Page 3 of Accidentally Perfect

"Can I get you, boys, anything else?" She flashes us a smile along with another view of her overly fake rack. Plastic does nothing for me. It never has. Okay, some may disagree, especially when they've seen some of the women that I've had on my arm over the years. They may think I like plastic way more than I like it natural, but the thing is, sex is sex and men tend to overlook the unnatural appearance of a woman if it means that at the end of the night he'll be balls deep in the warmth of her pussy. Maybe once the medical profession comes up with a way to fill a woman's vagina with silicone and saline like they have when it comes to their tits, then I'll have a problem.

"We're good, doll. Thanks." I give her a wink and turn away from the bar.

"You know she's an easy lay, don't you?"

"Yes, and I also know this trip is about business. About expanding Whitmore Securities."

"You're Nathan Whitmore, man. You know you can do both."

I look around the bar. The city that loves to party is going full force tonight. Hell, when I was younger, I was a right out there with them. Women are dressed in the tightest of outfits, showing off their bodies like they're walking billboards for a night of meaningless sex. When does the time come in a man’s life when he feels the need to change? Because I swear to the man above that just a month ago I would have been right on that dance floor seeing what these women had to offer. But tonight, I want nothing to do with it. I no longer crave meaningless; I crave something substantial. Is that what people talk about when they say they're going through their mid-life crisis? Because if I’m there, if I'm in my thirties and already in my mid-life then I'm totally screwed. There's still so much more I want out of life and I always figured I was right on course to achieve everything on my to-do list. Maybe I was wrong. “Nathan, are you listening to me?” Evidently I wasn’t.

“When do you think a man needs a change in his life?” I look over at my best friend and business partner.

“I’m not seeing why you’re asking that. Since when do you want to change? I thought you liked being you. Nathan Whitmore, playboy, badass. You’re who you’ve said you’ve always wanted to be. You’ve got no ties, no nagging, and no bullshit. You live your life the way you want it, and you don’t have to answer to anyone. You don’t have to make excuses for who you are or what you stand for.”

“I’m tired of my life not meaning anything.” I turn back around to the bartender. As soon as I lock eyes with her, I give her a smile and a nod. I lift up my empty bottle of beer along with my shot glass. Hopefully, she knows the only thing I want from her is another few drinks.

“Seriously? Nathan, you run your own security company. You’re the head of one of the wealthiest family owned corporations on the east coast. Your life is all about meaning.”

“You and I both know that’s bullshit, Troy.” I grab the shot glass from the bartender without making eye contact with her. I shove Troy’s shot to him and we both shoot them back. I feel the burn of the liquid penetrate my throat. I turn my back to the bar and tip my beer back. “On paper, I’m the head of the company, the whole damn estate, but I don’t touch the day-to-days. I have someone that isn’t a family member doing that, and the only reason why I have someone else run the company is because I know it pisses off my father. It’s a family corporation, it always has been, but it’s not his family. It was my mother’s and I’ll be damned if I allow that son-of-a-bitch to taint anything that was my mother’s. More than he already has, anyway.”

“You always seemed so content with your life. Since the moment I met you, you’ve seemed to be on the road you’ve wanted to be on.”

“Yeah well maybe it’s time for another path. Don’t you think it’s time? You’re not getting any younger either.”

“Fuck no. I like meaningless.”

“Meaningless sex can only be fulfilling for so long, Troy.”

“As long as I get to feel the tightness of night after night pussy without the headaches, meaningless is just fine by me.”

“You’re probably the most self-centered, egotistical person I know. I have no idea why we’re even friends.”

“We’re friends because I make your whoring ways look juvenile compared to mine. I make you look better, and you know it. Plus, I saved your ass in that sandbox they call Iraq. I’m just getting my payback.”

I laugh. “You're so full of shit. It was me who saved you and now I’m starting to re-think the whole thing.”

Troy isn’t lying. Even though I like to give him a hard time, I know he’s the one that saved my life. If it wasn’t for him, I would have succumbed to the gunfire that rained down on our unit. Troy’s strength and reflexes are the reasons why I’m here today. He’s the reason why my mother didn’t lose her son. She never had to experience that fateful call telling her that her only son was no longer alive. There were a couple of men in our unit that weren’t so lucky.

Troy saved my life in more ways than one when I left home and entered the Army. He befriended me on day one. He supported me, encouraged me and told me that I was a better person than who I thought I was. A better man than what I grew up hearing from my father. He told me what I was doing was the right thing. ‘Be your own man. Walk your own course. Follow through with your actions.’ He’s the reason I’m where I am today. My friend, not my father, it was Troy who has always had my back. He's stood by me and hasn’t moved his stance since. By my side, no matter what.

He even went Special Forces with me, because that’s who he is. I scan the room, my eyes landing on a mass of fiery locks. She’s sitting with a dark-skinned woman and they’re both in the moment; laughing while sipping their drinks. Her hands flare about while in the middle of what I’m assuming is a story. The other woman is watching her intently, a smirk on her face. A waitress walks by and I grab her. “Pardon me, but can you tell what those two ladies are drinking over there?”

“Yeah, a Melon Ball and a Long Island.”

“Can you get them another on me, please?”

She nods her head and walks away.

“What happened to the whole ‘I’m done doing meaningless, Troy’.” I look over at him and back at the table where the two ladies are still laughing.

“Here’s the thing, brother,” I glance back at the beautiful red head. “This may be the first of many meaningful things I plan on doing with my life.” I stand up and pat him on the shoulder.

“Can’t you just rescue a dog or some shit.” I hear him say as I walk towards the women.