"I guess Larry was pretty drunk last night?" Suzie laughed the following afternoon, ending a call on her cell phone.
"Why do you say that?" I answered, my heart rate jumping at the reminder of what had happened.
"That was Lara. She said that it was almost noon before Larry got up and he's nursing a headache. She said he smelled like a brewery this morning."
"I don't think I've ever seen him that drunk before. That's what he gets for being a lousy poker player. When he goes out early, he just watches and drinks, and with the game going long, he had more than usual."
"She wanted to know if we want to come over for a swim and steaks later."
I shrugged my shoulders, "Yeah, sounds good to me."
"Ok, I'll let her know."
~
"We'll be back in a bit," Lara said, car keys in hand, Suzie right beside her. "Steaks and lighter fluid. We've got lots of charcoal... anything else you can think of?" None of us came up with anything that we didn't have, and I watched as they headed out the gate.
"Oh my god, I may never drink again," Larry said, nursing a coke without the Jack. Now sitting in chairs around the pool, we'd just gotten out after a cooling dip in the pool.
"At least until next time," I laughed. "How's your head?"
"Better. A lot of liquid and ibuprofen and it's much better."
"You were pretty wasted last night."
"Tell me about it, I can't remember when the last time I was that wasted."
"Do you remember anything at all?"
"I don't even remember coming home."
"I took you home."
"Ah, that explains it."
"Explains what?"
"My shoes weren't unlaced the same, or put where I normally put them, and my pants and shirt weren't like I normally leave them."
"Funny how we're creatures of habit, isn't it?"
"Yeah." He said nothing for a moment. "I guess I was out of control?"
"Pretty drunk," I agreed. "Can't say as I've ever seen you that drunk before."
"I don't remember anything.... Oh, well, except that I remember you seemed to be pretty upset after you got that killer hand with the full house and then lost."
"I'm surprised you remember that. But hey Shit Happens, bro -- but you've gotta learn to keep your mouth shut. I don't mind you looking over my shoulder, but
any
reaction good or bad, tells the other players
something.
I've told you before, poker is about people and reactions,
not
the cards. The other players need to
think
you've got a bad hand when it's good, and a good hand when it's bad."
"Yeah, but you always seem to have a good hand."
I laughed, "It's good that you
think
so. I don't, but I make you think that I do." We sat quietly for a moment. "So, you're pretty infatuated with my wife's nipples?"
"What?"
I glanced over and he looked shocked.
"Well, you offered to give up your left nut just to be able to suck on her nipples and fuck her once."
"Oh, I did not."
"You think I'd make that up?"
He sat there, obviously quite uncomfortable for a moment. "I really said that?" I nodded.
"Several times." I didn't say anything for a moment. "That and when I got you into bed you wanted to know if she might want to suck your cock." He didn't say anything, just sitting there embarrassed. I let him stew for a moment before letting him off the hook.
It's ok," I finally said. "She does have some great nips, doesn't she?"
"Listen, Adam... I, uhm..."
"No, It's OK, Larry. I know she's got the greatest nips, and greatest body for that matter, but I gotta admit, Lara's got some great tits too."
"Yeah, she does. I've seen you ogling her a time or too. Just no nips."
"Yeah. I uhm... listen, Larry, I saw her last night."
"Huh? What do you mean? You
saw her?
"
"When I took you home... she was asleep and with her ear plugs and mask on, she never even woke up. I got you into bed and well... she was lying there virtually naked."
"What do you mean, virtually naked?"
"She had her face mask and ear plugs in. She was wearing a baby doll... and nothing else. She had the sheet up over her waist, so her tits were just there and almost bare."
"She was already up and gone when I got up this morning."
"You mean when you got up this afternoon?" He ignored my jab.
"That's her 'I want sex' outfit."
"I thought it might be." We sat quietly for a while; my conscience assuaged. I hadn't told him that the sheet had only been down over her legs because I'd drawn it down from her waist. I hadn't told him that I'd fondled her, or that her so called non-existent nipples had responded a bit to my touch, but at least I'd confessed that I'd seen her nude, or at least almost so.
"I've gotta admit, buddy, I occasionally think about Lara the same way that apparently you do Suzie. I guess us sheep always think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence?"
The gate suddenly pushed open, Lara and Suzie returning from the store. "Which of you nefarious idiots is going to start the barbeque while we go swimming and cool off?"
~