The Masks We Wear

"Simone..." he seemed hesitant. "I really, really like you. I told you you're the most gorgeous woman I have ever met, and I wasn't lying, but you're funny, smart and anyone who can impress Reyes like you did... I know you said you don't date white boys, but do you think I might be an exception?"

"How do you expect this to work, Destry?" I asked. "Jesus, you live in fucking Canada."

He laughed. "Yeah, I know. It's fall, and grain harvest will be starting soon. I'll go off the tour, and I can almost promise that I could fly here twice a month for a while. What's your schedule like? I know so little about you, but I love everything I know."

"I have business meetings, but I can design anywhere I have my computer, paper and pencils," I said.

"I like you, Destry. I didn't think I would. I'm being honest with you, here. You're everything I'm not, and I can't imagine why I like you, but I do. You're kinda fire, yourself."

I looked up into his face and he kissed me. It caught me a bit by surprise and I know he felt me stiffen in his arms. He pulled away and I could feel some hesitancy, then I pulled him back down and lit him up right there.

The song ended and we reluctantly parted. He led me back to our booth, holding my hand and it felt tiny in that big paw. I slid in and was a little disappointed when he sat across from me.

I figured it out that he wanted to talk when he took both my hands in his and leaned forward. "What are you thinking?" he asked. "Do I have a shot?"

I was conflicted, by a number of things, but what the hell? He was the first guy since Reuben who had really got inside my shell. "When do you think you could come back?" I asked.

"I have one more rodeo," he said. "If you'll let me, I'll be back in 10 days. Will you come to me?"

I nodded. "I'll come to Winnipeg the weekend after you come here."

"Oh, my God! Fuck yes! Sorry, Simone. That just came out."

I laughed. "I curse a lot, Destry. You better get used to it"

"Yeah, I can see that." He chuckled. "You're a new experience for me in just about every way possible, Simone. I like it. Be gentle with me, okay? I'm very likely to flounder a little."

Damn, this guy was smooth. And funny. He gave me a hot good-night kiss at the hotel and I drove home, my thoughts sort of jittery. I was feeling really nice, and it was because of Destry.

*****

He called, texted, sent me memes on Snapchat, every day. I got flowers once, and candy on another day. He was putting on the full-court press! It was very romantic and sweet. I was making Célia a backpack. I wanted this to be special.

I took a look at some good hiking backpacks, got some inspiration and started putting it together. The fabric was a grey canvas, in a diamond pattern, so it would be tough. I used brown leather for the trim and closures. The closures were magnetic, and I put nice side flap pockets, a padded tablet pocket and gave the straps nice padding in a green and red web. It was fire, and my owner was impressed and wanted to market the design. I persuaded him to wait, because I wanted her to have the only one for a while, then know that they were going to be a line called the "Célia Backpack" line.

I got it put together and gave it to Destry when he came. He was impressed.

"Wow, Simone! You are good. I am so touched by the amount of work you put into this. Célia is going to love it. I can't wait for you to meet her. I know you're going to love her. When you come up, would you want to stay with my sister? That way you can get to know them, and especially Célia."

I was not at all comfortable with that idea. "Noo, Destry. I'm not doing that. I'll just stay in a hotel. I don't want to impose on your family and it would be very awkward for me."

He said he understood, but there were some issues. "Like what?" I asked.

"Well, I don't exactly live IN Winnipeg," he said. "My place is about 40 kilometers outside the metro area. I mean, we can make it work, but one of us would have to drive every day. My sister lives four kilometers from me. She has plenty of room, and I want them to get to know you."

"Destry, you're moving into me meeting your family. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. I mean, I've known you for less than a month. What if I decide I hate you?"

He threw back his head and laughed. "Well, you may when you find out all my secrets."

"You have secrets?"

"Not really," he said. "Well, aside from being a spy and having a dungeon in my basement."

"Ooh, kinky," I said. "Are you planning to tie me up and spank me?"

"I think you might need a spanking." I could tell he loved that idea.

We had a great time and he spent three days with me taking him around the city. I took him to work with me on Friday, and introduced him around. My girlfriends were obnoxious and I was going to remember that. We had dinner with Jack and Linda on Saturday, went dancing, and he flew out on Sunday.

I was very nervous the next Thursday afternoon sitting in the airport, and I could feel some butterflies. I had never been to Canada, felt nervous about Destry, meeting his family and had no idea what to expect. I figured there wouldn't be much difference, but who knew?

