by J. S. Brent
“Oh, yes, thank you,” I stuttered as I stared at him; he was wearing a black tux with slight pinstripes that only severed to elongate his already massive frame. The white collar of his shirt brushed up against the nape of his smooth tan neck. Around his wrist was an expensive silver watch I noticed from the store. I knew the price tag on it and almost fainted when I saw it. I knew that both he and Misty had money, but not that amount of money.
“How, how did you know?” I questioned trying to take my eyes off of him.
“Know what?” he asked, his light brown brows furrowed.
“This I wanted a drink.”
“Oh,” He laughed smoothing his hair back and biting his bottom lip, “Well, I was kind of staring at you from across the room, you look extremely beautiful tonight, incase you haven’t noticed.”
I felt my heart begin to race with his every word. A man like him? Finding me beautiful? Maybe parties aren’t that bad after all, I thought.
“So when I saw you struggling to get a drink, I went behind the bar and make you one myself.” He said, smiling.
“You’re allowed to do that?” I said, not wanting to question him too much.
“I had better be; I own the catering company.”
He looked at himself in the mirror and takes a sip of his drink, admiring himself. I followed suite and carefully sipped my drink, not wanting to spill a drop. He turned to me as he swallowed hard, his hand on the back of my chair, making me feel protected.
“So tell me Beth” he began, leaning into me so close that I could smell his sweet cologne, “what brings you to this city?”
Shocked that he was actually asking me a question about my life, my mind raced to come up with some witty answear, something that would make him laugh and keep him around.
“Well,” I began smiling, he smiled back, “it’s kind of a funny story, you see-“
“Oh my god, Adam!” a girl screamed from behind him, jumping on him as if he were a tree, making him spill his drink.
“How are you? How come you didn’t call? Did your number change?” she yelled in his face, putting her hands on his chest.
Adam looked at her and then at me, not quite knowing what to do. He placed his empty glass on the bar and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Excuse us for a moment.” He whispered as he walked away with his hand around her waist as she talked at him, not coming up for air once. They walked out the front doors and into the street.
I wanted to scream.
I turned back to the bar and looked at myself in the mirror. What did you think was going to happen? I thought.
“Don’t take it too hardly,” a voice said next to me. I looked into the mirror, not wanting to look her in the eyes.
“Men like that are to be avoided, especially such a young pretty girl like you,” Ms.Pawler said as she downed a Vodka, “I’ve known him for years, always with different women. Always in one door and out the other.” She placed a long, boney hand on my shoulder and leaned in so close I could smell the vodka on her breath, “Not only women, his whole lifesty is no good, no good for you,” she grabbed my chin and squeezed it hard, the way a Russian mother would, “You are good girl Beth, good girl and good worker, you will have nothing to do with him!”
I laughed as I began to notice how drunk she was, she smiled at me and then turned to the bartender who was still talking to the group of girls.
“Hey you!” She yelled, snapping her boney fingers.
The bartender jumped and came runned to her side.
“Yes mame,” He said, throwing a clean rag over his shoulder.
“For her,” Ms.Pawler put her arm around me and shook her empty vodka glass, “Vodka on the rock, and keep them coming.”
“Yes Mame!” The bartender said and jumped into action.
Ms.Pawler put her arm around my shoulder and whispered into my ear; “Sometimes Beth, when you want something you’ve gotta make a scene.
I was about 4 Vodkas in when I noticed that Adam had come back to the store only, this time without his female companion, who seemed to be nowhere to be found. I wondered if he had just broken her heart, did she feel the way I felt about him? Did he like her?
It all didn’t matter, I was going to avoid him like Ms.Pawler told me to. Not that I was going to have any trouble doing that; the moment he reached the middle of the door he was again swamped by a few girls. Asking him where he had been, how he was doing, complimenting him on how good he looked. I watched him as he tried to answer all of the questions at once. I figured he must be some king of local celebrity around this neighborhood, especially with his ‘lifestyle.’ He glanced up from his adorers and saw me staring at him, he raised his hand to wave it, but I turned around, downed my drink and headed off towards the bathroom, letting my hips sway in my tight dress as I walked away, hoping I was drawing in his attention. I looked in the reflective glass of the office as I rounded the corner for the bathroom; he most certainly was staring.
I walked around the corner and laughed to myself. The vodka flowing through my body made me feel lightless and free. Not that I had never been drunk before, I went to college, but there was something about this night, something in the air that made me feel more powerful and sexual than I ever had. I let my hips sway all the way to the bathroom door before I sashayed in and immediately took my place in front of the mirror.
