by Tamara Black
“You doing alright?” I asked after she merged with traffic on the highway.
“Yeah, I guess so. It's just...”
“What? That Tommy guy?”
“Yes and no. I don't know. He gets me whatever I want, but he can be a real prick sometimes.”
“Not to mention he's twenty four years older than you.”
“Hey, you want this ride or not, lady?”
“I'm sorry. I'm just playing. Still, if he don't make you happy, what's the point?”
“Well, not having to work for one.”
“Isn't being with him a job?”
“I guess. I don't know.”
“Sounds like you need to take some time to find out so you're in the know.”
“At least I don't eat dinner alone every night.”
“Ow. Low blow.”
“He's just got me crazy because he's so jealous.”
“You know what they say about jealous men.”
“No, what? They're either guilty of cheating themselves or they're insecure.”
“He's definitely not insecure.”
“There you go.”
“Well, I sleep around on him.”
I shook my head. “You crack me up, girl. I don't know how you live like that.”
“Judge not and all that.”
We drove the rest of the way to the airport in silence. She did give me a kiss on the cheek and a hug after I got my suitcase out of the back of the Navigator, so I knew she wasn't too upset with me.
“Have fun,” she said then waved as I walked away.
I went through all the security measures, including taking off my shoes. It was a hassle, but I didn't mind as long as they kept us safe. When I finally got to the plane, I found myself sitting next to a mixed woman who looked a few years younger than me. She immediately made me think of Ethan and what our children would have looked like if we had ever had any.
We had planned to have them, but things were always too hectic for both of us. The constant fighting and bickering didn't help either. We fucked like rabbits when we first met, but after we got married it just wasn't the same for either of us. It drove me crazy that I could never figure out where exactly we had gone wrong.
“I'm so nervous,” the young woman next to me in the aisle seat said.
“Your first time on a plane?”
She looked over at me and nodded, nervousness dripping off her face.
“Relax, it will be okay. Try getting a drink maybe?”
“I'm only twenty,” she said. “I turn twenty one next week, but I've already asked for a drink.”
“Well, let's see if I can't get one for you.”
I instantly liked the young woman because I could imagine her being my own daughter if I'd ever had one. She would make me old and in my fifties, but I didn't care. If I could bring someone like her into the world, I could finally feel satisfied with my life, as if I'd actually accomplished something.
“That would be great. I'm on my way home.”
“You're from Vegas?”
“No, but I'm going to school there now. My fiance is from there.”
“You excited about getting married.”
“Oh yes,” she said excitedly.
I continued talking to her so that she would calm down. Before she realized it, we were in the air. I ordered a martini and gave it to her as soon as the flight attendant left.
“I'm Jessica.”
“I'm Danielle. Nice to meet you.”
“What brings you to Vegas?” she asked then downed half the drink in one gulp.
“A vacation, I guess.”
“Cool. Maybe you'll find a guy. I know some good male stripper joints if you want.”
I smiled. “Oh, I'm sure I'll be able to find my way around.”
We chatted the whole flight.
“I was married to a white guy,” I admitted to her at one point.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, but we got divorced.”
“What happened?”
“You know, I'm still not sure. I was thinking about that today.”
“Did you just get divorced?”
“No, it was a couple years ago.”
Her eyes widened in surprise then a smile came over her face.
“You're still in love with him.”
“What? You're crazy. Maybe I shouldn't have given you that drink.”
“Maybe you won't admit it, but if you're still thinking about him and why it didn't work two years later, you're still in love with him.”
I nodded then turned and looked out the window as we crossed high over the mountains. After we landed, I gave the young woman my email address and told her to get in touch with my sometime. I retrieved my suitcase then headed outside to get a cab. When I got to my room at the hotel, I collapsed on the bed. What the hell was I doing in Vegas alone? I wondered.
FOUR
Ethan
A few hours after work, I headed to a local bar to unwind. I knew I would have to deal with a lot of women hitting on me, but I really wanted to have a drink or two. I hated drinking alone. Jerry had sent me two text messages begging me to come to Vegas with them over the weekend. I didn't even answer him. As I walked into the dark and crowded bar, I hoped I didn't run into him.
I wasn't planning on stay long, but when I was done with my first drink, I couldn't stop. The anniversary of my divorce with Danielle had recently passed, and it was affecting me more than I would like to admit. Although I sat at the end of the bar and tried to keep to myself, after my second drink, a curly blonde walked up and put her hand on my shoulder.
“How you doing tonight?”
“I'm okay,” I said then motioned for the bartender to bring me another.
“What's a hot guy like you drinking all alone in a place like this?”
With just a few words and a smile I could've brought her home and fucked her brains out, but I wasn't in the mood. None of the women I'd been with after Danielle could compare with her in the bedroom. She was a freak just like me. If nothing else, our sexual life had been good.
“I just want to be alone, okay?” I said.
