by Girard, Dara
"Tell her I said hello." Drake handed him the note. "On your own time."
"Yes, sir." He walked away.
"Amazing that relationship is still going," Eric said.
Drake shrugged. "They're young."
"You don't think it will last?"
"College changes things. She's going; he's not. We'll see." He folded his arms. "So aside from the unexpected striptease you had a good day?"
"I enjoyed the striptease, but Adriana was there."
Drake swore.
"She took it in good fun. We went to a play, then a club."
"You went to a club with Adriana?"
"Yes. It was educational."
"Educational?"
"I saw Lynda there with another man."
Drake narrowed his eyes. "I would say I'm sorry, but you don't look concerned."
He shrugged. "I'm not. It's always good to know when you've made a mistake. I realized I was with the wrong woman." He leaned against the wall looking smug. " I changed that."
"How?"
"I went to Adriana's place last night—"
Drake's face changed. "Oh no, you don't."
"What?"
"You're not allowed to get involved with Adriana."
Eric took off his glasses and cleaned them.
Drake stared at him, amazed. "You've slept with her already?"
He put his glasses back on and grinned. "Last night was—"
Drake held up his hand. "I don't want any details."
"I wasn't offering any."
Drake pinched the bridge of his nose. "How?"
"My regular MO. She felt sorry for me."
"That doesn't bother you?"
"We had sex."
"But she felt sorry for you."
"Let me reiterate: we had sex. It doesn't matter the reason, just the outcome. It was great."
"How can pity sex be great?"
Eric raised a brow. "Get Cassie to pity you one day."
Drake waved his hand in disgust. "Pretend I didn't ask."
"We're talking about sex."
"No, we're talking about my wife's best friend. You two have nothing in common."
"When has that stopped me before?"
"Adriana is not like your others."
"I know."
"What does she think about this?"
"She's a little worried." Eric rubbed his chin. "She thinks I'm suffering from a broken heart, but I'll handle that."
Drake covered his eyes as everything came together.
"You slept with her after you found out your girlfriend was cheating?"
Eric paused, then nodded. "That's basically it."
Drake let his hand fall. "What are you going to do when the pity wears off?"
"I always leave before then. No worries, we're just having fun. She's sweet."
"A dangerous temptation for a man with a sweet tooth."
Eric grinned. "Exactly."
Jackie entered the restaurant. She ducked behind a wall when she saw Eric.
"Too late," he said.
She came out of hiding. The top of her head reached her brothers' shoulders. She had large brown eyes and straight black hair that swept her chin.
Eric folded his arms. "I'm waiting for a reason."
She pushed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and swung from side to side. "I thought you would like it."
"You wouldn't be hiding from me if that was true."
Her hands fell to her side. "It was fun. You like women, right?"
"Yes, but not dancing half naked in my office. I had a client."
Jackie began to smile. "Didn't he enjoy it too?"
"It was a she."
Her face fell. "Oh no. I'm sorry."
Eric shook his head. "No, not yet."
"Oh, come on, Eric. I was trying to give you something special. You didn't want us to plan anything and I thought you should have a few festivities while you're alone in your office. I'm truly sorry you didn't enjoy it." Her big brown eyes gazed at him with sincerity.
He immediately forgave her. He always did. He turned away, disgusted with himself. "Spoiled brat."
She grinned at them. "A result of the two best brothers in the world."
Eric glanced at a lamp. "What do you want?"
Drake looked at him. "How do you know she wants something?"
"Practice."
Jackie looked appalled. "I don't want anything."
"See?" Drake said.
"Except—"
Eric flashed a superior grin. "Except what?"
She turned to Drake. "I want to borrow Marcus."
He frowned, suspicious. "For what?"
"A photographer is doing a hunger campaign and I thought he'd be the perfect model."
"No."
Jackie kissed her teeth, irritated. "Hear me out."
