Thursday, September 27, 2007

Chapter 20

A half hour later Tricia lay curled up next to Rick who was now distraught and cold sober.

“Baby,” Tricia said softly running her fingers up and down Rick’s chest. “It can happen to anybody. We had a lot to drink and you had a long day. I’m sure that’s all it is.”

“It’s never happened before,” Rick said, “or should I say it’s never not happened before?”

Tricia could tell Rick was more upset than she was. She didn’t know what had happened. She told herself she regretted asking him about the condoms because when he got back with them he seemed to lose his erection and she was unable to bring it back. She could feel herself floating in a fog of alcohol fumes and Rick had had more than she. It was also nearly four in the morning and the day had started a long time before.

“I believe you Rick,” Tricia said moving his hand to her breast and squirming at his touch. He might be having trouble being aroused but she certainly wasn’t. “Just relax. Maybe we should try later after you’ve had a chance to sleep. We can celebrate your win tomorrow…or later today I suppose it is now.”

“You’ll give me another chance?” Rick asked somewhat incredulously.

“Of course,” Tricia responded snuggling against him. She was starting to feel some guilt for what she was doing but she was also still fully aroused and couldn’t help rubbing her body against his.

He might be having some trouble responding to her exactly the way she would like but he was clearly still aroused by the way she was rubbing against him. His hands began roaming her body once again and he started kissing her.

He took a nipple in his mouth at the same time his fingers moved between her legs and she let out an involuntary moan of pleasure. He proved then that he was fully capable of pleasing her in other ways. Tricia felt insatiable but Rick didn’t stop until she finally gently pushed him away, telling him she could take no more.

They lay together near sleep and Rick murmured, “Maybe after a few hours sleep it’ll work better.” He wrapped his arm tight around her pulling her closer than ever.

She sighed contentedly but then in a flash she realized that she just simply could not spend the whole night with him.

“Rick honey, I’d love to stay snuggled up here for the next eight hours but there will be hell to pay for me if Matt should call early and I’m not in my room.”

“I thought you said he wasn’t checking up on you.”

“Maybe I’m being paranoid but this would be the time he would.” Tricia said with a sigh. “Besides you need some good uninterrupted sleep in order to do well tomorrow. I’ll be there watching, don’t you worry.”

Rick eased his arm from around Tricia, making it possible for her to move. She didn’t at first, she really didn’t want to. Finally she did though, aware of his sleep laden eyes on her as she dressed. She was surprised that she had not felt the slightest bit self conscious knowing he was watching her. As she dressed guilt began flooding in. She tried not to show what she was feeling. She was feeling guilty for ‘cheating’ on Jaime which she knew was really silly and then she found herself feeling guilty for that feeling because of Matt.

She kissed Rick good bye and slipped out of the room making her way quickly back to her own room. It was nearly five when she sank, naked into her own bed. Sleep quickly took her away. She’d have not believed that she could go to sleep with all the thoughts roiling through her head but sleep she did.

The room phone brought her back to near consciousness. Sleepily she picked it up and said hello.

“You must have had a late night. I thought ten was late enough but obviously I woke you up. You’re ok aren’t you?” She heard Matt ask.

Tricia’s eyes snapped open fully and she saw by the bedside clock that it was indeed a couple of minutes after ten in the morning.

Her first thought was to wonder if Matt would be able to tell from her voice what she’d been up to. She was glad she’d had the intelligence to not stay with Rick as much as she’d wanted to because she knew that she would still be there now if she had and then Matt would have wondered about not finding her in the room and not having had a message from her.

“I’m fine,” Tricia responded, trying to sound as normal as possible and cautioning herself not to sound TOO casual. “I did have a late night. I played a cash game until late and did pretty good again. Then I watched some of one of the final two tables of the days tournament.”

“They play that late?”

“They play until they get down to one table or until 2:00am whichever comes first.”

“Wow,” Matt said, “That makes for a long day. Would you be up to that?”

“I’d like to find out.”

“I bet. I got your message. I am sorry you went out early.”

“It happens. I was upset but a couple of the players I’ve met here convinced me that shit happens.”

Matt laughed. “Isn’t that the truth and not just in poker, life is like that a lot.”

“Are you still ok with me being here?” Tricia asked, wondering if he could somehow tell what she’d done.

“Sure,” Matt told her. “You seem to be doing great and I’ve gotten a lot of stuff done here. Not that I don’t miss you baby but if you do three or four of these a year I can see how it might work ok.”

“You really mean that?” Tricia asked, surprised and pleased. She was also thinking that if he knew what she was up to he would change his tune real quick. There was a lot of guilt attached to that thought.