Her smile faded. She turned and stormed off as loud music played in the background. I went back to my drink, which had been refreshed. The whiskey went down quickly, burning my throat on the way. As the night wore on, I became more despondent.
One by one, the other patrons left, usually in pairs. This depressed me even more. Pretty soon, Charles the bartender and myself were the only ones left in the place. He poured himself a drink as he stood on the other side of the bar.
“Here's to last call,” he said then downed the whiskey.
I finished the rest of my drink as well then struggled to stand.
“Why don't you hang out here for a bit before you try going home.”
“I'll be okay,” I said.
“I insist.”
“Well, in that case.”
“Good. Seems like you have a lot on your mind.”
“Yeah, just stressed about life.”
The alcohol in my bloodstream caused me to spill the beans as if I was in a confession booth. Charles listened to my sob story, nodding appropriately but not saying anything until I was finished. When I was done, he looked me straight in the eyes.
“You need to go to Vegas.”
“What?” I laughed. “That's crazy. Did Jerry put you up to this?”
“Jerry?”
“The guys were trying to get me to go there too.”
“I don't know who the hell you're talking about, but going to Vegas will help you relax and forget your problems for a while.”
“As long as I don't end up like in that Hangover movie and create more problems.”
The bartender chuckled. I hung out for about half an hour and talked to him before settling up my tab. I waved my hand at Charles as I walked out of the bar. My apartment building was only a few blocks away, so I stumbled back. By the time I got home, I'd decided to head to Veg
as to party with the guys.
FIVE
Danielle
I decided to go waste a little money and time with the slot machine downstairs before going to get something to eat. A lot of people had problem with gambling, but I always got bored after the first half hour – even if I was winning. Earning money wasn't really a problem for me, but I could see how people became addicted to the idea of getting a lot of it quickly.
As I wandered through the sea of blinking, buzzing and beeping machines, I noticed a lot of men looking at me. I wasn't dressed like a slut, but I had on a short skirt and a low cut blouse. The closer I got to thirty years of age, the more time I spent making sure I looked my best whenever I went out in public. For one thing, I never knew when the man of my dreams might walk up.
When I got downstairs, the place was crowded with people. Everyone seemed to be lost in their own little world, especially the ones sitting in front of the slot machines almost lifelessly hitting the button to spin the wheel. Watching the people was more fun to me, so I continued walking around, weaving in and out of all the people.
Then, out of nowhere, someone ran up and grabbed my purse. I screamed in shock as the young white man pulled at my purse. When he lifted his fist, I just let him have it. He took off into the crowd, headed toward the back entrance. I looked around for help, but I couldn't see any security people. They had probably caught everything on video, but I wanted something to be done.
About a minute or so after the man ran off, a bald man who had been standing nearby returned and handed me my purse. I was still in shock, trying to catch my breath. The man put his hand on my shoulder as I looked inside to make sure my wallet and money wasn't missing. Everything was just where it had been.
“Thanks so much,” I said, looking up at him.
“No problem, ma'am. Glad to help. Can't believe he did that here.”
I shook my head. “It's a crazy world. I'm not sure if I like Vegas.”
“You can't let this single incident cloud your decision.”
“Thanks again,” I said, smiling at him.
“Don't mention it. You staying here long?”
“This is my last weekend here.”
“Have you had a good time?” he asked as he rubbed his bald head with his left hand. “Besides the mugging?”
“I guess.”
“Well, if that's your attitude about Vegas, you really need to come to our party tomorrow night.”
“Party, huh?” I was a little intrigued.
He nodded. “Yeah, a private affair, but I can put your name on the list. What was it again?”
I hadn't given it to him, but I knew it was the only way to get him to go away. And he had retrieved my stolen purse.
“It's Danielle.”
“Cool. I'm Jerry. Stop on by tomorrow night and you'll have the time of your life.”
I smiled politely. “Thanks. I'll see.”
“You going to be okay?”
“Yeah, I'm going back to my room for a while, I think.”
“Do you want me to walk you?”
“No, that's okay.”
“Well, hope to see you tomorrow night.”
“Thanks again. Bye.”
He waved and wandered off into the crowd. I clutched the handle of my purse tightly and headed to the elevator to go back to my room. I only had three more nights before I could go home and get back to work the following Tuesday.
If I was lucky, I might even be able to go into the office Monday evening when I got back. Who the hell thinks like this in Vegas?, I thought to myself then laughed quietly. Back in my room, I watched the last Ice Cube movie I'd missed when it was out in theaters.
SIX
Ethan
The young woman in front of me moved her body in ways that made my mind wander and wonder how she would be in bed. Loud music filled with bass could be felt in the air as we sat at a table and watched the show. Jerry rubbed his head then threw another dollar bill up and onto the stage. He had lost most of his air at the age of twenty-one, making him seem about ten years older than his actual age.
