“You are, nutty girl.”
“Nosy girl, nutty girl. Quit it with name-calling. And if I’m your best friend then how come you never said anything about a fling with the Tyler!”
“This happened when Tyler was first signed to the Falcons. And it was also during the time you were recovering from your father’s death and I didn’t want to fill your ears about my lusty nights with Tyler. And later I didn’t mention it because I didn’t want to remember it after it became one of those things I wanted to forget.”
“Tell me what happened. Especially the lusty nights parts.”
“Look, we don’t have time to laba-laba. We have too many clients here. And it figures you’d want to know more about that.”
“We are not leaving this office until you tell me.”
“Oh, all right. To sum it up quickly, I fell in lust and thought it was love. He was nothing but a ram goat who took full advantage of all the female adulation thrown his way though he told me he wasn’t. Anyway, I found out the truth when we were getting dirty on the floor and I saw some panties under his bed that weren’t mine. I didn’t say anything but later that night I asked if he could go to the store and get me something and while he was gone I tore that place up looking for more evidence. And boy did I find it. Rollers, lipstick, and other feminine things either accidentally left behind or on purpose by girls marking their territory. I went home before he got back and that was that. It was a short fling that left a long burn.”
Sofia reached out and stroked her arm.
“You should’ve told me, Gracie. I could’ve been there for you.”
“No, no. Like I said you were going through your heartache and grief and I wasn’t going to bother you with that foolishness. I think I was more hurt by the loss of what I thought it could be than what it actually was. But what’s done is done.”
Neither of them said anything for a few moments.
Grace gave Sofia’s shoulder a nudge. “I suppose you want to know about the dirty part now.”
“You know I do.”
“Let’s just say he received an overall grade of A despite barely passing the oral exam.”
Sofia began to laugh.
“I’m serious. I kept pointing and guiding but the boy never did put the tongue in the right spot. I almost stopped to draw him a map.” She held out her hand and with other pointed to the bottom of it. “I wanted to say ‘you are here and you should be here’.” She pointed to the tip of her index finger. “He had some serious tongue action too. I kept thinking, ‘oh if only he was hitting the target he’d be pulling me down from the ceiling’. Instead I just tapped him on the head and said, ‘I’m good’.”
Sofia fell back against the door. “You are insane!”
“You’re calling me insane?” Grace took Sofia’s hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you, Pot. I’m Kettle.”
“Whatever! I may have some stories for you soon.”
“Really? Do tell!”
“Grace, I met one of the most handsome men I’ve ever laid eyes on last night. It was at dinner. As usual, Lourdes said something that pissed me off--”
Grace’s hands flew to her chest. “No! You must be kidding! Not Lourdes!”
“Ha-ha. So anyway, I left out of the restaurant to cool off in the lobby and that’s where I met him. His name is Javier, he’s an attorney, and did I mention he was handsome?”
“Um, I believe you may have.”
“You know how you just meet someone and you have that spark?”
“Girl, yes.” She closed her eyes momentarily as if she were reminiscing.
“That’s how it was. We talked for maybe two minutes but just that quickly something happened between us.”
“Did you give him your number?”
“No, I left my purse with my cards in it at the table.”
“Um, I don’t suppose you thought to write it down on something.”
“No, I didn’t. I could barely think straight. But he gave me his business card. It has his cell phone number on it and I wanted to call him last night but you know I had to play it cool.”
Grace looked at her watch.
“It’s one-thirty and you still haven’t called? Such restraint.”
“You’re just full of jokes today, lady. I’m going to call him in a few minutes. I can’t contain myself any longer. I want you to meet him. Not only so you can see what I’m talking about but also, you know you and your intuition. You can always pick up on things about people. I don’t want to be blindsided again. Unlike with James, I’ll listen this time. No matter how much I like this guy already.”
“I would love to meet him. Does he have a brother?”
“I don’t know but I’ll be sure to find out,” she said with a chuckle.
“Ah dawta. If only this intuition of mine worked on myself then maybe I wouldn’t have gotten caught up in Mr. Harrison’s love trap.”
“That was a while ago. He may have changed.”
“It wouldn’t matter if he had. I wouldn’t give that sanfi another chance so I wouldn’t know if he’d changed or not. What does that look mean?”
“You are not fooling me. I don’t think you’re quite as over Tyler as you claim.”
“Instead of trying to read my feelings you need to be on that phone calling this Javier and finding out if he has an equally fine sibling for me.”
“You’re right.”
Sofia went over to the desk. She slid the card from her pocket and picked up the phone. She paused for a minute, and then began to dial.
“I’ll give you some privacy and go check on things,” said Grace as she opened the door. She held up two crossed fingers and left.
Just when it looked like the call would go into Javier’s voice mail he picked up.
“Hello?”
“Javier?”
“Yes.”
“It’s Sofia.”
Javier’s face immediately lit up. He sat down on his weight bench.
“Sofia? I know you from?”
Sofia was mortified. Obviously he didn’t feel the electricity she did if he’d forgotten about her in a matter of hours.
