Chapter 5
Shirt or a Dress?
Derrick and Erica stayed in touch for the first two months he lived in London. They texted, talked on the phone, but mostly, they used FaceTime. The conversations never turned to serious talks about their relationship. Derrick left things how they were when he left New York, casual.
The plane trip over to England gave him a lot of time to analyze what Erica last said to him. How she chose the phrase "use each other for sex" and the word hooker to describe herself left him ashamed of his behavior. He rehearsed what he'd say to her if given a chance but the opportunity never came up. His guilt along with his apology remained unspoken.
Instead, he did everything but talk about their relationship. He watched Erica eat breakfast, or talk to her while she did her yoga poses in the morning. Once, Derrick sat on the toilet in her bathroom while she showered. She'd propped her iPad on the toilet to give him a view, but as soon as she stepped behind the shower door, he could see nothing but steam. The iPad became their only connection to each other.
Sometimes he watched her work. She would try on yoga clothes for him. Watching her shimmy into a tight pair of yoga pants became his favorite part of any day. He always asked permission before he hand-fucked his cock. Erica selflessly granted it. She'd bend over sans panties as she shimmied into her pants. Before the elastic hem met her waist, he finished.
A few times, she'd place the iPad on the pillow next to her to masturbate while he whispered dirty things in her ear. The time apart felt bearable thanks to FaceTime until one Friday night.
Midnight London time, Derrick called Erica using FaceTime. She had just arrived home from work and was getting ready to go back out.
"What are you up to tonight?" His voice filled her apartment.
"I'm going out."
Her vague answer worried him. "Out? With whom?" He inquired.
"Rebecca."
"Where are you going?"
"Rebecca asked me to go on a double date. Rebecca is dating this guy, he has a friend who recently moved here, and he asked if Rebecca had any single friends."
"A date?" Derrick stood and paced.
"I don't know. I guess you could call it a date, sort of, but not really." In her bra and panties, she searched her closet for the right outfit. She pulled out a small dark green cotton shirt. She slipped it on and buttoned it up then tied the belt around her waist. Derrick had a perfect view of her from the iPad.
"Why are you putting on your shoes? You forgot pants." He asked.
Erica stood in her heels and smoothed out her dress. "Derrick, this is a dress."
Outraged Derrick asked her to bring the iPad closer. "That's a shirt, Erica."
"Derrick, it's a dress."
"Erica sit down and pick up your iPad." Erica did as Derrick instructed. She sat on her bed staring at Derrick's face on the computer screen. His eyebrows knitted together and lines formed on his forehead. He wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin, so he started with the obvious. "Erica, I don't want you to go out on this date."
"Derrick, it's casual. I'm not marrying the guy." Erica explained.
"That's the problem; I know what casual means to you."
"What are you saying?" Erica asked as she shot up off her bed. "Once again, Derrick, you're saying the wrong thing."
"Erica, you have to admit, casual means you most likely will hook up with the guy."
"Why are you saying this to me? Listen, I've said nothing about you going out to dinner with your ex, or meeting up with Maureen and let me remind you what we are... NOTHING! We're just sex, remember Derrick, your game, your rules."
"Hey, I'm not telling you..." Derrick didn't know how to respond so. Instead, he sidestepped. "Nothing is going on between Julie and me."
"She may not agree with you. She may think you like her. Have you told her about me and our sexual relationship?"
"No, but only because it's none of her business."
"Is that the only reason, or is because you don't want to burn any bridges? Maybe she's the one and if you have to bring her back to New York you don't want her ever knowing about you're flighty, friend with benefits!"
"How can you say that?" If Derrick didn't need his iPad to finish this conversation, he would've flung it across the room.
"Because you're being a jerk and you've insulted me one too many times. Don't you realize how much it hurt me when you brought her as your date to a work function in London," She took in a sharp breath.
