Page 39 of Last Call (Open Tab #5)

Fallon stepped back inside and behind the bar. She was tempted to pour herself a drink. Knowing that the next day was likely to start in a few hours or less, she thought better of the idea and put on a pot of coffee instead. She looked down at her phone and chuckled:

Andi: You’re really going to make me take care of this myself?

Fallon: You know, the roads are slick already.

Andi: It’s not just the roads that are wet, Fallon.

Fallon laughed. “You are going to kill me one of these days.” She replied: Let me know when it starts sticking, and I’ll come dig you out.

Andi: Cute.

Fallon was startled when her phone rang. “Yes?”

“What are you doing?” Andi asked.

“What are you doing?”

“Thinking about what I wish you were doing.”

“Is that right?”

Andi sighed. “Might not see you for a week or so.”

“I know.”

“That’s a long time,” Andi breathed.

Fallon sat down on a bar stool. It wasn’t the first time she’d listened or watched as Andi touched herself.

She’d like to say that watching was more of a turn-on, but there was something intensely arousing about hearing Andi and not being able to see her.

It reminded Fallon of her youth; all the nights she would close her bedroom door and imagine Andi naked—imagine touching Andi while she explored herself.

Andi might not realize it, but she’d taught Fallon a great deal about pleasure before they’d ever slept together.

Fantasies of Andi Sherman drove Fallon to learn how she liked to be touched, and she did not doubt that those nights had made her a more adept lover.

Now, she could picture Andi clearly. She didn’t need to conjure a fantasy.

She’d memorized the expression on Andi’s face as Andi hovered close to climax.

She’d felt Andi’s heart race and heard her whimpers gradually change to strangled cries of ecstasy.

She could hear Andi’s uneven breathing on the other end of the phone.

It made her heart beat slightly out of time.

Maybe I should’ve taken Carol up on her offer. She bit her lip gently as she listened to her lover.

“Too long,” Andi said.

“Oh?” Fallon played along. “What would I be doing if I were there?”

“You’d be inside me.”

A jolt traveled from Fallon’s ears straight to her center. Jesus. On second thought, maybe this was better than being there. No way.

“You’d be licking me,” Andi said.

“Yeah? Is that what you are imagining right now? Me between your thighs?”

Andi gasped.

“You are,” Fallon surmised. If only Andi knew how many times Fallon had imagined that over the years. “Tell me. What do I feel like?”

“Warm,” Andi breathed. “Wet… Soft…”

Warm and wet were excellent ways to describe Fallon’s current physical state as well.

Had she not been in front of two large windows, Fallon would have become more than a verbal participant in their play.

These were aspects of Andi that Jake had never shared and would never share—Andi’s unbridled desire. Fallon loved it.

“You want me to make you come?” Fallon asked.

Andi groaned. “Yes,” she hissed.

“Mm. You want to imagine it’s my tongue circling your clit right now instead of your fingers.”

“Yes.”

“Soft and slow, Andi. Take it soft and slow. Not yet. You like it when I tease you.” Jesus, who is getting more out of this? Fallon steadied her breathing. She heard Andi’s breath catch and sputter. “Not yet.”

“Please.”

“You want to beg me?”

Andi moaned. “Yes.”

“Slow down,” Fallon instructed. “Easy. Soft, just like I touched you before I left this morning.”

Andi gasped. “Fallon…”

Fallon was losing her resolve. The temptation to plunge her hand into her jeans was growing by the second. She closed her eyes. She could almost feel Andi’s hands in her hair. God help me . “Now,” Fallon said. “Come on, right now. Feel me right now.”

Andi screamed, announcing her pleasure. “Make me come, Fallon! Oh…”

Fallon throbbed with desire. Every inch of her begged to be touched. Her body screamed at her to relieve the ache—right now. She closed her eyes and groaned.

“I wish you were here,” Andi whispered.

“You have no idea how much I want to be.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“Mm.”

Andi giggled. “Frustrated?”

“You have no idea.”

“Take care of it,” Andi suggested.

Jesus . “I wish I could.” Trust me, when I get home later, I will. You are sexy as hell; you know that?”

“You might be a tad biased.”

“No,” Fallon said honestly. “You are.”

Andi rolled over and hugged the pillow Fallon had rested on earlier that day. “I’ll miss you, Fallon.” It was the truth. She would.

“You’ll see me,” Fallon reminded her. She heard Andi sigh. “I’ll miss you too.”

“Be careful out there, Fallon.”

“I won’t cut off any appendages you find useful,” Fallon teased.

“I’m serious.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Text me when you finish,” Andi requested.

“Finish with plowing or finish relieving this pain you’ve inflicted upon me?”

Andi grinned. “You can call me for that, too.”

Fallon chuckled. “Get some rest.”

