with orange slices.” Steph offers deflecting the alarmed look from Trish. Obviously, Trish thinks to herself, she’s going to get numb tonight and do things she won’t remember in the morning. Good, it’s about time.
The men, casting happy glances at each other, are happy to oblige.
After four shots Steph is feeling bolder, prettier, and wanted. Wanted is something that Keiran never makes her feel. With Keiran she feels as though he could take her or leave her. She starts trying to wrestle with her thoughts… (I’m not in love with Keiran but I do enjoy getting photographed with him on the rare occasion that it happens, and I do want to make a movie with him. I don’t particularly care for sex with Keiran, not because he isn’t good in bed because he is, he’s fantastic, it’s just that I like to have Trish in the bed with me, she thinks reasoning with herself and admitting that she’s never asked, suspecting that he would say no…although she honestly cannot imagine how any guy wouldn’t be interested in that! God how I prefer threesomes! Foursomes are okay too, but Trish and me with a guy, there’s nothing hotter…) her thoughts trail away as Stan brings her back to the present trying to kiss her.
“What are you doing!?” she demands.
“What?! I’m doing exactly what you want me to do!”
“Except that you’re not! We’re into drinking and dancing and then we’ll see what we’d like to do…” As she teasingly pulls his hand off the table, parts her legs ever so slightly, allowing his fingers to find the reward that he may or may not get depending on how the night goes. Just as he is starting to enjoy himself, probing more, trying to get deeper, she pulls his hand away places it on his lap and crosses her legs.
“Then let’s move to the next club so that we can get the dancing over with!” he demands angrily downing his shot, slams the glass onto the table and stands.
“Okay, let’s go.” She said laughing.
Stan threw some Dirhams on the table and they left. On their way to the next nightclub, Steph motions to the taxi driver who follows them the half block and finds a parking spot where he can keep an eye on the door.
As they enter, the girls feel the rhythm of the music vibrating up through their bodies and they instantly take to the dance floor. Strobe lights are flashing, Madonna resonating, hot sweaty bodies bumping and grinding on the floor as Stan and his son, Yosef, stand there sweating just watching the girls dance with each other, looking at each other not believing their luck. Hours later, the girls wet with sweat and pleasantly drunk having had vodka all night, are being sexually suggestive and ready to leave. Stan looks at his watch, its three o’clock in the morning and I’m worn out, he thinks to himself, but I’ll be damned if I admit it. I’ve been waiting all night to have sex with this woman that’s half my age and it’s even better that my son is going to get some action too. Yosef is his oldest son and at thirty-four years old, he’s letting himself get out of shape. He’ll eventually land a wife Stan knows, simply by being rich. He is particularly fond of Yosef because Yosef has tried the hardest to learn the business to be able to take over from Stan some day, partly because he has always wanted to and partly because anything else has never been an option for him. He hasn’t been able to play and womanize the way his younger brother, Solomon has and heaven knows Dinorah will never work a day in her life. Stephanie’s whine brings him back to the present, “Staaannn, I’m ready to gooo, take me hooommmme.” He smiles reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Viagra and pops it into his mouth, I’m not taking any chances tonight he thinks to himself.
They head out and get into the taxi making the short trip to Stephanie’s hotel.
Chapter 8
Keiran assures her that he won’t be bored at all and is anxious to hear all about her. He suggests, “Why don’t we take a walk on the beach and you can tell me your life story. How does that sound?”
“That’s a terrific idea.” She agrees.
Keiran rolls up the bottom of his pants, rolls his sleeves and untucks his shirt. Looking at her he asks, “Are you ready?”
Laughing she replies, “I’ve been ready, just waiting on you.”
He smiles, takes her by the hand and leads her out of the cabana towards the water.
They walk easily side-by-side, no longer holding hands, ankle deep in water, Kathryn begins cautiously, “Let’s see, I was born and raised in a small town in Tennessee.”
“Tennessee to Dubai, now that’s quite a leap.” he states.
“No, Tennessee to Massachusetts.” she smiles.
“Oh! That’s right. I remember, sorry, go ahead.”
“I lived with my parents until I graduated from high school in a small rural town in Tennessee. I only applied to a few colleges, focusing on ones in big cities. I always felt the need to escape the small town and now that I am older I have a whole other appreciation for what they can offer.”
“Do your parents still live there?”
“Yes, my parents and my older sister, Kera, her husband, David, and their two daughters, Kennedy who is 18, and Kendall who just turned 20.”
“Kathryn, Kera, Kennedy, and Kendall? That’s a lot of K’s!” He notices laughing.
Smiling she responds, “You picked up on that huh? My mom gave Kera and me both the middle name of Marie so when Kera had daughters she kept the Ks and Marie going.”
“Interesting but I like all of the names.”
“Thanks, we like them too.”
“Did you graduate from college?”
“Yes, I have a Masters in applied Linguistics from Boston University, which is where I met my husband.”
Keiran bristles at the word “husband” and sucks in a sharp breath, “I didn’t think you were married.”
“I’m not.” she said sadly. Continuing, “We met during our first year at Boston U, he was from the Boston area, and as I said, I was from small town USA.”, pausing she focuses on the gentle waves lapping at her feet to quietly calm her nerves, then continues, “Alexander and I fell in love, spent six wonderful years at Boston U, got married at twenty-two, bought a cute little bungalow in downtown Boston and began our lives living the American dream. We were best friends and had the best time together. After three years we began trying to have a baby. We tried everything, I was tested for everything under the sun, he was tested, still nothing. It was gut wrenching to spend year after year hoping and praying this would be the year. Finally after nearly eight years and several in vitro fertilization attempts the doctor called to say that we had three viable, perfect little embryos. Still, we kept our excitement in check because we had had a total of six other embryos implanted on three separate occasions and none of them lasted beyond two weeks, I lost them all. I felt like a failure and it was beginning to take its toll.” she pauses fidgeting with her bracelets, “We decided that if it didn’t work this time we wouldn’t try anymore and we would look into adoption.” Another deep breath that tore at Keiran’s heart, “The procedure did take this time, and we learned in December of ninety-four, that we were indeed pregnant with all three.” Taking a deep breath and dabbing at tears with her fingers trying to keep them at bay, “I was six weeks pregnant by then and we finally felt like the world was ours. We had the best Christmas ever!” she said looking
