One Swinging Summer (2 page)

He smiles at that, and does look over at me. His eyes crinkle up as he grins and says "I promise, I just notice stuff."

"Like her, for instance." He says as his eyes dart past me, over my shoulder, toward a couple coming toward us. "She is in all the dark corners with someone almost every time she is here."

I look to see who he is talking about and giggle. "Oh yeah, that one gets around. Oh gross, she is with Creepy Dude."

"Creepy Dude?"

"Oh, yeah. This guy sits directly under the DJ booth every single time. He is always buying rounds for anyone near him, guy or girl. He usually has a couple of young girls circling him all night, I'm assuming because he is always buying the drinks. And you should see the pictures he has on his cell phone. He thinks he is Mardi Gras and needs to be flashed for drinks instead of beads."

"Oh, really?" he laughed, those eyes crinkling again.

"Really. You aren't the only one who watches people. You can see quite a bit sitting in the DJ booth with Mike."

After a few more quiet moments, another couple heads our way. Quite drunk from the looks of them. They walk arm in arm, seeming to hold each other up. As they make their wobbly way past us, he leans in and kisses her on the neck. The kiss throws her unsteady gait off even more, and she almost trips as she giggles. She recovers her balance, and they keep going. They cut through the crowded parking lot, and presumably head toward one of their cars. As they walk, he kisses her neck again. This one must be her undoing because they stop between two cars.

She says something I can't quite make out, in a high, laughing voice. He mumbles something back in deep, rumbly tones, muffled by her hair as he is still nuzzling her neck. He may have gotten to her ear, because she lets out a squeal.

She turns more fully toward him, and throws her arms around his neck. She says something else, a bit quieter, and then lets her head hang back, giving him full access to her neck. After a bit of nuzzling, she brings her mouth to his and as they kiss, his hands slide up into her hair and he holds her head as he kisses her more fully.

She takes a step backward, pulling him with her, and they lean against the side of an old red pick-up truck. His grip on her hair changes, and he pulls her head back so he once again has open access to her neck. And her breasts. His one hand stays buried, fisted in her hair, as his other one roams over her shirt. As he presses her against the truck, we watch in stunned silence as his hand dips down to her waist, slides under her shirt, and pulls her shirt up over her breasts. His other hand releases her hair and finds its way to her other breast. Kissing and kneading, kneading and kissing. His right hand slides down into the cup of her bra and pops out a breast. He cups her, his thumb rubbing circles over her bared nipple. His mouth soon follows, and we watch as he sucks on her nipple. He soon has both breasts out, and is holding one in each hand, his mouth giving equal time to both. He breaks just long enough to look up at her, and we hear him say, clear as day, "Damn you have nice tits," and he goes right back to work.

He pulls a tad bit away from her, looks again at her tits, and we watch as his tongue then draws circles around her hard nipple. She leans farther back on the truck, arching her back. As his mouth is still tasting and sucking, his hands slide down over her ass. He gives her ass a squeeze or two, and his hands travel lower down her thighs. As his hands come back up to grab her ass again, we notice that he has dragged her skirt up her thighs, and her skirt is soon around her waist. He presses between her legs and I think they are going to do it right here, standing up between the truck and a car.

But no, he backs up from her again. I can see space between them for just a second. His mouth leaves her tits, and his hands slide up from her ass to sit around her waist. They look at each other for a breath, and in one quick movement she kicks off her shoes as he grabs her tighter around her waist and boosts her up so that she is sitting on the hood of the truck, skirt still jacked up and twisted around her, breasts still bared to the world, bouncing a bit from the abrupt landing.

All I can think at this moment is, "God I hope one of them owns that truck."

Before I can form another thought, he has pressed close to her again, her sitting on the hood with her legs wrapped around his waist and his mouth is again sucking and pulling on her nipples. She leans back onto her elbows on the hood of the truck, brings her feet up, one on each side of him, and plants her feet on the car behind him. He accommodates her obvious invitation, and his head dips down between her legs and his hands slide under her hips.

At this point I actually laugh, and say, "Are they really..?"

