Dominant Warfare Pt. 03

Steve slowly closed the remaining distance to the counter and gently removed the map from her fingers. He laid the map on the counter as he leaned over with his lips slowly advancing towards hers. He stared into her golden eyes as his tongue slowly caressed her lips. At the same time, his fingers toyed with her décolletage, teasing her exposed breasts.

She sucked in a large breath, and then softly moaned at the dual assault. Her eyes were on fire as his fingers dipped underneath her dress and scraped her turgid nipple. She continued to stare at him as her lips parted inviting him to explore her mouth. Steve kissed across her cheek and gently nibbled her ear as he whispered, "Thank you for the delicious offer, but I must decline. After dinner I'm going to the Marfa lights, so it will be late when I get back."

Consuelo shivered as his lips and breath tickled her ear, but that quickly morphed into a lusty moan as his fingers pinched one nipple, then the other. He slowly stood up stepping back from the counter leaving her shaking with the sudden turn of events. Her face was filled with desire, her nipples throbbing beneath her blouse and her womanly folds swimming in her juices. The seductress had been seduced.

Steve picked up the map off the counter, giving a slight nod to the still frozen Consuelo before he thanked her for her help. He turned and walked out the front door and only then did Consuelo stand up. She took a deep cleansing breath stressing her already strained blouse and yet another button popped open. She picked up the phone, punched in several numbers and when someone answered on the other end she said, "He's going to the Marfa lights after dinner."

Consuelo took a wobbly step backwards and sat heavily on the stool behind the counter. She took a shaky breath trying to forget about his tender tongue and naughty fingers, but forgetting proved more difficult than she thought. No one had ever teased her and then left her untouched. She could have any man she wanted and he turned her down. Somehow this made him all that more appealing.

Steve decided a good meal of Texas barbecue sounded good, so he headed off to the Texas Fusion. He found it right where Consuelo's map had told him it would be and he was early enough, so the crowds weren't horrific. The sign at the entrance told him to sit anywhere he pleased, so he chose a table at the back of the restaurant. Here he was out of the way and figured he could enjoy a leisurely dinner.

He was sitting for only a few minutes when a tiny redheaded woman sidled up to his table. Her face had a rainbow of freckles across her nose and cheeks. The name badge on her tight fitting blouse read Grace. Her green eyes gave her a beautiful Irish look and when she spoke her lilting accent hinted that's where she might actually be from. "What can I get you to drink, honey?"

Steve changed his opinions and thought maybe she had been born in Ireland, but she had lived in Texas long enough to pick up all the colloquialisms. Steve looked into her eyes and ordered, "A tall glass of water with some lemon and a Dos Equis Amber with lime."

The waitress gave him a saucy smile and said, "Good choice hun, I'll be right back!"

She turned and walked away swinging her delightful hips as she went. The motion drew his eyes and he noticed her long legs, and a taut, delicious ass all encased in a pair of painted on jeans. Steve shook his head as he realized Alpine had a wide array of very beautiful women.

Steve sat staring out the window for a few minutes until he felt people staring at him. He looked around the restaurant and saw stealthy glances pointing his way as people talked in hushed tones. All the waitresses surrounded Grace and he could see her blushing as several of them talked to her. He was definitely not used to being the cause of the small-town gossip, but he tried to look away and mind his own business.

A few minutes later, Grace came up to his table with a tall glass of water and lemon sticking out of it, in one hand. In the other hand the tall ice-cold frosty mug of amber beer with a lime perched on the rim. Steve nodded and looked into Grace's eyes as he said, "Thank you, Grace, that beer looks really good right now."

Grace looked at him and glanced back over her shoulder at all the waitresses. They were waving their hands in obvious sign telling her to go for it. She turned back around, cocked her hips to the side, and said, "That's not the only thing that looks good in here."

Steve noticed as she turned back around to her blouse was unbuttoned way below her breasts. Her white freckled chest was glaringly displayed against her dark-colored blouse. He knew her blouse had not been that way before. As he looked back up to her face, he saw her cheeks were red, but her eyes were bright with excitement.

