by Mia Moore
“And this scene in the game reminds you of bonfires at Emerson Beach, right?”
“Yes.”
This was insane. This was absolutely crazy. She glanced at her bedside clock. It was almost one o’clock in the morning. Again, the silence between the two of them stretched out.
She sucked in a lungful of air. If she was going to, she better do it quickly. She typed away.
“I’m going to be at the firepit at Emerson Beach in half an hour. There’s a few of them, and I’m going to be at the one at the end of the line by the seawall. I’m going to wait there for a half an hour. I would like to meet you. If you decide to show up, I’m thinking that it will be a good thing. I can be entirely wrong about this, but I think we’re supposed to meet.” She closed her eyes for a second, then pressed ‘Send’.
And immediately the response came back.
“OK.”
Before she lost her nerve, she flipped down the computer’s lid. She hopped out of bed and began rummaging through her closet and dresser. She didn’t need to shower, just get some clothes on. To be on the safe side, she’d bring the vial of Mace that Mila gave her a while ago. She’d also stop by a 7-11 for condoms.
She stopped stock still.
No.
If he’s the right kind of guy, he’d have the condoms. And if he didn’t, he wasn’t the guy.
Chapter 20: I Have A Problem
She had to stop at the 7-11 anyway. She didn’t have any matches. She also grabbed a newspaper to use as to start the fire and hoped that there would be enough driftwood or scrap wood of some kind or another to start a small fire. At the last minute, she grabbed a mesh bag of kindling wood that was stacked up at the back of the store. During the winter, they had firewood stacked up at the front of the store, but in the Springtime, most of it went to the back to make room for more appropriate seasonal items. If they needed more, ‘Greg’ or whatever his name was could go and forage.
She did what she could. ‘Greg’ or Karma could provide the rest.
Thirty minutes after extending the invitation to this moonlight soiree, she had a small campfire going. It wasn’t anything close to the roaring blaze in the video game, but then there also wasn’t a beachside orgy going on either.
She looked down at her chest. Nor did she have gravity defying E cup boobs.
Oh shit. She wasn’t blonde, either.
And one of her canine teeth was crooked.
Oh shit. What if he’s shorter than her? Oh damn shit! What if he’s way older than her!
AAAAaa! WHAT IF HE’S STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL!
She jumped to her feet. This was a bad idea in more ways than she could ever count. Sure she had Mace. What if he has a gun? There wasn’t a single other car in the parking area when she came to the beach. So even if she started to scream, who would hear her?
“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” She grabbed her purse and sandals and turned to head up the pathway back to the parking area.
“Don’t go, Venus,” a voice called out. When she spun around, she didn’t see anyone. “Please,” it said.
She squinted. He was sitting on an outcrop of rocks on the seawall, deep in the shadow of one of the trees the city had planted along the walkway. When he stood up, she became still.
He picked his way down the wall, stepping on the rocks like they were a footpath, as agile as a mountain ram. He hopped down the last two feet, landing in the dampened sand close to the water’s edge, and in the light of full moon. He put his hands on his hips and stood there looking at her from a distance of less than 10 feet.
She blinked. He looked about her age, maybe a little older, but if so, not by much. His dark brown hair was long and tousled, as if he had just fallen out of bed and ran his hair through it. Then he ran his hair through it again, while maintaining his silence. His eyes were a bright blue, capturing the moonlight and dancing. He smiled at her, with perfectly kissable lips.
Oh my. Amanda’s hand, with a will of its own went to her chest and covered her thudding heart.
“Hello, Venus,” he said, still not moving.
“I… uhhh…” she shook her head. “Do you have a gun?”
The crinkle smile went from his face to be replaced by stunned surprise. “Do I have a what?”
“A gun!” She pulled up her keychain and fumbled with the small canister attached. “I have Mace!” she said, pointing it at him.
He slowly raised his hands. “I don’t have so much as a pocketknife.” He pulled his t-shirt off and turned in a circle. “I don’t think I could hide a gun in these shorts.”
