“No it’s my entire body that smells like flowers asshole. Soft, sweet flowers.”
Vince gagged “Fucking gross Sammy, you’re my cousin” but before he continued Samantha interrupted.
“Not some slut. If I get a bruise..”
But now it was Vincent’s turn to interrupt “…Stevey can kiss it and make it better.”
Meanwhile at the other end of the bar the two would be DC power players, at least that’s how they imagined themselves, were discussing the “Neanderthals” at the far end of the bar quipping about how next he was going to hit her over the head and drag the blue collar woman back to his cave of an apartment.
Looks can be deceiving, Vincent’s media room was bigger than Beth’s apartment and the closet at Samantha’s small place was bigger than Christy’s bedroom bathroom and closet put together. Steve on the other hand, well he collected pens and adding devices. Looks aren’t always deceiving.
“Oh look the little slut likes Neanderthals man” Christy spoke in her best conceded bitch tone. Vincent’s ever present laugh could be heard from the far end of the bar, its carefree sound filled the room.
“Of course I remember you. I have a thing for milk maids.” He said when approached by Tiffany, his persistent laugh not wavering. Vincent loved life, he had fun everywhere he could and several places that he shouldn’t. “Oohh, aging blue collar has some competition.” Christy just couldn’t help herself. While at the far end Samantha was gracious and her genuine nature enjoyed meeting the pair.
“Pink Taco.” Vincent said to no one in particular while Tiff was still hugging him. Heaving her chest Steph replied. “Do you like it?” It was a playful and sexually aware tone and cadence that the women at the other end of the bar would have thought to be mindless and dumb. Steph in fact was neither, she was in fact quite calculating.
Vincent not one to miss a chance to walk on the wrong side of the line “I love pink taco.” Pausing “I had a little earlier today” he said with his devils grin once again emerging
“You can never have too much”, she played back. He was still grinning, and Tiff’s arms were around his neck
“I agree and the restaurant isn’t bad either.” And with that Vincent stood, but Tiff just held on her arms clinging around his neck. She was dangling like an overly developed Lolita smiling and laughing like a kid on a ride as she hung from his tree trunk of a neck her chest pushing into Vincent’s.
“Barbells?” Again Vincent was speaking in no particular direction, but glancing downward as he felt the metal balls against his chest. Steve in his own aloof little intellectual numeric world answered, “No, just cardio today.”
As Tiff offered “Big ones, wanna to see?” She said letting go and dropping back to the ground, her hand already starting to raise her shirt.
“Of course I do, but not here.” Vincent replied.
Not missing a beat she replied with “Ok, come with me to the ladies room” Not at all kidding as she took Vincent’s hand. She loved her chest and the piercings gave her another reason to flaunt them to anyone remotely interested.
While Christy and Beth continued their conversation about the cretins at the other end of the bar, Tiffany and Vincent disappeared toward the hall at the back of the restaurant. Vincent was far from shy and had seen more than his fair share of naked women up close and personal, so why not one more. So Steph brought the pair’s drinks over to Sam & Steve’s end of the bar luring the remaining couple into small talk mixed with mindless banter. Something primitive in Steve was awakened by Stephanie’s presence, he found himself lusting after her like a confused school boy.
“You make such a cute couple!” Steph began.
“Thanks, we hang out on Sundays.” Samantha answered not committing to their status one way or another.
At the far end of the bar Christy finished her wine moving on to her second glass. Beth gulped hers down in a most unladylike manner to keep up.
“We’re not a couple” Steve responded, as usual unaware of any romantic intentions on Samantha’s part; she wondered to herself if she hadn’t made herself obvious to this usually distracted man.
“Did you see the game?” he continued, not imagining that it was actually not possible to watch.
