by Marji Spicer
She crawled off his lap and pulled her skirt down. Denver looked in his rearview mirror as he zipped up his jeans.
“Oh, great. Here comes Barney Fife.”
Ray thought he was the neighborhood cop. He wasn’t on the police force or even a cop. He was just a little touched in the head. Everyone humored him, but Denver. He did not play Ray’s games. Denver was not in the mood to deal with Ray’s ass tonight. If he weren’t already parked, he wouldn’t deal with him. Ray walked up to the side of the truck. “You want to tell me why you’re parked in the middle of the road?”
“I didn't know you were on dirt road parole tonight,” Denver said. “It's kind of a long story, but I'll keep it short seeing how it's midnight. So, here's the story Ray. I was driving Joy home when suddenly I got the urge to fuck her. She asked for it. Now I know I'm only about ten minutes from home. But damn, look at her. She's fucking hot. Don't you agree? Now, if Joy was your woman, would you wait ten minutes? Or would you stop and fuck her in the middle of the road?” Ray’s eyes got wide, and his face turned bright red. “So now you see my predicament. I had to stop and fuck her. And damn if it wasn't worth it. I'll be home in ten minutes, so I'll continue what I started. It’s hard to get a woman on her back in a truck and give it to her real hard. You still with me, Ray?”
Ray spun around and almost ran to his car. I'll get back at him somehow; he swore to himself. Ray had always hated Denver. He was an arrogant prick.
“Damn, you'd think he was a virgin by the way he acted.”
Joy couldn't help but laugh. “Denver, that was terrible.”
“He's nothing but a damn nuisance if you ask me. It'll be a while before he tries to pull anyone over again. Anyway, I meant what I said.”
“Well, let’s go then,” she purred in his ear.
Denver put the truck in gear and floored it. It took less than seven minutes to get home, pull her out of the truck, and drag her into the house.
Chapter Thirty Five
Joy couldn’t wait to see her friends. Once a year, she got together with some of her college friends to hang out at a lodge. They would visit and catch up on each other’s lives. It had been a tradition for the last seven years. It was like a big girl’s slumber party.
Joy had a feeling Denver wouldn’t be happy about her going. She had planned to tell him, but there hadn’t been time. He was gone a lot, and then it slipped her mind. Oh well, it was too late now. She wasn’t going to cancel on her friends. Denver would have to deal with it. He would probably sulk like a little boy.
She hated feeling like she had to ok things with a man. Something she swore she’d never do again. She wasn’t even sure if he thought what they had was a relationship. They were sleeping together, but they never agreed on anything more. Just a fling, she reminded herself.
Joy took her suitcase out of the closet and started to pack. She wanted to be finished before Denver got there. She looked at the clock; it was 6:15. At 6:30, she heard him come in.
She thought about going downstairs to meet him. He'd flip out once he saw her suitcase. I might as well get this over with. Before she could go downstairs, she heard him come up the stairs.
“Hi, honey,” he called from the doorway.
Joy met him at the door. “Hey yourself,” she said. She put her arms around him and kissed him. Any minute he would explode.
“Today was a rotten day. But it just got a whole lot better.” He sat down in a chair in the corner of the room. Joy shifted her feet as she watched him. “What are you looking so guilty for?”
He watched her twist the bottom of her ponytail with her fingers. She did that when she was nervous. She wished she’d talked to him before now. “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Come here, baby.” He hadn't noticed her suitcase yet. As soon as she stood in front of him, he pulled her onto his lap. “I took this weekend off, so we could spend some time together. I know I’m gone a lot, but we have this whole weekend to do something.”
Uh oh.
The phone rang. “I'll be right back,” Joy said. “Do you want a beer?”
“Sure, that would be great, babe.”
She ran down the stairs and grabbed the phone.
“Hi, how's it going?” Krista asked.
“Denver just got here.” She knew the minute he spied her suitcase.
“Joy,” he bellowed. “Come here!”
