Last Hit (Hitman)
while riding behind me.
    When we arrive at the motorcycle shop that rents and sells these bikes, I scoot forward and try to think of something to reduce my erection. Her neighbor pops into my head, and I’m able to stand upright. Not wanting Daisy to be exposed to the men here, I tell her to remain on the bike and to leave the helmet down. "Else someone might try to steal it."
    This is a lie, of course, but Daisy simply nods.
    Inside, I buy Daisy a helmet and ask, "I need clothes. Where can I buy them?"
    The gum-chewing clerk gives me a hungry look. "Honey, I can fit you out. What do you need?" Her gaze drops to my crotch, and I resist the urge to cover my groin with the newly purchased helmet.
    "For my girlfriend," I say. She wrinkles her nose as if the idea smells.
    "There’s the mall just up the highway, ‘round the bend. Take the Lindau Lane. Can’t miss it." She emphasizes
mall
as if it has some special significance.
    I nod my thanks.
    Outside, I stand in front of Daisy, blocking the shop’s view of her, and I offer her the new helmet.
    "I’m sorry for making such a big deal out of this. What are you going to do with another helmet?" She shook her head in dismay. "I wasn’t thinking."
    I shrug. "I needed one." For her only, but I did not say this out loud.
    She looks at me doubtfully, but I give her my best impassive look. It is a good one; she feels discomfited and can no longer look me in the eye. Suddenly I feel like a fuckhead over this, but how to fix it eludes me.
    I reach under her chin with my fist and tilt her eyes up to meet mine. "It is for you. Only for you. You can keep it to ride with me or you can throw it away."
    An odd light flickers through her eyes, and I can’t catch it. I don’t know how to read her yet. I’ll learn though. The light is fading fast, and I don’t want to be out with Daisy on my bike when it is too late—when the dangerous drivers are out. Alone, I can avoid these people, but with my precious cargo, I would be worried.
    I pull her helmet over her head, carefully brush aside her hair, and affix the strap beneath her chin. I repeat the gesture for myself and climb on. This time, Daisy needs no instruction on how to hold me; her arms wrap around me immediately, and she presses her cheek against the middle of my back. Her thin, strong arms are wrapped around my waist. In this position, I would like to drive for hours just to feel her body against mine.
    DAISY
    Everything I’ve been taught says that I’m being a reckless fool.
    I met Nick two hours ago in the laundry room. I let him dazzle me. I let him kiss my hand and hug me, and now I’m on the back of his motorcycle. The after-school specials that my father let me watch would say I’m being stupid. That nice young women don’t run off with strange men on motorcycles.
    But…I don’t care.
    I am tired of being cautious and being sheltered. I want to be wild and reckless, and I want to spend a bit more time with this man. If that leads me down a bad path, I’m going there with eyes wide open.
    I don’t know how one holds properly to a man on a motorcycle; this is my first motorcycle ride. I cling to him, pressing my body against his. My breasts rub against his back and bounce when we hit a bump, and I gasp at the sensation. Am I holding him too close? Do I care? I will just feign ignorance if he asks. I like the feel of his big body pressing against my thighs and my stomach far too much to stop.
    It feels wicked. I’ve never, ever been wicked before, and I never realized until now that I wanted to be.
    And I never realized how big malls were.
    He drives the motorcycle into a large parking lot that has more levels than my apartment complex, and I see a massive building ahead of us. It looks like the mall. My goodness. I had no idea it would be so…enormous. I feel a flutter of excitement in spite of myself. I have never been to a mall, much less been to this one, but I’ve seen it advertised on television. My father

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