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I see you under the midnight, love darts in your eyes.
How far can you take it, till you realize, there's magic in your eyes?
Uh oh, it's Magic, when I'm with you...
The Cars.

"Sorry, Ray. I forgot my money. Can you pay?"

Damn, Nick got me again!

He had pulled that stunt last month at the dollar movie theater, but I didn't expect him to do it for bar drinks. Fortunately, we had already downed two beers on the drive to Tracy's party...

***************

The club was actually an outdoor pavilion with a few restaurants and a dance floor. Our party took up a long table at the Mexican bar, and Tracy's cheeks flushed red with her third drink when I introduced Nick to her.

She rubbed his bicep and slurred, "Oh, he's almost as handsome as you, Ray!"

Tracy pressed her entire body against me in a tight embrace, as far from a friendly coworker-type hug as could be, and my devotion to Alice disappeared in an instant. I kissed the top of Tracy's head, then whispered in her ear, "I'm glad I came, Tracy. You look so pretty. Happy Birthday, my sweet love."

Holy shit, I don't even say that to Alice! Did I really mean it?

Fully aroused, I held her to me while stroking her back and arms for over a minute, then felt a surge of emotions when Tracy softly moaned.

I reluctantly released her to order drinks for Nick and me. Tracy seemed to glow as I looked back at her, and she put her whole body into blowing me a kiss.

I'm doomed...

Nick rolled his eyes when I handed him a draft beer.  "Thanks, Ray. Uhh, Tracy is... I don't know. I mean, yeah, she's super cute, but I'm not at all impressed with her. Anyways, she's clearly got her sights set on you. Does she know about Alice?"

I nodded. "That's what the hickey was for. I don't think Tracy cares that I have a girlfriend, but I'm still not going to do anything with her. She's just drunk. You know how girls get. Hey, there's Wendy. Try not to stare at her tits."

Nick scoffed, "Like you do, Ray?"

"Heh, that's different. Its a perk of being her boss!"

"Ray, did I ever tell you what a cretin you are?"

I gave him my trademark shrug, then waved Wendy over to us.  "Wendy, this is my friend Nick. We rent our house together, so if you ever come over for beers after work, he'll be there."

She looked him over. "Hi, Nick. You guys kind of look like brothers."

He laughed. "Yeah, we get that a lot. Pleased to meet you, Wendy. Ray told me plenty of good things about you, and they all seem... true."

Wendy had dressed very conservatively in loose jeans and a plain white blouse that de-emphasized her figure, but still...

Damn, that girl's got some big ole...

Heh, Nick likes them too...

She winked and wagged a finger at us. "Yep, brothers alright. Flirting within ten seconds of meeting a girl, and leering at my chest. Do you guys compare notes?"

Nick pulled out a chair and smirked. "We certainly do, Wendy. Have a seat, and I'll tell you about some of your boss's legendary pickups and failures."

Wendy returned his expression with a saucy smile, revealing the adorable tiny gap between her teeth. "Oh, this I have to hear. I bet you also have plenty of your own stories, Nick?"

She took the offered seat, then I left them to chat. Nick could be charming when he wanted to, but could also be surly to girls he didn't know. I think he preferred to actively pursue women he liked, as opposed to my more passive approach. Still, I hoped he and Wendy hit it off, as she would be a welcome addition to our lives.

Some other guys from my restaurant called me over, so I went to talk with them, finding a small amount of camaraderie. However, their discussion soon turned to sports, which I found even more pathetic than my snobbish attitude towards it.

Hmph. I prefer to do my own things, rather than mindlessly watch others throwing a ball around or fight, because I'm more evolved than those troglodytes...

With a fresh beer in hand, I sat down with Nick and Wendy, happy to see them getting along. Nick cracked me up when he said, "Ray, I bought her a margarita with your money. Say thank you, Wendy."

She deadpanned, "Thank you, Wendy."

A keen comic sense, combined with her beauty, made the stale joke funny. Pretty girls get a ten-point head start at everything in life, but Wendy actually had a real gift for humor.

I forgot to tell him about Wendy's young age, but I doubted it would cause any trouble. She looked a little bit older and was hot. In 1984, it sufficed for Wendy to be served at any bar.

Tracy came over and hopped onto my lap, so I held her to me while she ran her fingers through my loosely curled hair.

"Mmm, Ray. What's that I feel?"

Playing along, I lifted her tiny ass with one hand to adjust my sudden erection. "Gee, I don't know, Tracy. That's never happened before. You must be special!"

