There was a band playing and about half of the three hundred people in attendance were on the dance floor. Everyone was dressed spectacularly and seemed to be enjoying themselves. Chad’s first-year anniversary party was a big deal around PSC. They had rented out the West Ballroom of downtown Atlanta’s Peachtree Plaza Hotel. His wife’s family was from old Georgia money and had no doubt sprung for the affair. Her grandfather was in attendance, and he was the spitting image of the late Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. I wondered how he felt to be in a room with such a mixed crowd. Not that the crowd was equally split, but it looked as if Chad and his wife, Gillian, had plenty of ethnic friends. Although he looked about eighty years old, he had a wife who looked to be in her late forties tending to his every whim. Most of the people there were coupled up, and I immediately thought about Nina and how she would have enjoyed the trip down. I felt a little guilty when I thought about how I had lied and told her I was in Atlanta for Chad’s wedding, which actually had taken place the previous year. There was no way that I would ever get caught, though. I knew that as long as you base your lies loosely on the truth, you could usually pull them off. Even though I had told her more than my fair share, I didn’t ever want to get into the habit of lying to Nina. The relationship that we were building was growing more important to me each day.

I sipped my glass of wine while I sat at a table with a few of my former coworkers. It had been more than five months since I had seen them all, and while I was enjoying their company, I still couldn’t truly say that I missed too many of them. Not that they weren’t good folks; it was just that the people I was currently working with were better folks, not to mention that when you’re running things, people really treat you well. I never took much time to analyze motives at HE. As long as people did what I asked, I couldn’t have cared less why they were attempting to kiss my butt. I did realize, though, that most of the people in my department knew I was responsible for doling out raises and bonuses.

I danced to a couple of songs with Stacey from customer service after finishing my third glass of wine. When I told her I was about to leave, she asked where I was staying. I lied and told her I was staying at the Omni. I was actually staying right upstairs. I knew Stacey was probably trying to get freaky, but if so she had lost her mind. I didn’t want her when I was working there, so I don’t know why she would have thought she had a chance now.

“Maybe I’ll call you over there later,” she said, as she hugged me good-bye. “Mmm. You smell nice, Cory.”

“Okay, you do that.” As I walked away I thought, Did I say the Omni? I meant the Peachtree.

I headed out of the ballroom after giving Chad and Gillian my congratulations. Chad thanked me for coming and said he was ready to leave as well. They were taking a second honeymoon to Rio de Janeiro, and he said that they both needed some rest. We laughed for a minute about the Braves and their chances of getting back to the World Series. He walked me to the entrance of the ballroom and asked me to consider him for any openings that HE might have that he would be qualified for. I told him, sure. I was surprised at his request, but then, everyone longs for a change from time to time, as long as it is for the better. We shook hands a final time, and I headed for the front desk.

“Any messages for Dandridge in 1718?” I asked the front-desk clerk.

“Yes sir, you have two messages.” She pulled two pink “while you were out” slips out of a drawer. “And a lady dropped this off for you.” She handed me an envelope. “You can ignore the message light on your phone now. The lady insisted that I make sure that you get this, so I left an urgent message flash on your phone.”

“Thanks,” I said, as I turned and walked toward the elevator.

I looked at the messages. “Call Nina if you get in before eleven. No emergency.” And “Darlene, call me at 770-555-1329 when you get in,” I read out loud. As I left the lobby my mind was filling with thoughts of the fun I had had with Darlene during the time I had lived in Atlanta. I thought back on the night she had picked me up from my apartment in her Falcons cheerleader uniform, ready to do some role playing in the back seat of my car. A man may not want to marry a freak, but he never forgets one.

I entered the room and instinctively turned on the TV and called Nina back. “Hey, baby,” I said.

“This is Tory, not Nina.” My niece laughed into the line.

“I know who it is. You’re my baby too, right?” I asked.

She giggled some more. “I guess.”

“You guess nothing. You won’t be guessing when you want to hit those malls on your birthday next month,” I said sarcastically. “Where’s Nina?”

“She’s asleep. She said to tell you she waited up as long as she could, but she took some medicine for her allergies, and it made her drowsy.”

“Okay. What are you guys doing?”

“I’m watching The Fast and the Furious, and Kyle is in the other bedroom playing with his Xbox,” she said.

“Well, tell Nina I called and that I’ll call her tomorrow to let her know what time to pick me up from the airport.”

“All right. Good night, Uncle Cory.”

“Night, baby.”

