Chapter 41

I was suddenly wide-awake! I asked, “Who told you?”

“I told you before that I know the security people. The man who saw you and Lu in Tomaso’s suite told someone I know, and he told me.”

“Gee, Kristen, I’m really sorry, I...” She put her hand on my mouth and said, “It’s okay. I knew from the beginning that I wasn’t woman enough for you; but I’ll learn, my darling! I swear I will!” I stared at her, wide-eyed, as she went on. “I get along okay with most people, but I was always been a little unsure of myself when I was with Barry’s friends, because they never seemed to like me. I’ve known from the beginning that you were way beyond me sexually. I can’t say that I’m happy about you being with Lu, but I understand why, and I promise that I’ll learn to please you if you’ll give me enough time.”

I was so bowled over that I couldn’t speak. How could I have misread her so badly? I had always thought of her as one of the strongest, most aware persons I knew. I never for an instant thought of her as fragile or lacking confidence. I thought for a while about the history of our lovemaking, and I remembered the first time we made love. I had just seen my dad naked with another woman, and someone who I thought was my mom, having sex with someone other than my dad. I was confused and angry, and I guess I overwhelmed her.

Then there were the times when she learned about other girls I had been with. She must think that I’m the world’s busiest lover. But I know that I’m not! I’m just a regular guy. I’ve been fortunate enough to be with some really wonderful girls and women, but the guys at school tell stories, and I’m certainly nothing special if half of them are true.

All these thoughts and more were going through my head when I felt Kristen move, and I remembered that I was still deep inside her. She was hugging me and her eyes were closed. I don’t know why, but I desperately wanted to do something to please her, and I put my hands on her butt and pulled her even closer to me. She quietly moaned and began grinding herself into me when the phone suddenly rang.

It startled both of us. I grabbed it without thinking, and said, “Hello.” I recognized Tony’s voice when he said, “Hi, Pete, can I talk to Kristen?” I handed her the phone. She listened for a while, then asked, “Can I bring Pete?” They talked some more, and her eyes were big when she hung up. She rolled off me and sat on the edge of the bed. I asked, “What’s the matter?”

She looked around at me and said, “Tony is here in the hotel. He flew in this morning to sit in on the negotiations. Tomaso’s agent is going to make me an offer to join him on the tour! They want me there in a half hour. I asked if you could come and they said that they prefer that you didn’t.” It was like she was in a trance. I had to lead her to the bathroom so that she could get ready, then I threw some clothes on and walked to Tomaso’s room with her. I said, “Good luck,” and started to leave, but she grabbed me and hugged me to her. She held me tightly as she said, “I love you,” then went inside.

It was still early and I didn’t want to disturb Mom or Kate, so I decided to go to the buffet and get some breakfast. Anybody who’s ever been to Las Vegas knows about the buffets. Each hotel tries to outdo the others by building bigger, more elaborate buffets, and this hotel was no different. There were three food lines, full of all sorts of foods. It’s ‘all-you-can-eat,’ and the price is reasonable. They want you happy and full so that you can concentrate on more important stuff; gambling. At least, they think it’s more important. I grabbed some eggs and some fresh fruit, and I was on my way to a table when someone said, “Hey good-lookin’!”

Sitting at a table were Dolly, Barry’s girlfriend, and Brandy, the tall blonde who had danced on the bed at the party in Chip’s suite. They motioned me over, so I sat with them. Dolly is about twenty-five pounds overweight, but she has a cute face and a nice smile. She surprised me by saying, “Well, how does it feel to have it all?”

Curious, I asked, “What does that mean?” The blonde cut in with, “You’re built like a fucking blond god and you’re screwing a gorgeous girl who looks like she’s gonna be the next fucking Barbra Streisand. What’s next? Are you gonna run for president?” I was flattered by what she said, but her look wasn’t kind. It looked like she was jealous, and what she said next confirmed it. She said, “Why don’t you take a break from miss ‘Goody Two Shoes’ and let Dolly and I show you what real women are all about?”

