Chapter 2

Almost two months had past since finding out that Kate had cheated on me. During that time I worked long days six days a week and put in a half day on Sundays. I managed to keep Kate out of my mind during the day while I was working but when I went to bed at night I thought about her and our shambles of a marriage.

It was early on a Friday morning that I found myself in the project office alone with Joey again. Joey looked at me for a long moment and then grabbed me by the arm and said, "Let's go get a cup of coffee."

I was too burned-out to resist her, so we went across the street to the closest of three Starbucks that were within two blocks of the office. I was in a kind of fog until I found myself sitting with Joey at an outside table.

"Okay, what is going on?" Joey said.

"Nothing," I said.

"Bullshit. You have been in a funk for the last two months and this morning you show up looking like someone shot your dog. And, when the hell did you stop wearing your wedding ring?" Joey said.

"I really don't want to talk about this," I said.

"Listen, you asshole. It is obvious that you are having some problems and you can take it from me that you really need to talk to someone about them. I am the only one on this job that gives enough of a shit about you to listen to your problems so you had better start talking."

I was about to tell Joey to mind her business when I broke down. I guess I did need to talk to someone because as soon as I started the whole story came flooding out.

"And then I put my wedding ring in a FedEx package and sent it to Kate and I haven't talked to her since," I said as I finished my story.

"Holy shit, you sent her your ring? And she stopped calling you? No wonder you look so down," Joey said.

We sat quietly for a few minutes and then Joey asked, "How are your projects coming?"

"That is a fast change of subjects. Remember, you're the one that insisted I talk about this," I said.

"I am not changing subjects," Joey said, "I am asking if you are caught up enough to take the weekend off?"

"I guess I could."

"Good, then let's go to Vegas for the weekend. Have some fun and get your mind off your problems for a while."

"No, I don't think so. You go ahead without me."

"I am not going to Vegas by myself. Come on. It'll be fun and you need some fun."

I thought about it for a minute and said, "What the fuck. Let's do it."

"Now you're talking," Joey said. "Go check out of your hotel and I will pick you up in about forty-five minutes."

"I can drive if you'd like," I said.

"No way. In the mood you've been in you might decide to take us on a high-speed thrill ride into a bridge abutment. That is just the type of behavior I am trying to prevent."

It seemed that any time I talked to Joey she managed to make me laugh.

Joey picked me up outside the Marriott, where I had been staying, at 11:30 that morning. As we pulled out onto Figueroa Street, Joey said, "I got us two rooms at the Paris Hotel."

"That's kind of expensive, isn't it?" I said.

"Less than you're paying at the Marriott and your company will be paying for it anyway, so what do you care? Have you ever been to Vegas before?"

"No. I've been to Atlantic City but never to Vegas," I said. "What about you?"

"I've been there four times before. I used to go there with... a friend," Joey said.

I wondered if by 'a friend, ' she meant her girlfriend. I wondered if during this trip Joey might confide in me. I hoped that she would.

For the next four and a half hours, Joey and I talked about everything and nothing but totally avoided the subject of my imploding marriage and her personal life. We arrive at the Paris Hotel a few minutes after four o'clock in the afternoon.

After checking in and taking our luggage up to our rooms we met back at the elevator alcove on the casino level and spent the next three hours exploring the hotel casino complex. We played some slots and had a couple of beers and then at 6:30 Joey asked if I was ready for dinner. We were still wearing our work clothes so she suggested we go up to our rooms and clean up a little.

"Where should we meet?" I asked.

"You know that bar we passed just as we came into the casino from the elevators?" Joey said.

"The round one? Yeah."

"Meet me there in about an hour."

I went up to my room to change and checked my cell phone for messages. I had left the phone plugged into its charger in the room while I was down in the casino. I had one message and it was from Kate.

"How long do you plan to punish me? Please come home so we can talk."

I erased the note and put the phone back in its charger and headed for the shower.

I was back downstairs at 7:25. There was no sign of Joey yet so I got a table that afforded me a view of the people coming into the casino from the direction of the elevators. I was amazed at the number of very attractive women wondering around the hotel. I even started to fantasize about picking up a hot woman and taking her back to my room.

When Joey hadn't arrived by 7:40 I laughed to myself. Apparently even a butch lesbian will make a man wait before she makes her appearance. I was still watching for Joey when the waitress stopped to ask if I wanted another drink.

"Give me another Bud," I said.

"And I'll have a white wine," a voice to my left said.

As I turned to see who was speaking a very attractive woman sat down next to me. She had long, light brown hair and light brown eyes. She was wearing a black cocktail dress that was cut low in the front showing just enough of her beautiful breasts to make a man's mouth water. I thought for a moment that this had to be a mistake. This woman must have mistaken me for someone else. Then I thought that she might be a high priced hooker looking for a date for the night.