“No, I was working, but sometimes I get to work at the Hooters lounge at the stadium.” Steve was amazed, women like her didn’t usually talk to him, well unless he was a customer at somewhere like Hooters. In defense of women everywhere it was not their fault, Steve was unlikely to start any conversation with a woman unless she had a visible high tech graphing calculator or abacus. Small talk with the intent of advancing the conversation was simply a skill he doesn’t possess.
Meanwhile, Tiffany was standing half in front of Vincent and half in front of a mirror ogling and positioning herself and her beloved piercings in all her glory.
“Very nice, I love the black barbells.” Vincent reassured her.
Tiffany like the praise but could have cared less.
“Thanks, I got them in Vegas.” She said looking Vincent straight in the eye as he said, “Ok we’d better get out of here.”
“No!” Tiffany said in a defiant manner “Come on Vince, give me a little pinch.” With that Vincent reached out, Tiffany aiding in the process placing her chest in his hand. “Use two hands, the other one’s lonely”
Vincent of course obliged.
“Umm,” Tiff murmured “now take the nipples and give them a good squeeze.” Vincent teased lightly touching and tracing before flicking the barbells playfully before placing a thumb and fore finger just past the piecing pressing his finger together.
“Harder” Tiffany said in a heaving breathy low voice. Vincent pinched with bone crushing force as she swooned, her knees becoming like Jell-O. As Tiff & Vincent emerged from the long hallway that led from the ladies room, Nadrea was finding her way to the bar, her scent of musk and sex still wafting in the air along the path she had just taken, turning men’s heads and causing women to become defensive and defend their companions as she called for a Citrus Martini from halfway across the room.
Christy and Beth couldn’t help but notice her as she joined the group at the other end of the bar. “Looks like a hooker.” Christy began “and oh look, Neanderthal man is back” she continued as she got her first good looks at Vincent from the front as he walked behind Tiffany enjoying every stride she took while she sported lethal high beams for the entire bars enjoyment.
“He’s really built though” Beth added.
“But he probably lives in his mommy’s basement,” Christy was not impressed. “Probably a mindless construction worker, smelly and uncultured” then turning her attention back to Nadrea who was in the process of greeting each of the group with a hug or a kiss. Had Nadrea not joined the otherwise undesirables at the other end Christy would have still had an equal disdain for her. As Nadrea finally got to Steve she could feel his discomfort. His nervousness was palpable. She relished the ability to intimidate someone, especially a man. So her kiss lingered, toying playfully with his hair with one hand, the other dragging her nails slowly across his back. As she released her embrace Steve went from nervous to terrified.
“Quit it before he dies from the excitement,” Vincent called out to Nadrea embarrassing Steve even more. Steve was not only now afraid of Nadrea, but of how Vincent was going to react. He didn’t realize that Vincent could have cared less.
“Jealous Vin?” Nadrea asked playfully now pressing a retreating Steve against the bar, the edge of the trim leaving a straight red line on his skin underneath his shirt.
Vincent responded “No, have him anyway you like.”
Nadrea grinning and watching “So where were you?” she had no intention of doing anything with Steve other than scaring him.
“We were…” Tiffany began.
“..In back” Vincent finished her sentence.
Nadrea noticed how Vincent had finished someone else’s sentence.
Before adding “Mmm,
using my imagination” Nadrea giggled.
Isn’t she delightful?” pausing again.
“Hope you didn’t wear him out, dear.”
Nadrea stated the last part for the world as a way of marking a territory that she didn’t necessarily care if she exclusively retained. She reached behind Steve “Finally.” her one hand was toying with Steve’s ear, taking her drink from the bartender with other. Stepping back from Steve who was worried what she was going to do next, but Nadrea had grown tired of him and his discomfort. He was in truth little more than a novelty to her, a minor diversion.
She greeted Tiffany with a long kiss. “Maybe I can help you with those later.” Nadrea said grazing her hand across Tiffany’s erect nipples and piercings. She approached Vincent who was settling back into his place at the bar, as she stepped into him sideways going to put her body against him Vincent stepped away but placed a hand on her arm as he went toward the far end of the group only collecting his drink before heading back to where he was seconds before.
