Chapter Ten – Reluctant Rendezvous
Ihad plenty of time to tell her I changed my mind. Several times, I pulled out my phone, opened the text thread, and typed out the message, but I couldn’t hit send. And it was all because of my damn ego.
How could she just leave me hanging like that? Why would she run away after getting me all worked up?
As the car neared my drop off, the heaviness from the mix of Likosa’s energy, my arousal, and the drinks slowly wore off. With the return of sobriety had also come clarity, an understanding of what I was doing: using Jenna to avoid thoughts of Likosa. I couldn’t do that to her.
I should have told the driver to take me back to the restaurant so I could get my car and take my ass home.
But by the time I found the resolve to do the right thing, we were already pulling up to her hotel, and Jenna was standing outside.
The moment I looked up from my phone, our eyes locked, and she eagerly waved at me.
As I peeped her dress, a short black thing with thin straps that looked like they were struggling to hold up the girls, I realized there would be no turning back. And I mean, the boobs were out and on display! This wasn’t just a quick meetup with a friend.
Red flag, girl! Alert! Alert! Honey wants…well, she wants your honey! You'd better get out of here.
“Dammit,” I muttered under my breath, holding the door handle until the driver looked back at me.
“You alright?” she asked with a worried expression. “You look like you’re going to be sick.”
“Yeah, sorry.” I opened the app, gave her a big tip, and then stepped out of the car, barely hearing her when she told me to have a good night.
“Shontae, it's so good to see you again.” Jenna pulled me into a hug, making sure to press her chest against mine. A reminder of how she felt. As if I needed it. “Thanks for coming.”
“Yeah, you too. Thanks for the invite.” I stiff-armed her to put some distance between us. “You look good.”
“Thanks.” She smiled, her eyes dropping to her dress for a moment. “I was afraid you would say no. I know it’s short notice and all.”
“The timing worked out well. I had just wrapped up a business meeting when I got your message. Turns out, it wasn’t too far away.” I gave her a once-over now that I was up close, and she looked even better than I remembered. You’re in trouble! “How are you?”
“I’m okay. Things have been tougher than I thought with my mom, but other than that, I can’t complain.” She looked me over. “You look good, Shontae. I like this fit on you.”
“Thanks.” I smiled, adjusting my collar. “I’m sorry to hear things have been rough with your mom. Are you thinking of moving your timeline up so you can move back here?”
“Maybe, but we can talk about that inside. Do you want to get a drink?” She pointed at the entrance behind her. “The bar here is good. I spent some time there last night after I checked in.”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” I didn’t need anything else to drink, but I’d come all that way, and things felt innocent enough to proceed.
I opened the door and let her walk ahead, giving myself one more chance to change my mind about going inside with her. Still, I went in. All I could do was think about Likosa and what she left me feeling when she vanished. I didn’t want to make Jenna feel the same.
Okay, just stay for one drink. That’s long enough for a quick chat. No need to be here any longer than that. Remember, you’re walking into a danger zone!
The warning bells were sounding off as I followed her.
Paired with that was the cacophony of my friends’ voices.
Echoes of their comments flooded my mind.
Cadence was telling me not to drink anything else.
Tayvion was telling me to remember all the details, because I was definitely going to go further with her than I planned. Neither voice was helpful!
If only one of them would actually call me. Was it too much to pray for some sisterly intervention?
If you wanted them to intervene, you would have sent the SOS message by now!
I followed Jenna through the hotel lobby and down the hall to the connected bar.
Each time I thought about sending the SOS, a signal to my girls that I needed an emergency call, my eyes fell to her ass.
Her plump ass, which pressed against the fabric of her dress and lifted it slightly with each step she took.
How far would it rise?
“I am thinking about moving sooner.” She stopped when she reached the bar and turned to face me. “I was actually here to look at a few spots.”
“Huh?” My eyes snapped to her face. “I’m sorry?”
“Did you hear anything I said?” She gave me a knowing look. Caught red-handed! “You asked if I was moving up my timeline.”
“Oh, yes. Sorry.” I coughed. “My thoughts drifted there for a moment.”
“I can tell.” She giggled but recovered, trying not to give a flirtatious vibe. “Your mind isn’t all the way here, is it?”
“No, it’s not.” I took the offered out. “Things are really ramping up with work. A few new opportunities have come up, and I have a lot to consider. But it's all good, trust me.”
