The Party and the Indecent Proposal

We took a couple of steps before Brett called out. "One-fifty, and not a cent more."

I turned, walked towards him, and stuck out my hand. "Deal, you said cash right?"

We shook hands, and he smiled, the smile was a horrible sneer. "Yep, cash."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. I knew there was no way he had a hundred and fifty grand in his wallet. He pulled out ten grand in crisp new bills. "There's ten grand there, I'll bring you the rest tomorrow when I pick up the car."

I shook my head, and sneered. "You said cash, here and now. Your words not mine."

"Don't be ridiculous; you know I can't carry that much cash. It's physically impossible."

"Then why'd you say it? I thought you were a man of your word?"

Ali grabbed my arm, and she was no longer being gentle. "Adam, don't be a dick."

Brett laughed. "You want the cash, here and now?" He turned to Ali. "Wanna drive me to an ATM?"

She giggled, not even trying to hide her enthusiasm to get behind the wheel of the Porsche again. "Oh, hell yeah. Let's go."

She turned back to me, but I saw her happy smile disappear. She picked up on my dissatisfaction quickly.

"Actually, sadly, I've had to much to drink." She reached out, and took Brett's money from his still outstretched had. "Tomorrow will be fine. We both get home about five."

She stashed the bills in her hand bag and dragged me away. Once we were out of earshot, she squealed. "Oh my god, a hundred and fifty thousand dollars." She kissed me, and it was a passionate spine tingling kiss that transcended time or space. "Thank you, Adam, I know you could have kept saying no, just to get under his skin. You did the right thing, babe. You can buy another straight away, and we will still have enough for Damon's college."

We got our drinks and wandered off among the other guests. It was pretty funny listening to the comments. Brett might think he was impressing people, the reality was far different. Most people were laughing at him, behind his back mind you, but still laughing.

I got a few slaps on the back for pretty much letting him rip himself off. I mean, I did say no. it was also apparent that he wasn't finished. We heard the laughter and then a few heated voices. "What now?" I asked Bruce, one of the guys who had watched the argument between Brett and I.

He just shook his head. "The man has no sense of proprietary. He's over there now, offering Craig's wife, Janice, a hundred grand to go away with him for the weekend. I had to leave, I couldn't listen to him. The guys a nut job."

Ali let out a little titter. "Oh my god. I have to see that." She dragged me along with her as we neared the group. We knew Craig and Janice, they were nice people, we often socialized with them. If what Bruce said was true, Craig would lose the plot and haul off and punch the dick.

When we arrived, the conversation was already well into it. Strangely, Brett was still standing, I expected to see him laying on the ground with a black eye.

"You expect me to actually let Janice go off with you for the weekend. Are you fucking mad?" Craig hissed, his voice shaking with emotion.

"Craig, don't get your panties knotted buddy. I'm offering you two hundred thousand dollars. We'll be back in a couple of days. Janice will get a relaxing weekend away and she'll be back, no harm done, and you would have made some extra cash. Where's the problem?"

I could see the disbelief etched into Craig's face, and he was struggling to hold back his anger. "Sometimes, you have absolutely no idea. If you don't know what's wrong with what you are suggesting, then I think you need to reassess your involvement with the human race."

Brett gave a snicker, before looking into Janice's eyes with a cursive wink. "Come on, it's not like I'm asking you to do something terrible that you wouldn't enjoy. We'll take my private jet, you'll accompany me to the gala, walk the red carpet. Then Sunday night we'll fly back home, no harm done."

"No harm..." Craig snapped sarcastically. "You are asking me to sell you my wife."

"I don't want to keep her. C'mon dude, at best I'd be borrowing her. You get to keep her. All I want is an escort to the gala. Christ, man, I'm giving you two hundred grand."

Craig glared at me as if asking for support. "You gave Adam one-fifty for that shitty old car. Janice is a human being. How could you be so callous, so unfeeling?"

It was Janice who answered. "The answer's no, Brett. I'm not interested. It's a lot of money, but I have more self-respect than that."

"Oh for the love of god. All this talk about principles and self-respect. It's stupid. What do you lose by accompanying me to the gala? Where's this loss of self respect? What god damned harm is there in that?"

"You're paying me for sex. You are asking me to prostitute myself," Janice hissed angrily.

"Janice, let's be straight about this. I'm not paying for sex. If we have sex, then so be it, if not, who cares? All I'm asking you to do is accompany me."

