beat in Amber’s stomach as Tomás’ words tickled her ear, a mix of pleasurable anticipation and some sort of anxiety. She tried to sort out the contradictory feelings, but she could not. During the middle of dinner it hit her, though: she had never slept with two different men back to back. She admitted that, given her age, she had had more sexual partners that most of her peers, but there was always a decent interval in between. She was a serial monogamist, and she didn’t like the idea of bedding two men at virtually the same time. A period of celibacy, a change of location, these things helped her to feel less like a slut, and more like a woman who easily attracted interesting and attractive men.
When Amber and Tomás left the restaurant, Denes was sitting at the bar, chatting up the woman who had caught his fancy. She was quite a bit older than Denes, and while she was pretty enough, Amber thought the woman was trying too hard to look and act younger than her age.
“Denes found a cougar, huh?” Amber said as they walked down the little street.
“Cougar?” Tomás gave her a baffled look, “Isn’t that some kind of lion?”
“Yes, it’s an expression we use in the states, it means an older woman who tries to pick up younger men. They’re…on the prowl, like a cat.”
“You think there is something wrong in that?” Tomás raised an eyebrow, as if such a thought might be provincial.
“No, not particularly, you just see it less than…”
Tomás interrupted her, “Men who are older than the woman they are with?”
“Yes, exactly,” Amber nodded.
“So is there some kind of animal to which you compare those men?” Tomás asked. Amber thought for a moment, “Sometimes they’re called rhinos.”
“Rhinos? Like rhinoceros? Why that?”
Amber scratched at her nose, trying not to laugh, because she didn’t want to offend Tomás. “Because they’re horny.”
Tomás barked a laugh, “Do you think I am this…rhino?”
Amber stammered, trying to think how she should respond. Tomás laughed again, “I do not mind to be your rhino,” and then he kissed her. “In fact, I think I am very rhino right now.”
“I think you mean horny,” Amber corrected him with a smile. And then she felt Tomás’ hand cup her butt cheek. She pushed back from him, “Uh-uh, I don’t get frisky in the middle of the street. It’ll cause me problems if I have to walk this way again. No one is going to try to pinch your ass or cop a feel.”
“Cop a feel? Are not cops policemen? I do not understand.”
Amber sighed; explaining every slang expression she used was going to get old, “Cop means ‘to grab,’ ‘cop a feel’ means to grab a woman’s breast or…lady parts.”
“Then I want to cop a feel of you,” he flashed a jokingly lascivious smile, and Amber couldn’t help but be charmed.
Consciously or unconsciously they were drifting toward the bungalow, and Amber knew when they got there she would have a decision to make. She knew that Tomás would expect intimacy, but her mind kept flashing on moments with Cal, especially their lovemaking on the beach. She stopped. In her mind she thought of it as lovemaking—not as fucking or screwing or having sex or a roll in the hay. Did calling it that in her head make it so? Had what they done really been making love?
Amber wanted to delay the decision of what to do with
When Amber and Tomás left the restaurant, Denes was sitting at the bar, chatting up the woman who had caught his fancy. She was quite a bit older than Denes, and while she was pretty enough, Amber thought the woman was trying too hard to look and act younger than her age.
“Denes found a cougar, huh?” Amber said as they walked down the little street.
“Cougar?” Tomás gave her a baffled look, “Isn’t that some kind of lion?”
“Yes, it’s an expression we use in the states, it means an older woman who tries to pick up younger men. They’re…on the prowl, like a cat.”
“You think there is something wrong in that?” Tomás raised an eyebrow, as if such a thought might be provincial.
“No, not particularly, you just see it less than…”
Tomás interrupted her, “Men who are older than the woman they are with?”
“Yes, exactly,” Amber nodded.
“So is there some kind of animal to which you compare those men?” Tomás asked. Amber thought for a moment, “Sometimes they’re called rhinos.”
“Rhinos? Like rhinoceros? Why that?”
Amber scratched at her nose, trying not to laugh, because she didn’t want to offend Tomás. “Because they’re horny.”
Tomás barked a laugh, “Do you think I am this…rhino?”
Amber stammered, trying to think how she should respond. Tomás laughed again, “I do not mind to be your rhino,” and then he kissed her. “In fact, I think I am very rhino right now.”
“I think you mean horny,” Amber corrected him with a smile. And then she felt Tomás’ hand cup her butt cheek. She pushed back from him, “Uh-uh, I don’t get frisky in the middle of the street. It’ll cause me problems if I have to walk this way again. No one is going to try to pinch your ass or cop a feel.”
“Cop a feel? Are not cops policemen? I do not understand.”
Amber sighed; explaining every slang expression she used was going to get old, “Cop means ‘to grab,’ ‘cop a feel’ means to grab a woman’s breast or…lady parts.”
“Then I want to cop a feel of you,” he flashed a jokingly lascivious smile, and Amber couldn’t help but be charmed.
Consciously or unconsciously they were drifting toward the bungalow, and Amber knew when they got there she would have a decision to make. She knew that Tomás would expect intimacy, but her mind kept flashing on moments with Cal, especially their lovemaking on the beach. She stopped. In her mind she thought of it as lovemaking—not as fucking or screwing or having sex or a roll in the hay. Did calling it that in her head make it so? Had what they done really been making love?
Amber wanted to delay the decision of what to do with
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