by Marji Spicer
“Does this shit go on all the time when I'm gone?” Denver asked.
“No, they never go out. I might have pissed off Krista this morning,” Mark winced.
“Great,” Denver said. Fucking Great!
“Mark better get here before we pass out,” Joy said.
Krista burst out laughing. She stood up with her glass. “This is for all the pouty men out there.”
Joy clinked her glass with Krista’s. “Now, that is something I will drink to.”
Everyone laughed, except for two pissed off men who sat at the bar. They groaned as the waitress placed another two shots on the table.
“I have to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back,” Krista said.
The band started to play a slow song. Denver watched a man walk towards Joy’s table. The man leaned over. Denver started to get up.
Mark grabbed his arm. “Don't start any shit right now.”
The man asked her to dance. Joy shook her head no. The guy smiled and left.
Krista returned as the man walked away from the table. “What did he want?”
“He asked if I wanted to dance. No way. Not happening.” God, I miss Denver.
“When I walked past the bar, I thought I saw Mark.” Joy craned her head towards the bar.
“Don't look,” Krista hissed.
“How do we find out if it’s him if I don’t look?”
“Kinda glance. I wonder how long it'll take before Mark notices me?”
“I don't know. Does Mark know you're coming here?”
“No, he has no idea,” Krista laughed.
“Well, crap, if he's not looking for you, it might take some time.”
Krista shrugged. “Maybe we should get up and dance.”
Joy glanced towards the bar. “Is that?” She squinted her eyes. “No, it can't be.” She looked into the mirror, straight into Denver's eyes. “Uhm, I guess it's not going to take too long. Shit, how long has he been here?”
“I don't know, but you haven’t done anything wrong.”
Mark turned around in his chair and looked at Krista. Denver kept his gaze locked on Joy in the mirror. Krista smiled at Mark, lifted her shot glass, and drank it. Joy picked hers up and quickly downed it.
“It’s going to be a big scene dragging their drunk asses out of here,” Denver said.
“Tell me about it. How do we do this?” Mark asked.
Joy became a real spitfire when drunk. Especially on tequila.
“Aww, the pouty little boys look mad,” Krista said.
They both giggled.
“I have to pee. Come with me to the bathroom,” Joy said.
They stumbled towards the bathroom.
“Christ,” Denver said.
“Denver looks like he could spit nails right now,” Krista said.
“Oh well, he doesn't own me. I can go out.”
“I don't feel very good. I need to sit down. I'm going back to the table,” Krista said.
“Wait, I still need to pee.”
“So, go. I'll see if the coast is clear.”
Krista peeked around the corner. Mark looked straight at her. Crap. He curled his finger in a come here motion and pointed between his spread legs. Krista grinned and walked towards him. “I don't feel very good,” she said.
“Good luck Denver, we're out of here.”
“I'll be right behind you,” he said.
A couple of girls walked into the bathroom. Joy heard them start to talk.
“That guy at the bar is so hot.”
“Which one?”
“The one with the pretty blue eyes and backward baseball cap.”
“You don't stand a chance with him.”
“Oh please, yes, I do.”
Joy couldn't see the woman from the stall door.
“No, you don’t. He's been watching that girl in the red dress.” Joy froze. “As soon as she walked in, he saw her. He hasn't looked at anyone else. Including you.”
“He doesn't stand a chance with her.”
“Why is that?”
“Look at them both. He's a regular guy. Work clothes and a baseball cap. Probably a construction worker or mechanic. And, she's in that dress.” Joy frowned. “He's not her type. It doesn't matter if the guy is gorgeous. She’ll look for a man in a suit. Someone who looks rich,” the girl said. “Just watch, I'm going to leave with him.”
Joy's hands turned into fists.
The other girl laughed. “Well, if anyone can do it, it's you.”
“I'll make him forget all about that little gold digger.”
As soon as the women went into stalls, Joy hurried out of the bathroom. She ignored Denver at the bar as she walked back to her table. Her phone pinged.
‘I went home with Mark. Watch out for Denver. He's pissed. lol’
Joy watched as the women came out of the bathroom. One of them was pretty. Her eyes narrowed. It's her.
Denver leaned back and rested his elbows on the bar. His legs were spread wide.
Nothing like advertising. Look at my crotch, Joy thought.
The pretty woman walked towards Denver. She smiled, leaned towards him, and said something that put a big grin on his face. Denver looked over at her and smirked. When they walked away, he did glance at her butt.
Jesus, mom jeans, Joy thought.
The woman walked past her table. “See, he checked me out. He totally looked at my ass,” she said. “Red dress girl will find a rich guy to go home with.” She looked at Joy. “He's mine,” she said.
Fuck it. I’m out of here. You can have him.
Joy stood up and bent over to get her heels. All eyes in the bar were on her ass. She wiggled a little as she straightened her dress. Denver glanced around the bar. Everyone was looking at Joy. She was putting on quite a show. He hadn’t thought he could get any more pissed off. But he just did. Joy turned and slowly sauntered towards him. He swallowed hard and took a drink of his beer. She stepped in between his legs, grabbed his beer, finished it, and set it on the bar. All eyes were on them now.
