Where the Deer and the Antelope Play

Therefore, the summer at work passed rather uneventfully, but most evenings I was out playing the Game, enjoying myself and the wonderful women of our great city, and continuing to drive up my score.

***

Chapter 2

Wednesday, October 14th

It seemed like a million people were crowded into the terminal at Denver International Airport; there was a big convention in town and one or two of the nearby universities were celebrating homecoming week so the attendees all seemed to be arriving at once.

My flight had been packed and we'd circled for an hour as the flight crew waited for a storm to clear and planes scheduled ahead of us to land. The pilot droned on about colliding weather fronts with snow in the mountains turning to thunderstorms over Denver, and I did my best to tune him out.

That there was a fat guy in the middle seat next to me made it even worse.

By the time I'd retrieved my bag from the carousel, I was regretting my choice of renting my tuxedo in the city and bringing it and Alan and Nessa's wedding present with me in my suitcase instead of sticking with a carry-on only, having Alan pick up my tux wherever one gets tuxes in the wilderness, and sending their gift by mail.

There were about 30 people in line in front of me at the counter in the Aldion Rental Car building and more arriving behind me by the second as another shuttle bus pulled up behind us. Even with extra people working the counter, it was taking forever; however, being quite bored as a result, it gave me time to people-watch as we snaked forward through the queue.

The men and the women with children didn't interest me but the rest of the women between 18 and 60 got the usual Ian-lookover, rating them for looks, appeal, perks, and general doability. It wasn't exactly nice, but most guys seem to have their own similar rating system, and it was good practice that allowed me to focus on prime candidates when I was in full-on Game mode.

There were several women in viewing range that would have ordinarily attracted my full-blown attention if we were in the right setting. Now, they just drew my admiring looks as I watched while attempting to keep from looking like I was staring.

The girl behind the counter was a doll, small with a short, brown pixie cut and brown eyes that went perfect with her smile and her delightful, sweater-clad breasts. In her mid-to-late twenties, she might well have been my first choice but I couldn't see below the counter so I kept looking since an ass the size of Manhattan was a non-starter.

The tall lady in the business suit near the front of the queue was in her late 40s or early 50s. She was statuesque, beautifully proportioned, as if she'd been a women's basketball star in her youth, and despite the years, she'd kept in great condition and her gentle curves showed it. Her dark brown hair had a sprinkle of gray and her blue eyes seemed bright and cheerful. She spent much of her time intermittently texting, looking a bit concerned, and tapping her foot lightly, as if the delay was costing her time and money. She would be, I was almost certain, quite demanding, but I was equally sure she'd be great for an evening despite having eight or ten years on me.

Near the center of the queue from where I stood was a college-age girl with sandy-blonde hair, hazel eyes, and a sorority sweatshirt that strained to contain her goodies up top. She was wearing short white shorts that showed beautiful, well-tanned legs, and she, too, had her cellphone in her hand the whole time. It took a while for me to realize she was with her dad—or was it her Daddy?—but my eyes kept drifting back to her wonderful rear when we were lined up just right as we moved forward.

The thirty-something woman in front of me was quite pretty, too, with wavy black hair that reached the middle of her back. She was nicely curvy and she wore black-rimmed glasses—I'm a sucker for those on the right girl—over dark-brown doe-like eyes. She appeared just about perfect until she got the call.

"Hello? Myra! How are you, girl? Heh heh heh! I'm standing here in the line from hell at the car rental counter. Somebody fucked up and it's taking them for-ever!"

Her voice was loud, nasally, and intense, an all-too-close imitation of that TV nanny of years back, and I had to practically stuff my fingers in my ears to keep from going crazy as she droned on. That would have been too much, though, so I turned my back to her as I looked at my own cell phone, pretending to be interested in something, anything, that could help tune her out.

The last was eight or nine places behind me and I got a good look at her due to the line zig-zagging as Miss Loudmouth rolled on like a roller coaster with the person on the other end of her call. Her hair was a dark chestnut brown bordering on auburn, and she had a willowy look that made my heart almost skip a beat. She was around 5'-7 and beautifully stacked, but it was her pretty green eyes that really drew my attention. She was staring at Miss Loudmouth, probably thinking of how she'd like to lower the woman's volume—or maybe stuff a sock in her mouth.