He held up his hand. "No. I will not have my son's face plastered all over the city for a hunger campaign. Think of the hypocrisy. His father owns restaurants."
"No one needs to know he's your son."
Drake's voice hardened. "The answer is no."
She sighed and held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, withdraw the fangs. Could I borrow some money then?"
"Why? You going to bribe some parent to hand over their child?"
"No, it's for something else."
"What?"
Eric opened his wallet. "Why ask? The reason will just make you crazy." He handed her some bills. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, made a face at Drake, and raced out.
"You spoil her," Drake mumbled.
He shrugged, putting his wallet away. "I know. It's a weakness."
* * *
"What the heck is that?" Cassie demanded as Adriana dumped two bags from Nordstrom on her kitchen table.
The house was unusually quiet since her two kids were napping. The sun flooded the yellow kitchen, passing over the pine table and polishing the copper pots hanging above—baby bottles dried in the sink next to little plastic utensils. Adriana looked at her best friend since childhood. She wore jeans and a sweater with her hair pulled back in a braid. Her dark eyes reflected concern behind glasses.
Cassie glanced into the bags, then looked up. "What happened?"
She fell into a chair. "I'm not sure. I went into the mall to relax and the next thing I knew I'd left with these."
"I thought you were going on a budget."
She rested her arms on the table and held her head. "I know, I know. Don't remind me."
Cassie removed the bags from the table. "How did you end up with Eric?"
She stared down at the table. "I took him out for his birthday. He had a miserable time."
"How miserable?"
"He lost his tie, got confused for an adulterer, and found his girlfriend tongue-wrestling another man."
Cassie bit her lower lip, trying not to grin. "Yes, that would qualify as miserable."
"I tried to make it up to him. I bought him a cake and took him to my place. We watched TV, then..."
Cassie leaned forward. "Then..."
"It happened."
"We're not talking about the Big Bang. How did it happen? Did he suddenly jump on you? Did you rip your clothes off?"
"He kissed me."
"He kissed you first?" Cassie sat back and shook her head, confused. "Then why are you blaming yourself?"
"Because I didn't move. A part of me wanted him to. I encouraged it. I was leaking pheromones and after being rejected he just fell for my trap." She sighed. "Our hormones got the best of us."
"What did he say this morning?"
"He said he'd had the best birthday of his life."
Cassie raised her brows, impressed. "Congratulations."
Adriana glared at her. "It's not funny."
"I'm not trying to be funny. He could have said nothing. That would have been worse."
"It shouldn't have happened."
"But it did. It was fate."
"It was hormones. He's on the re
bound."
Cassie stood and got a drink. "That's not for you to decide."
"Someone has to think rationally. He wants to have an affair."
"Then don't worry." She pushed a glass toward her. "He's pretty good at those."
Adriana glanced at her glass, distracted. "This is gorgeous. Is it crystal?"
"Hand-cut. Kevin bought a set for us."
"Does Drake know?" she asked. Drake disliked Kevin.
"He pretends ignorance."
Adriana ran her hand over the intricate design. "Do you know how expensive these are?"
"Who cares? To Kevin they're equal to the prize you find in a Cracker Jacks box."
"It's so nice to have rich friends." She took a sip and sighed, her mind returning to their original topic. "You think this is funny, don't you? Eric and me."
"I think it's about time."
Adriana ignored the hint. "He is taking me to the Hirshhorn Museum."
"You love it there."
"I know," she said gloomily. "I just know we're headed for disaster. Nasty breakups are such a pain."
"We're talking about Eric. A nasty breakup would require some passion."
Of which he definitely had some.
"I think it will be a nice change for you. It will run its course, then end. It's no big deal unless..." Cassie's eyes widened. "Uh-oh."
Adriana stiffened. "Uh-oh what?"
She chewed her bottom lip. "I know what the problem is."
"You're only now figuring it out?"
"You like him."
She pounded the table. "I do not!"
