Midnight Alice

August 1984.

Southern California.

With over two and a half tons of my 1972 Buick Riviera over them, twelve-inch-wide tires provided considerable grip on asphalt. Yet, a mere tap of the accelerator unleashed enough torque from the powerful 7.5 liter engine to break them loose in a belligerent display of noise and smoke.

As a couple, Alice and I had plenty of traction, until my petite restaurant coworker Tracy deliberately stomped on the gas pedal...

Homeward bound from Tracy's twenty-first birthday party, I peeled out of the drive-through liquor store.

My roommate and best friend Nick took a huge swig out of his forty-ounce beer. "Ray, what's wrong with you, making out with Tracy in front of everyone? Aren't you her supervisor?"

I reached over with a gimme gesture, but the six-foot wide interior allowed him to keep his bottle out of my grasp. "Nick, you saw her! It wasn't my fault that Tracy jumped on my lap and started kissing me. You know, when chicks get drunk, these things... just happen..."

Nick rolled his eyes and gave me his signature line, a disdainful, "Is that so?"

I responded with my signature, a dismissive shrug. He laughed, "I suppose your hand... just happened... to go up her dress?"

My next left turn provided the opportunity for an exquisite four-wheel drift, tossing Nick against the door. While no slot car, the Riviera's near-perfect weight distribution and robust suspension gave it more than just straight-line prowess.

Nick continued to tease me with the beer. "Ray, why are you even bothering with Tracy? I mean, yeah, she's really cute, but come on, she doesn't even come close to Alice."

He finally passed the brew to me, so I took a gulp, but the paper highway bag ended up in my mouth. "Nick, haven't you ever met a girl, and the chemistry between you was so strong that sparks flew?"

Nick found a crumpled Pup N 'Taco soda cup under his seat, poured half the bottle in, then handed it to me. "Chemistry? Sparks flew? Really? Ray, sometimes you're... I don't even know."

After a hilarious gagging gesture, Nick continued. "Nope, no sparks or chemistry. But didn't that happen with you and Alice, six months ago?"

I took a proper slug, but half of it went down my shirt. Tracy's lipstick kisses had stained the whole collar, so I needed to wash it anyways. "Nick, I never had it that much with Alice. She's so damn hot that I go crazy around her, but it's mostly lust. I like our relationship, and she's really cool, but honestly, I just want to fuck her all the time."

Nick frowned, "That's not enough for you?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I think I love Alice, but other times... it's like I'm missing something."

Nick had seen me get sappy over many, many women, since we started hanging out five years ago, but Alice was the only one he considered a keeper. "Well, you cretin, what are you going to do with Tracy? Is she replacing Alice?"

I put an ancient straw in my cup, and finally got a decent shot of beer. "Nobody can replace Alice, you know that. But Tracy... hmm. I'll probably take her out for drinks the day after tomorrow, bring her home, then fuck her brains out. I know she's not very sexy, but there's something special about her, and I think she'll be a lot of fun. She's leaving for school next week, so it'll just be the one time, I swear. I'll get serious with Alice after Tracy's gone."

Nick was always very practical about these things. "Ray, you're just horny because you haven't been laid in a week. Go see Alice tomorrow, and you'll forget all about Tracy."

He poured the last bit of malt liquor down his throat, then let out a long belch as he rolled down the window.

Nick usually hit what he was aiming for, and we cheered when his empty glass bottle shattered in the open dumpster by a construction site. It looked to be another three-story suburban house that took up the whole lot. Seeing it made me want to run for city council so I could either enforce zoning regulations or take bribes to ignore them.

"Hey, we need more beer, Ray. Pull into the Circle K."

We got lost on our way home, and only one can remained from the six pack. I let Nick have it, because I wanted to call Alice.

He was probably right. Sex with her would cure everything, like it almost always did.

However, Alice could be finicky about making love. Two weeks prior, when I had started at my new restaurant a mile from her home, she had warned me, "Ray, don't just show up after work for sex."

