I paused and glared at her, thinking: why? Because Ryan is kind of a prick and he dated the two of you? Maybe because I want you and he has you. I have Mags, but he already had her. Him and his rich little suit and car, with all his fancy connections and world travel. What's to be jealous about?
All I could think to reply was to turn the tables. “Is Ryan good to you?”
“As good as he gets.” Then she added, more openly, “But he's a lot of work too. Around you, I can just be myself, and that’s fun. I like that. I appreciate it. You’re not afraid to be spontaneous and a little crazy.”
I smiled and relaxed, settling down into my seat. “Don’t encourage me,” I smirked.
***
The fundraiser was a semi-casual affair. Sunday best clothes. Lots of expensive cars in the parking lot. Some good cause for the community. It wasn’t directly related to Bo’s mother’s law firm, but she wanted Bo there for the sake of the people who would recognize her. It was a meet and greet, with a lunch and dessert buffet, and various gift baskets displayed for silent auction. There was something for everyone; family summer packs, movie tickets, bed and bath baskets, books and movies, but they also went high end all the way up to private sports boxes, timeshare weekends, and a new car and truck for auction.
Bo and I walked through the hall, discussing what to bid on. Her mother had instructed that she needed to bid on as many things as possible, and should attempt to win at least one. Money wasn’t an object, within reason. “Anything you want?” she asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
“I don’t think it’s up for auction,” I flirted.
“Maybe we can have our own private auction later.” She pointed to a basket. “Romantic Night for Two.”
“We don’t need a basket for that.”
“So make it happen,” she challenged me, a penetrating look in her eye. She was encouraging me again, and I was so concerned with preserving our friendship, I wasn’t sure if she was playing or being serious. When Bo said she liked to be spontaneous and fun, I wasn’t sure where she drew the line with joking and action.
“When the time’s right,” I said, trying to look seductive. “Bid on the basket. If we win, we go.”
Bo was about to put her mother’s name down, but then hesitated. “No. I’m not sure Heather would want everyone seeing her signing up for a romantic night for two basket. It might raise too many questions. You’ll have to come up with your own.”
“Alright,” I said, accepting the challenge. “I’ll mull it. Though this might piss off one or two people.”
“Only if they find out.”
She winked and gave me a subtle breathy ‘fuck me’ smile that made me instantly hard. These thin dress pants did nothing to conceal it. I had to find a place to hide to avoid potential embarrassment. Luckily the dessert buffet was nearby, so I cozied up behind it, and found some snacks that looked good.
“I really like these cookies,” I made fun of myself, holding up one of the warm white-chocolate chunk cookies, in case she had noticed my mammoth erection.
“Yeah?” she asked. “Feed me.” She was relentless and intense. “Put it in my mouth.” She licked her lips and formed a tight, wet, “O.”
I stared, transfixed. I wanted those lips closed tight around my cock, sucking hard and deep, swallowing me to the back of her throat.
Afraid of making a huge mistake, I cleared my throat and joked, “Maybe I should move next to the custard pudding, in case I have an accident I need to cover up.”
“Don’t move,” she said, putting her finger on the side of my chin, not letting me look away. “I’m right here. Just you and me.”
I broke off a gooey white chocolate chunk and put it on her tongue, smearing the sweet creamy mess along her lips. As it melted, it dribbled thick and sugary from the corner of her mouth; white, bubbly, and sticky. She licked my finger slowly, and guided it into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around my skin, and she pulled my finger in and out with precision, while staring intently into my eyes.
She removed her finger, and asked in a sultry voice, “Is that good for you? Do you want to grope my ass again?”
I couldn’t tell if it was a come on, a test, or a rebuke for what I did after the derby. I had to play it safe. A friendship could be at stake. ”I’m sorry about the other night. You’re with Ryan. I was out of line. I was a little drunk, a little jealous, and I really like you.”
She blinked as if she could not believe what I had said. She regained her composure, frustrated at being shot down. She compulsively sucked down several sweets from the table, then told me, “I really like you too, Waylon. I’m not sure what it will take to make that obvious.”
