"The Blood Paws"~ Chapter 1

Chapter 1:
Charlotte slide the key card to open the motel room door. Her heart was racing against her chest as she entered the dark room with the man behind her. Fumbling to find a light, she peeked back at him. “I-I uh never do this kind of thing. Honest”, she said in a shaky, nervous voice waving her arm around the room. The man smiled with his eyes back at her, slowly approaching. “I wouldn’t say I’m a pro.”, he replied in a deep baritone that sent chills down her spine.
He ran his fingers through Charlotte’s long, chestnut brown hair, gently caressing her neck as he examined every curve of her body with those haunting eyes. She felt herself melting into him, her hands shaking as she reached for the buttons on his shirt. He took her hand in his, leaning into her cheek and whispering in her ear, ”We don’t have to do this.” His warm, rough lips brushed along her cheekbone and she could barely smell the whiskey on his breath over his masculine scent coaxing the shy librarian out of her shell.
“No, I want to. Just once. No strings”, her voice was husky and quiet as a passion built up deep within her. She barely knew this man. Wasn’t even sure if his name was really Jason, like he had said, let alone his last name or what he did for a living, but she didn’t care. Jason was gorgeous. Well built, with short blonde hair and steel blue eyes that could freeze a woman in her tracks while melting her body like butter in the sun. Charlotte, she thought, was plain. Mousy brunette hair, usually tied in a bun, and glasses that hid how beautiful her hazel eyes were, but acted as a wall to keep people at a distance.
Tonight, however, she had looked different. Dressing herself in a low cut, emerald green blouse, showing off the one feature she liked, as well as highlighting her eyes. A short black skirt, resting just above her knees, that her friend, Julia, had made her wear, completed the outfit. This was to be their “Girls’ Night of fun and debauchery”, as Julia had said, to celebrate her new found freedom from an overbearing ex-boyfriend and Charlotte was now looking the part of sexy clubber.
Julia had forced Charlotte to leave her hair down and her glasses at home, making Charlotte feel vulnerable and almost naked. After slapping the war paint make-up on Charlotte’s face and curling her thick hair, Julia marveled at the handy work, “Perfect! You’re a hottie now Charlie!”, and dragged Charlotte to her favorite bar.
The shy librarian had felt exposed in this bar of strangers without her security blanket glasses keeping everyone at arms length. The bar was small and dark with a generous crowd of people. The red and blue neon of the signs barely illuminating the drab wallpaper barely hanging on. Never fond of crowds or talking, Charlotte elbowed her way to a booth, nursing a beer in the darkest corner she could find and only being highlighted when she would light up a cigarette. Julia danced alone in the four square space between the stage and pool tables to the local band playing on the small stage while flirting at the short blonde haired bass player.
Jason was sitting on a stool at the bar, chatting up the bartender. He had barely noticed the two women enter the bar, but a scent in the air had drawn his attention to the dark corner and Charlotte. He watched her intently, smirking to himself at how out of place she was in this normally off duty police filled bar. He tried to think if he had ever seen her before, his head tilting to take in her face. He grabbed his beer and stood from his stool, heading in for a closer look at this wallflower.
Charlotte was about to sneak out and take a taxi home is when the handsome man, who would later be standing in front of her in the motel room, came walking up to her table. Her mouth had fallen open in shock, looking around to make sure he was really walking toward her. He looked like a movie star. Confident in his stride. His dark jeans, tight in all the right places, a pale blue shirt lighting him like an angel of mercy coming to save her from this hellhole bar and her self imposed isolation. “May I join you?” he had asked. “Um, uh… sure. I guess. If you want.”
The man sat down across from her. His scent infiltrated her nose like an intoxicating aroma and she inhaled deeply like a drug. “I’m Jason. May I ask your name, little wallflower?”, he flashed a white smile that sparkled in the neon lights of the bar. Charlotte began to stammer and turned beet red. Jason could tell, even in the dark. He loved a challenge and this shy girl was just his type. “C-Charlotte,” she cleared her throat and began to fidget, knocking her beer over, spilling it all over the table. Jason jumped up before any got on him and he looked to Charlotte who was covering her face and plotting retreat back to her safe home.
