Getting Pumped (Part 1)

Kaz

********
Rise and soar on wings
of renewed spirit.
What looked familiar before
will seem strange,
what seemed strange, familiar.
************

"Jeez! Why do I always get the slowest pump???"

The beautiful young woman glared ferociously at the offending gas pump,
as if the sheer force of her frustration could encourage the unfriendly pump
to "hurry up and get on with it!"

"It never fails! Give me a million gas stations and a couple of zillion gas
pumps and I'll still go straight to the slowest pump in the universe!" said
the woman under her breath as the gas pump continued to plod along
unhurriedly, totally impervious to the desires of it's current patron.
After all, a gas pump as slow as this one was had already heard every
curse in the book and received a few swift kicks into the bargain. This
measly woman, muttering under her breath, was certainly nothing to
concern itself with. Ever so slowly, one number was replaced with the
next as gas trickled into the gas tank.

With a final glare at the pump, the woman uttered a sighed of acceptance.
Twisting her shoulder, she reached across to the hand holding the gas nozzle
and pushed down her black lace evening glove so that she could get a glance
at her watch. It was worse than she expected. At the rate this pump was
going, she was going to be over an hour late to her mother's
"occasion of the year, you simply must be there" event. Her mum was
going to kill her, no doubt about it.

"Shoulda, coulda, ought to have got it earlier" she told herself for at least
the tenth time since beginning this ordeal.

"Problems Cutie?" drawled an unmistakable voice from behind her.

The woman froze and her shoulders and spine stiffened instinctively. For
a brief moment her brain struggled to present an alternative diagnosis to
the identity of that voice, but it was a useless struggle. That voice was one
of a kind.

The woman managed to get a grip on herself, and pointedly refused to turn
around and face "that voice." Briefly she glanced round the gas station. It
was packed with the end of the rush hour traffic and heaving with people. It
was obvious that "the voice" would not "start anything" here. Consciously,
she relaxed her posture and returned her attention to the dials on the pump.
$2.73 and counting (slowly) the pump informed her. 'Ignore him' she
counseled herself. 'Maybe he'll just go away.'

"Going on a date luv?" the voice persisted.

The woman continued to stare at the pump.

"I believe those type of dresses are referred to as 'little black numbers',
and
I just have to say that it looks stunning on you. Those legs are something
for the eye to behold, and that ankle chain just makes me want to 'reach out
and touch someone'."

Still the woman refused to be baited.

Moments passed without further comment from 'that voice', but the woman
could literally feel his eyes wandering over her body. Anger began to grow
and the woman clenched her teeth at the indignity of his subtle violation of
her
body. Despite the warm evening air, goose bumps popped out on her arms
and she struggled to repress a shiver that threatened to race through her
small frame.

Suddenly, the feeling of his eyes on her was gone. Behind her she heard
the sound of a gas nozzle being replaced in a pump. 'Good' she thought to
herself,'Maybe now he'll leave.' But the respite from his attention was to
be short lived.

"So luv, it's the silent treatment is it? Not the kind of reaction I have
come to expect from 'my girl'." he drawled.

That was it! With a surge of anger, the woman spun on her heels to face
him. Gas splashed back from the abruptly released nozzle and landed
squarely on the hem of her dress and began to trickle down her leg.
Oblivious to this disaster to her wardrobe, the woman fixed her gaze on
the man facing her.

"I am not, have never been, will never be, YOUR girl!!. Where in the hell
do you get off calling me 'your girl', you..you..you Sixties looking Billy
Idol
reject!!"

The man simply raised his eyebrows at her tirade, as he leaned back
against his car and reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of
cigarettes.

"You can't smoke here you imbicilic moron. This is a gas station in case
you hadn't noticed. And for your information the majority of the people here
are mortal and wouldn't appreciate being blown up! Being 'blown up' is not a
good start to a Friday night's festivities!"

"My apologies luv" he smirked as he moved to replace the packet in his
coat pocket.

"Lets get this completely straight, cause I think you are missing the main
gist of this conversation. I am not 'your girl or your luv or your darling or
any combination of the above'. Are we onboard with this now?" the woman
seethed at him.

"Have I caught you on a PMS week by any chance" he replied with a
twinkle appearing in his eyes.

'Damn him to HELL' the girl thought silently, 'He is enjoying this and I'm
letting him get away with it!'

"No more games! Just leave me alone!" she snarled, before turning back
to her gas pump and reaching for the nozzle once more.

"Games? Who's playing games?" said 'the voice'.

"Look, I don't know where you came from or why. Just go back to wherever
you have been and LEAVE ME ALONE!"

There was silence from behind her for a few moments, but then 'the voice'
spoke again. "Answer my original question and I'll go."

"Question? What question is that?" the woman snapped in
exasperation. Anything to get him gone!

"Do you have a date tonight? Or are you going solo?"

His interest in her 'current dating status' was confusing. Slowly this time,
she released the nozzle and turned to face him once more.

"What business is it of yours whether I have a date or not. Did someone
die and elect you as my 'social secretary'?"

"Just answer the question luv."

The woman chose to ignore the reference to 'luv' as her brain struggled to
come up with an appropriate response. 'Just answer the question and get
rid of him' she urged herself silently.

"Not that it is any of your business, but yes I have 'a date'. I don't
usually
dress like this just to pump gas." she said as she gestured to her clothing.

Knowing eyes stared back at her as he continued to contemplate the
beautiful woman in front of him. She simply glared back at him and waited
for him to speak.