He was right. They were high cut off denim’s, she could see the barest edge of the white pocket liner peeking out from the hem of one leg. They were snug enough that if he had tried to stash a pistol in the pocket she ought to be able to see an outline. Right?
Except that he didn’t need a gun. This guy was a regular exerciser. The muscles across his back, winnowing down to his hips were amazingly defined. He wasn’t an athlete, unless gymnastics was his bag; he had the definition of a bodybuilder, but without the bulk. Bulky muscles or no, one look at him and she knew he could overpower her in a flash if he wanted to.
If she wasn’t so scared, she’d be turned on.
“This… this was a mistake,” she said. “I’m sorry Greg, but I’m going to leave.”
He put his arms down and looked at the fire behind her, crackling away. He looked up at the sky. “It’s a beautiful night, don’t you think?” He held his hands out palm up. “Oh, and my name is Zachary, not Greg, Venus.”
“How do you do?”
“Very well, thanks; considering I have someone pointing a chemical weapon at my face.” He smiled again. “My friends call me Zach.”
“Yeah… well… a girl can’t be too careful these days.”
He nodded slowly. “Especially when she comes out to a deserted beach late at night to meet someone she’s never seen…”
Amanda stomped her foot. “That was a stupid idea! That’s why I’m leaving!”
“Were you drunk when you decided to come out here?”
“No. I don’t drink all that much.” She blinked. “Were you? Are you?”
Zachary chuckled. “No,” he said, again shaking his head slowly. “Although, you got to admit, this whole thing is so surreal, we both could be tripping on magic mushrooms or something, huh?”
She couldn’t help but smile. He was right. She lowered her arm, but kept her finger on the button of the Mace. “When I got here I got scared. I mean you could have been a rapist or something. Or a really old guy. Or a kid!”
“I understand.”
“Oh? Weren’t you worried about anything?”
“Well… after I got here, I really hoped you weren’t a guy.” He shrugged. “After that, I wasn’t too concerned to be honest.”
“What if I was fat? Or really old? Or a rapist or something?”
He pointed a finger. “Well, you are the one holding a weapon.” He waved his hand in the air. “The other stuff wasn’t too much of a worry for me.” He stopped for a second, and his eyes went wide. “Except, now that you mention it; I’m glad you’re not a kid. If you were a fourteen year old girl, I could get in trouble for luring a minor.”
“See! This is a stupid idea!”
“Except you’re not 14. And I’m not a rapist. We’re two people who met online—”
“Yeah. What a pair of losers. We didn’t even meet through a dating site! We met through a sex game site!” Amanda shook her head. When you step out of yourself and look at this objectively, she has to have a screw loose. Her head shot up and she looked at Zachary. What screws are loose up there, mister?
Zachary shrugged again. “I don’t think I’m a loser. My friends and family like me well enough, I earn my own money and bathe regularly.” He cut a hand through the air. “Anyway… how we met isn’t important. What’s important is we met—”
“We fucked online.”
“There is that. At any rate, we met, and…” he sp
read his arms. “And because there was some kind of connection that went to a deeper level than the online stuff here we are.” He folded his arms. “I think, Venus—”
“My name’s not Venus!” He didn’t reply, just stood there, shirtless in the night, wearing denim cut offs that Daisy Duke would envy and looked at her frankly. Damn it. “My name is Amanda.”
He brightened. “Really? That’s your name?”
Oh shit. Here it comes. She hadn’t heard it since junior high. Ah-MAN-duh! She hated the butch middle part of her name with a passion. “Yes it is? So what?”
He looked off to the side for a moment. “Well, for one thing it’s a much nicer name than Venus.” Bringing his eyes back to her, he added, “Don’t you think so?”
“Well, yeah… I guess so. But I thought Venus was a better handle to use, considering the website, right?”
“Yeah you got a point.” He glanced past her. “The fire’s burning down.” He looked back to her. “If you still want to split, I’ll be disappointed. But it’s your decision.”