Perhaps I was enjoying the view a bit too much when she turned those bright green eyes from the loud woman to me. My eyes widened as they were caught in her gaze, but after a second's hesitation, I quickly turned away with my blood pressure spiking.

Trying to forget her, my eyes shifted from woman to woman in front as we inched forward, and I even took time to admire Miss Loudmouth's form a bit more after she finally shut up, leading me to seriously consider the ethical considerations of using duct tape in a consensual encounter for the first time in my life.

The tall woman stepped up to the counter and I took in that lovely view until she took her keys and was off. Then, the college girl and her dad—or whatever—finally reached a counter, too. I had to breathe easy after inadvertently imagining what it would be like to have her ankles wrapped around my neck.

An employee came in and whispered to one of the agents, who then went and spoke to each of the others. I was wondering if something was wrong, but they kept calling customers forward, one person or group at a time, and pretty soon, the beautiful but irritating woman was called forward, too.

I considered turning back to get one last look at the chestnut-haired beauty, but after being nailed earlier, I resisted, shifting my eyes back and forth between the cute agent and Miss Loudmouth's ass.

"Sir?"

The guy behind me bumped my arm lightly as he said it, and I looked up to see a male agent wave. "Next."

"Good afternoon. My name is Ian Jenkins. I have a reservation." I handed over my driver's license and credit card.

The man was the picture of efficiency as he typed and searched and typed some more. He gave me my options for coverage and fueling when the agent who'd spoken to the others clapped his hands up in the air and called out, "Excuse me! May I have your attention, please?"

All heads turned toward him.

"I'm sorry, but we have a situation here. Last night's early-season snowstorm between here and Grand Junction blocked I-70 and a number of our cars that we were expecting back today have been delayed. We've got a shortage right now and the other rental agencies are almost all in similar shape so we can't redirect you to one of them. Would anyone be willing to, ahem, double up, to take a passenger with them...or be a passenger...with a substantial discount on their rental? We'll work out details on directions and be able to deliver a vehicle to the rider by tomorrow in most cases with the discount applicable to driver and the rider for their car when it is delivered. Any volunteers?"

Of course, no one raised their hand and the managing agent grimaced. "Folks, I'm sorry, but you don't understand. If you didn't make your reservation with your Rewards membership, your paperwork notes that your reservation is not guaranteed. As of right now, we have six cars left for those who didn't reserve with Rewards. There's a good chance that more cars will trickle in as the afternoon progresses, but there's no guarantee. So I ask again, are there any volunteers to double up?"

With a better understanding of the situation, a number of hands in the line went up this time and a couple of people at the counter nodded. Mine didn't; I waved my finger in front of the agent before me and said, "Please finish processing this and give me my keys. I'm already late."

He nodded and a few minutes later, I was getting on I-70 to head to Bettleys Corners for a wedding.

***

Driving down the interstate, I was quite bored by the monotonous scenery so I was happy when my phone rang. Activating the earpiece, I heard Alan on the other end, but he was surprised to find that I wasn't nearly half way to Bettleys Corners.

"Yeah, weather delays, baggage backup, rental car delays. It was a mess."

"Sorry about that, but I appreciate you putting up with all of it and coming."

"Glad to do it, my friend."

We talked for a couple of minutes before he added, "Ah! I almost forgot. I had one other bit of news that will interest you: Candy's going to be at the wedding. She's coming in on Friday."

Candy Rossiter! After 18 years, I'd finally get to see her again in person instead of on the TV screen. Unless....

"Alan, you're not joking, right?"

"Nope. She'd always been iffy, but called last night to say that she'd found someone to cover for her so she'll be here...Ian? Ian? Are you still there?"

I hadn't expected much from this trip, but with Candy, beautiful Candy, being there, it opened new opportunities. "Ah...yeah. Candy's going to be there. Wow! I can't wait to see her."

He chuckled. "I figured as much. Just don't make her mad, okay?"

"Me? Make her mad?"

"Yeah, Ian, you. And, yes, I still remember the last time you guys got together and how mad she was then.

