Simone sat back as she contemplated my question, a devilish smile crawling across her face. “Maybe, if she was the right woman I guess, but I never really gave it much thought.”
“How would you handle the guilt?” I asked.
“Honestly, I think I would have more guilt eating a piece of white bread than cheating on my husband with a woman.”
We shared another good laugh with that one.
“So would you tell your husband then?” I inquired.
“Probably not.”
“Really? Why?”
“Men can’t handle it,” Simone answered. “Some say they would love it if their woman got with another woman. They even go so far as to brag about it, but when it becomes their reality, they flip out. Happened to a friend of mine.”
“What happened?”
“Let’s just say it wasn’t good.”
Simone picked up her bottle of water and took a sip, then placed it back down on the table and crossed her arms across her chest.
“So my suggestion,” Simone continued, “is to keep your little secret to yourself. Todd isn’t ready for this one, not yet, especially since it involves Alana.”
“Yeah, that seems to be the consensus,” I said.
It turned out that Alana was right; my night with her would have to be our secret, one that we would have to keep from my man – forever.
CHAPTER 23
GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER
“Alana’s going to meet us for dinner,” Todd said.
“What?” I asked as my head jerked up from my menu, hoping I hadn’t heard what I knew Todd had just said. “Alana?” I repeated, just making sure I’d heard him correctly.
“Yeah, Alana.”
“I thought we were going to have a quiet dinner, just the two of us,” I said, pleading my case.
“I know, but she called me tonight and didn’t have anything to do. I thought it would be cool to see her since it’s been a while. Besides, you guys are friends now, right?” Todd asked as he stared at me, waiting for an answer.
“Right, yes we are, um, friends now,” I said as I looked back down at my menu.
I felt instantly annoyed. There was still this unexplainable hold Alana had over Todd that I couldn’t put my finger on, although I couldn’t complain one freaking bit, since I was sleeping with her.
I took a deep breath. I could only wonder how it would feel to be sitting at the same table with Todd and Alana. What would we talk about? What if Todd saw right through our façade? What if I broke down?
“Are you okay?” Todd asked, pulling me out of my internal banter.
“Yes, why?”
“I don’t know; you seem a little distracted.”
“I’m fine. I’ve just got a lot on my mind with work right now,” I said, looking down at my menu again but not really reading it.
“You want to talk about it?” Todd asked.
“No, I’m good. It’s nothing that won’t work itself out.”
“Okay,” Todd said as he looked back down at his menu, then back up. “I wonder what’s taking Alana so long to get here?”
“Maybe she’s stuck in traffic,” I ventured, while I was really hoping that she wouldn’t show up.
I had not seen Alana since we took our friendship to the next level, although it had only been a few days. I wasn’t ready, not this soon. I was definitely avoiding her, trying to escape this situation I’d gotten into.
I closed my menu and looked up to see Alana entering the restaurant.
“Finally, there she is,” Todd said, spotting Alana the moment she walked through the glass doors.
“Great,” I said, trying to mirror his enthusiasm. Alana saw us and headed our way. I wondered why she hadn’t told me that she was meeting us for dinner. I felt like I was left in the dark, without any time to prepare, or to think of what to say or how to act. I hate being unprepared.
“Hey, you two,” Alana said as she approached us with a huge smile on her face. Alana looked amazing and smelled equally as great. Todd stood and they gave each other a friendly kiss and a hug. Then it was my turn – my turn to act like the normal friend I was supposed to be. Alana turned towards me, and I smiled and stood and gave her a pat-pat hug, then quickly sat back down. As Alana sat, she shot me a look and a quick wink. I didn’t acknowledge it, but grabbed my menu to look over it – for the third time.
“So what’s up, Ms. Alana? You look good,” Todd proclaimed.
“Thanks, had a facial and a full body wrap today,” Alana said.
“Hmmm, must be great, I wish I could get a facial and a full body wrap on a Monday afternoon,” Todd joked.
