“It’s just like they say,” Miss Jamaica interjected. “When you go black you never go back!” she said with a deep chuckle. “The darker the berry, the sweeter the juice!”
Sarai laughed with her. “Everything about my Alexander is perfect!” she said. “That’s all I need to say about that!”
Her friend rolled her eyes skyward. She leaned forward to whisper, the gesture conspiratorial. “Is it true that they’re very large?” Miss Indonesia asked, gesturing crudely with her hands. The woman tossed a quick look over her shoulder before leaning even closer.
Sarai blushed profusely, her face turning a deep shade of red. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, sucking air like a guppy.
Miss Jamaica laughed as she answered the question. “Yes,” she said. “They are very large. Black men are very well endowed. What they say is true. They are blessed beyond measure!”
Sarai shook her head. “Now you know that is not right. Not all black men are large. Just like not all Asian or white men are small. We shouldn’t be stereotyping them! That’s not right.”
“So you are saying that your man is not so big?” Miss Jamaica teased.
Sarai laughed. “I didn’t say that at all. We are not talking about my man like that!”
Miss Indonesia waved a dismissive hand, then grinned brightly. “I must date black! I must find me a beautiful black man for a boyfriend.”
Sarai laughed again. “But you have a boyfriend!”
“I do. He’s rich and he’s very good to me, but he’s”—she leaned forward again, whispering across the table—“small!” She winked her eye and held her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart. “Small doesn’t work so good!”
The laughter that rang around the table felt good to Sarai. The opportunity to work with her old friends and be able to spend some quality time with them had come at the perfect time. Sneaking out of Alexander’s window to keep her father from catching her in his bed had been a moment of revelation for her. Alexander deserved better.
Alexander deserved her being honest with her family and friends. He had proven himself more than worthy, and if she intended to be a good wife, she needed to honor him as her husband as much as she honored her father. And she needed to have started weeks ago. Even though he’d been a good sport with the teasing, she felt bad that she had put him in the position to not be honest, and when she returned to Phuket she intended to make things right.
Alexander had her heart like no one else. She loved him. She’d been raised that women showed their love, words not necessarily needed. But in that moment Sarai was determined to not only demonstrate her feelings through her actions but to shout them out for everyone to hear, every chance she got.
* * *
Alexander was ready to settle down for the night when Zachary bogarted his way into his room. “What are you doing? Why aren’t you dressed?”
“What? I’m going to bed. Why would I be dressed?”
His brother shook his head. “No. Get dressed. We’re out of here in thirty minutes.”
“Where are we going?”
“Your bachelor party, bro!”
Alexander sat upright in his bed. He stared at his twin, his eyes blinking rapidly. “Excuse me?”
Zachary laughed. “I need to blow off some steam so we’re going out. Since you’ll be off the market in a few days it’s a good time to give you one last blowout with the guys! So, it’s your bachelor party! Just don’t tell Sarai because she will kill us both.”
“Why?”
“We’re taking you to a go-go club!”
Thirty minutes later Zachary and Alexander piled into a small van driven by Zachary’s friend Patrick. His other friend Robert rode shotgun. Sarai’s cousin Sing, another cousin named Pom, and a bantamweight UFC fighter named Fabricio Aldo, who trained under his brother’s tutelage, rounded out the group. They were all raucous, slightly inebriated, and excited to be headed straight for trouble.
“Your brother says you need a woman!” Patrick exclaimed. “We are going to find you many beautiful women. You only have to choose whichever one you want!”
Alexander cut an eye at Zachary, who was laughing loudly.
“Just be mindful,” Fabricio said. “Thailand has beautiful women. But some of them come with surprises!”
Alexander’s head snapped in the man’s direction. The other men howled. Fabricio nodded his head as he continued.
“The last time I go to the bars with your brother and his friends, they leave me. I find my way to this club and the women, they pull me inside. I go because they are all beautiful women.” He gestured with his hands. “Big beautiful breasts, small waists, nice curves. They dance and I am very excited. I meet two who want to show me good time!”
“For a price!” Zachary interjected. “They weren’t free! Don’t forget that part.”
Fabricio nodded. “Cost me much money! One thousand baht!” he said, referring to the Thai currency.
“Each?” Alexander asked.
The man shook his head. “No, one thousand baht for both!”
Zachary was still laughing, knowing that Alexander was calculating the exchange rate in his head. When his brother blinked, he already knew what his twin was thinking. Trying to fathom how two prostitutes who had cost the man less than thirty dollars for the night had him feeling that was expensive. The two traded glances as the other man continued.
“I am having good time. We are dancing and kissing and touching and then they start coming out of their clothes.”
The others in the car bust out laughing, all having heard the story before. Fabricio was shaking his head as he came to the punch line. “And my beautiful women were beautiful kathoey!”
Alexander looked to his brother for translation. “What’s kathoey?”
Zachary was clutching his chest, cackling heartily. “Ladyboys!” his twin exclaimed as he caught his breath.
“Women with boy parts!”
“Chicks with dicks!” Robert added for emphasis.
