The Encounter

The Encounter

By: Feenix

It had been forever since she had just gone out for the hell of it. Her life consisted of routine, routine, routine – and work. The spontaneity option had left a while ago, and she was beginning to feel desperate for something unexpected to come along and provide her with a jolt of newness. Never did she imagine she would run into him…

Callie started her Saturday the usual way: shower, emails, chore list, projects. The day would normally drain on and finally around 10pm she would, take another shower and collapse into bed. Not today! Today some force stirred within her – a long-suppressed craving for change.

Last weekend she spotted a beautiful, blue ’84 Chevy K10 for sale and she couldn’t get the truck out of her mind. She had already called her banker and made the arrangements to get the funds, just in case, but hadn’t fully expected herself to go through with it. Today, under the hot water of her morning shower, she decided to do something unexpected and buy the truck.

She threw on black leggings, a tan tank, and denim jacket. Donned her new favorite pair of Hey Dudes and gathered her bag. She phoned her friend Chad as she filled up her Stanley with ice and water, it was nearly 9am.

Chad answered the phone with a groggy, just-woke-up grumble.

“Hey, Callie. What’s up?” He managed to say.

“Hey, Chad. Sorry to wake you up, but do you remember that Chevy I told you about? The one for sale in Mooresville?”

“Yeah, I remember it.”

“Would you be willing to go look at it with me today? I think I’m gonna buy it but want you to help me look it over mechanically.”

Yeah, sure!” Chad perked up, his groggy voice disappearing. “I’ll get Sam up and ready and we will head there to meet you!”

“Great! Thanks! See you soon!”

Callie grabbed her bag, checked her eyeliner and hair in the mirror by the door, pulled her keys from her purse and headed out the door. Thinking she would only be gone for a little while before returning, she locked the door and headed for her truck.

There was something in the air – or maybe it was in Callie herself. A pep in her step or a strut of confidence that she hadn’t felt in a long time. She rolled her window down and blasted her favorite playlist. She swayed her hand in the breeze as she drove and felt weightless in the exhilaration of her spontaneous choice.

Thirty minutes later, she pulled into the lot. The blue chevy wasn’t there in the yard. Her heart nearly sank as she parked and got out. Walking up to the door, she was greeted by a tall gentleman with a calming voice.

“Good morning, ma’am! How are you doing today? What brings you in?”

Trying to mask her panic, she managed to say, “I’m here about the Chevy.”

“Oh, are you the lady I talked to earlier this week?”

“Maybe.” She breathed, realizing she had been holding her breath in anticipation.

“Sure, sure.” The man replied. “It’s not here,” he started to say, Callie’s heart plummeted into her Hey Dudes. “If you don’t mind waiting 15 minutes or so, I took it back to the garage. I’ll go get it.”

“Not at all!” Callie’s heart rejoined her chest as she beamed. Her fear and disappointment melted away in an instant. “I’ll be more than happy to wait.”

“Okay, great! I’ll be right back!” The man said over his shoulder as he walked inside to grab his keys.

Callie stood on the lot, trying to hide her giddiness. Her mind kept racing and battling itself, telling her this wasn’t a good decision, she didn’t need this truck, but yes, she did, and how much fun she was going to have with it, and learning on it and personalizing it. About the time she repressed the last internal voice of negativity, her friend Chad and his wife Sam pulled up. Callie and Chad had been friends since their school days, and he was almost like a big brother to her. Chad had been a helicopter mechanic in the Navy so Callie trusted his knowledge of motors and would not have felt comfortable buying this truck without his opinion.

“Hey y’all! Callie said as Chad and Sam walked over to her. She hugged Sam first, then Chad. Chad always gave big, full body, hugs. The kind that made you feel safe and like he could throw you over his shoulder at any moment if he chose to.

“Hey, Cals.” Chad said as he moved in for his hug. “Where is this truck you want to buy?” His eyes darting around to all the cars on the lot.

“The guy took it back to the garage.”

No sooner had the words finished leaving her mouth when a noticeable, low rumble of an engine reached their ears. Then they saw it! Gleaming blue and purring, she pulled into the lot. This was definitely a truck that demanded attention. The guy parked it on the pad out front, turned it off and hopped out of the cab. Hopped, yes, hopped. They popped the hood and Chad grilled the salesman for more of the specific details that Callie knew he would know to ask about. Chad took the key from the salesman and cranked escort bostancı it up. The first turn-over ran through Callie like electricity and connected deep in her core, causing a heat to build in between her legs that hadn’t been stoked in a long time. Her eyes closed and her head rolled back enjoying the sensation, just as Chad walked around and caught her. “Easy there youngin’!” He joked.

