Tricia finally got a very ‘happy’ Mary Beth into the room. Mary Beth immediately flopped onto the bed and lay on her stomach propping up her head with her chin in her hands.
“That was a blast!” Mary Beth said. “I mean the whole damn night! I haven’t had that much fun in a long time. Weren’t the guys great?”
Tricia gave her an indulgent smile, happy to see her friend feeling good. “It was a lot of fun. I’m not much on flirting like you can though. I enjoyed the poker more.”
“Well you did great! You even finished ahead three hundred bucks! I had fun playing even if I lost a little but it was more fun sitting in the bar shooting the bull with the guys. Ben was pretty hot wasn’t he?”
Tricia chuckled. “He was pretty good looking. He was also well over a decade younger than I am and probably nearly young enough to be your son.”
“Well hell,” Mary Beth pouted. “Why do you have to remind me? Tonight I felt young again. Young and attractive.”
“You’re very attractive Mary Beth.”
“But not young?”
Tricia laughed and shrugged.
“Oh hell I know. And yeah Ben was damn near young enough to be my son but I think he really liked me.”
“I think he liked the cleavage you were showing,” Tricia pointed out. “Especially by the time you got to the bar and another button or two ‘accidentally’ came unbuttoned.”
“Oh hell! That wasn’t no accident! If you’ve got it flaunt it girl! You should do more of that. You have nice tits, you ought to show off more.”
Tricia looked at Mary Beth in amusement. This was a side of her Tricia had not really ever seen. “I’m a married woman. I’m not supposed to show off. I should remind you I guess that you’re married too.”
Mary Beth snorted. “I guess you could call it a marriage. Besides girl it don’t matter. It makes me feel sexy knowing guys are looking at me. It doesn’t mean I am going to do anything about it.”
“Well you were showing off enough tonight for sure. You’re telling me that if Ben had asked you wouldn’t have done anything?”
Mary Beth curled up in a paroxysm of laughter and when she could talk again looked at Tricia with a grin. “Well I’m here with you aren’t I?”
Tricia felt her jaw drop. “Are you telling me he did ask you to fool around?”
Mary Beth, grinning broadly, nodded. “Oh yeah. He had some damn good sounding suggestions too. You were so busy talking to Josh and Chuck about poker. They liked you too you know. Ben told me that Josh thought you were pretty hot.”
Tricia wasn’t sure what to say to those two revelations, finally she decided that the first was more important.
“You turned Ben down?” Tricia asked.
“Why do you sound so surprised?” Mary Beth asked with a grin. “You’re the one who pointed out that not only am I married but that he is a lot younger than I am.”
“But the way you were acting I thought for sure if one of them made a pass at you that you’d take them up on it.”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t tempting,” Mary Beth grinned. “It was flattering as hell. I mean shit, I know he is young and all but he was damn good looking and it might well have been fun. I deserve a little fun I think.”
“It would be flattering,” Tricia said, treading carefully. “I told you that you were attractive. I just don’t want to see you do something you’d regret.”
“Like you and Jaime?” Mary Beth asked. “Hell at least there is no way I’d get caught here. I know you wouldn’t tell Dutch. Would you?”
Tricia had to think about that for a second but she already knew the answer. She shook her head. “No but please be careful.”
Mary Beth rolled over onto her back and looked back at Tricia upside down. “I’ll be careful honey. I didn’t come here to fool around. I swear. I came here to spend time with you and watch you in the tournaments. It was just flattering to have somebody like Ben interested in me is all. You can understand that can’t you?”
Tricia had to nod. She did understand of course. Ben wasn’t her type and none of the three of them tonight had done that much for her. She thought back though to Indiana and Rick, and how she’d felt seeing Jaime. What right did she have to tell Mary Beth to be careful? Maybe she should tell Mary Beth about Rick and even Jaime and have Mary Beth keep an eye on her. Who knew if another Rick would come along this time too.
