeah, well, those 'good girls' are the dirtiest in bed. They like to be fucked hard in the filthiest of ways."

Sawyer kicked the chair Amos was sitting in, feeling his temper building. "Shut up. Don't talk like that." Why was he feeling such a sudden need to protect her?

"Fuck! I was kidding." Amos paused and studied his brother. "I was just kidding around. Sorry, man."

Sawyer shrugged and turned his attention to cleaning up his station. "Why are you here, anyway? I don't have you scheduled for a tattoo."

Amos cleared his throat. "I was hoping I could borrow enough to cover my rent. I'm a little short this month." Amos was always short covering one bill or the other. "I'll pay you back with my next paycheck." Which also wasn't true. Amos had a way of conveniently forgetting his debts.

"How much do you need?" Sawyer didn't even look up. Being asked for money by his brother was nothing new or shocking. It was as normal as taking a piss.

"Three hundred. Four, if you have it."

Without saying anything, Sawyer walked over to a safe in the corner of the room. He quickly opened the combination and counted out a bunch of twenties and a few hundred dollar bills. He pulled out five hundred and rolled it up. He then walked to his brother and handed him the money without saying a single word. He didn't want to encourage Amos, but he also didn't want to make him feel bad or less of a man. He knew Amos would do it for him in a heartbeat.

"Thanks, man." His brother pocketed the money without even counting it. "So, this chick. When do I get to meet her?"

"We aren't dating or anything."

"Why the hell not? If she has a hold of your heart like this, then why haven't you made her yours? That's not like you at all."

Sawyer stopped and stared at his brother, taking in his question. Why hadn't he? He wasn't one to play games or fuck around. If he wanted something or someone, he made it happen. He didn't overthink things or make it more complicated than it had to be. Not normally. So why was he acting like a drama-filled teenage boy avoiding doing anything about his feelings? Why was he not doing anything about it? He wanted Rebecca. He did.

"You're right," he said, nodding somewhat as he stared off into space. "It's time I get off my ass and make her mine."

* * * * *

What the hell was she doing up here? How could she have possibly thought that climbing this tree and sitting here for hours was a good idea?
Search your soul, they say. Find internal peace, they say
. Yeah well… her soul was hungry, and there was no peace to be found as she munched on a handful of raisins and pine nuts.

"Have you lost your mind? What are you doing up in that tree… bare-ass naked?"

Sawyer?

Rebecca tensed, not even daring to look down for fear that the smallest movement would send her falling to her death. Yeah, maybe being up in this damn tree wasn't the smartest thing to do.

"Get your ass down from there before you hurt yourself," Sawyer demanded, but his voice had a hint of amusement in it.

Sawyer.
Her heart beat so hard against her chest that she feared it would knock her right out of the tree. Days had gone by since she'd last seen him. Days of wishing she had the guts to say she wanted more. That she wanted him.

She looked down through the branches at the man she thought had no interest in her at all. He was out of her league. Wasn't he? Sawyer's tattooed arms were folded against his chest as he anxiously awaited her descent. His dark hair tousled in a perfectly delightful mess, and his emerald eyes looked up at her, sparked with worry.

"Do you need me to help you?" There was concern in his voice even though he hid it with a smirk of his lips; lips that Rebecca wanted to feel against hers. What was he doing here? How did he even know how to find her?

Reaching for the thickest branch to hold her weight, she slowly made her way down. "I'm coming." She tried her best not to picture what she looked like completely nude as she awkwardly maneuvered the branches. She most certainly wasn't leaving anything hidden from his watchful eyes. No doubt he could see every crack, hole, wrinkle, you name it—lovely situation indeed.

"I swear to God, Rebecca, if you fall, I'm going to bust your butt."

Scowling, she continued to climb. "If I fall, my butt will already be busted," she grunted as her feet finally made contact with the ground.

Despite the fact that she stood before him completely nude, Sawyer's presence eased the feeling of being lost that had tormented her. He gave her a sense of comfort, as odd as that was considering the situation she was in.