"Why are you staring at me like that Jim?"

"Joey? Holy shit, is that really you?" I said.

"I hope that was meant as a compliment," Joey said.

"I'm sorry, you just caught me by surprise. You look terrific," I said.

"Thank you."

"I have never seen this side of you before."

"Okay, that's enough gushing. I accept the compliment. Now let's go to dinner," Joey said.

I thought we were going to have dinner in the buffet but seeing the way that Joey was dressed I decided that Les Artistes Steakhouse was more appropriate. I figured it couldn't hurt my image to be seen with a beautiful woman. I even toyed with the idea of having a picture taken of us and sending it to Kate.

All during dinner I couldn't take my eyes off of Joey. She was really beautiful. I knew that I had to ask her about the transformation but I wasn't sure how to broach the subject. We had finished dinner and still had half a bottle of wine left when I could no longer resist.

"I have to know," I said. "Where did this lovely woman I am looking at come from? We have worked together for nearly a year now and I would have never guessed that this other person was inside of you."

"This is the real me. It is just as much me as the tough dyke you see everyday on the job site," Joey said.

"Tough dyke?"

"You think I don't know what you guys think of me. I have overheard some of the comments the others have said about me behind my back."

"If it bothers you why don't you show a little more of your feminine side?" I asked.

"The only reason you guys accept me as a capable PM on the job is because you all just see me as one of the guys. I don't mean to lump you in with the rest of those yahoos. You have always treated me with respect and I always felt that you judged me by my ability to do my job and not by my gender or appearance. I have learned from experience that in order for me to be successful in this job people have to see me as being as tough as the rest of the guys. So I act like a man."

"I have to say that I am honored that you decided to let me see this side of you."

My curiosity was piqued. If Joey's other personality was this feminine, was she a lesbian as I had believed or was that just part of here disguise?

"My mother gave birth to four kids over a six year period," Joey said. "I was the third born and the only girl. Growing up I was a real tomboy. I did everything my brothers did. I did the same jobs around the farm and I played baseball and football with them. It wasn't until I got into high school that I finally discovered that if I wanted boys to be interested in me I was going to have to be less of a tomboy. Once I started dressing like a girl I found that I liked it."

It sounded like she was saying that she wasn't a lesbian. For some reason that made me happier than I had a right to be about it. I had to be sure.

"You have spent more time in LA on this project than I have. Isn't there anyone special at home?" I said.

"No. That's the reason I took this assignment in the first place. I had just broken up with my boyfriend. We had been together for three years. I was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to ask me to marry him when I found out why he hadn't. It turned out that he had been cheating on me for over a year with two other girls. I came out here to get away and just haven't had any desire to go back," Joey said.

As Joey was talking I sensed the pain she was feeling and I reached out and put my hand on top of hers.

"This project will be done in about three weeks. What are you going to do then?"

"You know that they're going to be starting a new project just like this one down in San Diego in November. I'll probably head down there," Joey said. "What about you?"

"I don't know what I am going to do yet."

When we finished the wine and the waiter had brought us the bill Joey surprised me by saying, "I think I want to go up to bed now. Will you come with me?"

I didn't stop to think about it, I just got up and followed Joey to the elevators.

The room was dark when we entered and Joey took my hand and led me over to the window. Her room had a view of the fountains at the Bellagio. As we stood at the window, watching the dancing waters I put my arm around Joey and she turned into me. The first kiss was tentative but felt nice. The second was more passionate and my tongue was soon exploring the inside of her mouth.

We were still standing in front of the window as I slipped the straps of her dress off her shoulders and Joey let it drop to the floor at her feet. Joey's nipples were rock hard as I sucked them into my mouth one at a time. Joey leaned back against the wall and I continued to suck and kiss her nipples and breasts while she held my head.

I hadn't had sex in nearly four months and I was erect before we even got to the room. My erection was beginning to hurt, confined as it was in my pants. I decided that I needed to proceed with some urgency so I picked Joey up and carried her to the bed. Joey lay there watching me as I stripped off my pants and shirt and then she held out her arms to me as I climbed on the bed with her.

We began kissing again and I slid my hand up her leg until I felt the bare skin above the top of her thigh high stockings. I moved my hand higher and placed it on the crotch of her panties where I could feel the heat of her sex. When I pushed my fingers inside the leg hole of her panties Joey spread her legs farther apart to give me better access. The first thing I noticed when I got my hand inside her panties was that Joey's mound was bald. As I explored lower there was not a hair to be found. I had never felt a bald pussy before and I liked the way it felt, although I still preferred a nice bush between a woman's legs. I had a momentary thought of Kate. I always loved the triangle of dark hair between Kate's legs.