Winnipeg was bigger than I thought it would be. I could see that from the air, but I had been to plenty of big cities. Destry was waiting for me at the gate, grabbed me, gave me a big hug and a kiss, and as I snuggled into his hug, glancing over his shoulder, I noticed he had a little shadow with him. It was Célia, and she was a gorgeous little thing. Her hair was long, straight and as black as a raven's wing. She was tall for her age, slender and graceful, with none of the awkwardness many girls that age have. I could tell she was going to break hearts when she was older. She had a dark complexion and her eyes were blue and a complete contrast to what you would expect. She was a stunningly beautiful little girl.

She was very shy, and Destry had to pull her around in front of him to introduce us. "Baby, this is Simone," he said. "I hope you two are going to be really good friends. Simone, this is Célia."

"Hi, Honey, I hope you'll want to be good friends, too. You are so beautiful! Do you think I could hug you?"

She nodded, and said, "Hi, Simone." Her voice was husky and low-pitched for her age, just having that little bit of velvet in it that made you think she would be doing voice-acting when she was older. She stepped toward me and I hugged her.

She started off as stiff as a steel pole, but I pulled her in and gave her a little tickle. She giggled and melted against me.

"Now that was a good hug," I told her. "Simone doesn't go for these awkward side-hug things."

She looked up at me with those shocking blue eyes and she was smiling. "I'll remember," she said. "You're even more beautiful than Uncle Des said you were."

"Aww, well, that's very sweet of you," I said. "He better up his description game!"

She giggled again and I kept her wrapped with one arm around her shoulders, bumping our hips as we walked, with my other arm around Destry's waist. We collected my bag and loaded Destry with my carryon and my suitcase. Luckily, my suitcase was the rolling kind. I've never packed lightly.

We rode a tram, then walked out to his car, the Jeep he had mentioned, and I kept getting acquainted with Célia. I found out she was in the fifth grade, played oboe, she spoke French and English and she was a horse nut.

"I'll take you riding when we get home." She was very excited about that. I was much less so.

"Umm, Célia, I hate to make a bad impression here, now that we're getting along so well, but I've never ridden a horse. The closest I've ever been to one is when I went to your uncle's rodeo the other day. I'm kinda afraid of them."

She put her arm around me and squeezed me. "Why are you afraid of them?" she asked.

"Well, they're hella big, for one thing," I said. "They look like they could crush me and not even notice if they wanted."

She laughed. "Yes, I guess they could, but the ones that are trained right won't ever want to. Mine love me, Simone, and they would never want to hurt anyone. They're like big dogs."

"Well, I'm kinda afraid of dogs, too," I said.

"Oh, my God, Simone. I'm going to teach you so much," she gushed. "Uncle Des has like 10 horses and three dogs. I have a dog, too, and you're going to love her."

I was highly dubious about all of this, and Destry was watching me. I could tell he was hardly containing his laughter.

"What? You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I accused.

He could hardly get it out, interposed with laughing. "Simone is a city girl, Baby. Yeah, I am enjoying seeing Miss Cool and Sophisticated outside her element. Now you know how I feel with you in your fashion kingdom."

I had to chuckle. "Don't play country hick with me," I chided him. "I saw Winnipeg when we flew in."

"This is like the third time I've been here," Célia said. "We don't come very often. There's a little town a few kilometers from us and we mostly go there. Do you live in a big city, Simone?"

"No, Honey, not really," I said. "Maybe 40,000, but I do a lot of shows in cities all around the US. New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, lots of places."

"Wow, so you're kind of a big deal?"

I laughed. "I wouldn't say that, but people are starting to know me and I hope to be a big deal someday."

It was a long drive out of the city, and we stopped to eat on the way. Célia chattered away, and she was completely charming. Destry watched her indulgently with a faint smile. I could tell he really loved her, and I found that incredibly attractive. She obviously worshipped "Uncle Des," and that was also quite a testament to his character.

"What you got planned for me this weekend?" I asked him.

"Well, if Célia can spare you every now and again..."

"Hey," she interrupted. "I know she's your girlfriend and she's here to see you."

He laughed. "I was just teasing you, Baby. I'll show you around my place, Simone. That will take a bit, I thought I'd take you down to my business, and then out to eat. Sunday, there's a craft fair in town, and they're having a harvest festival, and I thought we'd take that in, then there's a concert and dance. Sorry, we don't have quite the nightlife that bigger places do."

