What Was I Thinking? Ch. 04

"Good. He's with his girlfriend again, you know."

"I know."

"I'm scared to be at her house, Mom. Her ex-husband keeps showing up."

"And her kids keep picking fights and tattling on me," Rosa added.

"Girls, I know you don't like it there, but it's just two days," I said. "And if her ex-husband shows up, call the police. I know she and Daddy don't want to, but you can, okay? He isn't supposed to be there."

"They'll get mad at me," Anissa said.

"I'd rather have them mad at you than have you not be safe."

"Yeah, true. So when are we going?"

"I have to talk to your father and find out if he's picking you up after work Friday or if I'm supposed to drop you off somewhere." Hopefully I'd be dropping them off; if I had to wait for him to get out of work, it would be eight at night by the time I was able to get on the road to meet Derek. "We'll get it figured out."

"His girlfriend isn't too bad," Anissa said. "She tries to be nice. Daddy yells a lot, though."

I took a deep breath and reminded myself that he was their father and legally, I had to let him see them. I knew Anissa sometimes exaggerated; she'd spent most of the previous summer playing her father and me off one another, trying to figure out which of her parents would give her her way. After what the girlfriend had told me the day I'd picked Anissa up, I didn't think she was exaggerating now, but my hands were tied. "My kids will be safe this weekend," I told myself. "I release all concerns and trust that the universe will provide." Immediately, as always when I used that affirmation, I felt better. The weekend would be all right for my kids and for me.

* * *

Friday afternoon, my ex called. "Am I taking the girls this weekend, or are you going to keep them away from me forever now?"

"What are you talking about?" I said.

"You stole Anissa from me. For all I know, you're going to keep them away from me."

"I didn't steal Anissa. She missed so much school she might have to repeat her grade, she wasn't safe, and you've been bounced back and forth so many times I can't keep track anymore. Your girlfriend's the one who told me to come get Anissa last week, and told me that Anissa wanted to come back here, so if you have a problem with it talk to your girlfriend. I don't want to hear it."

"Whatever. So am I taking the girls this weekend?"

"Yes, you're taking the girls this weekend!" I said, exasperated. "It's your weekend. Are you picking them up, or am I dropping them off somewhere?"

"I won't be back till seven thirty, so you should probably drop them off."

"Where?"

"My parents' house. Where do you think?"

I rolled my eyes. Obviously he wasn't in a good mood. "I wasn't sure. You said you were seeing your girlfriend again."

"Yeah, well, I don't know about that. I'm still staying with my parents right now. So take them up there."

"All right. I'll call your mother to let her know what time I'll be there."

"Yeah, whatever. Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up and called my ex mother-in-law, who I'd always gotten along well with. She sounded pleased about seeing her granddaughters, and told me that there was no problem with bringing them up around four thirty. I didn't always drop off the girls that early, but I wanted them to have some time alone with their grandparents before their father got home, and I wanted to have time to get to Andover. I'd talked to Melinda the night before and confirmed the shopping trip, so I was planning to spend the night at the hotel with Derek.

When I hung up from talking to my ex mother-in-law, I turned to Anissa, who was on the couch pretending to do homework, and said, "Please get your stuff ready for Daddy's. We're leaving in about an hour."

"We aren't going to her house, are we?"

"No, you're going to Grammy's. Daddy said he isn't living with his girlfriend right now."

"Good. I hate that house. Her ex is always sneaking around outside, and they never take the sheets off the windows. I hate it there."

"Well, you don't have to go there, not this weekend anyway." Though if past experience was any indication, my ex would probably move back to his girlfriend's house within the next week or two. "So go get ready, please."

"Why are we going so early?"

"It isn't that early. And I'm meeting Derek at that hotel where we stayed with him last summer. Tomorrow morning I'm going shopping with Melinda down in Massachusetts."

"Tell her and her kids I say hi." We'd spent a day with Melinda and her children earlier that fall.

"I will. But if you don't hurry up and get ready, no one will be going anywhere."

"You never tell Rosa to hurry up and get ready," she grumbled as she stomped upstairs.

"Rosa isn't even home yet!"

When Rosa got home, I sent her to her room to pack and went into mine to get my own things ready. I hated packing; I was never sure what I'd want to wear, so it was hard to decide what to put into my duffel bag. I knew I had to bring my dress, though, which had arrived two days earlier and was hanging on my cellar door, where I'd put it to dry after handwashing it the day I got it. But I wasn't about to put that in the duffel bag and risk getting it wrinkled again.