“I know.”
“I don’t think you do.”
[ Engagement / A Ride ]
As we stood there, with both Bo and I sexually and emotionally frustrated, we were approached by a middle-aged woman with her blonde hair tied in a bun, wearing too much perfume.
She was one of the locals. Bo seemed to know her marginally. And from the expression on Bo’s face, she did not like her very much.
The woman invited herself to join us and began talking to Bo. "Well, hidee dear. It is right good to see you. I am so sorry your mother was not able to attend, but I am sure she had something more important to do than spend some of her precious time with us, God Bless Her. But it was downright sweet of you for coming in her place, all by your lonesome." She glanced at me, judged me, and dismissed me in one fell swoop.
"Thank you, ma'am," Bo said, trying to be very polite, though I could tell she wanted to kick her. “I’m not alone. I’m here with a friend.”
The woman turned to me, surprised. "Oh! And who might this fine young gentleman be? I am so glad you are no longer with that other - 'boy' - the one with the horrible ..." she lowered her voice to a whisper and continued, "...speech impediment, and mental re-tar-DAY-shun."
I had to cover my mouth to hide a laugh that escaped. I wrapped it in a cough.
Bo exhaled loudly. "Ryan’s English. That's his accent. And ..."
Before I knew it, my mouth was going. It happened sometimes. I knew this woman’s type and I did not like her. In a hammed-up hillbilly accent, I said, "Ma’am, if I can call you ma’am. Bo and I are very pleased to announce that she has found a kennel to care for that poor retarded boy, and now she and I are proud to be sharing our engagement. As soon as I dee-vorce my cousin, Emma, I reckon Bo and I can get hitched proper from the back of my pickup. If you are a friend of Bo’s, you are welcome to attend. We can tailgate around the trailer park, with all of my friends, and celebrate individually. Mobile wedding. We'll call it, 'Bo on the Go!'"
The woman's mouth dropped.
Bo turned to me, shocked, slapped my arm, and said, "Shut!"
I laughed. In my normal voice, I apologized. "I'm sorry. Just having some fun. Bo and I are friends."
The woman patted Bo's arm and lowered her voice, specifically for Bo, "I will pray that you can find some better friends, dearie."
"Thank you," Bo said, grinning. "I might need that soon." As the woman quickly escaped, Bo added to me, "After I kill you! What was that? Married? Trailer park? Are you serious? These people know my mother! What are you trying to do to me?"
I could tell she wasn't really mad. Not completely totally mad, anyway. She was amused, but she had to make a stink. It was one of those things, like going to the Fund-Raiser in her mother's place. It was 'required.'
***
After making sure that we said our visible hellos and won a package of “car detailing services,” we worked our way out. Once in a while, I would stop a friendly looking stranger, pull Bo by the arm, and I would say, "Hi, I'd like you to meet my fiancée." Bo would pull me straight away, before I could say another word, and both of us laughed. When we got to her car, I said, "I am so sorry to hear about Ryan's re-Tar-DAY-shun. I didn't realize that was why he couldn't make it." I bust out laughing, and she was annoyed at the whole thing, but couldn
't stop laughing either. When we became quiet, I sighed and looked at her. "So what do you want to do now?" There was no way I was leaving that girl right then. This was going to be 'our' time.
"Oh. I don't know," she answered, afraid to suggest anything new.
"You ever been ridin'?" I asked, hopeful.
"Riding?"
"Horse-back riding?"
"No." She looked scared.
"That's ok. We can take them for a walk. You'll like it. I know a stable around here."
She was definitely skeptical. "I don't think I'm dressed for this."
"You have pants. That's good enough."
“I could lose the pants,” she offered brightly.
“Don’t tempt me.”
Under her breath, she muttered, “What the hell do you think I have been trying to do?” She grinned, but let it go.
***
When we got to the stables I told the caretakers we just wanted to walk the horses around the trails for maybe an hour. And we did.