"Well?" the woman prompted, "It's obvious you are going to make a
comment, so hurry up and get it over with."

"You have no date" was his simple reply.

"How in the Hell would you know what I do or don't have. Suddenly
become an expert on women, have you? Funny, but if you are such an
expert at women then where is your ho of a girlfriend tonight?"

"So, can I take it that *you* are interested in *my* dating status then?"
he drawled.

The woman took a deep breath a opened her mouth to tell him exactly what
she though of his 'dating status', but before she could let the words pour
forth,
an angry car horn sounded from beside them. A quick glance over her
shoulder showed her that some extremely irate drivers were waiting their
turns at the pumps.

As the woman watched, the man in the car behind hers, stuck his head
out his window and yelled, "Take your lovers quarrel elsewhere, sweetcakes.
We came to get gas, not watch a soap opera!"

"Lovers quarrel! I don't think so" replied the woman angrily.

"Look, just move the car sweetcakes, or I'll move it for you" said the irate
driver as he moved to open his car door.

The woman sensed the man behind her move long before she saw him or
heard him. Trusting her instincts implicitly, her hand flew out and blocked
his progress towards the irate driver. "NO" was all she said as her hand
made firm contact with his chest.

Startlingly clear blue eyes made contact with hers for a second. Then
the man gave a brief nod of his blond head before he moved to take the
nozzle of the gas pump from her hand, and he resumed pumping the gas for
her. The whole time he kept his eyes locked on the man in the car behind
them. To his credit, the guy in the car had finally got a good look at
'sweetcakes' sparring partner and some internal voice warned him that
waiting patiently would be the better part of valor in this case. Without
further comment, he withdrew back into his car and slammed the door.

The woman turned back to the man pumping gas into her car. The sight
of him 'helping' her, even with something as mundane as pumping gas,
was disturbing to her. Why should he be willing to help her with anything!
Clear blue eyes met her contemplation and she was rewarded with a cheeky
wink as the pump finally issued a loud "ping." Quickly the man removed the
nozzle and replaced it in the pump.

"Go pay" he said as he turned and moved back towards his own car.

Quickly the woman turned and walked towards the cashier. 'Thank God
that is over and he's going. I gotta get my butt in gear and get going or
this 'occasion of the year' is going to be over.....and so will my life,' she
thought to herself as she paid for the gas.

Turning back towards her car, she noticed that the man's black pile of
junk was gone from the pump beside hers. Briefly, she felt a stab of
unexpected disappointment but she quickly repressed it and hurried on.
Without glancing inside, she slid into her car and reached for the keys
before noticing the body occupying the passenger seat beside her.

For a moment she just glared at him in disbelief. For his part, he simply
stared straight ahead out of the window and waited for what he knew was
coming.

"GET OUT"

The blond head merely shook a slight negative reply.

"GET OUT DAMN IT"

No response from the blond head this time.

"Don't make me put you out of this car" the woman snarled in
exasperation

Behind her, the irate driver leaned on the horn once again. Obviously his
newly found patience had worn thin again.

"Better move the car luv" the man beside her offered.

"Not until you get out the damn car" she replied as she removed her
hands from the wheel and crossed them over her chest.

Briefly the blond man glanced at her. "OK, then we will just have to sit
here then."

"I mean it, I'll put you out of this car if I have to"

"You don't want to do that luv. It would 'make a scene, and I know you
hate scenes." he drawled knowingly.

The woman sucked in her breath as she struggled to control her anger.
"Fine! Then we will sit here then!"

"OK, fine by me, but do you want to take care of the guy behind us
or shall I?"

"What?" said the woman as she glanced into her review mirror.
The man behind her had now gone beet red in the face and was pounding
angrily on his steering wheel. Any minute now he'd be out of his car and
heading over here.

With a muffled curse, the woman started her car and pulled away from the
pump. Spying her passenger's black pile of junk car nestled into a parking
space at the back of the station, she angled her car in that direction and
pulled up behind it.

"Now get out!"

The blond man just shook his head.

"Why not?"

Finally the blond man turned to look at her. "I'm going to be your date
tonight."

"Like HELL you are!!!"

"Accept it. I am going to be by your side all night."

"But, but....I already have a date. I told you that" the woman struggled to
get this new turn of events clear in her one remaining brain cell. This was
crazy! What in the Hell was going on!

"You don't have a date. Don't lie" he said with a smirk.

"Oh yeh! And how would you know this?" she demanded

"Simple Cutie, women who are dressed like you are for a date get picked
up by their date. They don't take themselves to the 'date' and pump their
own gas."

The woman struggled briefly against his logic, before offering a quiet "What
would you know about dating etiquette?"

"You would be surprised at what I know. Now why don't you just drive
back home so you can change your clothes, because quite frankly you
stink of petrol right now."

"Petrol?" said the woman confused.

"Gas luv. Petrol is gas, and currently you are wearing it as a rather
offensive perfume."

The woman's mouth opened and closed as she struggled to find an
appropriate retort.

"Look" said the man, "Lets argue on the way, or you are going to be late."

"I can't take you on this date!" the woman tried again.

"Drive and we'll argue. I promise to argue. Cross my heart"

"Damn it Spike!." But the woman reached for the wheel and put the car
into gear.

Would anyone believe this night! How am I going to get rid of him.
I don't believe this is happening to me!

Beside her, unnoticed, the blond man allowed himself to finally relax
slightly. Briefly the corners of his mouth twitched upwards in a semblance
of a smile. He had done it. He had got close to her. Now all he had to do
was to figure out some way to stay there.

Next Part

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