“It’s all good, little Lotte. You stay put, promise? I’ll go grab a towel and a new drink for you.” With a wink, Jason was bounding up to the bar, one eye still on the shy, little woman in the dark, his mind dancing under the allure of her sweet perfume. He smiled at her the entire time and even if Charlotte wanted to run, that smile with those eyes, kept her firmly seated in her chair. Two seconds into their meeting and Charlotte felt like crawling under a rock. Jason came back with a towel and fresh drink for her and after a few drinks, they were both laughing and flirting. Jason, had commented on how cute it was when she blushed, played with the strands of her hair when she twisted them nervously around her finger. He made Charlotte feel like the only woman in the bar. A feeling she wasn’t quite used to having.
When the bar was closing, Charlotte looked for her friend only to find Julia tongue deep with a man in tight leather pants. “Has to be the musician”, Charlotte thought as she watched them. Jason crept up behind Charlotte, ”Looks like your friend is occupied. I’d be happy to drive you home.” Charlotte blinked, gulped, and stammered.
“Um, I don’t really know you…” she peeked back at Julia who was waving her off in a “go go” motion and shrugged. “Um, okay. Thank you.”
Once outside a strange voice snuck out of Charlotte’s mouth and she clasped her lips as soon as she said, “Or we could go to that motel down the road”. Her olive skin was fluorescent scarlet now and if she could vanish she would have. “That, little Lotte, sounds like a delightful idea.” Jason has said with a smirk, kissing her hand, briefly changing his expression to concern, ”If you really want to that is. I’m not offering to drive you home just to get you into bed.”
Charlotte just nodded and followed him to his car. She had nervously fidgeted the short drive to the motel and didn’t object when Jason offered to go in to get the key. She was nervous enough, despite being tipsy, and had a sense of shame about having a one night stand, even if the guy looked like Jason. The walk up to room had her mind constantly telling her “This is stupid, Charlie. This is how you end up a statistic.”, but her mind lost out to the lust that was a fire consuming her as Jason had caressed her back up the stairs.
Now in the room, her mind went to sleep as her body began to take over. Jason’s breath against her skin was a hot and soothing as a summer breeze. His lips moving over her neck causing her skin to rise up and demand their attention. He had found her “spot” in just seconds of being here. She ached to have those course lips on hers and turned her head, kissing him passionately.
The mouse surrendering to the cat. She had found a desire in her for him that she wasn’t sure where it had came from, but she now understood what they meant about “those shy girls” as she ripped open his shirt sending the buttons pinging around the room and shoved him back toward the bed.
Jason seemed shocked at first as she moved to straddle his hips, then aroused at Charlotte’s quick shift from librarian to temptress. He stared up at her with his lagoon eyes filling with desire as she traced the lines of his sculpted chest with her finger, then her lips. Closing them for a brief moment to savor the velvety silk of her mouth. “Fucking hell, he has a body made to sin.”, she thought  wickedly while tasting the sweet saltiness of his abs with her tongue. Her right hand slipping between her own legs to reach his jeans. Blindly trying to undo the belt, cursing under her breath that it was like trying to get into Fort Knox before finally getting it open and flinging it across the room with a crack.
Jason was not going to be outdone though, he quickly turned the tables on her. Flipping her around onto the bed so that he was now on top. Where she had been forceful, he was tender. Jason was used to being the aggressor in the bedroom, so this was a nice change for him. He hovered above her, his lips barely touching hers, teasingly pulling back every time she snapped at him for a kiss. What was is it about him that awakened this animalistic nature in her, she wondered.
