JENNIE

—I'll Have Sex with You in the Mystery Machine—

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The sound of joyous laughter and screaming children fill the air, the smell of buttered popcorn and funnel cake causing my tummy to growl.

"Nini girl, don't go too far. It's getting dark."

My pigtails whip in the air as I look behind me at Momma, who's trying to keep up with me. "Hurry, hurry, they're gonna fill up and we're not gonna be able to ride it!"

My feet hit the ground harder, pushing in-between people. The Ferris wheel comes into view and I halt in my tracks. "Jiminy crickets," I gasp, lifting my head until my eyes reach the top of it. It's so much bigger than the advertisement.

Two weeks ago, the first flier was posted just outside Momma's antique shop. Rosedale's Amusement and Co. was traveling through Teterboro. They were bringing a carnival. The flier had rides and animals on it. Momma had to read me the rest, but my stomach started to rumble at the words cotton candy and funnel cake. Not once in my six whole years of life has a carnival come through here. The entire town was ecstatic. Miss Beatrice told me we should keep an eye out for a husband for Miss Mabel. "Hook one of them carnies, and they'll take her out of our hair. She'll finally get some, while seeing the world."

While Momma shook her head and laughed, my expression turned serious. I wanted to get married and travel the world. Maybe I could find a husband too! Later that night, while we were getting ready for bed, I asked Momma, "Do you think if I wear my hair nice and my favorite church dress, I'll find a husband at the carnival?"

She pulled the covers away from the bed and I jumped in.

"Baby girl, you're too young to get married."

"But you told me you and Daddy were kids when you got married."

I wish I kept my mouth shut. She's been in such a cheerful mood all day, the store receiving a large order allowing us the extra funds to buy the tickets to the carnival.

"I know, but everyone's story is different. We may have been young, but it was our destiny. Love brought us together sooner in life than some."

"So maybe I'll find a husband. He can take me with him, and we can travel, and I can maybe ride the rides for free since we'll be married."

Momma laughs, tucking me in. "Now, what did I tell you about listening to Miss Beatrice's wise comments? They aren't always wise. You, my sweet girl, have a bright, wonderful future ahead of you. One day, when the time's right, you'll meet someone. And you will know. He'll be worthy of your time and kindness. He'll cherish his moments with you and love you for you."

"How Daddy loved you?"

"How Daddy loved me."

"And maybe when I grow up, I can run the antique shop and make the orders and put all the stuff on the shelf." Right now, she won't let me because I have small hands and she worries I'll break stuff.

She laughs again, brushing her warm hand across my cheek. "I was thinking more like, the mayor. Or even, one day, leaving this small town and becoming president. What do you think?"

My tired eyes pop wide open. "President? You really think?"

Her head dips and she places a kiss to my forehead. "I think you can be anything you want to be, if your heart is in the right place."

That night I fell asleep dreaming of all the things I could and would be.

When the day of the carnival finally came, I was, as Mabel called me, an over wound toy. I couldn't sit still.

I waited while they closed up the shop and dragged Momma the three blocks until the carnival came into view. It was nothing I'd ever seen before. Gigantic rides, horses walking in circles with kids on them, rows and rows of booths with games and food. If another second went by and I wasn't on a ride, I was going to explode!

"Baby, you have to stand in line."

I turn around to see she's finally caught up to me. She looks extra pretty today in her favorite yellow dress. Her hair is down, which she only wears it that way when we go out. She has a light layer of lipstick painted over her lips and she's wearing earrings. "Momma, maybe if you say hello to the man over there, he will let us go in front. You look mighty special tonight. Can you try?"

She takes a peek at the long line until she makes eye contact with the man taking the tickets. "Um…no, baby. I think we're just gonna have to wait our turn."

My lips turn down. "But the line is so long. We're never gonna get on it. Please!"

She grabs for my hand to keep me in place. "Nini, we have to wait like everyone else."

I stomp my feet. Not everyone else had to wait hours and hours to close a store no one was even in. I'm old enough. I could have come here myself. "If we don't get on the ride, it's your fault." I rip my hand out of her grip, crossing my arms over my chest, pouting.

"Now, missy, if you keep up this attitude, we won't wait at all. I spent a lot of money on these tickets—"

"Yeah, and we're not gonna get to use them because they're gonna close before we get up there!" I yell.

She goes for my hand, but something catches her attention. She freezes, any color in her face suddenly gone. As if she's seen a ghost. My eyes search the same places she's looking, but I don't see anyone. "We…we…have to go."

"No! We can't. We will lose our place in line!"

She snatches my hand, pulling me out of line and toward the area she's yet to take her eyes off of. I fight her, watching a family move up, taking our spot.

"No! I want to ride the Ferris wheel!" I scream, kicking, but she doesn't stop.

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I wake with a start.

I blink away my fogginess until my surroundings remind me of the present. The large mountains tell me we're well into Colorado.

"Rise and shine. Thought you were going to sleep forever."