"Shh!" The warning came too late. Ericka let out a wail from her crib.
Adriana swore. "I'm sorry."
Cassie stood, brushing away the apology. "It was time for her to get up anyway."
They entered the nursery with its raspberry wallpaper and the calming scent of baby powder and lotion. Cassie lifted the baby and quieted her, then looked at the bed where her two-year-old son slept. "That one could sleep through an earthquake."
Adriana looked at Cassie holding Ericka, whose tears had begun to dry. She touched her soft dark curls and then stared at Marcus, hugging his pillow of a giant ice cream cone. Cassie was everything she'd tried to be but couldn't—a good wife and mother.
"How's Cassandra doing?" Adriana asked.
Cassandra Graham was Cassie's alter ego, a celebrated speaker and self-help author.
"Fine. I'm the keynote speaker at a conference in April."
Adriana nodded. Cassie had found some balance between work and family. She knew she couldn't do the same. She folded her arms, feeling out of place in the domestic scene, a reminder of her private failures. "I'm not like you, and Eric isn't Drake."
Cassie sniffed. "Thank God, the world could only take one pair of us." She stopped being flippant, sensing Adriana's unhappiness. "Laurence is still a ghost, isn't he?"
"I haven't thought about him for a long time."
"And Nina?"
"She's happy with her father. That's the way we planned it. Eric has nothing to do with them."
"You like him and you want this to work. That's why you're all nutty."
"I am not nutty."
"Adriana, if Eric didn't mean anything to you, you wouldn't be here. You would have let things take their course."
"I find him intriguing. I don't like him."
"He's a nice guy." She winked. "Even though his brother is cuter."
"He's cute," she defended. "In a mathematical nerd sort of way," she added when Cassie sent her a knowing look.
"I have a suggestion."
"What?"
"Indulge your curiosity. I think dating intelligent men is stimulating. You prefer life-size pincushions. Try and prove me wrong."
A challenge. That sounded good. A nice healthy excuse to indulge herself. "You've got yourself a deal." She glanced at her watch. "Let me go. I'll show myself out."
"I'll call you later." Cassie watched her friend leave the room and then smiled down at her daughter, who tried to eat her fist. "You know what, Ericka? I think Auntie Adriana is falling in love."
* * *
Adriana stared at the piece of string and cloth.
"What the hell is it?" Sya Chen, her store manager, asked. Her straight black hair was braided back and entwined in silver string. She wore a long turquoise skirt and a black and white swirl top.
They sat in the back office of Adriana's lingerie store Divine Notions. They looked over the work of a young designer seeking a place to sell her work. Right now the young woman was putting more money in her parking meter, giving them some time for an honest evaluation.
Adriana drummed her fingers. "It looks like a pastie."
"A what?"
"You know, those things you attach to your nipples."
Sya wrinkled her nose in distaste. "What kind of store does she think this is?"
They scanned the selection of full body garters and see-through pajamas.
"You have to admit she's creative," Adriana said.
Sya held up the item. "But what is it?"
"Heaven knows."
"Heaven would probably reject it."
They heard the bell from the front door. Soon the young woman came into the room. Her name was Mandy Wilton. She had deep-set eyes, dyed brown hair with black roots, and a heavyset build, drowning in a large muddy dress. Her mousy appearance contrasted dramatically with her designs.
Adriana smiled gently as the young woman took a seat. "You have worked hard."
Her face fell. "You hate them, don't you? I knew you would. Nobody can understand my vision. My freedom of form."
"I didn't say I didn't like them."
Sya held up the string and cloth. "How does someone wear this?"
Mandy demonstrated on a mannequin.
Adriana winced. Sya caught her eye and mouthed, "No."
"My idea is that a woman's body should be celebrated, not covered up," Mandy said. "Clothing should be fun and daring."
Adriana nodded. "Yes, but at Diving Notions we have a more conservative view of a woman's sexuality."