She twisted beneath him as he gently caressed her face with his hand, feeling anxious and self conscious as he just stared at her. His fingers, quick and agile, moved to the buttons of her emerald green blouse, unbuttoning them one at a time, letting his hand slowly dance down over her bare chest. Charlotte’s need was growing with every touch and Jason could feel her quivering under him. He moved his lips tenderly back to her neck, whispering in his dulcet tone with a hint of southern accent, “God you are beautiful Charlotte.”, beneath the burning hot kisses down to her chest.
She had never heard those words before and it made her crave this man even more. Even if he didn’t mean them. Even if he only said it because that is customary in a one night stand. What did Charlotte know, what did she care. All she cared about was the fire growing deep in her loins that roared like a lion for Jason.
In a flash she rolled taking control again. Jason was enjoying this game, as evident by the coy smile on his pouted lips. Charlotte tore the shirt from her body, as if it were the cause of the burning on her skin. She grabbed hold of his wrists pinning him on the bed as she finally grabbed hold of his lips again for a long, deep passionate kiss. Their tongues dancing perfectly together like a second nature. Jason wriggled his hands out from her grip, slipping them up her skirt and with a quick flick he unfastened her garter from the old fashioned stockings, rolling them down so he could massage the satiny skin of her thighs.
Charlotte whimpered, his hands were strong and felt like embers against her cool skin. She writhed against his lap, only a thin layer now keeping her from his growing arousal. He was indeed a gracious plenty in more way than one. She was shaking almost violently now trying to free him from the remaining confines of clothing.
So preoccupied with the taste of his mouth, the sensation of his hands moving over her thighs up to her rear, and the graciousness pressing against her moist warmth, she missed him flipping her again on her back. Jason scooted away, removing the clothes he had left that she had been fighting with. The moon, almost full, acted like a spotlight on him. He seemed ethereal at the moment to Charlotte. A glowing sex god, making her body do things she thought she could never do.
Her eyes danced over his nude form, drinking him in like a liquor and she was an alcoholic. He leaned back over her, his lips gently kissing hers as if in a fairy tale. This was to be the naughty version of sleeping beauty and he had indeed awakened something sleeping in her. Through the softness of her kiss and the fog it created, she felt those warm strong hands of his removing every bit of clothing she had left. He had lifted her up with one hand like she weighed no more than a feather. “Strong, handsome, gentle. For a one night stand you picked a good one Charlie”, she though to herself as he moved her to sit on his lap.
The spotlight moon on the actor, parting the velvet curtains to enter the stage of her desire. Her cries of delight like the applause of an audience. His performance was already breathtaking as he move in deeper, leaning her back onto the bed and bringing her right leg to his shoulder. His finger trickling down her calf to her thigh, taking gentle hold, pulling her hips tighter against his.
The actor, changing roles, became a musician and her body was his instrument. He drummed his fingers up and down her leg, pulling it closer to his head so he could turn and kiss along her thigh, stopping behind her knee. Together their hips moved in perfect tempo, conducted by their own lustful desire. Slow, then fast. Hard, then soft. Charlotte had never felt this kind of passion in her life. She couldn’t help but mentally sing “Like a Virgin” giving herself a slight giggle.
Jason seemed lost in Charlotte’s supple curves and movements that he missed her soft school girl giggle. He was entranced by her, his mouth moving along her breast, gently nibbling the tender skin. His demand urged him to taste as much of this delicate creature as he could and yet, he never seemed satiated. His thumb massaged the throbbing button of her sex, increasing the whimpers that breathlessly escaped Charlotte’s lips.
Charlotte’s nails dug in to the soft flesh of Jason’s back at the sensation of his teeth on her skin. The movements of his fingers around her body sent her nails grazing up his spine to his shoulders. Pulling herself up in an arch, to savor the drips of perspiration that ran down Jason’s neck, she gave her own desirous bites up to his jaw line. She felt the burn of his stubble grazing her cheek, tempting her with its pleasurable pain. Her hands dropped to Jason’s hips, pressing him forward, her slender fingers digging in to his round rear like spurs to a horse urging him forward.
