Forever After (2 page)

It wasn't the best piece of advice, and even though Leah wasn't as sexually knowledgeable as Crystal, she still knew that there had to be more to it than that. And still, just getting a guy off didn't necessarily mean that she would enjoy having sex. She was confused and a bit forlorn and the drinks weren't exactly helping.

Just then, a man walked upstairs to the outside bar and sat down on the other side. Crystal and Leah took notice of him right away. He must have been in his late forties, but he didn't have an aged look. On the contrary, it was as if his age suited him perfectly and made him even more attractive. He probably was marginally good-looking for the first thirty years of his life and then as age began to set in, like many men, he filled himself out perfectly. His hair was salt and pepper – but not like a lying politician. More like an esteemed actor who may or may not have had a former role as a doctor on a hit NBC drama.

His face and arms were tanned; not the kind of even, overall tan you get from lying lazily in a UV bed though. This was the skin tone of a man who seemed to work outdoors with his hands. And though he was at some considerable distance, it was still apparent to Leah that his hands were big and muscular. But this salt of the earth appearance was at odds with his dress. He wore a very fashionable vest and his long-sleeved shirt was rolled up to reveal his muscular forearms. His khaki pants fit perfectly and showed off his muscular thighs, indicating that he spent some free time in the gym. His eyes were the color of a cluster of emeralds, the light tone of them further highlighting his grey and black hair.

Crystal, naturally, was the first one to say something.

“Damn, that guy is hot as fuck.”

Leah laughed. “Yeah, he's pretty attractive.”

“You ever screw an older guy?”

“No. I mean Charles was same age as me, and....”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. And the other one was just as young,” interrupted Crystal. “But let me tell you, you might think that young guys have it all going on because they're always horny and ready to jackrabbit you in the dressing room of an Old Navy, but that's all it is: Just frequent, uninteresting sex. It's the older guys who really know what they're doing. They've mastered a woman's body the way a veteran violinist can handle the instrument better than a youngster starting out.”

“A veteran violinist?”

“Leah, will you stop being so clinical for one second and listen to what I'm telling you? You're a twenty-three year old woman. You've got a world of fabulous sex ahead of you but you're going to miss out on all of it if you can't get comfortable with the idea of fucking.”

“It's a lot harder to do that when you call it that.”

“What? 'Fucking?' Okay, well you're going to miss out on a lifetime of great 'lovemaking' if you just sit around being disgusted by all of it. Your problem is twofold.”

“You mean I have two problems?” interrupted Leah.

“Leah, I am going to strangle you. Now listen, your problem is twofold: First, you haven't had sex with that many guys. Second, the guys you have hooked up with have been dopey douche bags who wouldn't know what to do with a woman's body if you gave them a field manual and 72 hours of practice.”

“Well, that's really a relative statement, isn't it? Sure, I haven't had the kind of experience that you have, but you're making it seem like I'm some kind of nun.”

“That's because you are! You're talking to your best friend here. Now be straight up with me. A couple months ago, when we were having some drinks, just like now, did you or did you not admit to me that you don't think you have ever had an orgasm?”

Leah was quiet for a second.

“Well, the whole idea of an 'orgasm' is kind of abstract.”

“Anybody who has ever truly come would never say such a thing. I mean, what the fuck was Charlie Boy doing with you the whole time?”

“I don't know....it was mostly my fault. I was never really into it as much as maybe I ought to have been.”

“Yeah, that's another thing. You need to learn to love your body and love yourself. Until you do that, you will continue to think of sex as a chore. And guys like Charles aren't doing you any favors. He just wants to get his nut and then roll off you so he can flip the Xbox back on.”

Leah laughed in spite of herself. The Charles bashing helped, but still she had to admit that Crystal had a point. Of course, true to Crystal's nature, she went too far when she had already hit the nail on the head.”

“I mean, guys of this generation are just a complete waste. You don't have the manly aspirations of the older guys and you don't have the freshness of the upcoming crop of sugar babies. Half the guys our age either live at home, don't have a job, play fucking “Call of Duty,” wear jeans skinnier than us, or write gay songs on acoustic guitar. It's a serious man-drought for women of our age.”

“So it's all their fault that I'm frigid in the sack?”

“Don't say that about yourself! Only I can say that. You just haven't been with a man who can treat your body the way it deserves to be treated. Now, that being said, you're not giving them as much to work with as you could. Look at those awesome tits you've got.”

Leah instinctively crossed her arms to cover her chest, despite the fact that her slightly large t-shirt was already doing the job handily.

“I mean those are solid upper B's and I've seen 'em when I've stayed over.”

“Crystal!”

“They look great! What do you want me to say? I wish I had those kind of titties.”

“Okay, I'm hereby electing that we change the subject.”

“Motion denied. And so you've got those awesome knockers that you're completely covering up with that faded-ass shirt. And I just know that Charles wasn't treating them properly. A real man can get you in the mood just from kissing and caressing you there. Charles probably tried to shove the whole thing in his mouth like a garter snake trying to swallow an orange.”

