Dennis got out of his car and walked toward her, meekly shoving his hands into his pockets. Though he sported a weak smile, his tentative gait gave away his apprehension.
“I called David to apologize. All things considered, I’d say he took it pretty well.”
Audie didn’t answer. Dennis was going to have to crawl back to her and even that wouldn’t make up for what he had done to David.
“He said he thought we should have a little space, so that I could fuck myself until my dick fell off.”
As usual, he was making light of his actions, trying to get a pass.
But Audie wasn’t buying it this time.
“Look, Audie. It just happened. You know I’ve always been hot for Alan, but he never gave me the time of day. We went into the john and did a line of coke and the next thing I knew, I was in his ass.”
“Can we not talk about your dick for a change?”
Dennis sighed and slumped against the Xterra. “I didn’t come over to talk about Alan or David. I came to say I was sorry for what I said to you. I know we’ve kidded around before and I honestly didn’t think you’d get so mad.”
“You didn’t say it like you were kidding.”
“I know. I was feeling defensive about being such a fuckhead so I took it out on you. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not the most mature guy in the world.”
She couldn’t argue with that.
“But you’re my best friend and I fucked with that. That’s what I’m really sorry about. I couldn’t stand it if we weren’t friends anymore.”
His reasoning made more sense than she wanted to give him credit for. Even Joel and Dwayne had noticed their propensity for vicious teasing. Besides, it wasn’t as if he had called her something that wasn’t basically true. She had done her share of sleeping around. “You think they’ll let any of us back in the Gallery?”
Dennis nodded. “Joel made me call Bruce yesterday and apologize. He said it wasn’t that big a deal. He just didn’t want other people to think it was okay to be shoving each other around.”
“I never touched you. You fell.”
Dennis rolled his eyes. “I was afraid you were going to kick my pansy ass like you said.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t.”
“We’re all lucky we didn’t end up in jail.”
Audie looked out over the backyard and tossed the Frisbee again to Buster. “I’m going to bring somebody next Friday… somebody I like.”
“You mean a girlfriend?”
“No, just somebody I like. I want to dance with her and have a good time, and I want you to be nice to her.”
“Does this mean I can’t talk about my dick?”
“That’s exactly what it means.”
“Can I make fun of your pussy?”
Audie swung her foot out to kick him but he jumped aside.
They really had gotten crude with each other over the years.
“Is it anybody I know?”
“Beth Hester.” She looked away again, not caring to see his reaction.
“Beth Hester? You mean the—”
“Don’t say it.”
“I was going to say the cute woman that works out at the nursing home.”
“Sure you were.”
“You seeing her?”
“I might be. We’re going out, but we never actually said it was a date or anything. I don’t know what she wants, but I like being with her. Either way, I don’t want you being your usual jerk-off self around her. She’s not like that.”
“I’ll be good. You want me to drive? That way, you both can have a good time.”
“You know, that’s another thing. When it’s your night to drive, you’re not supposed to be blowing coke up your nose.”
“Yeah, I know. I fucked up all the way around.”
“I’ll say. I’m going to drive us both. Beth’s never been before and she may not like it.”
“What’s not to like?”
Audie shrugged. “She’s not much for partying. And she goes to work at the ass-crack of dawn so she might get tired early.”
“Maybe I can ride with Joel and Dwayne.”
“Or maybe you should call David again.”
“Probably. But if I have to crawl back there on my knees, it needs to be because I really want to and not because my friends all shamed me.”
“You don’t really want to?”
“He kept putting me off. I got tired of waiting.”
“Putting you off? You mean all this time you’ve been seeing him you weren’t getting laid?”
“It’s like he wanted to be married first. I liked him a lot, but I’m not ready for that.”
“Maybe he just wanted to be sure you weren’t the type to fuck around on him.”
“Guess I flunked that test. I’ll talk to him again one of these days. I think he’s got issues of his own, but maybe we can at least be friends.”
Audie looked away pensively and, in a voice just barely above a whisper, said, “It’s hard to put your emotions out there with somebody.”
“Tell me about it. Tricking really is a lot easier.”
“Maybe… it just isn’t worth much at the end of the day.”
Chapter 15
Audie couldn’t remember a time when she had been this nervous.
A quick call late in the afternoon confirmed she and Beth were still on for tonight, but on for what was still anyone’s guess.
Somehow, she had never found the right words to clear that up without creating a situation that might have embarrassed both of them. She hoped Beth thought of this as a date, because that’s what she wanted it to be. Beth liked her—that much she knew—but she had never given any sign that she wanted more than friendship. All fine and good, except friendship wasn’t enough for Audie anymore.
She thought about Beth all the time, allowing herself to get carried away with what it would be like to run her tongue over those pretty lips and bury her face in the soft, warm skin of her thighs.
At least, she presumed those thighs would be soft and warm.
That’s how they were in her fantasies.
