by Vera Roberts
“Say, if you’re not busy tonight, a few of us are going out for happy hour. You should come with and we can play catch up!” He suggested. “Your number still the same?”
“Sure is! Just let me know and I’ll meet you there!” I could use some relaxation. Between finals and Ian, Lord knows I need the break.
“Awesome!” Aaron gave me another hug and his tattooed arms completely wrap around my body. Damn, he gave the best hugs. “I’ll see you tonight.” He walked back to his station.
I went to go pick up the coffee and was met by Helen and Michelle giving me looks as if I kept some sort of delicious tea from them. “What?”
“We saw the hug you gave Aaron,” Michelle smiled, “nice!”
“I didn’t hug him. He hugged me and that’s a difference!”
“His hands were right above your ass. Like right above it!” Helen pointed out.
“Okay, when’s Danny coming back down because you really need to get laid.” I mentioned.
“Aaron is single,” Michelle spoke in a sing-song voice.
“Aaron lives in Georgia,” I mocked her.
“There’s nothing wrong with just hooking up and kicking his ass out into the street as he just wears your thong underwear from the night before,” Helen shook her head. I don’t even want to know what she means by that.
“I’m late for work so I’ll talk to you heathens later!” I grabbed the coffees and headed out.
As I made my way to the Ferguson, I thought about what my roommates said. It was clear Michelle didn’t care for Ian so if she didn’t have to see his face, she was pleased. Helen couldn’t care less but she wanted me to put the e-reader down for once and get out of the house.
We’ll see. I guess hooking up could be what I need to get over my schoolgirl crush of Ian.
~~~~~
I arrived at the Ferguson and made a beeline to my office. I set the coffee down and was getting ready to put Ian’s coffee on his desk when my door opened and closed. I turned around and Satan’s love child before me.
Gerald.
He took off his spectacles and once again sat down before me. Yeah, the devil doesn’t wear Prada. He wears Gucci flip-flops. “May I help you?” I asked him.
“I came in to apologize for my behavior a while back. It was wrong for me to assume your position with my brother when it’s clear he has no romantic interest in you whatsoever. You’re just his assistant and I highly respect that.”
There was a thinly veiled insult within his statement. I don’t have the care to waste another overpriced cup of coffee on him.
“Ian did present your ideas to the board and to my surprise, they loved them. We’re going to start incorporating them.” Gerald proudly smiled as if he did me some favor. “I hope this news pleases you.”
“It does. Thank you.” The news didn’t please me. Somehow I doubt Ian actually gave me credit for it and I don’t have time to go into a history lesson on how white people have stolen from black people since the beginning of time, starting with our livelihood. “Excuse me, I have to deliver this to Ian now.”
“My brother really likes you a lot.” I stopped dead in my tracks the moment I heard Ian’s name. Even just hearing the man’s name, my body shivered in anticipation. “At Thanksgiving, you were all he talked about. Almost every conversation was about you.”
Everything started to become clearer. I don’t know if Ian kept mentioning me because he wanted to temper his date’s interaction with his family or if what Gerald is saying has some truth to it. Still, I refuse to get my hopes up. Ian’s had several dates since our Thanksgiving Cuddling Adventure a while ago.
A part of me has to wonder…why bother going through all of that if he wasn’t truly interested in me?
I swallowed my girly high school crush emotions and turned to face Gerald again. “Thank you.”
“I have no business telling you any of this and I’m sure my brother would be irritated I even mentioned it. I’m saying this because since he’s met you, he’s seemed happier and not so serious. I don’t know what it is you’re doing but keep it up. I like this Ian.” He then excused himself from the office.
Gerald’s talk gave me a much-needed pick-me-up that I didn’t know I craved. So, maybe Ian and I won’t ever be romantically involved. We can be friends. I can deal with that.
Even thinking about it, it just doesn’t sound right.
~~~~~
“Domi!” Ian’s voice greeted me as I walked in with his coffee. “Glad to see you here.”
“Surprised to see you here.” Ian doesn’t make a lot of visits to the office. I think he can’t stand how stuffy it can get sometimes. “Here’s your coffee and your mail in order of important to ‘Eh, it can wait.’”
“Thank you.” He took his coffee from me. “If you have a moment, I wanted to ask you if you would like to accompany me to the charity auction this Saturday? I didn’t want to attend it alone and I’ll have a car picking us to go.”
A charity auction with Ian meant I was going to be photographed on every high society paper in the country. Now I wish I didn’t eat those oxtails at Thanksgiving. “Sure. I would love to.”
“I’ll take care of all of the arrangements regarding your gown and what-not. I just want you to be with me.” He grinned.
I just want you to be with me. I refused to let myself get hung up over those eight words. “Thank you for the invite. I hope it’s fun.”
“Me too.” He slowly sipped his piping-hot coffee. “I also wanted to let you know I presented your ideas to the Board and they loved them. They also loved the fact it came from you.”