“Well, I'm not saying you're wrong......”

“And that totally perfect ass that you're rockin'? Why in God's name aren't you showing it off? I mean you've got these fucking Jordache looking jeans...”

“They aren't Jordache.”

“Well they might as well be. I mean wear something that hugs your hips that shows off that fabulous caboose!”

Again, Leah chuckled. She was about to say something when Crystal interrupted her.

“Okay, look, see. That hot older man over there is about to pay his tab and get the fuck outta this dump. Now's your chance to see what it's like with a real man.”

“What do you expect me to do?”

“Whaddya think, dummy? Go over there and talk to him.”

Leah looked over at the man. Sure, he was handsome and he was there alone. But she had never walked up and started a conversation with a man in her life, much less hit on one.

“Crystal, it's impossible.”

“Oh God, there you go with your analytical self. What's the big deal? He's good looking, isn't he?”

“Yes, sure he is. But I mean.....what if he's married?”

“I don't see a ring.”

“So, maybe he's a cheater.”

“Oh for Christ's sake! Who gives a shit? You're not gonna date him, you're just gonna fuck him!”

“You know that's not the way I work.”

“Yeah, and that's why you've never had a decent lay. Listen, if you're not going up there to talk to him, I will!”

“No, don't go over there and tell him I'm interested, Crystal!”

“Who said anything about you? If you're not gonna bite, I'm gonna have him for myself!”

And with that, Crystal stepped up and began to walk toward the man. Leah had a few seconds of breathing room where she could collect her thoughts, which was good. In truth, she really was attracted to the man but there was no way in hell she was going to go up and talk to him. What would she say? 'Hi, I know virtually nothing about sex but I still might be a semi-decent time for half an hour?' Sometimes Leah wished that she could be as freewheeling as Crystal, but her prudent mind also thought about how often Crystal would call her crying, or scared, or walking on the side of the road after being kicked out of a car by a man who didn't take kindly to rejection. But then again, maybe Crystal had a point when she was talking about older men. As Leah looked at the man, she couldn't possibly imagine him being cruel, or selfish, or even overly aggressive. But what did it matter? Crystal was going to seduce him and screw him anyway. And any guy who could just fuck someone who was so overt about sex probably wasn't the type that you would want to start up an intimate friendship with. Leah loved Crystal, but she sometimes was taken aback at how many guys were disgusting enough to just fuck someone like that; someone who openly and loudly talked about blow jobs and anal and all those other things that made Leah's skin crawl.

Over at the other side of the bar, Crystal had struck up a conversation with the man. Leah couldn't hear, but she could somewhat infer what was going on. The man was speaking coolly and calmly and whatever he was saying was making Crystal laugh. He certainly seemed like a nice guy. Crystal laughed again and rested her hand on the man's shoulder. Then she started walking back toward her seat. Leah could see that she was smiling as she was approaching. When she sat down, she didn't say anything for a second, prompting Leah to begin.

“Well, how'd it go?”

“Oh, I'd say it went......unexpectedly.”

“Crystal, were you shut down? That's so out of the ordinary!”

Crystal laughed. “Well, I wouldn't say I was 'shut down' per se. He told me that I was very pretty and had a 'bubbly sensibility' whatever the hell that is – but when I asked him if he'd like to hang out, he told me something very interesting.”

Again, she was smiling and, again, she wasn't saying anything. Leah absolutely hated when Crystal was like this, fishing for intrigue.

“Okay, so what did he say then?”

“He said that, while he found me very interesting, he couldn't help but notice you sitting over there alone, so he asked me what your story was.”

Leah's stomach felt like it was going to climb out of her mouth. “My story? You didn't give it to him, did you?”

“I mean I didn't read him excerpts from your biography or anything. I was just like, 'yeah, my friend has just been getting over a bad breakup, you know what I mean?”

“Oh God....”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Go over and talk to him!”

“What do I say?”

“Just introduce yourself and go from there. Oh, by the way, his name is Brian and he's an investment banker. And get this: He actually owns that bank downtown! He's very wealthy but totally not full of himself, you know? I'm actually kind of pissed he prefers you to me, if you want to know the truth.”

“Don't worry, five minutes talking to me and he'll be all over you.”

“You'll never find out until you go do it.”

Chapter 3

Leah took a deep breath. Was she really going to do this? She was actually a little pissed at Crystal for putting her on the spot like this. As her best friend, Crystal knew Leah hated being in situations like this. Now she was practically forced to go talk to this admittedly handsome man.

She rose up with more than a little effort. As she walked toward him, her legs felt like jelly. Her heart was pounding so much she was reminded of the old Warner Brothers cartoon where a lovelorn anthropomorphic animal would have a heart-shaped impression bursting out of his chest. Yet her body moved in spite of itself, like a remote controlled vessel, until finally she sat down next to the man.