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  “Do my boobs look too lumpy, Chief?” I ask.

  He walks over and puts his hands on them, shoving them this way and that, before standing back to inspect his work. “That’s better.”

  “Thanks, Chief,” I say, looking in the mirror again.

  He was right. Much better.

  “I’d fuck me,” I mutter, with a shrug, as Rob and Jimmy walk in, both decked out in Levi’s and leather jackets. I walk over to Rob and smooth the lapels of his jacket, my fingers running over the soft leather.

  “Remind me again why you get to dress like that, and I have to put up with this shit? I complain.”

  He shrugs, his hair slicked back into a ducktail as he flashes me a sly smile. “It’s too butch for you.”

  I twirl in a circle so the edges my pink chiffon and lace skirt fly out around me. I stumble on my heels, barely avoiding face planting onto the floor.

  “You like?” I ask, once I recover.

  “Fuck, Lee, stop before your dress rises up and shows me your damn junk. I’ll have nightmares as it is.”

  17

  June

  After the jokes, the emcee begins introducing people on the board of the kid’s charity. I sit there enjoying a bottomless glass of orange sherbet punch, the nice waiter keeping my glass full as soon as I’d empty it, which has been at least four times already.

  I settle into my seat as the curtains slowly open and the crowd roars at the sight on the stage. I squint my eyes, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing as loud music booms through the room and the figures on stage started moving.

  I recognize the music immediately — it’s the soundtrack to the musical Grease and the song’s Greased Lightning.

  There are three women on stage wearing fifties-style dresses and two men dressed in leather jackets and jeans. They start with the two men lip syncing a small portion of the song, dancing and thrusting their hips around while the crowd goes wild laughing.

  But then, the song morphs into Summer Nights, and the women stand up and join in.

  It’s then that I realize they aren’t women at all.

  I gasp in shock.

  One by one, I recognize each person on stage as a firefighter, my eyes stopping on the one in the big pink poufy dress.

  My hand flies to my mouth when I realize I’m looking at the man who’s been haunting my every waking—and sleeping—moment, dressed as Sandy from Grease.

  Lee stumbles around the stage, lip syncing and dancing and gesturing wildly as he hams it up. He fawns over Rob, dressed as Danny in a vintage leather jacket.

  They sing to each other, clearly attempting not to crack up through it all. When the song changes yet again, they jump up, the five of them scrambling into formation to do the hand jive.

  By the time they’re done, the entire place is on its feet, the five on stage smiling and out of breath as they take their bows.

  My head spins as I realize the huge mistake I’ve made.

  I sit back down after they run off the stage, trying to figure out a way to make things right. I’d done Lee wrong, because I’d assumed he had a kink I couldn’t handle and I’d been so horribly, terribly mistaken.

  I contemplated going backstage, but after his reaction to me the last time I’d seen him, it was obvious I’d pissed him off.

  Why should he forgive me?

  I figure I have to at least try. I am just mustering the courage to go find him when the emcee comes back and announces the auction portion of the evening will be beginning. Not wanting to call any attention to myself, I stay in my seat.

  I’ll find Lee later. Sitting a while will give me a chance to figure out what the hell I’m actually going to say to him.

  All this time, I thought you were a freak, but you’re just really a good guy making people laugh to raise money for sick kids.

  Yeah, that needed some work.

  I hadn’t looked too closely at the flyer for this event. If I had, I might have seen where it mentioned they were offering off dates. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so shocked to see all the firefighters come back on stage, still in their stage clothes, and stand there ready to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

  One by one, the emcee called out their names and offered them up for a date. The Chief went first, his wife sitting in front and happily bidding against Suzie from the diner and winning. Next was Tony, who was happy to be auctioned off to a pretty young woman sitting to the side of the crowd. Jimmy was auctioned off to his brother, in what was clearly a prearranged purchase.

  When Lee comes up, walking to the front of the stage and posing in his dress and heels, I know it’s my time to shine.

  18

  Lee

  Heels are torture devices. I have no fucking idea how women put up with this shit.

  I can handle the bra and the dress, and even the wig wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. Heck, I understand why I like kissing women so much. The lipstick I’ve had to wear has done wonders for my chapped lips. My lips have never felt so smooth.

  I just want tonight to be over. I can’t wait to get out of the entire get-up.

  Now that we’ve finished the performance that we’d spent weeks practicing, I feel a sense of relief that it’s all over. I’d been nervous about falling on my face and I’m proud I was able to dance without eating shit in front of a hundred people.

  All we have left to do is the auction and then I’ll be back home under a hot shower, a cold beer waiting for me in my fridge—never-ever to put on another dress in my fucking life.

  The guys had tried to get me to commit to going to an afterparty at the Chief’s house, just like we did every year after this event, but I was in no mood for more socializing.

  I’ve been spending a lot of time alone lately and it suits me just fine. It’s easier to think about June without anyone asking me why I looked like I just lost my best friend. I can drink myself to sleep without anyone chiming in with their opinion, as most of my friends tend to do — especially Tony. He hasn’t stopped suggesting I go talk to June personally, and I haven’t stopped refusing.