I helped Bo up onto the horse, and gave her the basic instructions, number one of which was not to spook the horse. Or fall off.
After that, it was clear sailing; a casual walk through nice trails in a beautiful forest with the fluttering bluebirds and blooming crocuses, while the heat bugs sang their song.
Bo and I chatted, and everything felt like it was good in the world. Time suspended, and nothing existed but the two of us in that fairy-glen. It felt so right.
When I told her we'd done it long enough, she actually asked not to stop, but I said, "Trust me. If you've never done this before, in a little while you'll be glad we stopped when we did!"
She rolled her eyes, and trusted me.
[ My Legs Are Killing Me ]
A funny moment happened later that night when we all met up again in town. Bo's legs were sore and cramped from riding the horse for an hour.
When she saw me, she said, "Oh my god, my legs are killing me. I can barely walk."
I nodded. "Told ya so. Glad we stopped when we did?"
Mags looked suspiciously at us and asked, "Didn't the two of you spend the day together?"
Robby held up his hand for a high-five. "Way to go, Bro!" I high-fived him.
Bo scowled at them and explained, "Don't high-five him! We went HORSE-BACK RIDING!"
Chris stroked his beard and laughed, "So that's what the kiddies are calling it these days." He pretended to wave a lasso in the air, and slap his ass. “Gangnam style!”
Mags didn't think I had done anything wrong with Bo, except for being with her instead of Mags, but she still grabbed me and pulled me closer, wrapping her arms around me. She whispered, "You never take ME horseback riding."
I faced her, surprised. "You wanna go sometime?"
She nodded at me, her eyes almost sad, reaching out to me. I said OK and gave her a little hug.
I didn't realize it until a long time later, but her look meant that she was starting to fall in love with me, and was desperately afraid of losing me. Or having me taken away.
This was something she seemed incapable of admitting.
True to my word, I did take Mags riding a couple times after that. The rides were pleasant and otherwise uneventful and had no other part in this story.
[ A Meeting With Ryan ]
When Ryan got back from his latest trip in early August, he surprised me with a personal phone call, asking if I could meet him for a quick lunch somewhere. At first, I was afraid that he had heard about the second painting Bo had given me, or the first, or both. And the trips we had taken to the Anime store, the ice cream shop, the fundraiser and the stables. Maybe someone had admitted the jealousy I felt, or he had prepared to confront me for the post roller derby incident. I was concerned he had figured out my feelings for Bo. Or maybe he wanted to gloat about how much pleasure he had brought Bo and Mags both, at one time, maybe at the same time. My head was swimming.
But he didn't sound angry or confrontational. He sounded almost, what was the word? Mirthful.
When I arrived at the Sun deli, I was surprised to find Mags, Amane, and Chris. That eliminated the possibility of getting chewed out or having a confrontation, so my next greatest dread kicked into high gear. What if Ryan had a big announcement to share with us before telling Bo. Like an engagement.
I gritted my teeth and clenched my stomach and prepared for the worst. If that were the news, I would be happy for him and Bo. If she were into it, I mean. I would. Really. Maybe.
But not as much as if I had been able to stop loving her myself.
Luckily, I dodged that bullet too. The announcement was about her upcoming birthday. Absent-mindedly, I realized that meant she was a bit older than me. But seriously, I didn't care. Ryan wanted to throw a big party for her, and wanted to make sure we could all be there. He had a list of many other people to invite, but we were the core. We had to be there. So making sure the date worked with us was the first hurdle.
It was a go. We were all in. He had already told us what hall he was planning to rent, and of course, he was arranging the catering, and intended to have an open bar, at least for a while. (He didn't want to invite any lawsuits from someone drinking too much, then driving. Maybe he had been out with us one too many times.)
When Ryan excused himself to pick up the lunch he had ordered for us from the pickup window, the real conversation began.
Amane started right in, "Ok. If we don't get involved, and fast, this will be a disaster!"
"What? Why" I asked. I was lost.
Mags explained, "It will end up big, expensive, and polished. And boring. Bo will be the Belle of the Ball, and have absolutely no fun at all."