“I do. I know I didn’t like it much at first but it’s worked out good. Matty is doing great at your parents and I’m doing ok. It’s only a couple of weeks right?”

“Right.”

“I’ve gotten so much done for work that I’m going to take off Friday afternoon and go camping this weekend. I thought I’d take the boat up to the lake and fish.”

Ahhh, Tricia thought, now here is part of why he likes this. He wants to go fishing with his buddies.

She smiled and asked, “Who all is going on this trip?”

“Uh,” Matt said, “Right now I’m planning on going up to the cabin alone. None of the guys could come this weekend.”

“Aww poor baby,” Tricia said, “Are you sure you don’t want me to come home and keep you company?”

She had been teasing but Matt apparently didn’t think so. “No! You don’t have to do that. I definitely think you should stay and try to make it into that main event thing. I mean that is why you’re there right? You can’t leave now.”

Tricia was momentarily taken back by Matt’s insistence. Then she shrugged and just figured he really wanted to go fishing. She didn’t believe for a moment that he was all that gung ho for her to stay for her sake.

“Ok,I won’t mess up your fishing plans.”

“It’s not that,” Matt protested. “I really do think you need to try to make that main event thing. You sound like you’ve been doing great so why stop now?”

“Ok Matt,” Tricia said. “Relax. I’ll stay. I want to. I guess it just surprises me that you want me to so bad.”

“Well it shouldn’t,” Matt responded. “I really do try to let you do what you want. You wanted to do this and you should do it all the way. Do you think you’re doing good enough to want to do it again?”

“Definitely although I’m not sure how often. I really miss Matty.” Tricia said. “Do you think you and Matty would ever want to come with me?”

“I don’t know Tricia,” Matt said. “I like casinos ok but I don’t want to spend a couple weeks in one and I’m not sure I could amuse Matty all the time you’d be playing. Maybe it’s best the way we’re doing it. Don’t you think?”

She actually did think so although in a way she would have liked to have Matt see her play. Then she wondered how he’d react seeing the people she’d met so far. It would mean he’d see Jaime and of course Rick although he didn’t have a clue about THAT at least. She quickly told herself to back off that idea.

“I suppose you’re right Matt,” Tricia said. “So you’re leaving tomorrow afternoon?”

“Hopefully around three, that will get me up to the lake before dark.” Matt said.

“Will you be calling me?”

“I’ll try but you know how flakey cell service is up there so don’t worry if you don’t hear from me until Sunday evening ok?”

“Ok,” Tricia said, thinking he was being awfully casual about going thatlong without hearing from her. She began wondering if he was going fishing at all or if he was going to come up and check on her.

“Matt.”

“Yes?” he responded curiously.

“Please tell me you’re really going fishing and that you’re not actually planning to come up here and spy on me. If you want to visit just say so. There is plenty of room here for you if you want to be here.”

She heard him sputter in surprise. “Tricia! Shit! I had not even thought about that. That kinda sucks you know? I let you do this thing and now you’re thinking I’m going to come up and spy on you?”

He sounded so surprised and angry that she knew it wasn’t faked. He obviously had been planning on going fishing.

“I’m sorry Matt but come on, you’ve got to admit that you used to do it. I haven’t quite gotten over the way you used to spy on me.”

“Well you gave me reason to,” He said defensively. “But I got over it. You have to give me a little credit too.”

“I’m sorry Matt,” Tricia said, genuinely contrite. “That was wrong of me. I hope you have fun fishing this weekend.”

“Thank you. And I hope you knock ‘em dead there and get into that main event.”

She thought he sounded a little funny, almost as if he was forcing himself to sound enthusiastic or something. Then she told herself not to borrow trouble.

“I’ll let you go Matt. Will you call me in the morning, at least before you leave?”

“I’ll do that. Are you planning another late night? Are you playing the event today?”

“I’m not playing that. I will start satellites for the main event today and play some more cash games. I may stay up and watch the end of today’s tournament. At least one person I’ve met here is playing in it, probably more.”

“So you’re making friends?”

“I am,” Tricia said mildly, hoping he wasn’t going to question that too much.

He said goodbye then without asking her more details about people she’d met which she found odd but wasn’t about to argue considering the alternatives. She didn’t know what she’d have done if he’d questioned her much. She doubted she could have kept from having him find out about Jaime and Rick.

Tricia hung the phone up and rolled over on her back. The events of the past twenty four hours seemed almost like a dream, busting out of the tournament early, the time spent with Jaime, him wanting to be just friends and then the way things had developed with Rick. She’d have bet money that she couldn’t go back to sleep but she’d have lost because her eyes closed and she drifted back to sleep…a sleep of strange dreams.

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