“We met last night.”
“Let’s see, I met a few Sofias last night. Were you the lovely Sofia wearing the silk purple blouse, black skirt, with the long reddish-brown hair? That Sofia?”
Sofia beamed once she knew he was teasing her.
“Yes, that Sofia. You scared me for a minute. I was about to hang up.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. I’ve been waiting for your call.”
“Sure you were.”
“I’m serious. I’m about to work out and I brought my cell phone with me, which I never do cause I don’t want anything to break my concentration. But I didn’t want to take a chance and miss your call.”
“Are you at the gym?”
“I’m at my place but I set up one of the rooms here as a home gym. So when can I see you?”
“When would you like to?”
“Now.”
“I’m at the spa right now and I hate to cut out so early again but I’ll do so a little later. How about we get together around six?”
“My place?”
Sofia didn’t answer right away.
“You’ll be safe. I know you only met me last night but I promise you I’m not a rapist nor do I have dead bodies in my backyard.”
“That’s good to know.”
“When I give you my address, let someone know and give it to them as a precaution. I just bought this great new Weber grill that I’ve been dying to finally light up. We’ll chill out on the deck and talk. Or if you’re still not comfortable with that, you can pick out a restaurant.”
“No. Your place sounds good.”
“Let me give you my address and home number.”
Sofia grabbed a pen from the desk and scribbled his information. Her pulse was racing. Never in a million years would she have thought she could go over to a man’s house that she’d only shared a fe
w minutes of conversation with. Yet, that was exactly what she was doing.
Chapter 50
As Grace was walking down one hallway, Tyler was walking down the hallway that crossed it. He and Grace spotted each other at the same time and stopped in their tracks.
“Grace?”
“Tyler? What are you doing here?” She asked, pretending she was unaware of his presence in the spa.
“I came here for a massage and was on my way to the sauna. Now what are you doing here?” He walked toward her.
“Working. I run this place with my friend Sofia.”
“Really? Man! You told me you were going to do that and I’ll be damned if you didn’t, girl.”
His deep, sexy voice with its slight southern drawl still made her pulse quicken. Grace tried to keep her eyes away from his handsome face, especially those now famous dimples and cleft in his chin—those were always her weakness. She glanced at his hair. When they were together his hair was braided in twists that were about two inches long. His hair had now grown into long dreadlocks that fell below his shoulders. They were neatly done and tied back in a ponytail. Unlike some men with long hair, his didn’t detract from his masculinity in the least. In fact it gave him a certain edginess. She trained her eyes on his white robe. Then she began to think about the well-sculptured body underneath that gave her so many hours of pleasure so she averted her eyes elsewhere.
“Why are you looking everywhere but in my face?”
“Uh, what?”
“You’re looking at my slippers, the wall, and the plant against the wall...” He reached out and lifted and turned her chin with his index finger. “That’s better. It’s good to see you again.”
“It’s nice to see you.”
“What a coincidence that I’ve never in my life been to a spa and the first time I go to one it’s the one you co-own. It must be fate.”
“I don’t know if your lady friend would think so.”
“My lady friend? The one I came here with?”
“Yes, that would be the one.”
He began to chuckle. “You were acting as if you were surprised I was here. So how do you know I came with a lady friend?”
Grace worked at suppressing a smile.
“So, you’re playing it all cool with a brother, huh? You are looking so good, girl. I like your hair this.” He took one of her micro-braids and caressed it with his thumb and forefinger.
Get it together, Grace. Do not let this man get to you. Don’t get sucked back in.
“For your information, the woman I’m here with is just a friend.”
“Yes, I remember you having quite a few of those. And I’m sure with all your endorsements you have even more.”
“Those aren’t the kind of friends I want anymore.”
“What’s changed?”
“I have.”
“Really?”
“You don’t sound as if you believe me.”
“Why should I? Just because you say so?”
“It would be nice if you’d let me show you.”
“Look, I have to get back to my office. I have some paperwork to do. It was nice seeing you.” She stepped to the side to walk past him.
Tyler blocked her by placing a hand over her hip. “Don’t go.”
Damn you, Tyler. Be strong. Remember how he hurt you.
“I really have missed you. Me and my boys were talking not too long ago about that special woman that we let get away and you were the woman I named.”
“That’s interesting.”
“Can we talk sometime? Maybe have dinner or something?” He gently stroked Grace’s hip.
Grace could do nothing but stare into his eyes as if mesmerized.
“Tyler!”
They both looked to the sound of the voice. It was Elaine Montoya. She was standing nearby and Grace could almost feel the optical daggers being thrown at her.
“I thought you were on your way to the sauna.”
“I am, Elaine.” He turned back to Grace. “But then I saw a very special person that I haven’t seen a long time.”
“I’m on my way there now. We can walk together.”
“You can go. I’m talking to Grace right now.”
Elaine stood there for a moment. Her mouth was tight, pressed into a thin line. She gave Grace a long, hard look before finally walking away.
“Yikes. Don’t be surprised if you don’t get any tonight.”
