Cougars

by Earl Sewell

“Girl, please! It’s my birthday weekend and I plan to enjoy it to the fullest. Besides, whatever happens in New York City…” Tiffany paused for emphasis.

  “Stays in New York City,” everyone said in unison, then began laughing obnoxiously.

  “It looks like they have a nice selection of martinis. They have a chocolate martini, candy apple, pineapple, dirty blond and a white chocolate one,” said Lauren.

  “Now that white chocolate martini sounds really good,” Millie admitted. At that moment a waitress came over.

  “White chocolate martinis for everyone,” Lauren said to the waitress. “The first drink is on me, ladies.”

  “Well, I don’t want that. I want pineapple. What about you, Tiffany? Did you want to change your order?” Jasmine asked.

  “Nope,” she answered as she focused her attention on two fine gentlemen who’d just arrived. “Would you look at the fine men who just walked in?” Tiffany nodded her head in the direction of the men.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Jasmine blurted.

  “What’s wrong with them?” Tiffany didn’t understand why Jasmine sounded so disenchanted.

  “The one on the right is the airline pilot I was telling you guys about earlier.” Jasmine turned her back, hoping Alex wouldn’t see her.

  “He’s cute,” Tiffany said.

  “He’s very cocky,” Jasmine explained.

  “There’s nothing wrong with a man who has confidence.” Tiffany continued to watch Alex and Travis as they walked toward the other side of the club.

  As the evening moved forward, the ladies enjoyed their drinks, discussions and sisterhood. Several young men approached them during the course of the evening for flirtatious chatter and a chance to tell the ladies how beautiful they looked. Tiffany, Lauren, Jasmine, and Millie all loved the attention they were receiving. When one handsome young man learned that Tiffany was celebrating her birthday, he shared with her that he was commemorating his twenty-fourth birthday.

  “Can I get a birthday kiss on the cheek from all of you beautiful ladies?” he asked. None of them saw any problem with his request and endearingly kissed him on the cheek. The young man then howled and told them how much he loved them. It was obvious that he’d had too much to drink, but he was very easygoing, vibrant and fun-loving.

  “Excuse me, I need to head off to the ladies room,” Jasmine said as she pushed back her seat and rose to her feet.

  “Hang on, I’ll go with you,” Tiffany said, rising to her feet to follow Jasmine.

  “Are you having a good time?” Jasmine asked as she and her friend walked through the crowd.

  “The best time of my life. I love you guys so much,” Tiffany said. “I’m so blessed to have girlfriends like you guys.”

  “The feeling’s mutual, love,” Jasmine said as she looped her arm around Tiffany’s waist.

  Once they freshened up, Tiffany and Jasmine headed back to their table. As they approached, Jasmine stopped cold in her tracks.

  “Oh Lord, it’s the airline pilot. He’s made his way to our table,” Jasmine said.

  “I see.”

  “I’m going to put in an order for some food at the bar. Do you want anything?” Jasmine asked.

  “Just get a platter that has a sample of everything. I’ll eat off of that.”

  “Okay, I’ll be over in a second.”

  Jasmine turned to the left and headed directly for the bar. There was a handsome man leaning his back against the mahogany structure. Jasmine couldn’t help but add up his designer white suit and shoes.

  “Excuse me. Can I get right there?” Jasmine asked.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you.” Jasmine tried to get the attention of all three bartenders several times, but without success.

  “Jesus, what do I have to do in order to get some service around here?” Jasmine griped.

  “What? No one is helping you?” asked the man standing next to her.

  “No. It’s like I’m invisible or something.”

  “Hang on.” The man stepped away and then returned with a waitress.

  “Would you be so kind as to take her order?” said the handsome man.

  Pleasantly surprised, Jasmine gave the waitress her order and said she’d wait there for it.

  “Thank you,” Jasmine said to the kind stranger.

  “No problem. My name is Travis, by the way,” he said.

  “I’m Jasmine.”

