Jessie’s eyes widened as she glanced around at the horse pictures and then back down at the steak menu. “Ahhh, should I ask how it was?”
“Not as good as it was when I didn’t know what it was.” Diana laughed. “So coming in here and seeing all the horse pictures and steak for dinner, it just triggered the memory.”
“Oh.” Jessie shook her head. “I don’t think I could have eaten anything there again.” She gave a small grimace and changed the subject. “So you were in France?”
“Yes. I played tourist, did some studies. My papa thought it was a good idea.”
To be out of the way, way out of the way. There was something going on he didn’t want me to know about.
She shifted away from that thought; it wasn’t something to remember now. “It was an experience but I was glad to get home, see familiar things.”
“Speak French?”
“Not well. That was one drawback. I couldn’t get into the French mentality, always felt like I was missing something. Of course, I’ve had that feeling traveling here in the States too. We’re one country but there are such different regions.”
“Sounds like you’ve traveled a lot.”
“Yeah, I get around.” The waitress came and they turned in their orders. “How about you?”
Jessie shook her head. “No, with the horse races and the sales, we get the worldwide travelers coming here. Don’t need to go there and see them. Everyone comes here.”
“It’s a nice place to visit. There seems to be a lot of history here. I did some of the tours this morning.”
“Lots of history. We may not have the nightlife of a big city but we’re not a small town either.”
“As long as you like horses and basketball,” Diana teased. “I’ve seen that much.”
“It’s a good place to live.”
Conversation continued over dinner. Diana talked about places she had been and Jessie talked about Lexington. Jessie was clearly a hometown girl, she liked where she was, didn’t put it down like so many women Diana had met who had been eager to escape their home and go somewhere else. Comfortable in her own skin, Diana decided. No pretense. She liked that. They went to the bar afterward.
The women’s bar was a comfortable place also, bar down one side, dance floor at one end, platform for a band which performed occasionally, Jessie explained. Cement floor and plastic tables and chairs, nothing especially sophisticated but neighborly. There was a good turnout, and Diana noticed that she got more than a few curious glances. Jessie was obviously known as a Romeo here too. She was greeted often and in a friendly enough manner but everyone left them alone. Fast and loose was Diana’s guess. No need to meet whoever Jessie was with because it would change quick enough. Diana didn’t mind being the latest conquest; she also had a little black book.
Dancing was good, crowd was friendly in an impersonal way. The place heated up in more ways than one and it was after midnight when they left. Diana moved closer to Jessie as they walked to the car, Jessie’s arm easily resting across her shoulders. The night air was chillier than Diana had expected and Jessie was warm. She moved even closer.
“Cold?” Jessie asked as she unlocked the car door.
“A little.”
Jessie reached into the backseat for a denim jacket. She draped it around Diana’s shoulders. “Feel better?”
“Feels great,” Diana could answer in all honesty.
“Are you coming in?” she asked when they got back to the hotel.
Jessie looked uncertain. “I’d like to,” she said cautiously.
“Well, come on in,” Diana invited.
“I need to make a couple of calls,” Jessie said as Diana unlocked the door. She sounded reluctant.
“Of course.” Diana waved to the phone on the desk. “There’s the phone. I’ve got to make a pit stop.”
“No, I’ll use my phone.”
From the bathroom, she thought about Jessie’s change of attitude. Damn, she had thought it was going so good. She listened to hear the soft murmur of Jessie’s voice and then she evidently made another call.
Jessie stood awkwardly in the center of the room, frowning at the phone as Diana came back out. “I’m sorry,” she said as she looked up. “I can’t stay, something’s come up and I’ve got to go.”
At two in the morning?
But Diana hid her disappointment. Maybe this was something Jessie had set up to get her out of saying a point-blank no. But the evening had gone so well, dinner, conversation, the bar, dancing. “That happens,” she said. “I’m sorry.”
“So am I.”
If Jessie had set this up, Diana thought, she was putting on a good acting job. She looked sufficiently unhappy as she took her jacket back when Diana coolly handed it to her. Diana didn’t want to even use a ploy to see her again if Jessie wanted an out. She wasn’t that desperate to hold on to someone.