I finally figured out some outfits to pack, along with a few accessories for the party the following night, and went to check on Rosa. She was playing with her cat. "Have you packed anything yet?" I asked.

"No."

"We're leaving in less than half an hour. Get packed, please."

She made it with one minute to spare. At four o'clock, we were ready to walk out the door. I stuck my laptop into my duffel bag; I knew I'd want it while I was hanging out with Derek, since he'd be on his own laptop much of the night. We left, and were halfway to the girls' grandparents' house when I realized I'd left the dress behind.

What was I thinking? The most important thing I needed for the weekend, and I'd left it behind! I toyed with the idea of just not bothering with it; I could buy a new dress when Melinda and I went shopping the next day. But that would be a waste of money, and I really liked the dress I'd gotten. Fortunately, my ex in-laws lived north of me; I would have to go back through my town to get to Massachusetts, and the highway was only a mile from my house. It was a nuisance, but I'd be able to go back.

I got the kids safely to their grandparents, chatted briefly with their grandmother about my ex, and headed south again. Derek called just as I reached the highway. "Are you coming down?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I have to stop by my house first," I replied. "I forgot my dress."

"How'd you manage that?"

"I don't know. But that won't take me too long. I should be there before seven."

"Okay. Just come on up when you get here. I'm in my usual place." He stayed at that hotel so often that they gave him the same suite every time.

"Okay, see you then."

"Yep. I'll make sure I've got some garlic bread and French fries." He chuckled and hung up. I shook my head; that was a joke that had started between us a few months earlier, when he'd taken me to get something to eat at one of the restaurants beside the hotel, and all I'd ordered was garlic bread and fries. I was vegetarian, so couldn't have most of the food there, and I hadn't been in the mood for pasta. Ever since, Derek had teased me about my food choice.

I stopped off at my house to use the bathroom and get my dress, and made it down to Andover well before seven. When I knocked on Derek's hotel room door, it took him a couple minutes to answer; I was about to call him and make sure he was there when he finally answered. "Sorry," he said. "I was about to take a bath."

"Go ahead," I said. "I can entertain myself."

"You don't want to join me?" he teased.

"Um, no thanks."

He laughed and shut himself in the bathroom. I had just set down my bag when my phone rang. It was Charles. "How are you tonight?" he asked.

"I'm okay, thanks. Just got to Andover."

"Oh, staying with another man tonight, huh?"

"Derek and I are just friends, and it beats having to get up at five tomorrow to drive from my house all the way to Melinda's."

"I was just teasing. I don't get jealous. I know there's nothing to worry about."

"Okay."

"So what are you going to do there tonight?"

"Not much. Just hang out, watch TV, go into chat. I brought my laptop, even though the thing isn't working very well anymore."

"What's wrong with it?"

"It picked up a virus from one of Anissa's friends a couple weeks ago. I ran a virus scan on it, but it couldn't get rid of it. So now the thing's slower than death. But it still works, so it's better than nothing."

"Ah. Well, I can't talk long, but I wanted to let you know I will be there tomorrow night. I should be hitting town around noon or a little after, so just call me when you're done your shopping trip and I'll meet you at the hotel. Or maybe I can take you and Melinda out to lunch; we owe her for fixing us up."

"Okay, sounds good." I smiled hugely at the thought of seeing Charles again. And of making love to him again; we'd seen each other a week earlier, but it had been two and a half weeks since we'd been able to make love.

"See you tomorrow, sexy. And make sure you wear that dress."

"The dress is for the party. I won't be wearing anything in the hotel room."

"Ooh, can't wait! Bye."

"Bye."

Derek and I spent the evening chatting and goofing around in the chat room. We found it amusing to talk to each other in chat as though we weren't sitting five feet from each other. We talked about serious things too; he told me how things were going with the girl he was seeing, and I told him how things were going with Charles. From the first time Derek had asked for my phone number, I'd found that he was incredibly easy to talk to, and he knew things about me that none of my other friends knew.

I was up the next morning at seven so I could shower and be on the road by eight. That would give me an hour to reach Melinda's house by the time we'd planned. Derek was still sleeping, though he woke up long enough to say goodbye to me when I left. "I'll be at the hotel by one," he said. "Just give me a call when you're ready to head over and I'll tell them to hurry up with your room. And you can hang out with me if it isn't ready."