“Do you want me to let you go?” she asked. “I mean, I appreciate you coming, but I completely understand if you need some time to process things. Is that where you were coming from tonight? You said it was a business meeting?”
“Yes.” I paused. “With a potential investor. The offer looks very tempting, but I still need to weigh the risks.”
“Well, like I said, if you want to go, I get it.” Jenna tried to appear aloof, but I knew her well enough to know she would hold a grudge if I left.
She’d got dressed up, done her makeup, and everything.
I couldn’t be sure it was all for me, but I knew it would piss her off if the effort went to waste.
“No.” I shook my head. “I came all this way. We can at least have one drink before I go.”
“Good.” She turned and sat on the bar stool, patting the one beside her.
I tried my best not to look at the hem of the dress, which slipped higher up her thigh as I took the offered seat.
And that was when things got awkward again.
Eyes locked, it was apparent we both needed a bit of liquid courage to get the conversation flowing.
I waved the bartender down, and we put in our first order.
Luckily, it wasn’t busy, and she served them quickly, her eye lingering on my face a little too long. Jenna bristled at my side.
“Thank you,” I said and pressed a wave of disinterest at the bartender, who suddenly turned and headed off.
“She likes you,” Jenna said, a little snip to her voice.
“No, she doesn’t.” I smiled and sipped my drink. “She’s just doing her job.”
“You always had that effect on women.” She took a sip of hers. “It made it so hard to be around you sometimes.”
“Did it?” I didn’t deny her claim, because it made no sense to do so. “I never knew that.”
“Well, I couldn’t come off like the jealous girlfriend!” she laughed.
So she thinks she did a good job hiding that?
“I never noticed,” I lied and then quickly shifted the topic. “So tell me, what have you been up to all these years? I mean, outside of moving across the country and starting a new life?”
All Jenna needed was an invitation to talk about herself, and, just like she had many times before, the girl started talking and wouldn’t quit.
She told me about her travels around the world with her job.
She talked about every love interest she’d had and how they’d mostly ended the same, with her wanting more than the other person could commit to.
She had a knack for choosing unavailable love-interests, myself included.
Eventually, we flowed into an actual conversation as we reminisced about college and the brief relationship we shared. She admitted to following me online for a while when I first opened my gym.
“I was just so proud of you…” I couldn’t hear the rest of her words, because the bar had picked up. There was music playing and people pouring in.
“Huh?” I shouted.
She leaned into me and shouted back, “You want to go upstairs?”
Jenna sat back in her seat, pointing at the ceiling with a questioning look on her face.
Don’t do it! It’s a trap!
I nodded.
She insisted on paying the tab, having the bartender add it to her bill for the room, and then grabbed my hand and headed out the door after ordering a bottle of wine and two glasses.
Girl, this is a bad idea!
Of course, the thoughts came after my eyes dropped to her ass again, and it was a lost cause.
I followed Jenna to the elevator. Once inside, six other people climbed in, pushing us closer together, and Jenna ended up in front of me, that ass pressed against my thighs.
If I were a man, oh, she would have known the effect it had on me!
We made it to her floor and pushed our way out of the elevator.
Turn back! Abort! Text the girls! Bitch, do something!
Ten steps later, we had reached her room, and she popped the door open and stepped inside, awkwardly holding the door open for me.
“Come on in,” she said when she noticed my hesitation. “I won’t bite.”
I gave a nervous laugh and stepped inside.
Jenna kicked off her shoes and stepped into a pair of slippers before she put the drinks down and turned the television on. There was a movie playing that I didn’t recognize, but it didn’t matter. She hadn’t turned it on for us to watch.
I sat on the edge of the bed after noticing the armchair was holding her luggage. Great! Sure, I could have moved it, but that would have made it obvious I was trying to put more space between us.
She poured our glasses and handed one to me.
“It’s good,” she said after a long sip. “I love this brand.”
I took a sip of mine, letting the sweet taste of cherries roll over my tongue, and nodded. “Yeah, this is good. I’ll have to remember this for the future.”
Jenna sat next to me, dress riding up her thigh again, and heat rushed to my face.
“Can I use your bathroom?” I asked abruptly.
“Sure.” She nodded and pointed to the door. “Have at it.”