Thinking about Kate had momentarily taken the edge off my desire but Joey quickly fired that up again and I was soon pressing a finger inside her and she was nibbling on my ear.

"It's been over a year since anyone made love to me," Kate whispered into my ear, "please fuck me now."

All thoughts of Kate were gone as I pulled Joey's panties off. "Do you want me to kiss it first?" I asked.

"Oh, yes. I'd love that."

I got between her legs and pressed my face into her pussy. Joey was already very wet and the taste of her juices excited me even more than I had been before. I sucked the nub of her clitoris between my lips and ran my tongue back and forth driving Joey into her first orgasm of the night.

As soon as her orgasm ebbed, Joey said, "Do me now. I want you inside me right now."

I moved up Joey's body until my cock was pressed against the slippery opening of her sex. I pushed my cock into her slowly, enjoying the sensation of her hot, juicy tunnel slowly enveloping my erect cock. When I was all of the way in I stopped moving for a few moments. Joey wrapped her arms and legs around me and pulled me as tight against her body as she could. I started to move in and out slowly at first but started to pick up speed as my need for relief increased. By the time I reached my climax I was pumping into Joey fast and hard and she loved it.

After my climax, we were laying on our backs, breathing hard and staring at the ceiling.

"Boy, did I need that," Joey said.

"I think I did too."

Joey rolled over and kissed me. "How about another round?"

"Give me a minute to recover," I said.

"Let me help you," Joey said and slid down my body and took my lifeless appendage into her mouth.

It took Joey ten minutes of oral play to get me erect again. Joey worked my engorged penis until I felt my need to climax growing. At that point I rolled Joey onto her stomach and lifted her hips off the bed. She didn't say a word as I got behind her and pushed my rejuvenated member inside her hot sex. This time I lasted much longer than I did the first time and I managed to give Joey two orgasms before I climaxed and collapsed on the bed next to her.

Ten minutes later I noticed Joey's breathing had changed. I could tell by the rhythm that she was falling asleep. I didn't know what to do. Should I stay the night or should I go back to my room? I thought that Joey might want me to spend the night with her but I didn't feel comfortable doing that. Since meeting Kate I had not had sex with any other woman until that night with Joey and Kate was the only woman I had ever spent an entire night with. For some reason I didn't feel guilty about what I had done but I just couldn't stay the whole night with Joey. It just didn't seem right somehow.

"Joey?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, but I just can't sleep here tonight. I hope you understand," I said.

"It's okay," Joey said. "Maybe we can do this again tomorrow night."

"I would like that very much but I think we should have a practice session sometime during the afternoon so that we can do it right tomorrow night."

"Good idea. Practice does make perfect," Joey said.

I got up and dressed and then kissed Joey on the cheek before I left for my own room.

I felt good when I got back to my room. I didn't feel the need to judge my actions. I had sex with Joey, it was good, I enjoyed and there was nothing more to think about. For the first time in weeks, I fell asleep quickly and slept through the night.

The phone in my room woke me at 6:30 AM.

"Are you going to sleep all day?" Joey asked.

"What time is it?"

"Six-thirty," Joey said. "Come on, I'm hungry."

I told Joey to give me twenty minutes and I would meet her downstairs in the elevator alcove. Then I took a quick shower, shaved and combed my hair. My hair was still wet when I got on the elevator.

We ate breakfast at the St. Louis Café in the hotel. While we were eating Joey asked me if I had ever seen the Hoover Dam.

"Only when I flew over it on the way to LA, ' I said. "Can't really see much from that altitude."

"You know it is only about thirty miles from here. Would you like to drive down and take the tour?" Joey asked.

"They give tours of the dam? I'd like to do that," I said.

I have to say that the dam was much more spectacular than I ever imagined and the tour was extremely interesting. After the tour we walked over to the Arizona end of the dam and then went back to the gift shop restaurant and had lunch.

It was just past two o'clock when we got back to the hotel. As we walked through the casino, I stopped to play one of the slot machines along the way but Joey stopped me.

"We have to go practice for tonight, remember?" Joey said.

"Of course. Let's do it."

The afternoon wasn't at all like the night before. The sex was less serious. We fooled around a lot. There was some tickling involved and some joking but we did manage to get each other off.

Afterward we talked.

"I hope you don't get the wrong impression from this," Joey said.

"How do you mean?" I said.

"I like you," Joey said. "I like you a lot but I am not in love with you and I am not about to fall in love with you. I told you last night that it had been more than a year since anyone made love to me and I needed this. I needed someone that I knew would not hurt me to hold me and make love to me. You are the only person I know out here that I feel that I can trust so I threw myself at you last night."

I was mildly surprised that I wasn't disappointed that she wasn't in love with me but I knew that I wasn't in love with her either.

