It was a three day trip that was going to stretch into four, at least.

I could have driven it in two, on my own, but I wasn't on my own. And I'd rather drive than fly, and we ran the numbers, and it was cheaper to rent a car and stay in cheap motels, and then when we let Tia's parents know about our plan to drive, they asked if we wouldn't mind picking up a passenger on the way. So we decided that we would make an extra stop, which became two when we realized that Tia's ninety-year-old grant-aunt probably wouldn't want to drive for twelve hours straight through the mountains. So we shifted our plans, decided that we would arrive at Aunt Marsha's around noon on the second day, give or take an hour or two, stay the night there, and Aunt Marsha would pay for our stay in a nice lodge on night three and we'd get to the location of the wedding on day four in the afternoon, with plenty of time to get ourselves (and Aunt Marsha) into the hotel for a relaxing evening before the ceremony on day five.

I do love a road trip. And seeing Tia's family, who in a lot of ways were closer to me than my own biological family. And of course, it started me thinking about if at some point one or the other of us was ever going to propose marriage. Which got me wondering how much of my family would bother to show if we had a ceremony, which started making me sad, which meant that suddenly I was staring out the window in a melancholy funk and delaying our departure.

Not that we were in a rush, at all, so when Tia came down from the bedroom with her suitcase packed (mine was already in the trunk of the car, and had been since the night before) to find me standing in the kitchen with a familiar melancholy look on my face, she just put the suitcase down, walked up behind me, and started massaging my shoulders.

"I can be gloomy on the road, if you prefer," I said wryly, enjoying her touch.

"Nah, it's cool," she replied. "I know how much you like road trips and I want you to be having fun. What's on your mind?"

"The usual, when it comes to family things."

"Ah yeah. Okay."

"I don't want to ruin the trip, I'll try to cheer up."

She leaned in close then. "Want me to help?"

I shivered at the whisper in my ear. "We'll be late. Like actually late."

"Like I care? Here." She spun me around, and I let her. "Tell you what, I'll drive for the first leg. For the day, in fact. 'Til we get to the motel. You can enjoy the sights."

I sighed. "Supposed to be bright and sunny all day. I'll probably fall asleep."

"Better if you do that from the passenger seat, I think."

"Heh, yeah, probably." Despite myself, I smiled.

"Besides that..." Tia's look turned mischievous. "I had an idea."

"An idea that means I won't be driving?" I asked. Safety demanded that someone in a trance or under a suggestion shouldn't be behind the wheel. It's just common sense, after all.

Tia's response was to say something, and I said something back, and I felt like a weight was being lifted off me, but at the same time I felt heavy, heavy enough that I had trouble standing up and Tia had to help me keep upright. She was still talking during that whole time, I think, but there wasn't anything really sticking in my head. Still, before I knew it, I had her suitcase in hand and was heading out the door, only to remember at the last moment that I wasn't wearing any socks or shoes. I couldn't ask Tia to fetch me any, of course, as she was breezing by me to head to the car (and probably to adjust the seat so she could drive comfortably). Besides, I was the one who did things for her, not the other way around.

Just the way it is, I thought to myself, putting my sandals on and picking up Miss Tia's luggage. I felt the cold silver of the snake pendant she'd gifted me, a bauble we'd found on one of our road trips to the country, what seemed like forever ago. I remembered that I had been driving at that point, but that seemed impossible, for... I shook my head. Wasn't important, memories get tangled all the time. I hauled her bag to the trunk of the rental car and quickly made my way to the back seat.

"All ready to take off?" Miss Tia asked from the driver's seat, turning the key in the ignition.

"Yes, Miss, definitely," I replied. The seat behind hers was occupied with the cooler and various snacks for the trip. My job was going to be to keep her spirits and energy up during the long drive. She didn't want to stop until we reached the motel, if we could help it, though if we were drinking and eating I suspected we'd need at least one rest stop.

Miss Tia had left a blanket for me in the back seat, which was very nice of her; she liked the air conditioner running full blast, especially when the sun was beating down on us, and it got a little cold for me on long trips. Even worse, I was in a short-sleeved dress that went halfway down my calves, so I was fairly exposed. I pulled my phone out from my bag as we approached the edge of town and let it connect to the car's system. Miss Tia's favourite playlist came up immediately, and I started the music playing. It wasn't to my taste, but I wasn't the driver, and I didn't mind it all that much. Making Miss Tia happy was a worthwhile cause, anyway.

The music and the distance made casual conversation a bit of a challenge, so for the first hour or so Miss Tia only communicated with me as needed. By that point, I was covered in my nice warm blanket and was halfway asleep, enough to be startled awake a bit when I was asked for: "A drink, with a view." I blushed a bit, knowing what she meant, letting the blanket fall to my waist and slipping the straps of my dress off. I looked around. No cars anywhere, we were out on the highway quite a ways. Awkwardly, without undoing my seatbelt, I managed to unclasp my bra and dropped it to the floor. Topless now, with my breasts in the rear-view mirror, I reached over to the cooler, opened it up, and pulled out a grape soda. Miss Tia didn't want it to be wet with condensation, so it was my job to wipe it off, which I did by gently rubbing it back and forth over my chest.