I was truly surprised by the admission. So, Ian did give me credit where it was due. How about that?
“You have any plans tonight?”
“I do. I’m going to Happy Hour and meeting up with some friends.” I replied, though the plans didn’t sound like that much fun in retrospect.
“That’s great. Have fun.” He nodded. “You need to get out more.”
“Everyone keeps saying that,” I rolled my eyes, “I get out enough.”
“Don’t shoot the messengers.” He replied.
“Duly noted. See you later, Ian.” I walked back into my office and closed the door behind me. A charity function with Ian this week and he was going to take care of my gown and whatever what-not meant. Maybe whatever occurs on Saturday will shed some light on whether I’m getting my hopes up or he’ll finally make a move.
Little did I know tonight’s Happy Hour was going to be the real game changer in our relationship.
Fourteen
Se7en Bar & Nightclub was one of the hottest places in all of L.A. It was a celebrity darling and TMZ was nightly camped out here. Patrons often stood in long lines to maybe get inside.
We were in there like swimwear instantly.
Via Helen’s weed hook-ups, we were treated to the VIP section of the bar as we sipped expensive bottles of Dom Perignon and pretended we were hot shit. The DJ spun the hottest music and we all danced and bopped along to the beats.
Helen snugged up to a guy; she said her and Danny were on yet another break and I think I stopped caring around break number eight. Meanwhile, Michelle talked to one of our other friends about some gossip that didn’t concern me.
That left me alone with a glass of Dom and surprisingly, Aaron.
“It was really good seeing you again, Sister.” Aaron whispered as he sat next to me. He’d changed to something more club-like – dark dress slacks with matching shoes, with a navy dress shirt. He looked amazingly gorgeous.
“It’s great seeing you, too!” I smiled at him. “How’s the weather in Georgia now?”
“It’s starting to get cool but it’s still rather warm. Not everyone gets snow in the South.” He winked. “How are you doing? Did everything settle with your father yet?”
I shook my head. Aaron was the reason why I worked at Caffeinated to begin with. “Things are still the same but at least my tuition is paid for
now.”
“It is? Wow.” He was just as shocked as I was. “I’m glad that’s taken care of.” He paused to take a pull from his beer. “So, are you dating anyone?”
I almost spit out my drink. Aaron always liked to make conversation about what was going on with our lives. He was always dating someone and I never was. While no one thought I was innocent, no one assumed I was out there trying to get in where I fit in. They all knew my boyfriend was whatever book I read at the moment.
“I’m not seeing anyone,” I replied. Despite the cuddle session from Ian, it was clear he was not my man. “You?”
“Single. Just got out of something so just enjoying life now.” He lazily replied. “With the coffee shops booming, we have the potential of becoming super big like our competitors.”
“That’s great!” I was truly happy for Aaron and his partner/best friend, Ryan. They really started from the bottom and worked their way up. “It’s about time and I’m so glad!”
“Thank you, thank you.” He leaned into me. “You want to get out of here for a little bit?”
I was about to break a rule. It was always arrive with my girls, and leave with my girls. Now, Aaron had me questioning if the rule was even worth it with him. It was going to be a harmless fling and I trusted Aaron completely. “Let me go freshen up and I’ll be right back!”
I excused myself to go the ladies’ room and was directed to a special one just for VIP guests. Yep, I can get used to this already.
There was no line and no sticky floors where my shoes would get stuck on as I tried to maneuver my way to the bathroom. I went inside, did my business, and double-checked my hair and makeup one last time. I was looking like a hot bitch.
I exited the bathroom and ran into a brick wall of a man.
Not just any man.
Ian.
I gasped as he forced me back inside the bathroom and locked the door behind him. His eyebrows furrowed and small creases appeared across his forehead. He was not happy to see me.
He looked rather pissed.
“Whatever you do tonight, don’t leave with him.” He warned.
I don’t know how long he’d been in the club nor do I know how much he’d watched me. He watched me long enough to know I was planning to leave with Aaron and had to put a stop to that.
Ian and Aaron didn’t know each other as far as I knew. Aaron gave me no reason not to trust him so I was especially questioning Ian’s sudden protective order now. “I beg your pardon?”
“Don’t leave with him,” he repeated, this time with a bit more authority in his voice. “It’s the last time I’m telling you this.”
“You’re not my boyfriend and you’ve made it very clear you had no interest in me. I think I can do whomever I please.” I replied.
Ian stared at me for a few quiet moments that seemed like eternity before he relaxed his stance. “I never said I wasn’t interested in you, Domi.” He stepped back and began to unlock the door.
“Ian, wait!” I called out to him as he began to leave. He wouldn’t have cornered me for any reason and I’m sure there was one. “When you spent the night with me and asked me all those questions at MOCA, was that your way of telling me you did all of that just to get me come back to the Gallery?”