  She knows where I work, where I live — if she wants to talk to me, all she has to do is pick up the phone or show up on my doorstep.

  It’s clear she has no intention of doing that.

  Chuck, the emcee, starts the bidding for a date with me. I’m pretty sure, just like every year, that the winning bidder will be Cindy, because she makes sure to outbid everyone every single year. We’ll spend our date sipping wine at the park and maybe go to a movie and then I’ll take her back to her place, politely kiss her on the cheek and go home alone. We did the same thing every year.

  Not much changes in a small town. Things get predictable and easy. I like that, but I have to admit there was nothing predictable about June. She was a livewire, as unpredictable as the fires that I tried to fight every day.

  Except maybe she’s too unpredictable. I’ve gone over it and over it and I still have no idea why she’d gone cold on me. Maybe I’ll never find out, but it sure is gnawing at me and won’t let go.

  “We’ll start the bidding at one hundred dollars,” Chuck says.

  As expected, Cindy pipes up, raising a hand and calling out, “One hundred dollars!”

  “One hundred!” Chuck repeats, lifting a finger. “Do we have two?”

  “Two hundred!” Tony calls out from the side of the stage, causing the crowd to laugh. He does that every year, and everyone knows it’s only to drive up the price. Even Cindy knows, but she plays along.

  “Three hundred!” Cindy cries out.

  I smile and clap, because this is where it ends each time.

  Even Chuck knows that.

  “Three hundred it is!” He calls out. “Sold to —.”

  “—Five hundred!” A woman’s voice calls out from the back of the room. The crowd gasps — everyone knows we always stop at three hundred. Nobody’s paid more than three hundred for a firefighter date since we started doing this.

  “Fiv
e hundred!” Chuck cries out in surprise. “Do we have six hundred?”

  Cindy hesitates, looking at her mom, then shrugs. “What the hell! Six hundred!”

  The crowd claps, thinking it’s over again, just as I did.

  “A thousand!” This time, I recognize the voice. I strain my neck to look over the crowd, spotting June standing in the back, a sheepish smile on her face as she meets my eye.

  “A thousand!” Chuck shouts. “We have a deal! Please come up and claim your firefighter, ma’am!”

  The crowd claps wildly as June starts walking towards me, our gazes locked on one another as she nears.

  My heart races, my head full of questions that her smile answers. I grab her hand, pulling her up on stage with me, the feel of her hand in mine sending shockwaves through me.

  I thought I was never going to touch her again…

  “A thousand dollars?” I ask.

  She nods, “You’re worth it.”

  “You could have had me fooled—especially after the way you’ve been avoiding me,” I murmur, shaking my head.

  “I have a lot of explaining to do,” she says.

  “We’ll have plenty of time to talk on our date,” I growl, still holding her hand. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Home, Lee,” she says, her eyes shining brightly. “I want to go home.”

  My heart soars at her words. Whatever happened, whatever she needed to go through to get to this point—none of it mattered.

  All that matters is her hand in mine as I lead her off that stage.

  And the fact that now that she’s with me I’m never letting her go again.

  19

  Lee

  “Fuck, woman, I’ve missed you,” I growl, kissing the side of her neck. She’s lying on her stomach, I’m on my side and my leg draped over her, my hand on her ass, massaging a cheek, unable to stop touching her.

  She turns her head to look at me. Her eyes soft. She brings a finger up and drags it against the side of my face, studying me.

  “I thought this was gone and I missed it so bad that I ached. That’s crazy, right?”

  “June—”

  “I mean we’ve basically only had one—”

  “I think this counts as number two, June darlin’, even if you did pay for me.”

  “Then, two. It’s crazy to feel this strong for someone after just two nights together, isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know. I feel the same about you and I don’t feel crazy. Is that why you ghosted me, June? Were you running because of how quick everything happened?”

  “No. I…If I tell you, you’re going to be pissed,” she mumbles, her face heating to a light pink flush.

  “I’ve gone through hell needing you in my bed, wanting to hear your voice and craving time with you. I doubt whatever you tell me is going to have me kicking you out of my bed, June. Hell, I’m currently contemplating tying you to it so that I won’t lose you again.”

  “That could be arranged,” she murmurs, her eyes filling with hunger.

  Fuck, she’s perfection.

  “First, tell me why you pulled away. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

  “I’m not going anywhere Lee.”

  “Then, tell me, just so I will feel better about it.”

  “I wanted to learn more about you. It wasn’t right, but I’d never felt so strongly about someone before. I’ve never had a one-night stand—”

  “This wasn’t a one-night stand, baby.”

  “Two-night stand,” she says with a sigh.

  “It’s not that either, June. This is a beginning.”

  “A beginning?”

  “I know you weren’t planning on staying, June, but I care about you. Hell, I have feelings for you that I’ve never experienced before. What we have is special.”

  “I feel the same way,” she says, and I notice tears forming in the corner of her eyes. I lean in to kiss them away.

  “Then stay in Townsend, June. Let’s see exactly what’s between us, because the way I feel about you…” I break off, trying to put it into words.