“You could; you just choose not to,” Alana threw back.
“Exactly,” Todd said. “With my schedule, I’m happy if I get to eat.”
“So how is the practice, Washington and McClendon, coming along?”
“Busier than ever, but it beats working for someone else,” Todd said.
“How long have I been on you about starting your own practice?” Alana asked.
“All right, all right, don’t start. Yes, I finally took your advice, O Wise One.”
“Wise One? I kinda like that,” Alana said as she reached for the basket of bread.
I found myself silent as Alana and Todd exchanged their playful banter. I stared at both of them; they were both so beautiful to me, and I couldn’t help but feel attracted to both of them in that moment. I began to wonder how it would be to have both of them at the same time, although when it came time for Todd and Alana to be intimate I’m not sure that it would sit well with me. Then again, I thought, I had a lot of nerve considering that I’d slept with both of them.
“So how are you doing, Kai?” Alana asked, ending my trance and directing all her attention toward me.
I stared into Alana’s eyes and I saw more than a general question; I saw a stare that I had never seen from her before, a stare Todd used to give me when we first met, one full of intrigue and, if I wasn’t mistaken, a little lust.
“I, um, I’m good. Simone and I are working on a new campaign and, well, it’s coming along, since we have to get a few, or maybe it’s just a couple, of clearances to make it happen. Not to mention the project that you’re working on, but generally everything is coming together.”
I couldn’t believe how long and drawn out I’d made that simple statement sound. I totally needed a drink.
“Well, that’s the ad biz, right?” Alana responded with a smile.
“That it is,” I answered.
“I don’t know about you two, but I am starving,” Alana said.
“Me too, so where is our waitress?” Todd added.
“Maybe you should go see what’s taking our waitress so long,” Alana said as she looked at Todd.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll be back,” Todd said as he quickly jumped up, leaving Alana and me at the table, alone.
Alana turned to make sure Todd was out of earshot, and then quickly turned back to me.
“I miss you,” Alana said
“You do?”
“Of course, but clearly you don’t feel the same.”
“That’s not true, I do, Alana. Why didn’t you tell me you were meeting us for dinner?”
“Todd told me not to. He thought it would be his little surprise since he knows we’re such close friends now. If only he knew just how close we are!” Alana said with a chuckle.
Then, to my surprise, Alana reached under the table and touched my thigh, and a sweet sensation shot through my body.
“Alana,” I said.
“What?”
“We’re in a restaurant.”
“No one can see me,” she said as she began to caress my inner thigh. “I want to see you later. Can we make that happen?” Alana asked as her hand moved up my thigh.
“I can’t,” I said, even though I wanted to. “What would I tell Todd?”
“Tell him the truth, that you’re hang
ing out with me. He won’t care. Besides, there’s this new lounge I want to check out in Wicker Park called Blu.” Alana gave me a seductive smile. “It’s dark and quaint and…”
Todd’s voice snuck up from behind. “You guys think you’re fooling me. Don’t you?” My heart skipped a beat as Todd sat back down.
He stared at both of us for a few beats, and then said, “I know what’s going on, I’m not stupid.”
“What are you talking about?” Alana said as she slowly slid her hand off my leg and casually leaned back in her chair.
I was speechless. I looked at Alana and she looked at me.
Todd broke the silence. “You two are sitting over here trying to plan a surprise birthday party for me, but I told you, I’m not having it. I don’t want it to be a big deal this year.”
“See how much you don’t know, Todd?” Alana said. “Kai and I were sitting here thinking of how we could ditch you tonight and check out this new lounge. We weren’t thinking about your funky birthday.”
“Oh, damn,” said Todd. “I feel stupid.”
“Yeah, ya should, but we still love you,” Alana added.
“Well, I’m headed out to watch the Bears game after this anyway. They’re playing the Redskins, so I was hoping you two would hang out,” Todd said as he turned to me. “Is that cool with you, baby?”