"Okay," I said. "Thanks."

He gave me a hug. "You're welcome, darlin'. See you there."

That early on a Saturday, traffic was fairly light. I reached Melinda's just after nine. She wasn't ready to go yet, and invited me to her room while she finished getting ready. "I'm in chat," she explained. "Just checking to see who's going to be there tonight."

"A lot of people?" I asked.

"Yeah, it sounds like it." She went to her closet and took out a cranberry-colored dress. "This is what I'm wearing."

"It's beautiful!" I said. "You're going to look so good in that."

"Thanks. What about your dress?"

"Blue silk, knee-length skirt, halter-style top. I'm going to freeze my ass off, but it looks good on me. I tried it on when I got it."

"Sounds nice. What are you wearing with it?"

"That's what I have to figure out when we go shopping. I don't even own any dress shoes, so I have to find some, and I was thinking thigh highs."

"Thigh highs with nothing else, huh?" Melinda winked. "Someone has a hot night planned."

My face grew warm. "Yeah."

"That's good. I think it's great that you and Charles are together."

"We owe it to you," I said. "If you hadn't talked us into going on that date to that house party, we wouldn't have gotten together. We'd probably still be talking in the chat room about when we could get together for coffee."

"You are both pretty shy." Melinda put her dress back in the closet. "I'm going to go take a quick shower, then we'll go, okay? I have to get a few decorations for the party and get my nails done, but there's a department store in the same shopping center. We can go in there and find your accessories."

Half an hour later, Melinda, her mother, and I were in the car on the way to the nearby shopping center. We chatted while they got their nails done; I thought about having a manicure but decided I couldn't justify the expense. When we were done there, we went to the home improvement store at the other end of the shopping center, where Melinda picked out some garland and mistletoe for the party. "Make sure you pay attention to where we hang this," she told me. "You'll have to get Charles under it."

"I think he'll kiss me without the mistletoe," I said.

"From the sounds of that dress, I'm sure you're right."

Finally we went to the department store. With Melinda's help, I found a pair of black thigh-highs. In the shoe department, the first thing I saw was a pair of black flats on clearance. Not that flats were the best thing to wear with my dress, but I hated heels, especially for a party where I knew I'd be standing most of the night.

"We're going out to lunch," Melinda said when we left the department store. "You're welcome to come with us."

I checked the time on my cell phone. Almost twelve thirty. "Thanks, but Charles should be at the hotel by now," I said. "I'd like to go meet him. He said he'd take you out to lunch too, though."

"Some other time," Melinda said. "But thanks."

She took me back to her house to get my car, then drove off with her mother. Before I backed out of the driveway, I called Charles. It took him a few rings to answer the phone, and he sounded groggy when he said, "Hello?"

"Did I wake you?" I asked.

"Yes. I figured I should get a nap before I take some sexy lady to a party tonight."

"Oh, sorry," I said. "I just finished shopping and I'm heading to the hotel. I didn't mean to wake you; go back to sleep."

"It's early, isn't it?"

"A little. Don't worry about it. Get some sleep, and I'll be at the hotel when you wake up. Derek should be there by now; I'll hang out with him until you get there."

"Okay. See you in a couple hours, sexy."

Most people who went to parties in that area stayed at a hotel a few miles from the bar where the parties were held. That was where I'd stayed until the Halloween party, when Derek had convinced me to stay at the hotel he usually used, one of the same chain as the hotel in Andover. I was headed to that hotel now, hoping I'd be able to find my way. When I'd gone to the Halloween party, Derek had been my transportation from Andover, and I hadn't paid much attention to where we were going. Fortunately, the route was well-marked and the hotel wasn't far off the highway.

It was only quarter to one when I parked my car, but Derek's car was already there. At least I'd have someone to hang out with until Charles arrived. I went inside to check in. "Your room isn't ready yet," the desk clerk told me.

"That's fine; I know I'm early," I said. "I'll just call Derek and tell him I'm here." Derek stayed at this hotel almost as often as the one in Andover, and was on a first-name basis with most of the staff.

I dialed Derek's cell number. He answered immediately. "I'm downstairs," I said. "My room isn't ready. Can I hang out with you?"

"Sure. The rooms were supposed to be ready, though. I'll have to have a talk with those people."