She glanced behind her then back at Zachary. Now she wasn’t sure. She fiddled with her keychain.
“You can keep the Mace at the ready. I won’t be insulted.”
Oh what the hell. She looked up at him. “If you’re a serial killer or something, you’re really, really good. She stepped over to the fire and sat on the sand.
Zachary kept standing. “Hey, I… I brought some stuff.” He nodded in the direction of where he had been at the seawall. “You mind if I bring it over?”
She waved a hand in resignation. “Yeah, sure; whatever.” Amanda watched as Zachary (She wasn’t going to call him Zach! Yet.) Clambered up to where he had been waiting. He picked up a bundle that was next to the tree and carried it back down to the fire. It was a cloth blanket, the corners tied together. He untied the knot and unrolled the contents.
He brought out a bottle of champagne and two glass flutes and placed them on the sand beside Amanda. Taking the cloth, he shook it out and spread a checkerboard pattern picnic blanket on the sand. He plopped down on the blanket.
“There’s plenty of room here, Amanda,” he said, scooting over to the far side. “No need to sit in the sand.”
She stood, brushed off her bum and sat down next to him. Not beside him, she thought. Just next to him on the blanket. She picked up the bottle of champagne and was able to see the label in the combined moonlight and firelight. Moet & Chandon? She sighed.
“What’s wrong?” He was sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees.
She shook her head sadly. “I get it on with a guy a lot faster in virtual reality than I do in the real world, Zachary.” She put the bottle down, giving it a twist so it would seat into the sand under the blanket. “This is all really nice, you’re seduction technique is right out of Playboy magazine, I’ll bet. I’m sure you’ve had a lot of success with it with girls, but I think—”
He burst out laughing.
“What’s so damn funny? I’m sort of paying you a compliment you know.”
Zachary shook his head. “No, it’s the ‘lot of success’ comment.” He continued hugging his knees. “I’ve never done this before.”
“Yeah. Right.” She picked the bottle up. “You just happened to have a bottle of expensive champagne kicking around, huh? Just waiting for ‘that special someone’ to show up.” She patted the blanket. “You just happened to have a picnic blanket straight out of Abercrombie and Fitch all ready to go for that ‘one special moment’.” She smiled ruefully. “I got to give you points for style, Zachary, I really do. But you’re so full of shit it’s coming out your ears.” She plopped the bottle back down. “I imagine you nicked this from your Dad’s liquor cabinet and the blanket from your Mom’s picnic basket.” She eyed him. “You’re a player, but I’m sorry, you’re barking up the wrong tree.” She put her hands on the blanket and began to push herself to a standing position.
Zachary reached out and touched her arm. “Wait. Please. You’re so wrong it’s almost tragic. It will be tragic if you leave.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah. You missed a few points, Sherlock.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“Well, for starters, I didn’t take this blanket from my mother. It’s mine.”
“Sure.”
“No, honest! Look!” He grabbed one of the corners of the blanket and held it up. Embroidered inside a small circle was the word ‘Zachary’. “See? It would be really weird to have a mother with that name, don’t you think?”
Grabbing the bottle of champagne, he continued. “I didn’t rip this off my father either. The fact is I don’t live with my parents.” He held up a hand. “Don’t get me wrong, they’re awesome, but I have my own place.”
“Where’s that? A tent in the woods of the park? You didn’t drive here; you got here ahead of me and there aren’t any other cars in the parking lot.”
Zachary snorted. “No, I didn’t drive, I walked.” He looked past her shoulder. “My place is really close.” He pointed. “Top floor, on the right corner. That’s my living room.” He looked over at her. “I left the lights on; at this hour most everyone else is asleep.”
She turned around to see he was pointing at one of the high rise condo buildings that overlooked Lake Erie. The tallest one.
The condos that sat right on the lake.
The really, really expensive condos.
“Oh.” She chewed her lower lip and slowly turned back to Zachary. “Uhh… isn’t that on the top floor?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t they call that a Penthouse?”
