Stock Ch. 19-33

“Well…”

“Like how you loved skiing so much when you were five that you crashed into a tree three times on your first day out but still kept going?”

Elizabeth blushed an adorable shade of red.

“I heard that!” declared Vanessa in the back. “What else did they tell ya?”

“Oh, no you don’t, Sean.” Elizabeth cut in. “That is privileged information. Lovers only.”

“We’ll talk about it later, Vanessa…When Elizabeth hits another tree.” That earned him a stiff punch to his shoulder. Sean reached out and wrapped an arm around Elizabeth’s shoulder, pulling her close to him. He caught a whiff of the heavenly scent that all women possessed, of shampoo, soap, and lotion. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear. He heard her sigh in response as she snuggled up a little closer in his embrace.

After over a half hour of bustling about in the crowded streets, Sean and his friends found a parking space in a long term lot not too far away. Elizabeth and Vanessa asked about their schedule and if they should rush to the terminal but Sean and Eric were unperturbed, saying that they had already factored traffic into their schedule; boarding wouldn’t be for another two hours. Sean and Eric went to the trunk and pulled out the luggage. Thank the gods they borrowed Eric’s friend’s minivan. The women, not knowing what to expect seemed to pack everything but the kitchen sink. The two men groaned from the amount of luggage the women brought and had cut down on non-essentials back at Elizabeth’s apartment where they rendezvoused. Still, there was a large bag for each of the women whereas the men probably could have fit all they had combined into just one of the women’s gigantic bags.

Eric was wise enough to spend a couple of dollars to rent a luggage cart and the four were quickly on their way to the airport. Ticket claiming was fast and luggage drop-off even quicker but Eric and Sean were held up at the security checkpoint because their belt buckles set off the metal detectors. All together, their experience was pleasant and before long they were on their airplane, undelayed.

***

Sean gently shook Elizabeth awake as they arrived at their destination at Reno Airport. Weather conditions were favorable and they didn’t have complications upon landing. The trip was a short one-hour affair but the excitement had tired Elizabeth out a bit. On the way, though, there was a thunderstorm raging to the west and Sean was greeted by the breathtaking view of lightning flashing up. It was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen, Elizabeth agreed. The whine of the engines died down as the plane parked by the docking bridge. Elizabeth mumbled that she was awake and cupped her hand in Sean’s. They rose, along with everyone else and grabbed their carry-on bags, Eric doing the same with his and Vanessa’s. They entered the general tumult of airport traffic in the cavernous airport and made their way to the luggage pick-up as the groups split up, Elizabeth went with Eric to pick up the car that they reserved at the rental lot and Sean with Vanessa as they waited for their luggage.

“So, when do you plan on popping the question?”

“Excuse me?”

“I saw how carefully you were guarding your carry-on bag. Like there was a fortune in there. Oh, don’t look at me like that. Eric’s as paranoid as you are in public places but you were triple checking the entrances where Eric only double checked.”

“I didn’t think…”

“That I would notice?” Vanessa laughed. “I didn’t get where I am today in the corporate world by being blind.” Sean mulled over those words. Vanessa was going to get a little surprise of her own from Eric and it didn’t seem like she saw it coming. Perhaps she wasn’t as observant as she thought, Sean thought and smiled to himself. “Elizabeth either,” Vanessa continued. “She knows something’s up but I didn’t say anything. Don’t worry. I’m not going to ruin the surprise for her. Although, I don’t think she’s expecting a proposal so soon. And after that travesty of a marriage with Charles I can’t say that I blame her.” Vanessa paused when she noticed that their bags were heading towards them on the conveyor belt. “Here’s a little advice, don’t propose in such a public place. She might not be ready to say ‘yes’ yet.” They began picking up their bags, Vanessa leaving the two larger ones for Sean to lift over the rail. “Are you sure you’re ready for this though?”

Sean double-checked the bags and the plastic lock-strips that he fastened to the zippers. “As ready as I’ll ever be. I don’t think I could love her any more than I already do.”

The two made their way out the glass sliding doors to be greeted by harsh, blustery winds blowing about, flurries of snow whisking about in the frozen night air. Sean inhaled deeply and let the cold winter sting his lungs.

It was good to be back.

***

Eric pulled up to the pick-up curb in the mini-SUV and hopped out of the car. He made his way to the back hurriedly and opened the trunk. “She seems to think that I know what you got her for Christmas,” he said, nodding towards the back seat where Elizabeth was sitting.