Looking at her with that glint in his eyes, knowing what the sound had just done to her.

“Alright, now that you’ve seen her, want to take her for a spin?” The salesman joked.

“Of course!” Callie exclaimed as she hauled herself up into the cab. Sitting behind the wheel just felt right. It would take some getting used to compared to her everyday driver, but that was something she was willing to do. Chad climbed up into the passenger side and buckled in. Sam and the salesman took a step back and went to sit on a bench and wait for their return. Callie grabbed the shifter on the column and dropped it into reverse. The engine roared to life, and the truck eased back. She pulled out onto the highway and resisted the urge to stomp on it while they were so close to the dealership. Turning the corner, she allowed herself to have a little fun and test it. The truck responded beautifully roaring, purring and gripping the pavement. She could only imagine what her face looked like at that moment – like a happy dog with its tongue hanging out. Chad chuckled as she took another turn then stomped it a little.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” He asked smiling.

“Hell yeah!” Callie said, feeling a sense of freedom and exhilaration that she hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

“You’re buying this truck.” Chad said matter-of-factly, like there wasn’t even a choice anymore.

“Yes, I am.” Callie said, more certain of this spontaneous decision than she thought she would be.

They pulled into a neighborhood so they could turn around and switch drivers. Chad took the wheel, not showing the same restraint as Callie, he stomped on the gas. The truck roared to life and took off down the road, Callie reached around for something to hold onto, but these old trucks didn’t have the grab bars like new vehicles. This was thrilling and fun! Callie daydreamed about all the fun times she was going to have in this truck – taking it to car shows, driving it down to the island, heck, she was going to enjoy just driving it to the grocery store.

Before she knew it, they were pulling back into the dealership. Sam and the salesmen were there waiting on them. They hopped out of the truck and Chad started talking to the guy about it shifting hard from 2nd to 3rd and yaddy yah. Callie didn’t care anymore. She wasn’t worried about the problems. To her this wasn’t a problem, this was a solution. She needed something to break her monotony, her routine. If this feeling is what people say men experience during a mid-life crisis, she could fully understand and empathize with them. This was her mid-life crisis – a jacked up, blue, ’84 Chevy K10.

Sam and Chad turned and hugged Callie in congratulations on her purchase. Sam told Callie she was more than welcome to swing by their house after she was done here and hang out. On a normal day, Callie would have thanked Sam for her impromptu offer politely but not actually taken her up on it, but today something was different. Callie thanked them and saw them off, before heading into the showroom to complete her purchase.

Sam and Chad lived about 30 minutes south near the beach. Sitting at the light she debated going home and reveling in her new purchase or actually taking Sam up on her offer and going to hang out. She enjoyed hanging out with Sam and Chad, but she always made plans to do so, knowing a week or more sometimes beforehand. Each time she left, she always wished she hung out with them more. Today she decided enough was enough of waiting for plans. The light turned green, and she turned left towards Sam and Chad’s house, towards the beach and towards whatever awaited her.

A short drive later, she pulled into Sam and Chad’s driveway. Their dogs came out to greet her with wagging tails and sweet doggie kisses.

“You want a beer?” Chad called through the doorway.

“Yeah, I’ll take a Cold Snap,” Callie hollered back.

“Make it two!” Sam yelled.

The girls giggled. Callie always loved being at Sam and Chad’s house. They had such an easy-going feeling about their home, that made you feel comfortable immediately. Conversation flowed easily for the next few hours as the friends chatted, laughed, joked and gossiped.

Chad went in while they were talking to shower and change for his shift at the bar.

“You coming with us up there tonight, Cals?” He asked, emerging from the bedroom in jeans, boots, a black shirt and a towel drying the water from his beard.

“Yeah, that sounds like fun.” Callie responded.

Truth be told, she didn’t want to go home yet. escort bayan istanbul Her social battery was running low, and she needed to fill it. Less than an hour later, she was pulling into the Coastal parking lot behind Chad and Sam.