My hand shifted to an upper thigh inside Tracy's modest dress, almost touching her crotch and keeping her wriggling body from falling off me. She sloppily kissed my neck a few times while Wendy talked to us, and I worried Tracy would add to my fading hickey, but she behaved. After a few minutes, she nibbled on my ear and whispered, "Ray, I had hoped you'd come by yourself. We could have...

I valiantly stopped her. "Tracy, you're wonderful, but I'm totally in love with Alice, and I'm not going to do anything with you."

Somehow, it came out as, "Tracy, we can go out after work this week, if you want."

She nodded, gave me her big toothsome smile and puppy dog eyes, then drunkenly kissed me. We made out for about thirty seconds in front of everyone before I realized what I was doing. I had expected Flirty Tracy, but All-Over-Me Tracy was more than welcome, too.

I left to buy another beer, and when I returned, Nick wanted to leave. "Ray, Wendy shut me down, but she was cool about it. I like her, she's a good chick."

"Sorry, Nick, I tried... Hey, give me a minute, I need to say goodbye to Tracy."

He slapped my head. "Your new girlfriend is trouble. You know that, right?"

I adjusted my nonexistent tie. "No man, Tracy isn't my girlf... and she's not bad... she's just drunk. That's all."

Nick wasn't wrong. In fact, Nick was never wrong about my women, but I usually ignored it, and had to repeatedly endure his post-disaster taunting, "I told you so... you cretin."

I couldn't see Tracy anywhere, but I found Wendy, who laughed, "Ray, Tracy's vomiting in the ladies' room. You're lucky she kissed you when she did!"

I dramatically wiped my brow. More than once, girls had kissed me after barfing, an occupational hazard of feeding them booze to get sex. Wendy then asked, "Ray, is your friend always a jerk?"

I didn't think she was actually mad. "Nick has his ways, but he actually treats women really well."

Wendy raised her eyebrows. "Unlike you, right?"

I shrugged, and she gave me a playful hit.

Appearing older and wiser than her teenage youth, Wendy confided, "Seriously, Ray. Tracy really likes you. She recently split up with the guy she's been with since high school, so she's a little broken right now. Please don't hurt my friend."

I assured her, "I won't hurt Tracy. I promise."

"You... promise... hmm. Ray, you seem sincere, but..."

Wendy gave me a long, intimate hug and added, "You know, I like you too... Oh my God, I don't know why I just said that. I'm sorry, Ray. You must think I'm awful."

I loved feeling her large breasts pressed against me. "Wendy, it's ok. I think you're great. Tell Tracy goodbye for me, and I'll see you two at work."

**********

Nick and I bought some more beer on the way home, becoming completely sloshed while we wrote songs about the night. I still perform one of them.

Wendy puzzled me. She had said Tracy liked me and didn't want me to hurt her friend, yet had blatantly flirted with me. I decided to hold off doing anything romantic with her, because I wanted to hook up with Tracy before she left for school in a week.

Feeling guilty about it, I called Alice and made plans for after work the next night, hoping her intense passion and beauty would bring me back from the edge.

**********

Two days later, I awoke in Alice's bed, savoring the memory of our fantastic night together. I had shown up to her apartment at midnight, then Alice had driven my Riviera 150 mph by the reservoir. We had laid on the long hood, enjoyed the sights and sounds of the full moon evening, then returned to her home for an incredible two hours of love-making.

Forget Tracy. Alice is all I need...

I quietly dressed, kissed Alice goodbye, and felt closer to loving her than I had thought possible. She rubbed her eyes. "Ray, I'm so glad you came by last night. You were perfect... but don't make it a regular thing."

And just like that, Tracy is back in play...

Alice had a way of ruining tender moments with her rules and needs, but I was too emotionally immature to discuss it with her. I worried she would tell me something like, "Ray, if you want me, this is how it's has to be," then I would say goodbye.

I wasn't ready to end our romance, because I had gotten used to having her in my world. She wasn't my soulmate, but Alice gave my life a small amount of purpose and stability.

Hiding my frustration, I suggested, "Alice, next Thursday I work early, so we could have dinner at the beach."

She boiled over with excitement. "I'd love that. We can go for a walk on the shore afterwards."

I really enjoyed strolling hand in hand with her, and looked forward to it.

"Alice, if you can miss work on Friday, I'll get us a hotel room."

I had never before proposed a getaway, and she hesitated. "I... I'll let you know tonight, but thank you. You just gave me goosebumps!"

Goosebumps usually indicated arousal in Alice and I considered a quickie, but needed to save some for Tracy when she got off work. Even at twenty-three, I was not a bottomless well...

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