"I knew I shouldn't have told you about that." A few weeks ago, Derrick slipped when talking about a dinner he attended for work. Somehow he mentioned Julie being there with him and he knew it upset Erica because she became quiet and ended the call rather quickly.
"That's what you have to say. Not sorry, Erica, that I was too embarrassed to bring you to a work dinner."
"I wasn't embarrassed. You're beautiful. You're the hottest woman I ever been with but how could I have explained our relationship to my bosses and my coworkers."
"Well, let's see. How did you explain Julie?"
"Come on, Julie's different."
"Let me guess, Julie's appropriate."
"Don't put words in my mouth, Erica."
"Okay, then you explain it to me. From where I'm standing, you're embarrassed by me."
"How can you say that when we went out to dinner together all week when I was there?"
"You're right, Derrick, let me rephrase it. You're embarrassed to bring me around your social circle."
"You're wrong."
"So correct me."
Derrick stuttered and babbled but never answered her question. He had no answer, or he had an answer but only one that would hurt Erica.
"That's what I thought, so now, I'm going on a date and I will sleep with him and prove you right. I'll be the slut you've insinuated I am all along. I'll use this guy to scratch an itch. Erica Grant, good for only one thing! Don't bring her around your friends or your work colleagues; she'll only embarrass you. Her skirts are too short and her clothes just a wee bit too tight! I bet this guy will love my shirt dress!"
"Hey, stop it! I never said that." The thought of any guy loving her half naked body pissed Derrick off.
"It's what you didn't say, it's what you haven't said that matters. Goodbye Derrick. Enjoy your evening." Erica shut the case on her iPad.
Erica went out on that date and had the worst time. The guy got drunk and acted like a total pig. Him being handsy proved to be the least of her worries, her real concern came when he described what he wanted to do to her. On her way home, Erica scolded Rebecca and swore off blind dates forever.
Upon entering her sanctuary, she locked the door, threw off her dress- it was not a shirt- and crawled under her comforter. The date no longer bothered her; it was Derrick's words that bruised Erica's ego. Everything about the way Derrick kept Erica at arm's length, hurt. Erica snuggled in her bed as she licked her wounds.
About two weeks after that fateful night, Erica called Derrick around ten o'clock London time. A girl answered.
At first, Erica considered hanging up but instead, she spoke. "Hi, may I speak to Derrick?"
"He's in the shower, can I give him a message."
"Can you tell him Erica called?" Erica stuttered through her words.
"Erica?" Her emulous tone rang loud and clear. "I've heard about you. Let me give you a piece of advice...Back off."
"From what?" Erica confused by the direction this conversation took.
"Derrick and I are back together. He told me all about you and it seems you are a nice distraction for him but he doesn't take you seriously, now he's back in a real relationship."
"I see." Erica's eyes welled up with tears, but she gathered her emotions and swallowed her pain. "I suppose you will not tell him I called."
"Oh, I will but he won't care. Erica, Derrick is a corporate lawyer for one of the most prestigious firms in New York City and internationally. Do you think he'd consider having s
ome flighty yoga girl by his side?"
"I never asked to be by his side, so I'm not sure what you two talk about when it pertains to me."
"Not much of anything. There isn't much to talk about. Is there, Erica? You have a nice life." Julie disconnected from the call.
Erica froze in place. She felt sick to her stomach. She couldn't believe Derrick dated a girl like. The girl never gave her name but Erica assumed it was Julie when she said, “back together.” If that's the girl Derrick falls for then no wonder why he didn't like Erica. Erica could never be cruel to another human being but it came naturally to that girl.
Erica questioned her judgment when it came to Derrick. She thought back to the moments when Derrick made unsavory comments regarding her sex life and she knew Derrick didn't take her seriously. She let the "nice distraction" remark settle in. It hurt more coming from Julie than hearing it from Derrick because it meant Derrick told her that's what he considers her, a distraction. A distraction, maybe, but mistakenly, Erica considered Derrick a friend.
