Meeting James Ch. 04

Authors Note:

I want to thank everyone again for their kind comments and critiques. I can't tell you all how enjoyable it is reading your email and responding to it. I hope you enjoy.

M

*****

It was a very emotional morning and I felt miserable. Watching James walk into McCarran and leave for Los Angeles, I somehow felt like I was being abandoned. I knew I had no right to feel that way, but I couldn't seem to get my emotions under control. I had never felt like this before. I thought I had experienced some bad break-ups in high school, but none of them felt like this.

The cabbie took me to the car dealership and I picked up the Land Rover without incident. It was such a beautiful vehicle, it had every possible option: leather seats, power everything, and a sun roof. That should make me feel better right? It didn't.

I wanted desperately to skip my finance class, but I couldn't. The paper I had written over the weekend was due today and I'd lose a lot of points if it was turned in late. We were also reviewing for our midterm and the Prof was notorious for giving away test questions and telling students what they needed to study in order to do well on the exam.

I felt numb, both emotionally and mentally. I couldn't think, let alone concentrate like I needed to, and as hard as I tried, I just couldn't seem to pull myself together.

As the day progressed, my mood did improve somewhat. My finance class went well and I was able to go to the library and study for a few hours for my mid-term exams which were later in the week. I had also stopped by the student records office and put James' name on my financial account like he had asked so he would start receiving my tuition bills. I was also able to pull up my credit card statements on my lap top and email a copy of them to James' office. I smiled to myself when I remembered that James had told me to fax them. What's a fax? I thought, wishing I was with him so I could tease him personally about wanting me to use an antiquated fax machine instead of email.

I just wanted to go home and sleep and wake up the day James was flying back into town. If only, I thought.

As I pulled into my apartment complex my jaw dropped. OH SHIT, I thought to myself, as I looked and saw the cars of my two best friends, Sue and Samantha, parked in front of our apartment. I also saw my roommate Rachel's car so I knew all three of them had to be inside. Sue and Samantha never come over on a Monday afternoon, I smelled an ambush.

I used the key to open the door and the most heavenly aroma entered my nostrils. Rachel was making her famous stir fry vegetables with chicken breast, and she knew it was my favorite. I smiled to myself, another bad sign, like a convict's last meal before the electric chair.

"Hey girl," all three of them screeched in unison as I walked through the door.

"Hi everyone, I smiled brightly.

Leave it to my best friends to pull me out of my doldrums I thought, feeling my mood start to improve. They had already finished off a bottle of wine and they were starting on their second. Look out I thought, I was in for an interesting evening.

Rachel poured me a glass of wine and we all sat down on the sofa and love seat in the small living room.

As Rachel handed me a glass of wine she said, "Sam, do you know what happened to Mel this weekend because we had made plans to go to the Ghost Bar on Saturday night, but she was nowhere to be found."

Samantha laughed and said, "The last I heard Sue made her go to some fancy soirée at the Paris and no one has seen her since."

I found it hilarious that they were talking about me like I wasn't in the room.

"Sue, can you give us a re-cap of the events of Friday evening so we know that the record is correct before we continue," she said, as all three of them laughed while I shook my head, trying not to smile and encourage them.

I knew that Sue had probably told Rachel and Samantha the story of Friday night at least twenty times already.

"Well, I was letting this cute guy chat me up when I saw Melanie dancing with this handsome older man. Then, she went back to his table and they talked, drank and danced all night while she totally ignored me the entire evening. Finally, at mid-night, she made me leave because she told me that she was having such a great time with him," Sue said smiling at me.

"OK Melanie, enough with the suspense, time to start dishing," Samantha said, smiling at me.

Since we met our freshmen year in the dorms, the four of us were inseparable and we told each other everything: who we liked, who we slept with, nothing was out of bounds. We had enjoyed each other's company in the best of times, and we had all gotten each other through some of the very worst of times. But this one was going to be difficult.

I took a deep breath, "It's not really that big of a deal guys, I met him, we hooked up, and I spent the weekend with him."