Alexander nodded his understanding. Thailand was infamous for its transgender women and effeminate men. They were actually considered a third gender and generally accepted by the community. Most worked in traditional female occupations and were a large facet of the sex trade that was so prevalent in the country. Many were extremely attractive, having undergone medical procedures to make themselves more feminine. Breast implants, hormone treatments, silicone injections, and Adam’s apple reductions were a Thai staple for those wanting to transition. He easily understood how some men might be misled.
Sarai had schooled him the day she’d taken him around Phuket and an attractive woman had waved him over. The stranger had grabbed his arm, calling him “chocolate man” excitedly. Sarai had stepped in, putting the woman in her place and telling her to back down. The conversation had been in Thai, but there had been no misunderstanding what was being communicated. The other woman had dismissed them both with an eye roll and had turned her attentions to a young boy with blond hair and a pimply complexion. When Sarai told him his admirer had actually been male, he’d been completely taken aback.
He grinned. “Well, that’s not going to be a problem for me tonight. I’m not looking for any kind of female companionship.”
Robert laughed. “Men are always looking for female companionship. I have a wife and I am still looking!”
Their banter continued through Phuket Town. It was rowdy, raunchy, and ridiculously out of character for the twins. But they were enjoying the camaraderie, the bawdy jokes, and the free drinks as friends and strangers alike wanted to toast the two black athletes.
Sometime during the late-night hour, they found themselves on the west end of town in Patong. Laughter was overflowing as they maneuvered through the streets toward Suzy Wong’s A Go Go. The newly renovated space was a longtime favorite of expats, and they boasted having the sexiest girls to be found in Phuket. The outside facade was an amalgamation of red paint, Chinese decorations, and one massive
door. Hawkers, both male and female, stood outside, promising guests a good time to try and lure them inside.
Once inside, the Asian theme was continued with displays of masks and swords and waitresses in pretty silk dresses. Then there were the dancers. Center stage six rail-thin women dressed in skimpy blue and white cheerleading outfits were bouncing and gyrating in a poorly choreographed dance routine. Smiles were wide and temptation was abundant. The men split up, retreating to different areas of the club. Patrick, Robert, and Pom took front-row seats on the stools that surrounded the dance floor. Fabricio eased his way over to the spanking corner for some ass-smacking fun. He was soon going blow for blow with an older Thai woman who’d pocketed some of his money.
The twins retreated to one of the cushioned sofas in a corner, Sing following behind them. They were quickly surrounded by dancers hoping to lure one or the other, maybe even both, to a back room for some private entertainment. Zachary ordered beer for the three of them, then sunk back against the cushions to eye the entertainment.
The music was a playlist of seventies rock and roll, techno-funk, and dance pop. The next dance set featured three girls in the barest black lingerie, black high-heeled boots, and cowboy hats. There was a lot of girl-on-girl action, and the crowd responded enthusiastically. By the fourth dance routine, Zachary’s three friends had disappeared to the back rooms, the women dragging them there each looking like they’d hit the jackpot.
Zachary shook his head as he sipped on his beverage, Sing talking nonstop about absolutely nothing. Despite his air of indifference, there was one young woman who was anxiously trying to catch Alexander’s attention. After her second attempt, dropping her lean frame into the seat beside him, her hand trailing suggestively along his thigh, he’d insisted on trading seats with his brother, moving to sit between him and Sing.
Zachary laughed at his discomfort. “She won’t bite. Not if you don’t want her to!” he teased.
Alexander shook his head. “You are not going to have Sarai kicking my ass over some dumb mess like this. She will never have any doubts about me being faithful.”
“No one says you have to do anything. Just enjoy the attention. It’s good for you!”
“I’m not that drunk. And neither are you.”
His brother grinned. “Yeah, I’m holding back. I can’t afford to get myself into trouble and there’s nothing but trouble up in here,” he said as the same girl sat down to rub on his leg.
The last dance routine of the night featured the few dancers not entertaining customers in the back. They wore white bikinis and Catwoman masks. Their sultry gyrations were a half beat off from the music, but no one noticed. Fabricio and Pom had joined them on the couches, but Robert had yet to return.
“He must be like the Energizer Bunny!” Alexander joked.
Zachary grinned, waving his head. “That fool popped a little blue pill before the first lap dance. He’ll probably be up for another two hours!”
The men laughed. Sing stretched his arms outward and yawned. Alexander gave the man a nod, pushing his last bottle of beer across the table. “I’m done,” he said.
Zachary shifted his leg away from the young woman who was still rubbing on him. Reaching into his pocket, he counted off five bills, each imprinted with the image of Thailand’s beloved king. Each note was the equivalent of one thousand baht. He pressed the money into the girl’s hand and leaned to kiss her cheek. Then he waved her off, all of them chuckling as she skipped across the room. Excitement flooded her spirit. He tossed back the last sip of his own drink. “Yeah,” he said. “We need to get some rest.”
“You keep tipping like that and you’re not going to be able to get rid of these girls,” Fabricio said as two more came rushing across the room in their direction.
Pom stood up, moving between them and Zachary. There was an exchange in Thai before both turned, stomping off in anger.
