Chapter 1

“Well, Mister McWaters, let me be the first to welcome you to the city...to Fort Wayne,” the real estate agent said, extending his arm to shake his client’s hand. “I think this city will have just what you’re looking for when it comes to investment opportunities.”
Darren shook Doug’s hand and then the two men stood up. Darren had flown in from Chicago earlier in the day and was planning to spend the night in Fort Wayne. His only reason for being in Ft. Wayne was to meet with this real estate agent about purchasing some rental property in the area. The market was good, the prices were even better, and the demand was supposedly only going to rise in the coming years. Coming from a prominent, real-estate-invested family in Chicago, Darren knew how to look for an opportunity. And now, thanks to Doug Sharp’s help, Darren had finally secured some rental property after a few months of coming back and forth.

“Thank you,” Darren said.

“Well, I have to get going now,” Doug said. He looked around at The Blue Ivy, a small but cozy bar and restaurant in the heart of Downtown Ft. Wayne. “It really was a pleasure working with you and meeting you.” The real estate agent gathered any documents that belonged in his folder off of the table then pushed in his chair. “Also, if you should have any other problems or need more information about the local real estate market should you get to the point where you think you’re ready to invest more, don’t hesitate to call my office, Mister McWaters.” The graying, middle-aged man smiled then walked at his client’s side towards the door.

“Absolutely,” Darren said.

Darren walked alongside Doug out to the sidewalk. A festival was in town, so the streets were a bit busier than usual. On top of that, a baseball game was happening just a couple of blocks over from the bar. Darren looked down the street as cars lined up out into the street as stadium goers tried to get into the stadium’s parking lot. The 6’2”, brown-haired former frat boy wondered himself what he would be doing for the evening. His flight back to Chicago left at 10:30 the next morning.

The 33-year-old man shook his agent’s hand once again and then the two parted ways. Darren looked down at his phone, wondering if he’d gotten any emails or calls. With the fall wind whipping down the street, he ran his hand through his hair then decided to head back into the bar. With it going on 7 o’clock in the evening, Darren wasn’t opposed to having a little something to help him feel good. He figured he could look around online and figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of the night, if he wanted to do anything at all.

Darren stepped back in The Blue Ivy and zigzagged through the clusters of chairs. He approached the bar and waited on a couple of already-waiting couples to give the bartender their drink orders. Once the couples walked away, he lifted himself up onto a stool and leaned over the counter while he waited on the bartender – a woman – to come back over to serve him.

Shortly after scanning through a couple of emails, Darren looked up and noticed a different bartender coming his way. This woman had just zipped out of the back, somewhere in the kitchen. Her long, blond hair swayed with every step she took. Her clear skin glowed under the bar lights. The 5’3 woman made a couple of drinks so quickly and efficiently, Darren wouldn’t doubt if she could do it in her sleep. He watched how she moved – how she did her job and smiled graciously to any and everyone – then she headed over toward him.

“Hey, what can I get you?” the woman asked, leaning over on the bar. Darren managed to control himself long enough to look into her eyes rather than her chest.

Darren smiled. “Yeah, can I just get a Heineken? No rush.”

“Okay, I’ll get it for you,” the woman said.

Darren said thank you then once again watched the bartender rush around the bar. Even though he only heard her say a few words, there was something about her that seemed to be genuine – so soft, yet not like a pushover. Her blue jean shorts exposed a rose tattoo on her thigh. The moments she came closer to Darren’s side of the bar, he tried to look at the tattoo and make out the wording, but her constantly moving made it hard. Still, the perkiness of her chest continuously stole the man’s attention. Darren guessed it to be a nice, full C-cup as well as a bit bouncy. Before Darren knew it, the woman, who looked to be in her mid to late twenties, was headed back his way with his Heineken.

“Here you go,” she said, setting the drink on the bar.

“Thank you,” Darren said. He smiled, letting some of his charm shine through.

“No problem. Just let me know if you need anything.” She smiled.

