by LJ Baker
Kat was an awesome photographer. She didn't much care about doing kids or weddings, but they paid the bills. She really wanted to do nature and wildlife or some shit like that. As a journalist, it was great to have a best friend who was a photographer. Sometimes it made the difference whether or not the editor accepted my story.
The house was quiet when I got in. Kat left dishes all over the kitchen. No shocker there, she was not the domestic type. What was a surprise however, was the reason for the mess. Set in the middle of the table was a cake, frosted in chocolate, with a squiggly 'Cake of Truth' piped on top in pink.
The 'cake of truth' was something Kat and I started we were twelve. I was pretty sure I was the idiot who started it when she wouldn't tell me the name of the boy she liked in seventh grade. She said she really wanted a piece of cake when we were on the phone, but she was grounded and couldn't go to the store. I made the cake, wrote 'Cake of Truth' on it and snuck it to her window.
Ever since, we'd been using the cake when one of us felt like the other was holding out about something. So seeing the cake sitting there, I knew she was going to want to talk about the other night.
I had a long wait ahead of me though. I took a lengthy bath, trying to relax myself before I had to once again delve into my world of embarrassment, watched some tv, and spent some quality time with the love of my life-- my fat orange tabby, Jasper. Snuggled up on the sofa in my pajamas with Jasper and my Grandmother's old quilt was the best place in the whole world.
I must have dozed off a little before I heard the key on the lock and Kat slumping down exhausted into the chair near the sofa. I parted my lashes slowly trying to see if I could get away with sleeping. I knew I'd have to tell her eventually, but if I could get one more day, I was certainly going to try.
"Don't think I don't know you're awake, Lexi. You are not going one more night without telling me everything," she grumbled, kicking her shoes to the floor and tossing her phone on the coffee table.
She was tired from work but she was not going to let me get away with putting her off any longer. I took a deep breath and got up to cut the cake.
***
"Are you serious? He blindfolded you and screwed you up against the door?" she gasped, nearly choking on her cake.
I knew I should have left out some of the details, but it was our promise to each other to tell the whole story for the cake of truth. Frigging cake.
"Not that it would have mattered, the room was dark except for the light coming from the moon through the window, so I couldn't see much anyway."
"So after, when he took the blindfold off, how hot was he up close and personal? I nearly came in my panties watching him hump the floor on stage," she gushed, squeezing her legs together at the memory.
"Uh well, he didn't actually take the blindfold off."
"Huh?" she said, confused.
"Well, he carried me over to the bed and left me there, the tie still on my eyes. Then, he kissed me, and left. I still have the tie." A tingle went through me as I remembered sitting on the bed, wearing only the tie over my eyes, as he kissed me goodbye.
"You still have it?" she squealed. "Show me! I have to see!" Kat jumped from the chair and pulled me up. She no longer looked exhausted. I was in for a long night.
I didn't even know why I kept the tie. I could have just left it there in the hotel. If he wanted it back he could have gotten it from them. Maybe he did try to call about it and realized I'd taken it. What would he think about me taking it? I had the tie folded neatly and put in an old photo box that I kept mementos in.
A silk tie used to blindfold me for hot random sex with a stripper counts as a memento, right?
I gently pulled the tie from the box and handed it to her. Part of me wanted to pull it back, not let her touch it. How crazy is that?
"Wow," she whispered, holding it in her hands like a precious artifact. She ran her finger over the tie pin, softly saying the letters out loud. "S... M....Sam, what? Did he tell you his last name?"
"No actually, we really didn't talk much." I had to giggle at myself. Normally I would feel like a whore going to a hotel with a guy I didn't even have a full name on and doing, well, what we did, but strangely, I was actually starting to come to terms with what happened. It wasn't something I had to feel guilty about. Okay, so that might still take a little work to fully believe, but for the moment at least, I was going to let myself enjoy the memory.
