ACT 5: LET THE GAMES BEGIN
The house we ate dinner at was truly that, a few tables set up in a living room. The daughter was the waitress, the mother was the cashier and the father was the cook, although the mother had been in and out of the kitchen the whole time, probably helping to prepare the delicious food. The make-shift restaurant was only a block south of the cottage, which made it quite convenient. I bought an extra beer, to take with me as we walked to our next destination, wherever that may be.
Kat had not said a word about the incident at the cottage earlier, accidentally walking in on our new neighbors, and flashing them her gorgeous breasts. We played these little games at home, where we would try to shock each other, to get a response. If you showed any emotion, let it affect you in any way, the other would be triumphant. The game was never sexual, always just innocent fun between only us. Now it seemed, I had stepped up that competition, unwittingly.
As it was, the bar we were going to was only another half a block away and across the street, you could see our cottage from it. Sitting on a raised, stone foundation, it was built on the beach with an iron gangway that rested on the concrete wall that held the ocean at bay and spanned the distance to its entrance.
I stopped prior to reaching the short bridge and removed my tee shirt, tucking it into my back pocket then pulled the cold beer from the pocket of my cargo shorts.
"I guess this is where we part?" My question didn't really need an answer.
"Is this the bar that Daryl told you about?" Kat asked, turning to face me.
"Yes," I responded, but not completely sure. "He says it's mostly tourists, with a few locals here and there."
"What will you do?" Kat said curiously.
"I think I'll head over to the beach and drink my beer, then I'll come in a few minutes." I opened the beer, taking a sip. "Have fun."
"Don't be too long." She added, then headed toward the bar.
As she went away, I admired the confidence in which she strutted, shoulders pulled back, long strong legs straight and swift. She was wearing one of her bikini tops, not as revealing as the others, meaning it covered more than just her nipples. It was tied in the back, she didn't like clips, she said they irritated her. The black shorts that stretched tight around her full ass, were cut so high that they showed off the lower half of her cheeks. Long black hair swayed side to side halfway down her muscular back. I liked it when she wore it down, her long curvy bangs and jet black hair deepened her dark eyes, making her appear so mysterious and sexual.
Hopping over the concrete wall somewhere between the bar and our cottage, and landing in the soft sand, I headed out for the ocean. The final gasps of the bright orange and yellow sun was just blazing its last brilliant light as it succumbed to the night and disappeared below the horizon. The sand was grainy and cool, squishing between my toes.
The stars began twinkling, billions of them, telling stories of days gone by. I sat in the sand, taking in the beauty and listening to the waves as they gently rolled in, claiming more of the dry beach with each break, a frothy bubbling mixture, that smelled clean and salty.
A short time after the beer had been consumed, I raised up, wiping the sand from my shorts. Following the gentle breeze, I made my way to the bar. Sounds of Mexican music and laughter filled my ears. The raised structure had a wooden lattice surrounding its lower half, behind it you could see the pipes and fixtures tangled. A metal frame around the square bar was open, the walls removed for good weather; a thatched roof covered it and a single set of cement stairs led up from the beach, muddled in dried green seaweed.
Ascending them and walking into the bar, I observed it's simple build. The immense square building, had a rectangular bar at its center with tall bar stools all around it. Tables skirted the edges of the floor, all around and some in the middle. There was a small dance floor on the street side, filled with people standing and talking at the moment. Clear Christmas type lights were strung from wall to wall across the ceiling, drooping down and flickering their yellow and gold lights.
Sitting on a high stool at the corner of the bar, I scanned the building. Kat was sitting opposite me, back turned to the bar and me, talking to two older men, both dressed like it was casual Friday at work, with button up shirts and slacks. The tall skinny man, was balding with thick glasses and crooked teeth, his open mouth turned up in a smile. The other man, short and chubby, constantly looked down at her breasts as they talked. Kat had her arm pulled back, elbow resting on the wood bar and hand clutching a half full margarita. She would pull her hair back behind her ear and giggle, shoulders shaking, whenever the tall man said something. She was out of their league, and they knew it, but this was Mexico and you never knew.