“Yeah, sure, not a problem,” I shot back. I couldn’t believe how easy it was, almost as if it was meant to be.
“Cool,” Todd said as our waitress walked up.
“Great, then let’s order,” Alana said as she gave me a look and smile.
***
We parted after dinner, going our separate ways – Todd to his game, and Alana and I to our lounge. I was still a little shaken from our close encounter in the restaurant. I made it clear to Alana that we had to be extra careful in how we interacted with each other when Todd was around, and her putting her hand on my thigh was a definite no-no. Alana agreed, but quickly let me know that it would be hard for her since she was so attracted to me; she even threw in how sexy I could be as well. Even though those statements made me feel good, I told Alana that she needed to try harder.
We arrived at Blu around 9pm. The lounge was small and invitingly cozy. There was a satisfying aroma in the air of sweet lavender. The lighting was dim and sweet jazzy tunes floated through the air. The Blu lounge was distinguished by seating in the shape of beds attached to the walls where one could sit up right or stretch out completely and relax. I saw an open spot in the corner and we headed that way before anyone had a chance to snag it. We crawled in the booth-like bed and quickly ordered up a round of drinks. I knew what I had told Simone, that my encounter with Alana was a one-time thing, but whenever I looked at her, I knew it would happen again, for sure.
“So how do you feel?” Alana asked, giving me a look, as if trying to decipher my thoughts.
“What do you mean?”
“Are you okay being here right now?”
“I came, didn’t I?” I said.
Alana raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I see we’re doing just fine then.”
I glanced around the room, noticing the array of different people, couples, singles, all mingling and getting better acquainted. I wondered if I knew anyone here, and if so, if they would pick up on anything.
The waitress brought over our drinks. Alana handed me mine and after taking hers she then raised her glass.
“A toast, to friendship with benefits and an unspoken affair,” Alana said with a devilish smile and a wink.
I couldn’t believe that I was not only sleeping with my man’s best friend but also toasting to never uttering a word about it. It was definitely something I never could have imagined in a million years.
I then raised my glass high in the air, clinked it with Alana’s and took more than a sip. I guess I was more than ‘okay’ – I was celebrating it.
As the night progressed so did my buzz and I began to realize that my attraction to Alana was growing stronger with each drink. That got me wondering if my sexual attraction to her was alcohol-induced, or simply growing over time as I got more comfortable with her.
The lounge was getting a lot more crowded, and I was getting way too tipsy. I was ready to go home. I downed the last of my third glass of wine as I leaned into Alana.
“Are you about ready to go?” I asked, hoping she felt the same.
“Give me twenty more minutes, I kinda wanna dance. Let’s go dance,” Alana said as she started to groove, sitting down, to Chris Brown.
Dancing was the last thing on my mind. I was thinking more of napping.
“You go,” I said. “I’m kinda tired.”
“Okay, I’ll be back,” Alana said as she jumped off our booth and disappeared in the sea of people. I lay back as I thought about Todd, wondering what he was doing, wondering if he was thinking about me. I couldn’t imagine what he would think or even do if he found out what was going on. I shook the thought out of my head before driving myself crazy. I ordered another glass of wine and continued to people-watch as I waited for Alana to come back.
Some twenty minutes and five songs later, I looked up to see Alana heading back my way with a guy in tow. He was a caramel-colored brother with light hazel eyes. He was tall, at least six-five, and very handsome – and from what I could tell, he probably had a sculpted body under his blue Gap shirt and leather jacket.
“Hey,” Alana said cheerily. “This is my friend Mark. We went to college together.”
“You went to Howard?” I asked nervously, thinking he could possibly know Todd.
“Well, he went to UCLA before transferring to Howard,” Alana answered for him, clearing up my confusion.
“Oh, I see,” I said as I breathed a soft sigh of relief.
“Mark, this is my girl Kai,” Alana said.
I extended my hand to him as we locked eyes, and a broad smile crawled across his face. The brother was not only handsome – he had great teeth, too.