Beth Hester was under her skin more than anyone she had ever met, even Maxine, with whom she had been totally obsessed. But she had more to offer Beth than she had Maxine. And Beth had better things to offer in return.
The Xterra was squeaky clean, and Audie had on her best—and tightest—jeans with a form-fitting black shirt. She had her hair down, and for some reason that made her self-conscious. She practically felt like a different person.
She pulled into the space next to Beth’s Mazda and peered up toward the condo, where a light was on in the kitchen. If this was a date, she should go up and ring the doorbell. But if it was two friends getting together to go out, a couple of toots on the horn would suffice. A full thirty seconds passed before she decided to get out and go to the door.
By the time she reached the landing on the stairs, Beth had come out of her condo and started down. With one look, Audie decided she wanted this to be a date.
“Wow.”
“Hey,” Beth answered with a shy smile. If the look on her face was any indication, she was as nervous about this as Audie.
“You look great,” she said, her eyes running up and down to capture everything. What she looked was hot as hell and Audie couldn’t wait to get her out on the dance floor. Determined now to treat Beth as her date, she rushed to open the passenger door and waited while Beth got situated before closing it. Then she hurried around to the other side and got in.
“I had no idea what to wear,” Beth said.
“You guessed perfectly.” She looked over as the interior light was fading and got an eyeful of thigh. Soft and warm—she was sure of it. And that was about the sexiest skirt she had ever seen.
“Thanks. I had help from a friend of mine. She’s been to the Gallery a few times on Ladies Night and she gave me an idea of what people were wearing.”
No one was wearing that, or at l
east they weren’t wearing it as well as Beth. Audie would have noticed. “Who’s your friend? Anyone I know?”
“Ginger Biggs.”
“You mean Mallory Coffin’s friend?”
“That’s her.”
“I didn’t know you knew them.” That meant Beth probably knew she and Mallory had fooled around with each other a while back, she thought dismally.
“Shelby the Asshole ran off with Ginger’s girlfriend, Tonya, and she and I were left wondering what the hell happened. We ended up being best friends. I don’t really know Mallory, though.”
Audie was glad to hear that. Still, her history with Mallory was probably something that would come out eventually.
“They’re supposed to be there tonight.”
Audie tried to smile, but her head was already working on how she was going to handle running into the half-dozen women she had hooked up with, especially Regan, whose hands would be all over her as soon as she got there.
“I thought your friend Dennis was going to drive.”
“He’s going to ride with Joel and Dwayne. I can’t wait for you to meet them. They’re great guys.”
“Joel’s the doctor that comes to see your Grammaw, isn’t he?”
The small talk was good for Audie’s nerves, especially the mention of her grandmother. She felt herself relax as they drifted into casual conversation.
Beth propped her small purse against her leg, dreadfully selfconscious about how far her skirt had ridden up when she climbed into the car. Audie approved of her outfit—she made that more than clear—but that did little to diminish her discomfort about feeling so exposed.
Other than that, things were going pretty well. Audie had seemed nervous at first too, and Beth found that oddly comforting.
Going out together like this definitely marked a change in their friendship, even if it wasn’t clear what that change was.
“Here we are.” Audie drove past the club and around the corner to an already-crowded parking lot. “Looks like a packed house.”
“Are Fridays always this busy?”
“Nah, word probably got out that you were coming.”
“Very funny.” By the time she got her door open, Audie had already hurried around.
“You might want to leave your purse under the front seat. Just take your ID.”
“I don’t have any pockets.”
“I’ll carry it for you.” Audie unbuttoned her shirt pocket and held out her hand.
Beth handed over her driver’s license and started to collect a few bills.
“You won’t need any money. I invited you, remember?”
“So you did.”
Audie held the driver’s license up to the streetlamp as they walked toward the club. “Elizabeth Jane Hester. We have the same middle name.”
“I know, Audrey Jane. I remember the first time your Grammaw called you that. It was when you cursed at me.”
Audie chuckled. “Yeah, that’s when Grammaw thought you were all sweet and innocent. But don’t worry, I set her straight.”
“Hey, I only use bad words when I talk about Shelby. That shouldn’t count.”
“I wonder why I never see her out on Ladies Night.”
“Because she’s a social misfit. Let’s hope she keeps that streak alive tonight.”
They reached the front door to the club, which was already vibrating with the beat of the bass.
“Five bucks, ladies. And let’s see some ID.”
Audie held out both cards and passed the doorman a ten. Once inside, she stopped and scanned the room.
“Ginger’s over there,” Audie said, leaning close enough to make the hair on the back of Beth’s neck stand up. She was pointing to a group of tables near the dance floor. Then she turned toward a small cluster of tables on the riser at the back of the club. “My friends usually sit back there, but we can go wherever you like.”
“Why don’t we—”
“What?”
Beth used her fingers to pull Audie’s long hair back and leaned into her so that her lips almost touched her ear. “Why don’t we sit with your friends for a while? We can go say hi to Ginger later.”
