Valentine's Day

Chapter 20

Brian could see the Vegas strip clearly as the plane made its way to McCarran airport. It didn't look as cool during the day as it did at night. He slid his aviators up the bridge of his nose so they could cut the glare of the morning sun. He hadn't slept a whole lot the night before and he'd downed a shit load of coffee when the flight took off from California. His brain was fuzzy but he could recall with absolute clarity how the light in Maddie's apartment cut across her naked body.

As a matter of fact, he could remember everything in clear detail. The softness of her skin beneath his hands. The curve of her smile.  He'd wanted to go slow, draw out the pleasure, while at the same time, he fought with himself to just throw her down and get on with it. In the end, he'd lost the fight...he just went for it. He'd come so hard and so fast that he'd thought that he was going to black out. Luckily he recovered nicely to make it more than worth her wild but he knew he could have made it more special. She deserved that. And it might have been more forgivable if he hadn't followed it with a bigger mistake. One that kept himself up the rest of the night beating himself up. One that he wished would be fuzzy and forgettable by his brain.

Without saying much more than a mumbled,  "I'll be right back," he gathered up his clothes and made his way to the bathroom. He dressed quickly and then looked at himself in the mirror and when he saw his own reflection, he began to freak. Not because of the usual past issues, like what lie he was going to use to get out of the room without a scene. No, he'd freaked because there had been a point in the evening where all he could think about was getting Maddie naked. Hell, why else had he showed up at her home.. He wanted to sooth his bruised ego after the news of his divorce.  It wasn't that he'd forgotten his past mistakes or the trouble it had caused him. It was more that Maddie made him not care. He'd wanted her and nothing else really mattered at that moment. But after the fever had passed, his disregard for consequences had freaked him out and he ran like hell. But not before he kissed her on the forehead and committed one of most spectacular fuck ups of his life. And that was saying something because he'd made some good ones. He looked into her beautiful face and told her "thanks" like she'd just passed him the salt. Then he bolted out of the front door, slinking back to Huntington Beach.

"Four days in Vegas," Johnny said happily as the plane touched down. 

Matt ran his hand over his overgrown beard. "It's been too long since we've been here with some time off."

"And by time off you mean time away from the wife?" Zacky teased with a smirk.

"Nah," Matt said through a dimpled smile. "I love my wife...but how long has it been since it's been just us boys in Sin City."

They nodded solemnly as they thought about. Jimmy had still been alive the last time they were all without significant others on the Strip.

"Val wanted to plan a fun Elvis vow renewal ceremony," Matt chuckled 

"And how'd you get out of that?" Zacky asked.

Matt looked at Brian as he spoke his next words. "Well...she had to stay with Michelle. She promised a freedom celebration."

The fact that his ex-wife was planning to celebrate their divorce made him give a slight smile. He was glad she was getting something happy out of the mess he'd made. 

"Well then," Johnny said "We should do the same. Celebrate Bri-boy's freedom. Find him a few strippers and give him a lap dance to break him out of his celibacy funk."

"Hell yeah," Zacky said lifting his water bottle in a mock toast.

Brian shook his head "Nah...not interested."

"Geez Bri," Matt replied "You don't have to beat yourself up forever for one mistake. It's cool to trust women again. Hop off the celibacy wagon."

"I'm not on the celibacy wagon," Brian insisted.

"So you're telling us you've gotten laid in the last...what? Few weeks since the last time you declared yourself off the market?" Zacky asked.

"Something like that," Brian replied.

"Sex with yourself, doesn't count," Johnny insisted and everyone laughed.

"You would know best," Brian retorted.

"So who was it then?" Johnny pressed.

"None of your fucking business, short shit," Brian said.

"Honestly," Zacky added "I thought you might try to hook up with Maddie."

"No way," Matt said shaking his head. "That would be a bad idea."

"Why?" Brian said trying to keep the defensiveness out of his tone.

"Cause Larry would fucking castrate you," Matt replied and Zacky gave an agreeing nod.

If they only knew, Brian thought to himself shrugging it off. The chances were probably better than Maddie was going to castrate him before Larry got the chance. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the time. It was 11 AM. He could probably catch her at the office and try to explain or apologize or something. But maybe he should just deal with it when he arrived home. It would only be a few days and she might appreciate him dealing with it in person. Hell, maybe he hadn't even messed up. Maybe she wasn't all that upset. Maybe he imagined the look on her face when he told her thanks and kissed her on the head. 

Yeah, he thought to himself, it probably wouldn't be as bad he thought it would be.