Daryl had been correct, mostly tourists at this bar and mostly older, with a few locals scattered here and there. Three women were perched on one side of Kat, flirting with the Mexican bartender, and a man on the other side of her, sat slumping on the corner of the bar, opposite me. He had his shirt off, black and grey hairs spattered over his chest and deep black hair, slicked back with streaks of gray lined in it. His thin muscular shoulders were drawn forward, arms rested on the bar, one hand holding a drink. He just stared down into the glass, a blank expression on his face.
"Can I get you a drink?" The soft words broke me out of my trance.
"Sure." I returned, looking up to see the girl standing on the other side of the bar. "How about a whiskey."
"Top shelf?" She put her small hands on the bar, and looked at me with her deep, dark eyes.
"House whiskey will be fine." I politely smiled at her, then went back to watching Kat flirt.
The young bartender returned with my drink, setting the glass down, and sliding it across the shiny wood in front of me.
"You should buy her a drink." Her words to the point, as she glanced at Kat, then back to me.
"Yes, maybe I will." I poured a bit of the smooth, warm liquid down my dry throat. "I'll get her whatever she is currently drinking."
The bartender was young and pretty, her thick dark brown hair seemed too thick for her small head and round nose. Her light brown skin was almost red on her round puffy cheeks, and her hair hung down over her small breasts, covering half her eye on one side of her face. Pushing off the bar and squeezing her breast together under the deep v-necked shirt she was wearing, she winked at me.
"I'll see what I can do." She spoke the words as she flipped around and strut off, her bubbly ass bouncing left and right in her tight ripped jeans.
I looked up to see the men still talking with Kat. The tall one would occasionally put his hand on her bare shoulder, then immediately remove it. She did nothing to discourage him or encourage him, just her subtle flirting, pushing her shoulders back and fidgeting with her hair. The male bartender, on the other side of the bar, pulled her empty glass from her hand, and replaced it with a fresh full glass. She just smiled and nodded at him, never taking her eyes off of the men she was speaking with.
"No luck" The dark haired bartender said to me, as she approached. "She already has three drinks purchased for her." Her red, round lips now turned down and pouting.
"I'll bet she does." I laughed, looking down into my drink.
She never had to pay for any drinks when she was alone; we should have thought of this when we were younger and had less money. The idea amused me.
"You don't seem too disappointed?" The bartender pointed out. "Want to try a shot? They always go right to the front of the order."
"Absolutely." I agreed. "How about tequila?"
"House?" She cocked her head to the side.
"Top shelf," I replied. "spare no expense."
"Good choice." She giggled. "I'll get right on that."
The two men shook Kats hand and moved on, probably disappointed. She didn't have to wait long. A blond haired man in a Hawaiian shirt, opened, showing off his big chest and round belly, moved right up, as though he was waiting in line. He made some introduction I couldn't hear, but I'm sure he thought was witty. The comment made Kat laugh and she reached out, shaking his big ring filled hand.
After a few minutes, Kat's bartender tapped her on the shoulder and handed her a single shot glass, then he whispered something into her ear.
"Done." The soft voice said, before setting two shot glasses and a bottle down in front of me. "I told her bartender, she knows it's from you." She poured a shot in each of the glasses.
"For us?" I quipped. "Am I buying you a drink also?"
"Yes," She sounded surprised I would even ask. "for all my hard work."
"Sounds about right." I tapped my shot glass against the one she had raised up, tilted my head back and swallowed the whole thing. She sipped a bit off the top and placed it back on the table.
"This is good shit, you might want to try tasting it." She mused, winking at me.
"Oh." I said, my face getting flushed. "I didn't know you did that." I looked over to see Kat sipping on hers.
"On break?" I asked her.
"Yes, kind of." She shrugged her small shoulders.
"I love any job where you can drink tequila on break. Cheers." I said as I poured another shot and sipped it.