Sya crossed her legs. "You'd do better at a porn shop."
"They're not called porn shops," Adriana said quickly, shooting Sya a warning look. "More like specialty adult stores. I think you would have a more receptive audience there. Try Palace Pleasures. I know the owner there. Tell him you spoke to me."
Mandy looked hopeful. "So you do like them?"
"It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, you must believe in your product. Believe it is something consumers need."
"I do."
"Then sell it."
"Thanks." She gathered up her things.
Sya smiled once Mandy closed the door. "I admire your tact. Think Limond will take her?"
"I don't know, but I don't want to be the one to give her the final no."
Sya pushed the mannequins against the wall. "Rita came by. She wants to discuss the details of the fashion show with you. We were so lucky to reserve the ballroom at the Montgomery Hotel for Valentine's Day weekend."
"It was destiny." The proceeds from the show would help a women's center.
"It's going to be a big night for you too. Are you really going to show your designs?"
Adriana rested her chin in her hand. "I'm not sure."
"You're more talented than that weird little mouse that came in here. You have to be confident."
"I know. It's coming." However, exposing her dream of being a lingerie designer was scary. She felt ridiculous having such a dream. She came from a family in medicine. It was bad enough being in a business that marketed underwear.
Her love of design had begun on a college internship to France where for four months she worked with a design firm. She was able to see how the company worked, which designs were used, and what ideas were launched. But then she came home and got married and began a proper career as a merchandiser at an upscale boutique.
She pushed her past out of her thoug
hts and entered the main store.
Two girls about fourteen entered. A girl with messy red curls and a short build gripped the arm of a gangly girl with dull blond hair and a quiet demeanor.
"She wants to buy some pretty things," Curls said.
Adriana came up to them. "You came to the right place."
"She has a date."
Adriana paused, looking at the young girl and wondering just what she meant by "date."
"I hope you don't expect this young man to see your... pretty things."
"Oh no," Curls replied. "It's to give her confidence. That's what my mother taught me. Feel good underneath, feel good all over."
Adriana nodded. "That's true." She turned to the other girl. "So how would you like to feel?"
She shrugged, her eyes downcast.
Curls spoke up. "Something simple to begin with. She's going out with Nathan Cumbers. He's a real nobody, but at least he's a boy."
Adriana glanced at the other girl and saw a blush spread on her cheeks. Nathan was anything but a nobody to her. Adriana knew it was best to separate the two, in order to give the other girl a chance to speak. "Why don't you look around while I help your friend?"
"I'm here to help her too," she protested.
Sya came up to them. "Then let me show you some of our best-selling items."
Curls hesitated, then shrugged. "Okay."
Once Curls was gone, Adriana was able to discover the girl's name was Helen. Adriana noticed that she was getting the dreaded "four breasts" because she was wearing the wrong-sized bra—one of her mother's. She instructed her on how to figure out her size, then helped her select a comfortable and cute pink satin bra and panty set. Helen offered her a shy smile as she bought her purchase and then both girls left.
"God, I hope I wasn't that opinionated as a kid," Sya said.
"I think she's an original. I just hope they're not double-dating."
The rest of the day went smoothly. Adriana checked with her Web site manager, went to her other store and addressed the shoplifting issue, then researched advertising opportunities. She returned to Divine Notions at closing. She was locking the register while Sya checked the back when the front bell chimed. A black man dressed in a knit cap and ski sunglasses entered the store carrying a portfolio.
"Is it that cold outside?" Sya asked.
He pushed the glasses to his head. "I just like the look."
"Hi, Keith," Adriana said. They had tried the boyfriend, girlfriend thing but it had not worked out. They had met four months ago at a small gallery and instantly liked each other. He was a new artist and she saw him as a protégé. He rested his portfolio on the counter and unzipped it. He was medium height with quick, smooth movements, a goatee, and brown hair with blond highlights, complementing his fair skin.