Deception (8 page)

A Katy Perry song starts belting through the speakers and I see Joseph’s jaw clench in frustration, he doesn’t say anything in front of his friend though. Alex is far from annoyed when Tanya sashays up to him and does a little dance. Her blonde curls bounce around her perfectly made up face, her cute outfit accentuates her body and the way she moves it, in time with the music. Staring at her, I can’t help but think of how much I have let myself go into frumpy mum mode. I don’t make much of an effort these days, because no matter what I do, Joseph never seems to appreciate it anyway. I also question if anyone ever notices Joseph and I never appear to be a ‘couple’ around each other. We’re not even friendly, more like acquaintances.

“Don’t just stand there woman, get us men a beer,” Joseph bellows, bringing me out of my sombre thoughts.

Tanya bumps her hip purposefully into Joseph. “Hey, why don’t you get your own beer? You’ve got two hands,” she chastises.

Joseph takes a deep breath trying to calm his irritation. “It’s okay, they’re cooking the food, I can get them,” I say quickly, to avoid a scene.

Ricky joins us for dinner and thankfully goes off to sleep quickly afterwards, so I don’t have to be away from our guests for too long. The guys compare business stories, talk about sports – even though I know Joseph could care less about sports, he just wants to look good in front of his friend, and the good old days – they went to school together. For some reason, they think it’s something to be proud of talking about how drunk they got on senior camp, how hilarious it was when they snuck up on all the girls in the middle of the night and scared the shit out of them, or the time they humiliated the school loser.
Why did I not see this side of him when we first got together? He used to be so charming.

“Come dance with me.” Tanya pulls me to my feet and we dance around the back deck. I can feel the wine traveling through me with every move. It clears all the heavy thoughts that usually cloud my mind and makes me feel weightless, as though I’m floating, but at the same time like I could fall flat on my ass. This thought has me giggling and squealing along with Tanya, when the latest Jessica Mauboy song comes on.

“I love this song!” We jump up and down and I’m actually having fun.

“I don’t,” Joseph is getting a little fed up with the poppy music we are playing, but for once, I don’t care. It could be the alcohol coursing through my veins that has me disregarding the consequences that will surely come later.

What’s he going to do about it now, though? Turn it off and cause a scene in front of his friend? I don’t think so, he’s all about appearances.

“Why don’t we go out then? Hit the clubs for a little while and let the men listen to that head-banging rubbish they enjoy so much,” Tanya suggests.

I wish it were that easy
. There is no way Joseph will go for that though.

“I think that’s a great idea. I love seeing you shake that sexy ass of yours baby, but that pop is giving me a damn headache,” Alex agrees, putting Joseph in an awkward position. He doesn’t like me going out without him, but hates to look controlling and insecure in front of anyone. I’ve stopped dancing, waiting for how Joseph is going to respond. I’d love the chance to go out and be young and free again, and escape from my usual day to day life.

“What about Ricky? He doesn’t have a baby sitter,” Joseph asks.

Tanya rolls her eyes at his argument. “He doesn’t need one. You’re still going to be here. And he’s asleep, how hard can it be?” She’s right, surely nothing can go wrong if Ricky is peacefully sleeping and we’re only gone a few hours. “Don’t worry about us either. It’ll just be a girl’s night out. We’ll look out for each other, dance for a couple of hours and come straight home.” Joseph just nods, most likely too annoyed to speak, while Tanya tugs on my arm and leads me into the house. “Come on. Let’s get you dressed for the clubs, before they change their minds.”

I look down at my jeans and a t-shirt, then at her tight fitted mini skirt and a tank, wondering what kind of outfit she has in mind for me, and if Joseph will let me out the door in it. She chooses a little black dress from the back of my closet. It isn’t too revealing, not too short or too low cut, however it fits like a glove and I don’t think Joseph will approve. Tanya must think so too, because she smirks and hands me a knee length jacket.

While waiting for our cab, Tanya visits the bathroom and Joseph ducks into the room and hands me my wedding ring. “Make sure you wear this, and don’t go slutting around.” He gives me a pointed look, but avoids saying anything else when he hears Tanya washing her hands and making her way back to my side.