Ian released a breath and turned back to me. He walked up to me and backed me into a corner. Once again, I felt the soft breathing of his nose on me. His woodsy cologne intoxicated me and I suddenly felt dizzy. “Domi, I wouldn’t waste neither of our time doing that. If I wanted you to come back, I would’ve just taken you out to lunch and given you a raise. I did that, anyway.” He replied. “I spent the night with you because I wanted to.”
The way he held me all night didn’t escape me. It wasn’t two people sharing a bed with a clear divider so each person had their space. It was like we were two reuniting lovers holding each other as if we would never see each other again. “If you’re asking me to wait for you,” I somehow managed to breathe, “I won’t.”
“I want you to wait for the man who won’t treat you like a fling but treat you like a woman he’s proud to show off no matter how much of a distance is between you.” He caressed my face. “You’re more than a one-night stand. You’re everything.” He turned around and left.
I stayed in the bathroom a long while after Ian had left. He promised me nothing. He promised me everything.
I made up some excuse to Aaron why I had to go home and caught an Uber back to my apartment. I got ready for bed and just laid in the darkness for a long while as I stared up at the ceiling.
I gave up a surefire hookup for a not-sure thing. Yet, somehow, I felt that was the best decision I made tonight.
Fifteen
“Wait a minute…” Adrienne has a crisscrossed look on her face and I couldn’t blame her. After I explained what the real deal was between me and Ian (and to be honest, I’m still not quite sure), Adrienne’s face looked like she just saw a trainwreck on top of a trainwreck. “…he cuddled with you, cornered you in a bathroom, but you’re not his girlfriend?”
“Pretty much,” I sipped my too-strong Cosmopolitan and blinked at the amount of vodka in it. It’s a good thing Adrienne’s boyfriend drove us out to dinner.
Adrienne turned to her boyfriend, a guy named Blake. Blake was born Briana – enough said. He was in his late-twenties with a schoolboy charm that told me he was used to getting everything his way. He’s the CEO of a dating app called Swipe! along with Vine prodigy, Prince Martinez. His net worth is somewhere between Bruce Wayne and Bill Gates.
Blake was quite handsome and smiled often as his eyes flickered with each joke. He and Adrienne had known each other for a while, even when she was known as Adrian. They were always friends but nothing ever happened. Then one day, they went out to see a movie and they couldn’t stop making out during it.
They recently got back from vacation and they both look happy, sexed, and crazy in love. I’m so happy for my sister but so incredibly jealous of her at the same time.
Adrienne turned towards Blake. “Is this normal?”
“No,” Blake shook his head, “It sounds like he wants his cake and eat it, too.”
“Okay, but why would he care who I hook up with?” I asked. “I mean, he knows we’re not dating. He knows we’re not a couple. It makes no sense!”
“Actually, it makes a lot of sense,” Blake’s warm Australian accent soothed us, “he knows you’re a virgin but he doesn’t want you to just laying down with any man. He wants you for him.”
I kinda gathered that but this is a man who has been close enough to kiss me and refused to several times already. Not to mention Ian flat-out told me he didn’t want me to waste my virginity on someone who would treat me as a hook-up, and I’m sure he included himself in that. “I still don’t get it.”
“He wants to chase you, honey,” Adrienne cut in as she leaned against Blake, “you asked why he’s dating all of these women and not giving you a chance? Because they’re easy, honey! He knows what they want from him and he’s smart enough to lead them on just a bit before he cuts them off. You’ve seen how he has a different girlfriend every week? Because he gets bored!”
“I’m not sure if that was supposed to give me warm fuzzies…?” My nose scrunched up as my eyes crinkled.
Adrienne leaned forward. “Remember when I said he was doing all of this to prepare you to be his girlfriend? I still stand by that. He wants you to explore your own way but he wants to keep an eye out on you to make sure you’re not going to do any stupid shit.”
“Such as auctioning my virginity to the highest bidder online?” Say…why didn’t I think of that before? I could’ve paid off my tuition a long-ass time ago!
“Pretty much,” Blake chimed in, “tonight’s date is a test.”
My long-awaited Saturday date with Ian is finally here. Yeah, it’s only been two days but it’s two days too long in my opinion. He called me earlier to make sure I still wanted to attend before he made some cryptic comme
nt about having everything taken care of.
Ian is notorious for giving me pop quizzes and I hadn’t even studied for what’s going to be on this test of his. How is it possible to fail on the first day of class?
“What if I fail this test?” I nervously asked. “Then what?”
“Then you move on and so does he,” Adrienne replied, “somehow, I doubt either is going to happen tonight. I think tonight you’ll finally get all of the answers you needed.”
I certainly hope so. This little cat and mouse game Ian and I are playing is quite old already. Either he makes a move on me or he leaves me alone. It’s the very least he could do.