Darren watched the woman make a few more drinks then start to clean shelves and configure things under the counter nearby. He looked down into his phone as much as he could, but got to a point where he had to say something to her. Why had he been so drawn to this woman? After all, he did come from a family that was very class conscience. Several of his aunts and uncles were people who barely even made eye contact with lower-class people, much less purposely engaged in conversation with them.

Just as Darren was about to speak, another bar employee popped out of the back. “Sherry, what did you do with that bucket of towels?” the raspy-voiced, sassy woman asked. “And don’t say it wasn’t you because I know you had it.”
Her name is Sherry, Darren thought.

“Well, dang, Samantha,” Sherry said, turning around swiftly. “Why don’t you go and get a bullhorn and stand out in the street and announce it, huh?”

Darren chuckled at the woman’s wit, as did several employees within ear shot.

“It’s under the sink, like I told you,” Sherry said. “I know I put it there, so don’t even try to say I didn’t.”

Samantha rolled her eyes then turned away, disappearing into the back. Sherry shook her head as she wiped down shelves where a wine rack had once been. Darren had been noticing how busy the bar was relative to its size, as it didn’t look like the kind of place that would normally be this kind of crowded. “Busy night, huh?’

Sherry shook her head. “Yeah, you can say that. Some of these people in here don’t know how to work a busy night, ‘cause we usually aren’t that busy.”

“Yeah, I figured that,” Darren said. “There’s some kind of festival going on here or something, I guess. I think I drove by it when I was comin’ back downtown. Up by some park.”

Sherry sighed. “Yeah, the Three Rivers Festival. A lot of people out and about downtown. Plus, the baseball game. And,” she rubbed her chin in thought, “I think their might be something going on at the convention center.” She looked passed Darren and out at the tables. “There were some people in here with these lanyards, but I never got close enough to see what they were saying.”

Darren nodded. “I see. Busy is good for you, though.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Sherry said. She finished with the shelf then dropped the towel. She looked at this man sitting at the bar. This time, though, she looked a little closer than she had before. Sherry noticed his suit – looked like it cost a pretty penny. Then, the way his hair was cut – didn’t look like the regular run-of-the-mill barber in Ft. Wayne. How he carried himself definitely stuck out to her as well as the way he asked about what was going on. This city has a lot of festivals, but the Three Rivers is one that anybody from here would know. Where is this guy from?

“You from out of town, aren’t you?” Sherry asked.

Darren chuckled under his breath then sat his drink down. “Yeah, I’m not from here. I’m from Chicago.”

Sherry nodded. “Oh, okay. I figured you were from somewhere else.”

Darren’s forehead wrinkled as he looked at the woman. “Wow, is it that obvious?”

Sherry laughed, now realizing how she must’ve sounded. “Well, I didn’t mean it like that. I can just tell by the way you talk...how you dress...how you carry yourself. You look like you’re looking around analyzing stuff.”

Darren chuckled once again. This chick is funny. “Oh, wow...you picked up on a lot of stuff.”

“Yeah, well,” Sherry said, shrugging her shoulders. “When you serve people drinks everyday, and some people sit up here for hours and hours talking to you about their lives, you learn about people.”

Darren nodded as he sipped his drink again. “I can see that.”

“So, what brings somebody from Chicago to Fort Wayne?” Sherry asked. “You got family here or what?”

Darren smiled, shaking his head then going on to explain. Sherry listened at the guy talked about coming to town to look into some real estate opportunities. “So, you’re thinking about living here? You’re going to move from Chicago to Fort Wayne?”

“Um, well,” Darren said, his facial expression that of a bashful little boy. “I didn’t say that. It’s a nice place, it seems. Small, but kinda big in some ways.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Sherry said. “I’ve been to Chicago once. Looks like a fun place to live.”

Darren scuffed and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, that’s how it looks. Trust me, though, it’s not what it appears.”

Sherry laughed at the guy’s sarcastic tone.

For the next couple of hours, groups of people fluctuated in and out of the bar. The tables swelled with locals as well as visitors. The Blue Ivy was practically packed when the baseball game let out. Then, after a while, Darren and Sherry both noticed the lanyards. An older, gracious-acting man with one around his neck approached the bar to ask for a drink. Here, they both learned the convention was a religious convention. Darren turned away, hoping to not make eye contact with the guy as it could possibly conger up a conversation. When the guy walked off, Sherry looked away and giggled.