Chapter 6
The Very Blind Double Date
"Derrick, it's good to see you, man." Derrick's co-worker Stephen ran into him in front of their office building on Fifth Avenue.
"Same here. How have you been? How's the office?" Derrick asked as he nodded his head towards the building.
"It's good. Everything is good. When do you come back?"
"In three months. I'm here helping Julie settle into her apartment."
"How long are you here for?" Stephen asked.
"The week."
"Great. Listen, do you think you could do me a favor?"
"What's up?" Derrick patted Stephen on the back.
"I need a buffer."
"A buffer?" Derrick asked.
"I have a date on Thursday, and I'm nervous about it."
"Why? You've been on plenty of dates. Is it a blind date?"
"No, it's just this girl is different. The girl is hot. I met her in a yoga class, and she's not the usual suspect. I've talked to her on the phone a few times, and she's a sweetheart, but I'm nervous. I don't want to blow it. If we make it a double date, it will be easier for me."
"No problem. I'll do that for you, man."
"Do you want to ask Julie first?"
"No, she won't say no. We're at that point in the relationship where she is still acting like the perfect girlfriend with the hopes to become the perfect wife."
"Damn, they all do it. I wish I could meet a girl who didn't give a shit about impressing me and just acted like herself."
"I met a girl like that three times only she was always the same girl." Derrick thought of Erica.
"And you let her get away."
"Not exactly." Derrick couldn't understand it himself, and he wouldn't attempt to explain it to Stephen.
"I'll text you the name of the restaurant and the time we're meeting."
"Sounds good, I'll see you Thursday." Derrick stepped through the door of his New York City office. It felt good to be back in the city. He liked London but couldn't wait to be back here. This reprieve from London would make the next three months go by fast, and all the work he had to do before he left London would help.
While back in New York, he contemplated calling Erica. He missed her and thought about her every day. He thought dating Julie would be a nice distraction, but it proved otherwise. Julie made him reflect on everything he missed about Erica.
Julie and Derrick didn't have a passionate relationship. Julie acted appropriately, and she lived life by the book, the etiquette book on how to become a lawyer's wife. Derrick learned his lesson after his first engagement. The thought of marriage never entered his mind this early in the relationship. With all that considered, Derrick couldn't answer one crucial question - if he felt this way, why was he in a relationship with Julie at all?
It happened so fast that Derrick hadn't time to label what it was so he went through the steps and as long as he kept his things separate if he ended things it would be an easy clean break.
Julie, an opportunist, like all the women Derrick dated, saw a relationship with Derrick like climbing a social ladder. The more successful Derrick became, the more evident these women became to Derrick and the more he thought about Erica.
Erica's differences appealed to Derrick on many levels, but concern also lingered in his mind. Concern for Erica that she'd find it difficult to fit in. Erica was a free spirit, and Derrick thought the structure of his lifestyle would be difficult for Erica. Having to perform and put on airs to fit in would be difficult for Erica. She, also, dressed way too sexy for the corporate lawyer's lifestyle. Derrick attended many functions where the wives and girlfriends, though they looked like clones, all dressed in tailored suits or sweater sets, they wore their hair in tidy short bobs or haircuts slightly longer than their husbands and wore understated jewelry, mostly pearls.
Erica's outfits revealed every curve of her sexy body and her long hair with its big curls bounced around with every seductive move. Her hips and her heart shaped ass swayed as she walked and if you stared too long, you'd be sure to go into a trance. Then there were those eyes. Those bedroom eyes, so big and inviting, captivated her audience. She could turn on men and women alike.
In Derrick's mind, she was perfection, but Erica would never be taken seriously in his social circles There would always be jealous chatter behind her back, people wanting to tear her down. He knew people, and he knew Erica. Erica was sweet and kind, and his lifestyle would eat her up.
Derrick had a lot to get done while he was back in New York for the week but he'd reach out to Erica before he went back to London under the pretense of a friend needing to check up on a friend.