“So were you guys in the same year?” I said.
“No, I was four years ahead of Alana,” Mark said.
“He never gave me the time of day that first year, which is why I left,” Alana said jokingly.
“Are you kidding me? You just don’t remember. Not to mention you were one of the hottest freshman to hit the campus that year,” Mark said with a flirtatious twang in his voice. Alana blushed as she looked at me, then back at Mark.
This made me sit up and pay attention as I saw that they kind of liked each other.
“So can I buy you guys a drink?” Mark asked.
Alana looked at me. She knew I was so ready to leave. Not to mention three was starting to feel a bit, well, crowded in our booth.
“Mark, we’re about to get out of here, but maybe we can continue this conversation later?” Alana said assertively.
“No doubt,” Mark responded as he pulled out a business card and handed it to Alana.
“Thanks, I’ll call you,” Alana said.
“Cool, I look forward to it,” Mark replied, “and it was a pleasure, Kai.”
“Likewise.”
“Have a good night,” Alana said as she played with Mark’s card.
“You, too,” Mark said as he flashed his million-dollar smile then turned and walked away.
“Damn, I can’t believe I ran into Mark Elliott,” Alana said. “He was so damn fine in college and, well, he still is.”
“So you like him?” I asked.
“Hell, yeah, kinda hard not to. The brother is fiiiine!” Alana exclaimed.
I was starting to feel a sense of jealously that I shouldn’t have felt, but I couldn’t ignore my feelings. How could I justify being jealous of Alana liking another guy when I had a man sitting at home? I told myself to brush it off and keep it moving.
As we headed out of Blu, Alana needed to stop at the bathroom so I patiently waited outside. As I leaned against the cold cement wall I glanced over to my left to see Mark staring back at me
. He gave me a look that I couldn’t quite decipher as I turned away to look down at my black Prada strap-backs with the maroon tips. One thing I loved was a great shoe, if nothing else. I would spend my whole month’s salary on them if I didn’t have other responsibilities like rent, food, and, yes, coffee.
I looked back up to see that Mark was gone. I wondered what was taking Alana so long, so I tapped on the bathroom door, then turned the knob. The door swung open. I guess Alana figured she didn’t need to lock it since I was outside standing guard. As I entered I caught Alana’s reflection in the mirror as she was stroking on a fresh coat of lip-gloss. Her eyes were a bit red from the three drinks she’d had that night, and we both were very tipsy. I shut the door behind me, locking it. Alana turned to me, giving me a look.
“You gotta go?” Alana asked, now primping in the mirror as if she was getting ready to go out rather than go home.
I shook my head and walked over to her. I don’t know what was coming over me but I needed to kiss her. I stopped in front of her, looking deep in her eyes, but not really knowing what I wanted to say, because maybe it wasn’t words I wanted to share with her. I rubbed her stomach from behind as I moved my hand up towards her breast. Alana looked down at my hand and up at the mirror returning my stare in our reflections.
“What are you doing, Kai?”
“What do you think?” I responded.
“I think you’re trying to seduce me. That’s what, in a public restroom. I might add.”
“Maybe,” I said as I turned her around towards me, leaning my body against hers as I slowly went in for a kiss, which turned into a longer kiss, which turned into us kissing and grinding against the wall. I reached to unbuckle Alana’s jeans when a knock at the door scared the hell out of us. We both jumped way too suddenly, and then laughed at what we were attempting to do. The knock got louder and more intense.
“We’re coming!” Alana yelled back as she adjusted her clothes and reapplied her lipstick.
“We’d better go,” I said.
“Rain check?” Alana asked as she glided her fingers across my right nipple, sending a pleasant sensation through my body, before heading for the door.
We left Blu and headed home, but I was silent as Alana picked up where she left off about Mark. She was definitely high on this guy and the more she spoke of him the more frustrated I got, but I sat there and just let her talk, since there was nothing I could say without sounding completely nuts.