Dirty Flirting [Part Two]

by Ava Alise

  “We got this,” I say, and kiss the side of her head. The elevator slows and I step away right as it opens at our floor.

  I enter my office moments later, but before I can get settled, my cell rings.

  “Drex.” Tara’s voice echoes through the receiver.

  “What's up?”

  “I have a problem.” She sighs. “I have to have my car towed to the shop. It won't be ready before my appointment. Would it be all right if we ride together?”

  “Sure,” I say, noticing how strained my voice sounds. “I'll be there at twelve-thirty.”

  Dread fills my chest. I end the call with her and sit at my desk lost in thought. Is this how life is going to be? Besides my irritation with her for trying to force me to leave Kelsa, I don't have any issues with Tara. I've known her all of my life. Holiday dinners, her dance recitals, my high school football games. Every graduation, every award ceremony, the best moments of my life and the worst… she's always been there. But she was there as a friend, a buddy, not someone who I was raising a child with. Not someone who may be the reason Kelsa leaves me. Because If Kelsa loves me, and I think she does, I don't think she would leave me because of the baby. She would leave because of the baby's mother.

  I take a few deep breaths, massaging my temples in slow circles, trying to ward off the headache that's brewing. A few minutes go by before my phone rings with a call from Ronald, pulling me out of my thoughts.

  He informs me of a preliminary meeting with Amber’s team to get us up to speed with what they are planning for Paris next week.

  The meeting is right before lunch, so I push the panic about the baby and Tara from my head and spend the remainder of the morning reviewing files. As time ticks by, I can't shake the dread that's lingering over me about this meeting. Shit, this whole day is turning into a ball of stress. I should have stuck with my first thought today, to skip work and stay in. This meeting will be awkward and tense. Ron is still pissed at me and who knows how Amber feels. Kelsa did text to let me know that her meeting with Amber went better than she expected, but what does that even mean?

  When I walk into the conference room a few hours later, everyone is already waiting. Kelsa, Shane, Amber, and Ronald are seated at a small round table in front of a blank projector screen.

  “Good morning everyone,” I say as I enter. I pause at the doorway as I wait for the tension and awkwardness to hit me. Everyone greets me evenly, minus Kelsa who smiles, and I have to stop myself from looking at her for longer than is appropriate.

  Nothing sets this apart from any other business meeting I've had with them. I expected Amber to be scowling, Shane to be curious, and Ron… I don't know… disappointed. Instead, we fall into the business meeting as usual. Kelsa presents her pitch for an exclusive showcase of the line. Shane and Amber go over the ideas for additional advertising and media marketing, then we have a brainstorming session.

  It goes off without a hitch and I'm shocked. But maybe the lack of tension is a good sign. As we are ending the meeting, Ron pulls me aside to tell me that Marsh is expected to return to the office tomorrow and we all will meet with him around noon.

  “Holy shit you guys,” Lisa says as Kelsa and I take our seats at the lunch table an hour later. I’m grabbing lunch to go since I’ll be meeting Tara soon. “I knew something was going on between you two, why didn't you tell us?”

  “You did?” Phillip says, looking at Lisa. “I had no fucking idea.”

  “Seriously, how long has this been going on? I feel like I don't even know you guys,” Lisa adds.

  “A couple months,” Kelsa says, looking at me.

  “Yeah. Miami,” I add.

  Lisa's eyes widen, whereas Phillip’s narrow and he nods slowly as if he's connecting some invisible dots.

  “So are you together?”

  I take a deep breath and flag the waiter down. We tell Philip and Lisa that our relationship is complicated but they still continue throwing questions at us from every direction.

  As soon as the waiter arrives, I place my order and turn back to my friends with gritted teeth. I'm annoyed that we're having this conversation and I'm trying not be pissed at their curiosity. Kelsa humors them though and answers most of their questions. I guess I get it. I know it came as a shock, especially to them. I also know the real reason I'm grumpy has nothing to do with them, it's Tara. I'll be meeting her in twenty minutes and I'm worried what this appointment will reveal, what it will mean. If I'm about to be a father, then it's something I'll get used to. I like kids and I've always planned to have them. But if the kid is mine and Kelsa doesn't get on board, my heart will tear apart. Because I'll have to put my kid first. I just pray it doesn't come to that. Maybe that's why I've hated talking to our friends about us. It makes it more real, and in a way, I'm already mourning the ending. It's fucking awful.