"Oh God, Lex, you know what you have to do, don't you?" Kat had that evil plan look on her face. Whenever she got that look I knew it was going to be trouble.
"No, but I'm sure you are about to tell me," I answered, not really sure I wanted to hear what she was about to suggest.
"You have to go back to the club and return the tie. It will give you the perfect excuse to see him again!" She nearly bubbled over with excitement. She wanted it so much more than I did.
I took the tie back, returned it to the box, and headed back out to the living room with Kat following close behind.
"I don't know, Kat, I really wasn't planning on seeing him again. Isn't that what you were telling me I needed? Just a onetime thing, just to have fun? You know I'm not looking to get involved," I sighed.
It was as if she was trying to live vicariously through me, which didn't make sense. Kat was always bragging how great the sex was between her and Matt, enough to make me want to vomit. It didn't make sense that she was so excited over this. If she wanted any one of those strippers, they would have had her in an instant.
"I wasn't suggesting you get involved, Lexi, just have a little more fun. You already slept with the guy and know he's awesome, so why not go back for a repeat performance?" she asked, poking the last bite of cake off the plate and popping it into her mouth.
"Why do you even care?" It seemed like a valid question to me, but as soon as I asked, her face fell and she looked away. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing really," she murmured quietly.
"Um, cake of truth? Now tell me what's going on." I patted the sofa next to me.
She reluctantly sat down and pulled the throw pillow into her lap, clutching it protectively.
"It's just that things with Matty and me aren't going the way I thought they would," she sighed.
"How did you think it would go? Hon, you know how my brother is." I hated to say it, but we both knew it was true. Right from the start I knew he would break her heart eventually.
"No, no, it's not like that. It's not him, it's me," she nearly whispered the last word.
Now I was confused. She was just talking about marriage and planning out details for their wedding, and now she was saying she was the one with the problem. Something just didn't add up.
"Kat, what are you talking about?"
"I don't know, Lex, it's ... it... I'm just not sure if I love him," she spat out, pulling the pillow tighter against her.
"What are you talking about? You have been in love with Matt since we were kids. You told me you were crazy about him just last week. Hell, you were planning out the details of your life together in his truck the other day. How could you not be sure now if you love him?"
"I don't know. I thought I loved him, but I'm not sure it was really love, ya know?" She looked at me confused, as if she needed me to explain how she felt to her.
"I'm sorry, Kat, I don't have any answers for you. You're the only one who knows if it's really love or not. Has he told you he loves you?" It should be something I knew the answer to. She was my best friend and he was my brother. I should know if they'd confessed any feelings of love by now, but I tried my hardest to stay out of their relationship. I never thought it was going to last and I didn't want to be in the middle of their breakup when it happened.
"No, but I could have sworn he was going to a few times. Part of me wanted him to, but another part wanted to run and never look back." A small tear escaped down her cheek. She quickly wiped it, threw the pillow over to the chair, and jumped up, heading for the kitchen. "Oka
y, enough of that. Let's get back to you and Sam."
I knew her well enough to know that when she closed a conversation like that, there was no going back. She was going to focus full force on me now, whether I liked it or not.
"There is no me and Sam. It was a onetime thing and it is not going to happen again. Stop scheming, Kat, I can see your brain formulating a plan already," I warned, walking into the kitchen to wash the cake plates and the rest of the mess she had made earlier.
"Okay, well let me ask you something. The sex was hot, right?" she asked, handing me the crusted pans to wash.
"It was incredible." I couldn't lie. The sex was out of this world, amazing.
"And, he's obviously not some psycho serial killer who wants to cut you into tiny bits and put you in the freezer for Thanksgiving dinner, is he?"
"I guess not." Unless he saves that for the second date, but then, I guess what happened between us was nothing like a date.
"So why not go back for seconds? You don't have to marry the guy, just use his perfect body for a few good times." She hopped off the counter where she was watching me clean up her mess and walked around to the other side of the island that separated the kitchen and living room. "You should at least return his tie. The pin looks expensive."