They all looked into my eyes, trying to see if there was more to the story than what I had revealed.

"I'm calling bullshit," Rachel said smiling. "When's the last time you fucked a guy Melanie, and an older guy at that? There has to be more to the story."

I could tell that the wine was kicking in. Rachel never dropped the F-Bomb unless it was directed at her boyfriend, and that was only after he had made her mad.

I looked down, time to come clean. "His name is James and he lives in LA. He comes into town about once a month and I really like him and I told him I'd see him when he's here."

"So what's the catch, you're working out your daddy issues with some hot older guy, no big deal," Samantha said, smiling at me.

I took a big gulp of wine draining the glass.

"The catch is, he has a wife and kids and he's been giving me gifts," I said.

The room went silent.

"What do you mean, 'giving you gifts,' Melanie?" Sue said, with a look of concern in her eyes.

I reached into my pocked and pulled out the tennis bracelet and handed it to her. She examined it closely and then passed it around the room.

"Melanie, I know jewelry, this has to be worth at least $4000," Samantha said.

"Honestly, I don't know what it's worth Sam," I said as I refilled my wine glass.

"My God, what else did he get you Melanie?" Sue said.

"Look out the front window."

They all got up and peered through the blinds.

"See the Land Rover parked in front of the side walk," I said, taking another sip of wine.

I knew their jaws were dropping open and I didn't even have to look at them. They silently looked out the window for a full minute before they came back to the living room and sat down without saying a word. It was like a dark storm cloud had come into the room and the tension was thick. No one knew what to say, or how to react.

Samantha finally broke the silence. "I know you Melanie, and I want to tell you the truth. The bracelet, the car, your pussy just isn't that good."

We all broke out in a fit of laughter as I grabbed a pillow off of the couch and threw it at her, as she smiled brightly at me. It was a little inside joke between the four of us. The first time I met Samantha we had both gotten drunk at a party and hooked up in her dorm room. We became fast friends and both of us agreed that while we enjoyed our night together, our relationship would be strictly platonic going forward.

Rachel looked into my eyes and said in a serious tone, "I'm not judging you Melanie, but I know you, and this isn't you. You don't have sex with a guy just because he is buying you things. You are the last person on Earth that I would have thought would ever be a kept woman. "

Sugar daddy, sugar baby, kept woman, all words I would grow to loath.

"There is a lot more to it than just sex and the monetary things he gives me, I think I'm falling for him Rachel," I said quietly.

They were all very concerned for me, and I had to admit, I was concerned for myself. We talked more as we ate Rachel's delicious dinner, and of course we put away a few more bottles of wine before the evening was over. I ended up telling them about the apartment, the clothes and the debit card. Not that I really wanted to, but, we were the type of friends that didn't keep secrets from each other. They were all very curious about the sex as well. None of them had been with a man who wasn't about their age. I told them the truth, the sex was great. But my attraction to James had a lot less to do with the sex and money and everything to do with the connection I felt with him when we were together.

Later that evening, Sue and Samantha had left so they could study for their midterms and Rachel and I were sitting on the couch.

"Melanie, you could never do anything to make me stop being your friend and I love you like a sister," Rachel said as she looked into my eyes. "I know you had a lot of problems with money and I'm glad that he is taking care of some of that for you. I just don't want to see you getting hurt. He told you he'd never leave his wife, so keep things in perspective. See him when he's here, fuck his brains out, let him take care of you, but don't you dare let him break your heart. If he does, then that's your fault, not his."

She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and gave me a big hug, then walked into her room to study.

She was right. When he came into town, I would be his, just like he wanted. But the rest of the month, he wasn't going to change how I lived my life.

I had one more thing I had to do before I studied and went to bed. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and texted Gianna, "This is Mel, let's meet this Friday for drinks."

My mid-term exams went great. I found that the more I studied, the less I thought of James, and all that studying paid off, as I ended up getting all A's on my exams.

