This is the second in a series of four, the first being "Last Chance Diner." All are stand alone stories, but feel free to peruse the others if you enjoy this one.
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Jack Winters tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music coming through his car speakers. It was a little after eleven, and he still had about five more hours of driving to go before he could slide between the sheets of his king sized bed. Just the thought of his bed, huge, soft, luxurious and cool, had him tapping the gas pedal for a moment before the thought of another speeding ticket had him slowing back down to a sedate seventy.
With nothing but the highway in front of him and desert to either side, he let his mind wander over the list of things he'd need to do when he got home. Laundry, reports, a tune up on the car, break up with Monique.... He winced a little at the last thought. He'd been unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of Monique's temper once before, and that one time was enough to let him know that it was going to be a messy breakup. Not Jerry Springer messy, but it wasn't going to be Ricki Lake neat either.
A flash of white up ahead on the right had him shifting his gaze and attention back to the business of driving. Squinting into the darkness, he eased back on the gas and started slowing down. As he got closer, the wispy whiteness coalesced into a more solid form--a person. Jack didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until he let it out in a long sigh. He'd heard stories about strange things out on this highway, and while he didn't believe in such things personally, he also didn't want to have something happen to change his mind.
The closer he got, the better he was able to make out the whiteness in the dark. It was a woman--he couldn't tell how old or young--in a long white dress, hand stuck out in the universal hello of the hitchhiker. Her hair was so pale a blonde it was almost white, gliding down the back of her dress like a cloak. Jack slowed down even more, mulling the situation over in his mind. The nearest establishments of any kind were a good thirty miles away, some area called the Four Points.
Well, if I don't make it home, at least I'll be a cautionary tale for every other traveler on this stretch of highway.
Jack slowed down and pulled over to the side of the road, stopping a few feet past the woman. He saw her hurrying up to the door in the side view mirror, and hit the button unlocking the doors. In a flurry of long hair and billowy material, she opened the door and slid in, settling herself in the passenger seat before shutting the door and turning to him with a breathy thanks.
Jack took the moment that she used to fasten her seatbelt to examine her better. She was young--if she was over eighteen it wasn't by much, and everything about her was pale--pale gray eyes, pale blonde hair, pale skin. It wasn't hard to understand why he'd thought she was a ghost at first.
"Thank you so much. I've been walking for hours, and you're the first person to stop."
Even her voice was pale and wispy, Jack thought, slightly amused. "A little understandable. It is Halloween after all, and this area has a reputation for unusual happenings."
The next mile passed in easy silence before Jack cleared his throat and tried to start a conversation again. "So where are you headed? Home for a break from school?"
"Headed nowhere, really. After high school I decided to just travel around the United States, and here I am." She slide a look in his direction, studying his average features--brown hair, brown eyes, what appeared to be medium build--average all around. "What about you, where are you headed at this time of night."
"Home. Finally. Been on the road for two weeks now, on business. The first thing I plan to do is take the longest, hottest shower imaginable, than fall into bed and sleep for a good twelve hours." Jack laughed and flicked a look in her direction. "Two weeks of weak showers and hard beds is two weeks too many."
The woman laughed along with him, and ran a hand with long, slender fingers through her hair. "I can understand that. I really can't thank you enough. I'm sorry I don't have any money to help with gas or anything."
"It's alright. I'm going your direction anyway, so it's not like it's out of my way."
"Maybe I can repay you in some other way."
Jack took his eyes off the road long enough to cast a curious look in her direction. "What?"
The woman reached over and slid her hand up his thigh. "I said, maybe I can repay you in some other way." Her hand slid up higher, and Jack took one hand off the steering wheel and placed it on hers, halting her progress.
"No, you really don't need to repay me, in any way at all."
The woman leaned over, and Jack caught a wisp of sweet perfume, and something darker that made his spine tingle. Her breath tickled his ear slightly as she whispered, "Don't you find me attractive? Don't lie, you know you do."
Jack laughed weakly, his hand still locked over hers. "True, but that's neither here nor there. For one, I just wouldn't feel right about taking what you're offering. Call me middle class, but it's a little too close to prostitution for my tastes. Second, I'm still technically seeing someone back home, and I'd prefer to break up with her before getting it on with someone else."
The woman leaned closer and flicked her tongue in his ear. Jack shivered, but didn't let up his grip on her hand. "She wouldn't ever know. Nobody would ever know."
Jack lifted her hand off his thigh and placed it firmly back in her own lap. "I would know, and that's enough."
The woman sat frozen for a moment, her faint breaths wafting over Jack's ear and neck, sending slightly unpleasant shivers down his spine. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am. We'll be at the Four Points here in about fifteen minutes, and I'll get you a room for the night and leave you some money. Maybe they have a bus coming through."
The woman flopped back in her seat and huffed out an irritated breath. When she spoke, all breathiness was gone, replaced by a tart New England accent. "Well, hell. It would be my luck to be picked up by a man with morals."
Jack flicked an uneasy look in her direction and thought about pulling over and booting her out. Morals or not, she was starting to creep him out. "Okay, you're not making any sense at all."