They said goodbye at the door, Diana becoming cooler by the minute even as Jessie was reluctant to go, dragging it out as much as she could, a lingering kiss, inviting, considering she was leaving. Diana ended it.
“Goodbye.” She almost shoved Jessie out the door and closed it.
Oh, well,
she thought leaning against the door.
It was nice while it lasted.
There was a sharp knock at the door. Diana turned, checked the peephole. Jessie?
She opened the door.
“Look,” Jessie said quickly, “I really had a great time tonight, but I’ve really got to go. Wanted to ask you: a lot of the horse farms are open tomorrow for tours. Did you want to go on one?”
“Well, sure,” Diana said with some bewilderment at the change.
“I’ll pick you up at one, no, make it twelve thirty. That all right?”
“Fine.”
“Great.” Jessie leaned forward to give Diana a quick kiss. Then she turned and almost ran down the hall to the elevator.
Diana closed the door, leaning against it in bewilderment, shaking her head. So much for bailing out.
But what the hell goes on at two in the morning that she has to leave?
***
Jessie did try to explain the next afternoon when she came to pick up Diana at the hotel. Jessie sat down on the small loveseat as Diana went back to the table by the window. “About last night,” Jessie started. “I need to explain.”
“No you don’t,” Diana cut her off. “You don’t owe me any explanation, ever.” Jessie looked at her in a puzzled way. “Besides, don’t you know? Your friends don’t need it and your enemies don’t believe it.”
Jessie looked even more puzzled as she leaned forward, her legs spread, her elbows on her knees. “And what class does that put you in?”
Diana shut the lid of the laptop. “The here and now. Last night’s past. You’re here now. That’s all that matters.”
“You don’t want to know?”
Diana shook her head. “Why should I? Your life. You don’t owe me anything.” She walked over to stand between Jessie’s legs. Jessie leaned back to look up at her, scooted back as Diana rested her knee on the seat. Jessie shook her head, giving Diana a sideways puzzled look. “All right,” she said. “If that’s your philosophy.”
“That’s my philosophy.”
“You don’t want to know anything else?”
Diana shook her head. “No.” She searched Jessie’s face. “Is that a problem?”
Jessie shook her head but she seemed uncertain. “I just thought you’d want to know more.”
“Why? Are we going to see each other again, run into each other at the grocery store? Or the neighborhood bar?” She began to have second thoughts about this horse farm tour. There were better ways to spend a Sunday afternoon. She took Jessie’s hand and brought the fingertips to her lips. “Tomorrow I’m gone.” She examined Jessie’s hand, long, slender fingers, delicate but strong, neatly trimmed nails. “I didn’t think you were interested in exchanging life histories.” She could feel Jessie’s pulse increase. “Was it boring, darling?” She tongued the center of Jessie’s palm.
“No.” Jessie shivered as Diana slid her tongue down to Jessie’s wrist. Jessie closed her eyes as her fingers curled.
“Did you have a good time?”
“Oh yes.”
“Isn’t that all that matters?”
With a sudden twist of her hand, Jessie caught Diana’s wrist and pulled her down across her lap. She ran her hand up Diana’s arm, went around her neck. She held her there a moment as Diana smiled at her.
“Isn’t it?” Diana repeated softly.
Jessie slowly pulled Diana to her. Diana welcomed the caresses, ran her fingers through Jessie’s short hair, ran her finger around Jessie’s ear, trailed her fingers down Jessie’s neck. This woman was so good; she knew just what to do.
“Did you really want to see the horse farms?” Jessie asked breathlessly when she broke away.
“Seen one horse, seen them all,” Diana responded. She pulled Jessie’s face back to her. As she pressed against Jessie’s lips, she came up on her knees, straddled Jessie. When she broke away, she looked down into Jessie’s face. “But you, darling, you’re one of a kind.”
***
Interesting,
Diana thought as she drove away on Monday afternoon. Not exactly what I expected. Amazing what gems one can find in the hinterlands.
She glanced at her watch, already dismissing Lexington. If she pushed it, she could make it home by midnight. It would be good to sleep in her own bed even if it was late. And she could make her report to Papa in the morning. She must remember not to glow. Doing a favor for Papa promised payment. She wouldn’t want him to think she got something great out of it and he could escape any obligation.