“What a damn fool,” I said to myself as I lifted up my breasts and tossed my hair, “what a damn fool,” I was thinking about my ex, how could he ever give up a woman like me? Smart, classy, sweet, honest, and as it turns out, sexy as hell. I looked at my well-formed hips and thick legs, I had never noticed that I could be wanted by another person.
“Don’t say you cant, because that means you might not disereve it”
The words echoed in my mind.
“Sometimes if you want something, you have to make a scene.”
What do I want? I thought to myself? What do I deserve? What do I Desire?
Adam.
I want him, even if it’s just for this one night. I don’t even necessarily want to take him home, I just want to talk to him, to engage him, to make him want me just as much as I wanted him. I wanted to prove to him that I wasn’t just some awkward, clumsy, glasses wearing girl. I was a woman, and a woman who deserved to be desired, even by the likes of him. I wasn’t going to chase him, I wasn’t going to paw at him, I was going to make him want me.
“Oh Beth,” I said to myself in the mirror,” lets go do this.”
I straightened out my dress and fluffed up my hair. I did my best super model turn in the mirror, blowing myself a kiss and walked out the door. I walked down the long corridor to the bathroom like I was on a runway, my heels echoing against the high walls. I saw Melody as she approached me and didn’t even bother to make room for her or make eye contact with her, she pushed herself up against the wall with a “Jesus!” and I tossed my hair and laughed.
This night belonged to me.
I walked up to the bar and with even sitting down, snapped my fingers and got the bartenders attention.
“Vodka on the rocks!” I sain pointing to the table.
“Yes Mame!” he said and began mixing my drink.
This is a feeling I could get used to, I thought. I had never been the assertive type, but at that moment I was thinking I could be.
I glanced across the room and saw him. He was sitting on a large red couch we had put in the middle of the store with about 5 girls of either side of him, all of them talking to each other.
And he was staring right at me.
I raised my eyebrows and flipped my hair, turning back to the bar to grab my drink.
Ok, ladies, I thought to myself, parties over, here comes Beth.
The bartender slid me my drink and I caught it in my hand, lifted it to my lips and took a sip.
Even Cool Hand Luke wasn’t this good.
I turned back around and looked directly at Adam. He was now leaning forward like he w
as going to get up. I took a deep breath and clenched my glass.
Oh no, baby, I’m coming to you.
I straightened out my back and pushed my chest out and started to slowly walk towards him, one long curvy leg in front of the other, my hips rolling in unison with my breasts. I bit my lip and rolled my fingers on the glass, never once breaking eye contact with him. He stared my body up and down like a hungry beast, his jaw slightly down. I could see his chest moving up and down as I got closer, I could feel the heat off of him, I could feel the draw I could feel him pulling me in, I could feel his eyes wanting me, I could feel…..
I could feel my toes get caught of the back of my ankle.
I could feel my weight shift.
I could feel the glass go flying from my hand as I tried to save my footing.
I could feel my body hit the cold, marble floor.
I could feel the hush of the people around me as the room went silent.
On no, I though, no, no, no, no, no….
I looked up and saw the crowd of people, who all stopped their conversation and stared at me. I saw Ms.Pawler, her jaw hanging open, I saw Melody behind her, covering her mouth and laughing. I saw everyone in the store, drinks in hand, staring at me as I lay on the floor.
“Oh my god, Beth!” Adam yelled, trying to get around the table, “are you alright?!” He came running up to me with his arms stretched out, wanting to help, but I couldn’t let him.
I rose to my feet as quickly as I could and ran out of the front of the store and down the side walk, moving as fast as I could in those cured high heels that had just made a mockery of me. I ran into an alleyway and hid, knowing that he, or someone was probably going to come looking for me.
I slid down the brick of the wall behind me and sat on the concrete ground. I pulled my knees into my chest and began to cry. There I sat, all alone, humiliated, crying, in an alleyway, in $6000 worth of clothing.
At least if I’m going to go this low, I thought, at least I’ll look good doing it.
I wanted to go back to the party, I wanted to apologies to everyone, say it was just a joke, cover it up, do something to hide the humiliation. Ms.Pawler was right, men like that are nothing but trouble. I swore to myself that night that I would never speak to Adam again, I would never show him the time of day. Yet right then and there all I could do was sit in an allyway, underneath the full moon, in $6000 worth of clothing, and hope that no one found me.
‘