I'd met him a couple months after Danielle and I split up. He had really helped me through a rough time by taking me out to party and getting me laid so that I could forget about all the chaos and heartache in my life. Blonde hair was tossed back and forth as her lithe body moved around in my lap, but I just couldn't concentrate on her. Was I finally maturing? That was one of the reasons Danielle had hated me.
“You want a private dance?” she asked me.
“No, thanks. I need to go.”
I moved to get up and she climbed off my lap. Jerry jumped up beside me and yelled in my ear, “Where you going, guy?”
“Back to my room.”
“You coming to the party?”
“I don't know. Maybe.”
“You better come. It's going to be one hell of a party.”
“We'll see.”
I raised my hand then made my way out of the club and back to my room. The party they'd planned was in one of the ballrooms of the hotel we were staying at. Renting it for a night had cost a pretty penny, but even more was spent on booze and other entertainment for the evening. While I rarely partied really hard anymore, I began to think that I should go just to say goodbye to my old life.
On the walk down to the ballroom, I tried to get myself in a mood to party. As soon as I entered the room and saw all the people, I caught a good vibe for some reason. I made my way straight to the bar and had a couple drinks before mingling. I couldn't believe Jerry and the guys had been able to get so many people gathered for our Vegas party.
SEVEN
Danielle
The ballroom was actually full of people, something I hadn't expected. I didn't see Jerry, but I went to one of the three bars that were set up and got a glass of wine. One quickly led to two then three. I had a pretty good buzz going when I first saw Ethan. Even though I hadn't seen him for a couple years, I instantly recognized him across the crowded room.
At first, I didn't know what to do. The fact that I'd already consumed three glasses of wine probably had something to do with me wandering across the room toward him. As I got closer, I wondered briefly why I had originally divorced him. We had never cheated on each other as far as I knew. My life with him seemed like it was decades ago, not just a couple of years.
“Hey, you,” I shouted when I was right behind him.
He twirled around with a drink and a smile. When he realized it was me, his mouth and eyes both opened wide. As he devoured me with my eyes, I remembered one of the reasons I'd liked him so much – his beautiful body. After the initial shock wore off, he moved forward, drink still in hand, and wrapped his arms around me.
“Danielle, I can't believe it's you,” he whispered into my ear.
“It's a little odd. Someone who retrieved my purse after it got stolen invited me.”
He pulled back and said, “That was you?”
I nodded. “Yeah, your friend was a lifesaver.”
“This is so weird. Are you staying? Do you want to get a drink?”
“Sure,” I said, still not entirely sure what I thought about running into him.
We had no luck finding a quiet corner at the party, so we headed out into the hallway.
“Want to come up to my room to talk a bit?” I asked.
“Yeah, that would be great.”
The walk back to my hotel room was a strange one. He reached out and held my hand as we walked down the hall and into an elevator. The feeling of his skin against mine brought back a flood of memories. We'd had our problems, but we also had a lot of good memories.
In my room, we ordered some more wine. I questioned him about his life and caught him up on mine. He admitted that he knew I was in Seattle, but he never thought he'd ever see me again. As we sat on the large, comfortable bed, I found my mind wandering.
“So why did we get divorced?” I asked in a teasing voice.
“I've wondered the same
thing, Dani.”
“I love when you call me that.”
“I know, Dani.”
“Stop. You're getting me hot.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
He leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. I didn't complain or fight him because I wanted the same thing. We stopped kissing only long enough to take off our clothes. When they were scattered across the floor, we returned to the center of the bed, lying next to each other.
His hands moved across my body slowly, as if he were blind and wanted to remember every inch of my flesh. Then he moved down and took a nipple into his mouth, sucking at it gently. I moaned and reached down to grab his cock, that terrific white cock that I'd never forgot.
I don't know if it was the shampoo he used or what, but I loved the way he smelled so fresh, as if he had just stepped out of the shower. As I inhaled his scent, he started kissing my belly before moving further down my body.
When he kissed my pussy lips, I spread my legs to give him better access. His tongue slipped out and explored every delicate fold. He had seen my naked before years earlier, and the way he was making me feel it was like he hadn't forgotten anything.
“Fuck me,” I moaned.
I grabbed his back as he moved up my body. The tip of his hard cock pressed against my opening. Then he entered me. I thrust my hips up toward him then pulled back as he retreated. He fit me perfectly as he plunged into me again, penetrating me like no other man.
All the while, he looked into my eyes. I saw his pleasure through his facial expressions. My hands moved lower and cupped his ass cheeks, trying to pull him deeper into me. I couldn't get enough. He began to grunt as his stroked became quicker.
He slowed down but didn't stop, savoring each time he pressed into my tight, wet pussy. I loved the way he filled me completely. The rest of the world faded away. All I could concentrate on was the friction building up between my legs.
“I love you,” he said.