“Take me home and fuck me,” she said.
He grabbed her ass and pulled her towards him.
"Dude get a room,” said a young guy at the bar.
Denver stood up, grabbed her hand, and pulled her towards the door.
"Damn, I wish I was that guy," a man said on their way out.
Joy looked over at mom jeans and smirked. Denver practically dragged her to his truck. He opened the door to help her in. She turned around and puked on his boots.
Yeah, I bet he wishes he were me.
Chapter Thirty Three
Joy had been invited to another party at the VFW. Wilber and Lucille Parish were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. She didn’t know who they were and hadn’t planned on going to it. Krista told her that everyone was expected to go to all the parties at the VFW. Everyone’s social life was planned around what was going on at the VFW at the time.
At least Denver was out of town. She wouldn’t have to worry about running into him. Being with him seemed to involve drinking, which turned into sex. She didn’t mind that, but word would get out about them if she didn’t put a halt to things. They weren’t dating, and she didn’t want to be known as one of his women. She needed to stop Gladys in her tracks.
Joy’s goal was still to become a mother. Getting too involved with Denver wasn’t part of her plan. She found it hard to fight the attraction she felt towards him. He wasn’t exactly going along with her plans either.
Joy finished getting ready. She opened the front door and ran into Denver’s hard chest.
“What are you doing here?
“I’m here to take you to the party.”
“Thanks, but I can find my way,” she said. “Why are you home anyway?”
“I wouldn’t miss my aunt and uncle’s party.”
“Your aunt and uncle? That figures.”
“Ready? Let’s go.”
“Fine, I’ll ride with you, but I’m going to
sit at a different table.”
They walked into the hall together. Denver grabbed her hand and pulled her to a table near the back of the room. She didn’t want to cause a big scene by trying to sit somewhere else. Joy was irritated, and she felt trapped. She hadn’t had a chance to escape Denver. Food was brought to their table by a waiter since the party was catered. If it had been a buffet-style dinner, she could have ditched him. She had brought a bottle of wine with her gift to give to the couple. On their way there, Denver had told her that the couple didn’t drink.
To hell with it.
Joy gulped down her water. She opened the bottle of wine and filled up her empty glass.
“Is it that hard to tolerate my company?” Denver teased. Joy ignored him. She felt less irritated when she finished her second glass. There was just something about this man. After her third glass, she started to enjoy herself. “You want to share that, babe?”
She picked up the bottle and drank straight out of it. “Not really,” she said.
He took the bottle out of her hand and took a long drink. Joy stared at his mouth and watched him lick his bottom lip. Damn! Was she drooling? Her cheeks felt flushed. It could be the wine, but it was probably him.
The lights went out, and Polka music flooded the room. Pearl had made a slide presentation of pictures from the couple’s wedding and throughout their marriage.
Joy ran her hand up the inside of his thigh. She couldn’t seem to keep her hands to herself when she drank and was near this man.
“You’re playing with fire, honey,” he said huskily. Denver leaned towards her and whispered into her ear, "Unzip me, baby.” He knew she'd never do it.
Joy slowly unzipped his jeans. "Looks like someone wants to come out to play," she whispered back.
Eunice looked at Pearl. “Looks like Denver and Joy are playing a little hanky panky in the back corner,” she remarked.
Pearl laughed, “Those two can barely keep their hands to themselves. You’d think they’d fight a lot less than they do.”
“They’re just being stubborn about things,” Eunice said.
“At least we finally got Mark married off,” Pearl said.
The music stopped, and the lights came back on.
“Denver, can you come up here for a minute?” Pearl yelled.
Think man. There was no way he'd be able to zip his pants back up for a while. Denver looked at Joy and grinned. "Showtime, babe." He started to stand up.
Joy jumped up from her seat. “No, he can't,” she yelled. “That is, I was going to say a few words. Uhm, Wilber and Lucille, I would like to know your secrets. I mean, not your secret, secrets. Just the secret on how you kept from killing each other.” She glared at Denver, who tried to look innocent. “Anyway, cheers.” She lifted her empty glass.
The room was silent for a few seconds. A few people shrugged and then started to talk again. Soon everyone was talking.
Denver hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. “Nice save babe.”
Joy started to squirm. He held her hips to keep her from moving.
“Unless you want that skirt up around your waist and me deep inside you, you'll stop. You started this game; I'm ready to finish it,” Denver warned.
Joy quit moving. Her skirt had ridden up as she wiggled around. Denver tried to push it back down. He made contact with her bare flesh.
“Aww fuck, baby, you're killing me,” he groaned. He dumped her off his lap. It was going to be hell to walk out of there. Luckily, no one saw the little scene play out. At least he wore a long shirt he was able to untuck. “I'm out of here.”
Joy waited five minutes before she followed Denver outside. Damn it! Where did he go?
She wandered around and looked for him. He must have ditched her. It looked like she’d have to walk home alone. Denver grabbed her and hauled her behind a fenced-in dumpster.
“What in the hell is wrong with you? Why are you always scaring the crap out of me? I hate when you do this shit.”
“I know, babe.”
“I despise men like you.”
