Some weeks passed since my co-worker and his wife Cynthia moved on. I had a chat with my manager one morning and he told me a few things about them. First, my co-worker’s name was Martin, but we all called him Marty. Second, he served in the military, but Marty told me that.
What I did not know was that Marty was highly decorated and barely survived a firefight in his last assignment. He was riding in a vehicle that was blown up by a roadside bomb and the blast killed three other soldiers who were riding with him. Marty endured multiple surgeries on his legs and lower abdomen that kept him hospitalized for a few months.
That evening, I stopped by the bar near my apartment. I chatted with the bartender and he told me that Marty stayed in the mental ward for a couple of months, because he was having nightmares. One night, during one of the nightmares or flashbacks, he beat up Cynthia.
“Marty and his platoon had some close combat with the enemy,” the bartender told me while I sipped on my beer during an empty spell at the bar. “That sort of thing never leaves a sane man’s conscience,” he added.
I sat quietly at the bar as he finished speaking. A moment or two passed before either of us spoke. “How do you know about Marty and his experiences?” I asked.
“Cynthia is my step-sister.”
“Damn” was all I could muster. My brain was beginning to feel like jelly and the beer did not help. The bartender smiled and told me not to worry about the past. “Marty and Cynthia agreed on certain things. They are doing fine now.”
Well, that tied up a lot of loose ends and I felt it was time to move on to other things. One of those involved returning to the casino nightclub. I think there’s more investigation required.
So, the next Tuesday evening, I dressed up and drove to the casino.
After arriving, I walked around the gambling rooms, listening to the chimes of the one-armed bandits and the chatter of the crowd. A few couples and other people were seated or standing at one of the gambling room bars. I approached it, ordered a beer and watched the crowd some.
After a few minutes, I walked over to the nightclub.
Inside, the music was typically loud, and the dance floor had a few couples and some single women dancing. I walked around to check out the place, because the last time I was there, I did not have much of an opportunity to do so.
Several women caught my eye, and I would have enjoyed some between the sheets company with them. However, I played things cool to see how things would play out as I made my way to the bar and ordered myself another beer.
I had been at the bar with my beer for about five minutes when this guy approached. I moved aside to give him access and continued crowd watching.
A moment later, I felt the guy nudge me. When I looked over at him, he handed me another beer. I accepted it and told him thanks. “My name is Russ, thanks for the courtesy,” he said as he held two more beers. “No problem, man. I’m Austin,” I replied. “Thanks for the beer, it was not necessary.” “My pleasure,” Russ replied. “Do you come here often?” he asked me.
At this point, I began to wonder if I was getting hit on by a gay guy. “No, this is actually my second time here,” I answered over the loud music. Russ motioned with one of the beers he was holding, and this strikingly good-looking blonde woman dressed in a low-cut, short black dress approached.
“Amanda, this is Austin,” Russ said to her. She smiled and held out her hand, “Hello, Austin. Nice to meet you.” I take her hand gently and replied the same.
“Are you a friend of Russ?” she asked over the music as she moved between Russ and me.
“No, actually. We just met.” “Oh, I see” she smiled and sipped her beer.
I noticed as I took a sip of my beer, Amanda was saying something to Russ, but I could not hear because of the music. He nodded, took a sip of his beer and walked away.
“Austin, I was wondering something,” Amanda said to me. “What?” I sort of blurted out. “Russ likes to talk to total strangers and I hope he did not disturb you.” I looked at her and she had a bit of a concerned look about her. “No, it is alright. I appreciate the beer he bought me,” I replied.
She seemed a bit nervous, so I asked her if things were OK. She smiled and told me that everything was fine.
She asked me about myself, things such as if I lived in the city, or if I were married or attached. I responded with the usual answers and asked about her and Russ’ lives. Amanda told me that they have been married for over fifteen years and had no children. “We live the urban professional lifestyles and have a nice home, cars, the usual,” she smiled as she sipped on her beer.
As we spoke, Amanda got closer to me, to the point that she was leaning on my arm. I also took notice that Russ was nowhere around. Or rather, I did not see him in the club. I assumed that he went off to gamble.
Amanda set down her beer and I noticed her take a sort of sweeping glance around the club. I assumed that she was looking for her husband. “Austin, what do you think of the way some of the women here are dressed?” she asked.
“Huh?” I responded.
“Do you think that some of them are slutty?”
“I have not really thought of it that way. I figure that they want attention or showing off somehow,” I replied.
“How do you like the way I am dressed?” she asked.
“I think it is sexy. Attractive. You look good.” That answer must have been the ticket, because Amanda leaned over and kissed my cheek.
“Thanks, Austin. I liked that. You are open and honest.”
Apparently, her kiss was some sort of signal as Russ seemed to appear out of nowhere.
“Amanda,” Russ said as he approached. I met my limit at the craps table. “Are you ready?”
She smiled and leaned over to him and said something. Russ looked over to me as Amanda stepped aside. “Austin, I appreciate you keeping my wife company.” He paused and looked over at his wife and she smiled.
“Would you care to join us at our place? We live nearby.”
A feeling came over me like I just got jolted, causing me to mumble. I agreed, then followed them out of the casino to the parking lot.
As it worked out, I was parked a bit away from the casino and I let them know. Meanwhile, Russ’ car was in a V.I.P. slot. “Get in, I can drive over to your car, Austin,” Russ said as we approached their BMW.
As I got out of their car, Russ instructed me to follow.
A few minutes later, we entered a gated community. A security guard leaned out of a brick booth, then he looked back at me in my car. Russ went ahead to his house and the guard nodded at me as I passed by.
We approached one of the smaller-sized homes and I followed Russ’ car into the driveway. I stopped short of the garage he parked in, which was beside a white Land Rover.