Going the Distance

by Christa Cervone

  “Sorry. Patsy and I got to talkin’ and I lost track of time. The girls don’t seem to mind; they’re out there dancing.”

  “Yeah, Aimee and Steph pulled Salem out there. She’s not normally much of a dancer,” Blaine chimes in.

  “You coulda fooled me. She looks like she’s havin’ a blast.”

  “That’s probably because she’s tipsy. She’s usually a…” Blaine refrains from saying another word.

  “She’s usually a what?” I’m eager to hear what he has to say about her.

  “Let’s just say, she’s not the life of the party.”

  That’s probably because you never take her anywhere. You’re too busy fuckin’ your side piece.

  I take a seat beside Jimmy and watch the three girls out on the dance floor. Stephannie and Aimee are dancing seductively, trying to lure Jimmy and me out there.

  “No way, Steph,” Jimmy shakes his head, “there’s not enough alcohol on this planet to get me out there.”

  I begin to laugh. “Don’t be a chickenshit, Jim. Your woman wants you to dance with her,” I nudge his shoulder, “get your ass out there!”

  “Not in this lifetime.”

  “What about your wedding? You’re gonna have to dance with her then.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Jimmy smirks.

  “You’re right; we will see. We’re all gonna see you dancin’ with your wife on your wedding day,” I proclaim confidently.

  A few people step off the dance floor, making a clearing for me to have a perfect view of Salem. Her eyes are closed and her body is swaying to the music. I think back to the night of the fiestas patronales. She was so nervous when I first took her hand and dragged her out onto the dance floor, but she caught on quickly. She’s a natural born dancer and you can clearly tell by the way she moves her body. I continue to stare, taking in every inch of her. Christ, the dress she’s wearing hugs each and every curve. What I wouldn’t do to have my way with her right now. I’m not sure if she feels my eyes on her, but her eyes open and she catches me staring. She runs her hands down her body. An erection instantly springs up in my pants, and I shuffle around on my seat, trying to hide it. Jesus, is she trying to fuckin’ kill me?

  I jump up, trying to shake this hard-on, and tell Jimmy that I’m going to take a leak. He says something back to me, but I ignore him. I need to get away from here and her, before I do something we’ll both regret.

  As I pass by the girls, Aimee reaches out and grabs my wrist. “Come dance with us,” she tries to coax me out onto the dance floor.

  “Can’t, I gotta piss,” my eyes dart toward the bathrooms.

  “Suit yourself.” She lets go of my wrist, rolls her eyes, and turns back toward Steph and Salem again. I watch as Salem eyeballs first me, and then Aimee, before giving Aimee a dirty look. She’s jealous… I like it.

  After visiting the bathroom, I join the girls on the dance floor. I do my best to keep my distance from Salem, knowing Blaine is probably watching her, but when I look over to our table I see Jimmy sitting alone; Blaine’s gone. Typical.

  I move up behind Aimee, surprising her. She quickly turns around to face me and then wraps her arms around me. I see Salem’s eyes widen as she watches Aimee and I dance. It wasn’t my intention to go out there and dance specifically with Aimee, but I can’t push her away either. I’m supposed to be her date tonight. Her body inches closer to mine and I carefully pull away, trying to keep some distance. I certainly don’t want either of them getting the wrong impression. Aimee obviously notices.

  “What’s the matter, Saint, you don’t like me anymore?” she pouts.

  “No, it’s not that,” I make up an excuse. “It’s just that I start trainin’ on Monday for a big fight, and my coach doesn’t want me gettin’ mixed up with anyone right now. He thinks girls fuck with your head when you’re trainin’ for a fight.”

  “And what do you think?”

  “I think he’s kinda right,” I respond unapologetically.

  Licking her lips, she looks into my eyes. “What if I said it was okay for us to just have another one nighter?”

  I quickly break eye contact and look over at Salem, who’s now glaring at me. Her face is flushed with anger and her eyes are nearly slits; they’re practically burning a hole into the back of Aimee’s head. Without a word, she storms off the dance floor, heading toward the bathrooms.