  I check my watch for the third time before I see the waiter coming with my sandwich.

  “Haha, so what do you do? Wait to have dirty sex in the boardroom after meetings?” That was Phillip, and I guess we've made it to the joke portion of the twenty questions game.

  I pull up to Tara’s building fifteen minutes later and I text her to come out. I really hope she doesn't pick another fight about Kelsa. I'm over today already and I'm only halfway through it. Fortunately when she gets in the car, she doesn't say much and it gives me time to sort out my thoughts. The doctor's office is on the bottom floor of a large high-rise, but finding parking was surprisingly easy for this time of day.

  “In a few weeks I'll find out the sex of the baby. I'm really hoping for a girl,” Tara says as we step into the building. Her gaze falls to mine and her expression tightens. “This is weird, right?”

  “It is. But if it's happening, it's happening. We'll just have to figure it out.”

  She takes a deep breath, nods, and we enter the lobby.

  The sound of breaking glass cuts through the air as Darla, the bartender at Lou's, knocks into the wine shelf for the second time in the last hour. Lou's is a local steak house not far from where Tara lives. Louis Dover, the owner, is a retired Army solider and he decorated some of the interior to pay homage to our military. The wall by the front door displays dozens of 8x10 framed photos of our area’s local veterans, including one of my brother Drew before he was killed in battle. Liam, Tara, and I used to come here a lot before Liam died and it still feels weird being here without him. The appointment was a lot longer than I expected so I decided to take the afternoon off, it would have been well after 3p.m. by the time I made it back to the office. After taking Tara to grab a bite to eat, she asked me to drop her off at Lou’s so she could meet Aaron, her ex and the other “baby daddy” candidate, to tell him the news. Clearly I wasn't the only one who she kept the pregnancy from. She still doesn't have her car and asked me to stay until he came. I felt wrong for leaving her without knowing he was already here and going to take her home. Well, that was an hour and two drinks ago.

  The doctor’s appointment went well. Everything looks good with the baby. I asked him a ton of questions about the likelihood of me being the father and he confirmed what we already knew.

  I could be.

  Unfortunately, he wouldn't agree to do the paternity test. He said it came with a risk of miscarriage, and unless there were other medical reasons for him to test the baby's DNA, he didn't feel comfortable doing it before delivery. We, of course, agreed it wasn't worth risking, but it doesn’t make my situation with Kelsa any easier.

  Tara and Aaron are sitting at a table not far from my seat at the bar. He was thirty minutes late and I was sure he wasn't going to show.

  “Hey, man. You all right?” Kevin says. Kevin Gibbs is my best friend and has been since college. We usually meet up on Tuesdays to grab a drink and catch up, but since I was stuck here, I told him to stop by.

  “I'm good.” I say, finishing the last of my drink.

  He watches me curiously as he hangs his coat and suit jacket on the back of his chair. Kevin kn
ow everything; the situation with Kelsa, my issues at work, even about the baby. He's a great friend, almost like a brother, and I can usually count on him for sound advice on how not to fuck shit up.

  I catch a glimpse of Aaron jumping to his feet out of the corner of my eye. He and Tara are arguing and he looks pissed. Kevin follows my gaze over to their table.

  “Fuck, man, what happened? How'd the appointment go?” he asks as he waves over with bartender.

  “We won't be able to do a paternity test until after the baby is born. She's telling him now.”

  “Damn.”

  I glance back over at Aaron. He's sitting again, but still clearly pissed as he glares across the table at Tara.

  “So, what are you going to do about Kelsa?”

  I blow out a large breath and look down at my empty glass. “I don't know.” I shrug. “But right now, I drink.”