“That’s probably because you do know,” Sean shouted. He saw her waving a fist at Eric and they all laughed.

“My, my,” Vanessa said primly. “Aren’t we the pair of conspirators. Just to let you boys know, Elizabeth and I aren’t without our own contingencies. Be careful, boys. Very careful. Elizabeth and I have been experienced at hatching plans since our college years.”

Sean and Eric looked at one another worriedly then shrugged. Whatever happened, happened. The bags stowed, Eric hopped into the driver seat while Sean jumped into the back with his girlfriend; Vanessa rode up front with Eric.

“Did they give us a car to my specifications?” Sean asked.

“Four wheel drive and snow tires. We’re covered for the drive up. You want to head for the hotel now or later?”

“We’ll need to go to the hotel to check in and drop off our bags, change, and buy some ski wear for the ladies.”

“Right-o.” With that said they pulled onto the streets and were on their way.

They made their way through the narrow streets of Reno, the place swarming with tourists and vacationers. Snow was piled four feet high on both sides of the street, dirty brown and gray. Eric found the way to the parking garage for the Harrah’s hotel and casino. They found a parking spot by the elevator on the fourth level and quickly unloaded the car. As was expected, the front desk was crowded with new arrivals. It looked as if they had quite a wait for them to check in.

“Sean? Sean!”

Sean turned around and was almost knocked to the floor as a tumult of brown hair embraced him. He had no idea who the girl was but the voice sounded vaguely familiar. He pulled back and forced the girl’s arms off him, taking a moment to look at the bright blue eyes staring back at him. Memory tickled the back of his as the scent of hot chocolate came to mind.

“Teresa?”

“You remember!” She beamed at him.

“Well, last I saw you, you were a blonde.”

“I stopped bleaching ever since you helped me out. I’m not the only one who’s changed. Looks like you’ve been working out.” Sean felt self-conscious all of a sudden. It was true; he started hitting the waits about two years ago, just a month or so since he last came to Lake Tahoe.

“Care to introduce us?”

Sean felt a cold draft snake up his spine but he knew it wasn’t from an open door or window. Elizabeth had a detached look on her face that spoke volumes. “Elizabeth, this is an old friend of mine, Teresa, from the last time that I visited. Teresa, this is my girlfriend, Elizabeth.” Sean said that and released Teresa then wrapped an arm around Elizabeth’s waist in a desperate gesture to set things straight. “And Eric and Vanessa are friends of mine.”

General greetings were mumbled from Vanessa and Eric, Elizabeth was a bit less enthusiastic. Sean noticed Teresa was sporting the hotel’s livery and asked if she still worked here. “Most definitely. Ever since you introduced me to the manager I’ve been able to stick to the job and attend the local community college. I’ve got a small apartment not far from here. Everything’s absolutely great ever since I’ve met you and you never gave me the proper chance to thank you.”

“Well, perhaps you can help us out by getting us checked in,” Sean said, quickly sticking to the reason they were there. Teresa looked at Sean’s friends, pausing a moment to look at Elizabeth. A strange look graced her face as she looked in Elizabeth’s direction then turned towards the front desk. She called out to the man working the counter and the two talked quietly. The man looked at Sean and began typing into a computer. Teresa returned not long after with four keycards.

“I was just about to go on lunch. Lemme walk you guys to your rooms.”

They shuffled into the elevator with their bags while Sean and Teresa chatted up a storm, catching up on old times. They arrived on their floor rather quickly as the two talked animatedly about what had happened over the past two years.

“So,” Elizabeth started. “How did you meet Sean?”

A shadow passed over the girl’s face and Sean immediately interceded. “Teresa, don’t answer that.”

“No, she asked,” Teresa said resolutely and faced Elizabeth, chin held high in false defiance. “If you must know, I was being raped by the guy who was giving me a lift when Sean found me in the hotel parking lot. He pulled the guy off of me and took care of me over the winter. He was kind enough to pay for my lodging for a month and also gave me enough money to get me back on my feet.” Teresa looked around, embarrassed and cornered. “If you’ll excuse me I’ll go have my lunch.” With that said, Teresa bolted for the elevators, her eyes threatening to flood with tears.

Sean chased after her but the elevator closed quickly behind the girl. He wheeled around and approached his friends, handing Vanessa and Eric their keycards.

All were silent.

