by Gina LaManna
“Wine’s in the kitchen,” I called as he headed for the hallway to the bedroom. Ah, well. He’d figure it out sooner rather than later. I turned back to the conversation, antsy to keep moving things along.
“This is great,” I said. “Ira’s really good at yoga. You should visit his studio sometime.”
I grabbed both their arms and steered them a few steps to the right where Mister Kim was talking with his date in a hushed tone.
“Hey, guys,” I said. “This is Ira, and this…is Laura.” I did a faux-fancy presentation of Laura, waving my arm at her like the Wheel of Fortune girl. I kept my eyes fixed firmly on Mister Kim during my enthusiastic introduction.
Nothing. Not even the slightest bit of recognition crossed his face. I stared at him until he glanced at me with confusion. I cut my gaze back to Laura, who conversely seemed frozen in shock. She gawked, her skin growing pale as her hands clenched and unclenched rapidly at her side like they’d disconnected from her brain and moved of their own accord.
I followed her intense gaze to Miss Youn who, though unreadable, showed signs of curiosity. Her eyes were open slightly wider than before, and then eventually she broke into a smile. Mister Kim visibly relaxed as Miss Youn loosened up.
“Hello, Laura,” Miss Youn smiled. “Your lip color is lovely.”
“H-hi,” Laura said. “Thank you.”
“Do you guys know each other?” I asked, confused.
“No – no, not at all. It’s nothing like that,” Miss Youn said dismissively. “Laura just looks like someone I know is all.”
“Ah,” I said. “Happens all the time to me. With – er, everyone.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” Miss Youn said, rescuing my awkward blunder with a kind smile, no longer the stiff woman who had first arrived at the door. “Anyway, nice to meet you. I’m just going to retrieve…another beverage.”
“Great! Help yourself.” Maybe she just needed a nice, cold Budweiser to loosen up. Turning to Laura, I noticed she still seemed a bit white-faced.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “Should I grab Blake?”
“Sure,” she said, her voice tight. “That would be…yes, please.”
“Wanna watch her for a sec?” I asked Ira.
“Sure man, no problem.” Ira smiled and led Laura towards the couch. I winced at the word “man,” but instead of commenting I strode towards the kitchen in search of Blake. The kitchen was empty except for Meg, who had one arm in the freezer, probably in search of ice cream cake.
“Leave some for the guests,” I said. “Have you seen Blake?”
“Nrunh unh,” she said, trying to conceal a mouthful of food. It was definitely ice cream cake because there was a goop of blue frosting on her chin, and some of the crumbly middle part had fallen from her mouth and gathered on the shelf that was her breasts.
“Right, thanks.” I turned and left Meg to her scavenging. Scooting past the party, which was ever-increasing in volume thanks to the disappearing beers and the roaring laughter of the movers, I hustled into the hallway without even glancing back into the living room. I was afraid that if I peeked in, I’d make eye contact with a party-goer who would suck me into a conversation. I glanced down the hall, but the bathroom door was open – empty.
My apartment was decent-sized, and what I would consider spacious for one person, but not at all that spacious for a party. Blake was running out of places to hide, unless he’d switched floors or taken a dip in the pool on the patio outside. Unless…
I turned the knob on my bedroom door.
“Suck it, Ronaldo.” It was Blake’s voice.
“This version is the worst. The game has only gone downhill since it came out,” Clay whined.
“What the—” I started.
“GOAL!” The two men shouted in unison.
“Hey there,” I said in annoyance, interrupting the FIFA match in full swing. Clay and Blake sat hunched over controllers I hadn’t realized I’d packed. “Blake, what are you doing?”
“I was looking for a drink.” He looked a bit sheepish, but the look faded as Clay’s team kicked off and the virtual soccer game resumed.
“Drinks are in the kitchen,” I clarified.
“Not the good stuff.” Blake’s eyes didn’t move from the screen. “I know you – you’d never set your stash out. Wine to look classy, sure. You might even tell people about the Jack, but the Blue Label? You’d keep that hidden.”