Even though I had three weeks to move out of the apartment I shared with Rachel, I was anxious to get into my new place. In between studying, I was able to box my things and move them in the Land Rover. By then end of the week, I had the majority of everything I owned in my new apartment. I also went to a furniture store and purchased a queen size bed and two flat screen TV's, one for my bedroom and the other for the living room. The furniture store delivered the bed and TV's on Thursday afternoon and I paid them extra to mount the TV's on the wall.

During mid-term exam week, I got better at keeping James at an emotional distance. We texted each other a couple times each day, but I made sure I kept my texts light and casual. He had his life, I had mine, and I felt that I was taking Rachel's advice. He wasn't going to break my heart, or my accurately, I wasn't going to let him break my heart.

I had taken my last exam Friday morning and came home and had the last of my things packed and in the Land Rover by noon. I gave Rachel a big hug as I left our apartment for the last time. I'd still see her a lot even though we would no longer be roommates, but I knew it wouldn't be the same. As freshmen, we were roommates in the dorm, and then we had gotten the apartment together. Even though we had a lot of history, I knew it was time to move on and take the next step.

My moving out ended up being good for her too, instead of finding a new place with her boyfriend, she talked her boyfriend into moving in with her and they would sign a new lease together. It's a big step moving in with a guy, and I knew she was getting more serious with him, and I was very happy for her.

Moving out was a big step for me as well, it was the first time that I had ever lived by myself. I loved my new apartment, but it was also a bit scary being out on my own.

I spoke to Gianna a couple of times during the week and she told me she lived in North Las Vegas in a house she rented with two other students that she went to college with. She was a junior at the College of Southern Nevada and was a nursing major. I suggested that we meet at Red Rock Casino in Summerlin since it was off the strip and easier to get to. Also, it was not too far from where she lived. We agreed to meet for drinks at six o'clock in one of the bars inside the casino.

I chose to dress in a white jean skirt with a light pink top and sandals. I pulled into the valet station and checked the Land Rover in with the attendant. I walked into the casino and headed for the bar that we agreed to meet at. I had been to Red Rock Casino once before about a year earlier when an old 80's band was playing there. Normally, I liked the clubs on, or near the strip, but this location seemed liked a better choice.

I walked into the casino and saw the signs to the bar I was looking for. As I walked in, I saw Gianna sitting at a booth in the back, away from the bar. I walked up to the table and she stood up and gave me a small peck on the cheek which I quickly returned. I liked her style already, time and place, I thought.

It was nice not being too overt with our greeting. Red Rock Casino catered mainly to locals and being in a bar in Summerlin was nothing like being in a club on the strip were girls openly danced in a sexual way with each other and then made out in a booth somewhere before they went to a hotel room to hook up. Keeping our greeting casual meant we could pass as friends who were meeting for drinks on a Friday evening. A small peck on the cheek instead of an opened mouthed kiss meant we wouldn't be drawing unwanted attention to ourselves, which would help keep the gawkers at bay.

When I first met Gianna in James' restaurant, she looked great in her server's uniform of tight black slacks and a grey blouse. But tonight, seeing her in casual clothes, she looked absolutely stunning. She was wearing short blue jean shorts, a pretty white lace tank top, and sandals. Her make-up was flawless and her beautiful long brunette hair was in loose curls that hung gently around her face. She had beautiful brown eyes and a dark olive complexion with flawless skin. The tank top and shorts showed off her tone arms and legs. She was a little shorter than me; maybe 5'6" with what I guessed to be 34c breasts that fit her petite frame perfectly.

We both sat in the booth as the waitress approached and asked me what I'd like to drink. I saw that Gianna had already ordered a margarita and I told the waitress I'd have one as well.

"How was your week?" she asked, smiling brightly at me.

"It was long," I said smiling at her, "mid-terms were this week, but I think I did really well, how was your week? I asked

"I had mid-terms as well but I was able to take a couple of days off from work so I could study, which really helped," she said, "I think I just did just fine too."

We each took a sip of our drinks. I felt so comfortable with her.

