This one's for Nick

A story.

I am a woman. I am the passenger in a vehicle travelling down a lonely stretch of highway. To my left, my friend is driving a car with manual transmission. The vehicle is a 1965 Mustang. It's a work of art. Although I know nothing about the engine or inner working specifics, I am visually stimulated by the things I can see around me. The exterior is vibrant orange and the interior is gleaming black leather. It's a bench seat with stitching in close parallel lines of dashed black thread. The dashboard consists of dials ensconced in the dark wood panel frame. The steering wheel shines of chrome steel surrounded by the sleek, circular fit of black leather. The am/fm push button stereo is set to a station oozing of rhythm and blues music. We sit silently absorbing the desert scenery passing by. I can feel the force and vibration of the engine underneath me. I am enjoying my ride.

Even with the sun setting and the windows rolled down, the temperature in the car is still too warm. Another hot night of sleep ahead. The kind of sleep where you wake with sheets clinging to your damp skin. The kind of night when your energy is drained by the humidity. Somehow the night's discomfort is not in my forethought. I glance over at my friend. She is beautiful. The sky's dusk light is luminating her radiant skin.

I can't help but notice the slow beads of sweat glistening on her bronzed skin, her brow, her cheek, her neck, her cleavage, her exposed midriff and thighs. The clothes she's wearing accentuate her lines and damp skin. I can clearly see the profile of her breasts beneath the close fitted crop top she's chosen. Her ribs sit closely to her skin only to narrow to her small waist and rounded belly above the shorts she wears. I am aroused by the sight of her. I smile and turn my face to the side mirror to avoid eye contact with her. Looking into the side mirror, I see the beads of sweat above my upper lip. I casually brush them with my finger and can't resist the taste of my body's salt. Mmmm, the salty sensation is enlivening.