I entered Simone's office as she sat staring at an ad board.
“Hey, you,” I said, closing the door behind me.
“Hey, yourself,” Simone said, not even looking up.
“What's going on?” I inquired as I walked over to see what Simone was staring at so intently.
“Our print ads are going up in less than two months and I'm not loving this model.”
I walk around to Simone's side of the desk, to give it another look, this time from the perspective from which Simone was no longer “loving” the model for the campaign.
“Yeah, I can see that. She doesn't really do anything for the clothes.”
“Or the campaign, for that matter.”
Simone picked up her phone. “Amanda,” she said, “contact the Ford agency and get them to send over ten Zed cards of new models for our ‘Bianca’ campaign.
Simone hung up.
“You're serious about replacing her, huh?” I half-asked as I made my way back around Simone's desk and had a seat across from her.
“Hell, yeah, we’ve spent too much time on this to have it ruined by a shapeless, no-spark model.”
I loved Simone's attitude; when she was over something, she was so over it, not to mention that she had no problem making a decision on the spot. While some are quick to waver back and forth, Simone sets her mind on something and it's done.
“You hungry?” she asked. “I'm going to order in some Sushi for lunch.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” I watched Simone as she ordered our lunch. I needed to talk, and although I hated bringing my personal life into the office, my concentration was suffering and I needed my girl’s ear and support.
Simone was off the phone so I seized the moment before she could get off on another tangent.
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked as I uncrossed my left leg and crossed it over my right.
“Sure,” Simone answered.
“It's not business-related. Do you mind?”
“Girl, please, of course not! What is it?” Simone asked as she looked up from her MacBook.
“How would you feel if your man's best friend was a woman?”
“Hmm, I don’t know,” she said. “Why?”
“Would you feel intimidated?”
Simone looked up at me and closed the cover on her laptop. “Where is this going?”
“Okay,” I said. “Todd’s best friend is here.”
“Let me guess – she’s a woman,” Simone said.
“Yep.”
Simone pondered the question for a minute. “Depends on how she looks,” Simone said as she sipped on her Evian water. I could tell her mind was turning.
She put down her Evian, sat back and folded her arms. “Now if she looks like she escaped from Lincoln Park Zoo,” Simone began, “I wouldn't worry about it; men very rarely are friends with ugly women – unless, of course, they're trying to get to the prettier, sexier girlfriend, then they'll be her best pal ever. Now if she has a halfway decent face with a great body, then hell yeah. Especially if the body is all that. See, men will forgo an average face for a fuckable body in a second.”
I knew Simone would have a great answer because she's not only perceptive, she knows how to get straight to the point and that was exactly what I needed.
“I say all that,” Simone continued, “to bring me to my main point.”
Simone leaned in as if she was about to say something so profound that she wanted to make sure I didn't miss a syllable.
“Whenever there are two organs of the opposite sex involved in a so-called ’friendship’ they will eventually collide, repeatedly,” she said. “The next thing you know your man is fucking his female friend. I mean, let’s be real, we are human.”
“So what should I do?” I asked her. “I mean, Todd swears nothing is going on between him and Alana.”
“Do you believe him?” Simone asked, raising one suspicious eyebrow.
“Yeah, I guess,” I said. “He really hasn't given me any reason not to. Not to mention, they have been friends since they were thirteen. In all honesty, if they were going to do something don't you think they would have by now?”
Simone leaned back up and tilted her head to the right. “What makes you think they haven't?”
Simone had one valid point.
I sat straight up in my seat. “You think?”
Simone sat back.
“Anything is possible. If you like, I could always trip the bitch down a flight of stairs. No one likes fucking a paraplegic.”
Simone made me spit my water out, right there on the table. She would come out of the box with crazy comments like that from time to time that invariably made me lose all composure.
“My suggestion? Wait until you meet her, sniff her out, and see how they interact. I wouldn't get all upset over something you haven't even sized up yet. Hell, she could be Magilla's cousin for all we know.”
“This is true; you're right,” I said as I relaxed back into my seat.
“Of course I'm right. Mama’s always right, and don’t you forget that.”
Simone gave me a wink. I let out a sigh of momentary relief.
Even though I'm sure she was not in the Magilla family, for some odd reason I felt a little bit better.
CHAPTER 9
TO EACH HER OWN
If beauty had a name, it would be Alana Brooks.
The moment Alana walked into Todd’s newly renovated office space, I knew it was her, the best friend Todd had been talking about since we first met. The best friend that he's known since he was thirteen, the best friend that he took to the Senior Prom, the best friend that was his college roommate, the best friend that he could sleep in the same bed with and nothing would ever go down – the best friend that was not only a former Essence print model, but my man's best friend. Fuck!
I think the room stopped just to watch Alana walk. I had no idea she would look this way; I pictured a Vivica Fox on a bad day, but no, Alana was five eleven and perfect. Her hair was short and cut ever so perfectly to her face; her eyes were big and alive and she had a smile that would light up any dark place.