“Prick.”
Nadrea had grown tired of Vincent’s stepping away from her on his own whim, her irritation was greeted with his laugh. The color was slowly returning to Steve’s face while Tiffany and Steph chatted away and Nadrea was already ordering a second drink while Samantha was taking it all in and Vincent was watching the hostess from a distance. He wasn’t watching her as a sexual object, but how she was greeting the guests, handling the dialogue. Meanwhile at the far end of the bar the bitch laden conversation continued. Mostly by Christy about social classes and dignity and other things that were not typically light bar room banter among friends. Beth joined in, but she unlike her companion did find Vincent attractive. She was by no means in the same league as some of Vincent’s crowd, but unlike Christy she wasn’t above a hot little tryst or an occasional one nighter. In that sense Beth was perfectly normal. Drinks were refilled and a few minutes after seven Robert and Donna entered. The Husker wore shorts, a wrinkled shirt and mussed hair. Donna wore a T-Shirt, her hair pulled back revealing a face that had seen a little too much sun during the day, ponytail strung through the opening in a baseball cap. As the pair made their way to the bar Robert spotted Christy and began in that direction while Donna bee lined to Nadrea and company.
As the Husker sauntered through the moderately crowded room, Beth turned to Christy and asked, “Why is she here?”
Smirking Christy returned her question with “That’s Roberts new hole.” whispering for fear of being overheard.
“Do you know who she is?” Beth asked hoping the pause would find a way to state the obvious.
Beth whispered “She’s a pro.”
Christy stunned “A hooker no way.”
Beth whispered as Robert approached “No, not a hooker, She works for the other party and consults for a few defense strategy think tanks.” Beth concluded right as Robert approached.
Varying States of intoxication, arousal, sobriety and cluelessness ensued. So as Robert ushered Christy and Beth to the end of the bar they had just been ridiculing. Tiffany and Steph had begun to take up with Steve, who was intoxicated not from any beverage by their mere presence, Nadrea carried on with Donna as Christy silently declared war on the pair. Vincent, as could have been predicted was making the rounds through the group going from woman to woman to chat and then moving to the next and back around again. Robert drank coffee like the addict he was and shortly after the entire menagerie came together Samantha slipped away like a ghost in the twilight of the evening.
Finally the awkward moment came as the other conversations shifted from person to person eventually leaving Christy and Donna standing across from each other.
“How’s Mommy?” Donna ask.
“Pardon?” Christy replied, offended that a woman who she had met earlier in the day was so obvious as to ask about her family. They had never even had a conversation she thought this to be a sign of weakness and a pathetic attempt to manipulate her feeling about her rival.
Donna let the odd silence continue for a moment before “Look, don’t play dumb.” As she placed Christy’s cell phone records for the day on the bar.
“So how is MOMMY?”
Christy immediately knew she was busted and surmised what she had already suspected from earlier in the day…it was all the bitch’s fault. The new phone number, the disappearance, the missing time, the hell that had been her day on Friday. The cause of all of her eroded influence, her diminished control and the change in routine. It was all her fault. Christy gave the only response she could “None of your Damn business.” Donna just grinned and made her way to the next conversation, Christy crumpled up the phone records in disgust tossed them just short of the trash can behind the bar.
Robert and Vincent talked sports, Nadrea, Donna, Tiff and Steph talked parties and clubs, fashion and sex. Steve found himself making a hopeless attempt at a conversation with Christy.
“Having fun?” he began.
“Not really” she replied. Her disinterest was more than obvious, but Steve didn’t notice. “That’s too bad why not?” Steve inquired, as if he possessed the ability to impart a magical spell as a cure.
Christy just answered her voice filled with disgust, “This isn’t going anywhere. You DO know that?”
Steve somewhat puzzled; “The conversation?”