  “That’s a pretty name. My friend was telling me that he’d recently met someone named Jasmine.”

  “It’s a pretty common name so I’m not surprised by that.”

  “Do you like this place?” Travis asked, looking directly into her amazingly hypnotic green eyes.

  “It’s nice. It’s my first time ever coming here. What about you? Is this a popular spot?”

  “This is my first time here as well.” Travis leaned in closer, and spoke purposefully in her ear so she could hear him. “I flew in from California to meet up with a buddy of mine. Every few months we pick a city to hang out in.”

  “New York is a great city to visit. I don’t know if I’d like living here though,” Jasmine admitted.

  “Oh, you’re not from the Big Apple?”

  “No. My girlfriends and I flew in to celebrate a birthday.”

  “Is it your birthday? Because if it is I’m going to have to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to you,” Travis asked, fully prepared to sing.

  “No, it’s not my birthday.” Jasmine laughed. She studied Travis more thoroughly. He had smooth brown skin, a prominent jaw line and a boyish face. He was without a doubt a charmer, but there was something extra about Travis. It was his eyes; they seemed to speak before any words passed through his lips.

  “You have lovely eyes,” Travis complimented her.

  “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you.” Jasmine raised her right eyebrow.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Travis asked.

  “Nothing. Other than the fact we’re both sizing each other up at the same time.” Jasmine rested her elbow on the countertop.

  “So what part of California are you from?” Jasmine decided to give Travis more of her attention.

  “Berkeley.”

  “I’ve never been there,” Jasmine said.

  “You should come sometime. It’s a great town and has the best seafood in the world,” Travis proudly stated. “What about you? Where are you from?”

  “Chicago,” Jasmine said dryly. “I’m not looking forward to the upcoming winter months.”

  “I don’t see how people in Chicago survive such cold winters. Sometimes I’ll catch a glimpse of a report saying that it’s like one-hundred degrees below zero.”

  Jasmine laughed. “Honey, it doesn’t get that cold. Exposed human skin wouldn’t survive in such extreme temperatures.”

  “I know, I’m just giving you a hard time.”

  “Now why do you want to give me a hard time? You hardly even know me.” Jasmine wanted their conversation to continue. There was something about his spirit that she was drawn to.

  “It’s just a figure of speech,” Travis explained.

  “You mean to tell me you don’t want to give me anything that’s hard?”

  “Oh. See now you want to play with me.” Travis gave her a sly glance. “But if I were to give you any part of me, it would be more than just the hard parts.” Travis winked.

  “If that’s the case, I’d also better make sure I give you something you can feel.”

  “Well, a skilled lover knows how to move around in tight places,” Travis said as he got the attention of the bartender.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were teasing me.” Jasmine gazed directly into his eyes.

  “I don’t tease, baby. I seduce.” Travis met her gaze with his own.

  “I’ve heard it all before, Travis,” Jasmine said, enjoying the mystery of him perusing her for an intimate encounter.

  “You see, that’
s the thing with certain guys. They talk a lot of bullshit, but when it comes down to performing they can’t last more than two seconds.” Travis popped his fingers twice for emphasis. “Dudes will have a premature orgasm and talk about how that has never happened before or it was a slip-up because it felt so good.”

  “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” Jasmine said, playing the devil’s advocate.

  “Every man at some point in his sexual life will run across a woman that may be a little too much for him to handle. However, I believe it’s a guy’s responsibility to learn how to work his shit. He needs to have a very intimate relationship with himself so that he learns to delay gratification.”

  “What are you, a sexologist or something?”

  “Close, but not exactly. Let’s just say I’ve studied the subjects of intimacy and arousal thoroughly.”

  “Is that a fact?” Jasmine was now more curious than ever.

