3. Breeze #2
Now it was me who had to put on the smile that we practiced with the clients. So that’s what I did. I was the first to break eye contact as I looked down at the clipboard.
“Ms. Williams, the signatures,” I smiled.
“Right,” she laughed, signed, and initialed in the places that I needed her to.She slid the clipboard back in my direction.
“And your number?” I asked, prepared to just write it myself. She recited it to me slowly and deliberately. When I repeated it to her, she laughed softly.
“Yes. Commit it to your memory,” she said as I began writing it down. At that moment, I was unsure what was happening. Was she being overly friendly or flirting with me?
She sat back in the seat and gave me a little room as I scanned the documents one last time, making sure she had signed every space. Suddenly, the air felt a little thicker between us, and I didn’t know what to make of it. I stood, smoothed my blazer, and cleared my throat.
“Alright, Ms. Williams, I’ll personally oversee the process and keep you updated as I get them.” She nodded and stood as well.
“I’ll keep in touch,” I added. She started toward the door but stopped. “I was hoping you’d say that.” She smirked.
“Have a great day,” I said as I opened the door and waited for her to exit.
She stopped just shy of the threshold and looked at me. “And Breeze?” she stepped closer, making the interaction more personal by using my first name, which she hadn’t done since she knew me.
I raised my eyebrow and waited for her to finish.
“Next time, maybe we can talk without the paperwork.” She suggested, then walked out the door without waiting for a response.I was taken aback because now I knew for sure that Shareese was definitely flirting.
I had never been hit on by a woman before.
But over the last few months, I had been hit on more than I had in my entire life.
It was like one encounter outside of my marriage, and now the stench of “whore” was oozing from my pores.
I chuckled to myself as I walked back over to my desk.
I sat and thought about what just happened.
With this weekend getaway coming up soon, I felt like this could be the perfect time to get everything out on the table.
I was serious about ending whatever this was with Quentin.
Whatever vice grip he had on my mind and my body was just supposed to be fun.
A one-time thing that went away… but it never did.
I craved it, I thought about it often, hell, I even dreamed about it occasionally.
It was that intoxicating. I needed to let it go.
But I didn’t feel like I could let it go until I got everything out of my system.
All my fantasies. It made me feel slightly ashamed to admit that I wanted to be watched, but it was the truth.
Then I wondered if it would be awkward for Quentin if I asked Shareese to be the person to watch us.
She was interested in me, but I hadn’t made it to that point of my curiosity just yet.
If I ever arrived. I mean, if I did, she would be high on my list to explore that with. Number one, actually.
Shareese was “90s fine.” The thought of her and Quentin being together reminded me of that one fine ass couple that you could just look at and know the sex was beautiful. They were both so gorgeous that I felt like every time they had sex, a Jill Scott song played in the background.
I pulled out my phone to text him. We had been communicating a little more lately as it neared time to finalize plans and exchange new results.
Me: Hey, Q. I have a crazy question.
Quentin: What’s up?
Me: What do you think about me inviting someone on vacation for the last day?
Quentin: Nah. We have an entire NDA, B.
Me: I know, but I’m positive that it’s someone you can trust.
Quentin: That I could trust?
Me: Yeah, Shareese. If you’re okay with that, and she agrees.
Quentin: Man, good luck with that. Let me know how it goes.
I put the phone on my desk and thought about what he said.
What did that mean? I second-guessed it, but considering we had a tight window to get everything set up, I couldn’t drag my feet on it.
If she did agree, there were things she had to do that took time.
The worst she could say was no. Well, that’s not exactly the worst she could say, or do, but I had to build the courage to ask anyway.
I went to the back page of the document and dialed Shareese’s number. She answered quickly.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Shareese, it’s Breeze.”
“Hey, did I forget something?” she asked, concerned.
“Not at all. I was actually calling to see if you'd like to meet for lunch tomorrow. I have something I want to discuss with you.”
“Whatever you want. It’ll have to be during my lunch break. The office closes for lunch from 1-2pm. Text me with details.”
“Great, see you then,” I said as we disconnected.
***
I had Shareese text me her order for the restaurant so the kitchen could prepare her food and bring it out by the time she arrived, since she only had a tight window to eat.I sat outside sipping my drink, waiting for her to arrive. She walked in, dressed in a fuchsia pantsuit and pumps.
“Good afternoon,” she said as she sat down.
“Hey, love that color,” I said as I shifted nervously in my seat.
“Thank you, and that color looks great on your skin,” she complimented back.
“You want to order a drink while we wait on the food? I didn’t order for you. I know people don’t play about their drinks,” I laughed.
She laughed as well, caught the waitress's attention, and placed an order.
“So, what’s this about?” she asked as soon as the woman walked away.