"So you wouldn't try to have sex with me?" Janice snapped incredulously.

"I didn't say that. I'm only human, and you're a very sexy woman. Of course I'm going to ask, but you are free to say no."

Craig was about to bust a boiler. Janice stared at him. "What do you think?"

"You already know what I think. The answer's no."

I couldn't believe Janice was suddenly contemplating it, but as I stared at her facial expression, it was obvious she was actually considering it. After a few moments silence, she reached for Craig's hand. "Let's go somewhere quiet and talk."

They walked away together, and Ali and I shared our skepticism. We walked away; it was like watching a train wreck in slow motion, like some crazy Jerry Springer show, or a reality TV show. Janice wouldn't go for it, surely not. "She wouldn't, would she?" Ali asked.

I shrugged. "God, I hope not. Craig will be shattered. She must have more self-esteem than that.."

"At least she doesn't have to have sex with him," Ali, gushed.

"You didn't believe that, did you?"

She looked at me with an indignant wince. "He said she didn't have to."

"Oh yeah, he's just gonna buy her shit, catch her after they've been to the gala. She'll be so wrapped up in it all, she will just do it."

"You think so little of her. She has a mind of her own. She could say no."

"I think she would be crazy if she accepts. It'll be the end of her and Craig's relationship if she accepts. God damn it, what a slut."

"Oh my god, please tell me you were not serious? Janice is nice person. How dare you judge her like that. We don't know anything about their situation."

"Yeah, well, you know what they say. If it walks and talks like a duck. I'm just saying. Their marriage is dead in the water. He is gonna be outta there so fast, all she'll see is dust."

She shook her head cynically. "I think you aren't giving Craig any credit here. You're, underestimating him, Adam. Two hundred thousand dollars, that's a hell of a lot of money."

She squeezed my arm. "Think about it, babe. How long would they have to work to save that amount of money? They could pay off their mortgage. It could really set them up. God, it's only a weekend. This isn't the dark ages anymore. Nobody will care."

Her words shocked me. "Christ, Ali, we're talking about sex..."

"No we're not," she said firmly. "Janice has the power, she could say no. Then he would get left high and dry. She would have the last laugh. Just like the car."

"That's a dangerous way to look at it Ali. If I was in Craig's boots, Brett and me would already be having at it."

"That's crazy talk. I think Brett's, one of those guys. He would be on the phone to the cops, and then your ass would be in jail. Who wins in that scenario? Brett, does, that's who."

"I don't care, it would be worth it."

She shook her head in bewilderment. "You don't mean that. We could lose everything. Would that be worth it?"

"Okay, you're probably right, but Jeez, Ali, this is what I was saying earlier. The guy has no scruples."

"Adam, I'm not saying what he's doing is right, but think about it. If he has to pay women to go with him, he's the loser."

"Ali, you miss the point. It's not about him getting Janice to go with him. I always thought she was a lovely person, and up till now, I liked her, but lets face it. Two hundred grand buys a lot of hookers. No, this is about getting one over on Craig. Brett loves having that power. Knowing that he can just take stuff from people. It turns him on, he's sick, he loves it."

She didn't look convinced, but we finished our drinks, and I said. "Let's go. I'm gonna have to get up early in the morning and get the car ready."

She kissed me. "Yes, the car. I almost forgot. Thank you for doing that, Adam. I cannot believe how much you got for it. You are such a clever man, and the look on Brett's face. That was a picture."

"You realize once I finished it, that it would be worth nearly that anyway?"

"Maybe, but you would have had to spend most of that on it. This way, you get the money for nothing."

"No, not nothing. Let's not lose sight of the fact. I'm losing my baby."

She giggled, before kissing me again. "I'll make it up to you. Don't panic, I'll shower you with so much love you'll not even notice it's gone."

"I'm gonna hold you to that, little lady."

"I hope you do..." She squealed delightedly.

It was sad watching the car get loaded on the tow truck, but the money did feel good in my hands. Brett was all full of himself as I helped the tow-truck driver.

"Sorry to rush off, buddy. I gotta pick up Janice from her place, and I'm already late," Brett snickered.

It was like a slap in the face. "You mean she's actually going with you?"

He looked smug. "Of course, as if there was ever any doubt. Chicks love it. I'll buy her some expensive clothes, maybe even throw in some jewelry. She'll get dolled up, walk the red carpet, I tell you dude, by the time we get back to the hotel room, she'll be begging for it."