As he looked at her, not sure what to do next, she stammered, "I have a special I can offer you tonight. We could share a tube steak burrito smothered in a special female nectar."

Steve saw her face turn bright red and he figured all the other waitresses had put her up to this. Steve pulled one of the other chairs close to his and patted it softly, saying, "Grace could you sit with me for a few minutes?"

She slowly sat in the chair with her face getting redder by the second. Steve heard a small cheer from the other waitresses and as he looked over they began to scatter. Steve turned his attention back to Grace and said, "Grace, could you tell me what's really going on here? You're the third woman that has propositioned me since I've been here, and trust me, that never happens."

Grace looked down embarrassed and mumbled, "I knew I wasn't pretty enough for you."

Steve put his finger under her chin and lifted her face until she was looking into his eyes. Then he whispered, "You are very beautiful and sexy woman. Any man would be honored to have you in his arms and under different circumstances; I would be one of them. However, that's not what's going on here ... is it? I want you to tell me what's going on, why did the waitresses want you to make a pass at me?"

Grace smiled sheepishly and said, "Well, Mr. McKinny, you are about the closest thing to a celebrity we've had in a long time. Nothing ever happens in this town and then suddenly April Hunt is kidnapped, and you save her. That makes you the most exciting man that's come to this town in a long time."

Steve looked at her and smiled, "That's not the whole story is it?"

Her cheeks were still red with embarrassment, but Grace looked a little more comfortable. In a hushed tone she continued, "For a woman, trying to compete against April Hunt is like trying to take Brad Pitt from Angelina Jolie. Princess April can have any man she wants and the fact that she came to your hotel room today tells all of us that she wants you."

Steve had a shocked look on his face. April's and his movements were under the intense scrutiny of the very active rumor mill and everybody knew his every move. Grace smiled a little bit more and said, "She's our version of the Royals and everyone tracks her movements like a hawk. Likewise, every woman here wants to take a shot at besting April. If one of us could get the man that she wants, well, we would be a rock star in this town."

Grace leaned in closer and whispered, "None of us know what happened in the hotel room this afternoon, but everyone knew that April was shaken. She had gone into your room her arrogant spoiled self, but when she came out she was just a girl, wanting a guy. You're the only man that any of us had ever seen stand up to her and put her in her place."

"To all of us that means you're exceptionally special. You don't cave in to her rich beautiful persona and you're looking for something deeper. Like I said, we don't know what happened, but it was something special and a lot of us are looking for special."

They sat together huddled in silence for a few seconds looking into each other's eyes until Steve lifted his hand and cupped her face. He swept his thumb gently across her cheek as he said, "Thank you, Grace for telling me all of this and for your bravery, but I'm only here for a couple of days. It wouldn't be fair to anyone, especially you, if we happen to get involved."

Grace looked at him for a second with a look of astonishment on her face. "I can really see why April was so taken by you. You are a very strong, imposing and dominant man, but one that also has a sensitive side and knows how to treat a lady. It's very rare in these parts." Grace stared at him wistfully for a few seconds and Steve could tell she didn't want to give up on him yet.

Grace pulled her chair little bit closer pressing her breasts into his arm. She looked at him with her best adoring and impassioned look. Then in a seductively hopeful voice said, "If you change your mind you know where I am and I guarantee you'll never regret it if you come for me." She sat up straighter in her chair and in a more professional voice asked, "What would you like to eat Mr. McKinny?"

Steve sat up with all complements, but chose only to address her last question. "Grace, I'll leave that up to you. Bring me whatever your best dish is and thank you for talking to me."

Grace got up, put her chair back where it belonged, and then went back to the kitchen with all the waitresses trailing, wanting to know what happened. Steve nursed his beer for about a half-hour until Grace brought out a huge platter of food and a second beer. As she set the plate in front of him, Steve noticed she had not buttoned up her blouse. The view allowed him a tantalizing glimpse at her small, but delicate and perky breasts.

