Tangier
I love Tangier. It is a beautiful city sitting on the African side of the Straight of Gibraltar. The weather is always wonderful here and I love to walk around the ancient city. The history of Tangier is fascinating. Founded by Carthage and occupied by the Berbers then the Phoenicians, the city has been a hub of trading and commerce since the 5th Century. The current culture is heavily influenced by the Arabs after being absorbed into Morocco in the 1950's. Between periods of independence, Tangier has been occupied by the both the French and Spanish. Most people Arabic but most also speak French and English and sometimes Spanish. During and after World War II the city became a haven for spies and smugglers. While the dark underworld of Tangier has been somewhat tamed up by the Arabs, Tangier is still known as a place to fulfill any desire whether it be drugs, men, women or children. Many British, French and American ex-pats have been living here for many years. Free access to all sorts of vices makes Tangier a candy store of opportunity for a grifter like me. Yes I do love to spend time in this city.
Tonight I am casually hanging out in a fancy hotel bar well known as a social spot for the Brits and Americans. I am just watching for now. I don't have any particular mark in mind. I'm just playing it by ear to see what sort of interesting things might come up. It's late in the evening and most have given up and gone home. There are a few older gentlemen sitting alone throughout the bar, nursing their drinks and sizing up me and the competition. I've given no clue as to why I am here alone on such a fine evening. A single Anglo woman under the age of 70 passing time in a bar in Tangier is something of a curiosity and more than a couple of the men are interested in finding out what I am up to. I subtly pull the skirt of my dress a bit higher on my thigh and order a martini.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone new enter the bar. This doesn't concern me. A newcomer might loosen the nerve and the wallet of one of the other gentlemen. The figure is shadowed in the dark doorway and silhouetted by the bright light in the lobby. I casually watch as all the men slowly turn their heads to see which of their comrades has ventured out in search of adventure this late in the evening. I observe them as they slowly realize that it is not a man who has entered the bar but a woman. The night just got a little bit more interesting. The woman pauses and scans the room then moves slowly toward the bar. She slides onto the bar stool next to mine. She glances at me and then my drink and waves for the bartender. In a heavy French accent she orders "what she is having but make mine dirty". She adds emphasis on the word dirty letting it linger in the air. Several of the men are mentally counting the money in their wallets, trying to decide if they can afford the two of us together.
I have lost all interest in the men. My attention is directed wholly to the woman sitting next to me as she sips her drink. She is a beautiful woman, wild and dangerous looking. She is wearing a very tight skirt and is bra-less under a silk top. I begin to feel a familiar stirring in the pit of my stomach. I try to catch her eye but she seems not at all interested in conversation. She finishes her drink and orders another and one for me. Well, that's a start. I will just have to sit and wait her out. She will eventually tell me why she is here.
One of the men finally gathers his courage. He tries to make eye contact with the woman as he starts to move out of his chair. She snaps her head towards him. I can't see the look in her eye but, by the reaction of the man as he looks away and sinks back into his chair, I can imagine. She turns her head toward me, a much friendlier look in her eye. "You are English?" she asks in a heavy French accent. I shake my head no. My mouth is too dry to speak. This hasn't happened to me in a long while. "American?" I nod as I reach for my drink and take a big gulp. She laughs. "You want more?" I shake my head no. I've had quite enough for the time being. "Oh but I need one more", she says as she waves to the bartender. "I have a date tonight." I nod again, feeling disappointed by the news. My eyes drop to the counter in front of me. It's not as if I was looking for that sort of company but it felt nice to have someone interested in me besides the grabby men who seem to flock around me. My life can be lonely and some company without strings or game is sometimes welcome.
"You are here for a date too?" she asks. I shrug. "Are you here for the men? For the money?" I am a bit stunned by the forwardness of her question. I shake my head then look up, ready to tell her what I think about such a thing when I catch the dancing light in her eyes. I just got played. I smile, acknowledging her winning the first point in whatever game we are playing. She smiles back. The fire in the pit of my stomach flames again. She really is one of the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
"Well then you are here for a good time then?" she says. "Maybe we can have a good time? While we wait for my date to be?" Sure why not. I nod and she waves to the bartender for another round. "You stay here? At this hotel?" she asks. I shake my head no. I am at a complete loss as to what is going on now. Was she coming on to me? Or is she just making conversation in her absurdly forward way? She laughs. "Do you speak?" I start to shake my head then stop and manage a "yes". "Good good good. We speak then" She laughs again. "What do we speak about?" I try to think of something clever, anything that she might find interesting about me but absolutely nothing comes to my mind. To cover, I reach for my drink. She laughs again. "I see you do not want to speak. We do something else then?" I think this is another one of her jokes and, when I look to her, I expect to see merriment in her eyes again. This time though, her eyes are dead serious. Anything I might have said disappears from my mind and my mouth goes dry. Again. I can't figure out what she wants from me. Is she playing with me? Killing time until her date arrives? Or is she serious, the question about the hotel room not just an idle one. She starts to laugh again and I realize that I am staring.
