By Rachel Torrent

“Hey, baby…….You ever gonna want to marry me?”

Julie grinned against Roger’s chest in the dark. In their bed. In their loft. And she knew he felt it. She was slowly getting used to these out-of-the-blue, off-the-wall musings of his.

“What in the hell do ya mean, Roger? Do I ever wanna marry you?”

He laughed a tiny laugh that trailed off into silence. “You never talk about it, sweets. Every other woman I ever tried to date wanted to clamp me down right away.”

“But Roger, my love……….you told me once that I wasn’t like other women.”

He kissed her head. “And you’re not……..…Guess that’s why I love ya so damn much.”

Julie snuggled up closer to him and breathed him into her system as much as she could. “I wanna spend all the rest of my days and nights with you, honey. Married or not. And if that’s clamping you down, then too fucking bad. You shoulda never asked me to stay and have that first drink with ya at the Snake Pit that night.”

He laughed the fading-away laugh again. “Ahhhh, Julie, I’d wanted a chance like that for months……..You just don’t know…..”

“Well, why didn’t you take a chance that day at my house? When we were looking at photo albums by the fire?” She kissed his chest a few more times, slowly.

He squeezed her. “What? With your protective-ass husband right downstairs? Are you crazy? He’d have whipped my ass! I don’t think he liked me being in there with you anyway.”

“He never said a word about it………until the divorce,” Julie said.

“He thought we were fucking way back then?” Roger was so romantic. She was getting used to that too.

“He just asked…………..for his own peace of mind.”

Roger kissed her temple now. He knew she didn’t like to talk about all of that recent past stuff yet. “I’m glad you’re mine now,” he whispered to her.

“Yours.” Julie wasn’t asking a question. She just loved the sound of it.

“Aren’t ya, baby?”

“I’m yours, Roger. For now and forever.”

“Let’s inscribe that on our wedding bands.”

Julie smiled on his skin again. “On our wedding bands?”

He laughed. “You know……….if we ever get any………..”

“You’re more sentimental than I thought, Roger……….more so than most people would believe.”

“Only ‘cause of you, baby……..only ‘cause of you.”

Julie tried to get closer to his warm body in the darkness. But it was almost impossible. They were already one.

* * *

Earl Ray got up early the next day, Saturday, to cook breakfast for Sahndra. She loved French toast with strawberries and Canadian bacon. He always called it their “north of the border” breakfast. And whatever he could do to make her happy, especially now, he would do willingly. A hundred times over. She’d been home from the appendectomy only a few days, and he was striving so damn hard to make everything pleasant, if not perfect.

Sahndra hadn’t been having the world’s best ever post-operative experience. She’d been extremely sore and uncomfortable. Sometimes she’d even been nauseous. She was tired, bored and hated being confined to the bed for any period of time. All of this Earl Ray knew. Instinctively. He’d sensed her troubles. What the hell else was he supposed to do besides make her feel better? He loved her, for Chrissake.

When he had everything ready to eat, he walked back into the bedroom to see if she was awake. She was still under the covers but awake, and she smiled at him when their eyes met. That gave him a tiny thrill. Maybe, he thought, she was coming back around to her old self. Maybe they could really start their life together now.

“Hey, sweetie........You awake?”

“Awake enough to want you bad. Come over here, you,” she said.

Earl Ray got into bed beside her and pulled the covers over them. Sahndra snuggled next to him. He was warm and smelled good.

“I made that breakfast you like so much,” he whispered.

“I think I’d just like to eat you for breakfast.”

“Now that can be arranged too, darlin’. Ya feeling frisky today?”

Earl Ray had refrained from sex with her since her return from the hospital, even though she’d claimed it wouldn’t injure her. “I ain’t going anywhere, baby. There’ll be plenty of time for that later. You just take it easy for now,” he had said.

“Earl Ray, are we living together yet?” she asked him now, in bed.

“Yes, honey. We are. I’ve been moving shit in all week. Clothes and stuff. So it’s official. You and me. Shacking up. Wanna celebrate or send out some announcements or something?” He was rubbing the back of her neck.

“I want you to make love to me.”

“Sahndra, angel, I’ll hurt ya. We’ve been over this.”

“You won’t hurt me, Earl Ray! You’re the most gentle lover in the world, and I need you!” Sahndra had started massaging his crotch and felt him responding to her. What she held in her hand was making her wet too.

He refused again, amidst her strong protests, and then joked around with her until she got her mind around her out-of-control desires.

“I’ve got a raging appetite now,” Sahndra said, finally, still lovingly kissing him.

“Well, you just sit right there, missy, and I’ll go and get it.”

“I’m so glad you’re my new roommate,” she told him as he was leaving.

He turned around and grinned. “Me too, sweetie. It’s gonna be great……….and let’s do go out tonight. Okay? If you feel up to it, of course.”

“I can’t wait to get out of this damn bed. I’ll feel up to it.”

“I’ll be right back. I love you.”

It’s already great, Sahndra thought. This man was her godsend.

* * *

On that same morning back over at the loft, Roger was nudging Julie to wake her up. “The goddamn phone’s for you,” he said. She hadn’t heard it ringing.

