“Right. Of course. Dante has left, so now there is no point in staying.” Matt grumbled.
Alex giggled as she slowly got to her feet and swayed a little. “You’re so cute when you’re jealous.”
Matt stumbled out of the booth and Alex held his arm as they both made their way up the stairs along with many others. “Jealous? Please! Why would I be jealous of Dante? Did you see his hands? Girly. His ears are too small. Where did he get that suit, the boy’s department? And what sort of fag name is Dante, anyway?”
Alex was in complete desperate earnest as she said, “I love his name! It’s so cool. Dante. So awesome.”
Matt sneered but said nothing.
As they tripped on their way out the door to the street, Alex saw the majority of people that had been in the club were now huddled in groups of two or more on the street, having no luck flagging down taxis. On the other side of the street, Alex saw Lauren with Ryan’s arm around her getting into a two-seater sports car. Ryan climbed in the driver’s side.
“My kingdom for a cab,” Matt groaned.
“I think the night ride bus will have to do, babe.”
The sports car roared past them and the horn tooted. “You’re a legend, Matt!” Lauren screamed with laughter as she gave him the finger out the window.
“Your friend should be more careful how she presents herself.”
Alex jumped a little as Dante appeared beside her, as if from out of thin air.
“Don’t we know,” Matt sighed.
“Thanks, Dante,” Alex said. “But we know what she is like. She’s no trouble really. She’s just…Lauren.”
Dante looked in the direction the car drove and said, “People like that will always find trouble for themselves. They will bring the same to those around them that care.”
There was a long pause after that sentence. Neither Alex nor Matt were sure what Dante was getting at.
Finally, Matt spoke. “Yeah, well, that’s great. Thanks for everything, but we gotta find a cab or bus or something.”
“As adventurous as that sounds, might I suggest a different tactic?”
“What do you mean?” Matt asked warily.
“My car,” Dante replied, as a bright pair of headlights flashed in the alleyway behind him.
“You’re going to drive us home?”
“Unfortunately, I have pressing matters. Owner stuff as Alex so succinctly put it but Michelle will be glad to take you.”
“Who’s…”
The engine roared to life and a glinting red Maserati streamed out to meet them. The people still crowded on the street cheered and whistled at the sight of the shining machine. Alex had to glance away from the flashes of camera phones. The driver’s window dropped down to reveal a young, brunette-haired woman. “Hi,” she said pleasantly with a wave. “Where are we off to, folks?”
Alex jumped up and down. “Are you serious? We get to ride in this thing?”
“No. Sorry you can only look at it, tell me where you want to go and watch me as I drive there, staring in complete bewilderment. But you will know that the car got there. And that’s pretty cool” answered Michelle.
Alex straightened and with a deadpan expression said, “I like you.”
Without another word, Alex let herself free of Matt, placed her hands on either side of Dante’s face and kissed his lips with a loud “Mmwah!” before scrambling into the car.
But Matt didn’t follow. Alex looked to see him thrust his hand out in front of Dante. “Well then…yeah, I guess… Thanks.”
Dante stared at him, ignoring the abrupt farewell completely. Matt wasn’t really polite at the best of times, so Alex knew the gesture wasn’t done in earnest. Dante can probably see through him.
Matt stowed his hand again and got into the car. He made to pull the door closed, but it wouldn’t budge. Dante had his hand on the frame, holding it in place.
“Take care of her,” Dante said to Matt, finally letting the door go.
“Yeah…sure.”
Michelle turned the Maserati onto the main street as per Alex’s directions, and when she looked out the rear window, Dante was gone. “Jeez, you guys and your testosterone levels. I’m going to have to put the hose on you two,” she said, an air of annoyance filling the back seat.
*
Matt and Alex got into the apartment after several attempts to find the keyhole and open the door, laughing as they did so. As it closed, Matt pounced. He had Alex against the wall, drunkenly fumbling with her pants.
“Baby, it’s late,” she said, in between his kisses.
“Yeah. It’s so late it’s early,” he said as he picked her up and draped her across his shoulder.
Within minutes, he had removed her pants and underwear. She sat up on her elbows watching and giggling as he made heavy work of removing his own. He crawled on top of her, lips straining to reach hers.
“Uh-uh. Aren’t we forgetting something?”
Matt looked at what she was holding and groaned, and proceeded to rip the foil.
“Three years and you still can’t make an exception?”
“Not tonight,” she smiled.
Alex gave a little moan as he entered, when out of nowhere he started slamming into her groin. He thrusted harder, gritting his teeth. Within a minute, he was spent and collapsed on top of her.
“Sorry,” he said, breathing heavily.
“It’s ok. That’s why I wanted to wait. It’s usually only shit when you’ve been drinking.”
She pushed him off her and shook her hair, properly removing her clothes off the bed with a sympathetic pout. “But I still love you. Now cuddle me.”
Matt removed the condom and threw it in the bin. “All right, look, I gotta ask, what the hell did you talk about with Dante? It was like he didn’t even notice Lauren was there. What’s the deal?”
“We just talked. He’s