I looked at Dolly. She had her head down, and her face was beet red. She looked up at me and said, “Please forgive her, Pete; she’s only joking.” I glanced back at Brandy, and she had a superior look about her that told me that she wasn’t joking at all, so I thought that I’d give it back to her. I said, “Look, you guys, Kristen IS a real woman! I hate to admit this, because I’ve been around some, but Kristen is the wildest girl I’ve ever been with. I can’t begin to keep up with her.”

They both looked surprised, but Dolly most of all. She stuttered, “B-but Barry said that they didn’t get along that way.” I replied with, “Well, maybe she wasn’t motivated.” Dolly actually looked kind of pleased. I guess because she had been sexually successful with Barry, but Brandy wasn’t pleased at all. She bent toward me and said, “You ain’t seen nothing, Baby, till you’ve seen me in action.” She sat back, looking kind of smug.

I know I should have let it go, but I couldn’t stand her superior attitude. I tried to look as innocent as I could as I said, “Gee, you really sound wild. I bet you screw better than the girl I met in the trailer park when I was fourteen. It cost me a six-pack of Pepsi. How much do you charge?” Dolly was drinking coffee right then, and she spit it all over the table. Brandy stood up, said, “Fuck you, Asshole,” and turned to leave, but she surprised me by suddenly stopping. She turned and said, “I deserved that, didn’t I?”

Dolly and I both vigorously nodded. Brandy sat back down and helped Dolly clean up the table. We got more food, and things were quiet for a while, then Brandy said, “Kristen is actually an okay girl. She’s younger than our group, and a lot prettier than most of us, so some of us have been a little jealous, and we’ve teased her. She’s always been nice, and some of the girls saw her on stage the last few days, and they said that she was really good. We were surprised and even more jealous, but they say that she really has a tremendous talent, and I’m happy for her.”

I said, “Now that’s the kind of action I like. Thank you for being so kind. You might say those nice things to Kristen. I know she’d like to hear it. Your opinion means more to her than you know.” They both looked surprised and Brandy said, “You mean she doesn’t hate us? Why does she always act so aloof?”

“Because she thinks you don’t like her. How would you act if people teased you all the time?” Both girls seemed to change after they thought about it for a few minutes. They were suddenly friendlier and more open. Even the blonde seemed different. Gone was the almost confrontational look, and she actually looked prettier. We sat there enjoying our breakfast.

I asked Dolly about Barry, and she said that he had to get back home because of some business thing. She mentioned that she, Brandy, and several of the other girls were staying until Sunday. They looked at each other when I said that I was leaving to go skiing Monday, and said, “We are, too. A bunch of us are going to Chamonix. Will we see you there?” Chamonix is a ski resort in France that I’d read about in magazines. I was almost embarrassed to tell them that I was going to a small local ski area, then I remembered that these people were from a different world than I was. They were all from rich families, and running off to Europe to ski was nothing to these people. It also reminded me that Kristen was one of those people. Her family had wealth beyond anything that I was likely to achieve. I don’t know if it was because I didn’t sleep much last night, but I was starting to get into a bad mood.

Dolly and Brandy began talking about trying a craps table just as we finished our breakfast. I told them that I didn’t gamble. In reality, it was because I didn’t want anyone to check my ID, and have them find out that I was only seventeen.

Brandy and I watched Dolly for a while, then Brandy stepped to the table. She had me blow on the dice before she threw them, and she began a lucky streak. She hit seven, eleven, or made her number a bunch of times over the next hour, and she would insist that I blow on the dice before her every throw. She wasn’t betting large amounts of money, but she had a fair sized pile of chips in front of her before long.

She suddenly looked at me and said, “Pick a number from one to five.” I said, “Uhh, three.” She said to the stickman, “Let it ride three times,” and threw the dice. I’m not really sure what happened in the next few minutes. All I know is that there was a lot of applause from the people around the table after the third time Brandy threw the dice, and she picked up a big bunch of chips. She slid one toward the stickman, put a couple in my shirt pocket, and surprised me by giving me a big kiss.

