“T, if you don’t mind, I’m going to call it quits,” Mona walked to Terrance’s door and said.
He looked up from his desk. “Go ahead. I’ll be alright.”
Mona paused. “You sure? You’ve been in your office all day.”
“I’m fine. I’ll call you later,” Terrance reassured her.
Mona was disappointed Terrance didn’t address what happened between the two of them. Maybe it was easy for him to forget but it wasn’t easy for her.
She left the office and went home to change into her red dress and red heels. She fixed her hair and placed the red flower behind her right ear. She needed to forget Terrance and tonight she would do that with or without meeting Falcon.
Terrance chatted with Raven off and on all day because he was trying to get what happened with Mona off his mind. He decided that after last night he wanted to explore a relationship with Mona. His only issue would be to convince her to do the same.
When Raven asked him to meet her out, he declined. Raven seemed to be a nice woman but she wasn’t Mona. Raven’s identity intrigued him so against his better judgment, he decided to go to the Flamingo Lounge just to get a glimpse of the woman who captured his attention, if only briefly.
Terrance kept a change of clothes at his office because he never knew when he would have to go to a last minute event so he changed out of his jeans into a pair of brown slacks and a blue shirt. Less than an hour later, he was valet parking his car at the Flamingo Lounge.
The popular lounge hadn’t gotten crowded yet so he was able to secure himself a seat at a table that gave him a clear view of the front entrance. He’d looked around and hadn’t seen anyone in a red dress with a red flower in her hair. He ordered a glass of Remy Martin and people-watched.
He scanned the room again. He didn’t know when he’d missed her grand entrance, but his eyes landed on the back of a woman in a red dress. His eyes traveled north and that’s when he noticed the red flower in her hair.
He didn’t believe in coincidence so he’d figured that he’d discovered the identity of Raven. He took a huge gulp of his drink. He needed it to calm down his hormones. He was there to meet her but he’d made up his mind it wouldn’t go any further than a meet and greet. Terrance stood and walked in Raven’s direction.
On the way there, Terrance thought about what he would say. He didn’t want her to think she’d wasted time chatting with him. He would explain to her that he hadn’t expected to fall for a woman who was already in his life. That everything happened suddenly. Who was he fooling? The woman would laugh. She would think he was full of crap because if he cared so much for this other woman, why would he be meeting her?
Before Terrance could reach the bar, Raven turned around. Terrance’s mouth dropped open. He stopped and contemplated on what his next move should be.
Chapter Sixteen
Mona sipped on the apple martini the bartender just handed her. One of the men at the other end of the bar paid for it for her. She smiled and mouthed the words thank you. She turned around holding her drink. The contemporary R & B music filled the room. Ramblings of pieces of conversations could be heard throughout.
Mona removed her cell phone and checked to see if she had any messages from Falcon. She was a little disappointed that she hadn’t heard anything else since earlier. She turned and took a seat on the barstool and nursed her drink.
“Hey, Sunshine,” a familiar voice said behind her.
Mona swiveled the bar seat around. “Terrance, what are you doing here?”
Terrance was so close; she could smell his woodsy cologne.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
Mona looked around Terrance and then back at him. “I was supposed to be meeting someone but I guess they aren’t coming.”
“Who? This mystery man you told me about?” Terrance said while smiling.
Mona wanted to wipe the smirk off his face. “For the record, maybe he’s busy. Have you ever thought of that?”
“Ouch. You don’t have to bite my head off.”
“Don’t make assumptions.”
“Maybe he’s not the one for you and its best you find out now,” Terrance noted.
Mona couldn’t agree more, but she wouldn’t give up hope that Falcon would eventually show up. If he did, she didn’t need to be in such close proximity of Terrance. She slid off the barstool.
“Office hours are between nine and five. Mr. Beckham, I’m off the clock so if there’s nothing else, I’m going to mingle.”
“Have fun,” Terrance said.
To her disappointment, Terrance didn’t follow her when she walked away.
A part of Terrance felt bad knowing Mona would be waiting on someone who would never show. He could have revealed his identity but felt it was best to keep the fact that he was Falcon to himself.
He would play along with her for now. He could probably use his Falcon character to his advantage. He just had to figure out how.
Terrance watched Mona from the bar. He’d drank another glass of Remy Martin. He decided it would be his last because he didn’t want to get intoxicated and not be able to drive home. Plus, he needed to be able to keep a watchful eye out on Mona.
He laughed to himself. It was funny that the woman he’d met on the internet was actually Mona. He thought back to the first time he met her. Mona’s perky, go-getter attitude is what made him decide to hire her.