She glances around the room, ignoring the men who are still watching us intently. She looks disappointed. She looks back at me. "It seems as my date is not coming. I have been stood up to?" I nod. "Stood up" I correct her and immediately feel silly for doing so. The first words I manage to speak remind her that she has been forgotten by her date. I should feel bad for her, say something sympathetic. Instead I feel happy. Maybe she will stay longer and talk with me. Maybe…no. Not that. She is definitely not here looking for a pick up. Is she? Maybe I should drop a hint? See what she does. I wrap my hands around my glass and stare into the liquid instead.
We sit in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. Her waiting for me to say…what? Me, staring into my drink, trying to figure out the situation. Finally she breaks the silence. "I don't know you. You want have fun with me too?" Her French accent is hard for me to understand and I am not quite sure what she said. I nod anyway, might as well find out what she has in mind. "Good good. You tell me your name then we have fun together." I manage to squeak out "Tara" She smiles then shifts slightly in her seat and lays her hand flat on the bar. She slowly moves her hand along the polished wood until it stops in front of me. She drains her drink and casually tells me "I have room in hotel." She stands and turns quickly toward the door, picking up her hand to reveal a hotel key. The men in the bar are torn between watching her leave and watching to see what I will do. I quickly cover the key with my hand and try to look nonchalant.
I wait a few minutes, debating with myself about what I want to do next. There really isn't that much for me to think about. My insides are tumbling and my brain can't think about anything but her. I haven't felt like this in quite a while. Not since... No. Not going to think about her. Not tonight. This is going to be my night. No strings. No game.
I finish my drink and feel the shape of the key in my hand. It feels hot. It feels like it's going to burn through my hand if I don't pick it up and take it for myself. I slide it off the bar top as I slowly move off of my stool. I smooth out my skirt and nod to the men still watching me. Do I see envy in their eyes? Of course I do. Women like this don't come along very often and I am the one leaving with her hotel key. I smile as I slip from the bar into the hotel lobby.
The elevator is painfully slow and I tap my foot impatiently, annoying the couple riding with me. It finally stops at my floor and I step out, already searching the hallway for her room number. When I finally find the correct door however, I pause with the key halfway into the lock. Is this really going to happen? Is this something I want? It's been a long time since I was with woman but…no! I am not going to think about her. She was the past. This woman could be my future. I slide the rest of the key in and turn it. The door opens slowly and I peek in to find the woman standing inside the door. She is completely naked and I have to stop to catch my breath. She is stunningly gorgeous. I want to run to her and put my hands all over her glorious body. She motions me to come in and close the door before she moves toward me.
"I am glad you come to have fun with me" she says. "But you wear too much clothes. We must change that about you". She starts to undress me and at the same time turns me around and starts walking me toward the bed. Her timing is perfect as I reach the bed at the same time my dress slides off of me to the floor. She looks me up and down and smiles. "Is good. Is very good."
She pushes me backwards until I am sitting on the edge of the bed. She drops to one knee in front of me and slips off one of my shoes. As she reaches for the other, her chin lands in the space where my knees are pushed together. Without thinking, I let loose of the pressure and she falls forward. She catches herself with her hands but her head now is between my thighs. Every nerve ending in my body is on fire but I hold perfectly still, waiting to see what will happen next. She is completely focused on removing my other shoe and seems oblivious to her position. Finally she looks up from my foot on the floor and smiles as she pulls herself upright to her knees, lifting my thighs across her shoulders.
"We have fun now" she says. "Yes we have much fun now". She wraps her hands behind me and pulls me hard to the edge of the bed and herself into me. "Oh my god" I whisper as her tongue starts to work and I fall backward to my elbows.
She is painfully slow with me, stopping and starting, teasing me to the edge and then pulling back. Making me gasp and lose my breath only to stop and then circle the other way.
When I can't stand it anymore, I beg her to let me go. I swear I hear her laugh as she finally pushes hard into me and finishes me off.
I lie sideways on the bed, desperately trying to catch my breath as she slides up next to me. "You like?" She asks. "You have fun?" Again I am speechless, only able to nod. "Good good" she says with a laugh in her voice.
I finally recover my powers of speech and tell her "you are amazing! Yes we will have lots of fun tonight". She smiles at me and I pull her to me. I reach to find her breast with one hand while I move the other down her beautiful body, teasing her like she teased me. I circle her, rubbing her fast and then slow while I torture her nipple with my fingers and my tongue.
The more labored her breathing gets, the slower I move. I want her to beg like she made me beg. Her eyes are closed and her cheeks are bright red. I move even slower and she starts grabbing at me, trying to make me finish with her. She is panting now, her eyes squeezed shut. One more, two more, she can hardly breathe and her hands become more desperate. With one last push into her, I pinch her nipple hard and she cries out, finally losing all control. I keep my hand in her, feeling her as her body quakes. She finally opens her eyes and staring straight into mine, she breathlessly manages one word. "Merde!"
We don't do any more speaking. We lie together, sleeping off and on until we have both recovered fully and then she starts to move her hands over me again. This time I am determined that we will go together. We move slowly, our hands mimicking each other until, by silent agreement, we both come together.
Later, as she lays sleepily in my arms, I whisper in her ear "I don't even know your name". She gives me a lazy smile and whispers back "Sophie". I smile and tell her "this was a wonderful date night Sophie" and I kiss her gently before drifting off to sleep.