This party, though, was getting pretty wild. I had made sure to book the penthouse so that none of the other guests were bothered. I also wanted to make sure none of the guys got loose, completely wasted, into the general public. From the thumping of the music and the fact that two of the guys had their ties around their heads with no shirts on, I had made a really good choice. I had the thing catered and bought more alcohol than we could drink during five of those parties. The guys had been so excited, they barely got any work done at the office during the day.
“Hey there, cutie,” one of the strippers said, walking over to me. “Why don’t you join the party?”
“I’m not interested, sweetheart, but those guys are the ones I am paying you to entertain,” I said, sipping my beer.
I had hired a half-dozen strippers to run around without clothes on and play with the guys. Jordan was being good, which made me think there was still a decent guy left on the planet. I had zero interest in girls I could find any given night at the local bar. I was just happy to sit back and drink, feeling no better than before, but at least I wasn’t alone. I had splurged on a vintage bottle of my favorite whiskey, and I discovered that a comfy place to sit, a bucket of ice, and my bottle of whisky was all that I needed in the world. John knew it was hard for me, sitting there celebrating someone else’s happiness, but he also knew not to push me. He was just glad that I was out with them, showing my pale skin some different kind of lighting other than from my living room.
I nodded as John looked over at me, putting down the can of whipped cream he was taunting the strippers with and heading over to me. I poured him a shot of my whiskey and handed it to him. He took a sip and closed his eyes, savoring the taste.
“You went all out.” He chuckled. “This is some really good stuff.”
“I know, right?”
“So, uh, where have you been lately?” he asked. “We’ve all been worried about you. What’s been up with you lately?”
I watched the girls dance around Jordan, laughing at his face. I took a sip of my whiskey and contemplated how to answer that question. I didn’t need another lecture from him, but I felt like I couldn’t get away from it. I turned and looked at him, realizing he was staring at me and waiting for an answer.
“I think you know the answer to that, John,” I said with a fake smile.
“Are you serious? You’re still tore up over that girl? We really thought something had happened to your folks or something.”
“Nah, they are fine,” I said. “I really felt a connection with Amanda. It’s not something that can be just turned off. It doesn’t matter how many bottles of whiskey I drink or how many women I fuck, not that I have fucked any, but still, it doesn’t matter. She is still right there on my mind. I wish you had experienced something like that at some point so that you could understand where I was coming from.”
We both looked up as the girls cheered and giggled. Jordan had finally given in, standing up on the chair and letting the girls dance all over him. I laughed and lifted my glass to him, watching him shake his head and roll his eyes.
“He’s a good guy,” I said. “And he has a really good girl, too.”
“Lindsey?”
“Yeah,” I said, looking over at him.
“She is a good girl,” he said. “I actually have hooked up with her sister Sarah a few times. She is a wild one. She’s the whole reason I ever found out about Amanda in the first place. She had some really nasty things to say about her. That’s when I knew you would be better off without her.”
“Wait, you slept with Sarah?”
“Yeah, she’s a sweetie, really wanted to look out for you because you’re my best friend,” he said. “I’ll have to introduce you sometime.”
“Don’t bother, I’ve unfortunately had the pleasure of meeting her,” I said, standing up and grabbing my coat.
“What does that mean?”
“You don’t know that girl at all,” I said, pointing at him. “Trust me. She is not what she seems. Man, I knew I should have questioned you on where you got that information from. I am such a damn idiot.”
“Trouble or not, she did give me that marriage document,” he said, shrugging.
I turned away from him, finishing my drink, a sick feeling settling in my stomach. This whole big story about the lies of Amanda was all circling around back to Sarah. I couldn’t believe what he just told me. I could have sworn that Lindsey didn’t know what she was talking about. I had kicked Amanda, the woman of my dreams, out of my life, and it could possibly have all been for nothing. She could have been the victim of this girl’s twisted plans, and I made it worse by not believing her.
“Hey, where are you going?” John asked.
“I’ve had enough of this party,” I said. “The keys are on the counter. The room is booked through tomorrow in case you guys stay. Make sure nothing gets broken.”
I turned and walked towards the door, sneaking past the guys and closing it behind me. The silence of the hall was relaxing, and I stood there for a second, searching for my phone. I wanted to call Amanda, to find out if everything that Lindsey said was the truth, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I shoved my phone back in my pocket and climbed in the elevator. Everything was pointing to Sarah, no matter which way I turned, but I was still unsure who to believe. I did have that document, but Lindsey was right. It totally looked forged when I scrutinized it. My brain tried to play those coincidences off, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I had been played somehow.
I got out of the elevator and headed to one of the cars waiting outside. I thought about it all the way home, realizing that I was drunker than I thought. Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t call her. I wouldn’t sound very convincing slurring my words. When I got home, I dropped my stuff inside the door and went to the bedroom. I undressed and turned on the shower, needing to wash the stench of cigars and hookers off my clothes.
My thoughts drifted from the naked strippers quickly over to Amanda and how hot her body was. She was real, down to the tiny, star-shaped birthmark on her lower back. The sex we had was out of this world. I let the hot water roll over my tense muscles as I leaned forward and cl
osed my eyes.