Page 11 of Wicked Player
Chapter Five
Dinner is a Cornish hen and vegetable lasagna for the vegetarians. It is served with a garden salad and a rice pilaf. I’m sandwiched between Trisha and Sarah. Trisha is a pretty blonde with sun-kissed skin and beach waves, wearing a bohemian dress and jewelry. Sarah sits to my left, the curvy brunette with librarian glasses I was chatting with earlier. Apparently, she is studying to be a lawyer, so contrary to my initial beliefs, I am definitely not the smartest woman in the room. Turns out, a lot of these women are more educated and smarter than me, which only baffles me more. Why do they choose to be here? Why do they willingly participate in such a mysoginistic event? Then again, why am I here? I draw the conclusion that they’re here for the same reason I am, for the money. Studying to be a lawyer or a nurse or anything else is not cheap I’m sure.
So here I am, enjoying my dinner, just about to take a bite when I catch him looking at me. I freeze. He is definitely looking at me. I take a bite and break our gaze.
This happens quite a few times throughout dinner, in between all the small talk and eating, despite the fact that I’m sitting quite far, at the other end of the table. For some reason unbeknownst to me, I seem to be the one who has his attention tonight. I conclude that this must be the ‘newbie’ effect. It’s probably only because I’m new and shiny. I assume there’s a newbie every month. I’m sure Mr. Rossi likes to keep things fresh and exciting.
For dessert, we enjoy a raspberry and chocolate mousse, served with fresh raspberries. I’m delighted, and thank the server countless times, to the point of her blushing. I devour it with gusto while he watches me. Yes, I eat enthusiastically, and I don't care who sees me.
Following dinner, we all retreat to the living area. With a full belly and a glass of red in my hand, I’m pretty happy. That's when Renata comes by, a dark haired pretty older woman, petite like me, perhaps of Italian descent. She is holding a red velvet box, and she opens it slowly for me to show me its contents. “Would you care for an after dinner treat?”
“Oh, I’m pretty full,” I tell her.
She smiles. “Not too full for these perhaps? These are cannabis infused treats, to be taken in very small amounts, especially if you’re new to them.”
“Ohhh…” I’m speechless as I glance down at the selection of chocolates and colorful gummies. I’m very intrigued. The labels read, 5 mg THC, 10 mg THC, Sativa, Indica. What does it all mean?
“I’m new to this,” I confess. “But I’d like to try a little… just to see. Tell me all about it.”
She smiles. “The chocolates on the left are an indica blend. Indica mellows you out and leaves you very relaxed,” she explains. “The larger pieces are ten milligrams, the smaller ones are five. The gummies are a sativa, and they’ll leave you with more energy, but might leave you a little on edge,” she goes on. “Again, they come in five milligrams or ten. The hybrid gummies are a mix of both. I’d recommend only five milligrams, since you’re new to it.”
I struggle to take in all the info she’s given me. I’ve already had two glasses of wine. I don’t want to be on edge, or completely zonk out on the sofa, so I decide on the five milligrams hybrid gummy, orange flavored.
“Just pop it in your mouth, and let it melt. You won’t feel the effects for about forty-five minutes or so, up to an hour,” she explains. “And since you’ve had dinner, the effects might even take longer to come, and be milder, but it should last late into the wee hours. You will feel quite nice…. trust me.” And with those words, she leaves me and moves on to her next customer.
As the gummy melts in my mouth, I wonder if I’m doing something very stupid. I can almost hear Cassie’s words.Don’t be so uptight… live a little.I figure this is my night to play. I don't get many nights out, being a single mother of a seven-year-old. I don't get a lot of playtime, and I figure that since I'm here anyway, I may as well play and have a little fun. I've never ever had weed before, and I’ve always been curious about its effects and how it makes you feel.
Before long, I’m staring at the purple velvet cushion on the sofa. It’s so beautiful. I stroke it with the pads of my fingers. It’s so deliciously soft. My neighbor Judy loves purple. She wears purple all the time. Her home is also full of purple. I love her so much.
And here I am, about an hour later, down the rabbit hole. I’m feeling quite good, lounging on the sectional, slumped against Annabelle, who's clearly not out of it like I am. She’s drinking a glass of what appears to be Coke, and seems to be quite in control of herself.
Next thing you know, the big man himself plops down next to me. “Enjoying yourself?”
I laugh, not sure why. Nothing funny here, but I can’t help it.
“I see you’ve met Renata,” he teases. “Did she take good care of you?”
“Yes,” I say. “Thank you.”Yes, thank you for introducing me to mind-altering drugs, Mr. Rossi.
Another cat does a figure eight dance around my ankles. I’m still wearing Cassie’s heels, but I’ve been debating taking them off. This one is a tabby, long hair, gorgeous like the other two. “How many cats do you have?!”
He laughs. “Just three. They’re all Siberian cats.”
“Just three?!”
He smiles. “That’s Porthos. He’s the anti-social one. I’m surprised he’s come around to visit with you.”
“I must be special,” I joke.
His gaze dances along my body for a beat. “Yes, you must be.”
I swallow hard.
“The orange one is Athos,” he tells me. “He’s the most social one, and always greets people at the door if he’s not sleeping. And he also does cool party tricks.”
I smile. “Can’t wait to see.”
“The white and grey one is Aramis. She’s the lady of the house. She can be social, but only when she wants attention.”