"I blame that on the excessive exuberance of youth."

"If that's the case, there shouldn't be a problem this time, should there, old man?" He laughed and added, "Drive safe. We'll see you in a few hours."

"See you in a bit," I agreed before we ended the call.

My phone rang about ten minutes later.

"Hey, Ian! It's Alan again."

"Hey, Alan! Did you forget something or are you just checking in to see how many farms and irrigation systems I've passed in the past few minutes?"

"No, we've actually got a problem. Where are you, buddy?"

"Uh, remember the scene in 'Dumb and Dumber' where they said John Denver was full of shit? Somewhere near there, I think. Wait, there's a sign coming up. Ahem, Bennett, four miles. Where the hell's Bennett?"

"A whole lot closer to the Denver airport than we are. Listen, you know the problems they're having at the airport today, well, that's happening with car rentals, too."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"It turns out that there's not a single rental car available, and Nessa's cousin, her maid of honor, is stuck at the airport now without a ride. Can you go back, pick her up, and bring her with you?"

I groaned, quite loudly, inside. I was already running late and now I was going to have to add another hour to the trip, going to find someone I didn't know and then be stuck in a car with her for over three hours. Ah, make that woman I didn't know, though being the maid of honor opened up possibilities that matron of honor would have precluded. I wasn't happy about it, but considering all the times that Alan had helped me in college and had my back, I knew I owed him this and probably a whole lot more.

"Ah, sure, man. How do I find her?"

"Her name is Livia Dawes and she's outside of the Aldion Rental Car center off of Peña, you know, rental car row, on the way to the terminal. She'll be wearing a black Rutgers sweatshirt and baseball cap. I'll text you her number so you can call if you have trouble spotting her. If it comes down to it, call me, and I'll patch us all together."

"Will do. I'll be getting off the interstate in a couple and will be heading back that way. Look for us when you see us coming."

"Thanks, Ian. I really owe you for this."

***

My rental was from Aldion so I knew right where I was going, but I didn't remember seeing anyone meeting Livia's description. That made me wonder if she'd arrived shortly after I left or just how plain she must be that I would have looked right past her. With her being Nessa's Maid of Honor and me being Alan's Best Man, we'd be spending some time together during the ceremonies, but maybe I wouldn't have to spend too much time with her otherwise. If, that was, they didn't need me to take her back to the airport on Sunday.

Luck shined on me and one construction zone and only 25 minutes later, I was pulling back into the Aldion lot. There were quite a few people milling around, with most probably in the same circumstance as Livia. I crept along slowly, over to the side of the building where it would be safe to pick her up as I was looking out for her black Rutgers sweatshirt.

There, among the crowd, I saw a black sweatshirt, dark sunglasses, and a black cap as I pulled up to a stop.

"Yes!"

Getting out of the car, I reached in and tooted the horn and then waved as I shouted, "Livia! Livia Dawes!"

Her neck swiveled and she saw me waving before she returned my wave. A moment later, she was with me, pulling her suitcase and a roll-on. "Your name?" she called from a distance.

"Ian Jenkins, from Alan and Nessa. You're Livia?"

"Yes, thanks for coming," she said with a smile as we put her things in the trunk. As soon as I slammed it, we got in the car, circled around, and got away from the madness.

"Gosh, thanks so much for getting me," she said as she pulled off her baseball cap, letting me see chestnut hair pulled back in a ponytail. My heart skipped a beat and then probably two or three more when she took off the glasses. It was the woman a few people behind me who'd caught my glance. She'd probably put on the sweatshirt and cap after going outside since the temperature was in the mid-40s. I was careful to look ahead as we pulled out on Peña Boulevard and then got on the interstate to head toward our destination.

"No problem, and you're quite welcome," I said, hoping she wouldn't remember me or else wouldn't think anything about my bit of excessive familiarity.

She turned in her seat, looking at me in profile. "Ian, tell me, have you known Alan long?"

"Oh, about twenty-two years. We met when we were freshmen in college, ended up rooming together sophomore year, and were apartment mates the last two."

"You two must have been very close."

