~*~Kevin~*~
Bad thing about sharing a room with one of the other guys. If you’re late you may not have a place to sleep. AJ was ‘busy’. While I was satisfying myself at the party, AJ took guests to the hotel. Howie wasn’t alone either. Time to test a friendship.
"Are you alone?"
"Yes."
"Can I crash. All other rooms are occupied." I used my sweetest face.
She laughed at me and moved to the side so I could come in. "Of course. Why aren’t you . . . celebrating?"
"I’m done celebrating." I sat down on the couch and we talked for a long time about the party and the day. I thanked her again for buying the CD, that was cool. Actually AJ had a copy for her that we all wrote dirty things in. She’ll still get that one. It got silent for a minute. I decided that since I was already pushing the boundaries of our friendship, "That wasn’t the whole story was it?"
"It was the high points." She came over to the couch and sat at the end opposite of me.
I figured her moving was a clue that she really needed a friend to know whatever had happened. "You need to tell someone, might as well be me."
"Why you?"
"I’m asking."
She couldn’t fight that logic. "We were engaged. It killed me that he didn’t trust me, and let his family talk him into paying me off. We got into a big fight and I walked out. A day later an even bigger offer came. I decided that even though I’d never have said anything I was going to take the money and start over. It didn’t matter that if in their mind that confirmed that I wasn’t trustworthy, because I knew I’d never go back. Trust is the most important thing to me. I never did anything to deserve that."
Tracie wiped away a few tears and I took her hand, "Trace . . . it got ugly didn’t it?"
She didn’t answer, she just looked at me almost angry. "Did he hit you?"
"Never before that night. I’m not some poster girl for abuse victims, but that’s why I took their offer. I wanted his sorry ass to pay. They want such big things for him, and they’ll make it happen. But I won’t be walked over. I don’t give a shit who you are. And damn you, Kevin. I didn’t want anyone to know this shit."
I moved over and held her. Not sure if I needed to do it more than she needed it, "I don’t know anything." I hate crying women. Rips my heart out. I let her go and went back to my side of the couch stretching my legs out across to her.
~*~Tracie~*~
I stretched out too. Our legs side by side as we faced each other. He was right, I did need someone to know. Just one person who knew the truth. So if it got too much. "Where is Michelle?"
He winced, "Broke up. Not working."
"Oh, I’m sorry." He waved it off. "So, did you make some groupies dream come true tonight?"
I could see him thinking about his answer, or if he was going to answer, "Only if her dream was to suck me off in the men’s room."
I was impressed that he answered. "I think that would qualify as a dream. Anyway she could get you."
"And did you make some young man’s dream come true, beautiful lady?"
"I think he was a little surprised when I kicked him out afterward."
He laughed with me, "You’re supposed to want him to stay and cuddle."
"Sorry. It was a fuck. Cuddling is reserved for love, or at least the possibility of it."
"Are you sure you’re not really a guy?"
I looked down my shirt, "Positive. I needed that release. I’m sure you understand that."
"All too well. I don’t like one nighters, but something is better than nothing sometimes."
"Absolutely and after the phone calls and shit, I needed to not be alone for a few minutes. I could have come to one of you." I meant for a hug, to chase away the loneliness, but that would have meant telling the rest of the story so I didn’t.
He tickled my foot, "Nope, then you would have been stuck cuddling with one of us because I know we all love you."
I was back to hating him again. Damn man. "Thank you. I needed that."
"Thought you might. It is true though."
This would be the first of many nights that Kevin and I fell asleep talking on the couch.
~*~Kevin~*~
I moved her to the bed sometime around dawn and went back to the couch. I couldn’t sleep. It had been one hell of a day and I couldn’t stop my mind. I couldn’t believe the conversation Tracie and I had. It’s not like all of us hadn’t gotten into some more than surface conversations, but this was really the first time she’d given anything on what she was doing in Orlando. And this is the first time it’s been this one on one.
She woke up about nine, "Good morning."
I looked over from my spot on the couch, "Hey." Oh fuck, it was awkward morning silence time and we hadn’t even fucked. Although our conversation was a lot more personal than the blow job I got last night, and I’d bet more personal than her getting laid. I wasn’t gonna have it. I jumped into the middle of her bed coming damn close to landing on her, "We’re not gonna do this. We shared some secrets last night. I liked it. You’re still my guyfriend, and I’m your girlfriend. I’m not gonna run back and tell the guys the rest of the story and I don’t think any less of you because you fucked a stranger."
There was that smile, "Like you said yesterday nothing’s gonna be off limits, and it’s ok."
"I think I’d prefer it that way."
"Me too."
"So how much money did you get?"
"Six figures. Upper six figures."
"Shit, Tracie! Was the information that good?"
"Not at all. They offered me like 100,000 to not tell the information. They didn’t want me pressing assault charges. All he did was smack me, didn’t even leave a mark. Hurt my feelings much more that anything physical. They’re stupid. I told them that when I was working for them. They make things much bigger problems than there ever where and called more attention by their evasion than the issue ever would. It’s like people will forgive an infidelity, but they won’t forgive murdering the woman to hide the infidelity. Remember this as your career starts to take off."
"I’m not planning on murdering anyone."
"Glad to hear it."
We ordered some room service and were laughing when there was a knock at the door. AJ looking for me. I shoved the last of my toast in my mouth and took off. Some meeting. I got in the van with the rest of them. Howie laughed, "So where did you sleep last night, Train."
"Since you all were getting laid I went to the only free room."
"And did you get laid?"
I laughed, "Yes. But not by Tracie."
"You’d tell us wouldn’t you? I mean she’s our friend. Don’t fuck that up."
"No problem. She’s my friend too."
I expected as much. Not like I have the best reputation for keeping it in my pants.
