I’m sure I started blushing. I just smiled and nodded in agreement. Suddenly, I was feeling a little shy discussing it again. I was happy he seemed so pleased. But how was I supposed to pretend we barely knew each other with him talking like that?
When we got inside, we were the first ones there. We sat at a high top table, or I sat, anyway. He came up beside me while we shared the wine menu. He reached into his pocket and put on his little reading glasses. I can’t possibly explain why, but I found them so incredibly sexy on him. He just looked so… studious. He stood there next to me and started running his fingers slowly up and down my spine as we read the choices. I had no problem with him touching me, other than wanting to be able to reciprocate. But I was blown away by how brazen he was acting out in public with me. They went to this place all of the time, with clients, with co-workers. It seemed like someone there would know him.
He ordered us some very pricey wine and sat down close to me. Some woman walked in wearing a very loud, unflattering outfit. We each stared at her for a moment and nodded, “Interesting…” at the exact same time, which we both found hilarious. Naturally, that’s when Brooke came walking in. Just in time to see us laughing and looking way too comfortable together, his thigh still pressed up against me under the table.
I jumped up and ran to hug her, both of us screaming, “WHAT UP, GIRL?!”
She said hello to Matt and let us know that Molly was definitely coming and should be there any minute. I was looking forward to meeting her. She wasn’t hired yet at the time of my branch visit, but I had talked to her on the phone at work several times a week by that point.
Brooke and I started talking in the typical way we do. We have a lot of little code words, acronyms, and private jokes between us. Matt just sat there shaking his head and rolling his eyes watching us yammering on. “You guys aren’t going to do this all night, are you?”
We both laughed and answered, “Maaaybe,” which made us laugh even more.
After a few minutes with still no sign of Molly, he turned to Brooke. “Are you sure she knows where it is?” he asked. “Do you think I should go stand at the door and wave her in? It’s raining pretty hard out there…”
“Yeah, that’s probably not a bad idea. She was supposed to be following me out,” Brooke replied.
Just as he got out of earshot, Brooke turned to me and slapped my leg.
“Oh, hey, so remember that story I had to tell you?”
“Yeah…”
“Okay, so I’m sitting in my office today, right? And I was thinking about how we need to find you a new man tonight. And I know it’s a little far, but I was trying to think if I knew of anyone here. And then… omigosh… it was SO funny. A bunch of wheels started turning in my head, right? Thinking about what you said, you know, about the kind of guy you like, and just some little things that I had noticed lately, you know?”
*GULP*
“Uh huh…”
“You know, like how I think you are hysterical and I totally laugh my ass off whenever I talk to you? And like every day I notice that Matt will be in his office laughing his ass off, but then he’ll get up and shut the door. And how he goes on and on all the time about how great he thinks you are. In fact, just the other week, he said something about how smart and funny you are. And then he was all, ‘And she’s gorgeous to boot!’ and I thought, What the fuck? Well, why don’t you just go ahead and suck on her titties then?!”
I nearly fell off the stool. She always had such a way with words.
“It was just really weird, man,” she continued. “And then today, I just thought it was so strange that he was busting to get out the door but was really vague about where he was going. And then you didn’t answer your phone when I called. And then HE didn’t answer his phone…”
“Uh huh…”
“And so really, you can imagine how my little pea brain is working overtime by this point, right? I mean, the gears just turning all over the fucking place. So basically, I was just wondering… so… um… ARE YOU GUILTY, BITCH!?”
I put my head down on the table and started absolutely convulsing with laughter. I turned beet red and she knew the answer right away by the look on my face. She jumped off her chair and started pacing all over the bar area like she was on a talk show yelling, “I knew it!!! YOU ARE GUILTY!” Pointing at me and laughing, “YOU ARE GUILTY! OH MY GOD! I AM SO SMART!” She came back to the table and we were both laughing hysterically, and she was just shaking her head at me. She lowered her voice and asked, “So, how long you been fucking him?”
I saw Matt and Molly coming through the door so I just put my hand up to say, “Shhhh, we’ll talk later!” Of course, he took one look at us laughing and my beet red face and wanted to know what was so damn funny. We both answered simultaneously, “Nothing!”
Truth be told, I was so glad she knew. It had been really hard keeping it from her. I knew she wouldn’t judge me and I figured she would probably be pretty happy for us. She loved Matt like a brother; he was a friend and mentor to her, and she knew he had been unhappily married for a long time. I wasn’t sure how he would feel about her knowing though. That was hitting pretty close to home for him.
I stood up to greet Molly. She was a really cute girl. She was short like me with pretty shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair. She was a very trendy dresser. She used to work in the fashion industry before she came to work for Matt. She did seem very quiet and a little on the shy side. Then again, anybody would have compared to Brooke and me, because we were wide open. As Matt was ordering wine for them, I quickly sent him a text under the table.
She knows.
He had his phone in his shirt pocket and I could hear the beep go off but he wasn’t looking at it. Trying to be polite at the table… sigh… just another reason I love him. Brooke was kicking me under the table every few minutes on the right side. And Matt was pressing his leg into me or sneaking a quick run over my thigh with his hand on the left. Molly seemed completely unaware of the under the table hijinks.