I kicked my shoes off and settled onto the bed. I started to call Darlene back, but I decided to open the envelope. I suspected that it was from Paula, but she had been supposed to meet me here at ten-thirty. It was almost eleven. Why in the world had she come all the way over here to bring a damned letter and not wait to see me? I was about to find out. I ripped open the envelope and began to read.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” I said aloud. No one was listening except for Stuart Scott and Dan Patrick as they introduced the eleven o’clock edition of Sports Center on ESPN. “Ain’t that a bitch?” My head was shaking in disgust. I felt like trashing the letter, but I felt compelled to read it once more. “After all the things that she had told me over the years, all of it bullshit.” I walked to the thermostat because it was getting stuffy in the room.

She had gotten back with him. I know that I should have expected that she would. Paula never did seem to be the type to stand on her own two feet. She probably never really even knew what she wanted, just took whatever was convenient for the moment. “Stinking bitch,” I said out loud. I wondered what would’ve happened if I had come down here to ask her to be with me or to tell her that I still loved her and wanted her back? I’d have been shit out of luck, that’s what. Would she have been worried about my feelings? She sure didn’t hesitate to tell me how great things are going for her and her limp-dick husband. I know that she’s missing this sex, and I hope…I caught myself and spoke aloud. “Let me get ahold of myself. Why am I so pissed off? It’s not like I don’t have someone. And of course I did come down here only to be with her one last time.” I began talking to myself inside of my head to calm down.

I reasoned that everything was fine when I had dumped her, but now that Paula had picked up the pieces and moved on, I was upset. Cory, I said to myself, that isn’t right. I was right, as usual, and tried to change my entire train of thought. Good for her and her simple-assed husband. The hell with the both of them. I have something prettier, younger, and…I couldn’t actually say smarter. Paula was damn near a genius. I couldn’t say better in bed either. Paula was the bomb between the sheets, totally uninhibited. Nina was still learning, but then, she was only twenty-five. Why was I comparing my baby to some married chick, anyway? Nina had integrity, more than Paula probably ever would. Paula had probably decided to fuck around at the first hint of unhappiness. I doubt if I was the first, although I had never asked. She had never volunteered the information either. When I thought about all of the things I was feeling, I felt stupid. Why had I even allowed myself to get all worked up? Paula was back with Marvin. Fine. She wasn’t coming tonight. Fine. I had someone better any damned way.

I usually wasn’t one to use alcohol to calm my nerves, but I found myself craving a shot of something strong. I was still reeling a bit from the letter. I drank down the first of the miniatures I’d purchased on the plane in hopes of dulling the sting of my wounded pride. I’m not in love with Paula; I’m in love with Nina, I kept repeating, in hopes of putting my feelings into perspective. Then I prepared to do the only thing I imagined I could do in order to take my mind off Paula.

I picked up the phone and dialed Darlene’s cell number. She didn’t pick up, so I left a message. I flipped the channel to see what movies were on the hotel cable and got up to fix myself a drink. I reached into my garment bag and pulled out the rest of the whiskey and vodka miniatures I had purchased a on the plane. The four bucks a shot on the plane was still cheaper than what the hotel charged for the stuff they stocked in the cabinet. I hated popping the little plastic seal on the cabinet and paying two dollars for a bag of chips or three dollars for a bottle of Veryfine cranberry juice, but I did just that. I wasn’t about to drink the shots of Absolut straight, though I could have. If I left the room to go find a vending machine (which they probably didn’t have, so that they could force you to buy up everything in the cabinet during your stay), I might have missed Darlene returning my call.

I had just finished my first drink when the phone rang. “Hello,” I answered.

“Cory. What’s up, baby?” Darlene’s voice crackled through the line. She was on a cellphone.

“Not much. Thinking about you,” I offered, in my smoothest tone. “What are you getting into tonight?”

“Actually, I’m on my way to the club,” she answered. “One of the guys from the Braves is having a party at Club 112 tonight. You want to come?”

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m a little tired. Why don’t you stop past here on the way? You knew I was in town. Why would you go and make plans?” I asked, sounding like her father.

She laughed. “Well, my situation is a little complicated. I’m sort of seeing someone, but I guess I could stop past there for a quick visit. I can call Tina and Connie to let them know I’ll just meet them there in about an hour.”

“Well, how far are you from here?” I figured she had to be close if she was going to stop by and be in Buckhead inside an hour.

“I’m pretty close to you now, right off of Lenox Avenue. I could be there in about fifteen minutes.” Before we hung up, Darlene asked me for the room number.

Darlene arrived looking good as sin. She had on a tight-fitting pair of low-rise jeans and a snug-fitting BCBG top. Darlene was a real doll baby, and I wondered silently why I had never considered making her my lady. She had a body that most women would kill for, and she had a great personality, though she could be a little dizzy.

