A/N: DON'T FLAME IF YOU DON'T READ THIS FIRST! Yeah, she's a bit of a Mary Sue, I guess. Expensive car, hot body, of course there is the little fact that she doesn't seem intent on fing Paul. Anyways I just wrote this for fun. It's not supposed to be a really good fic, so I don't want to hear about my "Mary Sue." Are we clear? Good. Flame away.
Paul Phoenix
The sun over Texas was just beginning to rise and was already uncomfortably warm for me. I hit a button on the dash and the black cloth top of my convertible comes slowly up. The predawn hours had been absolute bliss, but my pale skin did not handle bright sun light well enough for me to leave the top down, no matter how nice the wind in my hair felt.
Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin bursts out of the speakers as the player changes tracks. The CD was a gift from my Uncle for driving myself from Indiana to Texas to see him and his family for his birthday. I guess the grill I got him had been very well liked. He had actually been crying when he unwrapped it. He had been so happy to finally have a grill he could cook more than three hamburger patties on. It had been enough to just see him that happy, but he'd decided to give me my dad's old rock collection and it complemented my own perfectly.
The hard new rockers and the classics that never became old to a true fan. I hit the forward button a few times skipping ahead to Black Dog and begin to sing.
"♫Hey, hey momma saw the way you move, gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove! ♫ WAHOO!! SING IT LOUD, SING IT PROUD!" This song never once failed to cheer me up.
The sun comes up quickly lighting the seemingly endless strip of road and I switch off my head lights. Up ahead to the side of the road I see a large dark shape. I slow down not sure if it's an animal or just junk. Slowly the edges become more defined in the growing light. It's a man leaning against a motorcycle. I hit the lock button for the doors as I get nearer. Cautiously I come to a complete stop beside him.
"You need help, or just enjoying the view?" I keep my voice casual and hit the pause button on the disc player. After a few minutes he still hasn't answered. "Hey! You deaf or something?" This time my voice is louder. Still no answer.
Cautiously I grab the small knife I keep for self defense out of the glove compartment and open the door stepping out. I edge closer to his standing form. "Hey, are you listening to me?"
As I come closer the sun brightens from dull red to gold and I see his closed eyes clearly. I sigh relieved and toss the knife back into the car. Gently I tap him on the shoulder not wanting to startle the guy. "Hey, blondy are you planning on sleeping out here 'cause its gonna get real hot soon." No answer so I tap him harder.
The sun is now up and I can see him perfectly. I pause in my attempts to stir him and examine him more thoroughly. Blond hair reaching just past his shoulders, a black leather jacket and similar pants. Fuzz just beginning to get long on his cheeks and chin. He looks filthy and smells worse. Dust on his clothes, face, and in his hair makes it hard to judge how old he is.
Finally I stop tapping on his shoulder and examine his bike. Its a classic Harley probably with some custom work done and an intricate flaming paint job. I extend my right hand cautiously, hardly daring to believe my own eyes. My fingers brush against the head light gently and the front turns.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING???!!" Suddenly he's awake. All the tapping him on the shoulder and shouting had done nothing, but one touch on the beauty of a bike and he had sprung to life and action. His hands reach out like lightening wrapping around my thin arms and pulling me into a tight inescapable bear hug from behind. I can barely breath. "Did you think you were just gonna touch my pride and joy and walk off like it was nothing?" With the easiest of gestures he throws me to the ground a yard away from his bike and two from my car. Oh how I wish I'd kept that knife. "Huh?" He looks at me closely and I scramble up from the ground dusting myself off as best I can. "You're a girl."
"And you're obviously not a genius." I know I should bite my tongue, but talk about degrading. All that yelling and I'll certainly get a bruise on my rump from that throw and he just now realizes I'm a girl.
"True. My apologies babe. I've been riding alone for a couple months trying to get some people off my back. My bike ran out of gas about five miles back. I walked it this far and then decided to take a nap." His eyes keep running up and down the length of my body. "Got a spare can on you?" He smiles smugly taking in the low cut belly shirt and short shorts.
I glare at him incensed, but keep my voice calm. "No, I don't."
"Got room for a bike and a guy?"
"Does it look like I have a bike rack on top of my car." I gesture to my blue corvette, the cloth top up.
For a moment he looks at it considering then nods. "Yep." Before my stunned eyes he reaches in through the open driver's door, manually cranks the roof down, and then carefully lifts the motorcycle up and sets it down in my back seat. Then, as though this were perfectly normal he hops into the passenger seat up front and looks over at me impatiently. I stand there speechless with my mouth wide open. "You alright?"
"You just-just picked up a motorcycle like it was nothing." I point to the bike barely able to get the words out.
"Naw, I think I might have pulled a muscle in my left arm." He hits play for the CD and nods approvingly as the track starts back up where I had paused it. Numbly I walk over to the car and climb into my seat. Feeling oddly as though I'm in a dream I sit down in the driver's seat and start the ignition. "You do know your door is open, right?"
I don't answer, but close the door and turn in the white leather seat to look at him again. I turn further and look at the bike in the back seat. Then, my brain shifts out of park. A dusty smelly guy is sitting in my white leather passenger seat and his dusty motorcycle is sitting on the matching back seat. "Oh my god! MY SEATS!"
"Huh?" He looks at me confused.
"You're going to ruin my seats!" I answer miserably my face twisting in horror at the too late realization, then turn angrily back to him. "YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THE DETAIL JOB!" It was not just a statement, it was an unarguable command.