We were all looking over the appetizer menu and once again he had to pull out his favorite line, “So Mal, are you a MEAT EATER!?”
Tears of laughter pooled in my eyes and Brooke started up too, kicking me and shaking her head again. But he didn’t seem to notice. Poor Molly must not have known what to think. I choked out, “Yes. Yes, I like meat. But just get whatever you guys want.”
He ordered three or four appetizers and then turned his attention toward me again, trying to pretend like we hadn’t just been screwing each other for the past four hours. He asked about my trip down and how “lunch with my friends” went. Why, lunch was positively orgasmic, Matt. Thank you for asking. Brooke kept giving me the stink eye, and I kept wondering just how long it was going to take him to check his phone.
Matt started telling us about the owner at Aja's, an Asian fusion place we were going to try for dinner. He told us who to ask for and that if we mentioned his name he was sure we could get free drinks or appetizers. We asked Molly if she wanted to come to dinner with us, but she had some family function to attend. She said she might join up with us later if we went clubbing. That shocked the heck out of me because she seemed so shy.
I was starving by the time the food arrived, so we all started chowing down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Matt finally grab his phone. I gave Brooke a little kick. We both watched him as he suddenly jumped back like he had just heard a gunshot. I tried to stifle my laughter but oh my gosh, it was so funny watching his eyes bug out of his head like that. He typed back: What???
Under the table, I responded: Yup. She told me when you left.
He was noticeably freaked out. He still was talkative and friendly as we continued to eat and make conversation, but I could tell he was flustered. The color was all but gone from his face. Brooke said she wanted to get going so she could see her kids before going out and Molly had to get to her parents’ house for dinner. We said goodbye to them and I told Brooke I would text her to
see where I needed to be later.
I gently reached for Matt’s arm as he paid the check and said, “You okay, baby?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Just surprised she figured it out like that. I thought we were pretty careful.”
“Well, apparently you told her that I was gorgeous and smart last week, hmm?” I teased.
He just smiled and rubbed my leg again.
“Listen. I’m telling you. You do NOT have to worry about her. She would never say anything. She’s happy about it!”
“No, I know. I know I can trust her. It just caught me off guard.”
“I wish you had seen how she did it, I thought I was going to die,” I said. I proceeded to tell him all about the “ARE YOU GUILTY, BITCH?!” He did laugh and seem to perk up a little bit.
“Babe, I gotta head home. You ready?”
“Sure.”
Walking back to the deck, he was definitely more distant than when we had first arrived. He didn’t stand nearly as close to me. Even his pace seemed nervous and hurried. I was worried now that I had greatly underestimated just how upset he was. He walked me to my car and hugged me tightly before I got in. He must have needed it; the tension coming off of him was palpable. He crouched down next to my open window.
“Be careful tonight, please. Don’t drink and drive. If you guys get into trouble, call me and I’ll come get you, okay?”
“Okay, Dad,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“I’m serious, Mal. I don’t want you getting hurt. I’ll give you a call in the morning to see when I can come over to see you off, okay?”
“Sure. Hey, thanks for picking up the food and drinks tonight, babe. I really appreciate it,” I said, shooting him a sideways glance. “And the Doritos…”
He barely smiled as he replied, “It was my pleasure, sweetie.”
I palmed his cheek, “Matt, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s fine.”
“You don’t seem fine. Trust me; it’s not going to go anywhere. She would never do that to me or to you. Girls have a code, you know?”
“I know,” he nodded. “Have fun tonight, but be careful.” He quickly scanned the parking lot to make sure no one was there, and leaned in through my window to give me a kiss goodnight.
“Wish you could come,” I said.
“Me too. Night, sweetie. See you tomorrow…”
I watched him get in his car and I headed back to my hotel. I changed my clothes, yet again, into an outfit a little more suitable for dinner and possible dancing. I wasn’t exactly sure what we had in mind. Brooke texted me and told me to stay put at the hotel. Travis had graciously offered to pick us all up and drive us to Buckhead so we could just share a cab to get back home. That was going to work out perfectly because now we wouldn’t have to worry about parking or drinking too much.
I was the last one to be picked up and, as I got in the car, I said hello to everyone. It was the first time I had ever actually met Travis. He nodded at me but didn’t speak. That was progress. The other two ladies seemed nice enough, but they were already engrossed in a conversation before I got in.
We arrived at the restaurant shortly before eight p.m. Brooke mentioned Matt’s name to the manager and they looked at her like she had three heads, which we all found quite amusing. Obviously Matt thought he had more clout there than he actually did. We each had a couple of rounds of cocktails, and were getting ready to eat our dinner when I got a text. I didn’t want to be rude at the table, so I tried to ignore it for about a half hour, but I was still worried about him. I was so relieved when I finally saw his message.
My legs are tired!!!
Sorry babe! Hope it was worth it!
SO worth it!!!!
You in bed already?
Not yet! I’m not THAT old! You dancing?
Not yet. Having cocktails and eating dinner. Dancing will be much later, but I’ll make it happen!