  Breaking the hold Aimee has on me, I say, “If you’ll excuse me, I gotta use the john.”

  “Again?” She shoots me a strange look.

  I simply answer with, “What can I say?” Then, offering her no other excuse, I leave her standing on the dance floor, and walk toward the bar.

  “She’s a feisty one,” Patsy says. In spite of the scene he must have just witnessed with Aimee, I know he’s referring to Salem, who stalked past him a few minutes ago.

  “That she is, and I need you to make sure no one else goes into the ladies’ room.”

  Patsy’s shoulders begin to rise and fall as he laughs, “You’re gonna get yourself in trouble, kid.”

  “Not if you have my back, I won’t. She’s pissed off and I gotta smooth things over with her.”

  He grins. “I’ll do my best.” His “best” means no one will get past him to use the bathroom. He’s like a watch dog; nothing gets by him.

  “Thanks.”

  “You got it.”

  I push the women’s bathroom door open and as soon as Salem realizes it’s me, she objects to me being there. “Oh my God, Gabriel, you can’t be in here!”

  “Says who?” I close in on her.

  “It’s the law.”

  “La ley?” I can’t help but laugh at her as I joke in Spanish. The law? She’s really grasping at straws. “Did they teach you that in law school?”

  “Gabriel, I mean it. You can’t be in here.”

  “Who’s gonna tell on me?”

  “What if someone walks in?”

  “I’ve taken care of that.”

  “Don’t look at me like that, Gabriel,” she begins to blush.

  “Como qué?” Like what? I play along.

  She quickly changes the subject, “Shouldn’t you be out there with your date?” She then begins to back away from me as I advance on her. She finds herself up against the sink, frantically looking from side to side when she realizes she’s trapped.

  “Not after I sat there and watched you dance. Were you purposely trying to taunt me? The way you moved your hips gave me a fuckin’ boner.” Taking her hand, I force it down the front of my pants, “This is what you do to me, Salem.”

  An amused smile appears across her face, like she’s pleased with herself, but the look quickly fades. “You could’ve fooled me, the way you were dancing with her.” She yanks her hand out of my pants then tries to escape.

  “No. No vas para ningún lado.” I inform her that she’s not going anywhere.

  “Let me go, Gabriel,” she orders.

  “Te dije qué no,” I calmly tell her there’s not a chance, caressing her face. “I don’t want my date; you know that.”

  “Do I?”

  “Yes, you do.” My body closes in on hers. I cradle her face with one hand, while the other reaches between us and gently tugs, untying the knot that’s holding her wrap dress together.

  She gasps.

  “Don’t play shy with me. Not now,” I growl. “Estoy medio borracho, te ves buena y te lo quiero meter.” I warn her that I’ve had too many drinks to play games and she’s too delicious not to fuck right now. My eyes are hungrily staring at her and my arousal starts to stir. In one brisk movement, I rip open her dress. She immediately attempts to cover herself with her hands. Shaking my head in disapproval, I murmur, “I don’t think so,” then look down at the garter belt that matches her bra and panties. “Did you wear those for me?”

  I watch as she swallows hard. “Yes,” she responds hoarsely.

  I grunt, “Good answer,” and thrust my lower body into hers.

  �
��We… we can’t,” she whispers, giving me a doe-eyed stare.

  “I’m gonna fuck you, Salem. Right here, and right now,” I reach into my back pocket and pull out a condom. I then undo my belt, unzip my zipper, and drop my pants to my ankles. “You need to be reminded.”

  “Reminded of what?” she squeaks.

  Forcefully, I spin her around so she’s facing the sink. I slide the condom on and carelessly drop the wrapper to the floor, then roughly push her underwear aside.

  She begins to fight me, but I know she’s just worried someone might come in. “Gabriel, what are you doing?! We can’t do this here. Blaine…” No sooner do those words leave her lips, than my cock penetrates her.

  She gasps, “Aaahhh,” then moans and pushes her ass back, giving herself to me.

  “That’s what I thought,” I groan. “Admit it, you like it; the thrill of the unknown, the fact that someone could walk in at any second…” One of my hands is firmly on her hip, while the other is resting on her throat, forcing her to look into the mirror at me.

