Chapter Eighteen
Brady
I sat back in my chair in my office, staring at the photograph of Dana and me at the zoo. The photo had been taken three months ago. Three months. Time went by fast when you were... when you were content. Happy. And that’s exactly how I felt. Dana and I had settled into what I could only term a routine. Like a typical married couple. She had finished her exams at school, of course with flying colors despite her anxiety, and we had celebrated with dinner, some dancing at one of my favorite clubs in Dallas afterward, and of course, lots of sex after we got back home.
At the club, I’d realized I spent most of my time staring at Dana, not at the other women in the place, despite their somewhat desperate attempts to get me to notice them. I guess that was the moment that I realized that the ‘old Brady’ was gone. Sure, I displayed my former self on occasion, and yes, I did flirt from time to time, but that’s as far as it went. I thought I’d get bored real fast, sleeping with one woman, but that assumption didn’t last long. I found I rather liked monogamy. Dana made it easy.
Incredibly, the thought of sleeping with someone else after sleeping with Dana was a turn off. Sure, there were gorgeous women out there with huge tits and more than suggestive body language that not long ago would have resulted in a passionate sexual romp, but that didn’t interest me anymore. I’d never felt anything close to this with a woman. Sex was just sex, but with Dana, it became more than that.
In the past few months, we’d spent a lot of time together and learned a lot about each other. Sometimes through conversation, sometimes by merely being around each other. I got to know her mannerisms, her likes and dislikes, and I’m sure it was the same for her. I could tell when she was upset or when something bothered her. At such times, she got a special look—her left eyebrow slightly furled, but not angry looking. She wasn’t one for emotional outbursts. When nervous or uncertain, she tended to nibble on her bottom lip. If she were perturbed about something, she would anxiously tap her fingers against whatever was nearby—her leg, a table, whatever.
She had also become quite adept at reading my own moods. She knew when I felt irritable or literally brain dead after a long day at the office. In an attempt to placate my dad, and to give him the impression I was serious about this relationship with Dana and was turning over a new leaf, I’d been coming to my office every day. No more figurative dust was settling on the furniture. Oddly enough, I discovered something new about myself. I was enjoying the challenge of my work. Still… I sometimes missed ‘the good old days’, partying with Nick, the women, the easy lifestyle…
One time, after an especially trying day, she had greeted me at the door in a sexy outfit— meaning a halter top and Daisy Duke short shorts, barefoot, looking all fresh and happy. Before I could even say a word, she took my hand and guided me to the bathroom.
There, she had a tub full of steaming water waiting, candles lit and placed strategically around the bathroom, the scent of lavender heavy in the air.
“It’s aromatherapy,” she announced, gesturing for me to undress and climb into the tub.
Her thoughtfulness touched me, and I did as she requested. I slid into the tub and found the heat, the steam, and the aroma incredibly relaxing. I looked up at her, expecting her to disrobe and join me in the tub, but she merely smiled and told me to relax. She turned and left the room. Okay, so she’d come back in naked. Even better.
When she did return, she wasn’t naked, but she did enter bearing a Scotch glass filled with two fingers worth of Scotch on the rocks. It was a considerate and touching gesture that prompted my heart to skip a beat, to realize that this farce was becoming all too real. Was it really possible? Had she ‘tamed the beast’?
I shifted in my chair to distract myself from the arousal in my dick at thoughts of Dana and turned to stare out the window. My nearly daily presence in the building—obviously reported to him by his army of minions—had prompted curiosity on his part. He had come to my office on numerous occasions over the past couple of months, ostensibly to check up on some paperwork or filings, but I knew his true motive. He wanted to see for himself. He likely wondered how long this would continue; when I would just chuck it all in and disappear again.
I sat, gazing idly out a large plate glass window at the buildings across the street and the brilliant blue sky above. I glanced around the office, taking in the traditional furniture, heavy on the wood and southwest motif designs, and the bookcase against the side wall near my desk, wondering what the hell had happened to me.
I hadn’t been out of the country since I’d returned from Spain, nor did it bother me. I hadn’t missed the travel, the clubs, the fancy hotels, nor the women. I couldn’t explain it. Was this the end? Was I… and I truly gulped when the word came into my head… domesticated?
When had it happened? More importantly, how had I allowed it to happen? This deal with Dana was not supposed to change my lifestyle, not one bit, which was one of the main reasons why Nick and I came up with the plan in the first place. But now—
My phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket and glanced at the screen. Nick. I accepted the call.
“Hey, Nick. How’s it hanging?”
“Good, Brady, real good. I thought, if you have time and can pull yourself away from Dana long enough, that we can get together tonight. I’m flying out tomorrow.”
“Flying out where?”
“I’ll tell you about it over a couple of beers. What d’ya say? It’s been awhile since we had a guys’ night out, you know, the kind we used to have in the good old days when you were single?”
“I still am single.”