Jason had heard her cries of bliss and rapture countless times already. Their passionate dance having been a marathon, but yet he still he held out to giving into his desire. Jason wanted to prolong this night, this moment for as long as possible, it had been so long since he had been with a woman, let alone one who excited him as much as Charlotte. Finally, his body, dripping with diamonds of perspiration that Charlotte lapped off his skin, betrayed him and his release sent shockwaves of pleasure through Charlotte once again.
She had lost track of the number of times she had reached her own pinnacle only to be pulled back up by Jason’s desire. He finally collapsed next to her. Both of them spent from their night of delight. The sun was barely beginning to peek over the horizon. Casting an otherworldly cobalt tint to the room.
Jason took Charlotte in his arms, pulling her close to him. Their wet bodies sticking to each other, he kissed her tenderly. “Sleep well, Little Lotte”, he croaked out of his cotton dry mouth. She kissed his desert lips back, her whole being still quivering with tremors of ecstasy, she barely creaked out, “You too. Thank you”, in reply before passing out from ravenous exhaustion.
Charlotte awoke late in the afternoon, she suspected. She reached out for the warmth of her companion to find a cold empty spot. “Damn!” Charlotte sat up quickly to scan the room, hoping that Jason was taking a shower or sitting somewhere else. “Fuck!” Her face showed the obvious signs of disappointment. “Why didn’t I give him my number?”
She covered her face with her hands growling to herself when she came to the realization he could have woken her, asked her for the number, anything, and he hadn’t. Her cheeks puffed out as she exhaled exasperated. “You said no strings. Moron!”
Charlotte’s body protested every movement she made. Her muscles aching and sore from the delirious romp of sensual desire of the previous night. Parts of her burned as if it had truly been her first time. As she grumbled she almost knocked a cup of coffee off the nightstand.
“What the…”, she blinked at the cup. The contents were still hot and she could see steam escaping from the lid. Beside it, wrapped in wax paper with a napkin, was a blueberry scone, that seemed fresh. Charlotte’s eyes grew wide at the single rose that lie between the breakfast items and the piece of paper beneath it.
Her heart began to race and she bit down on her bottom lip, chewing as a nervous twitch. She shakily reached her hand out toward the rose, extracting the plain piece of paper from underneath and carefully opened it to see hurried black script scribbled on motel stationary.
Morning Beautiful,
I wanted to wake you, but you looked so peaceful. I got called into work. I am so sorry. I was hoping to have you for breakfast, I mean have breakfast with you. I have arranged a taxi for you and I hope we run into each other very soon. Thank you for an amazing night.
Jason
Charlotte couldn’t believe it. Not only breakfast. Not just a ride home and a rose, but there at the bottom of the note was something more precious, his phone number. Charlotte squealed like a school girl, kicking her legs that still felt like jelly against the bed. She slumped back into the bed, turning her head and reaching over to the nightstand for the rose.
“How did he know?” she thought as she inhaled the sweet fragrance. Not a gas station red rose, no this one was purple, marbled with white and completely devoid of thorns. A Sterling Rose, practical perfection in flower form and just happened to be the only rose Charlotte liked.
She carefully set the note and rose back on the stand, replacing them with the scone and coffee. As she sit on the bed, sipping her coffee and devouring the scone as if it were the only food in the world, her mind wandered back to the night before. She could barely contain the slow creeping smile on her face or the blush that seemed to spread from her face to her whole body. She felt her muscles began to tighten all over again as if he were still with her. She tried to shake herself from the daydream.
“You need a cold shower girly. You’ll be a nymphet you keep thinking like that.”, she giggled, begrudgingly getting up from the warmth of the bed that still smelled sweet and musky like an ocean breeze through the woods, and padded gingerly across the cheaply carpeted floor toward the shower.
Charlotte felt like she had just spent the whole day horseback riding with each step she took, and in a sense she had on a stallion with eyes like a lagoon on a cloudy day. The hot water would feel like nirvana to her screaming muscles. As she turned on the faucet and waited for the rejuvenating liquid to heat up, she examined herself in the mirror. Wiping away the building steam from the glass to see her image, she looked positively dreadful. Her once coifed hair, now a wicked, untamed mess. Sleep had built up in the corners of her eyes and the make-up, that she despised wearing, spread around like a bandit’s mask.