Sean didn’t say a word to Elizabeth and opened the door to their room. He dragged their bags into their suite, past the living room area then into the bedroom. Neither one of them noticed the lavish decorations; the heavy, cream colored drapes, plush carpet, and large bed with satin sheets were ignored.

“Sean, I…”

“What?” His voice was hurt, tired.

“What Teresa said, about how you met her, is it true?”

Sean sat tiredly on the bed. “Yes. She had three cracked ribs and a black eye. Teresa had just broken up with her boyfriend after she caught him cheating on her. They fought in the car when her boyfriend decided to just leave her there, after he had a little fun first. She didn’t have any family that she could go to; her parents were drunks and alcoholics. She had nowhere to go. For the next month I took care of her, missing out on the first two weeks of class. Elizabeth, she was literally in pieces. I think the therapy has helped since then.” Elizabeth winced when he said that. “We sort of fell out of touch about a year ago. We both changed e-mail addresses and forgot to update each other. I thought something bad had happened to her. That was another reason I wanted to come up here. I needed to check up on her, see how she was doing.” Sean sighed. “Now that you know, are you still going to be jealous?”

Elizabeth was mortified by the question. She couldn’t look him in the eye, she was too ashamed. But she saw the look in Teresa’s eyes, hopeful for Sean’s love and jealous of Elizabeth. But in a way Elizabeth couldn’t blame her. Sean had done pretty much the same thing for her.

“And how do you feel about her?” she finally managed to ask. “Was there something between you two?”

Sean was surprised by the directness of the question, then remembered that this was Elizabeth he was talking to. He gave her the truth. “Yes and no. We were both, well, vulnerable at the time. I was pretty lonely up here by myself. I came to be alone, but seeing everyone came in groups or couples sort of made that point a little too evident to myself. As for Teresa, well, after what I did for her I could see how she might fall for me. But I knew better, we both did. She wasn’t in any state of mind to make a decision like that. Perhaps if we met under different circumstances then something might have happened. But I doubt that. She and I are far too different. Teresa’s nice and easy to talk to, but she doesn’t have the things that I would want in a woman. In the end we kept things platonic, for her sake and mine.”

Elizabeth mulled over Sean’s words. She did feel the heel but love is a possessive emotion. She trusted Sean. She knew Sean better than to think that he would wind up with Teresa after the ordeal with Cheryl and how she veritably threw herself at him. Elizabeth sat down beside Sean on the soft bed and laid her head on his shoulder. “So there isn’t anything between you two.”

“Nor will there ever be. My other girlfriends might get jealous.”

That earned him a blow to the ribs. He chuckled, Elizabeth laughed. “You really are a jerk sometimes, you know that?”

“Yeah, but I’m your jerk.”

Chapter 23

Sean and Elizabeth were sitting on the bed discussing what Sean and Eric had in store for them when someone knocked on the door. Sean got up and went to the door, Elizabeth in tow. He opened the door and found a bellhop waiting outside with a cart sporting a bottle of Dom Pérignon in a silver bucket with ice.

“Compliments of the Harrah’s, sir.” Sean stepped aside and let the man in, Elizabeth charmed by the gesture. “Oh, and my manager said to give you this as well, sir.” The bellhop handed him a note. He left his hand out after giving Sean the scrip of paper. Sean fished into his pocket and placed a twenty in the outstretched palm. The man smiled when he saw the bill and left.

Sean unfolded the small note and read it.

“What’s it say?” Elizabeth asked, nosing her way over Sean’s shoulder.

Sean reread the letter and smiled. “The hotel manager sent the bottle with his compliments. Apparently, what I did for Teresa hasn’t been forgotten and the manager wanted to give us a kind welcome.”

Elizabeth was saddened by the mention of the girl’s name. “Let’s do something nice for her; perhaps invite her over for dinner. I think she deserves a little compensation after the way I treated her.”

Sean looked up and smiled at his girlfriend and reached an arm around her waist. “I was hoping that you would suggest making amends.”

“Well, I’m glad I can live up to your expectations.” Elizabeth gave him a peck on the cheek. “However, I’ll be keeping a close eye on you two. Any funny business and you’re sleeping in the hall.”

Sean sighed in mock despair. “Women.”

“You can say that again,” barked Eric.

Sean and Elizabeth turned to find their friends standing in the doorway;

Vanessa had the look of eager impatience while Eric was obviously nervous, almost fearful.

“You two said that you would take us shopping for all of the items we didn’t pack. Well, I’m ready to go shopping.” The eager look on Vanessa’s face nearly made Sean shudder.