  “Come closer,” Travis requested. Jasmine obliged by leaning toward him. Travis placed the fingertips of his left hand on her hips and whispered in her ear. “I’m more like an experience you’ll savor and crave. I’m like a delicious treat you’ll adore snuggling up with while wearing your favorite pajamas. I will have your appetite longing for me in a way you’ve never thought possible. I will take you to the stratosphere and have you inhaling the pillows just so that my masculine scent can dance around in your head.” Travis paused and read her body language as she digested what he’d just said. When he saw her shoulder rise up to meet her ear as if she were being tickled, he knew that Jasmine was very interested in him. “That’s the kind of lover I can be to you.”

  “How many women have you said that bullshit to?” Jasmine wasn’t about to fall for the string of crap he’d rehearsed.

  “I haven’t been walking around whispering lies in the ears of women. However, if you’d like me to lie, I can accommodate your request.” Travis noticed the waitress returning with Jasmine’s order.

  “Your food is here.” He nodded his head in the direction of the approaching waitress.

  “So Travis, do you think you’re the type of man who can blow my mind?” Jasmine asked as the thought of taking him back to her hotel room and fucking him until he begged for mercy entered her mind.

  “No, I’m not that guy. I am the man who has the potential to stimulate your mind and perhaps make you a happier woman.”

  “And how would you go about doing that?” Jasmine asked as she paid the waitress and set her food on the bar.

  “By listening and paying attention to you. By never walking on your love or taking you for granted. I’d build a bridge of trust and understanding that could never be destroyed or dismantled. I’ll treat you better than you’d treat yourself.”

  “I will admit that sounds very nice, even romantic,” Jasmine said as she picked up her food.

  “Well, Travis, it was nice meeting you.” Jasmine shook his hand with her free one.

  “It was nice meeting you as well.” Travis held onto her hand and swept his thumb across the back of her hand.

  “Jasmine!” Alex walked up and interrupted the moment. He finished off the drink he had in his hand and set the empty glass on the bar. “It’s me, Alex, the pilot. Don’t you remember who I am?”

  “Dude, give me a minute here.” Travis kept Alex from toppling on top of Jasmine. Travis didn’t appreciate the disruption and was letting Alex know it.

  “Oh no, Travis. I saw her first, man. You know the rule. You don’t go after the same girl your best friend has a hard dick for.” Alex, his ego, and competitive nature were pissing Travis off.

  “Are you guys involved in some type of competition to see how many women you can bed or something?” Jasmine sensed that she was the prize of some boyish scheme.

  “No. It’s nothing like that.” Travis immediately denied her assumption.

  Alex couldn’t maintain an erect posture. “I didn’t ever think I’d run into you again. What’s up, baby? Are we going to do the do or what?” He slurred his words, his eyes were glassy and he refused to listen to reason. It was clear that he was intoxicated and needed to call it a night.

  “Alex, why don’t you have a seat?” Travis said.

  “Hell no! I don’t want to sit down.” Alex grabbed his crotch. “I want to give her some of this.” Alex tried to push up against Jasmine, but Travis prevented him from doing so.

  “You need to get him out of here. Obviously he’s had one too many. I hope he isn’t flying tonight.”

  “I’ve flown drunk before. It’s not a big deal,” Alex boasted as he stumbled backward and knocked over a few cocktail glasses sitting on the bar. The sound of shattering glass made heads turn.

  “Oh shit. I fucked up. I’ll pick up the broken glass.” Alex stooped down, lost his balance and toppled over.

  “Why the fuck did you push me down, Travis?” Alex asked with a confused look on his face, falsely accusing his friend.

  “Let me help you up,” Travis said as he helped him to his feet.

  “I’ve never seen him get this hammered before,” Travis said apologetically.

  “Sure,” Jasmine said before turning to leave.

  “Hey, can I get your phone number?” Travis asked.

  “No.”

  “How about an e-mail address?”

  “At this point, honey, I’m not even willing to give you a smoke signal.” Jasmine walked away.

  “Why do the pretty ones always have to be coldhearted bitches?” Alex asked.

  “You’re lucky that you have a friend like me because any other guy would have disowned your ass.”

  “Hey, man. She wasn’t worth it any motherfucking way.” The alcohol allowed Alex to make statements that would lead to an ass kicking if he were alone.