  “Yes,” she exhales.

  Again, I plow into her, showing no mercy. Her eyes begin to roll as she spreads her legs and leans forward over the sink. I’m doing exactly what I said I was going to do. I’m fucking her and she loves it. There’s a time and a place for making love, but this is not it. Both of us are drunk, angry, and need exactly this, even if she doesn’t realize it yet. “This is what you need to be reminded of,” I pant in her ear, “you and me and how fuckin’ good we are together. I don’t want you to forget it.”

  She cranes her neck, begging, “Kiss me.” I lean into her and she kisses me hungrily. This kiss is sloppy, eager, and the alcohol has clearly had an effect on both of us; I begin to feel light-headed. I quickly reach for the sink to stabilize myself.

  “Are you okay?” she asks as she comes up for air.

  “Yeah, I just got a little dizzy.”

  “You shouldn’t be drinking while you’re still on your medications,” the motherly tone comes out.

  “Really?” Little does she know, my dizziness has nothing to do with the prescriptions I’m taking, the alcohol I’ve consumed, or my accident for that matter. It all has to do with her. It’s all about how she’s managed to take over my brain, and consumes every single thought I have.

  “Really what?”

  “You’re really gonna lecture me while I’m fuckin’ you?” Both my hands are now firmly anchored on her hips and my thrusts have become short and quick. I watch her face in the mirror; the euphoria’s beginning to appear, the lines of worry that had appeared across her forehead before are all but gone, replaced with a look of pure pleasure. “Tell me you want me,” I order.

  “I want you,” she answers softly.

  “That wasn’t very convincing.” I grab a tuft of her hair, “Tell me, Salem.”

  “I want you, Gabriel,” she wheezes as her body begins to tremble.

  She’s close. I again tug at her hair. “I don’t believe you,” I say through gritted teeth.

  Our eyes meet in the mirror. “I want you, Gabriel, can’t you feel it?” Her walls begin to convulse around my cock, squeezing and bringing me to my pinnacle.

  The first hot spurt releases and I groan. “Oh Christ, Salem, you feel so fuckin’ good comin’ on my cock.” My entire body begins to stiffen in anticipation of the next wave.

  Salem’s hands are clutching the sides of the sink and her mouth urgently searches for mine. “Kiss me,” she demands and our mouths crash into one another. “Harder, Gabriel,” she begs in desperation.

  I haven’t seen this animalistic side of Salem, though I always knew she was in there. She just needed to let her guard down long enough to give in to her wants and desires. It could be the alcohol talking, or the high of possibly getting caught in the act, or a combination of both. All I know is, I love seeing her completely unhinged.

  My last few thrusts are deep and hard, just like she asked for, and I have to stifle her screams so no one hears as she comes again. “Shhh,” I laugh, “people are gonna hear you.”

  “I don’t care; let them hear us!” she declares.

  It’s definitely the alcohol talking. “I don’t think you really mean that.”

  “I do mean it. I’m with you, Gabriel, and I don’t care who knows.”

  “Oh, I think your boyfriend, who’s sitting right out there, would care.”

  “Fuck him!”

  I ease out of her. “I don’t think now is a good time to reveal us to him.”

  “It’s as good a time as any,” she counters boldly.

  I dispose of the used condom and approach Salem, who’s resting up against the sink. “Come on, let’s get you put back together,” I pull her dress back together and tie it for her.

  “Gabriel…”

  “Yes, Salem?” I take her all in. Her eyes are heavy-lidded and her speech is beginning to slur.

  “I…” she stares longingly at me.

  “You what, Salem?” My throat instantly becomes dry as a bone, and my heart beats rapidly in my chest. Deep down, I’m hoping she may say the words I’ve been longing to hear from her.

  “I…” she repeats, then takes a prolonged blink and wobbles, nearly falling over.

  Catching her, I try to bring her back to me. “What? Tell me.”

  “I’m drunk,” she begins to giggle and kisses my neck.

  Kissing the top of her head I agree, “I know you are. I think we should get you home.”

