Bab 5: Good Vibes Only

Roxy's hand trembled with excitement as she stared at the phone's screen. 'He's here. Richard's really here.' She closed her eyes to recompose herself. Did she try to make contact now or later? She could not appear to be over eager. Taking a deep breath, she reopened her eyes and opened the application.

First, she saw Roxy's cute profile picture and full name and frowned. This would not seduce this vile man she was after. She opened the camera application, setting the timer before enticingly biting her lower lips while pressing her breasts together to accentuate her cleavage. The other patrons of the coffeehouse didn't seem to either notice or care that Roxy was posing sexy for a selfie. She nodded, checking the photos before picking a risqué one and changed the profile name to just "Roxxy" before saving all her changes.

Roxy clicked her tongue as she wrote a quick message on the steadily growing thread of messages on Richard's status update. "Hey sexy, call me — gotta keep that blood flowing." She finished the message with a wink emoji followed by three heart and one kiss emoji before she hit send.

She set the phone down with a soft sigh, sipping her pink drink. 'Think that will work to get his attention, Roxy?'

'Definitely! We should go lingerie shopping once you finish breakfast,' the mental projection suggested with a grin.

'Don't we have enough clothes for a small army?'

'That's besides the point! You need dangerous sexy panties for when he makes his move on you.'

Roxy quirked an eyebrow. 'Would it not be sexier to not wear any at all?'

There was a burst of giggles in response. Roxy finished her sandwich as she waited for her mind to quiet again.

'You… you are too much, Ayla! While that is enticing, you must package it for him to unwrap first. You can slowly get more daring, wearing less clothing and make it more accessible to flaunt it for him, if you are intending to sleep with him.'

A vibration against the table drew Roxy's attention downward. She lifted the phone and read the text message.

"Yo. It's Rich!"

Roxy nervously bit her lower lip as she typed a reply. She had to flirt through this strange medium while her inner voice coached her on how to text. Her heart fluttered for a moment before her chest ached. It was still so close to the betrayal; she was torn between wanting to scream at him and wanting to kiss him. "Hey you (heart)."

Three black dots blinked immediately before the reply came. "What are you doing?"

"Just having some go juice," she quickly typed back with a growing sense of excitement and apprehension. She remembered the shy private conversations she had as Ayla with Richard in her world. He smiled so charmingly with his dimples and twinkling hazel eyes. She could hear his voice talking to her in his usual way and not this clipped version of English.

Again, the dancing dots proceeded a quick reply. "Oh yeah? What are you drinking? (wink)" Memories of Ayla and Richard sitting together on a felled log by a roaring campfire, their thighs brushing together drinking Bantu's wine dancing through her mind and stirred the pang of loss she felt for Bantu and Mannu.

Roxy sniffed and recomposed herself. She steeled her resolve and posed again, snapping a quick selfie of herself leaning forward and drinking from the straw before hitting send.

Richard didn't immediately reply. Roxy pouted as she sipped her straw, concerned that maybe he'd lost interest in her already. After a couple minutes, she got a reply.

"I'm dumb. Jealous of a straw. Lol."

Roxy smirked as she gathered her trash and tossed them into the bin. It was too early to ask him out. She had hooked his attention for now, but she would have to pull him to her. She left the message on read and stepped into the growing warmth of the autumn morning. She tucked the phone into the inner pocket of her jacket as she strolled to her parked motorcycle. Her jacket started vibrating with alerts and she grinned.

She zipped up her jacket, before pulling on her gloves and helmet. She checked over the motorcycle as she straddled it, straightening it before priming the ignition and turning the key. The rumbling hum of the engine was less stressful as she kicked up the kickstand and opened the throttle, drowning out the vibration of the phone with the more pleasant vibration of the motorcycle as she tore off to her next destination.

-------

Roxy stared in awe at the large window display of all manner of lace and silk lingerie. She blushed as she approached and realized that some of the panties had a split down the crotch. 'Oh my gods.'

'Ayla, it will be okay. Let's get a red lace set.' Roxy's attention was directed to a display to the left deeper in the store featuring a mannequin with petite white feather wings clothed in an intricate red lace edged on matte red satin. She lifted a bra from the bra below and traced her thumbs over the thick demi padding and smooth satin. Her phone vibrated again, and she pulled it from her pocket to see what havoc had been wrought in delaying her response.

"OMG." The first text read. The others were spaced out by a couple of minutes each.

"I'm so stupid, sorry."

"… hey, what happened?"

"Are you ignoring me now?"

"Hey, let me make it up to you."

"I'm feeling really weird. I was just dead, you know?"

"I'm not usually this awkward, promise!"

"Please let me make it up to you."

Roxy chuckled softly to herself, quickly tapping on the onscreen keyboard. "Sorry! I was on my bike and didn't notice my phone vibrating over the engine. (smile)" She hit send before sending another message. "How are you going to make it up to me?"

Roxy shivered as the store suddenly was air suddenly colder, and she caught a whiff of clove oil that reminded her of Bantu. She glanced around wondering where it had come from, hoping that maybe it was a sign the gods letting her know that Bantu was still alive. She did not see other shoppers nearby and only located the bored store clerk organizing the front register displays. The soft rock singer on the store radio sang his desire to breathe on his lover's neck and murmur in her ear, to make it so that she would not forget them when they were apart.

Roxy blushed as she absorbed the song lyrics before her phone vibrated again. 'This song is called Despacito. You have not gotten the chance to get sick of it yet, but it is a hot song, isn't it? I guess my Spanish rubbed off on you.'

She tilted her head to one side, glancing up at the lacy display. 'How many languages do you speak Roxy?'

'Eh, only three, Russian does not come up as often.' Ayla did not comment further before the next text message appeared.

"You ride? That's hot!" There was a short pause before it was followed by another text. "My buddies are throwing a party tonight. I will show you a good time if you come with me."

Roxy waited a moment as her inner dialogue suggested how she should word her reply. "How do you want me?"

"…. On my lap? (wink)" She imagined Richard's goofy lopsided grin and his wink, remembering him saying something like to this before when they had first started their romantic relationship a couple of years ago.

Roxy rolled her eyes with a sigh, grateful that Richard could not see her face. "How should I dress?"

"Oh, that is awkward." The typing dots blinked before the next message came. Roxy imagined that the tops of his ears were turning red as he held the phone with both his hands, like he had when having difficulty reading a scroll. "Dress to impress! Do you want me to pick you up?" There was another short pause as the dots blinked again. "I mean, it might be an idea to get a ride over so you can cut loose tonight and not have to worry about retrieving your bike tomorrow morning from this club in Old Town."

"You will have make it worth my while to give up the good vibes. (wink)"

"(pray) Roxx, you are so sexy. It's hard to wait. I promise!! Where can I get you?"

Roxy grinned, she had Richard right where she wanted him.