All that warmth I'd been building up was very quickly being spent. I felt my nipples getting tight. I also felt the car swerving a bit as Miss Tia tried to keep it in the lane. I giggled. "Perhaps too much of a view?" I asked, leaning forward and putting the drink in the cup holder between the front seats.

Miss Tia just shook her head. "Perfect as always." I could hear her smile.

My flush ran down to the silver chain around my neck. She cracked open the can of soda while I waited nervously. "May I... cover up, Miss?"

She took a long drink, still piloting the car straight down the long, flat highway. She put the can down in the cup holder. "No."

I swallowed. "O-okay. Alright." I pulled the blanket a bit tighter around my legs and tried to relax a little. Apparently it worked, between the sun and the soft music and the warmth I did have, I drifted off.

I woke as Miss pulled into a rest stop, briefly panicking about my state of dress until I realized that at some point I had pulled the blanket up to my shoulders. I didn't need to worry, at any rate, we were still the only car there.

"I need to use the bathroom," Miss Tia said, turning the car off. "Are you doing alright?"

"Perfectly fine, Miss," I replied. "I might step out to stretch my legs."

"Go ahead."

Her door closed behind her and I took another careful look outside. Not a single other car at the rest stop. A couple whipped by on the highway in either direction. I would probably be safe to step out just as I was, though I didn't have that sort of courage. I left my bra where it was and pull the dress back over my shoulders.

The sun was less warm outside, or maybe it was just the breeze cooling me. My stomach gurgled as I took a little walk around the small grassy area, and I thought about all those lovely snacks we had in the car. I would have to wait for Miss Tia to get back, though, since I would have to make sure she was offered one before I took them.

I was wool-gathering in the little lawn when Miss Tia surprised me, wrapping me up from behind, and fondling my unsupported breasts. I squeaked a bit as she kissed the back of my neck. "Ready to keep going?" she asked me.

"Yes Miss," I answered. "Would you like a snack?"

"Sounds good." We were walking back to the car. "Are you hungry?"

I nodded. "I am, Miss, which is why I asked." Honesty is important.

"Then you can pick what we're going to eat."

"Thank you, Miss."

"And you can choose the music as well."

I smiled as I opened Miss Tia's door. "Thank you, Miss."

And we were on the road again, an open bag of pretzels in my hand, me passing them forward to Miss Tia whenever she asked. I also got myself a grape soda (without the show, this time) and my own playlist of high-energy folk songs was blasting from the speakers. Road trips were always one of my favourite activities, even through the flat and fairly featureless prairie. Blue skies and cloud formations offered lots of inspiration for landscape paintings, and the varied crops and trees and houses made for good detail. The time was just flying by in relative silence, but my mind was awash in creative activity. I felt so lucky that Miss allowed me time from my duties to express myself through painting, and that she was so supportive of my work.

As my own musical choices were wrapping up, the farmer's fields were giving way to suburbia, and I had a few interesting thoughts about new paintings. The bag of pretzels and my drink were both empty, and I was looking forward to supper. First, though, was the business of checking in to the motel, which I let Miss Tia take care of while I tidied up the back seat. I briefly considered trying to get my underwear back on, but there were just too many people around, so I decided I would be better off without it until I brought everything into the room.

Miss Tia was back in just a couple minutes and drove the car around to the back of the building, opened the door to our room as I started unloading the trunk, and tossed herself on the queen-sized bed as I was bringing in our luggage.

"How are you doing, Pel?" she asked as I carried the cooler into the small room and put it down near the little fridge.

"Just fine, Miss," I replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "All that's left is to close up the car. The non-perishable snacks can stay there."

"Good girl," she said, and my body experienced a shiver of joy and pleasure. "I'll go take care of that. Meanwhile, you..." She slipped up beside me and ran her fingers through my hair, then down over the silver chain around my neck.

I shivered again. "Understood, Miss."

I watched her go out the door, then kicked off my sandals and pulled down my panties. The moment the door was closed, I pulled my dress down and let it fall to the floor, and Miss Tia's eyes fixed on the silver charm around my neck, and—

And all thoughts of 'Miss' Tia vanished from my mind. My girlfriend, and not my employer, stood transfixed, entranced by the pendant around my neck and my naked body.

"We've just had a nice, long drive, haven't we, Tia?" I said, slowly walking towards her.

"Yes," she whispered.

"I think it's time we had ourselves a good, relaxing, hot shower, ordered some food, and," I grinned, "find something to occupy the time until it gets here."

"Yes."

I stroked her slack cheek. "Yes what?"

The hint of a smile appeared on her face. "Yes, Miss Penelope."