I laughed; she put me on the spot. Didn’t give me a second to give her a lead in or anything.
“Umm. Your visit to my office yesterday felt a bit like flirting.”
“A bit? Then Tre was right, I have no game for real.” She scoffed.
“So, I wasn’t wrong?” I asked for clarification.
“Not at all.” I was a little flustered. She was very matter-of-fact about it. Silence stretched for a second. Then I finally got my words together.
“Okay, do you mind signing an NDA for what we will discuss today?” I asked as I picked up a folder beside me, took out a single sheet of paper, and gave it to her.
“Yesterday I said no paperwork,” she laughed, then looked it over. “I’m only signing this because I’m nosey.” She added as we shared a laugh.
“I’m sorry if I’m forward. But I don’t know any other way to ask. How do you feel about threesomes?”
Her eyes widened.
“Breeze, I think you’re very attractive, but I don’t want to be involved in anyone’s marriage in that way.”
I nodded my understanding.
“What if I told you that the threesome wouldn’t be with my husband? I’ve never been intimate with a woman before, and I would only want you to watch.”
She almost yelped. Then her tone became almost a whisper. “What kind of freaky shit?”
“Hear me out, Shareese. I know it’s a lot to process, and you don’t have to answer right now.
But I have to be completely transparent and allow you to make your own decision.
” With the NDA now signed, I gave her the full spill: our history, how we got here, and the decision to have solo encounters outside our marriage. I didn’t cut any corners.
“That is a lot to process. So, you’re saying you want me to watch you and the guy you chose? Why are you trusting me with this information?” she asked through slits in her eyes. I had been holding back the biggest piece of information from her because I didn’t know what her reaction would be.
“I trust you with this information because I trust that you wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the person that I chose,” I said, hoping that she’d catch my drift without me saying too much. But when she waited for me to finish my statement, I knew she didn’t. Now I’d have to say it outright.
“What do you mean?”
I took a deep breath and looked at the frown lines on her forehead. I chuckled.
“The person that I chose was Dr. Long.”
She sat back like I had knocked the wind out of her. I probably had. I could only hope that she wasn’t about to return the favor when the confusion on her face turned to something that resembled anger.
“As in… my son’s father, Quentin?” She clarified.
“Yeah.”
“Breeze, you do know that this little bitty piece of paper wouldn’t stop me from stuffing this table down your throat, right?” Her tone caught me by surprise.
“I sure as hell hope so, I’m not that hungry,” I answered honestly, which made her exhale and laugh loudly. She held her side and laughed while I found no amusement in her threat. Maybe this is why Quentin said, "Good luck.” He clearly knew something that I wasn’t privy to.
“Did you tell him you were going to ask me this?”
“He told me good luck.”
She wiped her eyes but laughed harder.
“I’m sorry, you just caught me by surprise.
Maybe a decade ago, this would have gone really badly for both of y’all.
Quentin and I haven’t been together in that way in years.
We coparent without all that funny shit.
I don’t know if I want to cross those boundaries or blur the lines.
But trust me, I understand you wanting to double back.
Even when we were in our twenties, his dick should have been in the Hall of Fame.
” She shook her head at the thoughts that I’m sure crept into her mind, then chuckled.
“I know it’s a lot to think about…you don’t have to answer today. But we have less than a month if you decide to come along.”
The waitress interrupted me and came back over with our food and started setting plates on the table.
We tabled the discussion and began eating.
At first, it was awkward, but we both relaxed and started discussing other things.
I don’t know why I still felt uneasy; it could be because every time I took a bite of salmon, I was thinking about how it could have been the table instead.
In the middle of the conversation, she checked the time on her watch.
“I have to get back to the office, Breeze. Thank you for the invitation to lunch. This is a sticky situation, and I can’t make you any promises. I’ll think about it and get back to you if that’s okay?”
“Sure, thank you for coming.”
“No problem,” she said as she called the waitress over, gave her a tip, and then walked away from the table.
I pulled out my phone to text Quentin.
Me: So, I asked Shareese, and she told me she’d make me eat the table we were sitting at. Why would you let me do this?
Quentin: Damn, I’m more surprised she didn’t follow through.
I sucked in a sharp breath and then looked up just as Shareese was about to get in her car. She gave me another bright smile before she got in the driver’s seat and pulled away from the curb. She always seemed so polite and welcoming. What the hell had she done to him?
I knew the time for Quentin, and I was winding down.
Although Tim and I had agreed that the encounters didn’t have to be a one-time thing for us, mentally, I had decided that it would be the last time that I saw Quentin.
The lust that settled between us was thick.
So thick that it made me nervous. The next time that we saw each other, no matter how hard my body fought against me, I knew that it would be the last time.