By Rachel Torrent

“Ya know you can’t stand up now, don’tcha?” Earl Ray whispered back to Julie. She was still sitting on his lap. Getting a definite rise out of him. Roy Dean, the party’s guest of honor, was talking drunkenly to Lonnie on the other side of the table. Eric had gone to the dance floor.

The room was dimly lit. The music in here was quiet. Everyone had finished eating, so the kitchen staff was beginning to clear away the buffet. Julie had seen Scottie and Sahndra return to the room after their little tryst in the back. They both had that long-overdue-orgasm look on their faces. And Scottie looked like he’d gotten more than that on his face. He was wiping his beard with a towel from the bar.

Julie turned back to Earl Ray. “Why can’t I stand up, my love?”

“’Cause it’ll be obvious that ya been sitting on me,” he said.

She kissed his mouth and tasted whiskey. Then she kissed his neck, just below his newly pierced ear, and whispered to him, “Ah, but I gotta go to the ladies room and take off these hose. Oh, and my panties too.”

“Please cut it out,” he said with a small, desperate laugh.

Knowing what Scottie and Sahndra had been doing in the back made Julie crave her own little secret adventure. Her mind raced. And so did her heart.

“Earl Ray, I can’t wait. I want you. Now.”

“So ya want me to lay ya down on this table? Is that what you’re saying?”

“God, yes. Please.”

He laughed. She knew he was blushing in the dark. But he was the one most responsible for her condition. He’d been teasing her all night. And touching her. And she was ready for him now.

They disappeared into the storeroom for about twenty minutes. Later, as they came back out into the restaurant, satisfied, Scottie didn’t miss a chance at ribbing.

“Hey, hey! Look who’s here! And just where have you two been?” They stopped at the bar. Earl Ray said nothing.

“Don’t start with me, Scottie. I can’t believe you’re even still standing up,” Julie said, sitting down beside Sahndra.

“Oh, that’s funny coming from you, Jules, when I’d lay odds that YOU weren’t standing up about ten minutes ago,” Scottie shot back.

“Yeah, she was,” Earl Ray said. And Scottie laughed.

“I see. I see. Well, then how ‘bout a beer, buddy?”

“And a shot of whiskey,” Earl Ray said to him. Julie thought he was blushing even now. Maybe he was just still flushed.

While the husbands talked at one end of the bar, Sahndra filled Julie in on who had left the party. Alan was still around, although it seemed as if Amy wasn’t very happy with him. She was pouting at her table. Alan, however, was having a much better time since he’d talked to Carli. Julie was so very glad Alan was finally going to be happy.

And Roger was still around somewhere. Sahndra said he’d sauntered through the restaurant area, gotten some food from the buffet and sat down with Don to eat. She said she knew Scottie had seen him, but she figured he’d chosen to ignore him as long as she sat there with him. Julie thought that Scottie might just be too intoxicated to pick a fight with Roger that night. Sahndra said that Roger had then gone back over to the other side with Don.

“Oh, speaking of the devil herself,” Sahndra said as Amy Matthews walked up to the ladies.

“Hi, Amy. Enjoying yourself?” Julie asked her. Julie hated that hairdo. If that’s what it was.

“Well, that’s what I came over to tell you two. I think I’m hitting the road. That is, if I can find my husband and son. I doubt I’ll ever let Alan out again, after the way he’s treated me tonight.”

Julie was astounded. “Uh, what did you say?”

“Alan’s been a jerk to me all night. I don’t think he deserves anymore playtime for a while,” Amy said while putting on her coat.

Sahndra could tell this had pissed Julie off. So she stayed quiet. “Ya know, Amy? Maybe this is none of my business, but since this is my party, I’ll say it anyway. It seems to me that Alan deserves MORE playtime. And where do you get off letting him out or not letting him out? What are you? His lord and master?” Julie didn’t smile. She didn’t want Amy to think she was kidding.