"I am honored that you trusted me and I have to say I am really glad that you chose me to help you with your little problem," I said.

"It wasn't exactly a little problem. If you really knew me you would understand that. I am not the kind of girl that decides to have sex with someone simply because I am horny. Before last night I had never had sex with anyone that I wasn't completely in love with. It was just that it has been so long and I have been so lonely out here."

"I understand. This is a first for me too. I haven't gone as long without as you but the last four months have been very difficult for me," I said. "This weekend has helped me a lot more than I would have thought."

"As wonderful as last night and this afternoon have been, when we get back to LA tomorrow this is all history. I have to ask you not to tell anyone about what we did here. I can't have those jackals know that I am not a lesbian or they will constantly be hitting on me."

"I understand," I said. "I won't even tell them that we came to Las Vegas this weekend. They will never know that we spent the weekend together."

"Thanks. Anyway we are not back in LA yet. We still have tonight, that is if you haven't already had enough of me," Joey said.

"I think I can handle another night of making love to you. As a matter of fact I know I can."

Joey got off the bed and walked over to the ice bucket where we had put a couple of bottles of beer on ice. As I watched her naked body move across the room I found myself erect again.

"You want a glass of beer?" Joey asked.

"Yes, but I also want a little more of that hot spot between your legs," I said.

Joey turned to look at me and saw my erection. "Oh, I see that something has come up. Let me see if I can find a place to put that," Joey said.

Joey picked up one of the beer bottles and two glasses and then climbed onto the bed and straddled my hips. As she settled herself down she reached between us and guided my cock into her pussy and then sat the rest of the way down taking me fully inside her. Joey didn't move her hips while she filled the two glasses with beer and handed me one of them.

"Okay, let's see if we can do this without spilling any of the beer," Joey said.

It was much easier for Joey to drink her beer because she was sitting upright. I was lying on my back and had to lift my head to sip the beer. That was difficult to do without spilling any, especially when Joey would wiggle her hips every time I tried to take a drink. Finally, Joey helped me lift my head and I chugged the rest of my beer. Then I started lifting my hips to push myself deeper into Joey and we soon had a rhythm going. After only a few minutes, Joey had an orgasm, which caused her to spill the remaining beer from her glass all over my chest. After that Joey set about the task of getting me off and did so less that five minutes later.

I had gone back to my room to shower and put clean clothes on and Joey said that she was going to take a nap. I was somewhat proud of the fact that I had worn her out and she needed a nap and I didn't.

After my shower I sat on the bed and started to think about Kate. I didn't want to think about Kate right then. Especially after just is having had sex with Joey. So, I headed down to the casino to play some black jack.

The rest of the day and evening was just a blur. I must have played black jack for more than two hours with little to show for the effort. Joey arrived in the casino shortly after seven o'clock wearing the same sexy black dress she had worn the night before. When she found me at one of the black jack tables, she came over and kissed me on the cheek, which seemed to get the attention of the other three men at the table.

As we walked away from the table I said, "Are you sure that you wouldn't like one of the guys back at the black jack table to spend the night with you tonight?"

"I was thinking about all three of them but I already promised tonight to you," Joey said.

The rest of the night was almost a repeat of the previous night. We had a great dinner and then had great sex after which I went back to my room to sleep.

Sunday morning we didn't get downstairs for breakfast until almost ten o'clock. Right after breakfast we started the drive back to LA.

The last thing Joey said to me as she dropped me off at the Marriott was, "Don't act any different toward me than you did before this trip. No secret smiles or winks. No comments with double meanings. Okay?"

"Nobody will know where we were or what we did this weekend, I promise," I said.

Over the next two and a half weeks we finished most of the project. All of the other project managers that had been working on the LA project, other than Joey and myself, had gone home. Most to them lived outside of Southern California so I told them I would stay and finish up the last of the customer acceptance inspections and close out the project. Joey stayed and helped me finish up.

A few days before the last site was turned over to the customer, Jack Brown called me.

"Jim, you have done an excellent job out there. The customer is happy and the company is happy. You'll have a nice bonus waiting for you when you get home," he said. "And speaking of home, Brian Sanders has retired and we would like you to come back and take over his job as manager of the engineering department. It's what we talked about. This is a good opportunity for you and no more travel."

To be honest, I hadn't put much thought into what I was going to do after the LA job ended.

"That sounds like a great opportunity but I am not sure if it is what I want now," I said.

"Really? I would have thought that you would jump at this," Jack said.

"How soon do you need a decision?"

"I can give you some time. How much do you need?"

"I'd like to take a couple of weeks off when we turn over the last site."

"All right. Take two weeks vacation and let me know what you want to do when you get back," Jack said. "How are things between you and Kate?"

"I don't know. I haven't spoken to her since June."