“Where’s my hug, boy?” she said, extending her arms.

After we hugged we kissed a quick kiss on the lips, I said, “I see you cut all of your hair off.”

She nodded in agreement. “I know. I just got so tired of sweating it out every other day.”

I remembered that she was an aerobics instructor as well as a cheerleader and student. “So you’re still teaching the aerobics,” I asked, even though I knew. One look at that body, and I knew.

“Hell, yeah. I gotta eat, don’t I?” We laughed.

We made small talk as she sat down. I offered her a drink from my cabinet. She walked over and helped herself to a grapefruit juice. I remembered that she didn’t drink alcohol. I kept my eye on the clock to make sure I didn’t let too much time pass by before I made a move. I didn’t want to seem too desperate, but I was feeling the sting of rejection after Paula’s letter. I needed something to pick me up, and for some reason I was thinking that sex with Darlene could do the trick.

There was never any doubt in my mind that I would be able to get her to comply. Even though our relationship was based mainly on a sexual attraction, there was a certain connection between us that she had never been able to deny. The fact that I was no longer in town seemed to romanticize the whole notion of us falling into bed.

Knowing what I did about approaching her worked to my advantage as well. Darlene was no different than most women in that she hated an overly aggressive brother more than anything. At the same time, women wonder about men who are too passive. A complete man has the right combination of confidence and humility. That was me in a nutshell. I wasn’t going to attack her as if she owed me the ass, but I wasn’t going to just let her stop by my room without trying her.

After about twenty minutes, I asked her to fill me in on what was so complicated about her “situation.” I was referring to her statement about why she had made plans.

Her complication turned out to be nothing more than a relationship she was entertaining in her mind. “Well, it’s really not that big a deal,” she said. “I’m kind of dating one of the guys on the Braves team. Antonio Gomez. You’ve heard of him? Right now things are in the early stages. We both are feeling like commitment is coming from this whole thing, but we’re trying not to rush into it. I know that you and I have a history, but I just don’t want to mess this up.”

Of course I’d heard of him. He was the left fielder…well, he wasn’t the starter, but he did see some action as a designated hitter. “Yeah,” I answered.

“Like I said, it’s not that serious yet, but he has really been after me. He invited me to this party, and it’s, like, invitation-only. The thing is, Connie and Tina really wanted to go because there’s going to be a whole bunch of celebrities there. You know how they are. Anyway, the only way they can get in is with me, so they have been begging me all week to make sure I go.” Darlene finished her grapefruit juice.

“Well, where are they now?” I asked.

“I told them to me at Churchill Grounds up the street at twelve-thirty,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Well, then,” I said. “It’s almost twelve. You had better come on over here and let me have a few kisses and hugs before you go.” I patted the bed beside me.

“Cory, don’t even try it. I just told you that I was dating Antonio.” She shook her head no.

“Darlene, I know you know better than that. You don’t date professional athletes, rappers, or movie stars.” I laughed. “Either you’re one of the chicks that they are screwing, or you’re the one getting cheated on. You know better than to think that you’re involved in some type of real courtship, at least, anything that would make you deny me.”

I stood and walked toward her. “I’m shocked,” I said, as I took her by the hands and pulled her up from the chair she was seated in. “I know you know better. Right?” She smiled as she stood with me. She said nothing as I put my arms around her waist.

“You smell good, Cory. What are you wearing?” I could tell that just that quickly her defenses were weakening. When it came to me Darlene always seemed to fit the category of “old faithful.”

“Mmmm, you taste good,” I whispered, as my lips brushed her cheeks and found her neck.

Darlene breathed deeply, while each of my hands gripped a cheek through the fabric of her jeans. To my surprise, Darlene backed away. She looked into my eyes and unzipped her pants. Then she pulled her shirt carefully over her head, so as not to mess up her short but meticulously styled hair. She unfastened her bra. I had expected more resistance but was fine with her cooperation.

“Just as I remembered them,” I said to myself. Her breasts were small, but she had the prettiest and most perfectly shaped nipples I had ever seen. I joined in with her and began coming out of my clothes.

When we were both naked she flipped off the light and moved back toward me. She asked me for it. I pulled a condom out of my bag, and she slid it onto my dick with her mouth. She made wearing one not such a bad deal. Plus, I had to think of Nina. As she pushed me back onto the bed, the phone rang. I didn’t answer it. I didn’t return the favor by going down on her; she didn’t give me a chance. Darlene had pulled me up to her face, showering me with kisses. Normally I hated a tongue in my ear, but the way she licked me it sent sensations straight to my penis. I started to penetrate her very slowly. I gave her an inch and several strokes at a time. I hadn’t entered her completely, and she began to complain. “Stop teasing me, Cory.”