  After that I intentionally changed the subject. We talk about his wife, Stephanie, how things are going with house hunting, any fucking thing to stop my mind from rattling over the stacks. Kevin is in the middle of describing a two-story colonial style home he and Stephanie are bidding on in New Jersey when Aaron storms out of the restaurant. Both Kevin and I see it and we look over at Tara who is now sobbing.

  Fuck.

  She grabs a napkin from the table and cries into it. A mixture of annoyance and anger rushes through me. What the fuck? I get that he's pissed. The situation is fucked up and Tara is impossible to deal with sometimes, but she could be the mother of his child. I leave Kevin and walk over to her table.

  “What happened?” I ask. But she's so distraught that it takes her a few minutes to speak.

  “He called me a slut. Said I let you take advantage of me.” She sniffles. “He's such an asshole.”

  “He’ll get over it, Tara. He'll have no choice.”

  She looks up at me with red-rimmed eyes, then excuses herself to the restroom. I sigh and fall heavily into her chair.

  I know what needs to be done and there is never going to be a good time to do it.

  Taking a deep breath, I pull my phone from my pocket.

  Stack One, trip over three stacks and you’re done.

  My body feels hot and my heart races as I type out the text message. I blow out a shaky breath, look to the hall Tara just disappeared down, and I hit send.

  Kelsa

  “You've been pretty upbeat today,” Shane says, with concern clouding his eyes. We’re standing in my office, preparing to leave for the day. “I just knew for sure that you’d be a wreck.”

  “Would you have you blamed me?”

  “No. Heck, I'd still be a mess. That video was pretty… personal.”

  I sigh, pausing for a beat as I slide into my coat. “I guess what bothered me the most is that I could lose my job.” I shrug. “Maybe the fact that my superiors saw me acting inappropriately, but the video itself… he could have caught us doing worse,” I say as visions of the things Drex and I did in the empty conference room upstairs come to mind. Him going down on me, sex on the table, all the forbidden things we did in that room after our dirty games got the best of us.

  “I guess that's true,” he says. We step into the hall and head toward the elevator.

  “There's nothing I can do about it now, I guess. Just pray I don't lose my job. I’m taking the fact that Amber didn't immediately remove me from the Headly’s job as a good sign. Hopefully it will all go well with Marsh tomorrow.”

  “I hope so too. She hasn't said anything to me about going in your place, so yeah, maybe it is a good sign.”

  I nod, offering a small smirk as we step into the elevator. I'm trying to stay optimistic, but Marsh is just as strict as Amber, so I don't want to get my hopes up too high. We fall silent as we make our way down to the lobby. I wonder if Shane knows more or if he's seen this sort of thing happen before at EDG. He's worked here for four years. Coworkers sneaking around isn't exactly unheard of. For some people, I'm sure it's the thrill of breaking the rules or the idea of getting caught that makes it so hot. For me, it was just Drex, and how I can't seem to let him go.

  “See you tomorrow.” I wave to Shane as I walk past the receptionist and exit the building.

  The moment I step outside, the frigid air chills me to the core. Christmas is just a few days away and the already busy New York streets are even busier, if that's possible. Lines of cars stretch in each direction as people rush to do last minute shopping. I won't lie, I miss driving sometimes, but it's moments like this that remind me why I chose to ride the train. Drivers are frustrated, parking is nonexistent. I shake my head as I make my way down the subway stairs.

  Cam's studio is a good twenty minute train ride from my job. He has lived here for a few weeks now and I’ve been promising to take him to my favorite southern food restaurant, Patty South. With all that has been going on recently, we haven’t found time to go, but with my decision not to allow stress to ruin me completely, I think a dinner out with Cam may be needed.

  His studio looks just like I remember it. The dirty deeds couch is still in the lobby, the walls display many of the same photos as before, and my eyes are immediately drawn back to the one of the girl lying seductively by the window. It really is a beautiful shot.

  The door that leads from the lobby to the studio space is closed this time though, so I use the key code he gave me to open the door.