"Do I seem like the kind of girl who needs to be entertained 24/7?" I asked. "It's good to slow down, just chill. I'm not a huge party animal, Destry. You're going to find out that I'm a bit of an introvert. I go out maybe every two weeks, spend time with my friends, and I have a pretty small circle."

"I didn't know," he said. "You seem like you're very social and friendly."

"I like staying home most of the time, too," Célia piped in.

I patted her hand, and she held mine for a minute. "I can do social," I told them. "That doesn't mean I like it all the time. It's exhausting."

"I know what you mean," he said. "You feel like you have to be all bright and witty, put on an act for everyone, wear that mask, be the star of the show."

"Exactly," I said. "We all do that, and it wears me out. I just wanna go home, put on my pajamas and relax, listen to some music, read."

"I think I'm going to love you," Célia said. "You're just like me."

I had to give her a hug. "Well, I already love you." She wiggled and hugged me back.

We drove the rest of the way, and the scenery was quite monotonous. I recognized the wheat and cornfields stretching out endlessly, and there were a couple of things I didn't recognize. I wasn't interested enough to ask about them, so I mostly talked to Destry and Célia.

I found out that Célia's father was some sort of government functionary, dealing with trade, mostly grain, and that her mother was a nurse. The countryside became rougher and as the roads became smaller, I caught sight of a large body of water. "Is that a lake?" I asked.

"Yes, that's Lake Winnipeg," Célia said. "Uncle Des has a boat, and sometimes he takes me sailing."

I arched one eyebrow at him. "Impressive, Destry: the cowboy sailor."

He laughed. "I have to confess to liking the 'sailor' part more than the cowboy," he said. "I've been sailing since I was a kid. My parents got me a little boat when I was 12, and I've been doing it ever since."

"I don't think I ever asked you about your parents," I said.

He looked a little sad. "They're gone, Simone. Dad had heart issues, and passed just after Célia was born. Mom had a stroke and didn't make it about a year later."

"Yeah, I kinda remember Grandma a little," Célia said. "Are your parents around, Simone?"

"Very much," I said. "My father is a surgeon and Mom is a hot-shot attorney. They're both semi-retired and I see a lot of them. Dad works like two days a week at a veteran's hospital, and Mom is still a partner at her law firm, but she rarely does much work, these days. Next time you come down I'll introduce you, Destry."

"Do you have any siblings?" he asked.

"Nope, just me," I said. "I think my parents decided I was too much to handle, and two of me would be a nightmare."

They both laughed. "More like they thought you were perfect and anything else would be a letdown," he said.

I snorted. We pulled into a long, paved driveway that wound between trees and a large stone house became visible between the trees. "That's my house," Célia said. She was excited. "I can't wait to show you my room. You're staying in the guest room. It's really nice and it has its own bathroom and everything."

Ah, to be ten again. Destry's sister met us at the door. She was a grownup version of Célia, tall, slender and graceful, with that same hair, but dark eyes. Célia was pulling me along by the hand. "Mom, this is Simone," she said breathlessly. "Isn't she beautiful?"

"She certainly is," "Mom" replied. "Hello, Simone, I'm Chelsea, and we're very glad to have you. Destry can't stop talking about you, and I see why."

She extended an elegant hand and I took it, pulling her into a hug. "Thanks, Chelsea. I'm glad you didn't believe anything he said. I'm finding out he's a huge liar."

She laughed, and the atmosphere lost its tension. "God, I'm glad you see through him," she said. "I was afraid he'd pulled the wool over your eyes. He's been a nuisance and a pest all his life."

"Nuh-uh," Célia objected. "I LOVE Uncle Des, and you're just like he said, Simone."

Destry chuckled. "Thanks, Baby Girl. At least somebody around here sticks up for me."

It was a great weekend, Célia did manage to get me on a horse, and it wasn't as awful as I'd feared. The one she gave me was so fat and gentle, it was like riding a recliner. The dogs were huge wrinkly terrifying beasts, but they were big teddy bears.

I spent plenty of time with Destry, and we were developing a nice friendship, as well as being very attracted to each other. By the time I got on the plane to go home, I felt like he and his family had enveloped me in this warm cocoon and I loved them all.

Two weeks later, Destry was back. We met Dad and Mom for dinner, and I took him back to my place. I had a condo on the 10th floor, and he was impressed. "Wow, Simone, you have a nice place," he said as he stood in front of the south window, looking out over the lights of the city. "Your mom and dad are pretty special, aren't they?"