Coastal was every bit the stereotype of a divey beach bar. It was located underneath a restaurant on stilts, so the poles had been smartly outfitted with drink ledges, Crab trap buoys hung from the ceiling, snarky signs had been screwed to every post, the beer wells behind the bar were two Coleman coolers that had been chained to a homemade base, but the atmosphere was good, there were pool tables, cornhole and music. Locals who had been there since too-early were holding down their stools and a few frat looking boys were enthralled in a game of pool – none of them any good, but enjoying it all the same, when they walked in.

Sam walked behind the bar and hugged one of the bartenders. “Callie, Blake. Blake, Callie.” He reached out and shook her hand. Callie smiled and Chad walked behind the bar and grabbed 3 beers from the fridge, popped them open and set two down in front of the ladies before rejoining them on the other side with his own.

“I have about an hour till my shift starts, so I can enjoy one with y’all before having to clock in.” Chad said scanning the crowd.

“Wanna jump on a game of pool while the table’s open?” He asked.

“Sure!” Sam answered.

Callie helped retrieve the balls from under the table while Sam chalked up the cue and Chad racked the balls. They were enjoying their game when a gentleman, of similar build, walked up and grabbed Chad roughly but playfully. Chad spun around and embraced him in one of his bear hugs before turning to introduce Callie to him.

“Callie, this is Cole. He works security here.” Chad said motioning to the tall, strong, also bearded man standing next to him.

“Nice to meet you.” Callie replied with a smile and a nod of her head.

The man then walked up to Sam and hugged her, kissing her cheek so Chad could see it.

“Hey, hey, you better knock that out.” Chad said teasingly to Cole, knowing he meant nothing by it, other than trying to get a fake rise out of Chad.

Their evening progressed in high spirits. More of the locals began showing up after the sun went down and the din of the crowd started to rise. Most knew Chad and Sam and they made their rounds like pros, weaving in and out of different groups of people and introducing all of them to Callie. Chad’s dad even showed up with his wife to play some pool. Sam and Callie sat at a table near them to chat while they played. Chad had clocked in, so it was just Sam and Callie now.

“I hope you don’t expect me to remember everyone’s names tonight.” Callie said jokingly to Sam. “I think I’m going to have to revert back to my southern roots and just call everyone Darling.”

Sam laughed a deep and true laugh and said that it would be just fine in a place like this.

From the safety of her barstool, Callie took a moment to scan the patrons. Her rich, blue eyes jumping from face to face, sometimes lingering on a handsome face for a moment or two longer. She occasionally locked eyes with one, but he would look away in a few seconds only to return and look away again. She smirked, none of them were her type of man. She wanted one that could hold her gaze with confidence and return it without looking away. She was snapped out of her quest by Sam who was waving her arms trying to get Callie’s attention over at the bar. Callie grabbed her beer and walked over to Sam. Sam had been talking to the man on her right for some time now, but Callie hadn’t paid him any mind because Sam had talked to so many people throughout the night. Sam touched his arm to get his attention when Callie walked up behind him. He spun on his barstool and stood up. With barely enough room for their beers between them, Callie had to look up at the man’s face. He stood over her by quite a bit, at 6’7″, Callie tipped her face up towards his, slowly taking him in and their eyes met. A spark, a tingle, a pulse of electricity shot through Callie. A momentary look crossed her face which she hid quickly hoping he hadn’t seen it. A barely discernable smirk crossed his lips then disappeared. He had seen it and seen his first effect on Callie. He raised his hand to shake Callie’s.

“I’m Jody,” he said. His voice calm, confident, but with a slight laugh in it.

“Callie,” Callie finally said shaking his hand.

The touch like a warm ember igniting a blaze within her again. Sam hadn’t noticed the depth of the interaction, as she leaned around Jody to talk to Callie again.

“Callie, Jody needs our help with some girl issues he is dealing with.” Sam said.

Jody sat back down on his stool with one foot up and his leg outstretched.

“Oh, yeah? Sure thing. Whatcha got goin’ on?” Callie asked, swiveling her body to face Jody’s never breaking eye contact with him.

An inner buried Callie escort beykoz emerged, and she was bold, dangerous, and fearless. She wanted to show Jody that she could be confident and intriguing at the same time. She wanted to win him.

“Well, I’ve got these two ladies.” He starts out.