"Don't you care what you're doing to their marriage? Jesus, Brett, she's married."

"Christ, don't you get all fucking high and mighty. So what? I'm not breaking up their marriage. We'll have a nice sexy get away. She'll come home all buzzed out and fuck his brains out for a year to make up for it. Nobody loses."

He was gone before I could say anything else. I cleaned out the garage, and sulked a little. Damn, I loved that car. I had such high hopes for it. Oh well, I'd just have to start looking for a replacement.

Ali got home a little later and I was still sweeping out the empty space when she climbed out of her car. "Look at all that space. I might turn it into a yoga room," she said with a teasing giggle.

"Like hell. I already started looking for another project."

We shared a loving hug, and kiss. "Honey, there are some grocery bags in the boot; if you could help me with them, it would be nice."

I carried the bags inside for her, and even put them away. "You should have invited Brett to stay for dinner babe. I mean you stole all that money off him. It's the least we could do."

"He was too busy. He was on his way to pick up Janice."

She looked shocked. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope, well according to him anyway."

"Holy shit. I didn't think she would do it," Ali said with a thoughtful glance.

"Yeah, I was wondering about inviting Craig over for dinner, see if we could take his mind off shit?"

She looked horrified. "What the hell would we say?"

"I don't know. I have no clue how he feels about it. He seemed pretty angry last night."

"Yes, he certainly was, but we don't know what happened after we left. He must have agreed to it."

"I suppose. I just feel sorry for him."

"If you want to talk to him, why not go out somewhere for a drink? Take him to McNally's."

"I might leave it. He might actually prefer to be left alone, try to figure shit out. Christ, the poor bastard's probably busy packing up her shit."

"God, Adam, he may be okay with it. You're projecting your fears on him."

That seemed like a strange thing to say. In the end, I decided to leave him to figure out his own life. He might not like me sticking my nose in his business. If I was in his position, I would want to be alone. The last thing I would want is somebody trying to make things better...

The weekend came and went, Ali went off shopping with her gal pals and I dived into the internet looking for a replacement for the 56. There were plenty of options; we agreed that I could spend twenty grand on the new project. That might sound a lot, but when you're talking classic cars, it really isn't.

Ali got home about five that afternoon, and I was still buried in the internet, scrolling through pages and pages of cars.

"Oh my god. You haven't been sat there all day have you?" she gasped good-naturedly.

"No, I had to get myself lunch. Looking at all them bags, I wonder if there's any money left for a car?"

God I loved watching her smile. When she smiled, the whole world brightened up. She can be a tease though. "How much did we say for a car, five grand, right?" she said with a flippant giggle. "I reckon I left enough for that."

"Holy shit, it looks like it, too."

"Oh stop it. I didn't go crazy. Just a few things."

"A few." I couldn't hide my dismay. When she shops, she does tend to get carried away. I went back to my beer and the internet as she modeled all the clothes she brought, which led to a real pleasant evening. She cooked us a nice dinner. Damon was off with his buddies doing what all sixteen-year-old boys do: chasing girls. That meant we had the place to ourselves. We had some fun making cocktails and listening to some old music.

I loved those nights; we made love twice, not something we did often anymore. With work for both of us, Damon being around and then chores around the house, we sometimes went days without spending time like this together.

Yeah, I accept some of that was my fault. I did spend an inordinate amount of time working on the old 56.

It took me the best part of a month to find a replacement car. I couldn't find another 56, not within my budget, but I did find a 55. The body was in fantastic condition, although it had been modified. The original six-cylinder motor was stripped out, and the mounts altered to fit a 350 V-eight. The motor was brand new and still in the crate, the body sanded and prepped for painting. I got the whole thing for only fifteen grand.

Other stuff was happening, as well. I played golf with Craig and Jeff. It was a nice day, Craig seemed pretty happy. I wanted to ask if things were okay at home, but how the hell do you ask something like that?

Jeff, though, had no hesitancy, he just dived right on in. Any chance to work Brett into the conversation.

"How did Janice enjoy her weekend away with Brett?" he asked, as if he was asking about the weather.

"She had fun, I guess." Craig muttered.

"I saw some photos on the internet; she certainly seemed to enjoy herself on the red carpet."

"Yeah, she had fun." He cut Jeff off pretty quick, and I jumped in to change the subject. "You boys wanna have a bet? Dollar a hole?"