Grace saw his eyes fixed on her chest and wiggled just a little bit to give him a better view. After their discussion, the pressure was off and he was just a very nice guy that she enjoyed flirting with. When he finally looked back up into her eyes, she explained what the food was, "This massive piece of meat over here is actually a bison rib. This piece on the side is barbecued elk, and the last piece is a bighorn sheep sausage. Then there is, of course, the obligatory beans, toast and slaw."

Steve looked back up into Grace's eyes and said, "Thank you, this looks very delicious and different." Steve's hand wrapped around Grace's shoulders and brought her face even closer. When she was close enough his lips brushed her cheek in an almost brotherly kiss. "Thank you for the honest conversation and genuine company."

Grace blushed a little bit as a huge grin split her face and she happily skipped away back to the kitchen. Steve dug in to the food with every bite being more incredible than the last. He definitely needed to put this on his list of fantastic restaurants. Everything was deliciously different, but with enough familiarity to make it comfort food.

Steve felt stuffed to the gills when he was finally finished. When Grace returned to ask about dessert, he declined. When he asked for the check, Grace told him there was none. He gave her a confused look then she told him that the Hunt family owned the restaurant and his meal was complimentary. He had no idea how much the meal should of cost, but he dropped two twenty dollar bills on the table for Grace as he walked out.

Steve took a slow walk around the town noticing that most of the shops were beginning to close. He made a slow meandering walk back to the hotel and tried to sneak through one of the side doors in an effort to avoid the twins. He made it up to his room, pausing only to grab all of his camera gear and exited to the parking area to find his car.

The drive to the Marfa was about 45 minutes and he was not in a hurry so he and his Cobra, just moseyed through the streets until he got to the highway. His Road trip CD was still in the player and Sheena Easton's "Strut" was playing. While he liked the song he wasn't in the mood right now. At the next red light he sifted through his CD case and decided a Moody Blues compilation fit his mood right now. He popped it in just before the light turned green.

The strains of "Nights in White Satin" from The Moody Blues were in full swing as he turned onto highway 90 heading towards Marfa. Steve still had several hours before the Marfa lights were supposed to appear, so whenever he found a side road he did a little exploring. He wound up getting several spectacular pictures of the mountains glowing in the sunset.

By the time he reached Marfa he was mellowed out and ready to see what the Marfa lights were all about. Steve followed the signs to the official viewing platform where supposedly the Marfa lights could be seen. There were three other cars there as he set up his tripod and camera. The other people there also had cameras set up on tripods.

The Marfa lights appear a couple of hours after sunset and they are supposed to be these ghostly visions that float over the landscape. They appear to be balls of light roughly head high and could be white, yellow, red, orange and sometimes blue or green. They occur year-round and at different times of the night. The apparitions sometimes float across the landscape and other times they dart quickly from point to point.

The studies of the lights have found a correlation with the traffic on the nearby highway 67. Many have implied that it is some kind of reflection of car lights on the highway, but Steve thought they just made really interesting photos. With a long exposure on his camera they would paint themselves into different surreal pictures. They made lots of very cool pictures with lights flashing over the ghostly landscape and that's what Steve was hoping for.

In the waning hours after sunset as the time approached for the lights to appear, Steve saw a car approach the parking area. Strangely enough, he didn't park in the area but stayed at least 100 to 200 yards away. Steve wondered if this was a local that knew a better vantage point. He started to wander over to that position so he could talk to them. He was about half way to the other car when the lights began appearing and Steve rushed back to his camera. He began frantically taking several pictures, using his new digital SLR camera instead of the film cameras.

In the car parked at the back of the lot was a gentleman that had his rifle and scope trained on Steve's back. The gentleman was still wearing his Stetson and ostrich Lucchese boots. When Steve started walking towards him, he was afraid he may just have to end it all right here. Fortunately, Steve turned back and he had time to ponder the situation.

His plan to discredit Steve as a kidnapper and woman abuser had not gone the way he wanted it. The goddamn Sheriff hadn't even locked him up, for Christ's sake. If he couldn't discredit him then he needed to kill him. The discrediting action was cleaner and he had really hoped that it would work, but it looked as if it hadn't.