“Hello?”

“Morning, sunshine! What in the hell is your dead ass doing in bed still?” It was Scottie, and he was wide awake. Slightly unusual for pre-noon on a Saturday.

Julie rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”

“Nine freaking thirty! What the fuck did you do last night anyway?” Scottie sounded wired. Positively wired.

“Hmmmmm………bedroom things, Scottie.” Julie looked down at Roger and smiled to herself. She had sat up in bed to answer the phone, and he was now lying with his head on her stomach and his arm next to her thigh.

“Yeah. Yeah. Spare me the messy details. I’ll have to hear it anyway when Lococco tells all the guys down at the bar.” He snickered.

“You’re a damn liar, Scottie.”

He laughed out loud. “Just messing withya, Jules. Say……..What are you guys doing tonight? You keeping him in to fuck his brains out again?”

“I just might. That’s none of your damn business, now is it?” Julie ran her fingers through Roger’s hair and felt his breath on her abdomen.

“Jules, babe, settle that wild butt of yours down some. I want you and your bodyguard to meet Christine. She’s someone I’ve been seeing.”

Sahndra had told Julie that Scottie mentioned meeting a new woman. Sahndra had seemed shocked, but not very upset.

“Really now? What’s her fatal flaw that she’d actually go out with you?” Julie laughed.

“Lemme talk to Roger again. I’m gonna have him kick your ass, you smart-mouth bitch.”

Julie was still laughing. “Okay, Scottie. Whadaya wanna do? We could go to Renaissance.”

“I’d rather bring her to Renaissance when you’re working. How ‘bout you two meet us at the penthouse for a drink around seven? And then we’ll go to Seevuplay for dinner. Sound cool?”

“Sounds real cool, Scottie. I can’t wait,” Julie said.

“Just try to behave, Jules.”

“Kiss my ass, Scottie.”

“Right. And get my head knocked completely off.”

After the phone call, Roger laid back on his other pillow and said, “All right. What did ya commit me for this time?”

She propped up on her elbow so that she could look at him. “Scottie wants us to meet his new girlfriend.”

“Why?”

“C’mon, Roger. Don’t be a pain in the ass.”

“You’re turning me into a socialite,” he said, trying to pout.

“I’m not turning you into anything. Besides, you’d be the cutest socialite in town.” She thought she might have to jump on him.

He looked up at her, moving only his eyes. “So where do we havta go with Scottie and his new piece?”

She sighed. “Roger, please be nice.”

“I’ll be nice, sweetheart. At least for a little while.”

* * *

After lunch on this eventful Saturday, Sahndra called Julie, and Roger, of course, answered the phone. She always felt that odd mixture of excitement and dread when she spoke to Roger. Because he really was lots of fun despite his harshness, but she sometimes feared she couldn’t keep up with him. She wondered if other people felt this way about him. Julie must surely have nerves of steel, she thought.

So when she heard his “Yeah,” on the other end that afternoon, she was glad. He made her feel alive.

“Why don’tcha just say, ‘What the fuck do ya want?’ when you answer the phone, Roger?”

“Well, Sahndra……..What the fuck DO you want? Hmmm? And thanks for the etiquette lesson.”

“You’re just so warm and charming……….like I always thought a human prick would be,” Sahndra said. She was smiling.

“You’re in rare form today, biker chick. Ya must be able to fuck Earl Ray again after that surgery. Tell me…….Did those doctors find any dried whipped cream in your navel?” He laughed. He had amused himself.

“You bastard. I swear to God I don’t know how or why Julie puts up with your ass.”

“Julie loves my ass,” he said softly.

“And I gotta admit – it’s a nice ass. But the rest of you ain’t worth it, you prick.”

“Whatever, Sahndra. Didya call just to talk about my ass or what?”

“Fuck you and your ass, Roger. Lemme talk to Julie.”

“For what? Howya feeling anyway?”

“I’m feeling fine, except that you’re starting to piss me off.” And he was.

I don’t really care. By the way, how DOES that whipped cream shit taste mixed with—”

“Give me the phone, Roger.” Julie took it from him because she’d been listening to their conversation. Roger was laughing, and she heard Sahndra laughing on the other end as well. Acting like two dumb children, Julie thought.

She told Sahndra all about Scottie’s phone call and the invite. Both of them wondered what Christine would be like.

“So when do I get to meet her?” Sahndra asked.

“You really want to?” Julie said.

“Of course I want to. He said I’d like her. And if he’s running around town with a slut, I wanna be the one to tell him not to.”

“Well, just tell Earl Ray to find something else to do tonight, and you can come along with me and Roger.” Julie could be as sarcastic as she wanted to be.

Roger, still sitting by Julie on the sofa, laughed and said loud enough for Sahndra to hear, “Yeah, c’mon along, Sahndra. You’ll fit right in beautifully. We can even do a comparison study between you and the new piece.”

Sahndra said in the phone, “Tell that prick to shut his damn face.”

Julie slapped his denim-covered thigh. “Shut up, Roger. And stop calling her a ‘piece!’”