He made a wan smile and nodded. “Yeah… kinda.”
“And you own it.”
“Yep.”
Slowly shaking her head, she said, “I’m not the girl for you, Zachary. I’m not what you want.” Damn him! This would have been easier to get out of is he wasn’t so close to perfection. She wished she wasn’t so messed up. She had to admit to herself… she was well and truly messed up.
“You’re absolutely right. You’re not what I want.” He tilted his chin towards his condo. “I have just about every thing a guy could want, Amanda.” He turned his gaze on her. “You’re also absolutely wrong when you refer to yourself as a what. You’re a who.” He smiled at her and put an arm on her shoulder. His hand felt so warm on her. “Tell me, why did you come?”
She wanted to say ‘I dunno…’ but that felt like a cop out. She felt her face warm and looked away. “You want the truth?” She saw him nod silently. Barely moving her lips she said, “I wanted to get laid.”
“And now?”
“And now, I’m scared to death.” She reached across and picked up Zachary’s hand. “There’s a problem.”
“Oh?”
She nodded. “I’m a Swinger.”
“What! You’re kidding! You mean that you’ve actually been to clubs and stuff like what’s online, but in real life?”
“Well, I haven’t been to clubs yet, but I’ve been to some house parties and played with people.” She kept staring at his hand, unable to meet his eyes.
“Like orgies and stuff. Like group sex and daisy chains? In real life! Holy shit! Wow, Amanda! That’s so hot and so cool!” He threw his fists up in the air. “Totally awesome! I knew it! I just knew that you would be just the right girl to meet! Whoo hooo!”
Now this was a complete surprise. She thought that if she had told him she was a Swinger, he’d be turned off because he’d feel jealous or something. Instead, Zachary’s acting like he just won the damn lottery!
“So you’ve been involved in the Swinger Lifetyle too, Zachary?” she asked.
“What? Me? No!” He looked at her like she had two heads. “I haven’t had much of a social life at all. I was a real jerk in high school, but in college, when I majored in Finance, I didn’t have the time because of the workload.” He tilted his head from side to side. “And then, when I landed a job on Wall Street, I decided that I’d work non-s
top for seven years, make a pile and get out. Last year, I made my walk away money target and quit.” He gave a short laugh. “And now… his lips pulled away from his teeth in a grimace. “I got everything I want, but I also have a problem.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You’re telling me that you’re independently wealthy?”
“No! Financially independent. If I live within my means, I won’t have to get a job.”
“You’re retired.”
Zachary nodded. “Yeah.”
“You’re 30 years old and retired.”
“No. I’m 28.” He gave her a cheese grin.
Amanda thought for a moment. “Are you sick, Zachary? Is that your problem?”
Now she watched his face darken in a blush. “No… I’m healthy as a horse. I really had to pay attention to stuff like that while I was working in Finance. It was incredibly stressful. That kind of a job can kill you if you don’t pay attention to maintaining healthy habits.”
Stress. She put a hand on his shoulder. “You had a nervous breakdown, didn’t you?”
His face went from scarlet to pale in an instant. This guy must be a terrible poker player; she could read his emotions like the back of her hand.
“No! I kept stuff in perspective pretty well! I got into some Far Eastern philosophies—you know, Buddhism and some of the stuff from Hare Krishna. It kept me on an even keel during the tough times.”
“Karma Blessings. You said that to me the first time we met on the game.”
“Yeah! I did! I never said to anyone before you.” He started to flush again. “Or since,” he added quietly. His face brightened again. “Now tell me, how did you get into Swinging?” His face darkened. “Oh no! Swingers are married! Don’t tell me you’re married! Don’t tell me you have a boyfriend!”
“No. Not married, and no boyfriend.”
“You’re single. Really single.” When she nodded, he said, “You must have a great time fucking those guys then, huh? And their wives are okay with it?”
She tucked her shoulders up to her ears and let them back down as she tilted her head side to side. “Well… the sex I’ve had has been great…” With a sharp exhale she said, “It’s kind of complicated.”