“What?” Darren asked, now on his second drink. “What are you laughing at? I saw the way you looked over here then started laughing.”

“Just you,” Sherry said. “Man, I saw the way you looked at that guy...the one with the lanyard from a church convention around his neck. You looked away like you hoped he wouldn’t say anything.”

Darren wished he hadn’t been so obvious. “Sorry, I hope that didn’t come across the wrong way or anything. You super into religion and stuff?”

“Psst,” Sherry said, waving her hand dismissively – an action which caused Darren to nearly choke on his beer. “Can’t stand them.” She looked around then lowered her voice. “The way they’re always trying to push that stuff off on people.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Darren said. “My parents used to have this condo in this kinda ruff part of Chicago that I had to live in for a little bit while I finished up school. Anyway, it was the kinda area where Jehovah's witnesses were making their rounds...frequently.”

Sherry rolled her eyes then shook her head as she rummaged through a box under the counter. “Yeah, I know what you mean. Those people are everywhere with that stuff.”

“Yeah, well,” Darren said, shaking his head, “that’s why I used to joke with my cousin how I couldn’t wait on the winter to roll around...ice and snow and all. That seemed to stop them, if nothing else.”

Sherry broke out in laughter, leaning over as she grabbed her stomach, knowing that nobody in their right mind would ever be waiting on a Chicago winter to roll around. When she lifted her head back up, she had to wipe her eyes from nearly crying. She looked into Darren’s eyes for a few seconds too long before she suddenly turned to assist a woman who approached the bar.

In between making drinks, Sherry entertained conversation with this guy from Chicago sitting at the end of the bar. Every so often, she’d look down at him, if she weren’t close enough, and think. Really, he wasn’t the kind of guy who would normally catch her interest. In fact, Sherry couldn’t recall if she’d ever dated a man who wore a suit to anything but a funeral. This guy, though, was confident. He spoke well and was obviously educated.

Later in the night, as the more family-oriented kinds of people had long returned to their hotels or congregated in downtown parks while the moon glowed in the sky, Darren had talked with Sherry so much the spark he felt when he’d seen her had transformed into a full-blown flame. Eventually, she came around to asking his name and how long he’d be in town.

“Darren,” he answered. “And I’m heading back to Chicago tomorrow morning. Gotta be at the airport probably around nine.”

“Airport?” Sherry asked, almost as if she’d never heard of such.

“Yeah.” Darren’s confused facial expression showed on his face. “You know? Fort Wayne International?”

“Yeah, I know,” Sherry said. She quickly finished up a couple beers for some biker guys as their waitress waited anxiously on the other side of the bar with their tray of food. “I’ve driven by it, but I didn’t know people actually flew into it.”
Darren laughed. The airport definitely came across to him as small “homey.” In a lot of ways, it seemed more like a gigantic bus station rather than an airport. “Yeah, I see what you mean.”

The bar swelled with even more people shortly after Sherry commented about how she’d be getting off around 11 that night because she’d come in much earlier to help with the crowd. Sitting at the bar had become a bit annoying for Darren as well as uncomfortable with so many people stepping up to his side and ordering drinks so frequently. He went ahead and paid for his three beers then stood up. Sherry looked over at him, smiling. To the other it was obvious they each wanted to say something.

“Look, if you’re up for hanging out a bit when you get off, I’ll still be up,” Darren said. “I don’t know anybody in Fort Wayne, so...”

“Hmm,” Sherry said then pausing. “I just might be. I’m not doing anything tonight, anyway. I’m not going to the festival or anything like that. Been a hundred times already.”

Darren chuckled. “A hundred times?” he said, thinking about how the festival was a yearly thing. He pulled one of his cards up out of his pocket. “Okay, well, here’s my card. My cell number is on there. You can just text me if you want. If you’re too tired or whatever, then no pressure.”