"Yeah, Alan and Ian, the two Musketeers, but we lost touch a few years ago when he moved and switched jobs right about the same time as I opened my practice. It took a minor miracle to find him, but we've been in touch regularly for the last couple of years or so since we reconnected and I'm excited to see the guy finally getting his HEA."

"H-E-A? What's that?"

"You know, Nessa? Happily-ever-after?"

She laughed, nodding. "Ahh, gotcha. Yeah, same for her. Her ex was a real bastard and I never cared that much for him even when she was still head over heels for him, before she finally saw through his lies. I'm really excited for her and hope that this is a happily-ever-after for her, too."

"What about Nessa? You've known her for a long time, I take it."

"Since we were babies, really. She's my first cousin, though she has almost two years on me. Our moms were sisters and were always really close until her mom passed a few years ago. I have four brothers but no sisters so she's the closest thing I have to a sis."

"What did you think of her moving out here?"

She giggled. "Unexpected? The last thing I'd ever dream of? She really needed to get away, though. Once she did, she fell in love with the area and, eventually, with Alan, so I don't expect her to ever go home since she considers this home now. She's even talked to me about moving out here, but that'll never happen."

I laughingly agreed and drove on in silence for a while. I noticed her looking at me periodically as the miles went by.

We were passing the sign for a place called Flagler in one mile when she cleared her throat and said, "Ian? You look really, really familiar from somewhere, like I've seen your face before but I just can't place it."

Blushing, I drove on for another minute or so and shifted into the left lane so a car could merge from the on-ramp before turning toward her and giving a guilty grin. "The line at the car rental place? I was a few people in front of you."

It took a few seconds but then it clicked. "Son of a bitch!" she said with a laugh. "The guy that was checking me out."

"Ahem, guilty," I agreed sheepishly but being careful not to apologize. "Of course, you're a beautiful woman and under the circumstances we were in, I hope you can't blame me too much."

She laughed again before adding, "I guess I should say thanks for the compliment?"

I chuckled but her look turned to a frown. "So you wouldn't take a risk of giving me a ride when they asked you to, but you'd do it for Alan?"

"I'm pretty sure Alan wouldn't ask me to give a ride to a serial killer; Aldion, on the other hand, needed butts in car seats and out of their rental office so I doubt that they would have asked many questions about one's thoughts on such activities...or done much vouching either."

"Point taken. And I really appreciate the ride...even if you were checking me out earlier."

"You're welcome...and thanks for being worth checking out."

Livia's blush at least matched my own but she quickly looked out her window, looking at the flat farmland that stretched out in the distance with only occasional houses, a barn, a grain elevator, or copse of trees to break up the monotony. Even the railroad track that occasionally approached the interstate appeared deserted.

Figuring that we'd each spent enough time living down our individual embarrassment, I was about to engage her in a new round of conversation, to try to learn more about her, when her cell phone buzzed and she started texting, her delicate hands flying over the keyboard on the screen. "Sorry, work," she said, so I held my tongue and let her do it as more miles passed.

My eyes darted back and forth between her and the road, stretching as endlessly in front of us as the farmland to the sides. Our surroundings were all too boring, making me wonder how the locals kept from falling asleep and driving off the road. The rumble strips, the grooves along each side of the highway, must save thousands each year, I decided, and the men and women of the area must have to keep their partners close to keep from dying of boredom.

My eyes flicked back to Livia, still texting on her phone. She truly was a beautiful woman and I wondered if I might have the chance to spend some private time with her, perhaps with her hands running over me like they were her phone, sometime during our few days in purgatory.

***

With the aid of the GPS app on my phone, we made it to the hole-in-the-wall known as Bettleys Corners just after sunset and pulled into Alan's driveway without incident or any rumble strip encounters. Nessa and Alan came out to greet us.

After hugs, handshakes, and little lies about how our trip really wasn't that bad, Alan asked, "You guys hungry? We have dinner just about ready."

Personally I was starved and I was glad to see Livia nod, too. She and Nessa went off, arm in arm, into the house, while Alan clasped my hand.

"Great to see you, Ian, and thanks so much for bringing Livia. Did you two get along okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, she's beautiful, a little younger, single—"