“I take it he just found out you're leaving.”
“Yes. I was in the middle of packing when Denver got here. I need to smooth this over. I'll call you back.”
“Stand your ground. Don't cancel your plans.”
“I won't trust me; I'm going. I’ve been meeting with the girls longer than I’ve known him. It's a tradition; he'll have to deal with it.”
Joy grabbed a beer out of the fridge. To heck with it, she grabbed two. She downed half of hers before she climbed back up the stairs.
Denver pointed to her open suitcase. “Explain,” he growled.
“I was trying to tell you about it when the phone rang.” Joy handed him a beer. She downed the rest of hers. His eyes narrowed. “Ok, well, I'm going on this retreat with three of my college friends. We do this every year.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said no, you're not going.”
“Don't be an ass. It's only for three days. I don't need your permission to go anyway.”
“What are you going to do? Hit the bars? I know how you get when you get a few drinks in you.”
“That's not fair. You have a lot of nerve throwing that in my face all the time. And, no, we don't go to bars. Not that it's any of your business.”
“What's more important? These women or me?”
“Please don't do this. We both have a life separate from us.”
“I see.”
Denver walked towards the door. Joy grabbed his arm. He shrugged it off.
“Where are you going?”
“Well babe, I've got a life of my own. Separate from us.”
“I leave in the morning. Don't leave here mad. Stay with me tonight,” she begged. Denver kept walking. “I guess I'll call you when I get back.” He didn't turn around or say anything. She ran down the stairs after him. “Well, fuck you then,” she yelled.
Denver slammed the door on his way out. Joy watched him cross the street, get into his truck, and leave. She wanted to cry, but she wouldn't. She wasn't going to let him ruin her trip with his sulking.
Chapter Thirty Six
Denver’s jaw hurt from clenching it. He knew he was acting like a jerk. He had looked forward to spending the weekend with Joy. Now she was going away. What bad timing. The way she acted irritated him, like what he thought didn't matter. He found a table near the back of the bar, sat down, and ordered a beer. He should have ordered a shot of whiskey too.
A pretty blonde with big breasts sat down beside him. The woman leaned into him and made sure he got a clear view down her low-cut blouse. “Are you all alone, honey?” she purred.
He wanted to shove her off him. Her perfume was nauseating. He thought of Joy. She always smelled sweet and clean. She didn't douse herself in perfume. Did I really use to like women like this?
Joy called Krista back. “I need to talk to you. Can we meet somewhere?”
“How about we meet at the Avalon bar?”
“Ok, I’m going to finish packing, and I’ll be on my way.”
“I know how much you’ve been looking forward to this trip. Don't let Denver ruin it for you.”
“He's such an ass,” she seethed. “Trust me; I’m not going to let him ruin it. I’ll see you in about twenty minutes.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be there.”
Joy finished packing, carried her suitcase to her car, and put it in the back seat. She backed out of her driveway and drove to the bar. Denver's truck was in the parking lot. The place was packed. With such a big crowd, she should be able to sneak in and meet Krista without running int
o him. He usually sat by the pool tables. She would stay on the other side of the bar. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the dark room. Joy saw Denver when she looked across the bar. He sat at a table with a blonde who had huge breasts. The woman was draped across his arm. His face was practically down her shirt. She felt pain shoot straight to her heart. So, this was his other life. She was such an idiot. How long has this been going on? She should have known better than to get involved with a man like him. She felt sick to her stomach.
Joy pushed her way through the crowd, ran to her car, and got in. She put her car in reverse and sped out of the parking lot. Her cell phone rang.
“Are you ok? You sound upset?” Krista asked.
“I'm fine. Listen, do you want to meet someplace else?”
“That's why I'm calling. I can't get a sitter for Maddie. Mark had to work late, and Pearl and Eunice have their Red Hatter's meeting tonight.”