He removed his black t-shirt, revealing his heavily tattooed chest and stomach. The ripples on his abs were covered in decorative color. He truly appeared to be a masterpiece of art. She couldn't help but study his torso as he moved closer to her. "Here, put this on," he said, as he handed his shirt to her. "Why are you up in that tree?" He smiled and chuckled slightly. "And why are you
naked
in that tree?"

She snatched the shirt from his hand and slipped it on. Luckily, the large size of it covered her ass and girl parts from his view. "I am trying to be one with nature. I'm trying to connect with the earth." When he raised one eyebrow and smiled, she added, "Don't judge."

Sawyer shook his head and raised his hands in surrender. "Who am I to judge?"

Rebecca grinned. She knew how ridiculous she appeared. She had missed the way in which Sawyer could always stay open-minded. Nothing seemed to frazzle him—even seeing a naked woman up in a tree.

"So were you successful? Are you now one with nature?" He smiled and crossed his arms against his bare chest once more. "By all means, if you feel the need to be close with Mother Earth again, I can always take my shirt back."

"How did you find me?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I asked Caine. He found out from Neely."

"Why are you here?" She hadn't been sure how their next meeting would be, but being naked in front of him, at The Spiritual Oasis, was not exactly what she had envisioned. Rebecca now wanted to kick Coley in the shin for convincing her that coming here would be a good idea.

Sawyer took a deep breath before speaking. "I feel like we left things unfinished."

Yanking on the hem of the shirt to cover more of her body, she asked, "Unfinished? How so?"

"Come on, Rebecca. Are you telling me that there was nothing between us? I spanked you, for Christ's sake. It's not like I spank all my clients after a tattoo is done. Plus, the way we talked… it was so easy and simple. I opened up to you like I've never done before."

She remained silent, not sure what to say. Her insides were doing acrobatics at the memory of being across his lap.

Sawyer approached her, reached for a strand of her hair and gently tucked it behind her ear. She looked down at the ground but didn't pull away. "Are you having some sort of midlife crisis? Why do you feel this need to change?" he said gently.

She continued to look down at her bare feet, not wanting to meet his eyes. "I feel lost." The confession rolled off her tongue so simply.

Cupping her jaw, he tilted her face and kissed her. No hesitation, no question in his eyes, no asking for permission. Sawyer took her kiss as if it were always his to take. His lips were warm and smooth, yet powerful at the same time as his mouth sank into hers. He swept his tongue against hers, and she groaned as she pressed her body against his bare chest. The intensity, the emotion, the hunger for this man had only grown with the few days apart. What was it about him that made her knees grow weak from just a simple kiss?

Feeling herself lose control, she pushed abruptly away from him, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Why are you here? What do you want?"

"Is it so hard to believe that I am here for you? I want you, or at least I want the chance to figure out how to make that happen." He gently caressed her face, his eyes warning of another kiss.

Rebecca took a few steps backwards. "We are so different."

Sawyer nodded. "Yes."

"So?" she added as she looked at him incredulously.

He took a step forward, closing the distance between them again. "We are different. Is that so bad?"

"Well… yes. Especially since we don't believe in the same things."

"Like?"

"Like the fact that you believe in Domestic Discipline."

Sawyer smiled and nodded. "Yes. So?"

"So? So! I don't believe in the same things!" Her frustration became evident with her raised voice. Why couldn't he see that they weren't a match? They were so far apart on everything that the idea of the two of them together was almost comical.

"You let me spank you, if I remember correctly."

"That was different." She had no idea how or why, and desperately hoped he wouldn't ask her to explain her comment.

Sawyer tilted his head toward the tree she was just in. "You said you were lost. You are trying to find yourself. Well? Did you find any answers up in that tree by yourself?"

"No," she whispered, crossing her arms with a little pout.

"So don't you think that you could maybe, just maybe, try to find yourself with me? Can't you at least be open to the idea? Or are you saying that you are more open to climbing a tree bare-ass naked in the middle of nowhere, than exploring a different lifestyle with me?"

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"I believe there is something between us. I haven't been able to get the idea of you and I out of my mind."