“What a bastard you got there, Jules.”

“Yeah, but he looks damn good.”

“Whatever. Anyways, I got plans tonight with my new roomie. We’re going out to celebrate our cohabitation.”

Julie smiled. “That’s so cool. You guys have come a long way.”

“I want him for the long haul. I really do,” Sahndra said sincerely.

“And I think you got him. Looks that way from here.”

* * *

Christine turned out to be quite charming, in Julie’s humble opinion. She was around Scottie’s age and very worldly. She owned the new lingerie boutique downtown, and she dressed well. She had a witty, outgoing personality, and she and Scottie seemed well matched. And, Julie noticed, they appeared to be crazy about each other after only a couple of weeks.

Julie was also impressed with what Scottie had done with the penthouse. He gave all the credit to his interior designer, but Julie saw his own personal touches too. He really seemed to be doing fine. She had worried about him right after the divorce from Sahndra because she knew he was burying so many negative feelings. But her worries were gone now.

When Scottie introduced Julie to Christine, Christine said, “Oh! You’re the old friend! I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Julie wasn’t sure where to go from there. “Yeah. Scottie introduced me to my ex-husband, and now I’m still good friends with HIS ex.”

Christine laughed. “He talks a lot about the stuff you guys used to do.”

“Scottie just talks a lot,” Julie said. “You’ll learn to weed out the bullshit soon enough.”

“Don’t start, Jules. I’ll havta hurt you.” Scottie winked at her.

What Julie liked most about Christine was that she didn’t drop down at Roger’s feet and try everything she knew to get his attention. She didn’t seem to notice him at all. She didn’t even die laughing when he made his usual comment about Seevuplay: “I hate that place. They spell the fucking name wrong.” It was refreshing to Julie to find a female NOT interested in him. He, as usual, was oblivious to all of it. By his own choice, no doubt.

Once when Julie and Scottie were in his kitchen alone, he wanted to know her opinion of Christine.

“She’s great, Scottie. From what I can see so far. And she certainly likes you.”

“I’ll go slow with this one, though. No need to be in a rush.”

“When are you introducing her to Sahndra?”

He looked startled at first, if Scottie could look startled. “Soon………I’ve thought about that……..I want them to meet. Really.”

“Did you know Earl Ray’s moved in over there?”

Scottie looked startled again. “No………But I haven’t called her all week……….They’re living together now?”

“Yep. You got a problem with that?” Julie asked him.

“No, Jules. I don’t have a problem. It’s just that each time something new happens, I have to adjust. Ya know?” He didn’t sound sad, just nostalgic maybe.

“He’s good to her, Scottie.”

“Yeah. He was good to you too.”

This stung Julie. “Fuck you, Scottie.” She wasn’t joking around this time.

He came over and hugged her. “I’m just kidding, Jules. Let’s forget about the past and go get some grub. Whadaya say?”

“Fuck you, Scottie.” Now she was kidding again.

When the foursome walked into Seevuplay (spelled wrong and everything) around nine that evening, one of those strange coincidences of fate took place: Sahndra and Earl Ray were leaving at the exact same time. They were the only three couples in the lobby of the restaurant. Tension filled up the air like billowing smoke.

Julie felt Roger’s calming hand on the base of her neck in back. He was telling her silently to do something, since she was the only one in that crowd who could at that most awkward moment.

“Hi, Sahndra……Earl Ray. Fancy meeting the two of you here. How was dinner?”

Earl was not looking at Roger or Scottie. And he didn’t know Christine. His only choice was Julie. Feeling somewhat amused at the situation, Sahndra said, “The steak was good. Earl Ray had the stir-fry.” She smiled.

“Pardon my manners,” Julie finally said and introduced Christine to everyone, trying like hell to be polite about all the interwoven relations. Earl Ray looked at Roger and Scottie now, but he didn’t smile or speak. He stood stoically behind Sahndra with his hands on her shoulders.

When Julie got around to introducing Sahndra to Christine, she wondered if she was the only one among them who felt the electricity in the air. It wasn’t negative energy, just something charged. As if both women were sizing the other one up. A comparison study, as Roger had called it. But they were very friendly to each other, and Scottie was speechless. For the first time Julie could ever remember.

All he could manage was, “Hey, Sahndra. Do ya remember I told ya about Christine?”

Sahndra smiled at him, hiding her joy that the meeting had taken place like this, without Scottie calling all the shots. “I remember, Scottie. I’m delighted to meet you, Christine. Scottie’s a pretty decent guy……..most of the time.” She laughed. Julie laughed. None of the men laughed.

Scottie was stunned. All the men were silent. Julie knew that Roger was just being quietly observant, but he was quiet all the same. She reached down for his hand, and it was there for her. She clutched it and felt less stressed.

Sahndra seemed to outwardly enjoy herself while the little drama lasted. But Julie knew that inside she was exploding with anxiety. And with more questions about Christine.

When it was over and they were no longer facing each other as if in a stand-off, Julie could have kicked herself for not mentioning to Sahndra several hours earlier where they would be dining. But everything happens for a reason, she thought. And where was that damn waiter with her wine?