After six months together, Alice knew what I was all about.

Twelve-thirty was very late to call my devoted girlfriend, but she usually liked to talk with me, so I fumbled her number a few times on the rotary dial phone before I got it right.

Alice answered suspiciously, as caller ID did not exist in 1984, and upon hearing my voice, she seemed worried, "Ray, is something wrong?"

I drawled, "No, I'm fine, Alice. Nick and I went to a party with people from work. We're really drunk, I miss you, and I need to see you tomorrow!"

Alice yawned, "That's sweet, I guess. If you can skip work, I'd love to go out."

Shit, I had forgotten. My shift ended at midnight. It would be a booty call, and Alice had previously made her distaste clear: "I don't want that kind of relationship."

She usually wanted me to call her during the week, make plans at least a few days in advance, then take her on a date. What we did could be fancy or simple, as long as she considered it romantic. The outings almost always paid off, because Alice and I had fantastic sex when she finally got in the mood.

Unfortunately, all the places she preferred would be closed by the time I finished my shift, other than bars. Alice never wanted to drink that late when she had to work the next morning, so sex might not be an option. Still, I occasionally enjoyed just visiting, cuddling, and sleeping with Alice, though my raging desire for her often made me unmanageable. More than once, she had scolded, "If you can't control yourself, you should leave."

I sighed, "Yeah, I have a closing shift, and nobody can cover for me. Listen Alice, I know it's not what you like, but I can come over tomorrow at midnight. We don't have to make love, but I really want to see you."

I meant, "want to see you," literally.

A striking, twenty-six-year-old Mediterranean goddess, Alice closely resembled young actress Demi Moore from the popular General Hospital soap opera, but with a curvier figure.

Just watching Alice gave me pleasure, and she seemed to enjoy my hungry gaze whenever she struck sexy poses.

She agreed, "Ok, I miss you too. I have a new flower, and I'll save it for us."

Alice grew very weak marijuana on her closet shelf, because she claimed it helped with her bad moods. It rarely did anything for me, but she took pride in the harvest, so I occasionally smoked a joint with her.

"Is there enough for us to get blasted?"

If we weren't going to have sex, getting super high might be fun, as I hadn't done it in four years. After our initial date, having a stoner girlfriend concerned me, but she actually used it medically, was very discreet, and never made it an issue. Before we dated, I had lived in the same apartment building as Alice for almost a year. She had seen my roommate and his friends constantly getting high, but I never suspected she liked weed, until our first night together.

Alice laughed, "I think it'll just put you to sleep!"

This isn't going too well...

I had told Nick about how Alice only wanted to have sex after a lot of romance. When he heard me talking to her on the phone, he slurred, "Have Alice drive your Buick fast."

It wasn't a bad idea. Other women had driven my souped-up Riviera, and just like a roller coaster, the thrill had excited them.

"Hey Alice, tell you what. I'll come by your place after work. You can drive the Riviera by the reservoir, then I'll spend the night with you. How's that sound?"

Having to negotiate sex with my girlfriend annoyed me, but it was part of being with Alice.

She sounded suspicious. "You want me to drive your car? Why?"

Alice appreciated honesty. "It's really fast, and I'm hoping the excitement will help get you in the mood to fuck."

She remained silent for about five seconds, then said, "You keep surprising me, Ray. It's not really romantic, but I love how you always think about what I might need. At the very least, I want you to stay the night with me. Call me when you get off. I'll probably be sleeping, but I can throw on something nice for you. Bye!"

Alice could wear sweatpants and a bulky jacket, yet still be the most beautiful woman in a room ninety-nine percent of the time, but she preferred to look her best for me. I guessed it would be some combination of a short skirt and silky blouse, with no bra. Alice knew how much I loved her fantastic legs and long, thick nipples, so she enjoyed dressing to show them off. The thought of being with her excited me, and I considered masturbating, but I decided to save my load. Alice sporadically liked to go an extra round with me, and I might also need one for Tracy, if my date with Alice didn't work...