“That’s right,” seconded Elizabeth. “We have some shopping ahead of us.”

When Sean turned and assayed his girlfriend’s bright and eager countenance, he shuddered noticeably.

There were several ski shops that dotted the base of the Heavenly ski resort so the women made their rounds hitting all of the stores looking for the appropriate ski attire. They were staying for a week so they decided to buy everything they needed instead of renting. The bill was astronomical with the women's clothing and the ski equipment. While the men could easily afford it, they enjoyed making a big production by complaining. Night had fallen and by the time they were done shopping, they were all tired. They were standing outside of the last shop with the men grumbling.

"I don't understand what you men are moaning about," stated Elizabeth matter-of-factly. "We were the ones trying things on."

"You two didn't have to try on everything," Sean commented with Eric nodding in agreement.

"Yes we did," Vanessa retorted without missing a beat.

"Tell me again why we brought those two with us?" Eric asked.

The two women looked at each other archly and strode up to their respective men challengingly and each planted a hot kiss while stroking their crotches. When they broke the kisses, the men stood dazed, bewildered, and rock hard.

"That was why," Sean finally managed to say. Eric only grunted in agreement.

The women laughed and shoved all their packages at the men. Vanessa snorted. "Men."

Elizabeth clucked in agreement. "Feed them and fuck them and they're as happy as can be."

"Hey, I represent... I mean, I resent, that remark," Sean stabbed.

"Speaking of feeding. When do we eat?" Eric asked.

"Quiet, Eric. You're not helping the situation much. "Elizabeth and Vanessa bawled out in laughter, earning Eric a sock in the arm from Sean.

"What?"

"Never mind, Eric," Sean grumbled. He turned up and headed for their car. "Harrah's got the best buffet around here. Let's eat there for dinner."

They piled into the SUV and headed back to Harrah’s. The former bellhop was in the lobby so he took the initiative helping them with their things. Eric and Sean were grateful for the assistance and were able to make it to their rooms in one trip instead of two so they both tipped the bellhop. The men guided Elizabeth and Vanessa to the elevator after everything had been put away.

The four of them exited the elevator and found Teresa working the front desk. Sean and Elizabeth asked their friends to wait a moment and then they walked over to the brunette. Teresa was wearing a brave smile for appearances but he and Elizabeth could see the unease in her eyes.

“Hi,” Teresa greeted.

“Hey,” Sean replied. “Look about earlier...”

“Don’t think anything of it. It’s just been a while since anyone’s asked about the assault.”

“Yes, well…” began Elizabeth, “I just wanted to make it up to you for broaching the subject so rudely.”

For the briefest of moments Teresa shot daggers at Elizabeth and Sean now understood what was going on. Teresa obviously was jealous of Elizabeth; it wasn’t just his girlfriend’s paranoia. Sean had to admit to himself that he initially believed that Elizabeth was falling back into old insecurities but now he saw things in a new light and felt a little ashamed that he doubted her. Sean’s hand gently squeezed Elizabeth’s in assurance and to convey some sense that he was beginning to understand.

Elizabeth squeezed back.

They asked her to join them for dinner and Teresa made a few attempts to decline, using the excuse that she was working. Sean just called up the hotel manager and Teresa was allowed a long and early break. The buffet at Harrah’s was like anything you would expect at any other hotel casino, exquisite. Sean and Eric gorged themselves on the diverse choice meats; they had several servings of the filet mignon wrapped in bacon. The women had a light main course of pastas and salads but once they got to the desserts they lost all self-control and had a little bit of everything.

Conversation was light and entertaining; Sean and Vanessa had an interesting argument about which was the better sex. That had everyone in stitches.

“Who cares if men can piss standing up?” Elizabeth declared. “Women can have multiple orgasms!”

Sean shut up after that and contrived a sour disposition as he poked at his dessert. Vanessa and Elizabeth shared a high-five as the men quietly resumed their dinner in defeat. “She’s got us there,” Eric mumbled in agreement.

During the entire dinner, Teresa listened to the conversation but never added much to it. She knew when she was out of her league. Two years ago, when Sean had rescued her from Matt, Teresa knew that Sean was more mature than most men his age. But after seeing how he interacted with individuals ten years older than he, and how comfortably he did it, she realized that Sean would never be happy with someone his own age, someone like her. She put on a brave front as she realized that she needed to reorganize the priorities of her life.