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* Education of a Jezebel
* Part 9 - Deciding on a Major
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This is part of a novel. Previous parts should be read first.
Chapter 26
A call had come in Saturday afternoon, she'd ignored it as it was from a guy named Craig, she'd given him her number at a bar after work one night. She returned it Monday evening, got him on the third ring. "Sorry, I was busy all weekend... Thursday evening?... Sure... B.J.s Brewhouse in Deerville, I know it... Yeah, I'll meet you there, 7:30?... See you then." The picture she had of him in her brain was hazy, the guys who tried to pick you up in bars all ran together. But he must be okay, else why would she have given her number to him?
Sam dragged her along to a lunch with a big donor on Tuesday, this was getting weird, she mostly sat and listened to the schmoozing.
She got the call she'd been expecting on Tuesday, Tom suggested he come to her place Saturday night, but he'd have to leave early because he had to flip down to out to L.A. Sunday, he'd be gone the whole week.
She accepted a date with Tavon on Friday night once she realized she was free, she'd been putting him off too long.
And Kurt wanted her to date him on Friday, as well, it was getting confusing. She was juggling just four men, how could she possibly think she could handle five at a time? But it might be a pleasure to die trying, she mused.
Thursday night she showed up at the Brewhouse just a few minutes late, after texting Ashley the details. No one she remembered as 'Craig' seemed to be around. She asked the bartender for a Tomahawk, the October night was nippy, the cinnamon schnapps and amaretto warmed her. Craig came in, complained that somebody in his parking lot had blocked his car. Yeah, he looked okay, a little older than she anticipated, dark hair that roamed his head messily. At the bar, then over dinner of a sandwich for him, salad for her, they went through the prance. "Where did you go to college?" "I grew up in a small town south of here." "I've been getting into Four Hand Morbidity lately, good heavy metal." "Never been to California, I think I'd like the beaches." The conversation was as trite as it was insipid, both knew it before they were ready for a second drink. When the bill came, Kelley offered to split it, to her surprise Craig accepted, she steamed a little bit as she tapped her credit card. At the door, Craig asked, "Maybe we could get together again?" Kelley wasn't the slightest bit chagrined when she said, "Probably not."
On her way home, she went slightly out of her way to drive past the house that Kurt and Andrew lived in, was surprised by the 'For Sale' sign on the lawn. She recollected the good times she'd had there, the dinners, the poker games, and yes, the nights of the three bedrooms and the threesome.
On Friday, Tavon picked her up, he had a five year old sedan, in good shape. He took her to a movie, they compromised on a historical fiction about a gangster during prohibition. They stopped for a sandwich, then Kelley invited him in. He seemed amazed at her apartment, couldn't get over the four-poster bed. He was no better than he'd been the time before, to his credit he was no worse. By the time he left before midnight their desires were both moderately quenched, but Kelley was left wanting more both physically and mentally. As he drove away, she wondered how long she was going to keep the Black man on the hook.
Saturday, she met Ashley at the mall, they shopped a bit, had lunch. It was just girls being girls, no different from the decade previous when they'd just been friends. Yes, Don and Nick were fine, all was well, maybe an evening in November?
She readied herself for Tom, she'd had her Brazilian refreshed, it hadn't hurt nearly so bad this time. He came by about six, jeans, mottled blazer, a gorgeous burnt orange scarf. The first kiss was deep. lingering. "Ready to go?"
"We could stay in for awhile..." Kelley offered, they strode into the bedroom, he pulled her blouse off from behind. He was wild for her, she was just as interested in his charms, Tavon be damned. Tom stood her up against a post at the corner of the bed, she dangled from the frame above her, it was interesting and athletic, although between the need to hang on and the softness of the mattress Tom stood on provided less than a firm base to push against. Doggy was tried for awhile, then some sort of missionary with crunched knees and elbows. Orgasms flowed readily for the woman, five or six at least, she wasn't counting. They finished with the corners of sheets torn from the mattress, he was only half on the bed. She was sitting on him leaning backwards, Tom had an amazing eruption, drenching her completely. When they bothered to look at a clock, they'd been romping for well over an hour and a half.
Kelley headed into the bathroom, saw her makeup was completely destroyed, her hair tumbled wildly. She could repair it, but it would take more time than it was worth. "Why don't we just order a pizza?" she called.
"You like mushrooms?" he hollered back.
"And pepperoni?"
"Yeah."
She called it in, tried her best to tame her mane, they broke open a bottle of red. The bell rang, she ran to open the door in a terrycloth robe. Yes, it was the same guy she'd flashed months earlier, he seemed disappointed he wasn't getting a little bit of a show.
They sat on the living room floor, listening to The Byrds, and reviewed their upcoming schedules. "I'll be in New York next weekend," she reminded him.
"That's too bad, looks like it'll be a couple of weeks before we can hook up again."
After she'd had two slices and he three, the exercise had given both an appetite, they threw more classic rock on. "You really do want to learn about Classic Rock?" he asked. "You don't have to be bored with it just to humor me."
"Do I seem bored?"
"I wonder sometimes if I'm going on too much. Tell you what, educate me. I'm a businessman, I've never understood nonprofits. What's in it for you guys?"
"I guess the biggest reason for OpenedDoors is to educate people in Morreton's architecture and business climate at the same time..." Kelley went on, Tom asked her pertinent questions.
Tom didn't leave until after brunch on Sunday afternoon, Kelley headed to Nordstrom's where she picked up a navy business suit and a pants suit in a grey wool blend. She needed something for New York, these would do nicely.
She on her sofa, listening to Tom petty, pondering that it would be two weeks before she'd see her favorite lover again. That seemed a long time, was she getting too close? Luckily her phone chimed, it was Don. "Hi!" she greeted cordially.
"Hey," he said, "I've been thinking about you."
"Oh, and what have you been thinking? Something dirty, I hope."