“Be patient,” I answered. I continued to stroke only the opening to her womanhood. Every ten or twenty strokes I went slightly deeper. By the time I had entered her completely she was soaking wet and breathing in frenzied short breaths. I was feeling the need to have my ego stroked, so I was doing my best to blow her mind. When I felt her about to reach her peak I plunged deep inside her.

“Ohhh, Gawwwd,” she screamed. It seemed as though all the air had left her body. Instantly she locked her legs around mine, pulling me deeper. At the same time her hands were pushing at my chest.

“You like that?” I asked. I started pounding away at her. I repeated, “You like that?”

“You don’t know howww…much.” Her head began thrashing back and forth. There was a coat of sweat forming on her face and breasts. “I don’t want to come yet. Oh, Cory, slow down, please,” she begged.

I wanted to enjoy it. I also wanted to leave her drained. I stood her up and guided her to the wall and entered her from behind. She wrapped her hands around my neck, pushing her bottom against my pelvis. I remembered how she loved this position, so I ground her from the back until she started to shake. We went at it for about ten more minutes at a really furious pace. She asked me if I had missed her pussy.

“Of course I did, baby,” I said, as I pushed her down on the bed. I entered her from behind again. She could tell I was ready to come so she began talking seductively. We told each other lies and made promises to always keep in touch. She even told me that she loved me. I wasn’t willing to go that far, but when she came, I came with her. And during that orgasm I did go as far as telling her that she had the best pussy in the world. She loved to hear me tell her that. They all did. And I told them what they wanted to hear. But in reality, Darlene didn’t even have the best pussy in my world, which was all I could really vouch for. That title belonged to someone who was in my past.

We lay there for only a moment before Darlene stood up and went to the bathroom with her clothes in hand. I heard water running and I knew she was washing up. The lights were back on, but I was still naked. I was feeling temporarily satisfied. My trip hadn’t been a total waste. I laughed when I thought that. Why is it that if a man doesn’t get laid when he’s out of town, whether he’s at a wedding, a conference, a vacation, or a funeral, he considers his trip incomplete? I didn’t know the answer to that one, but it was a fact. I then told myself that this would be the last time I would ever venture out on Nina. Although I had had a few indiscretions during past relationships, I was far from a habitual cheater. It was one thing to run around as a single man, but I had taken responsibility for someone’s feelings and I needed to own up to that.

“Cory, come give me some sugar. I’m about to leave.” She kissed me on the cheek this time.

“You coming back after the party?” I asked, as I wrapped a towel around my waist.

“You want me to?” she asked. Her eyes said that she wouldn’t be back. I nodded my head an affirmative “yes” anyway.

“Maybe. I’ll see what I can do.” She smiled at me and hugged me once more.

That meant good-bye. Darlene said that she would call me in a couple of hours if she were coming back and insisted that I promise to listen for the phone.

“Sure thing,” I said, and waved her off.

She probably was going home with Gomez. I couldn’t help thinking that he was probably already planning to take her home after the party to drill that cute little booty, just as I had moments before. Enjoy the used twat, Antonio, you sucker, I said in my head, as I let her out of the door. “I know he’s paying for it, one way or the other,” I said under my breath, as I watched her head toward the elevator.

As I climbed into my bed, I hoped that Darlene wasn’t thinking that she had done me any favors by saying she might come back. I was satisfied for the moment. At the very least, I was relieved of the self-imposed stress from Paula’s letter. If she came back, fine. If she didn’t, that was cool too. I drifted off thinking of my plane ride home and Nina. I knew at that moment she was in my apartment at home, sleeping in my bed, and probably in one of my T-shirts. At that moment I felt secure and even more satisfied knowing that my lady’s whereabouts could be accounted for. I even felt a twinge of regret for having come to Atlanta. Justifiably, though, it served me right. I should have left well enough alone. Paula had moved on, just as I had. If she had come over here tonight I would definitely have told her about Nina, and she would have been the one feeling dejected. It was supposed to have been my grand closure, though.

Oh well, I figured. She had moved on not knowing that I had also. I guess that was why I was feeling so ambivalent toward things. Ego, no doubt. As I slowly drifted off, an old saying found its way into my head: “One monkey don’t stop no show.” I heard it over and over in my head until I realized that after all that I had been through with Paula and Darlene, all I had been in their lives was one single, solitary monkey. I didn’t dwell on it, though, because soon enough sleep took over, and it took my thoughts to a more peaceful place.