She did have a point. I could at least return the guy's tie. For all I knew, the pin could have been a family heirloom or something. It wasn't like he had any information on me and could have hunted me down to get it back.
It was the right thing to do, wasn't it?
CHAPTER NINE
I was nervous about seeing Sam again after what happened between us. Kat made a few phone calls and found out that he had rehearsals at the club Monday afternoons. I waited out in the lobby while the same bartender from last week prepped for opening.
The guy at the door was easy enough to charm to let me in to wait, but once I was there, I had second thoughts. What if Sam thought I was using this as some desperate attempt to see him again, as Kat suggested I do? No, I couldn't let myself think like that. I was going to give him back the tie and leave, nothing more. It didn't matter how hot the sex was, once was enough. I needed to stop letting Kat get in my head.
I waited about fifteen minutes before partially clothed, sweaty strippers started wandering out into the lobby. I felt the temperature rise at least ten degrees in the room, or maybe that was just me. Sam was one of the last few to come out and he immediately noticed me standing there, a confused smile danced across his face.
"Hey you," he said, walking over to me and pulled me into a quick hug.
"I wanted to return this to you." I held the tie out to him as an offering.
"Thanks, but uh... that's not mine." He looked at me confused, head tilted up a bit to the side.
He wasn't the only one confused.
"Yeah, it's from..."
"Hey, Brooks, man how are ya?" a short Italian in a wife beater and long white shorts said, slapping Sam on the back.
"Anthony, how ya been, dude? This is Lexi. I'll meet you over there, okay?"
Well at least he remembered my name. Anthony gave me the once over, lingering on my boobs a little longer than necessary, and licked his lips before finding my eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Lexi. We should hang out," he said, offering me his hand. I took it expecting a brief shake, but he lifted it to his mouth and left a slobbery kiss on the top. It was all I could do to stop myself from rolling my eyes in disgust. Once I got my hand back, he gave me a quick nod and a wink, then jogged over to a group of guys near the back room.
"Brooks?"
"My last name. Sam Brooks."
I glanced down at the tie, the delicate script letters, 'SM'.
"So this isn't yours then?" I asked, my brain starting to go places I was not sure I wanted it to go.
"No, sorry. Listen, I gotta run but I think it might be a good idea for us to talk about something. Why don't you give me your number and I'll text you?" he asked and handed me his phone to input my number.
I complied and gave it back, then looked down at the tie once again. If the tie did not belong to Sam, then who did it belong to? Sam kissed my cheek and went to catch up with his friends. I stood there for a few minutes not really sure what to do. It was Sam who gave me the room key and if it wasn't Sam in that room, who the hell was it?
I looked down at the phone still in my hand as it buzzed. The text was from Sam, it read 'talk to ya soon'. I quickly saved his info into my contacts and shoved the phone into my pocket. I waited until I was sure all the guys were gone, before heading out to my car. I didn't want to run into any more strippers. I had enough on my mind.
Once in my car, I set the tie, still folded, on the seat next to me. I just didn't know what to make of it. My phone buzzed. I picked it up, expecting it to be Sam again, but it was a number I didn't recognize.
'Good things come to those who wait.'
I figured it must be a wrong number or something so I sent back a quick reply asking who it was, thinking the sender would realize their mistake, they didn't. My phone buzzed again.
'Someone you know better than you think'
My heart did a little swirl around in my chest. Could it be from 'him'? I glanced over at the tie next to me. It seemed like a strange coincidence that not even ten minutes after I gave Sam my number, I was getting strange texts from someone. Maybe Sam was playing some sort of game with me, pretending like it wasn't him last week. It just didn't make sense. Why would he do that? I ignored the text and drove back home. Kat would know what to do.
***
"So, he asked for your number?" Kat mused, completely missing the point.