Not for the first time she began to wonder if maybe something was wrong with her like Matt had said after the thing with Jaime blew up.
“Earth to Tricia!”
Tricia looked up, startled. Mary Beth was back on her stomach looking at her. “Huh?”
“You were gone somewhere girl. Didn’t look like a fun place either from the frown on your face. You ok?”
Tricia nodded. “Yeah I was just thinking.”
“I’m sorry I mentioned Jaime. He still hurts you huh? Even after all these years.”
Tricia shrugged. “No not really. Not the way you mean I think.”
Then, changing the subject Tricia said, “Do you want the bathroom first or should I?”
“Go ahead,” Mary Beth said, stretching languidly across the bed. “I want to lie here and enjoy my buzz.”
“Are you going to take a shower tonight?”
Mary Beth shook her head. “No, in the morning. Don’t want anything to interfere with my buzz. We’re not getting up early are we?”
“I don’t plan to.”
“Good,” Mary Beth said then pointed to the bathroom, “Go.”
Tricia went, snagging her oversized sleep shirt off the foot of the bed on the way.
When she got back out Mary Beth popped up and headed for the bathroom. While Tricia had been in the bathroom Mary Beth had changed as well. What she had changed into made Tricia take another look. Mary Beth didn’t seem to notice as she made her way to the bathroom. Tricia owned some nighties that sexy but hadn’t even contemplated bringing one of them.
Tricia slid under the covers on the other bed. The sheets felt nice and cool and Tricia felt herself relaxing and just about ready to go to sleep. Her mind went back to the bar and how she’d missed what Ben had apparently said to Mary Beth.
Mary Beth was, Tricia thought, very good looking and not just for her age. Mary Beth was around ten years older than Tricia who, not for the first time, hoped that she’d look at good at that age. Tricia snorted at the thought, hell she didn’t look as good now as Mary Beth did, no telling what she’d look like in ten more years.
“Come on,” Mary Beth repeated when Tricia didn’t answer. “What’s so funny?”
Tricia shook her head then realized Mary Beth couldn’t see her. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Sure it does. Out with it!”
Tricia gave in, knowing Mary Beth was not likely to. “I found myself hoping that I’d look as good as you do when I’m your age, not that you’re old. But then I realized that I don’t look as good as you do now so there is no telling what I’ll look like when I’m ten years older.”
“Oh hell! You look great! You look great now and you’ll look great in ten years and in twenty.”
“Thanks.”
“What brought that on?” Mary Beth asked, sounding like she had sobered up pretty much.
Tricia gave a shrug she knew Mary Beth could not see. “Just thinking about tonight I guess.”
“You mean because neither Josh or Chuck made a pass at you? Or because Ben was paying attention to me?”
“No. Not that at all, well not really,” Tricia said.
“Well then what?”
“I can’t say.”
“Oh come on,” Mary Beth said. “What can’t you say to me? You can say anything at all to me. You know that.”
Tricia sighed. “I was just thinking about how much Ben, and every other male who’s eyes worked, was looking at you tonight. And then seeing that nightie you’re wearing, well it never even occurred to me to bring something like that. Hell it’s like I’m an old lady or something.”
“Oh hell! Don’t give me that. So you like to dress more conservatively than I do. Does it bother you the way I was dressed tonight? If so I’m sorry,” Mary Beth said. “Maybe I crossed the line later unbuttoning those next two buttons but you really couldn’t see much, maybe it gave the guys a little peek at my bra is all. That’s no different than a bikini top, right?”
“It didn’t bother me,” Tricia said. “I guess if anything I wish I could do it. I don’t know why I don’t. I just don’t.”
“Honey, I just do it because it makes me feel sexy and when I feel sexy I feel good. I know when I can’t do it and I’m careful but I thought tonight was a good time to try to sort of let my hair down some you know?”
“I know Mary Beth and you’re right.”