I asked, "So what do we do? Throw a separate party?"
"We need to make this rock," Chris agreed, nodding his head, a bit like a wooden puppet with a really weird beard. I could never get past that beard. Maybe that’s why nobody called him directly. We all called Amane, and expected her to coordinate with Chris. His eyes were too wide, too, which sometimes made him look broken.
"No," Amane answered me. "He gets too hung up on plans, and forgets to have fun. But whatever Ryan plans will be big, so we definitely want to take advantage of that. The venue, the food, the drink. All of that will be good. But we need to give it the details he will never think of... so get your head in the game fast. Start thinking. He's coming back."
When Ryan returned, the girls began to ambush him. Amane insisted on using her roommate, Rayne, who had DJ’ed the zombie party. Ryan applauded the suggestion.
Chris blurted out, "We need a casino night."
Ryan frowned. "I'm not sure that fits the mood of the..."
Chris blurted out aggressively. "A Casino Night, where everyone gets chips, and we can play games early on, and try to compete, and earn fake money for prizes. This way everyone wins." He was enthused and relentless. “Life is a gamble. Celebrate it.”
Mags was inspired, "And everyone gets wrapped gifts that we have bought. We do a big Yankee Swap. And like all good Yankee Swaps, we have to have embarrassing things, like lingerie and sex toys..."
Amane added. "And real gifts too, some just for Bo. Touching. Special gifts..."
Mags continued, "And bottles of alcohol. If it's a Yankee Swap, you need alcohol in there. Maybe a lot."
Chris added, "And CDs and candy, inside jokes and good intentions..." Everyone shrugged at the unicorn-and-rainbow sound of his last suggestions, but agreed with the overall sentiment.
I had no idea what to suggest, but thought it sounded like a blast. “I don’t plan parties, but this sounds great.”
Amane and Mags insisted on doing the decorating, as long as Ryan could provide what they wanted. He agreed.
Chris blurted out excitedly, “Celebrity Guest Penis impersonators.”
That idea was met with blank stares and quickly shot down; but no momentum was lost.
I asked, “What can I do?”
Ryan was thoughtful then inspired. He suggested, "Why don't
you take her to the party? It won't be on her birthday exactly, but it will be close. I'll pretend to be busy, and it shouldn’t occur to her that you would be taking her to a surprise party."
Deep down in my gut, I had the strongest feeling that this was not Ryan's best plan. He seemed strangely oblivious to how this could blow up in his face. None the less, I was more than willing to take the role he provided. "Yeah, sure. Take Bo out. Twist my arm." I laughed, and then wished I hadn't, glancing around to see if anyone had caught it. They hadn’t. Or they hadn’t let on, if they did. "I can do that."
Very evenly, Ryan said, "I trust you will do an excellent job, providing a cover."
The emphasis seemed to be on trust. He didn't punch the word, but I felt it. It wasn't an accusation; it was a command. He would trust me. Even if he knew my feelings.
He was trusting me to be trustworthy. That was a leap of faith on his part.
[ Picking up Bo ]
Mags knew about the plan and had pretended to be out-of-town the night of the party. Amane was supposed to be busy, and Chris said he had to attend ComicCon, or some other nerdy convention.
As it turned out, he really did have a convention to attend, arriving slightly late, but he managed to show up before Bo.
I had tricked Bo into thinking we were going to a boring work function for my new job and I needed a surrogate date to help me get through the night.
“Why not Mags?” she asked suspiciously.
“She’s out of town.” That was the cover.
“Oh, right. She told me that,” Bo remembered.
“Besides, didn’t I go with you to the Fund Raiser, in Ryan’s place? Don’t you owe me?”
She remembered certain parts of the fundraiser fondly. “The Fund Raiser. Mmmmm. Think they will have white chocolate chunk cookies at your work party?”
“Maybe,” I grinned. I added, “You’ll need to wear a nice party dress.”
She was more suspicious at that point. "I need a nice party dress for your work party?"
Under The Covers Page 15