Audie nodded and started through the crowd, stopping to reach behind her for Beth’s hand. “So we don’t get separated.”
Beth didn’t care if it was to keep her from picking pockets. She liked having Audie lead her through the club in front of everyone.
“Everybody, this is my friend, Beth Hester.”
Beth gave a small wave to the three young men at the table.
“This is Joel.”
“I’ve seen you out at the nursing home,” Beth shouted over the music, taking his offered hand. She was tempted to tell him that half the nurses at the home swooned whenever he came around.
He was definitely handsome.
“And this is his wife, Miss Dwayne.”
Beth laughed and stuck out her hand. Joel’s partner was wearing a strapless evening gown, rhinestone jewelry and a horrible blond wig that contrasted sharply with his black moustache and chest hair.
“Don’t laugh, sweetie. I got in for five bucks.”
“And this is my best friend on the planet, Dennis Bell.”
Dennis glanced at Audie and grinned, as though being called Audie’s best friend meant the world to him. Then he held out his hand to Beth. “Hi. You’re Kelly’s sister. I used to see you at the high school.”
“That’s right. I thought you looked familiar.”
“How’s Kelly?”
“She’s doing great. Married with a one-year-old. She lives in Knoxville.”
“Tell her I said hi.”
“I will.” Beth felt immediately at home among Audie’s friends and took one of the open seats at their table.
Audie bent over her shoulder. “You want something to drink?”
“What’s good?”
“I usually have half a dozen margaritas, but I’m only having one tonight since I’m driving.”
“Maybe I’ll have the other five.” Beth hoped Audie knew she was kidding. She would be mopping up the floor after two.
“That I have to see.”
“I’ll go,” Dennis offered, jumping to his feet. Beth was grateful, not wanting to be left alone at a table with virtual strangers.
“Is it always this loud in here?” she shouted toward Audie, who sat down and cupped her ear playfully as though not hearing the question.
“It won’t seem loud when we’re dancing. Your friends are out on the floor.”
Sure enough, Ginger and Mallory were moving wildly to the music, just like all the other couples out there. Beth had never danced like that, but she had practiced lots of moves in the mirror.
The last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself when she and Audie went onto the floor.
“Here you go.” Dennis deposited two margaritas on the table and returned to his seat.
Beth held up her stemmed glass to Audie’s. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.” Audie clinked them together and took a big swallow, watching Beth as she tasted her drink. “And congratulations again for finishing your test.”
“Thanks. Mmm, that’s good. I bet it kicks my butt.” Beth took several gulps, finding the tart beverage quite refreshing.
“It will if you drink it down like that. You’ve been up a long time today.”
“I cheated and drank coffee when I got home.”
“Then you should have lots of energy,” Audie answered, setting both drinks on the table as she stood.
Beth took her cue and stood too, nervously following Audie through the crowd to join the throng. Twisting and sliding, they stopped in the center of the floor, where Audie turned and began to dance. To Beth’s relief, her style was low-key compared to the others, but she looked a thousand times sexier, swinging her hips in a sensuous rhythm.
Little by little, she loosened up, trying as best she could to mimic Audie’s casual moves. She found herself staring at Audie’s crotch, her im
agination on overload as she recalled Ginger’s remark about being able to see the outline of her pubic hair through her tight jeans.
“Want to go see your friends?”
The question came out of nowhere and snapped her back to the present. She had no idea how long she had been watching Audie’s hips, but Audie had to have seen her. Beth fanned herself and blurted out a lame excuse for her growing blush. “It’s warm in here.”
Audie guided her to where her friends were gathered. Ginger was the first one on her feet, holding out her arms for a welcoming hug.
“Well?” she asked, careful not to let anyone hear.
Beth gave her a weak smile and a shrug. She knew what Ginger was asking, but the answer wasn’t quite clear to her yet.
Ginger tugged her back. “At least tell me she liked your outfit.”
“Oh, she definitely liked my outfit.”
As they talked, Audie was making her rounds of the table, greeting Mallory and the others. Beth spotted a skinny blonde headed their way… Audie’s way, to be precise.
“Hey, beautiful,” the woman said, her voice dripping with invitation as she slid her hand over Audie’s rear.
“Regan, hi.” Audie twisted and stepped back so they weren’t touching.
“Come dance with me.”
“I, uh…”
Beth looked from one woman to the other and back, holding her breath as she waited for Audie’s reaction.
“I’m here with somebody.” She held out her arm and Beth quickly stepped into it, folding it around her waist. “This is Beth.”
“Hey!” Regan’s eyes traveled from Beth’s head to her feet, and her face broke into a lascivious grin, giving Beth the distinct impression she was being invited to dump Audie and come along with her. “Interesting.”
What the hell did “interesting” mean?
Before she could ask that aloud, Audie squeezed her waist. “Are you ready for another drink?”
Beth shifted ever so slightly, just enough to make it clear that she was no longer including Regan in their conversation. “No, what I’m ready for is another dance.”
Sumter Point Page 17