  “But I was just starting to have fun,” she whines. Her hands find their way to the button on my pants.

  My hand engulfs her neck, raising her chin. “We just had some fun.”

  “I know, but I’m not ready to go home, and I want you to stay with me tonight.”

  “You know I’d love nothin’ more than for you to be in my arms all night long, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen tonight.”

  Stomping her foot, she juts her bottom lip out and crosses her arms.

  “You’re way too sexy when you pout,” I enfold her in my arms. “But we better get you back out there before people notice we’re both gone. I’m gonna leave first and head for the men’s room.”

  “Fine.”

  I kiss her nose then exit the ladies’ room, checking in both directions to see if anyone notices me. There’s not a single person in the hallway, so I duck into the men’s room.

  “Hey, man, where’ve you been?” I hear Jimmy ask as I round the partition. “It’s like you just disappeared.”

  “I needed some air. It’s too stuffy out there.”

  “Some air, huh? Looks like you found a little more than air,” he motions to my neck.

  “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”

  “You sure you didn’t run into a vacuum cleaner when you were out there?”

  My brow furrows at Jimmy’s statement. I run my fingers over my neck and step toward the mirror on the wall.

  “Take a good look, buddy. It looks like you got some love bites while gettin’ your fresh air,” Jimmy smirks.

  “Shit, when the hell did she do this?” I lean further over the sink to get a better look.

  “How you gonna hide those?”

  “Hide ‘em? There’s no hidin’ this!” The bruise is quickly turning from red to a deep purple as I stare at it. “I think I’m gonna just take off.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I can’t go back out there with these. Just tell everyone I felt sick and left. I wasn’t supposed to stay long, anyways.”

  “Alright, man, if that’s what you want,” Jimmy agrees. He walks toward the door and then turns back, “Are you sure you know what you’re doin’?”

  “Yeah, I’m goin’ home.”

  “That’s not what I mean, Saint, and you know it.”

  “I’ve got it under control, Jim. No need to worry about me.”

  “I’m not so sure you’re in control of this,” Jimmy’s voice is skeptical.

  I turn my back to him and
begin washing my hands.

  “She’s different from the others, isn’t she?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”

  Jimmy takes a few paces toward me. “You have feelings for her.”

  I look over my shoulder at him.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. Here I thought she was just another piece of ass. But it’s more than that, isn’t it?”

  I remain silent, and reach for a paper towel to dry my hands off.

  “She’s your one.” Jimmy’s now sporting a shit-eating grin. “Ho-lee shit!”

  “How many drinks have you had, Jimmy?” I ask very calmly, trying not to let on that he’s right. She is my one; she’s the only one.

  “No, no. You’re not turnin’ this on me, Saint. I know what I see and I can see you’re in love with her.”

  “You’re delusional.”

  “Sorry, my friend, the only delusional one here is you, if you think I can’t tell my best friend is in love.”

  “I think your engagement has seriously fucked up your head.” I shake my head at him, “I’ll see you later, bro.” I leave the bathroom and walk out the back exit of the bar. As I walk home, Jimmy’s words replay in my head. Shit, is it that obvious? Can you really tell by the look on my face? I need to figure this out. I can’t be walking around with a lovesick look on my face, especially with Blaine in the picture. And, I don’t even wanna think about Frankie finding out. He’ll string me up by my nuts. I can just hear him now, “She’s just gonna fuck with your head. You don’t need a broad while you’re trainin’ for a big fight.” Not to mention that “the broad” is Blaine’s girlfriend; that’ll send him over the edge for sure.

  I enter my apartment and find Jase exactly where I left him. “Hey, bro. How was it? I wasn’t expecting you home so early.”

  “It was okay. It started off a little rough, but as the night went on it got better.”

  “Yeah, I can see that,” he chuckles.

  “Yeah, I know,” my hand runs over my throat. “Sad thing is, I don’t even remember it happening. I drank a little too much.”

  “I just wanna know how you managed to get those. Weren’t you out with her boyfriend?”

  “We wound up in the bathroom together at Patsy’s.”