He rested his rifle on the passenger window sighting on Steve. He waited to see if some of the other photographers would leave before Steve did. Sure enough, one by one they all left, leaving Steve alone. Once everyone was gone except Steve, he began his shooting procedure. First, he began to sight in and control his breathing. As he began to squeeze the trigger, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

The vibration in his pants perked up the hackles on his neck and scared the tar out of him. He almost jerked on the trigger sending his bullet careening off into the distance. Fortunately, he pulled his finger away in time before the round went off. He pulled the rifle from the window and looked at his cell phone. The caller ID said it was the Holland Hotel and so he answered it brusquely.

On the other end was a hushed female voice, "This is Consuelo. April just went up to Mr. McKinny's room. She bribed me to give her a key so she could wait for him in the room. What do you want me to do about it?"

He thought for a few minutes then said, "Let's let it play out, Consuelo, and see where this goes."

He ended the call, picked up his rifle and ejected the round. He slid the rifle back into the case and put it on the back seat of his car. He quickly turned the engine on and headed back towards Alpine. On the way back he began pondering what this new development meant and where he could go from here.

It looked like April was somehow smitten with this McKinny character and since he hadn't been cleared from the kidnapping maybe she is still in play. If that's the case, he needed to change his surveillance from McKinny to April. If he watched April, then Steve just might show up. When Steve touched April, he knew he could turn the whole town against him. Once that happened, Steve's reputation would be destroyed and no one would pay attention to his Mercury report.

Once the last car departed, Steve was left with nothing but pure darkness around him and, unfortunately, that meant the Marfa lights had stopped as well. He gathered his gear, loaded it into his Cobra and began the trip back to Alpine. He decided to continue his mellow music and this time put in a jazz compilation. As he pulled onto the highway the playful music of Dave Grusin's "Mountain Dance" began to frolic through the speakers.

The night was pitch black with the Cobra rumbling underneath him and beautiful music blaring through the speakers. Life was good. He was glad he had made this side trip to Big Bend.

Chapter 8

Steve opened the door to his room and froze. After everything else that had happened today he should have expected it, but April sitting on the foot of his bed was an awe-inspiring sight. She had gone all out in her seduction, and it would be impolite for him not to acknowledge her effort. She seemed almost completely naked and she was spellbindingly gorgeous. So he gawked with his eyes opened, wide staring and his mouth hanging open in astonishment.

April stood as the door opened giving him the full effect of her outfit. Her outfit mostly consisted of her flawless skin stretched over her taut athletic body. Only a small vest and loin cloth kept Steve from seeing her in all her devastatingly beautiful glory. She had an impish smile on her face that told him this was not a seduction offer, but instead a tease. Steve had to admit, it was an amazing tease.

April wore a beige suede vest that barely covered the bottoms of her breasts. There was a very large gap between the two panels of the vest leaving large amounts of the insides of her breasts exposed. Steve could see the pink of her aureoles peering out the edges of the vest and the bottom of her breasts peeking out the bottom. The panels were held together with a single leather tie. The closure seemed very fragile and it seemed with one tug or even a deep breath, her breasts would be set free.

The bottom was made of the same beige suede material and was an extremely sexy loincloth. The same type of string that was holding her vest closed was holding up a large narrow piece of fabric. The string had a bow resting high on each hip with the weight of the material pulling the string taut as the material drooped down very close to her womanly slot. The fabric was snug running between her legs and draped over the top front and back of the string, hanging almost to the floor. Her narrow waist allowed the string to sit comfortably on her womanly hips. Resting high on her hips narrowed the strip of fabric to one that barely covered her pussy and ass.

April was devastatingly sexy, with only a few strips of fabric keeping her from being completely nude. The time she had spent modeling showed. She really knew how to present her assets. In addition, she wasn't shy about showing lots of skin. In fact, she was an unrepentant exhibitionist. The whole outfit gave the illusion of being precariously suspended on her body and it would fall off with the slightest misstep. However, the teasing smile on April's face told him that wouldn't happen.