"It's no problem," I said. "It isn't even one o'clock yet. I'm just early."

"True, but I figured you would be and told them to have the rooms ready. Anyway, of course you can hang out with me, darlin'. I'll come down and meet you."

When Derek got down to the lobby, he had a short debate with the desk clerk about the rooms. She assured him that my room would be the next one cleaned, and that housekeeping would come to his room to let me know when it was ready. Derek took my bag and carried it to the elevator. "Are you ready to party tonight?" he asked on the way up to the third floor.

"Yeah, I think it's going to be fun." I held up my dress. "Charles is going to like me in this."

"Half the men in the place will like you in that. So what are you going to wear underneath?"

My face flushed again as I replied, "Nothing."

He laughed. "Had a feeling you might say that. Nothing wrong with that, darlin'. You deserve to have a good time."

Derek had more than a room. I'd dated someone whose apartment was smaller than the place the hotel had given Derek. "This used to be the manager's apartment," he explained. "I think I'm going to ask for this room every time I'm here. You'll be right next door."

"This place is amazing," I said. "I could live here!"

"Yeah, it's nice, huh?"

After about an hour, my cell rang. "I'm almost at the hotel," Charles said. "Are you in your dress yet?"

"I'm not in the room yet," I replied. "They haven't cleaned it, so I'm hanging out with Derek." I gave him the room number. "Just come on up when you get here."

"Okay. See you in a few."

"Was that your man?" Derek asked when I got off the phone.

"Yeah. He'll be here in a few minutes."

"Cool. When he gets here, we can order something to eat. Why don't you go down to the desk and get some menus?"

I did. A couple minutes after I got back to the room, there was a knock on the door. I opened it and threw my arms around Charles. "You're here!"

He looked around. "Yes, I seem to be. You aren't wearing the dress."

I laughed. "Not yet. Come on in; we were talking about ordering lunch."

Charles came in and shook hands with Derek. We placed an order for Chinese food and sat down to wait. Some other friends of Derek's showed up; their room wasn't ready either, so we all hung out in Derek's room for a while.

Finally, while we were eating, housekeeping came to the door to let us know our rooms were ready. As soon as lunch was over, Charles and I headed next door. We were barely inside the room when he grabbed me and pulled me to him. "I've missed you," he said.

"I missed you too."

Our lips met and were parted by our tongues. As we kissed, his hands roamed over my body. His touch felt incredible; it was as though every inch of me was tingling. I wanted him so much it hurt; the aching in my pussy was almost more than I could stand.

He broke the kiss and smiled. "Is someone horny?"

"I hope I'm not the only one."

"No, I'd say not." He kissed me again. "It's been too long."

"Two and a half weeks."

"That's too long."

He lifted my shirt, and I raised my arms to allow him to remove it. I hadn't worn a bra that morning; that had been the one thing I'd forgotten to pack. With me nude from the waist up, Charles just stood and looked at me. "You're beautiful."

"Thank you," I said.

He bent and took one of my nipples in his mouth. I moaned, and he responded by sliding his hand between my legs. Through my jeans, he pressed against my clit. "Charles!" I cried.

In one sudden movement, he lifted me and put me on the bed. Instantly he covered my body with his. "I want you," he said.

"I want you too."

He undid my jeans and pulled them off, along with my thong. Without removing his own clothes, he lowered his mouth to my pussy and sucked on my clit. "Oh, my god!" I shouted.

For several minutes, Charles licked and sucked me, until finally I came, crying out his name. Then he stood and undressed. I reached for his cock and stroked it. "Is that what you want?" he asked.

"Oh, yes."

He lay on me and rubbed his bare cock along my slit. "Are you sure you want it?"

"I want it if you put on a condom."

"Oh, yes, those. Do you know how hard it is to resist making love to you right now?"

"I'm sure it is, but safety first."

"Well, all right."

He got up and took his variety condom pack out of his bag. He dumped the condoms onto his bed and said, "Go ahead and pick one."

I tore one off the strip and handed it to him. He handed it back. "If you want me to use one, you put it on me."

I hesitated. I'd never put a condom on a man before, and wasn't sure I could do it right. I figured I'd either break the thing or put it on inside out. But it wasn't as hard as I thought. Kneeling beside him, I unrolled the condom over his shaft. Once it was on, Charles tugged on my leg and said, "Ride me."