She’s a pretty girl, and I couldn’t help the heat rising in my body as she stepped back. Then I thought about her dancing naked on the bed at the party, and remembered the tattoo of the tiger on her hairless pussy. I was getting even hotter when she reached down and rubbed my rapidly expanding cock. She had a grin on her face when she said, “I want to thank you for being my good-luck charm. Is there anything else I can do to show my appreciation?”

I could still see her in my mind’s eye as she lowered her pussy to the other girl’s mouth, how she looked when she came all over her, and I was thinking what making love to her would be like when Dolly burst out with, “Stop it, Brandy! He has a girlfriend!” The return to reality stunned me. How could I be thinking like this? I had just promised myself that I would control my behavior, and here I was thinking about screwing another girl. I was so disgusted with myself that I wanted to leave, but I didn’t want to insult anyone. So I said, “Relax, Bobby, she’s only teasing.” Brandy raised an eyebrow and said, “I may be teasing, but he isn’t. Look at the bulge in his pants.”

I was trying to get away so I could think, and I glanced at my watch. I saw that it was after twelve when I did, and I said, “Wow! I didn’t realize it was this late. I gotta go, Guys,” and walked away as quickly as I could. I could hear Brandy laughing as I left.

I kept thinking about what had just happened all the way back to the room, and I started to feel worse, but Brandy is a sexy girl and I was still hard from thinking about her. I knew that I should be ashamed of myself because I had told Kristen that I loved her and I had made promises to her, but I had already broken them. She was going to leave in two days and I don’t know when -- or even if -- I’ll see her again.

My head was spinning as I got off the elevator, and I noticed the door to Mom’s room closing as I turned toward my room, so I went there and knocked on it. Amy opened it and I started to go in, but she held her hand up to stop me. Her face was serious, and she said, “Uhh, girl talk. We’ll be out in a little while.” I went to my room. I know that girls love to talk, but I thought that I’d caught a glimpse of both Ben and Tony when she opened the door.

It was over an hour later when Kristen came in. She had a sad look on her face, and it looked like she had been crying. She ran right to me and wrapped herself around me. I wanted to ask what was the matter, but she beat me to it. She held me at arm’s length, and said, “I love you, Pete, but Tomaso’s people have made me an offer that I would be crazy to refuse, and it means that I would be gone for a long time. So I’m going to ask you to marry me one more time. I’ll come home with you if you will. We’re leaving Monday morning if not.”

I looked at her for a while, and what she was saying struck me. What happened next was the hardest thing I ever did. I said, “You would give this up to be with me?”

“Yes.”

“Were you in the room with Mom just now?”

“Yes.”

“Did you tell her that you were going to ask me to marry you?”

“Yes, I told everyone.”

“What did she tell you I would say?”

Kristen looked first at me, then at the floor, and in a voice I could barely hear, she whispered, “She said that you would tell me to go with Tomaso.”

“Did she say why?”

“She said, because you would know that it’s the right thing to do.” We held each other for a long time. I finally asked, “Where are you going Monday?”

“Fort Worth. We’ll be there Monday and Tuesday night, then it’s on to Denver. There’s a show Friday and Saturday night, and a matinee and late show Sunday. We go on an East coast tour that’ll last until mid-March from there.”

“Wow! It sounds like a lot of work. Are you scared?”

“A little. Amy’s coming with me to help me get used to things for the first week, then she’ll take the red-eye home Sunday night, so that she won’t miss school.”

“I thought Mom didn’t want Amy to go?” “She decided that Amy could come along and have some fun. She’s going to be busy when she gets back.” I assumed she meant because of school, but something in the way she said it, made me ask, “Why will she be so busy? She has no trouble with school work.”

“Ask your mom.” I was about to press her on what it was all about when there was a tap on the door. Kristen opened it. Amy stuck her head in and said, “It’s after two. The backup singers are here, and we need to get to rehearsal.” Kristen nodded and Amy closed the door.