  “How do you feel about me, Lee?” she prompts, her voice filled with hope.

  I stare at her, knowing that this woman is it for me. I’m not letting her go. If I knew she was staying in town the first time, I wouldn’t have given up so easily to begin with. Hell, I was already plotting ways to get her back. I wouldn’t have been able to hold back much longer. When it’s right, it’s just right and I know what June and I have is right. Time doesn’t matter.

  “Let’s just say that if you sold me a peach the first night we met, forty years from now I’d still have the pit.”

  She gives a small gasp, a fine tremble moving through her body. I brush her hair back, letting her look at my face, wanting her to see the truth.

  “You mean that?” she asks, as if she’s afraid to believe me.

  I reach over into the nightstand drawer and pull out the cap to my beer from our first night together.

  “I decided to keep the top to the beer you bought me. It’s not quite as romantic as a peach pit but…”

  “It is,” she cries, turning her body fully so she can wrap her arms around me. “It really is,” she says again, and I can hear the tears in her eyes.

  I take the beer top out of her hand and place it on the nightstand. Then, I take her hands in mine.

  “I know this is sudden, June, but I love you. I know we have some roads to travel together, but if you stay with me, I am sure that time will only make us closer. Stay with me. Give me a chance. Give us a chance,” I plead, needing to hear her admit it.

  “I want that more than anything,” she admits. “I love you too, Lee. I loved you even when…”

  “When what, baby?”

  “Even when I was trying to figure out if I could live with a man who wanted to wear my clothes when he was at home.”

  “That wanted to wear….” I ask, my brow crinkling in confusion as I try to figure out exactly what she’s saying.

  “I found your heels and your shoes…I thought…I mean there’s nothing wrong with it, if that’s your thing. It’s just…I don’t think it’s something I’d be comfortable with in the man I love. I want to know that I’m the only one in our relationship wearing my underwear…”

  “I…You…You thought I…”

  “It’s the only explanation I could come up with,” she replies sheepishly.

  “Why not just ask me, woman? Do you realize the hell you put me through?”

  “I do, because I put us both through it. I’m so sorry, Lee. I promise it won’t happen again. From here on out, I’ll make sure to talk to you and…Hey! What are you doing?” she squeals as I turn her body over and pin her to the bed.

  “I’m going to spank your ass for putting me through hell,” I growl, keeping my hand flat between her shoulder blades and not allowing her to move. My other hand moves over her ass, kneading the fleshy globes and already imagining my handprint all over them. I know that June is right there with him because I feel her body shiver in anticipation underneath my touch.

  “You are?” she nearly moans, the sound wrapping around my cock.

  “I am, and I’m going to make it hurt so that you will learn your lesson, baby.” She lets out a little moan that goes straight to my dick, making him weep in anticipation. “Don’t worry though. I’ll shoot my cum all over your ass to help soothe the burn,” I promise, moving behind her, using my hold on her hip to lift her ass the way I want it, and pushing between her legs.

  My erect cock, is rubbing against her ass, leaving a trail of precum on her ivory skin. Christ, I love everything about this woman.

  “I’d rather you come inside of me,” she nearly moans, her hips already rocking back against me.

  I rub my head against her wet pussy, teasing her—teasing us both. She tries to clamp down on it and suck me into her body, but I don’t allow it. Instead, pushing against her throbbing little clit.

  “If I do t
hat, June, I’m not wearing a fucking condom.”

  “I don’t want you to. I want to feel you come inside of me,” she whimpers. “I…I’ve dreamed about it.”

  “Fuck,” I grumble, my hand goes around my cock, as I slowly place it at the entrance to her pussy.

  “More,” she moans while rocking back, pushing against my hard cock, which is already drenched in her juices. I remove my hand once the head of my dick is inside her. I want to sit back and watch her work herself on my length, just for a moment. She’s hungry, all that need has been built up inside her, that want and desire.

  It makes something in my chest detonate, the way her wetness clings to my shaft when she moves off of me. That’s when I know it’s my turn to work myself into her, my hands delve into her hair. June’s neck arches back, the both of us are on our knees but I want her back flush against my front. My hand goes down beside her on the bed, finding hers. She laces our fingers together, my other hand is pulling her hair, and I’m making slow, lazy thrusts in and out of her cunt, as she lets me pull her up, fucking her while we’re sitting up on our knees.

  I want her to feel every single inch of my body. “Yeah, baby?” I question, my grasp in her hair never letting go. The more I pull on it, the more she trembles, her pussy getting impossibly wetter.

  “Move, please,” she begs, I give into her. Hell, I’d give her anything at this point and she damn well knows it. My free hand goes to her hip, as I hold her body tightly, my grip most likely bruising her tender skin. We both like it when she wears these bruises though. June and I fit—we always have. We just need to work on our communication.

  I hold her tightly, as I fuck her harder.

  “You like it this way,” I growl, as I pick up my pace.

  “Harder,” she pleads, this time I give her what she wants, I fuck her so hard her knees give out and we fall, her body sprawled out beneath me, it doesn’t stop me.