“You really didn’t DO anything on your last trip?” Mary Beth asked, then quickly added, “Hell I didn’t mean that like it came out. I guess you learned your lesson when that whole mess happened with Jaime which is too bad. What I meant was nobody even flirted with you or anything? All those parties and all that drinking and I’d have thought somebody would have. You really are good looking and a lot of fun to talk to.”
“Thanks,” Tricia said, then without really thinking, maybe because it was Mary Beth after all, she said, “Well there was one guy…”
“Oh! Now we’re getting somewhere!” Mary Beth said.
The next thing Tricia knew Mary Beth had plopped down beside her on the bed and in the dim light coming around the curtains Tricia could see Mary Beth eagerly looking at her. “Tell me about this guy.”
Tricia was not sure she wanted to tell the story about Rick. She wasn’t worried about Mary Beth telling anyone. She knew that wouldn’t happen. She worried more what Mary Beth would think, although it sounded like she’d almost like it if something had happened.
“You ask that like you hope I fooled around with somebody.” Tricia said.
Mary Beth shrugged. “Maybe I do. Hell Tricia neither of us are all that thrilled about the way our husbands treat us sometimes, working all hours then coming home and falling asleep in front of the tube. At least yours doesn’t spend a couple hours in a bar most nights after work before coming home half drunk and falling right asleep. Maybe I hoped you got some. I mean what the hell, if you did it didn’t hurt anything. You and Matt seem fine, as good as ever.”
“I guess.” Tricia said then going back to what Mary Beth had said about Dutch she said, “I didn’t know he was coming home drunk most nights Mary Beth.”
Tricia could feel Mary Beth shrug. “Hell I’m used to it. At least he isn’t a mean drunk. I mean he has never hit me. Good thing for him cuz if he did I’d clean his clock.”
Tricia chuckled at that, knowing that even with their big size difference Mary Beth probably would indeed clean Dutch’s clock if he ever hit her. “I know we don’t get along and I’m sorry he is spending as little time with you as Matt is with me but he’s not really a bad guy.”
Mary Beth sighed. “No he’s not. I love the idiot. I also hate him sometimes though.”
“Well that’s normal.”
“Yeah I guess it is,” Mary Beth said. “But shit when he comes home half drunk he gets all lovey dovey and then most of the time falls asleep after he gets me all riled up, even if he doesn’t he usually can’t get it up. Then he gets all down on himself. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I don’t do it for him anymore.”
“Oh bullshit,” Tricia said. “It’s coming home drunk. Even Matt sometimes has trouble if we’ve been drinking. Dutch didn’t tell you it was your fault did he?”
“Oh no!” Mary Beth said. “He just gets down on himself. Then he’ll start in on how I’m going to leave him for somebody younger. Hell I don’t want to train another husband at my age. I just got Dutch where he mostly picks up his clothes and usually puts the seat down.”
Tricia chuckled.
“Sometimes I envy you though.” Mary Beth said.
“Huh?”
“The fling you had with Jaime,” Mary Beth said. “Do you ever wish it had come out different? I mean you told me how you guys always said neither of you wanted to leave your spouses, that you just wanted something more. Can that really work?”
“Apparently not.” Tricia said with a sigh.
“Yeah. I guess not,” Mary Beth said. “Maybe I should have taken Ben up on his very inventive offers. Would you hate me if I had? I don’t want you thinking I’m a slut of something.”
“I don’t. I couldn’t,” Tricia said. “I’d worry about you. It can really get things messed up. I mean look what happened when Matt found out about Jaime. He didn’t trust me for years. Hell I’m still not sure he really does.”
“He is letting you go to poker tournaments,” Mary Beth said sleepily. “He must trust you.”
“Maybe he just doesn’t care anymore.”
“He cares honey. I know he does.” Mary Beth said.
Tricia lay for a couple of minutes thinking about that and then heard Mary Beth gently snoring and knew she’d fallen asleep. Tricia debated moving to the other bed and then just shrugged and rolled over and was quickly asleep herself.
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