“Tell me that when I'm fucking you.”
“You're so vulgar.”
“You wouldn't want me any other way. Now, be a good girl and bend over.”
“Screw you.”
Denver inched up her skirt, bend her over, and slowly entered her. Her breath caught. He held her hips still.
“Move damn it.”
“What do you want?”
“I said move.”
“What's the magic word, baby?”
“Move it.”
“Say it like I want to hear it.”
“Fuck me! Fuck me! Are you happy now?”
Denver couldn’t hold still any longer. He pulled out and thrust into her again. Things would be quick. He’d make it up to her later. He couldn’t hold back his release any longer.
They heard a snort. “You two need to keep your hands on the table instead of under it. Thank God for long tablecloths, huh?”
“Shut up, Mark,” Krista said.
Joy opened her mouth. Denver covered her mouth with his hand.
“Yeah, baby, I'm happy now,” he whispered as he came inside her.
Chapter Thirty Four
Joy and Krista sat at the bar and talked.
“I don’t understand why you don’t want to be in a relationship with Denver. I mean, you two are already sleeping together,” Krista said.
Joy sighed. “I know it looks and sounds bad to say I don’t want to be with him—when I am. But I need to stick to my plan of this just being a fling. I don’t want anything long term. Denver’s the last man I’d want to get pregnant by. He would never let me be a single mom. He’d want to be involved.”
“Would that be so bad?” Krista asked.
“I promised myself not to get involved with another guy. Things will turn out better for me if I stick to my plan,” she said.
Krista’s phone rang. “I have to take go now.”
“Ok, I’ll get a ride with Denver.”
Denver had walked into the bar at the same time Joy had tried to read a man’s palm. It was something she hadn’t done in years. Krista and Joy had been talking about tarot cards and palm readings. The man who sat next to them had seemed pretty bummed out. Joy jokingly said she’d find out what his destiny was. All she did was show Krista what a few of the lines meant. It took less than five minutes, but she knew she’d hear about it. The guy left the bar right afterward. Then their talk turned to babies and relationships. Joy was tired and ready to go home. She hoped that Denver didn’t want to stay long. As soon as Krista walked out of the bar, Denver was at her side. Joy was right. He was angry.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
They got into his truck and began the twenty-minute ride home. Denver was quiet for a few minutes. It wouldn’t be long before he started with the questions.
“Why were you holding that guys hand?”
“I wasn’t holding his hand. Krista and I were talking about reading palms earlier. He overheard us. He seemed interested and wanted his palm read. It’s been a while, so I figured I’d see if I could still do it.”
“Right! Sure, he did. All men want their palms read. Well, that's over.”
“What’s over?”
“No one is going to hold my woman’s hand but me.”
“Oh, I see back to the caveman act.”
“What did he want to know?”
“What?”
God, he thought. “Why did he want his damn palm read?”
Denver turned onto a rutted dirt road and started to drive slower.
“His girlfriend left him because he acted like a jealous fool. He wanted to know if she'd take him back.”
Denver slammed the truck into park. “Just what the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Joy wanted to laugh. Like you could answer that by reading someone’s palm.
Instead, she said,
“You're turning me on with all that dirty talk. Say it again, please.”
“What in the hell is wrong with you?”
“Say fuck Denver. Say you want to fuck me.” She started to laugh.
“What the fuck?”
She sighed. “I was answering you. You aren't the only jealous man in the world.”
“Are you trying to tell me something?”
“Maybe,” she smirked. She was pretty tipsy from all she drank that night. “Would you just drive. I want to go home. Where are my slippers?” she said. “There's no place like home,” she chanted.
Denver shook his head. He put the truck in gear and started to drive again. Joy slid over next to him.
“What are you looking at?”
“You’re beautiful.”
“Men are not beautiful.”
“Oh, I beg to differ.” She kissed his neck. “Denver,” she whispered. “Would you? Could you? Fuck me in a truck?”
“Of course, I can. Honey, I can do it anyway, or anywhere you want me too. What is this a Dr. Seuss lesson? I'm trying to drive. Stay on your side of the truck.” Joy gently bit his earlobe. He groaned. “Honey, unless you want me to crash, I suggest you stop that.” She unbuttoned his shirt, slid her hand down his chest to the front of his jeans, and cupped his erection. “Damn it, Joy. Stop it. We're almost home. You're about to start something and believe me; I won't be stopping it.”
She slid back over to her side of the truck. “I never thought the day would come that you'd act like a prude.”
“A prude?”
He slammed the truck into park again. At this rate, one of them would have whiplash before the night was over. Denver moved over to the middle of the seat. “Get over here.” He unzipped his jeans, slid them down his legs, and pulled her onto his lap, so she straddled him. He yanked her skirt up over her hips. No underwear. She was always ready for him. “Are you ready for this, you little tease?” He shoved her down, hard onto his cock. “Is this what you want?” he asked. “Say it. You've been after it all night. You like my cock Joy?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then ride me.” Joy rocked back and forth on him until they both gasped for breath. Denver stroked her until she came. He followed a few minutes later. “Damn! You wore me out. But wait until we get home.”