“Peaceful? He must have had the lights off. Rabid raccoon is more like it”, she said to the reflection, flashing her pearly, white smile like a growl and curling her hand like a paw, laughing out loud at herself. “Nut ball. You have lost your damn mind. Why are you talking to yourself?” Charlotte exhaled rubbing her face with both hands, turning to timidly climb into the shower. Her thigh muscles screaming a protest of burning, stabbing tingles as she lifted her legs over the tub to step under the waterfall flow of the showerhead jets.
The soothing heat of the water slowly began to soothe her throbbing, quivering muscles as it flowed in a steady stream like silk over her milky white curves. Cradling her lines as she turned round, allowing it to wrap every bit of her in its relaxing warmth as it melted away the tight stiffness that had taken grip of her. Charlotte inhaled the aroma of the soap as she lathered it over her skin, exhaling a sigh of delight at its comforting texture while her legs wobbled beneath her.
She could have stayed in this sanctuary of relief for hours, perhaps she did, and before realizing, the water turned itself cold. Her skin began to rise in little bumps, hardening her sore, tender nipples, and she shivered, still allowing the pressure of the jets to unwind her overworked muscles. Resting her head against the shower wall, the water trickling over her, tracing her womanly lines, she thought about how out of shape she must be with her body aching so tremendously from just one passionate night and that perhaps she needed to take up the gym again.
Charlotte wasn’t a big girl, but she wasn’t a twig either. Petite at 5’5” with curves in all the right places, she was a voluptuous temptress, though she never saw herself as such. She had developed early and at the time her developing body was a source of teasing for her in her early teens. Now her luscious curves were the envy of the very same people who used to poke fun of her, but their taunts had left a scar on her self esteem.
With the water finally ice cold, Charlotte turned it off, feeling a bit better, but still needing to put some ice on her most tender of places. She couldn’t believe how much her “yooyoo”, as her mom called it, throbbed in pain. Good pain. This pain she could take again and again, if it came from sweet and handsome Jason.
As she got dressed, Charlotte’s brain decided to wake up, “He’s too perfect. Guys like that aren’t real Charlie. You don’t live in a movie or a book. He’s probably married and that was his wife not worked that called.” Charlotte’s mouth crinkled at this thought as she buttoned up her blouse. She bit on her ruby  lips, her eyes darting around the room like she was trying to see some sign that he was married there as well as making sure she left nothing behind as “evidence“.
“You are being silly Charlie!” , she said out loud to her brain as if it would listen more to an audible statement than an internal. Charlotte gathered up the rest of her things, shoving her stockings into her purse with the note from Jason.  Checking her reflection in the mirror, her long, chestnut hair still wet and beginning to curl naturally as it dried. The raccoon eyes gone, she looked normal as she prepared to make the walk of shame to return the motel room key. She did one last sweep of the room before grabbing the rose off the nightstand and heading out into the blinding afternoon sun.
As she handed the key to the elderly clerk who seemed like he was a bit slow or maybe it was just his small town southern upbringing. She could tell by his thick accent as he placed a call that he was probably from the Appalachians. “Your cab will be here soon Mrs. Jones. Mr. Jones made me promise to make sure ya got home okie days.”, the clerk flashed a gentle smile at her and pointed to the chair so she could wait. “Thank you sir”, she smiled back.
“Mrs.?”, she thought, “He must have told the clerk we were married. That so sweet. He knew I would be so humiliated.” Charlotte began to blush again and twirled her hair as she waited. She noticed the clerk watching and smiling at her. “Happens all the time ma’am. Married couples wantin’ to feel a lil naughty. Wish my Mertle was as adventurous. Mr. Jones is a lucky man, ma’am. No need to feel embarrassed.”, his voice was soft and sincere. Charlotte couldn’t thank Jason enough for his lie. She began to relax when she saw the clerk bound toward the door.