"I'm so glad you wanted to meet tonight, I thought you might be spending the evening with your boyfriend."

I took a deep breath, "He's in Los Angeles, he lives there," I said. "But, he should be back in town in a few weeks."

"Long distance relationships can be tough," she said.

"I just met him last weekend, so I think we are still at that stage of trying to figure out what we want to mean to each other."

That was a lie and I regretted saying it as soon as the words left my lips. James and I had everything very well defined. James liked having sex with me and buying me gifts, and I liked having sex with him and the rest of the time I was busy trying to figure out how to not fall for him anymore than I already had, pretty simple really.

"That's interesting, Gianna said. "When I saw you together in the restaurant, you looked like a couple who had been together for a while."

I could tell she was anxious to ask more questions about James, and I quickly changed the subject so she couldn't.

"So what about you, are you seeing anyone?"

"I have a boyfriend that I've been seeing for about six months. We met in school and he's going to be an RN as well."

"That's wonderful." I said

We spent the next half hour talking about her work, our respective schools, and her boyfriend. I had so much respect for her working a full time job and going to school full time. She seemed to have her life really together.

We were on our third round of margaritas and I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and I was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol.

"I'm really hungry Gianna would you like to get something to eat?"

"That would be great," she said.

We pulled a menu off the table and thumbed through it together and decided on nachos.

I once heard someone describe alcohol as being a "social lubricant," and that was true in our case. The more we drank the more intimate our conversation became and it was nice to get past the friendly-getting-to-know-you-chit-chat and move on to more fun topics.

"Does James know you... um... are into girls?"

I smiled brightly at her, "He does. I told him I like to make out in bathroom stalls with pretty Italian girls in his restaurant."

She smiled brightly at me.

"Does your boyfriend know you are into girls?" I asked.

"He doesn't, and I haven't found a way to tell him yet." She looked down, "I'm not sure what he would think, and I'm afraid he would feel threatened by it, and I'm afraid of losing him over it," she said softly.

I was taken aback by her brutal honesty. This girl could have whomever she wanted, male or female, and she was afraid of losing him? I thought he must be very special to hold her heart like that.

My conscious was starting to bother me about what I had said earlier regarding my relationship with James and I felt like I needed to clear the air.

"I need to make a confession Gianna. James is married, and I've found myself having feelings for him that I know I shouldn't, and I've been spending the last week trying to sort that out," I said, as I looked into her eyes.

We were interrupted by the waitress as she sat a huge plate of nachos in front of us. We slid together until our thighs touched. At this point I was buzzed, and turned on by this beautiful woman next to me, and I didn't care what the other people in the bar thought about it.

We started eating the delicious nachos. Feeling her thigh rub against mine was slowly stoking that desire I was feeling for her.

"He has money doesn't he?" She said, looking into my eyes.

"He does, yes," I said simply.

"Melanie, don't feel guilty about any of it, and make him make you happy," she said, smiling at me.

Her statement made me realize that I did feel guilty about what James had done for me financially. I came from a middle class family, but my parents never spoiled me or my brothers. During my childhood my older brothers were always helping my father by working with him at our family's small construction company or doing odd jobs around our neighborhood. During high school, I helped my father with the books, which is why I got interested in accounting and why I decided to major in it in college. Very little had ever been given to me without working for it, so I knew James' generosity and my guilt over it played into the complex feelings I had towards him.

I cleared my mind of James and our dysfunctional relationship and concentrated on Gianna and offered her some advice concerning her situation with her boyfriend.

"When you're ready, tell your boyfriend that you're into girls. If he loves you, and it's meant to be, then he'll deal with his issues because he'll want the woman he loves to be happy," I said, smiling at her.

I felt her hand rub my knee and it sent shivers down my spine.

Gianna looked into my eyes and said seductively, "The moment I saw you, I wanted you. I even got the server who was working your section to let me have your table so I could meet you," she said, smiling brightly at me. "I also got my roommate to give me a ride here because I knew I'd be spending the night with you."