“Or anything else for that matter” Christy bit back.
Stephanie had overheard the conversation and stepped up to Steve draping herself across him added, “Quit wasting your time with her.”
The words aimed directly at Christy who responded with, “Slut”.
“Really that’s original. Ooooh, those words really hurt. I’ve never been called such a horrid thing before.”
Stephanie replied a mocking fake tone in her voice before it turned cold “At least men like sluts. Not too many takers for frigid little prudes are there?”
And as Christy contemplated her response, determining how to best insult the little tramp who relished being treated as nothing more than a receptacle of a man’s lust Stephanie stepped in front of Steve. Placing one finger from each hand in a his two front most belt loops and guided him away from Christy and back toward the bar where Tiffany was. Steve who despite all of his awkwardness was a genuinely nice guy said to Christy as he passed. “Hey sorry about that. It was really nice talking to you.”
“Robert!” Christy stated as she approached, her discomfort growing. “We need to talk.” “I see what you mean,” Vincent said with a grave and somber tone in his voice.
Looking at Christy, “Loosen the fuck up, it’s a party!”
She just ignored Vincent.
“Robert, I said we need to talk.”
Vince in his usual not worrying about what the world would think manner, saw a great opportunity to mess with the stuffy woman.
“Hey blondie, why don’t you go in back with your friend and see if you can find a personality.”
Glaring at Vincent she replied “I wasn’t talking to you.”
Vincent just laughed “Or go in back and fuck yourself, it might help your mood. Do yourself, or your friend or whatever… just loosen up.”
Her irritation grew, it was becoming more apparent by the second that she was not and would not be fitting in with the rest of the crew. Beth on the other hand was trying to seem less obvious than most, but was enjoying herself and the off color conversations that were all around.
“I said I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Do I look like I even remotely give a fuck about that? Now have a drink, sit down, shut up, or go somewhere else.” He handed her an apple-tini “It’s what all the cool kids are drinking so pretend you’re one and loosen up.”
“Fine” Christy responded, she was not usually much of a drinker but on her final sips of the third glass of wine for the evening said taking her first sip.
“Well?” Vincent asked as she took her second drink, a large gulp for her second taste. She looked further down the bar at Tiffany a
nd Steph fawning over a bewildered Steve like he was some adorable injured Puppy. Beth returned from the restroom just in time to find Christy finishing her first martini ever. The drink had lasted less than a minute from once it got into her hands. Vincent of course immediately handed her another.
“Maybe if you drink enough” Vincent said before being interrupted by Christy. “I won’t think you’re such a Neanderthal. fucking loser.”
Vincent laughed the hardest he had all night. “No I’m pretty much a moron.”
Christy didn’t realize this was fun to him and she could call him anything in the world and he wouldn’t have cared. He was just enjoying pissing her off.
“I figured it out at first glance.” Vincent continued to laugh now ridiculing himself.
Nadrea grew bored with the lack of attention and left shortly afterward, trying to tempt Vincent to leave with her, but he had no intention. He had found someone to toy with and was going to get her absolutely shit faced and leave her with her friend to treat the inevitable hangover. Nadrea departed with a mix of a stagger and a swagger as she had consumed Vodka nonstop since arriving. As she departed Tiff and Steph convinced Steve to leave with them and head to their place to “watch movies”. Steve thought it would be with the thought of just watching a movie, the girls had other designs. Donna and the Husker left at the same time leaving Vincent and the two proper types at the bar. Christy now well into her fourth Martini of the night.
“Bitch” Christy mumbled toward the top shelf liquors across the way, but her words fell upon an otherwise mostly empty room. As she went to order a fifth Apple-tini she was quite uncharacteristically feeling no pain. Beth was just a little buzzed, Vincent was flying high from a caffeine fix from an evening of drinking diet soda’s.
“I hate her” Christy continued.
Beth spoke up, “Maybe we should go”
It Had Been Years Page 16