A few days later Derrick and Julie exited a taxi in front of the restaurant chosen by Stephen for his blind date.
"I can't wait to meet one of your New York business associates." Julie looked neat in her lavender sweater set and black pants. Her short nails buffed to a high shine. Her all one- length shoulder cut bob curled under at the ends.
"Stephen's a good guy, and he's excited about this date." Derrick held the door open as Julie walked through.
"Is it a blind date?"
"No, he met her in a yoga class."
As soon as Derrick walked in behind Julie, Stephen stood up from the bar stool and waved to them. He was alone or at least that's how it looked.
"I'm so glad you guys made it."
Derrick introduced Julie to Stephen and then ordered them drinks. "So where's this date?"
"She texted me that she's running late, but she's on her way."
Julie sat in the seat at the bar while Derrick stood behind her. Stephen stood behind the empty barstool glancing at his phone and then towards the front door of the restaurant.
Derrick recognized how nervous Stephen acted, so he attempted to calm him down.
"Dude, she's just a girl."
"Yeah, but not like any girl I ever dated. She's fantastic."
"Well, you're a great guy, so you have nothing to worry about." As Derrick finished his thought, he noticed the energy in the room shift. The noise volume seemed to lower, and all eyes stared in the same direction.
Derrick followed the stares.
"There she is," Stephen said.
Stephen's date arrived.
A smile spread across Derrick's face. There she stood, her hair wild, her eyes alight, her body banging. She wore heels, tight little yoga pants, and a t-shirt. She was underdressed, but she looked sexy as hell. Erica whispered something to the hostess, and she pointed to the back of the restaurant.
A mesmerized Stephen swaggered towards her. She gave a small wave then met him halfway. As he escorted her towards the bar, Derrick and Erica's eyes locked.
"Derrick, Julie this is Erica." Stephen made the introductions.
Erica acted like this was her first time meeting Derrick. "Hi." Erica gave a little wave.
Derrick stood there smiling while Julie eyed her up and down. "They let yo
u in wearing that?" Julie's words were venomous.
Erica looked at her quizzically. Her short stature and her plain appearance surprised Erica. She wasn't ugly, but she wasn't pretty, just plain. Based on the way she looked, Erica would be shocked if Derrick introduced her as his girlfriend.
Why would a man that looked like Derrick date a girl so plain and obviously miserable? If he introduced her as his girlfriend, it must be her brains where the attraction lies. Anyone who sees them together would wonder why he chose her. She wore slacks and a boring sweater set. The ensemble craved a strand of pearls hanging from her neck.
"I have a dress to change into." Erica pointed to her clutch.
"In there." Julie sounded incredulous as she pointed to the small black clutch that Erica carried under her arm.
Once again, Erica appeared as the antithesis of this girl, and Erica assumed this girl and the one she spoke to on the phone a few months back were the same. Erica shook her head and smiled at Stephen. "I'll be right back."
"Let me escort you." Stephen suggestion.
"Thank you but no worries, but I would love a glass of red wine, Cabernet."
Stephen searched for the bartender while Erica walked off to the bathroom and Derrick stood with that stupid smile still stretched across his face. She was here in front of him, and all he felt was happiness.
But that happiness shattered as he heard her voice. "How could she come dressed like that?"
"I think she looks great!" Stephen answered.
Derrick gathered his thoughts so not to expose Erica or himself to any embarrassing altercation with Julie or Stephen. He'd wait for Erica to come back and let her dictate how she wanted to let this play out.
Derrick couldn't believe how the universe brought them together. Even though Erica was here for Stephen, Derrick was happy he'd get to spend the evening with her. Nothing would ruin his night, not even, the cranky girlfriend glowering at him.
Once again, the energy changed in the room, and all eyes turned towards the back of the restaurant. Erica walked out wearing a red midi tube dress and the same black strappy heels she came in wearing.
The In-Between Girl Page 9