Sherry grabbed the card and looked it over, taking in the quality. Darren McWaters. Real Estate Investor. What followed was the address to his Chicago office as well as his phone number. This guy certainly takes good pictures. “Yeah, I’ll text you,” she said. “Only got a little while left in here. Are you staying out by the airport?”

“No, right downtown,” Darren said, gesturing toward to the north. “I’m staying at the Hilton. You know?”

“Yeah,” Sherry said. “I worked for a catering company once upon a time.”

Several people approached the bar and all crowded up against the railing order drinks. Darren backed away as Sherry assured she would call him as soon as she got off. Darren smiled, the two of them looking into the others eyes while he made his way out to the sidewalk. He smirked as he glanced back inside.

Darren, carrying his business folder at his side, walked down Calhoun Street and into the small courtyard adjacent to the Hilton building. The night air was perfect – not too humid, but certainly not the least bit chilly. Instead of going inside and sitting in the cold, stale lobby, Darren plopped down on a bench and simply observed. Sherry had been on his mind for a few minutes at this point. The Chicago-native then shrugged it off.

“Darren, forget it,” he said to himself, coming down and thinking realistically. “She’s probably used to guys hitting on her at the bar all the time and is just nice to them for the sake of being nice.”

Darren realized what the situation with a woman like Sherry probably was then figured he might as well start figuring out what else he would do for the night. The last few times he’d come to Ft. Wayne, he’d been so busy with researching the market that by the time he’d gotten back to his hotel room at night, he didn’t feel like having any company. This time was different, though. The longer Darren sat on the bench, the more antsy he became. Certain woman passing by – those with long hair, pretty faces, and smooth, toned legs on display – brought about even more thoughts.

Darren had been reading about different bars as well as a few nightclubs in the area when a text popped up from a 260 area code: I’m off. A smiley face emoji set at the end of the text. Darren’s expressionless face changed instantly; his lips curled into a smile.

After a few minutes of texting back and forth, Darren and Sherry finally agreed on Sherry coming down the street and joining him in the courtyard for a little while. Darren had insisted on coming back to the bar so he could walk with her, even heading out to the sidewalk so he could do so, but Sherry texted that she wanted to get some fresh air. Within minutes, she was in eyesight. Darren noticed the way she walked – so much confidence, so sexy. A strong wind whipped down the store-front-lined street, lifting Sherry’s blonde hair up off of her shoulders. The view was picturesque for Darren in many ways, as he was an art lover – the lit high-rises in the background, a tree-lined street, a clear, starry sky with a bright, glowing moon resting over top.. All with Sherry the center of the picture.

Darren and Sherry hugged one another. Darren tapped her cheek with a light kiss. They then sat down on the bench for a moment, in silence. “Were people still coming in there when you were getting out?” he asked, finally breaking the ice.

“Oh, yeah,” Sherry said, nodding her head. “And probably will be for the night. Local team won, so, you know.” She looked at Denny nod his head. “So, you stayin’ in this Hilton, huh?”

“Yeah,” Darren answered. “I think next time, I’m going to get something a little more personal. Maybe like a small house or rent some apartment in some old building. I like stuff like that more. Just something about these hotel rooms that are so cold. I hate sitting in them… Then again, maybe I’m just tired of them.”

“I see, I see” Sherry said. Badly, she wanted to ask the guy about what being a real estate investor really meant, but she worried about how she might come across. “Yeah, I could see what you mean. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to spend a night in a 5-star hotel every once in a while, but I guess if you stay in them a lot...”

“Yeah,” Darren said. “So, I was thinking about some small place that might have a little music...some dancing. You know of anywhere like that? I wouldn’t want to be there long, but it’s only eleven o’clock. And the night’s still young, as they say. The city is alive and stuff.”

Sherry snickered. “Yeah, okay. Fort Wayne is alive. Okay, well, seriously, I know a place. Down the block from where I live. If you want, you can follow me back to my apartment building and park in the lot then we can walk down the street. It’s like a little bar with music, usually karaoke, and sometimes you’ll get somebody in there who’s good enough to get people up and dancing.”