“Hmm,” I said. “You’ve got a good memory.”
“Eh.” Blake looked up for a second while his players set up for a free kick. “When it matters, I guess.”
When it matters? I wanted to ask. How about anniversaries and birthdays? Those things didn’t matter? But since I was no longer his girlfriend, I was pretty darn proud of myself for keeping my mouth shut and repeating none of those thoughts out loud.
I perched on the bed. “Don’t you want to be out there with your girlfriend?”
“Vaffanculo,” Blake swore in Italian, a habit he might’ve picked up from me.
Eventually my sentence made it into his brain, and he processed the meaning. Turning to me, blinking with surprise, he shrugged. “Of course I want to be with her, but she’s more social than I am. I’ll let her enjoy the party. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen Clay, so I’m gonna chill with him. This is my type of party.”
Mine too, I wanted to add. A little Johnny Walker on the rocks and…well, I could pass on the video game. Add some pizza and cake, and that made for a pretty darn perfect night to me.
Instead, I pressed on, clearing my throat loudly. “About your girlfriend.”
Clay, for the first time, turned bright red around the rims of his ears. He put his controller down.
“What?” Blake looked confused, mostly because I’d also distracted Clay, a hard task to accomplish when my cousin’s butt was planted in front of a computer.
I took a deep breath to compose myself and began. “Laura’s upset.”
“Why?” Blake tried to stand up, but due to the Leaning Tower of Moving Boxes, he knocked into a stray piñata perched on top of a stack of boxes next to the bed.
“Ouch, cripes.” Blake rubbed his head.
A few Tootsie Pops bounced out of the piñata and down the mountain of furniture right in front of me. It was just too much temptation, so I grabbed one, unwrapping it and popping it in my mouth. I glanced reflexively at the wrapper. “Dang it, I only got the bow and arrow. I never get the whole picture.”
“Why’s my girlfriend upset?” Blake crossed his arms as if he were mad at me. “Forget about your candy for a minute.”
“Whoa, whoa.” I held my hands up. “I didn’t say anything to her. Nothing bad happened…well, not here at least. Can you calm down, please?”
“Why is everything such a mess with you?” Blake said coldly. “Is nothing ever easy?”
“No, it’s not. And it’s not my fault!” I stomped my foot.
Tears pricked my eyes, my emotions getting the better of me. “I’m not trying to break you guys up, okay? You want to date her, go ahead. But I have to ask you a serious question first.”
Blake glared at me in silence.
“Relax, bro.” Clay’s voice was soft and commanding. As Clay was normally a man of few words, when he did speak seriously, his voice packed a lot of punch.
Blake took a step back and dropped his arms, his shoulders softening. Flicking his eyes towards Clay, Blake nodded at me to continue.
I took a deep breath. “Do you know that your girlfriend works at the spa where Meg and I ran into you the other day?”
Blake sat on the bed. “No, she doesn’t.”
I hesitated. “I’m pretty sure she does. I’m just not sure what her role is, exactly.”
“What?” he looked in disbelief at Clay, who nodded.
“Does this have anything to do with whatever family business you’re in that I can’t know about?” he asked. At my downturned eyes, he ran a hand through his hair and stood up. “I knew i
t. Why do you do it, Lacey? I can only imagine it’s not a pleasant business venture. Not if you’re willing to keep their secrets instead of your relationship.” I opened and closed my mouth, but I couldn’t think of a response. At least not one that could be summed up in two sentences. That was a conversation for a different day.
I moved close to Blake. “It’s important. Do you know anything about her involvement with the spa?”
Blake pursed his lips. “The reason we’re not dating, Lacey, is because you won’t introduce me to your family, or tell me anything about them. Nothing important, at least. So, if I am not dating you, I want nothing to do with them. And neither does my girlfriend. I’m leaving.”
“Wait,” I said.
Blake was looking at me, but I directed his attention to my cousin. “Clay saw it with his own eyes. You trust Clay, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do.” Blake looked steely-eyed at my cousin. What was left unsaid was that it was possible Blake didn’t trust me, but I didn’t want to think about that for more than a second.