"Oh is that all?" For a moment he searches around in the pockets of his leather jacket then pulls out a wad of bills and hands it to me. "Here this'll cover a detail job won't it. I hate owing people." Slowly I un-crinkle the wad of bills. I shove a $100 in my back pocket and thrust the rest back into his hands.
He shrugs and puts it back into a jacket pocket. I pull away from the side of the road and onto the highway speeding up as I go till I reach about 75MPH. We drive for most of the morning swapping the CD after its finished playing and putting in a new one. As I drive we talk a little and get to know each other. My shock and anger where off pretty quickly, and I find out his name is Paul Phoenix, he's a smart aleck, and he really likes rock. From Zeppelin to AC/DC he loves all my CD's and plays a few of his own that I really like too.
I tell him my name, Kate, that I was visiting my Uncle, I'm from Indiana, and a few of my preferred bands. He also wheedles out of me the facts that I'm single, finishing up college, and no, I've really never heard of him before, which he just can't seem to believe. At one point he even talks me into singing a slower rock song for him.
A little after sunset I see a gas station/diner/motel up ahead and pull into it to refill my gas tank. I shut the engine off and pull my keys out of the ignition as Paul climbs out and carefully removes his bike from my back seat. The damage to my seats isn't nearly as bad as I had originally feared. The hundred dollars will definitely cover once I'm back home.
As Paul refills his gas tank he asks me a question. "Wanna get something to eat?"
I shrug while I pump gas into my corvette. "Sure, I'm pretty hungry." We both finish filling the tanks up and pull our vehicles around to parking spots. "I might just stay here tonight if its not too expensive." I say to Paul as we walk in.
"Not a bad idea." He walks in ahead of me and takes a seat at the counter. I slide onto the seat next to him. The waitress at the register hands us each a menu. She's very old judging by the wrinkles that crowd each other on her face, turkey neck, and what I can see of her arms. Her hair is dyed a nasty bright orange and pulled into massive curls that look like they're still wrapped around their curlers. Bright electric blue eye shadow covers her eye lid all the way up to her poorly penciled brows. An absurd amount of cheap bright red lipstick is on her prune like lips, and pink blush is blotched over her cheeks.
I look down at the menu in front of me. It's one sheet of paper, black and white print only, no lamination, and no back side. "We got ourselves a new cook last week and all he makes is some china type food. That's all we got so ya either eat it or ya don't eat." Her voice is nasally and grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. I look down at the menu.
The Good Stuff
Pepper Beef………………………………………………………………….$5.60
Teriyaki Chicken…………………………………………………………….$5.20
Miso Soup…………………………………………………………………...$6.15
Chicken Lo Mien……………………………………………………………$6.30
Beef Lo Mien………………………………………………………………..$6.50
5 Crab Rangoon……………………………………………………………..$6.20
Drinks
(Drinks are one size only)
Water…………………………………………………………………………$1.20
Beer…………………………………………………………………………..$1.50
Green tea……………………………………………………………………..$1.00
"I'll have the Pepper Beef and a beer." Paul says and hands the menu back to the waitress.
"Teriyaki Chicken and water." I say as she takes the menus back and walks away calling out the order. It takes a few minutes, but the food is great.
"Hey, my treat." Paul says putting a hand out to stop me from paying.
"Why?"
He shrugs. "I did throw you pretty hard."
I wince nodding. "How much for a room?" I ask the waitress.
"Twenty dollars darlin' and we only got one single open." Her accent really turns my stomach.
"We'll take it." Paul hands her four tens. "Keep the change." She walks away and he leans closer to whisper in my ear. "Anything to not hear her voice again." I stifle a laugh nodding.
Later that night I'm trying to decide what I want to wear to bed. "How about that one?" Paul says pointing to a sheer black silk nightgown with a deep lacy collar. He had just finished up in the shower and was standing perfectly relaxed behind me with nothing but a towel draped over his shoulders.
"Geez! Cover yourself up! I don't even know you for Pete's sake." I turn my eyes politely away, but not before he winks at me.
"Most women find me pretty irresistible." Thinking of the golden curls on his broad chest and thick arms and in other places I can see why.
"Sorry biker boy. This lady's off limits." I fold the black nightgown carefully and put it away, pulling out a solid dark blue silk nightgown with spaghetti straps instead.
"That one's cute too."
"Off limits." Is all I say as I head to the shower. The water is hot and I feel much cleaner after I finish. I push the curtain to one side and gasp in surprise. Paul is rinsing his mouth out at the sink and still nude. For a moment I freeze too stunned to move. Muscles ripple all over his magnificent body as he turns. Franticly I drag the curtain shut again and the whole thing comes crashing down, the curtain, the rod, and little bits of plaster where the rod had been anchored into the wall.
Completely at ease he bends over and picks up the curtain on its rod and sets either end back into place, sorta. Grinning he reaches out and grabs my arm gently pulling me out of the tub. "You might want to dry off before you get cold." He wraps a soft towel around me then exits giving me an excellent view of his butt. I close the door and dry off before putting on my nightgown and brushing my own teeth.
A/N: This is just a one shot. Sorry, but I really have no ideas to take this anywhere. I did once, but can't for the life of me remember what they were, and don't particularly feel like going into detail about, well if you don't know you probably shouldn't be reading this story anyways. So, if you really really want another chapter or two, someone has got to post an inspiring review. And again I'm sorry, but "Wow I loved your story." or "Cool. Post more." do not inspire further chapters though I do appreciate the compliments.