Amy was stunned. She couldn’t say anything for a couple of seconds. Then, “I don’t appreciate that, Julie.”

“What you don’t appreciate, Amy, is Alan. Give me a break. Why don’t you just leave him here? I’ll bring him home.”

Amy stared at her for another second. “Good night,” was all she could say. Then she left them and went into the next room.

“God, you’re such a bitch,” Sahndra told Julie. “But I wish I had said it.”

“She can bite me. Dumb bitch. She wasted twenty years of a chance. Do you think Alan and Carli hit if off again?”

Sahndra said, “Oh, yeah. He even offered to make sure she got home all right. She let him call her a cab.”

“Cool. Now let’s go and see what’s happening over there.”

They left their husbands at the bar. Scottie was tossing another one back and didn’t seem to remember his leash on Sahndra. Earl Ray winked at Julie as she left. He was drinking heavily now too.

In the other room, the bar, they watched Alan reluctantly leave with an obviously angry Amy. He waved to them. “He probably won’t even care if she won’t give him any tonight,” Julie said.

“Hell, he’ll probably be relieved to not have to look at that dead thing tonight.”

“Yeah, I hear ya. Speaking of sex…..how did things go in the back earlier?”

Sahndra snickered. “Oh, I cleaned up everything.”

“No, I meant was it good?”

“Duh. It was fabulous. Hurried and intense,” Sahndra said.

“Me too. We couldn’t wait.”

“It’s a good thing, I guess, ‘cause they’re getting plastered now.”

“I know. I can’t wait to nurse Earl Ray’s hangover tomorrow. Yeah, buddy.”

Then suddenly, Jack was between the two of them and putting one of his hands on each of their shoulders. “My two favorite ladies in the place. I’m so glad I caught up with you.”

They turned to face him and inwardly swooned. He looked as crisp and handsome as he had when he first arrived. The man was outrageously attractive.

Sahndra slid her fingers under one of his suspenders. He smiled at her. She said, slowly, “How sexy is a man in suspenders…..”

“You think so? Jeez, you smell good.” He put his face in Sahndra’s hair, and Julie burst out laughing. She knew what Jack was smelling.

“Sorry, guys. I lost my mind, just for a second,” she said. Sahndra smiled at her when Jack couldn’t see.

“I love that scent. You should wear it all the time,” Jack said in his seductive voice.

“Thanks, Jack. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“But, regrettably, I must be going now. Some of the guys are heading down to that Lococco guy’s place. The Snake Den, I think it’s called.”

“The Coiled Snake Pit,” Julie corrected him.

He turned to her and kissed her on the cheek. “I had a lovely time. You ladies are wonderful hostesses. Thank you both.” And he kissed Sahndra too.

When he’d gone, they looked at each and licked their lips. Neither had to say what they both were thinking. Hot, sweaty, raunchy, on-the-floor sex with that man. What a fantasy.

“That means Roger’s leaving. We should say goodbye to him too,” Julie said finally when Jack had left through the front door.

“There he is. By the jukebox.” Sahndra had spotted him across the dance floor.

They made their way through the room, speaking to guests. Roger was giving directions to Slick Goodlin. Julie and Sahndra hadn’t seen Slick come in. As they walked up, Roger must have sensed them. He turned around. Sahndra thought she heard Julie make an involuntary little noise in her throat. A tiny whimper, maybe.

He smiled that almost-smile of his. “Hey, there. You girls wanna go down to the Snake Pit with us?”

Both of them immediately thought, “Yes!”

But Julie said, “I’d love to, but I gotta hang around here. I kind of own the place and need to lock up after everyone’s gone.” She smiled at him.

“Yeah, and I got a drunk husband over on the other side. Duty calls,” Sahndra said to him.

“Well, maybe next time. Or just come by whenever you want. By the way, nice party. Thanks for making me come.”

Julie and Sahndra almost laughed out loud together. They both wished.