“I told you she’s just a friend. It won’t be possible to even be that soon.”
“A friend that you came here with for the ‘couple’s treatment’?”
“It’s what she wanted to celebrate her new contract with the station. She convinced me I needed some relaxation too. I know she wants to be more than friends but that’s not happening. She’s way too clingy as a friend. I don’t even want to imagine how she would be as a girlfriend.”
“It was nice seeing you, Tyler. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.”
He reached out his hand to stop her again but this time she moved it out of the way.
“I remember all of your friends from when we were together and I don’t even want to deal with that anymore. Now, goodbye.”
She walked down the hall and disappeared into one of the rooms. Tyler looked in the direction she went.
“Now that I’ve found you again, you’re not going to get rid of me that easily.”
Chapter 51
Isabella sat in her car in the parking lot outside Bonança Bay. She’d knew she had lost Zahira and for good this time. All she wanted was for her to understand her situation and realize she needed more time. The first time she laid eyes on Zahira it was instant lust. She was deeply attracted to her dark, sultry looks, the way she moved—everything about her. For a while she kept her feelings for Zahira to herself. But even Sofia noticed how Isabella stopped into the spa more frequently. She finally figured out it was because of Zahira. One day Isabella got up the courage to ask Zahira out to lunch. She didn’t expect anything to come of it other than the opportunity to spend some time with her.
Over the course of the lunch, Zahira mentioned she’d just gotten out of a relationship. Then she said her ex’s name–Judy. At first Isabella thought she misunderstood and Zahira had said “Jude”. But as she continued to speak she definitely said “Judy” and used “she” and “her”. She knew she’d heard right but just to be sure she came out and asked her if she were gay. Zahira informed that yes she was and asked if she were bothered by that. Isabella told her she wasn’t because she herself was gay. She and Zahira continued meeting for lunch and dinner and catching a movie together.
Isabella wasn’t the type that opened up easily to people but with Zahira, she did so quickly. There were things she didn’t feel comfortable sharing with her sister that she had no problem talking to Zahira about. She’d never been around someone that she felt so completely free around. She adored how Zahira could make her laugh. Sofia always accused her of being a fuddy duddy, yet Zahira had a knack for bringing out her silly side. Though she had an immediate attraction to Zahira it was weeks before she made any move.
One night when Isabella was over to her house, they were on the couch watching television when Zahira dozed off. Isabella glanced over at her and by the glow of the television, gazed at Zahira’s beauty as she’d done so many times. Her head was tilted to the right, exposing the left side of her lovely, slender neck. Sofia couldn’t resist any longer. She leaned over and planted a gentle kiss on her neck and then let her lips graze across it, enjoying the softness. She slid the tips of her fingers across her collarbone. At that moment Zahira opened her eyes. Isabella didn’t move. She waited for what Zahira’s reaction would be. Zahira placed her hand over Isabella’s and with her fingers made a soft, sensual trail up her arm, to her shoulders. Zahira leaned in until their faces were about an inch apart. They looked deeply into each other’s eyes. Zahira opened her mouth and with her tongue traced Isabella’s lips. She flicked her t
ongue in the corners of Isabella’s mouth causing tingling sensations to course through her. Her tongue then slid into Isabella’s mouth. Isabella was almost faint with longing. They made out for the rest of the night as well spent a lot of time talking.
Soon after that night, Isabella informed Sofia that she and Zahira were a couple. Sofia was accepting if not enthusiastic about their relationship. She was still getting used to the fact her sister was gay. It was only a short time before Isabella met Zahira that Sofia found out she was a lesbian. One morning Sofia came home to retrieve some paperwork she left behind. She had seen Isabella’s car out front and wondered why she was home. When she peeked into Isabella’s room she found her sister and a woman having sex. Isabella didn’t even know until later that night when Sofia confronted her with what she’d seen.
Isabella admitted that she was indeed a lesbian and had known since she was a teenager. Sofia asked if she were sure and Isabella let her know she was. Sofia’s response wasn’t overwhelmingly approving but more like she was resigned to who her sister was. Isabella always wondered if somehow Sofia knew all along but just never said anything. Isabella was never very close to her sister but she appreciated that she encouraged her to come out with her sexuality to everyone. She was just not ready quite yet especially when it came to revealing her sexuality to their mother.
She felt a closer bond with her mother was always just outside her reach. She didn’t want to risk anything turning her mother away before they had the chance to have a true mother and daughter relationship. Isabella wanted to come out in her own time and was frustrated that her sister and Zahira didn’t understand that. Growing up seeing their mother only a few times a year didn’t seem to bother Sofia but it hurt her deeply. She longed for a mother to be around all the time. She sensed that now was the opportunity to have a deeper closeness with her mother and she wasn’t going to let Zahira, her sister or anyone else stop that from happening.
Chapter 52
Javier gave such precise directions to his subdivision; Sofia had no problem finding his home. It was in the Smoke Rise section of Stone Mountain. Sofia checked her makeup one last time in the rearview mirror before getting out of the car.
Blinding Mirror Page 19