Sounds good, take pictures!
Okay, night babe, IMU!
Miss you, be careful!
My mood just improved considerably. Brooke shot me a “What the hell are you smiling at, hooker?” look. We still hadn’t had five minutes together to discuss the details of what had happened earlier. After dinner it was still a little early to go looking for a club, but the bar at the restaurant was really cool. We decided to hang out there for a while. Surprisingly, Molly had texted Brooke that she was going to come out and meet us, so I was excited about that. It would be interesting to see what she was like out on the town.
Brooke’s friends were perfectly pleasant ladies, but they were starting to act tired. They were nursing their drinks and not adding to the conversation at all. It was barely even 9:30 on a Friday night. So Brooke and I took the opportunity to throw back some lemon drop shots and talk about what a whore I had been for the last few months. I tried to condense everything for her, just to give her a brief overview of how my relationship with Matt began. I didn’t want to overwhelm her with details and mostly, I didn’t want to betray his confidence in me by telling her anything too personal.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”
“I couldn’t tell you! I wanted to! Believe me, it was killing me! But he obviously doesn’t want anyone knowing he’s cheating on his wife.”
“I know, but it’s not like I didn’t know about him being miserable. We’ve talked about that before, he could have trusted me with that.”
“I know that, and I think he probably knows that too. But why even risk it, you know? Girl, he was so upset. Did you see him jump when I sent him that text? I thought he was going to stroke out.”
“Yeah, that was some funny shit,” she agreed.
“I know. I felt bad laughing at him, though.”
“You know, you both looked like you had been fucking all afternoon. Especially you. I knew it the second I walked in,” she added.
“I don’t know what you are talking about. We played Tiddlywinks the whole time,” I winked, taking another shot. “So what’s up with your girlfriends over there? Do they just not like having fun?”
“I don’t know, but they are getting on my damn nerves. Next time? It’s just you and me.”
Molly soon met up with us, and we went into a dance club called Tongue and Groove since it was within a very short distance of Aja's. We noticed right away that there were stripper poles scattered about the club with small lines of women waiting to climb on them. There were two lovely ladies dancing on small stages in tiny thong underwear and large furry boots. Brooke and I were both like, “This is awesome!” and just taking in the music and the overall scene. But, of course, her friends were not impressed at all and appeared very uncomfortable.
Molly suggested that we head to the Havana Club instead, since the other girls seemed so out of their element. Brooke’s friends couldn’t wait to get out of Tongue and Groove, so we all agreed we would give it a shot. That place was absolutely packed, just wall to wall people. We literally had to fondle strangers just to squeeze by them to get over to the bar. It didn’t bother me, but I laughed to myself thinking how miserable Brooke’s friends were going to be about this. And I was right. Brooke, Molly, and I went to dance with some very cute boys who looked to be in their twenties. I had no idea where her friends went. Brooke danced with us for a good 20 minutes or so and then left to go get a drink. At least another half hour passed by with no sign of Brooke or her friends.
I asked Molly to help me look for her, and we found her on the staircase, talking to the other girls and looking very disappointed. She excused herself for a moment to come tell me she was leaving because they wanted to go home.
“Are you kidding me, it’s only like 10:30?!”
“I know, but they want to go, and we were going to share a cab home.”
“This is supposed to be us celebrating your birthday. That’s ridiculous.”
“I know. Next time, it’s just you and me!”
“Okay, how about this, tell them that they can share
a cab home. You stay here with us, and we’ll take a cab later with Molly.”
“But I don’t want to leave anyone in a cab alone in this town.”
“So, we’ll go back to my hotel and then I’ll drive you home. I’ll stop drinking now, I feel pretty good anyway, but I should be totally fine by then.”
“Okay, cool, that’ll work.”
We danced for a couple more hours. We found Molly to be a blast, definitely not the super shy girl we thought she was. We took a cab back from Havana and I was able to get Brooke home in one piece. I did get lost on the way back to my hotel from her house, but I was in bed by about 3:30 a.m.
Matt called me the next morning after his workout and said he was coming over for a few minutes. I was mostly packed up and ready to check out. I knew there wouldn’t be any funny business since we only had about a half hour. I was a little bummed about that, but I was glad that he was making an effort to see me at all. When he came in, he kissed me immediately–almost apologetically–saying he was sorry he could only stay a few minutes because he had to go… somewhere with his… son. The way he trailed off made my stomach drop. I instantly tensed up. I wasn’t about to question him, I knew better now. But there was just something about the way he said it. I knew he was full of it. Maybe he just didn’t want me to know he had to go get groceries with the wife, I don’t know.
He interrupted my thought process by grabbing my face tenderly with his hands and pulling me into his chest for one of those long, romantic kisses that brought me to my knees every time. He was a very hands-on kisser–always running his fingers through my hair, or touching my face, or slipping his hands under my ears and cradling my neck toward his mouth. It was nearly incapacitating, and I couldn’t get enough of it. As I grabbed his hand and led him over to the bed, he stopped and raised an eyebrow at me.
The Other Other Woman Page 17