She settled back into the seat, a little sore but with a great sense of well being. The road was good, traffic was light. She should be able to make good time. Life was good, sometimes very very good.
Diana moved in and out of traffic once she got on Interstate 65.
It’s like a racetrack out here today. Why all the traffic?
She had gotten a late start, not as early as she wanted to be on the road. Her thoughts drifted back to last night’s pickup. Short, compact, blond, a little firecracker. Diana smiled at the memory. An entertaining evening to be sure, but what was her name? She played softball, had come into the women’s bar after the game. Shorty? Sasha? Sue? Diana shook her head. It didn’t matter. Diana wouldn’t be seeing her again even if she did return to Mobile. Hadn’t even been tempting enough to stay over another day. Not like that woman in Lexington, tall, dark, and handsome. Jessie, that was her name. Worked at the horse farm, something or other. Boy, she had been something. Diana had been dreaming of lean women in blue jeans ever since, gave her an itch she couldn’t quite scratch. Which was strange because Jessie had been different from any of her other encounters.
“Gotta get out of this traffic,” she muttered as she pulled onto the exit. “Just take a breather.”
A cool drink sitting at the picnic table under a shade tree. Just what she needed. She had picked up a newspaper to browse through. Race qualifications in Indianapolis. Well, that explained the traffic. Maybe she needed to get off I-65. She pulled out her interstate map, traced out the lines. Ahhh, take I-40 over to I-75. That would go all the way up to Detroit. She traced the route with her finger. Added bonus, it would go right through Lexington. Well, now, wouldn’t it be a nice place to layover and see if tall, dark and handsome was still available?
She gathered up the newspaper and tourist travel book. If traffic wasn’t perfectly awful, she should have a nice evening in Lexington. Now that was something to look forward to.
However, much later, hopes dimmed. The Bungalow was as dark as she remembered and the crowd as professional until the changeover hour. Diana sat in the corner, nursing the high-priced drink, watching women come in, casually searching faces, and then turning away in dismissal. Interesting, but no Jessie. Waiting gave her time to think.
When was the last time she tried to hook up again with a one-night stand? Had she ever? Well, not anyone on the road at least. At home she remained aloof. Papa’s warnings were paramount: trust nobody. The ones closest are the ones most likely to betray you. So don’t let anyone get close.
She examined her drink, thinking about her papa. There was a whole lot of Papa’s world she didn’t want, but it was hard to reject it without rejecting him and she wasn’t ready to do that. Not yet. Maybe someday. Maybe that was why she liked being on the road so much. An escape. On the road, everything seemed more normal. She could even leave Margaret at home; pretend she was just on vacation, going to visit family, friends. She could drop the suspicious attitude that was becoming second nature; stop the paranoid feelings that were becoming a second skin. She could forgo the cynical outlook she knew she was developing and just accept things at face value. Like Jessie.
That weekend had been a jewel. And it wasn’t just the sex, although that, admittedly, had been mind-blowing. She had never before let anyone dominate her, take control the way Jessie had. Yet there was something else. It was just… She paused. She wasn’t sure what it was. Jessie asking her out to dinner, going out dancing. It was so normal, getting-to-know-you stuff. Tourist stuff, a tour of the horse farms. When they finally got there, Diana had to chuckle. Small-town girl showing off the sights of her hometown. The cynical part of Diana was amused when she thought of all the sights she had seen, but another part of her was touched. Jessie treated her like a person, not just a sexual conquest. Maybe that was how Diana viewed it, a casual sexual encounter; maybe that was how it should remain, but when was the last time someone had treated her like someone they might want to know?
As the hour grew later and later, Diana began to lose hope. Maybe it had been just a one-time deal; but it would have been nice to repeat. Maybe Jessie had found someone; it had been several weeks. Things do change, sometimes quickly. Maybe her coming to this bar was a sometime thing, but Diana couldn’t remember the way to the women’s bar Jessie had taken her to, and she didn’t want to ask.
She listened to the women’s band, watched the dancers. Even if she didn’t see Jessie, this was better than sitting in her hotel room. She would wait until midnight and then she would go. An early morning start, and then she would be home within a time frame that wouldn’t require any explanation.