“That’s ok.” Joy forced her voice to remain calm. “Listen, I think I'll take off tonight. I'll get an early start and rent a room somewhere. I'll call you when I get to the lodge.”
“Are you sure you're ok? You sound upset. Does Denver have anything to do with this?”
“I'm fine.”
“Ok, have fun. I'll see you when you get back.”
She was glad she’d brought her suitcase with her. It saved a trip home.
Ray waited for a half-hour before he walked over to Denver’s table. He'd been waiting for a chance to get back at Denver for embarrassing him in front of Joy. She deserved someone better than Denver. The blonde fled earlier when she realized she wasn't going to get anywhere with him. Ray pulled out a chair and sat down.
“What in the hell do you want?" He wanted to drink his beer alone and in peace. Why can't everyone leave me the hell alone?
“I was wondering when you and Joy split up?”
“We didn't split up,” he snarled. You have one fight, and the whole damn town knew about it.
“Oh, that’s weird?”
“What in the hell are you getting at?”
“With the way Joy took off out of here so fast, I figured you broke up. She looked at you, turned around, and ran out.”
"Joy was here? When was this?”
“Well, I reckon it was 20-30 minutes ago. Just about the time that blonde was all over you. You practically had her tits in your face. Joy looked over at you and then took right off. She did look mighty hurt.”
“Son of a bitch.” Denver pushed people out of his way to get out of the bar. Ray laughed as he stormed out the door. He'd deal with that pencil neck later. Joy was gone when he got home.
He called her cell phone, but it went straight to voice mail. He'd done it this time. Shit! What am I going to do now?
Denver called Krista to see if she’d talked to Joy.
“I was supposed to meet her at the bar, but I couldn’t get a sitter. She sounded upset when she called me. She told me that she’d call me later.”
Joy checked into a motel about six hours outside of Bliss. In her mind, she kept picturing Denver with that blonde. She was physically exhausted. She undressed, crawled into bed, and thankfully slept.
Chapter Thirty Seven
Early the next morning, she was back on the road. She was determined not to let him ruin her trip. Denver called her repeatedly, begging her to please call him. Joy let all his calls go to voice mail. She didn’t want to deal with his betrayal right now.
Late that evening, she pulled up in front of the lodge. It was a log building with a big porch full of rocking chairs. There were hanging baskets full of red and white petunias as well as big pots of them along the steps. Her friends sat on the porch, waiting for her. They knew right away that something was wrong.
Joy followed them to their room.
“Ok, what’s the matter?” they asked.
She told them everything and tried not to cry. After she pulled herself together, they started grilling her with questions.
“Tell me about this guy. How did you meet him?” Kat asked.
“He lives in the apartment building across the street from me. But I first met him at a little diner down the street from my house.”
“Did you like him right away?” Maggie asked.
“Well, I knew right away; he was bad news. I stupidly fell for him anyway,” Joy muttered.
“Was there like an instant connection?” Claire asked.
“It was something like a hormone malfunction kinda thing,” she laughed. “The man is too good looking. Remember Travis from college? He’s way hotter than him.”
“Wow!” Kat said.
“I should have known how things would turn out. I stopped at the local bar on my way out of town. Sure enough, I caught him with his face down another woman’s shirt,” she complained bitterly.
“Maybe it was a mistake. It could all be innocent. Denver seems like a great guy. Well, except for the dominating attitude.” Maggie was the optimist of their group.
“Maggie’s right. I would talk to him first before you throw your relationship away,” Claire agreed.
“I don’t even know if what we have is a relationship. I wanted it to be a short fling. Sex only,” Joy sighed. “It hurt when I saw Denver with another woman.”
“Did he see you at the bar?” Kat asked.
“No, I left right away. Ray saw me, so I know Denver knows I was there.”
“Who’s Ray?” Maggie asked.
“Some weird guy who isn’t a cop, but thinks he is. It’s a strange little town. People just let him pretend to be a cop.”
“Is he hot?” Kat asked.