I watched as Alana walked my way, with runway residue in each step. I instantly felt self-conscious. I couldn’t stop my mind from racing through all the other wardrobe options I could have chosen for myself on this occasion to make me look way sexier. I immediately felt a sense of competition. I wanted to freeze time, just long enough to run my ass home and change into my “I can be sexy, too” dress with matching attitude. Unfortunately the powers that be had other plans for me. Yep, you guessed it: total humiliation with a massive helping of fading self-esteem.
I watched Todd's eyes light up like that stupid New Year’s Eve ball in Times Square and jealously wondered if that was how he looks at me when I catwalk across a room. My first urge was to hate Alana, but her only crime was her ability to turn more heads than me, and, well, that just wasn't enough.
Or was it?
I glanced across the room to catch Simone checking Alana out, as well. Simone shot me a look and made a joking gesture as if tripping someone down a flight of stairs. I couldn't help but chuckle. I needed to laugh right about then because the reality just wasn’t funny. Alana finally made it over to where Todd and I were standing.
“Todd Anthony!” Alana announced his first and middle name with enough energy to fuel a Boeing 747, and then proceeded to give my man a full bear hug.
“Hey, you made it!” Todd exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.
“Are you kidding me? Miss your grand opening? Never!”
“Alana, this is my girlfriend, Kai; Kai, this is Alana.”
“Nice to meet you,” we said in unison. I made a silent wish, but I knew that it didn't come true, because Alana was still standing in front of me.
Todd, you didn’t say Kai was so beautiful.” Alana said as she shot me a big smile.
“Well, you know how I do.” Todd said with too much confidence
.
“Thank you, Alana, that’s sweet of you to say.” I said, mirroring her smile.
That compliment caught me off guard, but I’ll take it!
“So where is Avery?” Todd asked Alana as he grabbed a few hors d'oeuvres off the passing tray.
“He's in training camp down in Texas. He'll be there for the next four weeks.”
Alana was married to the best running back in the NFL, Avery Anderson, and although they looked like the picture perfect couple, she was not happy, at least, according to Todd. Apparently her high profile husband does just as good a job scoring with the groupies as he does scoring touchdowns.
I guess it really doesn't matter how beautiful you are; if a man wants to cheat, he will cheat. For professional athletes, particularly in the NBA and NFL, pussy is served up on a silver platter.
I began to feel a bit out of place as Alana and Todd started reminiscing about their college days at Howard. I was seconds from walking away when Alana touched my arm.
“So Kai, I hear you're in advertising.”
The sound of Alana's voice directed towards me threw me off. I had been slowly detaching, but Alana quickly pulled me back.
“I am. I work for McKenzie and Strong over on Michigan Avenue.”
“I did some work for them years ago, pre-baby, I mean. Now this whole midsection is suddenly camera-shy.”
“How old is your baby?” I asked.
“She’s 15 months,” Alana said as she shot Todd a look, “and Todd is the godfather.” Alana started rubbing Todd’s arm.
I watched as Alana rubbed Todd’s arm a bit too long for my liking. I had to keep reminding myself that they are just friends; they are just friends.
“Well, isn’t that sweet, and by the way, you look great after just having a baby,” I said.
“You're sweet. I just hired a trainer and I will be back in the gym this month,” she said. “I joined Lake Shore Athletic.”
“Oh, I didn’t know they had a Lake Shore Athletic in New York,” I said.
“They don’t,” said Alana. “I joined the one here in Chicago.”
“Really, here in Chicago? Are you planning to stay for a while?”
“I'm moving here,” Alana said.
My heart dropped. Those three words came in super-slow-MO. A flash of anger shot through my body.
“Didn’t Todd tell you?” Alana asked.
“No, Todd did not,” I said as I turned to shoot daggers into his neck. Todd shifted uncomfortably. He knew he was in trouble. Big fucking trouble.
“So when is this happening, Alana?”
“In the next month or so,” she replied. “Avery just got traded to the Chicago Bears,” Alana added with a smile.
“That's great,” I said, “but excuse me, I'm going to get more wine.”
I headed in the direction of the small office kitchen, hoping Simone saw the rage in my steps. Like a best friend, she did, and she met me in the kitchen.
“Okay, I don't know exactly what was said,” Simone said, “but I think I saw smoke coming out of your ears.”
“She’s moving to Chicago.”
“Alana?”
“You got it,” I said as I began pacing back and forth in the kitchen.
“You’re kidding me!” Simone exclaimed.
“No, and that bastard Todd didn't even mention it to me and I’m sure he’s known about it for a while.”
“Of course he has,” Simone said. “Men have selective memories when it comes to informing us of vital information, especially when it comes to other women.”
Just then Todd entered the kitchen.
“Hey Kai,” he said. “You okay?”
“What the hell do you think, Todd?” Simone belted out.
“I was asking Kai,” Todd shot back.
“Yeah, well, I was answering for Kai,” Simone replied indignantly.
“Simone, it's cool,” I said quickly, before their exchange started getting out of hand.
Simone gave me a look just to double check. “Fine, I'll be in the living room if you need me.”
Simone left the kitchen as I walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a few bottles of wine.
“So, when were you going to tell me Alana was moving to Chicago?”
