Chapter 18
Carla wasn't getting dressed. Instead, she gathered her stuff up and nodded towards the door. "Same place as usual, Ty?"
He nodded. "Yep! See you in a moment." Carla gave Cary and I one more backward glance, blew us both a kiss, and walked out of the room, moving her hips like a runway model. Ty waved, then turned to me and Cary. "You guys taking off?" he asked. "Or have you changed your mind about joining us in the Playroom for the rest of the night?"
I shook my head. "We're heading out. We've pushed enough boundaries for tonight, I think." I looked to Cary for confirmation, who mutely nodded as she pulled her stockings and bra back on. She still seemed a bit shaken from the revelations she had given during the tiebreaker game. I gave her arm a small squeeze and turned back to Ty. "Fantastic party, man. Still up for the gig downtown in a few weeks?"
"You know it, bro." Ty shook my hand enthusiastically. Then he turned to Cary, who hurriedly and unsuccessfully tried to mash herself back into her bustier under his gaze. "Well, you made this night extra special for a lot of my guests. Thanks so much for coming. If you get me your mailing address and phone number, I'll forward it to our travel agent so that you can get the vacation set up."
Cary hesitated. "Um... I hadn't really thought of that," she admitted. She was fiddling nervously with the closures on the bustier. Some color had begun to return to her face.
Ty frowned. "Why? Is there an issue?"
Cary looked at me, her face full of fear. I took her hand and squeezed it in what I hoped was a supportive gesture. She smiled uncertainly at me. I could feel her shaking.
"My name is actually Cary. Cary Bernham. Matt put down a pseudonym for me to protect my kids if anything got out about this." She swallowed. "But you seem like a really stand-up guy. I trust
you
with my real name, but I don't know about anybody else here."
"Kids?" Ty blurted. He glanced back and forth, and lowered his voice. "How can you have already been divorced once and have kids, and only be twenty-three?"
Cary ducked her head. "Um... I'm not in college. I haven't been in college for a while," she said. "I wasn't sure I'd be welcome if... " She let the end of the sentence dangle.
"
Not welcome
? Are you kidding? Some of us are still going to be talking about you for weeks!" Ty looked back and forth between us, clearly doing some re-thinking. "Wow, and you chose
my
nerdy friend to hook up with?! How did he get so lucky?"
"Nerdy?" I echoed in mock-offense.
"Dude, she's a fox!" he said, gesturing at Cary as she finally got the bustier figured and stepped into her heels. "Clever, sexy, and daring!
How
on Earth did you manage to score this amazing lady?"
Cary smiled in embarrassed pleasure. "Because he's really special. He's my hero today," she said earnestly.
"Well, Miss Bernham, take good care of my friend, here," he said. "And you, you lucky son of a bitch, had better show this lady the best time of her life. If you didn't know, I have valets and cabs lined up. Neither of you had better be driving. If you leave your keys with the valets, we'll make sure your cars get home safely."
Cary finished pulling her dress on and wrote down her contact information. "Can you recommend a nice hotel?" she asked. She gave me a look that promised a sleepless several hours. "We won't be going home tonight."
Ty looked thoughtful. Then he smiled. "Let me make a call. Consider this your 'almost got the grand prize' consolation from me. You head down to the driveway. A car will be there for you in a moment."
Cary and I walked arm-in-arm towards the foyer. Almost three hours ago I had walked in these doors with a vague sense of adolescent horniness and the promise of a fun night. Now I was walking out with the woman of my dreams and the virtual guarantee of the best sex of my life in a nice hotel. I handed my keys to a valet at the front door and gave him my home address while Cary did the same with her keys.
As we stood at the top of the steps, Cary leaned against me. We both smelled a little like rum still. "I hope... I hope you don't think less of me," she whispered.
I shook my head. "As if. You're my dream girl, Cary Bernham." I tilted my head. "And I can't wait to find out more about you." A limousine pulled up to the front, and a red-vested staff member waved us down. I took the steps carefully, and steadied Cary as well. At least I didn't have to try to walk half-drunk in high heels.
As we reached the bottom, we could hear the crackle of static. The red-vest placed a portable radio on his belt and looked at us expectantly. "Baker and Bernham?" he asked. We nodded. "Excellent. Have a good night, folks!" He opened the door to the back of the limousine and ushered us in.
The driver was a Latino dude in a fancy uniform who couldn't be over twenty-one. He looked back at us. "Okay, sounds like we're headed to the Republic, right? Anywhere you need to stop first?"
I shook my head dumbly. The Republic was the nicest resort hotel in the area. Cary leaned over to me, "I'm not sure I can afford that," she whispered.
The driver withdrew a pager from a clip on his dashboard. "And I'm supposed to tell you both congratulations--this ride and the hotel room are Mr. Salinger's treat!" He smiled broadly, fully aware of what a past-midnight trip to a fancy hotel after a graduation party signified. Cary looked thunderstricken. Then, after a moment, she grinned and sat back into me.
The trip only took about twenty minutes. Halfway through, I murmured into her hair "A foursome?"
"Please don't ask me about that tonight," she said. "Or Valentine's Day. I promise I'll tell you sometime. But not tonight. This should just be for us."
I loosed a deep breath. "Okay. Yeah, okay. You're right." I let my hands wander from her waist down to her hips and thighs. "That's all I want."
I'd withdrawn fifty dollars for food and a ride home, but I gave it all to the limo driver as a tip once we arrived. He smiled. "Thank you, sir."
"Thanks for the ride," I answered back. "You must have had a busy night."
"No doubt," he nodded. "But this is my first drive out here. You both have a good night."
We walked into the lobby, and I wondered if this was what it felt like to be a millionaire--just walking into the fanciest hotel in town in the middle of the night with no worries about how it would be paid for, and every expectation of being accommodated. Cary walked elegantly beside me, as if she were back at her art exhibit attempting to impress patrons and friends. I squared my shoulders and tried to simultaneously look both elegant and natural.
The concierge at the front desk welcomed us and asked our names. Upon hearing them, he smiled. "Ah, yes! Mr. Salinger's guests. The penthouse suite is being prepared for you, and of course breakfast is included. Unfortunately our restaurant is closed for the evening, but the bar is still open if you'd care to have a seat and wait."
We glided over to the bar and had a seat. I asked for a Coke "to clear my head," and Cary nodded and asked for the same. The bartender took in our appearance and nodded. "Looks like a great night already," he opined. "Out dancing?"
"Among other things," I nodded. Cary sipped at her drink demurely.
"Isn't it a little late in the year for Prom?" asked one of the other patrons at the bar. He was a middle-aged guy in a gray suit and a tie loosened as if from recent carousing. He gave Cary a very long, frank look. If he really thought we were high schoolers, I found his interest kind of pervy.
"Graduation," Cary said primly. "Big day."
"Oh, college, then," the man surmised, swirling a clear liquid in his glass tumbler. "Guess that makes sense." He gave me a hard look, and then turned his attention back to Cary. I felt absurdly self-conscious, as if he were trying to figure out how somebody like me ended up with somebody like her. He shrugged after a moment, as if to say
whatever
.
His comments had made me realize that we stood out here--rich folks didn't dress like this except at galas or other special events. We wouldn't be the only folks going home in too-fancy clothing the next morning after graduation, but it would certainly look a little silly at breakfast. I looked lovingly at my Cary, perched elegantly on her barstool in her glittery red dress, and decided that none of that was an issue.
"Your suite is ready," a valet informed us. He led us to an elevator, inquiring about baggage.
"None, thanks," I answered.