Author's Notes:
'One Night in Montreal' is my contribution to Literotica's 'One Night in XXX' Story Event.
Having experienced the absolute magic of this city's yearly Tour La Nuit night ride myself
, there was no other destination I could have chosen for this story.
All characters engaging in sexual relationships or activities are 18 years old or older.
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One Night in Montreal
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Roman eased his compact SUV onto the off-ramp from the Trans-Canada Highway to join the slow flow of traffic on the Décarie Expressway which was showing no signs of being express at all. He was finally past the industrial sprawl of the outskirts of Montreal, and the sunken north-south highway would take him directly into the heart of the city. This was his favorite part of the route.
The drive from Toronto, where he lived with his family, had taken him six and a half hours this time due to construction delays and he was feeling a little rough from being behind the wheel for that long. Normally, he would have had a co-pilot along to share the driving. His best friend Angelo was supposed to have joined him this weekend. At the last minute, Angelo received a call from his on-again-off-again girlfriend Bianca who'd gotten over their latest meltdown and wanted to be
on again
.
Angelo bailed on the Fellowship as, in his words, 'One does not simply walk away from epic make-up sex with Bianca'. He'd apologized, but that still meant Roman was left to decide if he was going solo on the trip or canceling and losing the money he'd paid for the hotel and the event tickets.
Solo, it was.
He glanced once more at the clock on his dash as this late arrival was jeopardizing his ability to join the first event he'd signed up for this weekend. The 'Tour la Nuit' was a 20km night time group cycle through city streets closed to other traffic. This year was the first time he'd signed up for it. He and Angelo had participated in the festival weekend's main ride in the previous three years. Le Tour de l'Ile de Montreal took place on the first Sunday in June. They'd promised they'd return and this time they'd join the Friday night Tour la Nuit ride as well.
Roman frowned as time was short and he still had to drive into the core of the city to reach his hotel, check in, get changed into his cycling gear, and ride to the start line. He'd chosen the downtown hotel as it was reasonably close to the start line. His mountain bike was securely strapped down on his truck's bike rack, and he'd spent the evening before mounting strips of blue and white led lights to the bike frame. His ride was going to look so sweet! If he could just get moving!
As if hearing his silent plea, the speed on the Décarie began to pick up, and he breathed a little easier.
He spotted the ramp leading up to the street where he and Angelo would typically reward themselves with a journey's conclusion meal. It was Angelo who first spotted the massive orange ball in the distance and made them stop on their first visit to Montreal. They'd discovered Gibeau Orange Julep, a roadside attraction from bygone days but still serving amazingly yummy fast food. Maybe not the healthiest meal but a welcome break after their long drive from Toronto. Roman sadly passed the exit this time but promised himself a visit on the way home.
He continued south to the end of the Décarie, exiting into the spaghetti of the Turcot Exchange and heading east towards downtown. It wasn't long before he was driving into the tunnels under the city. He took an exit up to the surface then drove north into the center of the downtown district. He could see the preparations being put in place to block off the roads for the cyclists. His grin grew wider.
He lowered his window and enjoyed the warm evening air. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and nothing in the forecast to indicate this would change. It was perfect weather for a night ride!
Roman finally made it to the hotel and parked in the underground parking lot. He ensured he locked his bike securely to his bike rack then went up to the lobby to check in. Once he had his room key, he went upstairs and took a quick shower to freshen up. He shaved and looked at himself in the mirror as he dried his shoulder-length black hair.
Angelo was a smooth operator who had no problems talking with girls and getting a date; when he wasn't back with Bianca, that is. Bianca was much like Angelo and Roman knew she had boyfriends when she wasn't with Angelo. He could only wonder at the ease with which they each attracted people and had their little flings. He marveled at that ability as he was always too shy and typically struggled when meeting new people.
Angelo also had the pretty face, and Roman just looked fierce. He had dark brows over dark eyes, and his nose had a flattening bump that made it look like it'd been broken, but it hadn't. Bianca once told him he had a nice smile and said he was a good listener.
She'd also made a play for him once. After a particularly bad breakup, Bianca bumped into him alone in a nightclub. She was a little drunk, but she decided she'd enjoy his company, dancing, and drinking, which they did for hours. After he managed to get her to leave, he took her to her home, kissed her on the cheek, and graciously said his goodnights. She'd made it obvious he was welcome to share her bed that night, but he went home instead.
Later, when she was back together with Angelo, she'd cornered Roman alone and asked him point blank why he hadn't slept with her. She'd never been refused before.
He'd told her that, while he found her very attractive, he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his friendship with Angelo. That seemed to calm the woman's insecurities.
Not that he'd always been a loner. He'd had a girlfriend once, Cindy. They'd been together for about a year until one day she informed him that she was leaving him to go overseas and find herself. That was two years ago, and he hadn't heard from her since.
He had a strong body, especially his hands and arms as he was a stone mason in the family business and worked with the heavy materials every day. He cycled in the summers and played hockey all winter, so this and his job kept him fit.