A bright, yellow taxi had just pulled up. Charlotte noticed the clerk speaking to the driver and handing him something before turning to hold the door open for her. She nodded a thanks and smiled at the small, old man. “All taken care of ma’am. Ya have a nice day an’ hope ya an’ Mr. Jones come see us again.”, he gave a cheeky little wink. Charlotte began to think this man wasn’t as slow as he appeared noticing his knowing green eyes dropped to the rose and her ringless fingers. She turned as red as tomato and wanted to crawl under a rock again. “Um, uh…yeah. Um, thank you sir” Charlotte leaped into the back of the cab covering her face with her hand as the driver gave her a small laugh before asking her where he needed to take her.
Embarrassed to no end, she almost whispered her address to the driver, who somehow managed to hear her and began off toward her home. Charlotte checked her phone from the backseat, seeing a message from Julia, she sent a reply back assuring her friend she was alright and on her way home. Charlotte put the phone back in her bag, she would give Julia the “skinny” later. She already dreaded the call and crunched her face at the mental image Julia’s smirking grin and overjoyed voice. Charlotte felt bad for making her friend worry, this kind of behavior was out of character for Charlotte, even if she had gotten Julia’s blessing before leaving the bar.
Julia had always looked out for Charlotte, a kismet attraction to each other, as if the universe aligned to give the other what they were missing. In the ten years they had known each other, the women hadn’t changed much. Julia had become slightly calmer than her college self and Charlotte a little more adventurous, a lot more if you count last night.
The two women had known each other since Julia did a brief stint attempting a degree, Charlotte was getting her Master‘s and interning at the library. She was a bit younger than Charlotte, but in the ways of the world Julia was much older. Julia was supposed to be studying for a final, but instead was making out in the stack with her then boyfriend, ironically a long haired blonde musician. Charlotte had caught them and something about Charlotte’s stereotypical nerd look caught Julia’s attention.
Julia had waited for Charlotte outside, her punk attire the antithesis of Charlotte’s demure, covered appearance. She attempted to strike a conversation with the shy woman, who ignored her and walked briskly to her car. Julia stubbornly came back everyday, telling Charlotte that she had become Julia’s karmic mission and that she wouldn’t leave her alone until she gave her just one day of her time. Charlotte reluctantly agreed, if only to get the insane, Italian woman to go away.
Julia met Charlotte at her home, a duffle bag on her shoulder, Charlotte feared that she was about to be in a “Single White Female” situation. To her dismay, the bag was filled with clothes, make-up, hair accessories, tools of the trade Julia had announced. Julia shoved Charlotte onto a kitchen chair, cackling like a witch brewing up a potion. She plucked and pulled, tucked and stretched Charlotte until she was satisfied with her result.
Charlotte had stood up, gazing at herself in the mirror with awe, where the one mouse had stood, now purred a ravenous kitten. She blushed back at Julia, who had said she wasn’t done and whisked Charlotte off to a concert. Charlotte had never felt so free, Julia had released Charlotte from her self imposed cage, showing her there was more to life than her precious books.
Charlotte had found a person she could admire and aspire to be like and Julia had found someone to keep her grounded. Julia dropped out of college the next day, opting for beauty school, having been inspired by Charlotte’s transformation, but had continued to meet Charlotte every day after work for the next year. Charlotte longed to be more like Julia and Julia more like Charlotte. They were each other’s yen and yang, giving balance to keep them from spiraling out of control. As the years passed, the two women became closer than sisters. Their bond withstanding the dusts of time, even if they didn’t see each other everyday as they once did.
With a long exhale, Charlotte turned her eyes toward the window, resting her head against the glass. She knew she would be in for a beating from Julia when she saw her and felt safe knowing someone was looking out for her like that.  Quietly, she watched the trees and shops as they passed by in a blur. A blur that seemed to morph into the only thing she really wanted to see, Jason’s pale, mesmerizing eyes gazing back at her.