“Especially when they haven’t worked for it,” Robert said, suddenly joining them. The man was grinning from ear to ear.
Zachary shook his head. “Don’t come to my place when your wife puts you out,” he said, directing his comment at his friend.
Robert laughed. “My wife knows her place,” he said. “Besides, if she did what some of these other girls will do I wouldn’t have to pay for it.”
Alexander shook his head. “Maybe if you stopped paying for it your wife would do it,” he said.
Robert shrugged. “Marry a nice Thai girl and come see me in a year. Thai girls don’t keep things interesting in the bedroom once they get married. Just ask all the husbands in here buying what they want.”
“It might be more about the men they married than it is about them. You might want to think about that,” Alexander said as he sat forward in his seat, narrowing his gaze on the man.
Robert shrugged. “I’m still holding it down!” he exclaimed.
“You’re holding it down as long as you have your Viagra,” Fabricio interjected, all of them laughing.
Zachary tossed his twin a look, a wide grin spreading across his face as he read his brother’s mind.
Alexander laughed with the crowd. He didn’t need to say that he wouldn’t be having that problem in his marriage in one year or ten. He wouldn’t be having that problem ever!
Chapter Sixteen
Sarai had only been back a few minutes before everyone wanted to tell her about the boys’ night out. She smiled and laughed as the tall tales put Zachary and Alexander at the scene of some very shady activity. It was only what her cousin Sing had to say that was of any interest to her. As he recapped their evening for her and her father, it made her heart jump with sheer joy to know that Alexander hadn’t fallen prey to any of the vultures that had been hunting him.
Gamon watched his daughter as intently as she eyed him, both eager to know how the other would react to Sing’s news.
“Alexander is a good man,” she said softly after Sing had moved on to gossip elsewhere.
Gamon’s gaze shifted to the weight area, where Alexander was spotting Zachary through his weight routine. His stance widened as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Sarai continued. “He will be a good husband.”
The man turned back to his daughter. “Who says he is looking for a wife? American athletes have many women, and children with all of them.”
“Not Alexander. He will have one wife and she will mother all of his children. I know this.”
“Maybe yes. Maybe no. I don’t doubt that he will find a nice American girl to spend his life with since that is where his home is.”
Sarai paused, taking a deep breath before responding. “He has found a good Thai girl and they will make their home in America and also here in Thailand.”
Gamon was tapping his foot against the grassy knoll. He dropped his arms down to his sides, his hands clenched in tight fists. He and his daughter were still staring each other down.
Sarai took another deep breath. “I love Alexander, Father. And he loves me. We plan to marry and I really want you to accept him.”
Her father’s gaze moved back to stare at the black man, he and his brother laughing together. Sarai continued to plead his case.
“Alexander will be a good husband. He is very protective and I trust that he will take care of me. You will not be disappointed, Father.”
It felt like an eternity before Gamon finally responded. “Will he come for my permission?”
She nodded. “Yes. He has great respect for me and our traditions, Father.”
Saying nothing else, Gamon turned and headed toward where Alexander and Zachary stood in conversation. Sarai stood watching as her father interjected himself into their discussion. She could tell, without being told, that whatever he was saying centered around Zachary and his training regime, nothing feeling out of place or abnormal. It would be another hour before she could speak to Alexander, the man excited to welcome her home.
He smiled brightly, wanting to pull her into his arms, but Gamon�
��s staring at the two of them kept him from doing so. Sarai brushed her hand against his arm. He’d been working out, and sweat poured down his body like water running from a faucet. He swiped the rise of perspiration from his brow.
“Did you have a good flight?” Alexander questioned.
“I did. It was a great trip. The business went fast and I was able to spend time with some old friends.”
“Well, I really missed you,” he said, his voice dropping. “I’m glad you’re back.”
She smiled, the sweet bend to her mouth causing a wave of heat to course down his spine.
Alexander fought the urge to shudder as he tossed Gamon a look. The man was still eyeing him with a narrowed gaze. “Why is your father mean-mugging me? What did I do?”
Sarai laughed. “Mean-mugging? Is that like the evil eye?”
“That’s exactly what that’s like.”
She was still giggling. “You didn’t do anything. He just knows that I love you.”
Alexander’s eyes were large saucers. “You told him about us?”
“I did.”
He took a step toward her, closing the divide between them. “What did he say?”
Sarai pressed her palm to his chest. “He asked me if you were coming to get his permission.”
“And you told him yes, right?”
Sarai shrugged, the gesture meant to tease him.
Alexander laughed heartily. “You better have! Don’t play with me, Sarai!”
As Gamon turned abruptly, suddenly headed in the opposite direction to go run some errand, Alexander grabbed her hand, pulling her along with him to go speak with his brother.
Zachary’s gaze raced from one to the other as he paused, resting the free weights he was working with back to the ground. “What’s up with you two?” he asked. “Why are you two grinning like you just won a lottery?”
Alexander squeezed Sarai’s fingers. “I need your help. I need to do that pumpkin thing to get Gamon’s approval to marry his daughter.”
Guilty Pleasures Page 20