Darren’s eyebrows raised. Being from out of town, he wasn’t exactly in a position to turn down such an offer. He and Sherry wound up getting up and chatting a bit more before they went their separate ways to get to their cars. Daren crossed through the hotel lobby to access the parking garage. By the time he got down to The Blue Ivy in his rented golden sedan, Sherry was waiting at the parking lot exit to the street in her beat-up Toyota. She pulled out then Darren followed her, crossing the river then zigzagging through a compact neighborhood riddled with older corner-store buildings every few blocks. Within fifteen minutes, Sherry turned into the parking lot behind a brown brick, two-story building with a couple of small stores and a restaurant on the ground level and apartments on the second floor. They parked then met one another out on the sidewalk.

“I live up there,” Sherry said. She looked at the way Darren looked around and figured the guy probably wasn’t used to being in this kind of neighborhood – not the worst, but certainly not the best.

Darren nodded, having left his suit jacket in the car. “Okay, I see, I see,” he said.

Sherry playfully pushed Darren and told him to loosen up a bit.

“I am, I am,” Darren said.

Following Sherry’s lead, they walked down to the bar – Buren’s – at the corner. They enjoyed a few beers while a woman serenaded the crowd from the bar’s small stage at the front. A mini biker club congregated at the back, telling jokes and talking about women while they sipped beer and smoked cigarettes. It wasn’t long before Darren rose up out of his seat pulled Sherry’s hand. “Come on, let’s get up and dance.”

Before Sherry could even say yes, she’d already been on her feet. Darren looked into her eyes and got a good feeling this was about to be fun. They danced in a small crowd of 10 or so couples as time slipped away.

***

Walking with Sherry’s arm locked around his, Darren nearly slipped off of the curb. They’d been right in front of Sherry’s apartment building about to turn the corner and head toward the parking lot. Laughter between the two had yet to cease since leaving the bar. Drinks loosened up their spirits; they felt like they knew one another more personally once they finally left the dance floor.

Sherry looked up into Darren’s eyes when there was a long moment of silence. “You wanna come up for a minute?” she asked. “We had a few beers down there, so it might be better for you to calm down a little bit before you head back downtown.”

Darren looked at Sherry – her eyes were so intriguing. Hair stuck to her slightly-damp forehead. Hanging out with her was somewhat of a new experience for a guy like Darren. Back in Chicago, his entire life had been in somewhat of a bubble where every person around was connected in some way, either for money or political reasons. Darren shrugged and smiled. “Sure, yeah, you’re probably right.”

They came to Sherry’s apartment door then she let them inside. She showed Darren around. He looked out the window, complimenting the architecture of the building as well as the view. No sooner than the 33-year-old turned around, Sherry pressed up against him. His instincts kicked in. This chick is fucking hot, he thought. Darren leaned over and kissed Sherry. They relished in an intense embrace then practically fell into Sherry’s beige couch. The lamp at the side of the couch provided the only light in the room.

“You are so handsome,” Sherry said, pulling her face away from Darren after a long, passionate kiss. She smiled and touched the side of his face.

Darren watched Sherry climb up onto her knees on top of him. Her chest hung over him, swaying anytime she moved. He grabbed a handful of her blonde hair. She smiled as he already felt him getting hard under his pants.

“I was looking at you as soon as I got up to the bar,” Darren said, wanting to get it off his chest.

They pressed their lips together for another deep, passionate kiss. Sherry then stood up and walked toward the small hallway that led to her bedroom and bathroom. Darren never broke eye contact with her; neither of them said a word. Darren stood up and rushed over to the hallway, as Sherry’s eye contact was beckoning him to follow. Sherry walked seductively; her beautiful, exposed legs guided Darren all the way down the hall and into her bedroom.

The air in Sherry’s bedroom was masked by their heavy breathing. Sherry gently pushed Darren back onto the bed, both of them smiling ear to ear, then lifted her legs up to where her knees pressed into the comforter on either side of Darren’s waist. She leaned over and kissed the guy then looked down at him for a moment. He really is a handsome guy...something different for me, for sure. She glanced at the growing bulge in Darren’s pants and rubbed it. A chuckle slipped out of Darren’s mouth as he thought about how smoking hot this Sherry was. Thank God Doug you brought me into that bar tonight.

