Chapter 1

The cool October evening flooded the car when the door was opened. I slid into the passenger seat and stared straight ahead. I couldn't remember one hand I'd played well all night. Stephanie Thompson was backing the car out of the driveway.

"Jesus! Edmond, where the hell were you? You played like shit tonight... I haven't seen you play that poorly in five years. Earth to Julie... Earth to Julie... Come in Julie."

"... Ah... What'd you say?" My mind had been miles away...

... Lunch time. There were five of us... My boss plus the client with two very attractive young ladies.

"It's very nice to meet you, Julie." Early fifties about ten years older than I am. He had long hair like a hippie... Totally gray... Eyes almost gray and very blood shot. They drilled right into me. His hand was warm and just a bit moist. He was wearing a dark blue windbreaker with a surfboard patch sewed over his left breast.

My boss was very excited about the luncheon and was really putting on a dog and pony show for the guy. The young ladies were very attentive and asked very detailed questions. The man's attention hardly left me. I almost felt uncomfortable but his smile was so calming. I just couldn't put my finger on what it was he had or... I wasn't sure... Like a mystery... It was there but was very hard to find. I got wrapped up in several things after lunch but kept coming back to him... It was strange. I was still thinking about him when I arrived at the bridge game...

... I was getting my glasses out of my purse when I found the cigar. It was green and very moist. I could smell it. Marijuana!? I quickly looked around to see if any of the girls were paying any attention to me. I excused myself and went to the bathroom.

It was... A marijuana cigar. How the hell did it get there? I wrapped it in some toilet paper and secreted it at the bottom of my purse...

"Sorry, I didn't play very well tonight."

"No shit, Sherlock!" Julie continued looking forward. A few moments later she sat back and relaxed. She tried going over it again but then just started laughing. "What are you laughing at? Stephanie asked.

"Forget it." There were some things you just didn't share with friends. You really didn't share them with anyone. It was like he knew them all. All those things... Shit! They weren't even out of college yet...

... I smelled the pungent aroma of burning hemp... He was the bartender at night and closed the resturant some nights. About thirty... No college ambitions, just tends bar... Married with a kid but always flirting with me. Never very overt but flirting none the less. I was forever catching him glancing at my bust. I was stacked... Short and stacked, my dark hair worn long as was the style back then. I really didn't consider myself a hippie but Paul and I smoked a lot of weed when we were in college.

We both worked at the resturant... Three, four nights a week... Sometimes together and sometimes alone. Tonight, Paul was home studying for a test in accounting. It was a slow night. Randy... That was the bartender's name... was begining to close up and it was early.

He leaned accross the bar and whispered. "Wanna get high after work?"

Why not? I thought. Paul would be up all night, studying. I figured some of the kitchen help would be getting stoned with us. Paul and I got high with them plenty of times. The time dragged.

I was cleaning up the last tables in the bar when he put his hands on my waist. I jumped. He laughed. He was already stoned. We wandered back into the manager's office. It was a riot. The room was a fog of marijuana smoke. The joint was just laying in the ash tray, about half gone.

We smoked in silence. Randy was spending about half his time looking at my bust line. It was kind of a turn on, to be truthful. I thrust them out a bit as I took a hit off the joint. He laughed. I handed him the joint and laughed before asking.

"Anybody joining us?" He laughed as he took a big drag off the joint.

"Aaah... Not a soul. We're here all alone." He stared into my eyes and I knew what he had on his mind. I wasn't turned off by the idea. To be truthful, married sex was a big disappointment. Paul was a good lover but it seemed that all we ever had time for were quickies. Maybe, a shower every now and then but usually just a quick fuck. I was horny.

I laughed. "And what would your wife say?"

He was staring at my breasts. They really filled the peasant blouse, I was wearing. I could feel my nipples start to come alive. My panty hose felt damp in the crotch.