Looking at Callie to see if that statement sparked any looks of jealousy from her. His eyes glimmered but didn’t betray his thoughts.

“One is a coworker who I have been crushing on for some time now, blonde, stellar looking.” He switched his eyes from Callie to Sam.

“She has been kind of leading me on for a little while now. Like the other day I offered to drive her home after her shift. She accepted. We got in the car, I drove her home, we get out, we make out by the car, then she goes inside. I’m thinking, okay, cool, this is just the start. So, the next shift I offer again, she accepts, we do the same thing again, this time she puts her hands up my shirt.”

He lifts the bottom of his burgundy cotton tee exposing ever so slightly his abs hidden beneath. Callie draws in a slow breath and takes a long pull on her beer.

Jody continues, “But again, nothing happens. She doesn’t invite me inside, no see you later, nothing. She doesn’t even flirt with me when we are working together.”

“You have to admire her ability to compartmentalize.” Callie interjected.

“Right!” Jody exclaimed bringing his deep brown eyes back to Callie’s.

“I try again next shift, but this time, I get smart and invite her to my house. We do the same thing, make out by the car, come inside and she lays in bed and goes to sleep. No cuddling, no making out, no sex, nothing. I am literally laying in my bed wearing nothing but my boxers and she is in a tee shirt and panties and has no interest in doing anything with me. I lay there all night, wide awake, thinking about this. I mean look at me, I am 6’7″ tall, tattoos, ride a motorcycle, what more do you ladies want?”

Their jaws were nearly on the floor listening to this part of the story. As girls, they couldn’t imagine a fellow woman making out with this Viking god of a man, laying down in his bed and not doing anything with him.

“What is wrong with her?” Sam asked the question they were all thinking.

“Dunno,” Jody replied sheepishly, throwing his hands up before continuing.

“So then, I start talking to this other girl at the bank,” he said. “She is straightforward. We were dirt road riding, I stopped the truck, and she literally mounted me, right there. Full make-out session, feeling all over each other, the whole nine yards. Then she reaches down and grabs my junk.”

He paused there for a moment, because all the girls, there were 3 or 4 more now listening intently to Jody’s story. All of them leaning in, hanging on every word dripping from his southern drawled lips, and he was eating it up.

He continued miming the actions as he described them, “So I let her. I let her undo my belt, unzip my zipper and stick her hand down my boxers.”

Callie’s breath was coming in short shallow draws at this point as her imagination was following the ride Jody was taking her on. She was imagining sticking her own hand down his boxers, when Chad came up from behind and grabbed Jody with one arm and Callie with the other.

Callie jumped and didn’t know if he had been listening to Jody’s story or not, but Chad added, “Yeah, you got to watch out for this one, he’s got a Pringle can down there!”

Pointing and laughing as he released his hold on them. Without hesitation, every girl standing around turned their eyes towards the crotch of Jody’s pants. Damn Chad. Jody laughed at the newfound attention and jokingly swatted at Chad as he turned away to head behind the bar. Callie sought to control herself, but Jody was getting to her.

Deepening the intrigue, Jody continued, “Yeah, but you know as soon as she touched it, she got all shy on me and pulled back.”

“What?!?” all the girls exclaimed at the same time.

“Oh no she didn’t!” Sam said bobbling her head and snapping her fingers in a Z formation.

“What the hell?” One of the other girls asked.

“I’d have fucked her brains out right then and there for teasing me like that.” Callie said as nonchalantly as possible, taking a long draw on her beer.

Jody’s eyes snapped to Callie’s and his mouth dropped open a little bit. Had she really just said that? Jody adjusted slightly on his stool to hide the hard on that was building in his pants. Callie downed the remainder of her beer, raised her eyebrows and a shoulder as if asking “What?” Jody started to nod slightly. Okay, he liked this one! He wanted to see if that was a single off-handed comment, or if she was really hiding something darker under those piercing blue eyes.

“Yeah, it was the strangest thing. Here I am thinking I’m gonna get lucky, then boom, nothing. It ain’t like there is something wrong with the goods or anything.”

“Okay, so what is the dilemma you need us to solve for you?” Callie asked, leaning across him to set her empty bottle on the bar and signaling the bartender with her eyes for another one.

“Right,” Jody paused as the heat from Callie leaning over him momentarily caused him to forget where he was going with this story.