All This Time by Marie Wathen Read Free Book Online

different.” Everybody takes their glasses,
clinks them and then cheers for the birthday boy.
    “Angel,”
Natalie catches my attention smiling between me and Russ. After downing my
shot, I turn her direction. “How long have you and Rad been dating?”
    “Only
a few months,” I tell her, bumping my shoulder against Russ’. “Right hon?”
    Bobbing
his head, Russ agrees, “And each day is equal to ten years in heaven with my
Angel.”
    Natalie,
a woman well into her eighth year of marriage, swoons at his sugary sweet
response, but it makes me want to throat punch him when he lays it on this
thick. Instead, I bite down on my lip while forcing a smile and suppressing an
exaggerated eye roll from hell. Natalie or Nat, as she has instructed me to
call her, which I refuse because it just doesn’t suit her, is around
twenty-seven and is a fucking bombshell beauty with her long straight blonde
hair, high cheekbones and hazel eyes. The woman could give Mrs. America a run
for her money in the beauty segment of their competition; talent and
intelligence remains to be seen.
    The
nosy, sweet housewife continues asking ridiculous couples questions over the
next half-hour, only taking a break when the set ends and she shares, rather
loudly, that she needs to pee. After turning down Natalie’s offer to join her,
I catch a break from our acting jobs when Russ offers to be my potty-chaperon
replacement.
    “I
need to take a piss anyway.” Russ escorts her away after giving me an
understanding wink.
    Feeling
like the world is lifted off my shoulders, I relax leaning against the back of
my seat and lazily turn my head toward the stage, noticing the instruments
placed carefully on stands abandoned temporarily by their owners. Caught up in
Natalie’s game of one million outlandish questions, I didn’t get a chance to
observe the band while they played, but their seductive tunes quelled most of
my natural fight or flight instincts, keeping me from telling her to go find
another Barbie girl to play with.
    The
rest of our little group disbursed sometime during the Natalie Inquisition,
disappearing into the large crowd and dark corners of the smoky club. And I
can’t blame them in the least. Truthfully, if I could’ve squeeze out passed
Russ earlier, I damn sure would have, but he was deep into the tunes bellowing
throughout the club so there was no escape.
    Sipping
on my fourth tumbler of Kentucky whiskey, I see Decks pressing against a cute
brunette, seated at the bar. He turns his head slightly, his eyes latch onto
mine holding my stare deliberately. With his right hand, he pushes away a few
flowing strands of her hair, tucking them securely behind her ear before
leaning in and pressing his mouth against it. Remaining locked on me, Decks’
eyes heat fiercely as his lips brush against her sparkling earring. Either the
contact of his mouth on her flesh speeds along his lust or he’s imaging that
it’s my ear he is nibbling. The unsuspecting woman, stroking a hand up and over
the hills of his wide bicep, nods her head and then picks up her small clutch.
He winks at me while escorting her out the front door.
    Decks
may not get his birthday wish, but it looks like he’s going to unwrap his
present . I laugh silently and close my eyes, relaxing more when the blaring
sounds of the jukebox is once again turned down allowing the live jazz music to
saturate the darkened corners of this ultra- fab club.
    With
each note of the saxophone my body begins a slow moving dance with the sexy
vibrating hums, like each puff of wind across the reed is a lover’s caress
along my flesh, teasing me to climax. The sound is hypnotic, and I am
transported somewhere far away in my head. I stay like this, completely unaware
of my surroundings, until Russ crashes heavily against me when he sits down
again ruining my dreamlike state.
    “You
look sleepy. Ready for me to take you home?” Russ asks , killing the last bit of the sexiness buzz I was tripping