I look over at Lisa, sporting a pair of sunglasses, courtesy of Theo and his vehicle trade. My mouth is really dry. "Here, drink this." Lisa hands me a water. I take a hefty sip, thankfully quenching my thirst.

"What happened last night?" I ask, shading my eyes from the bright sun.

"You were fed pot brownies, made friends with a bunch of hippies, went skinny-dipping, and then we traded off our SUV for a hippie van and had wild maniac sex until the sun came up."

My eyes shoot wide. "We did?"

"No, you passed out eating Doritos. I figured you needed the sleep, so I let you, while I got a head start on our drive."

Visions of green ketchup and dancing, and— "Oh my God, everyone was naked!" I cover my eyes.

Lisa chuckles. "At least you can cross skinny-dipping while high as a kite off your bucket list."

"How embarrassing," I moan through my covered face.

"Consider it adventurous."

I peek through my fingers to see her wearing a humorous smile. "Making a complete fool out of myself is not what I had in mind when I said I wanted adventure." More like eat a crab cake in Maine. Visit the World's largest ball of twine in Kansas. Try bull riding.

"Then enlighten me. What's on your bucket list?"

I turn back to Lisa. "Bucket list? I don't know that I really have one."

"Come on. Everyone has one. What's something you've always wanted to do?"

I sit and take a moment to ponder it.

"Don't hurt yourself." She laughs. "Just spit out the first thing that comes to mind."

"Ride on a Ferris wheel," I say, still in the memory of the past.

"Ferris wheel? Really?"

"Yeah. When I was a kid, the carnival came to town. I was so excited. Nothing like that ever came to Teterboro. So, you can imagine what a big deal it was. Anyhow, the day the carnival came, I ran straight toward the Ferris wheel. I remember it being so much bigger than I expected. I wondered if you could touch the clouds when you were all the way on top."

"Could you?" she asks, with a playful smile on her face.

"I wouldn't know. I never got to ride it."

"Why not?"

"The line was so long. I was worried we wouldn't get our chance, so I begged my momma to go up and sweet talk the worker. She told me no, so I threw a fit. In the midst, something happened. As if she saw a ghost or something. She pulled us out of the line and across the entire carnival, until my feet couldn't go any farther. I was crying so loud for her to stop. A stranger stepped in. She, herself, was frantic. She'd disappeared there for a moment, mentally. But when she came to, she broke down and cried. At that point, I just wanted to go home, so we did. The carnival never did come around again."

She grabs my hand, placing a tender kiss to the inside of my wrist.

"Silly, isn't it?"

"Not at all. It's your bucket list. Not someone else's. Everyone has a different take on what's special to them. Some wishes are small, some big."

I'm thankful for her words. I don't know where that memory came from. It's been so long since I've thought about that day. I think all the change happening is stirring up old memories. So many of Momma. I wish she were here to see me. She'd be so proud of the way I'm experiencing each day as an adventure. Maybe not so much the romance part, since she would have been scandalized by all the new things I'm learning, saying, thinking. "Okay, well, then tell me one of yours."

"To ride in the Scooby mobile. And look at me now."

A few seconds pass and I throw my head back, a boisterous laugh escaping my lips. "You mean the Mystery Machine?" I'm surprised I didn't notice it before, but the van indeed is a spitting image of Scooby Doo's shag machine. The seats are lined in light brown fur covers. Seventies flowers are painted on the outside of the baby blue exterior.

"You see it now," she says, "don't you?"

"I sure do. Wow." I'm not sure who got the better end of the trade. A brand-new, suped up SUV, or this classic vehicle. I shake my head again in disbelief, unable to hide my smile. The craziness we've been through the past few days is hard to believe. Teterboro is a quiet town. Nothing exciting happens.

Before this, my enjoyment consisted of searching the Internet for new Lean Cuisine flavors and Richard Simmons' videos. Before Lisa, I realized, I wasn't truly living. I scrape my brain for every little wish, thought, idea I've ever had. With the way Lisa has brought my body to life, one idea stands out. "Name one thing on your bucket list that can be accomplished right now."

"Hot sex in the Mystery Machine."

Wow, how our minds think alike. I start to giggle.

"What's so funny, squirrel girl? Gone shy on me all of a sudden?"

I look at her and lose it, laughing harder.

"Okay, spill it or I'm going to make you. You're still my captive. You do as I say." She reaches over and starts squeezing at my thigh.

"Okay! Okay!" I try and catch my breath. "I think we can both scratch one thing off our bucket list."

Her brow rises in curiosity. "I'm all ears."

I don't know where all this boldness came from, but I'm loving it. "I'll have sex with you in the Mystery Machine. But in doing so, you have to do something for me." Her smile turns wicked. "There's something I'd also like to cross off my bucket list." Holy cow I'm really going to ask this.