There, in Sherry’s dimly-lit bedroom with only the streetlight seeping in through the blinds, Darren gripped Sherry’s mid-back and slowly pulled her down toward him. Her chest pressed into his face. He enjoyed the experience for a few seconds then Sherry, biting her bottom lip ever so seductively, scooted down the bed and started unbuckling Darren’s belt. Jolts of excitement rushed through the out-of-towner’s bones. Only seconds passed until he felt his manhood being taken into Sherry’s mouth. He closed his eyes and sighed from the pleasure.

Sherry’s head bobbed up and down for several minutes as she enjoyed the taste of Darren’s cock. His bulky hands gripping her hair and tugging slightly only turned her on even more. When she had enough of orally pleasing him, she stood up and pulled her shorts off then lifted her shirt up over her head. Darren smiled as he watched, looked at her with bedroom eyes and anxious to feel her body against his, then slid his own pants completely off. He then undid his blue button-up and tossed it to the side. Just as he was getting to his undershirt, Sherry climbed back up on top of him and started kissing him. She was wild and passionate; sensual, but seductive. The way her long, blonde hair whipped around her back and brushed across Darren’s face drove the guy crazy. This chick is so hot, he thought.

Darren was ready to take the lead and bang this chick like no other. Aggressively, he wrapped his arms around her back then moved her over onto the other side of the queen-size bed. Sherry erupted with laughter, a bit surprised this business-like guy could get a little frisky like this. Before she knew it, her legs were being pushed apart and Darren lay between them, his own legs hanging off the front of the bed. He kissed each of her breasts, cupping the sides of them and moving them around.

Sherry placed a hand on either side of Darren’s head. They looked into one another eyes intensely then kissed once again. Their eyes locked, Darren reached down between them and positioned the head of his cock toward the lips of Sherry’s inside. Sherry barely blinked before she felt Darren pushing his way inside. She bit her bottom lip – closed her eyes.

“Uh,” Darren groaned. He pressed his eyelids closed so hard as he enjoyed the tightness of Sherry’s insides around his shaft. Once he’d gotten all the way in, he thrust slowly then got into rhythm. Normally he liked a little music when he had sex, but tonight was different. His buzz as well as his high from dancing had set the mood just right.

Sherry moaned loudly as Darren thrust. It didn’t take long for things to get even hotter. Sherry wrapped her legs around his back as the bed rocked. Curse words slipped out of their lips; they rubbed one another in appreciative ways. Whatever thoughts Sherry had about her neighbors hearing had long been set on the back burner. This guy Darren was turning her on a different way than she was used to – ways she didn’t really expect from a guy like him. His body was sure nice and well-maintained for a business guy– well-defined legs, a muscular back, nice arms, and a pronounced chest. When he stroked as fast as he could into her, she pulled her legs from around his back so she could reach down and playfully smack his ass cheek.

Darren slowed down, wiping his forehead with his forearm. He chuckled. “You are so hot.”

Sherry giggled, pulling clumps of her hair away from her forehead. Then, she gently pushed Darren up and back. His cock slid out of her pussy as he looked on, wondering what was about to happen. Darren watched as Sherry got up on her knees and bent over in front of him. His cock throbbed with excitement and anticipation when Sherry looked back, over her shoulder. Quickly, Darren scooted up closer to her body then carefully wrapped his hands around her waist before he started stroking again.

The headboard thumped against her bedroom wall like music. Sherry’s rosy behind slammed against Darren’s pelvis in perfect rhythm. When he really got into it, his reaching up and pulling her hair so her neck jerked back and made her look up at the ceiling drove her crazy.

“Fuck me, Darren!” Sherry yelled. “Damn!”

Veins popped out of Darren’s forehead. He couldn’t pull an arm away from holding Sherry in her place long enough to wipe away any swear. His breathing was heavy; his chest pumped up and down as he stroked. He felt like his soul was experiencing a weird kind of high. Sherry’s hair felt like silk locked in his grip.

