Chapter 2

I meet Steve at the restaurant at seven o’clock like he said. Amy gave me a picture of him so when I see him, I can go right over to the table. I do see him in a booth in the back of the restaurant. Away from all the noise. As I approach the table he stands. He says, “Hi, are you Becky?” I reply, “Yes, you must be Steve. It’s very nice to meet you. I love this place! It makes me feel like a kid again.” Steve replies, “I love this place too. I love playing the games afterward just to laugh and see if my date thinks it’s fun too. Not that I’m always dating. Now I’m running on. I’m sorry, I’m a little nervous. I heard about you from my cousin Amy, and she understood how handsome you are. There’s your compliment for the day. I hope you liked it.” “It’s been a long time since someone gave me a compliment like that. I appreciate it, Steve.” We sit and break into a fun conversation about some of the games we played over time in the arcade. The arcade is bigger than the restaurant. They have my favorite area too. The race car track. Steve and I have already challenged each other to a race.

We both end up having the BBQ ribs. They are fantastic and it’s fun to end up this messy after dinner. Most of my business meals end up being in a fancy restaurant. This carefree place has made me smile. Which is something I haven’t done a lot of for the last 3 years. Even though I’ve cut my hours and allocated some of my responsibilities to my vice presidents, I have been lonely. I still feel guilty about what I did to my marriage, but I must get on with my life. I admit to the screw-up. But it’s time to let that mistake go. I’m hoping that after several dud dates, Steve might be the guy who helps me get out and be happy again. Steve says, “Are you ready to play some games?

Because you’ve challenged me to a race, and I don’t take that lightly. I am ready to drive right past you and pick up the checkered flag. Let’s go, Loser!” He laughs and tells me he’s kidding which I reply, “You are so not kidding. You want to beat me so bad you can taste it. But just so you know, I can taste it too. I’m competitive too. Get ready for an ass beating. I’m not afraid of anything or anybody.” Steve looked at me and said, “Looks like I’ve got a good challenger. Let’s get in line.” We stand in a line for only 10 minutes and then step on the track and then run to the car we want. I watched the cars carefully, and this one isn’t the fastest, but it handled better than any of the other cars. I’ll beat Steve by sure talent. I’ll eventually get around him and win. I feel an evil laugh coming on. I put my helmet and safety belt on and pull up to the starting line. There are only 4 of us so it will be a fun race. The track is an eight of a mile, so there is enough room for me to pass the slower traffic. Steve has the fastest care, but it doesn’t handle as well as mine. I passed the other two racers during lap one. I had quite a long way to catch up to Steve. But I had three more laps to do it.

I cut every corner with perfection, not losing contact with the road. Staying right on the track without any spinouts. By the fourth lap, I had caught up to Steve and was riding his ass. Something I was pretty sure I was going to let him do to me later tonight. He tried to block me from passing but in the last corner, he spun out and I was able to pass him. He recovered fast but not fast enough. I took my victory lap. I waved the flag with a lot of vigor. When I got in, Steve was bowing to me in total humility. When I got off the track, I gave him a tight hug, maybe putting an idea in his head. When I released him, I kissed him quickly on the lips, thinking that a little peck wouldn’t be a big deal. Well, Steve had another idea about that. He put his hand around the back of my head and the other on my hip. He pulled me in for a big, deep kiss. We kept kissing for a while. When we finally pushed away from each other Steve was like a little kid in the place. We must have played thirty games in that place. I haven’t laughed that hard for so long it just left me horny. Steve was gorgeous, built, and full of fun. I could take him home. I finally met someone who made me let loose.