  “Cam?” I yell as I walk further into the studio. He doesn’t respond, so I grab my cell and call his phone. A buzzing sound echoes near where cameras are set up on the far end of the large space. He’s never without his phone and I can’t help but recognize how a trickle of fear tickles my stomach.

  I didn’t notice how creepy it was in here before. He intentionally had the studio designed to be dark and seductive, but right now, I wish I could find a light switch.

  My footsteps echo off the hardwood floors and bounce around the space as I walk toward his cameras.

  “Cam?” I call again.

  Nothing.

  As I get closer to the cameras I start to see a full photo shoot set up, but it looks wrong. His light boxes shine brightly at a wooden chair that’s been toppled over. A small table that sits close to the cameras has also been knocked down. Various props, along with Cam’s cellphone, lie on the floor. The fear that was tickling my stomach turns to panic. I immediately begin looking around, but he keeps it so dark in here that anyone could be hiding in the corners. As I’m considering running across the room back to the lobby, I remember the landline in his office connects directly to the building's security team. My eyes dart around as I inch toward door.

  “He’s fine. He’s fine.” I breathe as I bring a shaky hand to the door knob and twist. As the door inches open, I hear a noise that almost makes me yell, but then I see Cam. He’s sitting in the chair at his desk with his head thrown back. He looks like he’s in pain. I begin to inch closer, his name getting caught in my throat as I’m about to call to him. The pounding in my chest intensifies. I clear my throat preparing to speak, but then he groans.

  “Good girl,” he says, eyes falling down toward his lap. “Now stand up and bend over my desk.” A woman appears from behind the desk, naked and bound at the wrists. It takes me a second to understand what I’m seeing and during that brief moment, both Cam and the woman notice me standing there.

  “Oh my God!” I yell, backing toward the door. The woman screams and drops back behind the desk.

  “Bean?” I hear Cam say, right as I run out of the room slamming the door behind me. Cam comes out of the office seconds later, his shirt unbuttoned and belt undone.

  “Bean. What are you doing here?” he says.

  “Dinner.” It’s all I’m able to say as I gesture wildly with my hands. I can’t believe what I just saw… or almost saw. I make a note to never investigate my brother’s murder ever again.

  “I thought that was on Tuesday.”

  “It is Tuesday!” I bring a frustrated hand to my forehead. “I thought
something had happened to you.” I sigh. “The chair and table is flipped over, your phone is on the floor. What the hell?”

  He smiles. “What can I say, that little bird likes it rough.” He nods toward his office. I grimace as I look over the messy studio in a different light.

  “Ew,” I say. He laughs. “So, is she coming out or should I just come back?”

  “Trust me, she’s not coming out here. Plus she won't move unless I tell her.”

  My brows rise as I nod slowly. “Right. Well. I will see you at home then.” I look away from him to the exit. “You handle… your bird.”

  I’ve begun taking steps toward the doorway of the lobby, but then Cam’s voice echoes.

  “Just… give me a few minutes. We actually finished the shoot and she has somewhere to be soon.” He’s backing away as he speaks. “Let me talk to her and then we’ll go get dinner.”

  “Ok. But I’m waiting out here!”

  Cam and I leave about fifteen minutes later. I'm trying hard to erase the last twenty minutes of my life. I don't think about my brother’s sex life, ever. But I know him, and he isn't the type of guy to stay lonely for too long. Since he's moved in, I have noticed he hasn't brought any women over, so I should have known it was happening somewhere. I just hate that I walked in on it. Cam grins when he notices me frowning.

  “Haha, come on Kels. Just be happy you didn’t walk in ten minutes later.” He winks right before he shifts the car into drive.

  “Oh! Thank God!” I exclaim. This causes him to laugh harder.

  I can't seem to keep the question from my eyes, despite me really not wanting to know the answers.

  “What?” he asks.

  I shake my head and look away, only to be betrayed by my disgusting curiosity. I find his gaze again.

  He blows out a breath. “No, Bean, I don't use my studio as a sex pad, that was just a one time thing. And yes… I'm a little rough with my women, but only the ones who ask for it. Denise loves that shit, and I don't hate it, I won't lie.”