"I think so. I'm glad you liked them," I said. It was nearly 11 PM, and he mentioned he needed to check into his hotel soon.

"Umm, I didn't get you a room," I mentioned.

He turned sharply to look at me. "Oh... well I better go quick, then."

"I was kinda hoping you would stay here," I said.

He sort of did a double-take and it made me laugh. "Have you not thought about it at all?" I asked.

"God... I mean... yes. Hell yes, Simone. Jesus, I've thought about little else since the first time I saw you. I didn't... I mean... I don't know what the hell I mean. I think you're someone very, very special, Simone, and I didn't want to push you and scare you off."

"You won't scare me off," I said. "I'm a healthy girl, Destry. I like to fuck. I only fuck people I love or think I have a chance of loving."

"You mean... oh, my God, Simone! Yes, I'll stay here!"

I did my best runway walk over to him, pushed against him until he was backed up against the window and gave him the hottest kiss I had in me. He wrapped me up in those huge arms and I felt little and safe. I liked that feeling. I got enough distance between us to begin unbuttoning his shirt, and he helped me by pulling the tail out of his pants.

He was fit! His pecs were nearly as big as my tiddies, and he flexed them for me, making them dance under my fingers as I ran my hands over his chest. I giggled. "You gotta teach me that trick," I murmured against his skin, running my lips over him, flicking his nipples with my tongue. He had huge traps, as well, and I realized that this man was fucking hot, if I hadn't known it before. He had definition everywhere, abs that were eye-popping and I let his shirt fall to the floor. He was smooth. I liked smooth.

He reached for my blouse buttons. "Can I?"

"You can do anything," I told him.

He unbuttoned me and just left my blouse hanging open. He kissed me and wrapped me in his arms, stroking my hair, tangling his fingers in it. "I love your hair," he murmured against my ear. "I wanted to touch it the first time I saw you."

I giggled. "Yeah, I get that a lot. It's kinda my signature. Strangers come up and ask me if they can touch it. I'm like, ew. I like you touching it, playing with it."

My hair is very long: down past my butt when I wear it straight. Most of the time it's just a wild mop, curls everywhere, and I take good care of it.

He spread my blouse, still with me pressing against him, my tiddies pressing into him, nipples hardening against his chest. He reached for the button on my slacks and I watched as he opened them, sliding them over the curve of my hips until they fell to the floor, leaving me in my panties and my open blouse.

He took a step back, easing my top over my shoulders where it joined my pants. He reached out, his hand resting on the side of my neck and his thumb caressing my cheek. I could feel his eyes devouring me, and it was a little embarrassing.

"God, Simone," he breathed, "I knew, but I didn't. You're... a goddess."

I nuzzled my cheek into his hand. He was melting me.

"Do a spin for me."

"What? Noo, I'm not doing that," I protested, the heat of a flush stealing over my face.

"Please?" He took my hand, pulling it up over my head, inviting me to twirl. I felt unaccountably shy, but I did it, slowly turning in front of him. I heard his gasped intake of breath before he moved in behind me, sliding his arms around me to cup my breasts, his thumbs rubbing over my nipples. I shuddered and pushed back into him, feeling him erect against my ass. It felt like he was throbbing, and I knew I was.

He took my nipple bars, twisting them back and forth a little, making me let out a little involuntary moan. "I love them," he said.

I was relieved. Some men don't. I viewed them, and my navel piercing, as expressions of my identity, but some don't. I was glad he approved.

I turned in his arms, unbuckled his belt, unhooked his pants and slid his zipper down. As his pants fell, I burst out laughing. He looked shocked, and a little insulted, then gave me a rueful grin. He had on boxer briefs with the Rolling Stones "tongue" logo from "Sticky Fingers" all over them.

"Oh my God, Dude," I gasped.

"You don't like them?" he asked.

"I love them. It's so... you," I said. "Tell me you have the whole collection."

"Oh, yeah," he said. "My lover is a Stones fan?"

"Who isn't?" I said. I threw myself on him, pushing him over and onto the bed, locking my lips to his.

The kiss went on forever, and I needed more. I nibbled my way down his neck to his broad chest, paying special attention to his nipples. Most people don't think of a man's nipples as being an erogenous zone, but that had never been my experience. He seemed to agree as they hardened under my assault.