The lovers grunted and moaned back and forth. Darren banged Sherry in the doggy style position for as long as he could before she was ready for him to lie on his back so she could hop on top. And this was the position that took them to new heights. Sherry was wildly turned on by Darren’s sexiness while deep in the throws of passion. Darren looked up at Sherry’s bouncing chest. Jackpot.

When they both orgasmed, Sherry leaned over and practically collapsed into Darren’s body. They both breathed heavily, Sherry joking about being sore and Darren talking about how good it was for him. Sherry eventually climbed off then lay next to Darren with her head on his chest. With both of their eyes fixed toward the window, they fell into a deep slumber from a night neither one of them had ever expected when Darren sat down at the bar. Sherry was indeed happy, though, that she approached him to take his drink order.

***

The bright rays of the morning sun finally reached around the roofs of houses across the street from Sherry’s apartment building. It penetrated the window and forced its way into the bedroom, hitting Darren in the eye and waking him up. He quickly turned his head, but the half-way hung over feeling from last night was too much to ignore. When he finally opened his eyes and became oriented, he realized he was still at the chick’s place from the bar last night. Darren reached for his phone, getting a sense that it was still early by the sun’s position in the sky. Birds chirped and there was what sounded like a school bus rolling down the street and stopping at the corner.

“Shit,” Darren groaned, wiping his face. He yawned as he processed the time. 8 o’clock was quickly approaching. He needed to get back downtown to his hotel room so he could pack. The last thing he wanted to do was a miss his flight, as he was supposed to be meeting with an attorney later in the afternoon in Chicago.

Darren looked over and down at Sherry. He smiled as he reminisced about last night – the way her breasts bounced up and down when she was on top, how her butt jiggled when he pounded her. Darren’s ego and pride swelled. Not only did he get a chick into bed from just meeting her at a bar, but she was also hot and a fun lay.

Darren slid out of the bed and started pulling his pants on. The clacking of his belt buckle pulled Sherry out of her sleep. She curled up with a pillow against her mid-body and her legs twisted around it so she could watch Darren get ready. “You gettin’ ready to get outta here?”

A bit startled to hear her voice, Darren turned around and smiled. “Yeah, I have to get back to my hotel room so I can get ready to get to the airport.”

“Oh, okay,” Sherry said. She herself then climbed out of the bed. After a quick search for something to put on, she realized Darren was ready to go quicker than she thought, so she grabbed the white sheet off of the bed and wrapped it around her body. “Glad you woke up on time.”

“Yeah,” Darren said as he buttoned up his shirt.

A few silent moments passed before Darren headed out to the living room. Sherry followed, not really sure of what to say to this guy. Now that they’d both come down from the thrill of drinking, dancing, then good sex, they were left to reveal their true selves. They were two different people who happened to be in the same world. Last night was definitely fun for the both of them, but neither of them looked at the other as someone they’d mix well beyond a one-night-stand.

At Sherry’s apartment door, Darren paused for a moment and looked at the bartender. “Thanks for showing me that place last night.”

“Yeah, of course,” Sherry said, still holding the sheet up around her body.

Darren took note of how hot this woman’s body was. The sheet accentuated her curves. “Next time I’m in Fort Wayne, which should be soon, I guess, maybe we could connect again and you could show me around?”

“Yeah, I like the sound of that,” Sherry said. She smiled and giggled. “I had a nice time with you. Um, thanks for sitting at the bar.”

Sherry’s sense of humor made Darren smile.

Darren and Sherry said their last few goodbye words. He leaned in to hug her, kiss her on the cheek, then proceeded out into the hallway then toward the steps. Just as he’d gotten to the first landing, he glanced back up at Sherry’s door. She leaned her head out just far enough for Darren to make eye contact for the last few seconds before she closed the door and he walked out into the sunny parking lot. The 33-year-old’s mind was somewhat lost in a trance as he navigated the neighborhood until finding a street that led downtown.