His chuckle interrupted me, and for some reason that chuckle irritated me. I wasn’t domesticated! I was still the same Brady. I was. I could do what I wanted, when I wanted, and how I wanted. No one would hold me back. Dana and I were living an agreement. Nothing more, nothing less. If I wanted to go out and have a good time, maybe fuck a woman or two, she couldn’t say a thing about it.
“All right, let’s do it,” I said, my voice harsher than I intended. It wouldn’t hurt to have a bit of fun anyway. I’d been working hard the last couple of months.
“Good to hear it, Brady. How about Johnny Bravos at seven o’clock?”
“I’ll be there,” I said, then disconnected the call.
Johnny Bravos was a well-known nightclub in the northeast section of Dallas. Raucous, but with a decent clientele. Not particularly known for a lot of drugs, but definitely a lot of beautiful women.
I called Dana to leave her a voicemail, just to let her know I wouldn’t be showing up any time soon. Only after I dialed did I realize what I’d done. I almost hung up. I didn’t owe her any explanations, no head’s up. Just before I could, though, I heard her voice.
“Hey, Brady, what’s up?”
She always sounded so cheerful. “Hey, just wanted to let you know that I’m going to hang out with Nick for a while tonight.”
I was appalled by the fact that I said the words almost hesitantly, as if expecting her to complain. Why the hell should she? We weren’t attached at the hip. We had a good time together, no denying it, but to date, neither one of us had placed any limitations on much of what we did in our personal time.
“That’s nice,” she said. “You haven’t seen Nick in a while, have you?” She offered a soft laugh. “Try not to stay out all night, though, because I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” I found myself grinning. “I’ll tell you what. If it involves any kind of sexy lingerie, I can cancel with Nick.”
She giggled, a surprisingly childish sound coming from such a put-together adult. I loved it when she giggled like that—exuberant, joyful. It made me feel happy.
“You go have fun with Nick,” she said. “However, if you don’t come home too late, the surprise could involve a tiny bit of lingerie.”
“Just a tiny bit?” I laughed. I decided I wouldn’t stay out too late with Nick. As I disconnected the call, I stared at the closed door of my office. That clinched it. That very moment, I came to the very somber realization that I would rather spend time with Dana than out partying, drinking, or even socializing with my best friend.
“What the hell is happening to you?” I asked the room at large. I got no answer.
I reflected on Nick’s call. He had sounded somewhat vague and mysterious. While he was no stranger to partying with me, I hadn’t heard too much from him in the past month or so. I figured he was just doing ‘Nick things’ but then again, why hadn’t he been calling me, begging me to go out, his main reason being that I would foot the bill? Not that I minded that, not in the least. Nick was fun to hang out with.
At any rate, I finished up the day and was preparing to leave the office to go meet him at Johnny Bravos when I heard the knock on the door. I looked up as it opened. Dad’s secretary popped in.
“Hey, Stella,” I said. “How are you doing?” She seemed slightly taken aback by the question, but smiled pleasantly. Either that or she was truly surprised that I was still here.
“I’m fine, Brady, thank you. I just wanted to remind you about the meeting your father scheduled at the estate tonight.”
Before I could respond, she backed out the door and softly closed it behind her.
Shit. I had forgotten about it, on purpose, pushing it to the back of my mind. I didn’t want to see my dad. Seeing him only reminded me of this deal I had gotten myself into with Dana. Actually, I had studiously avoided him as much as possible over the past few months, and when we were together, it felt… I felt an incredible surge of resentment toward him, that he had backed me into this corner. Seeing him only made me remember the ulterior motive I’d had for entering into this deal with Dana in the first place.
Not that I wasn’t enjoying it. In fact, maybe it was time to confront my own feelings about it all. We hadn’t known each other that long, but Dana was different from any other woman I had ever known, even Elise. But that had been so long ago. Teenage love, even if was a first love, couldn’t compare with adult love—
It hit me all at once. I swallowed. I had allowed myself to fall in love with her. The acknowledgment prompted a surge of emotion to well up inside me. I had fallen in love with Dana. How did she feel about me? Karma was a bitch. So, I had fallen for her, but what if she hadn’t fallen for me?
It was a strange feeling—a welcome one, no doubt about it—but with that realization came a ton of responsibility. Frederick had been right. This deal was not a game. It involved real people with real emotions, as well as the possibility of crushing disappointment. And while I acknowledge that I very much enjoyed spending time with Dana, I also resented the fact that this entire plan, this scam, was the drastic result of me trying to beat my father at his own game.
And the irony of it all. In pretending to settle down, I had.
I hadn’t planned to fall in love with Dana, actually had no intention of doing so in the beginning, but it had happened gradually. I hadn’t planned on coming to the office nearly every day nor to actually take my position in the company seriously. Oddly enough, I found it challenging in a way that partying, traveling around the world, and conquering women never could be.
No, I hadn’t planned on falling in love, but now that I had and acknowledged it, I relished it and reveled in the moment. Whoa. I repeated my new mantra. What in the hell happened to you?