I said, “Backup singers?” “Yes, we’re going to expand on the rock and roll number. Tomaso called them in. And by the way, uhh, take a look at the marquee out front if you get a chance.”

Kristen took a long time to get ready to leave and she kept looking at me. She finally, put her hands on my shoulders and said, “You really don’t know how much you mean to me, do you?”

“Yes, I think I do, but this opportunity is too good to pass up. I want you to concentrate on your career. We’ll talk again if you feel the same way about me at this time next year.” I was searching for something else to say, but she started for the door before I could answer. Then she stopped and said, “We still have two days. I’d like to spend as much time as I can with you.” I nodded, and she left.

I went to Mom’s room after a few minutes. Mom answered my knock and Mom, Kate, Ben and Tony were there when I went in. They all stopped and looked at me, then Mom wanted to know, “Is everything okay?” I knew what they meant, and I said, “Yes, everything is okay.”

Mom quickly glanced at Kate, and they both nodded. Tony had been talking with Ben, and he said “I’m just leaving. How about walking me to the taxi?” to me. He asked, “How did it go with Kristen?” as soon as we walked out of the room.

I hadn’t spent much time with Tony. But something about him made me trust him, and I said, “I’m crazy about her, Tony, but she wants to get married and I’m too young, and her career is too important for that. I told her to go with Tomaso. The worst thing she could do would be to saddle herself to a kid like me if she’s as good as Tomaso says she is.”

He said, “You’re a good guy, Pete. Your mom said that you would let Kris go.” This conversation was beginning to hurt, so I changed the subject and asked Tony, “How’s it going with you and Tammy?”

“She told you I asked her to move in with me, didn’t she?” I nodded. “Well, she refused, but I can’t get her out of my mind. What would you think if I asked her to marry me?”

“I think it’s too soon. I know that she likes you very much, but her life has changed a lot in the last six months, and I think that she needs some time to let things settle down.”

“That’s probably true, but I have to tell you that she drives me crazy, Pete! I’ve never met anyone like her. I can barely think when she’s around, but I guess you’re right. I’ll have to back off a little.” I started to laugh to myself as he got into a taxi. Here was a rich, successful guy, ten years older than me, and he was acting like a lovesick teenager.

I tried to think of how I really feel about Kristen on the way back in. She’s beautiful, exciting, and everything I could possibly want in a girl, but something keeps me from saying that she’s the one I want to spend my life with to myself. I needed to talk to somebody, so I headed back to Mom’s room and tapped on the door. Mom opened it, but instead of letting me in, she said, “I’m, uhh, on the phone. Go to your room, and I’ll come over when I’m finished.” I was surprised, because Mom isn’t one of those women who spends hours on the phone, but I went to my room. We had been gone for a while, so I guessed she was catching up on things at home.

I was watching television when the phone rang. It was Dolly. She said, “Hi, Pete, can I talk to Kristen?”

“She rehearsing; what’s up?” “Some of us would like to see her late show tonight, but it’s sold out. Can she get us tickets?” “I usually see her between shows; I’ll ask her.” She gave me her room number and I told her that I’d call later, then she said, “Please excuse the way Brandy acted. She can get a little brash sometimes, especially when she sees something she likes.”

I was flattered, and I said, “So, she saw something she liked, did she?” She didn’t answer for a minute. Then, in a sultry kind of voice, she said, “Yeah, we both did.” I was surprised when she said it, and I didn’t quite know how to respond. Then a picture of them flew through my mind. Brandy, standing on the bed naked with June’s face buried between her legs, was a sight that I don’t think I’ll ever forget, but I couldn’t imagine plain-looking, overweight Dolly doing anything that would be exciting.

I suddenly felt ashamed. I know better than to judge people by their looks. She might be a great girl, and I was sorry that I even had those thoughts, so I said something that I shouldn’t have. I said, “Wow, I’m sorry that I’m taken. I’d love to hang with two gorgeous girls like you.” Her next words confirmed that I had made a mistake. In a little girl’s voice, she said, “Gee, do you really think I’m gorgeous?”