Page 31 of Excitable Boy
Chapter Nine
A little after seven on Saturday morning, Shayla made one final pass through the house while Tony loaded the Pilot. One large suitcase, one small one, two carryon-sized bags for their laptops, chargers, and other personal belongings, and a small cooler that right now held ice, bottled water, and a few cheese sticks for snacks.
And she had her purse.
They weren’t taking a toybag, either, because they didn’t know exactly what kind of places they’d be staying in, if they’d even have privacy to play or not. Just a couple of implements, and the Hitachi, tucked in the larger suitcase.
“We ready, pet?” he asked when he returned to the house.
“Yes, Sir.” She hugged the cats one more time. Their neighbor, who was also kinky and wouldn’t be fazed by their playroom, would be housesitting for them and taking care of the kitties. “We’ll see you guys in a couple of weeks.”
She hated leaving them for such an extended period, but this was the first long vacation they’d had together since they’d been married, and she was looking soooo forward to it.
After getting their travel mugs of coffee she’d prepared for them, they locked the house, set the alarm, and climbed into the Pilot with Tony driving now.
“Why are we leaving so early, Sir?”
He smiled. “I want to be north of Tampa before it gets too late. I know it’s a Saturday, but one less aggravation.”
She settled into her seat as he hooked up his phone to the radio. “I do have to admit, I like having your CRV’s radio,” she admitted.
He smiled. “I think you meanyourCRV’s radio, don’t you, pet?”
“Well, I still think of it as yours. Even if it’s ours.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Is this like the thing where you sometimes steal my shirts and wear them?”
She smiled. “Maaaaybe.” Sometimes, when he came home from work, she’d snarf his button-up after he took it off. She’d put it on, loving how it smelled like him.
“Silly pet,” he said. But the love in his tone made her want to squirm in her seat.
They wouldn’t wear themselves out driving. No marathons. They’d stop as they wanted to, take their time, and have fun.
Then they could have a leisurely dinner, retire to their room for the night, and fuck each other’s brains out.
When they got north of Tampa, Tony turned off I-75 to gas up and then headed west to pick up the Suncoast Parkway toll road. They’d put her old SunPass in the Pilot, and as they cruised north on the toll road there was hardly any traffic to impede their progress.
“This is pretty,” she said.
He wore sunglasses now. “Yes, I’ve always liked driving through this part of the state.”
She hadn’t really explored any of this area of her adopted home state. She drove down from Ohio when she moved to Florida, but she’d taken I-75 and only stopped for gas and food, not sightseeing.
She grabbed her laptop bag and pulled a notebook and pen out.
“You arenotworking, are you, pet?” But from his light tone and the smile curling his lips, she could tell he was teasing.
“I just had an article idea. I mean, I know we get lots of snowbirds, and there’s already a ton of info out there about day trips, but maybe a series of stuff geared for people who have moved permanently to the state. The local tourist kind of thing. What you’ll want to see, the off-the-path stuff if you’re now a local, not the tourist-trap stuff. Like, if someone lives in Sarasota, they’d want to eat at Sigalo’s at least once, or go to a lecture at the Selby Library. The stuff that’s kind of invisible unless you’re a local who uses it all the time and knows it’s there.”
He nodded. “That’s not a bad idea. I mean, I see lots of one-tank trips kinds of articles and books, but that sounds neat.”
She quickly noted her idea so she wouldn’t forget it. When she looked up, they’d reached the end of the parkway and were heading toward US 19.
They stopped for lunch in Crystal River, and he drove her around for a few minutes so she could see the town.
“Man, it’s really grown up since the last time I was here,” he said.
“Is this where the manatees are?”