"Babe, spit it out. You have me thinking anything from teaching you how to fly a kite to flipping you over and owning that—"

"I want you to reenact a scene from my romance book." Shoot. I said it. Oh God! I want to take it back! What's gotten into— "Wait, where are you going?" I'm confused as she changes lanes and takes the rest stop exit. "I thought we still had—"

"It's your lucky day, sweetheart. I'm all about pleasing and we're actually ahead of schedule." She drives up and occupies a spot toward the back of the rest stop. Putting the van in park, she turns to me. "So, please do tell, what kind of scene will I be reenacting?" Her eyes are on fire, her grin already working me into a frenzy. She resembles a wolf ready to attack its prey.

"Well—um…" Just do it. There's no turning back now. "It's my outlaw book." Deep breath. "And he's rough with her." Inhale. Exhale. "May choke her and spank her." Oh dear Lord, just stop talking.

"Deal."

"Wait, what?"

"I said deal. Where's the book? I want to make sure I do it all right. Fulfill your naughty captive fantasy just right."

My cheeks blaze, but nothing compares to the inferno of heat that's between my legs right now. Live, Nini. Be wild and free. I bend down and dig through my new satchel purse—IOU to the Chatfield Reservoir gas station—since Lisa, my handsome kidnapper, rushed me and I left mine at home. I finally locate the outlaw book Beatrice gave me that I thankfully thought to shove in my suitcase before I left. I pull it out and search for the exact page. Before I chicken out, I hand the open book to Lisa. She accepts it, giving it a sample read. It's when her brow turns up that I want to take it all back and hide.

"His strong hands, ruthless and hungry for her virgin flesh, work their way up her silky-smooth leg, his calloused fingers finding her bare of any undergarments. 'Naughty little girl, aren't you? Makin' it easier for Daddy to get to that pussy—'"

"Okay, maybe this was a silly idea—"

"Oh, I don't think so, babe. This is happening. And I might be knocking two items off my list. Now," she says, using her finger to imitate a gun. "Get in the back of the van, and no one gets hurt."

My confusion quickly morphs into excitement. I almost bounce out of my seat, tossing Kuma to the floor and hopping in the back. My entire body is buzzing with anticipation as Lisa climbs back with me.

"Don't try and fight me, or else I'll make you pay." She lifts the book to read a few more lines. "Take your clothes off. And kneel. I want you to know who your master is."

I bite at my lower lip, and her eyes darken, lost in the words. I lower myself onto the floor. My hands dig under my tank top and I lift it over my head, dropping it next to me. Her eyes dilate and I continue unsnapping my bra. My breasts release and pop free as I drop the undergarment on top of my shirt.

"Fuck," Lisa groans. She shakes her head, getting back into character. "All of your clothes or I'll teach you a lesson and you won't be able to sit for a week."

My thighs clench together. I push down my black leggings, taking my panties with them, until I'm completely bare for her.

There's a strain in her voice, but she keeps going. "Open your legs. I want to see how wet your pussy is… Jesus." She brushes her hand over her face, almost dropping the book. "Your pussy is mine. Hear me? You're wet for me and only me."

"Yes, Master," I reply, knowing how the heroine in the book responds.

She skims through a few more lines and tosses the book. "I get the gist." And then she whips out of her jeans, tossing her shirt as well. Her knees hit the ground, and she's putting her hand around my neck, her huge erection poking me in the belly. "You like it when I choke you, captive? I'm going to choke that innocent virgin pussy next." She pushes me gently so my back falls onto the floor bed.

This is even hotter than I'd imagined it would be. Her lips fall against mine and she kisses me hard. Her hand is back around my neck, her thumb pressing at my pulse.

"Please… Don't hurt me. I'll do whatever you say," I whisper, my voice raspy.

"Oh, I plan on doing more than hurting you. Starting with this gun." She lifts her hand that's still in the shape of a gun. "I'm going to fuck you hard with this pistol until you're begging me to stop." She brings her hand between my thighs and slides her finger up my wet center. "Yeah, you naughty little captive. Just what I thought. Sopping wet. Going to make you choke on my dick next—"

"You motherfucker!"

Lisa's finger stops mid thrust. "What the—"

"I'm going to fucking slit your throat!"

We freeze, the color washing clear off both our faces. "What is that?" Please don't be what I think—

"Shit, the phone," Lisa jumps off me and pushes me to the side. The phone, somehow when she undressed, slipped out of her pants and when she pushed me to the ground, I must have butt dialed, or in this case back dialed Mr. Death.

"Fuck," she hisses and pulls the phone to her ear. "It's not what you—"

"Enjoy the remaining days of life, you motherfucker."

"Mr. Death—"

"You're dead. You touch another hair on her body, they pay." Then the sudden howl of a female's voice rings through the phone.

"Don't fucking hurt them!" Lisa screams.

"Too late. Change of plans. You have twelve hours to get to LA."

Lisa's face explodes with panic. Looking at the clock on the dashboard. "That's impossible. We're fifteen hours away at least."

"Every minute you're late, I cut off a finger, you piece of shit."

"We won't fucking make it in that time!"

"Good thing you don't need all your fingers and toes to survive. Blood loss, though. That's another problem."

I throw my hands over my mouth, about to be sick.

"You made one vital mistake. It was crossing me. Twelve hours."

And the line goes dead.

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