“Clay saw her there, working,” I said. “It could be nothing. She could have nothing to do with our…investigation. But I just thought you should know.”
“You’re upset about me bringing Laura to the party, that’s what this is about.” Realization dawned on Blake’s face. “I see.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Really? You called me earlier this week in the mood, then suddenly changed your mind and invited me over here today. You’re using the both of us. You’re using me to get to Laura. This is a new level of low, Lacey.” Clay’s head was down. He mumbled something about in the mood and poured another glass of Johnny Walker.
“Ignore him, Clay,” I said. “I was only in the mood to hold hands.” Clay groaned audibly. Blake and I had an intense staring contest for a moment, while Clay attempted to play both the FIFA game controllers by himself.
“That’s not true,” I said. “I – I told you. It’s confusing. You’re dating other people, you’re in a relationship now, and I…”
“I’ve been clear about what I wanted.” Blake stood to leave. “And don’t pretend you’re not dating other people. It doesn’t take a genius to see that you’ve been busy with Batman out there. Tall, buff, and Italian? What is he, an assassin?”
I knew he was talking about Anthony, but I didn’t answer because I didn’t trust myself to lie. I also didn’t really know if “assassin” was on Anthony’s resume or not, and I honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if it was.
“See? This is what I’m talking about, Lacey. Secrets. You. Are. One. Big. Secret.” Blake pressed his finger to my chest, and I looked down at it, feeling confused and even nauseous. How had I gotten into such messes with all the people I cared the most about?
I sighed. “I’m sorry about all of this, Blake. I’ll leave you alone. Just…take Laura and forget about what I said. I shouldn’t have interfered. I’m sorry.”
“Fine.” Blake turned to storm out, but couldn’t storm anywhere because of the plastic and boxes everywhere.
“Fine.” I crossed my arms, unable to move either. There was a long, uncomfortable moment while the three of us made a triangle of awkwardness.
“Nice to see you, Clay,” Blake said, treading with careful precision through the wreckage. He made it out alive, racking up only a few minor crashes, one ow, and two curse words. Not bad, overall.
“Well, that was awkward,” I said, trying to clear the air with Clay.
However, he was in the process of staring deeply at his hands while completely and utterly ignoring me.
“Is everything okay?” I asked. Before Clay could respond, the door opened slowly.
“What’s going on in here?” The voice was low and throaty. Anthony.
“Nothing,” I sighed as Clay banged his head against the desk. I gave him a warning look. “Just tight quarters. Come on in. Watch your head.”
Anthony stared at the two of us, his face as emotionless as mine was red – his posture sturdy as mine was limp.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “I just told Blake something I shouldn’t have about his girlfriend. It didn’t go over exactly well.”
“Did you expect it to?” Anthony brought up a good point.
“Hrmph.”
“Who is Miss Youn?” Anthony asked.
“How’d you know her name?” I asked, my head cocked in his direction. “That’s about all I know about her – a name.”
Anthony took a few steps towards me. With the tight quarters, his steps brought us much closer together than a normal conversation would have. It was slightly uncomfortable, but only because Clay was two feet away. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t have minded so much.
“Doll,” he said, his eyes searching mine for information I didn’t have.
“I don’t understand how she’s connected,” I said. “But Laura certainly recognized her. Plus, Mister Kim is behaving strangely. He’s practically drooling to make sure she’s comfortable.”
“So, do you have plans to find out more about her?” Anthony asked.
“Yes,” I said. “We’re on it. Clay – uh, would you please help? Pretty please?”
Clay looked from me to Anthony, pausing only when his eyes took in the large biceps underneath Anthony’s finely cut suit.
“Fine,” he said, finally. “But only from my home computer. I’m not going anywhere this time. If you stop over tomorrow morning, I’ll have all the info you’ll ever want. Just…let me out of here.”