The thought of the meeting tonight with my dad spoiled my mood. When I thought of my dad, the origin of my affection for Dana was pushed to the forefront. Along with that knowledge came resentment. And to be completely honest with myself, I didn’t want resentment or my original motivations for making this damned agreement with Dana to soil what we had managed to grow together.
Maybe that was something I needed to talk to Dana about. Maybe it was time for me to ascertain her feelings for me. Had this cosmic joke turned on its tail and affected both of us? I just—
I jolted back to awareness. I wasn’t going to see my dad tonight. I didn’t care how much I upset him. He deserved it. I would hang out with Nick for a while and then go home. Where my resentment disappeared. Where I felt good, and contentment overrode feelings of resentment against my father.
I stood and left the office, not caring in the least about my appointment with my dad and looked forward to a night out. Or was I just pretending? I felt curious. Would I change my mind the minute I walked into the club, heard the pounding music, saw the half-naked women flaunting themselves, and the free-flowing booze?
*
The club was packed, even in the middle of the week. Not long ago, I would’ve enjoyed to see so many beautiful bodies gyrating and jiggling on the dance floor, but tonight I just found the atmosphere stifling. I shook my head, amazed at how much I had changed over the past few months. The view of big-breasted women—even if most of those tits were fake—the steady throb of the party mix, and the Scotch in front of me did nothing to tickle the fancy of the ‘old Brady’. I mourned his passing, but only for a while. The annoying and constant dialogue of the DJ interrupted the heavy bass thrum of the music pounding the shit out of the walls and making me grimace. The air in here was stifling, made worse by the heat of the flashing strobe lights and the aroma of alcohol. It gave me a headache. I almost laughed—almost—listing my complaints about the place that I had frequented in the past and thoroughly enjoyed.
“What the hell is the matter with you?” Nick shouted over the din.
I looked at him. “I’ve been asking myself that!” I shouted back. I sat across from him at a table against the side of the building. I gestured to the farthest corner of the room and stood. Maybe we could talk without shouting at each other over there, away from the center of the room.
Soon we settled in a slightly more private table, away from the large overhead speakers. I set my empty glass of Scotch down on the table. Nick still nursed a large mug of beer. I thought of asking for another but changed my mind. Nick was paying tonight.
“What’s up?”
We had to speak loudly to be heard over the music, but at least I didn’t have to shout. Nick’s gaze repeatedly swept over the crowd, commenting on that one’s ass, that one’s tits, that one’s hair. He finally turned to me.
“I’m moving, Brady.”
At first I didn’t understand. “You need my help? You got a new apartment? I hope it’s bigger than that last crap hole you lived in.”
“Hey! Not fair!” He laughed and shook his head. “Actually, I’m moving to Los Angeles.”
That got my attention real fast. My problems and my love life forgotten, at least for the moment. Nick, moving? Why hadn’t he said anything before now? Before I could even begin my barrage of questions, he launched into an explanation.
“I got a real job, Brady, a real job!”
He practically bounced up and down on the bench seat. I’d not seen him so animated in a long time. “What kind of job?”
“A promoter for a nightclub in L.A. I’ll be in charge of booking bands.”
“That’s great, Nick!” I was happy for my friend. He was finally showing some initiative. Still, moving away? He’d been my best friend for years. My sidekick. My wing man. “When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
Nick shook his head. “You’ve been a little busy, Brady. Playing husband and businessman.”
“Nick, I—”
Nick raised a hand. “No worries, buddy. Honest.”
“You need help with moving expenses or anything?”
He shook his head. “They’re paying for my move, and I’ve already paid the security deposit and first month’s rent on a place out in Studio City.”
I was impressed.
“I figured that maybe it’s time that I moved on too. Tried something new. Looked to see if the grass is really greener on the other side. It sounds like a fun job anyway, with lots of pussy potential.”
I nodded, trying to be happy for my friend. Life was changing for both of us. Drastically. Nick, getting a real job, moving halfway across the country… that indicated he was taking it seriously.
And me. Settling down—or at least pretending to. It kind of made me sad. Not maudlin, but more like the end of an era. Maybe a bit dramatic, but it suited my emotions at the moment.
“Hey, look over there!”
I turned to find Nick pointing at two gorgeous women pressing their way through the dancing crowd toward the bar. Huge tits, dresses so short that I thought I saw part of the ass of one of them.
“Too bad you can’t hit that anymore!” Nick guffawed.
I laughed and pulled my gaze away from the women, prepared to tell Nick that my life was a lot less complicated with only one woman in it. Besides, Dana didn’t have to try so hard to be sexy or alluring. She—
By the time I turned around Nick had already left the table, heading for the two buxom women with a grin on his face, one hand rearranging his junk, the other sweeping back his hair. His traditional ‘I’m on the hunt’ modus operandi.
I shook my head and dipped my hand into my pocket, pulled out a twenty. I left the tip on the table and stood to leave. If I knew Nick, he wouldn’t even realize that I was gone.