“Sounds like our ride just showed up,” she says, as a horn honks from the drive. We say our goodbyes to the guys and head to the front door. Just before we leave, Tanya pulls the jacket off me and stuffs it in the hallway closet. “You won’t need this. It’s a girl’s night out and we’re going to have some fun.”

She winks at me and I gaze nervously back in the direction of Joseph. “Stop worrying and let loose. Dance, show off that sexy body, shake what ya mumma gave you and have some fun. A little harmless flirting with the guys in the club isn’t cheating. It will make you feel good about yourself for a change.” So, she does see through my façade to some degree, she can obviously tell I’m unhappy.

The cab driver beeps the horn again and I follow Tanya out the door, leaving my jacket and my worries behind. I am going to do this for me. For the first time in a long time, I am going to have a blast, while I have the chance.

“Y
outh is a blunder; Manhood a struggle, Old Age a regret.”

Benjamin Disraeli

Luke

When I wake up and wander out to the kitchen, Jake is at the counter wearing a shit-eating-grin. “Sarah made pancakes.”
Sarah made pancakes?
My jaw drops to the floor.

“She spent the whole day? And she has a name?” He ignores my question and instead pushes a plate towards me.

“Shut up and eat.” I go to pick one up and laugh my ass off so hard it’s impossible to eat. They’re in the shape of hearts. I’m tempted to get the maple syrup and write ‘Jake loves Sarah’ on them. Instead, I recover and shovel the food down before getting ready for our night out.

We start off the night by unwinding with a few beers at The Irish Tavern. Well Jake has the beers, because I don’t drink, I go all out on the soda though. I need all the caffeine I can get. One doesn’t sleep soundly when constantly being woken up by shouts of, “Who’s you’re daddy?” “You are.” So I’m rather tired after a crappy day’s rest. Why some guys get off on pretending to be a woman’s ‘daddy’ during sex, I will never understand.
Disgusting.
Jake’s a disgusting type of guy though, so I guess it fits.

“You break.” I considerately allow Jake to begin the game of pool. If I don’t give him the first go, he probably won’t get one. I’m a kick-ass snooker player. No one else usually gets a shot in edgewise, not when I sink the balls one after the other.

“Just a second.” He downs the rest of his beer in one gulp, and then picks up his cue. He holds it out in front of him, pretending it’s his dick as he walks around the table, earning himself a few strange looks from around the room in the process.

“It makes sense you’d need an extension on your manhood, with how crappy your pool skills are and all,” I rib him.

“Say’s the man who doesn’t even have any rum in his Coke.”

“I just don’t want alcohol to cause me to act like a fool, similar to what you’re doing now.” He has no come back. He loves entertaining people with his antics. I’d say he’s proud of them even. Whirling his fake penis around in the air one last time, as though it’s a fire hose out of control, he laughs and takes his first shot. Which is absolutely terrible. I could’ve made the balls move further by blowing at them from all the way over here.

“Laugh it up big guy. One day I’ll whoop your ass at this game. Right now I’m just trying to spare your feelings. Plus I don’t want to make you look bad in front of the ladies.”

I’m sure that’s his reasoning.
I laugh harder.

As per usual, I keep taking hits until I’ve sunk every last ball. Jake has been texting on his phone the whole time, which is weird, because every other time we go out, he leaves it at home. He’s afraid he’ll lose it, while drunk out of his mind. He says he can’t see straight enough to press the right buttons while he’s blind. Which brings me to my question, why is he texting on it non-stop tonight?

“You brought your phone?” I ask.

“Yep,” he replies without explaining. To avoid any further conversation, he puts it down on the table we’re now sitting around, and moves to get another beer. A sign that the alcohol is already affecting him, otherwise he wouldn’t have left it lying around. An incoming text flashes across the screen while he’s gone.

Sarah – Hey baby. I miss you. Where are you? I want to come and dance with you. Please?

Wrong move sweetheart, you’re going to scare him away. Jake hates clingy. Good luck with that request.
Nothing gets in the way of a boys night out, not even a huge rack. Well, at least not at the start of the night anyway.

Jake comes back with another beer and a soda for me. “Thanks man.” I reach for my wallet and he shakes his head.