I shoved a few boxes out of the way, and Clay stood up and pushed through the rest of them. He clearly didn’t much care what flew where.
“It’s been a rough day for him,” I said to Anthony in an attempt to explain.
“Yeah, I can see that. But what about you?” He reached forward, one calloused hand tipping my face up towards his. “You look a little…amped up.”
I was almost too tired to feel tingly. But not quite. “I guess.”
“Would you like me to help take care of some of that nervous energy?”
“What? There’s a party in the other room. My party.”
Anthony crooked an eyebrow. “I’m not a party type of guy.”
“Mmm,” I murmured. “Really, I think I should…”
I hesitated as Anthony lifted me with both hands. He moved nimbly, stepping easily around the boxes with grace, where much smaller people had stumbled. He brought me over to the desk, clearing its surface with one swoop of his arm while he supported my weight with the other.
He laid me back, though my position was a tiny bit awkward. My head was hanging off one end of the desk, and my legs dangled off the other side. Anthony’s warm breath caressed my throat as he gently kissed the spot just beneath my ear, down my neck, spending time in the soft spot just below my collarbone.
My mind went blank, and I welcomed the blackness. All I could do was feel the spark of Anthony’s lips on mine, the slow burn in my belly as his hands toyed with the seam of my dress, the involuntary arch of my back as his other hand slid down my ribcage, his fingers soft against my skin. If I’d had any thoughts of stopping him, they’d vanished by that point. Except for a few, niggling questions that burned in my mind.
“Why do you do this?” I asked. “Why do you kiss me in secret, but say you don’t want to date me when I ask?”
Anthony let out a low growl, signaling his unhappiness with my questions.
I kicked myself immediately for opening my big mouth. Why was I sabotaging everything? All I needed was a good make-out session – something to help me relax and recharge.
“Do you want me to kiss you in public?” he asked. “I believe I’ve tried that technique…you didn’t seem to be a fan.”
“But Anthony,” I said, “I just…what are we? Are you my bodyguard? Are you my boss? I don’t even know if you have a girlfriend. A wife? A family?”
“No.” Anthony leaned forward and ran his thumb over a s
ensitive area below my belly button. His lips played near my collarbone, sending bolts of fire through my nerve endings.
“But—”
“What do you want, Lacey?” Anthony asked, lifting his head from my neck. “Would you feel better if I asked you to be my girlfriend?” He stood up fully, a grim expression on his face.
“No! What? Wait.” I looked up at him. “Are you debating asking me to be your girlfriend?”
“No.”
“So…”
“Lacey,” Anthony said with a sigh. “You’re an adult. I’m an adult. You’re interesting and funny and incredibly beautiful – and I’m attracted to you. As long as it doesn’t interfere with work, I thought it’d be… fun to have an adult relationship. However, if I was reading the vibes wrong, all you have to say is no.”
“No – er, not no,” I said. “I mean, fine—”
Anthony paused, a confused gleam in his eye. I leaned forward and put my hand around the back of his head, pulling him close. “Just kiss me.”
And he did. His lips claimed mine with heart-stopping intensity, his tongue eagerly exploring my mouth, his hands firm and domineering, yet soft and malleable at the same time. I wriggled for a deeper kiss, and had just gotten one leg wrapped around his waist, when…
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The bedroom door burst open on the third knock.
“Lacey?” Blake stumbled into the room. “Oh, sorry.”
“Nothing’s happening, we were just…” I shrugged, and hiked up the sleeve of my dress, which had slipped down to my elbow.
However, Anthony had managed to move faster than a leopard and was already an impossible distance away. How he stepped through, or over, or under, or…I’d never know how he got around my piles of boxes. At least not in the single instant it took for Blake to open the door.
“We were discussing how Miss Youn knew your friend, Laura.” Anthony nodded once. “Do you have any idea of the connection between the two?”
Blake looked between us suspiciously, but seemed mystified at how anything could’ve been happening when we were across the room from one another with a maze in between us. Maybe Blake decided that nothing had actually been happening, since he decided to be helpful and answer the question.