Chapter 7 Chance
While I gave Sadia an award-winning speech of encouragement, I feel like a pig being led to slaughter as we enter the resort. Thankfully, none of my boys or their women are in the lobby, so I breathe easier as I lead Sadia to the counter to complete check-in.
“Whew, thank you, God,” Sadia whispers, and a low chuckle falls from my mouth at her words that are full of relief.
“I feel you,” I tell Sadia before I shift my focus to the blonde woman with a cheesy smile as she waits at the counter.
“Good evening. Do you have a reservation?” the clerk asks.
“Good evening. Yes. It’s under Mitchell,” I provide with a smile that matches hers.
The next couple of minutes are mundane as the clerk checks us in.
I can feel Sadia’s body shaking every couple of seconds, which tells me about her state.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I say a quiet prayer that I can escape the guys a little longer.
But the minute I turn from the counter, I swallow over the lump that quickly forms when my eyes meet the ones of my closest friends.
Shit!
Sadia’s hand tightens in my grip, and the urge to calm her hits me like a tidal wave. I squeeze her hand and hope that it provides her a temporary comfort.
“What’s good, bro? You ain’t get my message?” my best friend, Morris, asks with a lopsided grin as his eyes bounce from me to Sadia.
“Nah. I was getting us squared away. Since y’all are here, let me get these introductions out of the way so my lady and I can go relax for a bit.”
“Mhm. You’ve had us waiting hours and shit. I thought you might have decided to stay home this year,” my friend Raymond taunts.
Morris, Raymond, and I met in the sandbox and have remained friends through years of ups and downs. But I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
“I thought this nigga was gonna show up with a blow-up chick he bought from one of those truck stops.” My friend Jamie smirks.
Jamie joined the crew in our freshman year of college and has been rocking with us ever since.
“Excuse these fools, Ms. Lady. Somewhere along the lines, they forgot that manners aren’t only supposed to be used at home. I’m Thomas, the sensible one out of the bunch.”
Thomas is indeed the sensible one, and he joined our crew during the middle of our sophomore year of college. He helps round out our group nicely. To my displeasure, Sadia disconnects our hands and steps forward to shake Thomas’s outstretched hand.
“Nice to meet you, Thomas. My name is Sadia.”
“Well. Well. Well. Look, y’all, Chance showed up with a new woman this trip.” A screechy feminine voice rings out that throws a bucket of acid on the light air in the area.
I look away from Sadia and Thomas to see the wives of this group coming to stand beside their husbands. Peaches is the woman who spoke a second ago, and I fight the urge to snarl at the cocky grin on her face.
“Don’t start your shit, Peach,” Jamie grumbles to his wife.
“Bae, let me introduce you to the crew. Next to Thomas is his wife, Karmen. To his immediate left is Raymond and his wife, Jennifer. To the left of Raymond is Jamie and his wife, Peaches. Yes, it’s her real name. Last but not least is my best friend, Morris, and his wife, Erin.”
The guys all stepped forward to shake Sadia’s hands as their wives followed suit with warm smiles.
Well, all of the wives except for Peaches, who had a resting bitch face with her hands crossed over the silicone titties she made Jamie pay for her to get last year.
That look from Peaches leads me to my next statement.
“Alright. Y’all have met my lady, and I love that for y’all. But we’re gonna go to our room to get settled in. If it takes us the rest of the evening, then I’ll get with y’all in the morning for breakfast.” I pull Sadia back away from the group before I interlock our hands and turn to walk away.
“Man, that was draining, and why was Peaches giving me her ass to kiss? I don’t know her from a can of paint,” Sadia says once we enter the elevator a couple of minutes later.
I smile before my eyes meet Sadia’s curious ones, and a low chuckle escapes at the grimace she wears.
“Peaches isn’t anyone worth wasting your energy on. I think life makes her miserable, and you have to ignore her. The rest of the wives are cool though.”
“Hm. As long as she keeps it cute, then I will. I might be here alone, but I ain’t about to deal with someone with unjustified mean girl energy.”
“Damn, Dia. Let me find out you know how to throw hands. You’re gonna fuck around and find yourself as a wife.” I wink.
Sadia smiles, and before long, the elevator doors open to our floor as we walk hand in hand to our designated room.
I still need to grab our bags, but I want to check out the room and get Sadia settled in first. But I will also have a quick conversation with my boys because Jamie will need to get a handle on Peaches before our first couple of outings.
While I made the statement about Sadia’s ability to fight, this will not be how things go down.
The only plans I have for Sadia are for her to relax, release, and enjoy the time I have with her as my woman.
I’ll be damned if I allow anyone to disrupt my agenda for her.
“Oh my goodness. This room is nice.” Sadia’s eyes stretch when we enter our room as I nod in agreement.
The room is a mask of browns, tans, and coastal blues that provide a warm, inviting, and airy feel.
The first thing I see upon entry is a kitchen-like area that offers stainless steel appliances.
There’s an island that connects to a small dining area, where an elegant, low-hanging chandelier hangs above a two-person table and chairs.
There’s a bookshelf that offers random decorations that serves as a divider for the small living room.
At the end of the room are two sliding glass doors that lead to a balcony with two chairs, one adjacent to the other.
Since our hands are still connected, Sadia leads me through the space before we move to the master bedroom’s open door.
The king-size bed is like a beacon of welcome with its blue duster, and a matching body pillow sits in front of four white pillows.
At the foot of the bed is a tan ottoman that matches the small rectangular love seat next to the bed, as well as the double chairs and table, which are also tan.