Once he was dry, he put on his cycling clothes. In preparation for tonight, he'd gone online and ordered Toronto Maple Leaf cycling jerseys, one for himself and one for Angelo. He was feeling just a little nervous about it now as he didn't have Angelo here wearing his to back him up. It should have been the two of them. He shook his head and pushed that from his mind. The colors on his jersey matched the lights he'd added to his bike. Still, he almost chickened out. He had another cycling jersey for the main ride on Sunday, but he didn't want to wear it twice. He gave his head a shake. Blue and white it was!
He glanced at the clock and breathed a sigh of relief as he still had time to ride to the start line. He grabbed his wallet, keys, and room card and headed back down to the garage. He pulled his helmet and gloves from the backseat and two water bottles from a cooler as well. His backpack had some snacks, spare tubes, tools, and a small pump. It also had his ride bib which he pulled on over his jersey. This one said Tour la Nuit on both sides as well as 'Lait' as the milk producers were a major sponsor of the ride. Angelo got a chuckle from that, but Roman was pleased as he preferred them over less healthy products. He realized it also covered up the Leaf's emblem on the Jersey, so it wasn't so obviously a Leaf's uniform.
Unlocking the bike from the rack, he did a quick inspection, and it looked good. The lock went into his pack, he put on his helmet and turned on the lights. The bike glowed brilliantly, and he grinned happily. He wished he could have shared this with his buddy, but who was he to deny his friend a weekend of epic sex.
As he rode up the garage ramps to get back to street level, he thought about Angelo and Bianca. While they made a beautiful couple, he never really understood why they were together. They were too much alike, and neither was willing to compromise for the other. They had a very physical relationship, but they barely spoke. He was worried about his friend.
The garage door opened and Roman rode out onto the street. He got his bearings and slipped out onto the roadway behind a group wearing the same ride bib as he was. They smiled at his light show and said something in French which exceeded his high school lessons in the language, so he just smiled and nodded. They seemed to take no notice of his lack of comprehension as they rode away when the light changed.
They rode north, getting closer to the park and saw a few police cars blocking the main road. When the light changed, Roman followed the cyclists past the police cars, and they began a long steep climb on the avenue next to the park. When they finally crested the hill, they found hundreds of cyclists already waiting to start the ride. Roman's smile widened as he saw the lights. Every kind and color of LED light was on display, and it wasn't even dark yet. The sun was just kissing the horizon yet the happy lights flickered, pulsed and shone their chromatic hearts out. Some were in the strips like he'd strapped to his bike's frame. Others were parts of toys tied to helmets, or baskets, or the cyclist's bodies themselves.
Everyone seemed happy and excited, chattering to each other, eager for the ride to begin.
As he rolled closer to the main group, he overheard snippets of their conversations. Most were in French, but occasionally he'd hear English. He didn't really listen in, but he let the energy wash over him. It was electric!
When he reached the pack, he stopped and straddled his bike, smiling to himself as he saw the anticipation on the faces of the people around him. Music was pouring from huge speakers a radio station set up on the curb, and some riders were singing along.
He saw cyclists of every age group from kids in bike trailers right up to octogenarians who looked like they might give him a run for his money in a race. The bikes on display ranged from Bixi city rental bikes to $4000 carbon fibre racing bikes. Roman saw some of the bikes were likely making their first appearance of the year after spending the winter and spring months collecting rust on a balcony. He wondered if they'd survive the journey. He glanced at the owners of these rolling rust factories to see if they looked like
they'd
survive the short route too. His mind flashed back to a previous sweltering summer day when he and Angelo rode in the 50km Sunday ride. They'd spotted paramedics doing vigorous chest compressions on a severely overweight man on the ground, ripples from the thumps rushing outwards through his doughy flesh, a victim of poor life decisions. It'd been a shocking and sad sight.
Pulling his mind back from that, he closed his eyes and let the music and laughter wash away the darkness. He felt so good! While it would have been nice to share this with Angelo, the night held so much promise he was just glad to be a part of it!
It was going to be a great ride!
-=-
When they left the grounds of McGill University, they were five ladies out for a night of fun on their bicycles. They'd decorated their rides and their helmets with lights and put on their sexy cycling clothes. Most of them anyway.
The straggler in their party was a last minute replacement for the roommate of the other four. The missing girl, Yvonne, had to go home to take care of a sick parent. Julie was her lab partner and gave in to her pleas to take her place as the fifth rider. Julie was riding Yvonne's mountain bike as well.
Unfortunately, Julie was much shorter than her leggy lab partner and the bike's seat post had no quick release to lower the saddle. Also, Julie had a much simpler bicycle in her hometown of Gatineau, so the gears and brakes of the mountain bike were taking some time to get used to. She'd spent the afternoon practicing and was confident she could do the route tonight, but she really wished she could drop the saddle a few centimeters, five max!