"Yes, he asked for my number. Are you forgetting the part where I told you the tie wasn't his? It was not him at the hotel that night. I have no idea who it was," I stressed, trying to get her to understand this was not about a hot stripper wanting my number.
"No, silly, I got that, but why does it even matter? You had a great time and you already said, you have no interest in seeing him again, so who cares? He did use a condom, right?" Kat asked, looking briefly worried.
"Of course he used a condom and I don't want to see him again, but I do want to be able to say who it was I've fucked!"
"Babe, you didn't even know Sam's last name. Would it really make you feel better to be able to say you screwed Sam the stripper?"
I thought about what she said for a minute. I hated the thought that I had no idea who it was I had sex with, but she was right, it really wasn't much better to know his first name. It wasn't like I knew anything about Sam, other than his occupation, well and now, his last name. It also wasn't like I would take back what happened. I got what I asked for, regardless of who it was.
My brother pushed open the door and stood looking at me.
"Who the hell is Sam the stripper?" he growled.
I sure hoped that was all he heard through the door.
"Matty, what are you doing here?" Kat asked, rushing over and wrapping her arms around his neck. She was trying to deflect, but we both knew it wasn't going to work.
"Are you planning on answering me, Lexi?" Matt asked, prying Kat's arms off him and walking halfway through the living room to stare into me, waiting for an answer.
"No, actually, I am not planning on answering you. I'm a grown woman and I can screw all the strippers I want," I snorted and stomped into my bedroom. The last thing I needed was to explain everything to my big brother. It was none of his business.
I could hear them arguing from the living room. He was blaming her for encouraging me to hook up with random strangers. I stuck my ear buds into my ears and turned up the music so I didn't have to listen to them. The last thing I remembered before drifting off to sleep was Maroon 5 thumping in my ears.
I woke up to banging on the door. Confused and sleepy, I stumbled out in the dark to see what was going on. Squinting at the clock on my way past the kitchen, I realized it was nearly ten. Kat and my brother were nowhere to be found. The in
cessant banging continued until I pulled the door open angrily.
"What?" I yelled before realizing Sebastian was standing outside my door, soaking wet, with rain dripping down his nose.
He just stood there looking at me, breathing hard, as if he had been running and was out of breath.
"Sebastian? What are you doing here?" I asked, suddenly awake enough to be confused by his presence, rather than angry.
He didn't speak, only stared. He had a strange look on his face that seemed almost… hungry. I was about to offer for him to come in when he hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me fast against him. Before I knew what was going on, his mouth was pressed onto mine. His kiss was rough and unforgiving, needy and hot. The air rushed from my lungs leaving me lightheaded and off balance, but I gave in to it, completely. I'd been dreaming of that very moment since he kissed me out by the pond the night of Jamie's wedding. In fact, I was having trouble keeping it out of my head. I still didn't know what it was about him that made me lose all rational thought. I just knew that I wanted him like I'd never wanted anyone before.
When he pulled back from my mouth, allowing me enough oxygen to keep from losing consciousness, he was panting. The kiss seemed to be having the same effect on him as it did on me. I couldn't help but smile a little knowing at least some part of him wanted me too.
"Do you want to come in?" I asked, regaining a bit of my brain functioning.
"No. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come here. It was a mistake," he said and turned to leave.
"Hey! What the hell? You show up at my house banging on the door like a nut case and kiss me, then you say it was a mistake? Do you have some sort of mental illness or something?"
He turned back to look at me. I couldn't tell if his expression was irritation or amusement, either way, he was pissing me off.
"I'm sorry, you're right. I shouldn't have done that. Please forgive me." And with that, he hurried down the walkway, got into his car, and sped down the road.
I stood there in my doorway, getting wet from the rain, speechless. I was positive he was purposely trying to make me lose my mind. Turning around, I found Kat standing there watching me silently, her large green eyes wide and her lips pursed together. She knew something, I could tell by that look and I was going to find out what it was.