“No, he’s not. He’s actually kind of dorky,” Joy laughed. “Denver started calling me about thirty minutes after I left the bar. That’s probably the time he found out I had been there. I didn’t answer any of his calls. I’m not ready to talk to him yet.”
“He wouldn’t be calling you if he didn’t care about you,” Claire said.
“I know. But, enough about me. I don’t want this whole weekend to be about my problems.”
They talked about their jobs, kids, and spouses. Most of the weekend was spent in the room laughing. They ordered room service and way too much cheesecake.
The weekend went by way too fast. One weekend wasn’t enough time to catch up. They decided that maybe they should meet more than once a year. Joy hated saying goodbye. She knew what was coming as soon as she got home. She wasn’t ready to face Denver. There was going to be a big argument.
It was after 11:00 pm when she pulled up to her house. It felt good to be home. The lights were off at Denver’s apartment. Good! At least I don't have to deal with him tonight.
Denver sat on his balcony and watched Joy go into her house. Damn, he had missed her. He wanted to see her but was undecided if it was a good idea or not. To hell with it. He had to see her and explain things. Joy had never called him back, which didn't look good. Denver went upstairs and sat in the corner chair. She was in the shower.
Joy wrapped a towel around herself as she walked out of the bathroom. She screamed. “What in the hell are you trying to do? Give me a freakin heart attack?”
“Sorry,” he said. “I needed to see you.”
“Well, now you have. Get the hell out of my house.”
“Baby, don't be that way.”
“Don't call me that. And I mean it—get out!”
Denver stood up. “Didn't you miss me?”
“No, I didn't.” He winced. “And don't tell me you missed me. I saw you with that bimbo.”
“I can explain that, honey.”
“I don't want to hear your excuses,” she said. “I know what I saw with my eyes.” He took a step towards her. She put her hand out. “Stay right where you are.”
“Please, baby, don't do this to us. I had nothing to do with it. That woman just sat down. I don't know her, and I don't want to know her. She left when she realized she wasn’t going to get anywhere with me.”
Joy knew not t
o let him touch her. If he did, she'd lose it. “We'll talk tomorrow. I want to go to bed now.”
“Sounds good,” he grinned.
“Alone. Now please go home.”
“Ok,” he sighed. He walked towards the door, but he turned around and pulled Joy into his arms. “I need you, baby,” he whispered. “So damn bad.” He lowered his head and kissed her.
Joy pulled back when she felt herself giving in to him. “Please leave.”
“Let me stay. I'll sleep in the chair. I need to be near you.”
“Alright, you can stay, but I need to sleep.”
Joy went into the bathroom and changed. She wasn’t about to change in front of him.
Denver walked to the chair, sat down, and looked out the window. He looked so sad and lost.
Joy climbed into bed. Trying to sleep was useless; she kept tossing and turning. “Denver,” she whispered.
“Yeah, baby?”
“Get in here.”
Denver undressed, crawled into bed and gathered her into his arms. He was glad she decided to let him stay. He worked out of town so much that he rarely got to see her. That conversation Joy had with the girls about Bliss’s new cop still stuck in his head. Maybe it was all a rumor. He hadn’t heard any more about it. He hoped that if it were true, she wouldn’t be attracted to him.
He soon fell asleep. They both hadn't slept that good since the night before she'd left.
Chapter Thirty Eight
The next afternoon Joy walked into the diner. “I picked up those Dixie Cups you needed.”
“Thank you,” Pearl said. “How much do I owe you?”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “It was only a few dollars.”
“How about a slice of chocolate cake?”
“Ok,” Joy laughed. “You don’t have to twist my arm. I’ll take it.”
Joy sat down next to Krista. Pearl sat a slice of cake in front of each of them. Joy didn’t need the calories, but she couldn’t resist. Krista took a bite of the cake and groaned. Pearl sure knew how to bake.
“Those cups gave me an idea,” Joy said.