The Bet

word count 849



    John sits at a little, raised table next to the gym’s door.  Although he is the other side of forty and has an expanding midriff, most women would still describe him as handsome.  His salt and pepper hair, which is still somewhat sweaty from his recent workout, definitely adds to his appeal.

    Christie comes out of the women’s room.  She is also “glistening” from their workout.  She is thirty five.  She is tall and pretty.  She, unlike John, is in superlative shape.

    “Thanks for working out with me.  So where are we going now?”  asks John.

    “Nice try, but nowhere.  You think I’m going anywhere looking like this?  I’m going home,” says Christie.

    “Hey, you can’t blame a guy for trying.  Sit down with me for a bit first.  I’ll buy you an overpriced water and a Luna bar from the desk.  Come on, I’m lonely.”

    Christie agrees.  John buys them.  Christie begins to munch on the bar.

    “Come here often?”

    Christie rolls her eyes and sips her water.

    “Would you like to come as my guest again?  It might be good for your street cred to be seen with me some more.”

    Christie spits out a bit of her water.  “Good, for my street cred.  I can feel my social status slipping every second I spend with you.  And the way you were huffing and puffing on the tread mill - I was afraid you were going to have a heart attack.  I still out ran you by two miles.”

    John places his arm (in arm wrestle position) on top of the table.  “OK, running is one thing.  Let’s see what you’ve got as far as upper body strength goes, She-Ra.”

    “No, thank you.”

    “Come on, it’ll be fun.  I’ll even it up some.  You can use two hands.”  John can tell that Christie is beginning to consider it.  “OK, I’ll use my left hand and you can use two hands.  Honestly, even I’m not sure I can beat you that way.  Come on, don’t you have any inner child left in you?”

    “Oh, all right, fine.”

    Christie places her arm on the table, clasps John’s left hand with her left hand, and places her right hand on top of their fists.  John looks into her eyes.

    “Just give me a second to enjoy this.  It’s been a long time since I held hands with a pretty girl.”

    Christie is about make a wise-ass remark, but something about John’s facial expression stops her.  He genuinely looks happy.

    “How about we put a little wager on this?”

    “Oh, all right.  I’ll bet you five bucks.”

    “Booooring.  Is that the best you can come up with?”

    “This was your brilliant idea.  You make the bet then.”

    John gets a mischievous look on his face.  He looks around in a melodramatic way, and then he leans in close to Christie.  “How about loser has to go down on the other person?”

    John laughs at his own joke, but Christie remains stoned faced.

    “Seriously?” she says.  John stops laughing.  He doesn’t know what to say.

    “You haven’t been with anyone since you and Carol split up, right?”

    John nods his head.

    “That was more than four years ago, right?”

    John nods his head again.  His brow is furrowed.

    “Cat got your tongue, John?  Anyway, the last man I was with was three years ago, so you have got me beat.  That was a disappointing experience, by the way.  Carol said that you were rather good at oral.  Oh, don’t look so shocked, you know how we girls talk when we go out.  Is that true – that you’re good at that?”

    John says nothing.

    “Modest about our skills, are we?  I’ve only been with three men in my life, and I’ve never had that.  Fine, you want it, you got it - loser has to go down on the other person.  John, your hand is getting sweaty.  Are you getting nervous?”

    John is about to say something, stops, and again only nods his head.

    “OK, ready, on the count of three.  One, two, three…"



    Christie cries out, flips a long leg over John’s head, and curls up into a fetal position in her bed.  Her breaths are deep and she is quivering.  John comes up and lays down next her.  He drapes his arm over her torso.  He buries his nose into her hair and breathes in her mixture of scents.

    After a time she says, “Thank you, John.  I don’t mean to sound cliche, but that was amazing.  And, by the way, you are a terrible actor.”

    “What are you talking about?”

    “Oh come on, at the gym, you let me beat you.  Why?”

    “I wasn’t going to make you do that to me.  And, I guess, I wanted to please you more.”

    “Well, aren’t you just the gentleman.  Anyway, it’s time for you to get yours.  Shall I return the favor?”

    “Could I just have you instead?”

    “Yes, of course.  I’d like that.”

    John hesitates.  “I’m very nervous.”

    “Don’t be.  You’re doing great so far.  I’m sure this will be wonderful too.”





Author's Note - This was created for the Weekly Quickie Contest, round 4.  It took third place.  As far as winning the Quickie goes, that's getting colder.