And my golf cart companion just says, "Yep, they are."

As we watch in awe, another small group exits the bar and heads toward the parking lot. I guess our busy couple hears them because we watch as he quickly helps her down from the truck. She adjusts her clothing, slides back into her shoes, and once again, arm in arm, they make their way farther back into the parking lot toward their own cars.

The comfortable silence we had been enjoying became really uncomfortable, really quickly. Just as I'm thinking that this is worse than watching a movie at home as a teenager and having your dad walk in exactly in the middle of the only sex scene in the whole thing, and that I may possibly melt into an embarrassed puddle right here under the golf cart, Charming says, "Wow, dancing AND a show, it's your lucky night."

That breaks the ice a bit, and I giggle. Or more like snort, as it catches me off guard while I'm hyperventilating.

"What was that? Did you snort?" Charming asks laughingly. And loudly.

"I did no such thing," I shot back. I'm so glad we are sitting in a shadow, and I hope he can't see how red my face has gotten between watching that couple and then snorting. Could this get more embarrassing?

"You did. You snorted. They gave you the performance of their lives, laid it all out there for you, right there on the hood of that truck, and you snorted. Tough crowd."

I look over at him, mortified and amused. He is grinning, his eyes dancing with laughter. He is enjoying this. My embarrassment is entertaining him to no end.

It is catching actually, and I start laughing too. He leans toward me and elbows me in my side, like we had been friends for years, and says, "I thought I was going to have to call the fire department out here, douse them with a big hose like they do dogs in the backyard."

"Who does that?" I asked him, humiliated for the couple. "I mean right out in the open like that, that was crazy."

"Yeah, but you've got to admit, it was hot."

"Hot?" I repeated incredulously. We sat a few more seconds and I mentally replayed what we had watched. I took a deep, steadying breath, looked up at him shyly through my eyelashes and said, "Yeah, it really was kinda hot." He laughed out loud, a deep throaty laugh, and said, "Oh you are going to be trouble."

CHAPTER 3
DAMAGED GOODS

"I don't know what you are talking about. I am pure innocence, sunshine and light. No trouble here." I say with wide, innocent eyes.

"Yeah, I'll just bet you are."

I can not believe I am sitting here, coyly flirting with this man. And enjoying it. He's just so darn easy to flirt with. I usually have all force fields up, phasers set to stun. I have to keep my guard up because I often arrive at this bar alone. Except for rare occasions when I do actually arrive with a date, I leave this bar the way I came tonight- alone. But I have a fabulous time; I drink, I visit and catch up with friends, and I dance. Boy, do I dance. Charming was right, I dance every chance I get, with almost anyone who asks. The only way to be able to do that, consistently, is to keep my guard up. No one gets too close. Be friendly with everyone, but overly friendly with no one.

The regulars know me. They know I am here for fun and am always good for a dance, but they know that is all. People notice if you are always taking some guy home at last call. The best way to avoid that is by never taking some guy home at last call. That way the men all become more like a protective big brother, and none of the women want to gouge your eyeballs out with their manicured nails in the bathroom.

"Do you dance? When you're off duty, I mean." I ask, trying to bring the topic of conversation off of sex and onto something more neutral.

"Yeah, some. The slow songs. Not the wild, thrashing around with abandon stuff."

"But sometimes the thrashing around with abandon is exactly what you need. After a drink or two, in the dark with the throbbing lights, the beat of the music pounding through you, the volume up so loud your heart beats with it. You go out there, get lost in the crowd, close your eyes, totally thrash, and definitely with abandon."

He laughed and said, "Well, when you put it that way...still no."

"So where is this boyfriend of yours?" he asked.

"What boyfriend?"

"The one I pretended to be, the one you kept telling the drunk, pushy guy that you had."

"Oh, that boyfriend. There isn't one."

"No boyfriend? Should I find pushy guy and tell him the coast is clear?"

"Only if you want to see how fast I can run."

"He was toasted, you really wouldn't have to run all that fast."

"If he was that toasted, how come you didn't catch him trying to drive home Mr. Officer, sir?"