  “Have a seat,” Travis told Alex, who sat on the bar stool and slumped over. Travis got the attention of the bartender once again and ordered a cup of coffee for his friend.

  Chapter 6

  Travis

  Travis awoke to the sound of heavy rainfall from a thunderstorm system passing through the Bay Area. He turned over in his bed and hugged the pillow tighter, hoping to get a few more minutes of sleep before getting up to start his day. Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, his alarm clock began buzzing and playing loud music.

  “Damn!” Travis griped as he opened his eyes. His immediate thought was to hit the off button and go back to sleep. However, that wasn’t an option, because if he had, he’d most certainly over- sleep, especially with the lulling melody of raindrops present. He willed himself to sit upright in his bed. After taking a long stretch, he rose to his feet and lazily moved over to the balcony window in his bedroom. He drew back the chocolate drapes, slid the glass door open and stepped outside. He took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of the morning rain.

  “Come on, Travis. You need to shake off the damn jetlag and get your ass in gear,” he spoke to himself. He stretched his body out some more before heading back inside. He went into the basement where the workout room was located, flipped on the light switch, and plugged his iPod into his bookshelf stereo system. Travis selected his favorite workout songs, turned up the volume, then began running on the treadmill. Afterward he did a chest and back weightlifting routine using his Bowflex Home Gym.

  After a great workout, a long shower, and face time in front of the mirror, Travis got dressed, then went to the kitchen to eat breakfast. He cooked himself some egg whites, two slices of turkey bacon, and an English muffin. Once his food was ready, he grabbed the television remote and turned on the small television situated on the granite countertop. The weatherman said the storm would be gone, but later in the afternoon the temperature would rise into the nineties.

  “Another hot and sticky one,” Travis mumbled as he sat at the small table in the kitchen. He glanced out of a nearby window and noticed a few tree branches floating in the pool. He made a mental note to remove them before he left for work.

  Travis loved
his house. It was actually his parents’ house, but they’d moved a while ago to a retirement home in Hawaii. The house had four bedrooms, a formal dining room, two large family rooms, three bathrooms and a large backyard with an in-ground swimming pool. The house was paid for and his parents allowed him to stay as long as he maintained it. Although the arrangement was excellent, the thought of purchasing the house from his parents had crossed his mind several times.

  After he finished with breakfast, Travis checked all of the windows and doors to make sure they were locked and headed off to work at the university. As he was driving he received a phone call.

  “What’s up, fool?” Travis said to Alex.

  “Nothing, ass wipe, what are you doing?” Alex fired back with an equal amount of sarcasm.

  “Just heading to work. Where are you? Back home or in another city?”

  “I’m still in Chicago, but I’m headed to the airport now. By this afternoon I’ll be in Omaha, Nebraska.”

  “Omaha sounds like a fun place.” Travis laughed with an air of cynicism.

  “Omaha is actually a great town.”

  “Well, one thing is for sure. Out here in Berkeley we don’t ever hear anything good or bad about Nebraska.” Travis was surprised by Alex’s apparent fondness for the city. “Look, I know you didn’t call me up to make small talk about Omaha. So what’s up?”

  “That chick, Jasmine. Are you sure you didn’t get her phone number?” Alex asked yet again.

  “Dude, I don’t believe you just asked me that question. This is like the hundredth time already.”

  “I’m just making sure.” Alex acted as if he didn’t understand what the problem was.

  “That lady is gone. She wasn’t interested in you. Now get over it and move on.”

  “How do you know? Did she say she wasn’t interested?”

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you were turning into some deranged stalker. The whacked-out part is, you’re stalking a person you hardly even know.”

  “I’m not a stalker, there was just something about her that…I don’t know…I just want to know everything about her.”

  “Look, for the last time, Alex. She didn’t say anything about you until you brought your drunk-ass over and fucked up my chances with her. We had a good flow going until you gave her the impression that we had some type of secret bet going on.”