“Text me, Fallon.”

“I promise.”

Fallon took a deep breath and placed her phone on the counter.

She smiled. Andi was one of a kind. She blew out her breath and started for the coffee maker when something caught her eye outside the window.

Fallon moved to look out the window at the parking lot, struggling to make out something through the snow.

“What…” She squinted to bring the approaching figure into focus. “What on earth?”

Fallon grabbed her jacket and flew out the front door of Murphy’s Law. As the figure came into view, Fallon’s pace increased. “Hey!”

“Oh, thank God.” Riley stumbled slightly, Owen nearly falling off her hip.

Fallon caught the young woman. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. We’ve been walking for a while.”

Fallon’s gaze narrowed with concern.

“My car,” Riley’s thoughts seemed to spin in time with her head. “My phone…”

Fallon caught her again. “Whoa… Let’s get you inside.”

“Inside?” Riley asked.

Fallon pointed to the building behind her. The young woman seemed confused. Her legs wavered. Fallon put an arm around her and guided her toward the pub. “Let’s get you inside and warmed up, and we’ll figure out how you ended up here.” She opened the door to the pub.

“Where are we?” Riley asked.

Fallon almost laughed at the irony. If nothing else, the pub was aptly named. “Welcome to Murphy’s Law,” she said.

Riley flopped into a chair, still holding Owen. Fallon crouched down in front of her. “Let’s try this again now that we’re someplace a little warmer.” She smiled. “I’m Fallon,” she said. “This is my pub, Murphy’s Law.”

Riley nodded. “Riley,” she introduced herself.

“And who is this?” Fallon inquired.

Owen’s eyes began to open. He reached for the hat on his head and tossed it aside.

Fallon chuckled. Typical.

“This is Owen,” Riley explained. She took the first deep breath she had taken since leaving the car on the side of the road. “My car,” she began again. “I don’t know what happened. It started shaking. I pulled over, and it just…”

“Died?” Fallon guessed

Riley nodded. “I didn’t have any cell service.”

“So, you thought you’d walk until you found some.”

Riley nodded again.

“Mm. That can be tricky out here sometimes,” Fallon said. She studied Riley thoughtfully for a minute. “How about a cup of coffee to warm up?”

“I’m sorry. Do you have a phone I could use? I can have someone tow the car.”

“You’re not going to get anybody out here now,” Fallon said. “Not for a few hours. By then, the snow will be coming down at full speed. Cream or sugar?”

“Both.”

Fallon handed Riley a mug of coffee. “Any idea where the car is?” Fallon asked.

“I’d just passed a sign for Whiskey Springs.”

“That’s a good mile down the road. You were walking for a while. Where are you heading?”

Riley sipped her coffee tentatively as Owen fidgeted on her lap. “Home.” Whatever that means .

Fallon was curious. “Where’s home?”

“It’s supposed to be at 22 River Drive in Whiskey Springs.”

“The Main’s place?”

Riley nodded. “You know it?”

“I ought to. I spent plenty of time there when I was a kid.”

Riley shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“My mother and Sylvia Main are friends.”

“Sylvia is my husband’s grandmother. Well, she was—He’s no longer…”

Fallon nodded. “I heard. I’m sorry.”

“You heard?”

“Small town,” Fallon said. “My mother mentioned someone was taking over the place.” Owen chose that moment to protest his mother’s grasp. Fallon managed to catch him before he hit the floor. “Easy there, buddy.”

Riley set down her mug and took custody of her son again. “I know you’re tired,” she cooed to him. “Hang in there for a few minutes.” She kissed his head .

“Look,” Fallon began cautiously. “What kind of car do you have?”

Riley’s confusion was evident.

“I can probably tow it with my truck. If I don’t get a move on, it’s likely to get plowed in when they start clearing the roads.”

“Shit,” Riley muttered.

Fallon grinned.

“It’s a Ford Explorer, but there’s a small cargo trailer attached to it.”

“I understand. Shouldn’t be an issue.” Shit. I’ll probably have to make two trips.

“Listen, I don’t want to put you out. You don’t even know me.”

“No offense, I don’t think you have many choices,” Fallon said honestly.

She glanced out the window. And you’re probably not going to like what I am about to say .

“It’s already after midnight. In another hour or two, it will be a complete whiteout.

I could try to get you to your house. If I do, I’ll lose the window to tow the car. ”

Riley sighed.

Fallon sensed Riley’s unease. “Look, I know that you don’t know me.

I get that. I’ve lived here most of my life.

I know these roads and how they’ll look shortly.

” She took a deep breath. “My house is up the hill, right behind where we are. I can take you and your son up there while I tow the car and trailer here.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t,” Fallon said. “He looks like he needs a bed, and frankly, so do you.”

“Gee, thanks.”