"I'm not on duty. Just moonlighting at the front door. No car, no radio, no anything. But they do patrol out front. I'm sure someone got him."

"Ah, all dressed up but no place to go, huh?"

"Beats having a major event to go to and showing up butt naked."

"I have had that dream, that is not fun." I said.

"We have been out here for quite a while, did you lose your friend?"

"She is around here somewhere. She knows where to find me. If I get bored and ready to leave, I'll go hunt her down."

"You aren't bored yet?"

"Are you kidding? Dancing and a show remember?"

"Oh yes, how could I forget? I thought maybe it was my charming company," he said, with a knowing smirk.

I almost let the comment go, but the smirk was too obvious. "Charming?" I asked him, narrowing my eyes at him accusingly. "Why did you say charming?"

"No reason," as he looked away with a fake guilty expression.

"You heard me? Oh, God, I'm sorry."

"That was definitely a new one, but I've been called worse. Yeah, I heard your friend say something to you about me being the reason you were hanging out front all night instead of with her. And you said, 'He's too charming.' " He said it mockingly, with his eyebrows raised high, impersonating me.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"It sounded dismissive."

"It was meant to be. She stopped asking, didn't she?"

"I don't know, you were walking away. She did look surprised though, it was kind of funny. She looked really confused." He said with a laugh.

"Well, I hope you weren't offended, it really wasn't personal. I just don't trust charming."

"Ah, you have issues."

I laughed and said, "Haven't you heard? Women are nothing but trouble."

"Isn't that the truth? Some of you are even worth it."

"Hmm," was my response again, as I thought about my recent ex, the reason I do not trust charming, and added, "I wish I could say the same for your gender. Women are nothing but trouble, but men? You guys are a piece of work."

"Not me." he stated smugly.

"Not you, huh? What makes you so different?"

"You will have to find out for yourself, go out with me, and I'll show you."

"Go out with you? Like on a date? And this conversation was going so well."

"Is that a no?" He gave me the elbow to the side again and said, "If tonight is any indication of the things that happen when we hang out together, how can you resist?"

I smiled and said, "Yeah, but seriously, you don't want to go out with me right now. I'm damaged goods."

"Damaged goods?"

"Yep, I am not seeing anyone right now, and I don't plan to. Not for a while. I'm taking a break. You guys are killing me. Really, the only reason I'm here tonight is for Julie's birthday. I don't see her very often, or I wouldn't have even come tonight. I'm done with men for a while."

"I can't even call you?"

"Nope."

"And after all we've been through," he said with a sad, melodramatic sigh.

I laughed at him, and spotted Julie. She was looking for me. "I'm sure you will survive. I must admit though, it has been a pleasure to talk with you tonight. Hanging out with you was the highlight of my night, but it is time to drive the birthday girl home."

"The pleasure was all mine," he said as I got up and left him sitting on the golf cart.

CHAPTER 4
DANCING

"Friday night, finally," I think as I walk into my bar. I wait in line with my ID out. It's a short line thankfully, the night is still young. It's ladies night, so I don't have to pay. A quick hello to the front door guy and I'm in. I tuck my driver's license and my car key down into my bra, where I always keep it. As I stand in a longer line, this time for my bartender, I catch myself thinking that there were no police officers outside yet. I smile as I remember why I would notice if the cops were here. I have thought about Charming a few times in the two weeks since I've been here, but not a whole lot. Real life and work has a tendency to get in the way. I'm usually here every Friday, but last week I had family duties to attend to, and I couldn't make it. No wonder I'm so glad it's finally Friday, I missed one.

You would think I wouldn't have to refer to him as Charming, but I never did catch his name, even though it had to have been right there on the silver bar on the front of his uniform. Oh well, another fond memory from this place. It's not like I'm likely to see him again, this place gets pretty packed.

There are three people ahead of me at the bar when I see Lana, my bartender, notice me. She mouths hello, and before I know it she waves me up to the bar around everyone else, hands me a Jameson and Coke, takes my credit card off my hands and starts a tab, all while the three ahead of me give us dirty looks. I love Lana, and I tip her well at the end of the night.