Todd took a deep breath as he shifted his weight to his heels and pushed his hands in his pockets. He looked down at the floor then back up at me.
“Baby, it's not a big deal, really.”
“Well, if it's not such a big deal then why didn't you tell me?”
“It must've slipped my mind,” he said.
“Yeah, right.”
“Why are you making such a big deal?” Todd asked. “I mean, you act like I'm fucking her.”
“Are you?”
Todd paused, then continued slowly. “No, I'm not. How many times do I have to tell you? We are just friends.”
I took a deep breath. I was not nearly drunk enough to deal with that shit. I gathered a few bottles of wine to take into the other room; I needed to get away from this man before I totally snapped. I turned to leave when Todd grabbed my arm, took the bottles from me and put them on the counter.
“Listen Kai,” he said, “you are who I want to be with, not Alana. I love you, not her. You have to believe me.”
Hearing those words from Todd made me feel a little better, made the jealousy fade a bit.
“I love you too, baby; I just, I just don't like being in the dark,” I said. What I really wanted to say, of course, was that I just didn't like beautiful best friends moving to the same city as my boyfriend.
Todd put his arms around my waist.
“I'm sorry,” he said. “I promise to keep you abreast of all situations, OK?”
“Abreast?” I said with a chuckle.
“Abreast,” Todd repeated, and we shared a much-needed laugh.
“Okay, then,” I said as I leaned in and planted an “I am the only woman you need” kiss on him as I reached down to massage his manhood.
“Damn baby, not now, we got guests,” Todd said.
“So?” I replied, with a seductive smile.
I was headed in for another kiss when Alana walked in.
“Oh, I see you two are busy,” Alana said.
Todd pulled back from me, almost too fast for my liking.
“Hey, no, it's cool,” Todd said. “You need anything, more wine?”
“Red wine would be perfect,” Alana said as she smiled at me. It took everything I had to return the smile. I’m sure it looked a little fake. We held the stare for a moment, and then I turned away.
Todd scrambled to fill a glass for Alana and serve it to her.
I glanced back over towards Alana, almost paralyzed by how beautiful this woman was. I replayed in my mind, over and over, what Todd had said to me a few minutes earlier, like a mantra to keep me sane in that moment. It was more than a bit awkward with the three of us sharing that small space.
“Listen,” I said, “I'm going to find Simone, because if I don't watch her she could be fondling the help in the bathroom.” I chuckled at my own comment – alone.
“Okay, baby,” Todd said, planting a kiss on my lips. “I’ll see you in a minute.”
I started toward the kitchen door, but turned back to see Todd and Alana enjoying each other's company. I paused to swallow my jealousy before going to look for my best friend.
CHAPTER 10
A TUG OF WAR
Alana had only been in Chicago for six weeks but I was already two seconds from slappin' a FedEx label on her ass and overnighting her back to her hometown in Nebraska. Now I understood that she was Todd's best friend, but since her return I hadn’t seen much of Todd. Well, let me clarify, I hadn’t seen much of Todd without Alana being there, too. She had a way of making herself available – always. Weekend dinners, walks in the park, a friendly game of pool or just hanging out at the house, you name it, Alana was there, as if she had become a permanent fixture in our relationsh
ip. My relationship with Todd was morphing from a healthy couple to the three musketeers.
I was about to snap.
I knew that her famous husband was too busy with his NFL career i.e. chasing pussy across the U. S. of A., to give Alana the attention she needed and desired, but hello, that was neither my concern nor my problem. I didn't sign up to share my man with anyone, especially Alana.
I leaned back as I swiveled around two times in my burgundy-brown leather chair. Work was slow and I was glad; I needed to focus at least 90 percent of my attention on the situation at hand. Translation: I needed to do something fast.
I dialed Todd's work number and, of course, got his excessively friendly, overly irritating assistant who told me that he was with a client. I quickly hung up and dialed his cell number, knowing he would not answer. I decided to leave a sexy (but classy) message on his voicemail, letting him know that he had a date that evening with his girlfriend, who wasn't taking “No” for an answer. I then let him know to expect the works that night, no holds barred. I was getting excited just thinking about what I was going to do to him. Todd loved when I left seductive messages on his voicemail, and, to be honest, I loved doing it. I considered it foreplay – or should I say pre-foreplay.
I finished up early at work and headed to the ladies’ room to touch up my make-up, fluff my hair and spray on his favorite perfume. I was ready to show Todd a night he would remember for, well, at least a month. I took one last glance at myself in the mirror and yes; I was ready to take his ass to the mat, in a good way. Look out WWE, 'cause here comes KWI, better known as Kai With an “I”!
I decided to make reservations at Blackbird, the scene of our first official date. I was a little excited since Todd and I had not had an actual date in a while. He confirmed that he would be there right after work. I fluffed my hair one last time and checked my make-up; this was going to be a night like the good old days. Todd and I had been living together for about a month; I gave up my cute, adorable and single pad up north and moved in with him downtown near Dearborn Station. I had to admit, living downtown wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be, and Todd was an added perk. Since our recent transition to cohabitation we had become a bit routine at times, so there was no better time than right then to start spicing things up.