"A dollar, sheesh you're a cheapskate. Let's make it five," Jeff complained jokingly.

"If you want to throw your money away, I'll take it," I replied lightheartedly.

As we played on, Jeff couldn't help going back to the well. I couldn't figure out if he was purposely trying to rile up Craig, or if he was just totally unaware. "Brett said Janice enjoyed herself. Apparently the hotel they stayed at was pretty swish."

"Uh-huh," Craig replied.

"I see you got yourself a new car," Jeff added. "Making the most of Brett's money, huh?"

Craig shrugged as he lined up his drive. "We were always getting a new one anyway."

"What did ya get?" I asked.

"A Chrysler 300 S. Christ, it's fast. We chose the updated model. It's got a special computer chip that adds plenty of zip."

"Wow, sounds good. It's a 5.7 Hemi, isn't it?"

"Yep, that's the one."

Craig, if he was upset, was hiding it well. We were both kicking Jeff's ass, as we always did. I don't know why he always pushed the bets up. Maybe he thought this time he might get the better of Craig, which would explain why he kept going back to talking about Janice and her weekend with Brett.

Usually, we all gave each other a hard time, but I couldn't get into it. I felt bad for Craig. I can't explain why; the whole thing just made me uncomfortable. My relationship with Jeff was going down the toilet. I lost respect for him right then. Taunting Craig, making fun of him. To Craig's credit, he let it all go over his head, which if anything, vexed Jeff even more, especially seeing as how we were both kicking his ass.

Once we were back at the club house, Jeff asked, "You guys coming in for a drink. I guess I'm gonna be buying."

"No, sorry, pal. I have to go. Ali is expecting me."

"I have to go, as well. Lots to do. I don't think I can listen to more of your shit," Craig rasped, sarcastically.

"Oh, don't be like that pal. It's all in the past right?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you, though. Might be best if you stayed out of my life for a while," Craig grumbled, holding out his hand. "Ninety bucks, please."

"Oh, for fucks sake, Craig, don't be a dick."

"Listen Jeff, you wanted to raise the stakes, not me."

"Jesus, I didn't realize what a bad loser you are." He handed over a hundred dollar bill.

"Close enough. Oh, and by the way. You're the loser here, pal," Craig said, as he walked off towards his car.

"I suppose you want your money, as well?" Jeff muttered.

"Nope, you can keep it. I don't want your money."

"Fuck, Bruh, Ali got you so under the thumb you can't even have a drink with a buddy?"

"It's not that Jeff. That was pretty low. Baiting Craig about what happened. That was pretty shitty."

"Sheesh, get over yourself. It was just a bit of fun."

"Yeah, for you maybe. See ya around."

I was hoping to catch Craig in the car park, but he was gone by the time I got there. The drive home gave me a chance to think. This whole mess was so avoidable. Walking into the kitchen at home, I found Ali preparing dinner. Sneaking up behind her, I slipped my arms around her waist and my lips fastened onto her neck.

"Hey, lover, we will have to be quick, my husband will be home from golf soon."

"To late, tramp, you've been caught out."

She giggled with mock horror. "Oh no... What shall I do?"

"Beg forgiveness, oh and a nice blowjob would be nice."

"Typical, what is it with you guys and blow jobs?"

The look on her face told me she was joking, so I played along. "Oh come on Ali, we both know if you had your choice of sexual favors from me, it'd be oral."

She shrugged. "True, I do like your tongue."

"And I like your pussy, but why shouldn't I like blow jobs?"

"Oh no reason, babe. I was just messing with you. You know I like to suck your dick."

As we hugged I asked. "Have you seen much of Janice lately?"

"Yeah, about the same as always. Why, what's going on?"

As I flipped the lid off a beer, I asked, "Has she ever talked about what happened on that weekend with Brett?"

I saw the hesitancy, her reticent to answer directly; she skirted the question. "Why do you ask?"

"Today at golf, Jeff was a real dick and taunted Craig. Made me feel like shit. I was just wondering if they were having problems?"

She frowned confused. "No, problems I'm aware of, Adam. As far as I know they are doing okay."

"Has she talked to you about what happened."

After snatching my beer and taking a large gulp, she replied. "Yeah, we talked about it. But I can't tell you, it was private."

"Jesus, Ali, I don't want details. I was just wondering. Surely we can talk about this."