My mouth moves before Sadia can utter a word about this room.
“I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything, so I can sleep on the couch in here, the living room, or even make a pallet on the floor.”
Sadia releases my hand and turns to look at me head-on as my temple vein pulses. It takes a minute for Sadia’s words to leave her mouth.
“We’re two consenting adults who are capable of behaving ourselves if we choose to. I’m not about to have you cramped on any of those things, and you’re too grown for the floor. I want you next to me in the bed where we both can be comfortable in this beautiful place.”
Well damn, if she said it, then I guess that settles it.
“Alright. If you change your mind, let me know.”
“I won’t. Can you go get our bags? I want to freshen up and then explore this place.”
I nod, unable to form or speak words that won’t have her reneging on the confirmation of our sleeping arrangements.
The idea of being in the same bed with Sadia causes my dick to jump, which means I need to get out of here to calm down.
My feet move like they have gas or oil on them, and I’m on the other side of the door within minutes.
I bend over with my hands on my knees as I take deep breaths.
Images of Sadia and me in the throes of passion with sweat coating our skin run roughshod in my mind.
This trip isn’t about sex, but damn if I’m not curious to know if Sadia was giving me permission to cross that line.
Several Hours Later . . .
Lies. The word synonymous with this trip and what led to my situation with Sadia.
I told the guys that Sadia and I were too tired to join them at dinner.
But, truthfully, I just wanted to spend time outside the vehicle with Sadia.
After we unpacked, took showers, and took a short nap, Sadia and I left the room to explore the premises.
We’re now about to have dinner at one of the restaurants inside the hotel.
“See how flaky your friend is acting already, boo? He normally is all up under us from the start to the end of these shindigs. Now look at him. Booed up and funky acting.” Peaches’s voice causes my eyes to leave the menu to see my friends around the table Sadia and I are at.
Peaches’s eyes are on Sadia, which instantly spikes my blood pressure. Sadia opens her mouth to respond before I can.
“Aw, that’s too bad. I thought this trip had a couple of focuses, not a smother-each-other one. I’m sorry.”
Giggles come from the other women as Peaches’s mouth opens and closes. I mentally pump my fist at Sadia’s effective reminder of what our joint purposes should be.
“Touché, Sadia. Come on so we can let them get back to their business.” Erin smiles before she pushes Peaches away from the table.
Jamie mouths his sorry for his wife’s behavior, which reminds me of my need to get with my boys. My wayward hormones had me grabbing Sadia and my luggage, before returning to our room without delay.
“Do I need to find a flight to go home? This is the second time that woman has felt comfortable addressing me.”
“Hell no. You ain’t here for her, so ignore that shit. I’m gonna holler at her man tomorrow about her.”
“Hm. She acts like she’s spent countless hours with your dick hitting her tonsils.” Sadia rolls her eyes before she resumes her perusal of the menu.
I laugh and shake my head at the bite within her words.
Before Jamie and Peaches got married, they had an open relationship where threesomes were their thing.
On a drunk night, my ex and I engaged in a swap with Jamie and Peaches.
The rules of engagement were simply oral sex, which clearly meant more to Peaches than me.
This is yet another reason why I’m not sure why Jamie chose to marry her.
It’s crazy, and I don’t understand my boy’s need to wife a chick who sucked his friend’s dick like a Blow Pop.
That night was what led to my official cut-off of Sonequa.
For Jamie and Peaches, it led to a proposal when they returned home after the trip, which is weird. But to each his own.
“You’re wild, Dia. But let’s focus on us, because no one else matters.”
“I see you’re good at diverting. It’s okay. If things get too sticky, I’ll be on the first plane smoking.”
Over my dead body, baby.
I refuse to let Peaches or any of my friends shift my focus from spending time with Sadia outside of our transactional relationship.
As I decide on my dinner, I make a mental note to speak with Jamie at the first opportunity.
Peaches ain’t my woman, and I ain’t in the business of sparing her feelings.
So either Jamie can check his wife’s mouth, or I will.
Either way, Sadia won’t be leaving before it’s time for us to reload the SUV and take the fifteen-hour drive back to Kaigood.
Dinner moves along without further interruption, and before long, Sadia and I are back in our room.
We’ve taken showers and are now in bed. Sadia is on the window side of the room, and I’m closer to the door.
The room is pitch dark, and I wrestle with myself for a second before I scoot over an inch and pull Sadia’s body into mine.
“Mm,” Sadia whispers.
I bite my lip from the hard pitch of my dick from the feel of Sadia’s plump ass that rests against it. I count sheep and beg God to strike my dick so it can return to normal. I swallow the moisture that forms in my mouth just as Sadia’s voice pierces the quiet space.
“All things considered, I’m looking forward to everything this trip has to offer. I don’t know what’s on our agenda tomorrow, but can we finish the evening taking in the sunset? I know it’ll be beautiful with the water as a backdrop.”
“No matter who says what, I want you to remember that only my opinion matters. Fuck everybody else. It’s just us. I got you on the sunset. Good night, Sadia.”
“Good night, Chance.”
Silence enters the room, and before long, Sadia’s breathing patterns change as light snores sound.
Sleep doesn’t come quickly for me, as I spend countless minutes memorizing the feel of Sadia’s plush body.
I want to begin an exploration of her body, but I push the thought to the back of my mind.
Hopefully, by the end of our time together, Sadia and I will shatter the myths of this fake arrangement.