“Don’t worry about it. You get the next round.” I slide my money back into my pocket, when I look back up, Jake is typing on his phone again and smiling. Not the reaction I expected. He doesn’t even notice the two girls leaning halfway over the pool table we just vacated, pretending to play.
Very strange.
I’m relieved at his distraction though.

I know I shouldn’t be thinking of Roxi right now, but I am, I can’t help it. If I have any kind of chance of moving past this stupid infatuation I’m developing, I should make a move on one of these girls, but nothing below the belt is stirring.
Why is it that my cock wants a meaningful relationship and my head doesn’t? Isn’t it meant to be the other way around?

The two women give up on trying to lure us to the pool table and start strutting towards us on their three inch, glittery heels. Instead of cheering, ‘hell yes’, my brain is remembering how sporty and sexy Roxi looks in her joggers. How defined her calf muscles are as she runs. When Sarah comes bounding through the door, with a friend in tow, I’m not sure if I want to throttle Jake for inviting them, or thank him. I know it’s Sarah before we’re even introduced. I recognize the voice, even if it’s a little quieter than the last time I heard it.

We go to Dollies and meet up with the rest of the guys, the girls still tagging along. The club is pumping by the time we get there. Neon lights illuminate a packed dance floor. Sweat glistens off bodies, crammed into the small space as they all move to the same rhythm of the music. Techno. I shudder.

Dex, Toby and Jy are in a dimly lit booth off to the side of the room. Jake walks over to them while the girls make their way onto the dance floor. I go get us a round of drinks and then join the boys. For a few minutes, we kick back and scope out the scene.

A loud whistle emanates from Dex’s mouth and I’m surprised I can hear it over the noise of the room. I follow his line of sight and see two women suggestively moving on the dance floor.

“Sweet mother of God.” Dex’s eyes are bugging out of his head, and I don’t blame him. Long legs tangle together as they twine all round each other. Two women appear tipsy by the way they sway, but not drunk enough to lose their appeal. Their hands skim up over each other’s hips and I almost lose it. They’re sexy as hell.

Seems like I don’t need that wholesome vibe to get me going after all. It must have just been Roxi’s close proximity that put me under some kind of strange spell. Now that I’m away from her, these girls are totally doing it for me. In all fairness though, they do appear to be good girls letting loose. So maybe Roxi really does have some kind of hold over me.

In one large gulp, I finish the rest of my drink and slam the glass on the table top. “I have an urge to dance.” I grin at Dex.

“I call dibs on the blonde.” He’s out of his seat and moving towards them before I can reply. It doesn’t bother me though. I seem to have more interest in brunettes at the moment, for some reason.

I catch up just in time to hear Dex use one of his classic pickup lines. “You mustn’t be from around here, because those moves are out of this world. Maybe I could show you around town, there’s a great hotel across the street.” They seem to keep getting cheesier the more he has the opportunity to use them. The blonde rolls her eyes and both women laugh at him.

My chuckle dies in my throat, as the brunette turns to look at me with familiar deep brown eyes. No wonder I was so turned on by her, its Roxi. If I thought she looked phenomenal in her running gear, she looks fucking sensational in the tight black dress she wears now. We’re both shocked into silence, just standing and staring at each other.

The amusement in her gaze quickly turns to panic. Her movements stop and she darts glances between her friend and me.
Oh right she’s married.
She probably doesn’t want her friend to know she’s been hanging around a strange male, even if nothing was going on. Well to be honest the thoughts were there, but no boundaries were crossed. I wonder if her husband’s here somewhere. I’m guessing Dex and I would be in a fight by now if that was the case.

Dex takes advantage of Roxi’s momentary lapse in movement, and swirls the blonde in his arms. She giggles in delight and winks at Roxi.

“It looks like my friend has been taken away from me,” she states, still staring after them.

Leaning in close to her ear so I can be heard clearly, I reply, “It certainly seems that way.” She concentrates on her hands, twisting her fingers together in front of her body, uncertain of herself. I capture them in my grasp. “Care to dance?”

“I shouldn’t.” She has that look in her eyes, the one I’ve seen previously, just before she runs away from me when getting too close. “Tanya shouldn’t either. We’re both married. The guys are home drinking. We told them we’d only dance with each other, girl’s night out. Tanya says its harmless fun, but...”