In today’s parlance, ‘gamer’ is not what I am. I am equally sad at video games, online gaming, group participation games like Password or that game where teams compete to guess the title of a book or movie. I can hold my own in poker games and am okay at spades.
I play sex games with women, mostly married ones whose eyes wander my way. My best hunting grounds are convention-holding hotels. I attend social gatherings like weddings and funerals (look ashamed, tlogtlom!). Hint: not every attendee at a funeral is there for the deceased. A spouse or neighbor or good friend will request a ‘date’ for company. I can just walk up and start talking to strangers. The occasional happenstance meeting places like bars, restaurants, parks, free admission events and revitalized downtowns work.
Let me tell you about one time I got lucky. This pick-up site was a convention hotel, on a Thursday evening. No matter the conference, it ends on Friday. By six o’clock on Thor’s Day, conventioneers are packed and ready to go home. The wife’s treasured LBD, push-up bra, sexy panties and heels can be shoved into the suitcase later. On that last night of freedom, ‘anything goes’ before going back to Dullsville.
This time, I opted to grab a place at a long table seating those out-of-towners. I sat next to a middle-aged lady with a Little Black Dress which fit her perfectly. She was just the right height, shapely for her age, well-coiffed. She was my prey for the evening.
Next to her was a dark-skinned co-worker (?), then the boss. More from the same organization sat at the other side of the table.
My opening was straightforward. “Hi, I’m Greg. I live close by; welcome to our fair city.”
My target replied, “Thank you. My name is Karen. This is Isaac and our boss, Mr. Smith. The rest of our team is there.” She gestured to the four seated facing us, but gave no other names. Everyone had already had a few, but none were hammered.
I didn’t care about anyone but Karen, so that was fine with me.
Karen looked a little out of place, nervous. I like the lonely or desperate or needy: someone willing to engage a stranger. I paid attention to her only, heard none of the table’s shop talk.
Karen and I talked, occupying ourselves and passing the time. We found some common ground: same college, albeit I am ten years her senior. She grew up near my hometown, so we could chat about her baseball team, the miserable-to-both-of-us winter weather there. We chatted and sipped.
As Billy Joel sang, “It’s better than drinking alone.”
So I listened to Karen and uttered the appropriate monosyllables and sounds of interest: “Umm! Wow! That must have been tough on you! Tell me about it. Uh huh?” I am an expert at body language, leaning in, asking her to repeat something if I think it might help me later, hand gestures of amazement and head shakes of disgust. I learned she had a roomie that night, and when she was supposed to call about the kids. All this to better plan my next moves. I determined I wouldn’t have any encumbrances. A good catch will let me know all that stuff if I just shut up and listen to the hints.
My job number one was to cut her out of the herd, away from coworkers or associates.
“Would you like to dance?”
She turned to her left and I assumed she got permission from her boss to break away for awhile. One or two dances in the hotel bar was a good start.
Halfway through the next song, a slow one, I was bold.
I asked her to tell her friends that she was going to be on her own in a little while, but not to worry, this guy was a gentleman.
I have a social worker friend who told me his master’s subject was ‘Prostitutes in Downtown Detroit’. My sophomoric retort was, “Boy, those women must be great talkers!”
“No! They are great listeners,” was his reply. I tried to be a good listener as well.
We came back to the table, but the black guy and two of the women on the other side of the table were missing. Restroom? Smoke break? Phone call? Who cared?
After the third drink, I said, “Wow. This alcohol is getting to me. Can we just take a walk around the lobby or around the block, just to clear my head?”
The next step is incredibly necessary. She would want to screen me before agreeing to go out with me.
She quizzed, “What do you do? Do you live here? Do you have a family?”
I answered, mostly honestly, but added one line.
I confided, “I write porn in my spare time. I pick up a little money on the side but will do it for free. Still waiting for that big Fifty Shades Of Gray-type deal!”
Immediately, not giving my remark time to set in, it was time for action.
I took her hand and we approached the door, then I stopped abruptly. I leaned in closer than I should, took in her aroma and whispered questions.
Sounding genuinely concerned, I asked, “Do you need to visit the ladies' room? Do you need to let your friends know we are okay?”
Answers were irrelevant. I waited, just inside the lobby.
