Chapter 12

Saturday Morning, August 21, 2021

I woke up at four-thirty, certain that I knew where the key was hidden. It’d come to me in my sleep. There’s an overhead track that the shower and tub curtains run in. Something, as in a key, could be taped up inside one of those tracks, and you’d never know it was there. That was where she’d hidden it! Except, it wasn’t there, neither the tub nor the shower in our bathroom. Dammit!

I lay back down on our bed, trying to think of anyplace I hadn’t looked. One possibility came to mind where I might have missed, so I got up, got dressed, and then checked drawers again, every one in the house, taking them out, feeling the inside of the cabinets, checking the bottom of the drawers again, just hoping that I might have missed something.

If I had, I was still missing it, because it just fucking wasn’t there! We have several throw rugs in the house, I turned those over, no key. I checked inside the damn toilet tanks again, checking for any little hiding places on the back of the toilets, and my phone rang at seven-fifteen. I’d been searching for nearly another three hours, non-stop. No. Fucking. Key!

It was Dani, “Hi,” she said when I answered. I closed my eyes, that voice, that beautiful, sexy voice that I’ve missed so much!

“Hi,” I answered, not even sure what to say.

“You see my text last night?” she asked.

Text – fuck, I hadn’t even looked at my phone since I woke up. “Just a sec, I’ll look,” I told her, and there it was, ‘‘getting dressed to go to a hotel with a ‘friend’ hope you approve, you have about three minutes.’

“I, uhh ... didn’t see it, so you...?” I know, I was stammering, my brain not working well.

“I did, I’d met him Wednesday night at the club, he was back again, this time...”

“You went to a hotel with him, you fucked him?”

She hesitated, seemingly forever, “Yes,” she answered softly.

The breath went out of me, I don’t know why, I’d told her, even encouraged her.

“He’s sixty-four, a widower, his friends drug him to the club Wednesday ... I took him to the back, we ... he undressed me, we made out pretty hard ... and then last night, he was back, alone ... he’d gotten a room...”

“He came inside you?” I don’t know why, I had to ask, even though I already knew the answer.

“Twice, I came too.”

My dick was straining inside its cage, my mind whirling.

“You okay?” she asked me,

“I...” I thought about lying to her telling her I was fine, “I’ve been out of my mind, I miss you, this ... thing ... still looking for the key...”

Dani stifled a giggle, “I could tell you ... but, you said...”

One last try, “Sweetheart, I take it back, all of it, you can tell me. Promise, I won’t be mad, not even a little unhappy with you.”

“I know I could, but what fun would that be?”

God!

“Sweet, I have to go, I’m meeting Gary’s friends for lunch, telling them to please help him find a girl ... love you! I’ll call again tomorrow.”

“Love you too,” I told my wife.

“Call Jon, have dinner with them, maybe even Jen and Richard, maybe she’d even relieve some of your tension.”

I’d thought a lot about Jenny, but, “How? This ... thing.”

“Oh, right.”

“You could tell me, then I’d invite them over.”

“I could, couldn’t I ... but I’m not, you said...”

I groaned.

“Hon, I’m sorry but I really have to go, a phone call I’m expecting, just now.”

“Love you,” I told Dani one more time.

“You too,” and a kiss coming through the phone.

And I renewed my search, my resolve renewed.

I told him I’d meet them in an hour, two of Gary’s friends, they’re buying me lunch at Eddie V’s Pizza. I’d noticed it on my trip to Lover’s.

What to wear? I HAD to shop for street clothes. The closest I had was a pair of Daisy Duke shorts, and I frowned looking through my meager supply of blouses. My brief shopping trips were not done with ‘modest’ in mind. I pulled out a black blouse, sheer, but with my black bra under it, it’d have to do. I frowned again when I put on the bra, it too was sheer. Well, nothing to do about it, they were the best I had.

I checked my watch, maybe I’d have time for a stop at Walmart. I dressed then started to put on my makeup, stopped and stepped away, no makeup.

I did stop at Walmart and bought a cool, summery mini-dress. It was still going to be sexy but typical of what I’d seen girls wearing in Tampa. I liked the feel of the g-string, and Gary’s friends weren’t going to see it anyway. I’d always thought, ‘no way, that string up my butt’, but now that I’d worn them, I kinda liked them, especially how sexy they felt. When I paid for the dress, I asked the checker if she’d please cut the tags off for me, then changed in the ladies’ room.

I checked my watch and texted the number he’d called from that I was going to be fifteen minutes or so late.

I was the epitome of a typical Tampa girl when I stepped into Eddie V’s, maybe not something I’d have worn to school but it was perfectly appropriate for this meeting with Gary’s friends.

They introduced themselves, Kenny and Travis, and even though I’d tried to fit in with Tampa’s norms, I still felt their eyes on me. To be honest, the tube top still showed clearly the shape of my tits, but like I said, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for girls’ wear.

They ordered a Meat Lover’s pizza and I a lunch salad, licking my lips at the aroma of pizza wafting through.

We sat at a booth, me on the opposite side from the guys, “You wanted to talk to us?” Kenny asked.

I nodded, “You brought Gary to the club the other day, I’m hoping you guys can help him find a good woman to date.” I wondered what Gary might have told them about our little rendezvous.

“Umm, we’re beer and strip club kind of guys,” Travis said, “not exactly ... whaddya call it, wingman material.”

I rolled my eyes, this wasn’t going like I’d expected.

“Gary said he used to square dance, I’m guessing there’s single women at dances, take him to one.”

Again, the two looked back and forth between each other, “Not really into square dancing,” Kenny said, rolling his eyes.

“Take. Him.” This time I demanded, didn’t ask.

I couldn’t eat my salad, “Just one time, that’s all I ask,” and I got up and left before I said something I’d regret, like offering a little ‘incentive’.

What jerks! They reminded me of Larry, Daryl, and Daryl on Newhart, except these two were jerks, not just doofuses like Daryl and Daryl.

I took the bus back to my little abode, changed into something more ‘club’, picked up the things I’d need, and headed to the club to clear my head of Kenny and Travis. How a guy like Gary was friends with those two, I’ll never know.

Katie was already there when I arrived, and I had the little talk with her, the thing I’d been thinking about in the club. She was excited, and thought it was a great idea, “I’m all in!” she said, so we went out to talk to Jeff.

“First,” I started, “I have to tell you that I’m not going to be here after this Sunday until Friday, I have some other things I’m doing.” I wanted it to be a surprise, a happy surprise, I hoped. “And Katie and I were just talking...” so I explained to him what I wanted to do, just in very general ideas, I wanted to leave the specifics to him, more fun that way.