She returned, looking refreshed.
My biggest challenges loomed.
I did my homework and knew she liked comedy clubs and such. Without missing a step, I cracked a quick joke.
“Did you hear about the couple just like us, meeting for the first time? The guy says, ‘My place or yours?’ The punchline is: lady replies, 'If you are going to argue about it, forget it.'’”
Karen laughed, then realized I’d inserted us as the couple talking about fooling around.
I backtracked, “I told you I write erotic stories. Do you ever read or watch pornography?”
She said, “Sometimes. Do you ever write about threesomes or doing it in front of the husband?”
I answered vaguely, “Sometimes. Why do you ask?”
Silence, then a flippant, "No reason, yet."
We did this walking dance, still hand-in-hand, and continuing to speak. I sensed she was interested: I could tell by her gait. I slowed a little; she did too. She sped up; so did I.
More small talk or just quietude until we were alone. It might have been at a bridge or in front of some statue or building or just watching the moon. This time, we were leaning over the hotel mezzanine railing in an alcove, watching.
I moved closer. I gently squeezed her hand, released it and encircled her, pulling her close.
I whispered, “We can go further. I am ready, but need some kind of sign from you. ”
I never slowed down to wait for an answer. Instead, I stated my case.
“You look lovely tonight. The moment I saw you, I knew. You are poised, good looking, a real catch. I knew that I wanted to get to know you, get close to you. Like now.”
The kiss. Then once more, and she took over. Lips, tongues met. My hands slid to her her waist.
In unison almost, we said, “I have a room.” That made us both giggle.
I asked, “Shall we check it out?”
She established some ground rules. I knew I would acquiesce to all of hers. More alcohol or not? Quick roll in the hay or ‘Let’s take our time and get to know each other better-- we’ll get to that bed, but maybe not for a while.' Soft light or darkness? Music or not?
One question must have nagged her, but she was hesitant to ask.
Eventually, across the silence, “Do you really write pornography?”
I answered honestly, “Yes. I do, and some is quite good, they say. No, I don’t carry around samples of my work in a briefcase. I could share some with you by email or I could just give you a couple of my sites and my aliases. Oops...pen names!”
She showed interest. “You must realize women would rather read than watch those awful movies.”
I nodded and answered, ‘”This could be great for both of us! I might accept a commission, no charge of course, for writing a special story for you, even dedicate it to you by just ‘Karen’ or your initials.”
Karen responded, “You say you had a room here, in this hotel?”
“Yes, I do,” I replied. “It’s a small one, but my company keeps it for out-of-towners and I get to manage it. It’s free.”
Karen looked me in the eye, saying, “'Free' meaning you won’t be charged or 'free' meaning it is available tonight?”
I whispered conspiratorially for no reason but to emphasize that I was serious, “Both. But it has only two twin beds, so our romp might be constrained.”
Karen shook her head, got real close and whispered back, “We have a suite, two king-size beds.”
I kissed her again, this time with even more passion: lips, tongue, caresses to butt returned. Eagerness blossomed on both our parts. Actually, blossomed on lots of body parts.
Karen pulled away and got really serious. Her next words floored me.
“Let’s use my room. It is bigger.”
I said, “Of course, but what about your roomie?”
“I have one item that will stay in my room--my husband. He has been after me to participate in another threesome. We’ve done this a few times before. Mostly, it’s been pillow talk and fantasizing, but I think I am ready to do it again.”
I nodded, thought about it and finally made up my mind.
I answered, “How can we know he will approve of this, right now? He doesn’t even know me, yet.”
My date smiled, “He knows. He approves. His name is Isaac. He spells it differently, but he is the guy I was sitting next to at the table. I texted him and he is waiting for us.”
“Wow!”
The married couple had a penthouse suite. Isaac was the black guy she had been sitting next to, in the bar. Sometimes he tags along on her business trips and pays for their rooms.
He showed me around. They had a sitting room/parlor area with two matching loveseats facing each other. Over each was a wide-screen television. Two doors on one wall led to two bathrooms, one with glassed-in shower; the other sporting a jetted tub large enough for two people. The door on the other side of the parlor led to a bedroom spacious enough for two king-size beds and all the conveniences of home.