From a distance, it appeared that Mona was in distress. He placed his glass down on the counter and walked to find out what was going on.
A man a few inches taller than Terrance stood near Mona. Terrance heard Mona ask the man to move. The man responded, “Why you got to be like that? I only asked you for a dance.”
“My boyfriend’s right behind you and he’s not going to like the fact you’re trying to flirt with his woman.”
The guy turned around and came face-to-face with Terrance.
“What’s up, man?” Terrance asked.
The guy looked at Terrance. “Do you know her?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. That’s my lady and I heard her tell you she wasn’t interested.” Terrance stuck his chest out.
“My bad. I’m not trying to start any trouble. She’s looking fire in that dress and all I was trying to do is get a dance. No harm, man.”
“I’m here now, so I suggest you go find some other woman to bother.”
The man held his hand up. “We good?”
“Just don’t let it happen again.”
The man dropped his hand and walked away. Terrance continued the charades. He walked over to Mona and placed his arm around her. “Are you alright?”
She nodded. “Thanks for coming to my rescue. He was a little aggressive.”
“Why don’t we get out of here? Have you eaten anything?” Terrance asked.
“No, but I told you I was waiting on someone.”
Terrance contemplated on whether or not to tell Mona he was Falcon. If he told her, would she understand? Would she feel disappointed that it was him? So many questions filled his mind. This feeling of being insecure was foreign to him. He didn’t want to appear too vulnerable.
In the end, he decided not to take any chances and failed to reveal his identity. “You can always text him.”
Terrance knew she couldn’t because they hadn’t exchanged numbers.
Mona seemed hesitant at first but then said, “Fine. Let’s go. I am sort of hungry.”
Terrance smiled. Mission accomplished.
Chapter Seventeen
Mona sat across from Terrance in the diner that was located down the street from the Flamingo Lounge. When Terrance asked her to dinner, she’d originally assumed he was going to take her to a fancy restaurant, but instead, they were in a greasy diner. A place she never would have imagined Terrance at.
“They
have the best burgers. After the night you’ve had, I think you could use a good, juicy burger,” Terrance said, as he placed the menu down in front of him.
“I am hungry. I’ve been eating junk food all day. I had plans on a good omelet but we both know how that went.”
They laughed out loud at the memory of Terrance’s mom showing up.
Mona took a few deep breaths as she got up the nerve to discuss the night they shared. “Terrance, about last night.”
Before she could finish, a waitress, wearing a name badge with the name “Bessie” on it, walked up to their table and screeched with excitement, “Hey, stranger. Hadn’t seen you in awhile.” Bessie placed two glasses of lemonade in front of them.
Terrance responded, “I had to come by and see you. How are Jimmy and the kids?”
“Jimmy found him a new job. Pays more, but not enough for me to quit this gig. Besides, I’m still waiting on you to get me a part in one of your movies.”
“Bessie, I haven’t forgotten about you,” Terrance said. “I want you to meet Mona. I was telling her about the burgers.”
“Tee, she’s as cute as button. And small too. She could definitely use one of our burgers. Sugar, what you want on yours? That one there gets the works.” Bessie pointed at Terrance.
“Hold the pickles, onions and mustard. Add cheese please,” Mona responded.
Bessie wrote something on her pad. “Got it. Two juicy burgers coming out soon. I’ll throw a free dessert on there for you.”
“Thanks, Bessie,” Terrance said.
Bessie left them alone.
“I guess I should thank you again for coming to my rescue back at the Flamingo. Some dudes don’t take rejection well,” Mona said.
“You’re always rescuing me from my fiascos, so it felt good to return the favor.” Terrance winked his eye. His cell phone rang. He glanced down at it. “I need to take this call. I’ll be right back.”
Terrance slipped out of the booth and walked outside.
Mona looked around and saw that the diner was filled with people from all walks of life. Her stomach growled. She couldn’t wait to get her food. She pulled out her cell phone and checked her social media sites while waiting on Terrance to return. She laughed at some of the funny memes.
Terrance slipped back into his seat. “What’s so funny?”
“I was on Charlie Murphy’s Instagram’s page and he made a funny meme.”
“Charlie Murphy is hilarious. Do you remember his skits on the Dave Chappelle Show?”
“Oh my goodness, yes.” Mona laughed. She attempted to mimic one of Charlie Murphy’s skits.
Terrance laughed so hard he held his side.
“Here are your burgers. Enjoy,” Bessie said.
Mona took a bite out of her big juicy burger. “Mmm,” she moaned. In between bites, she said, “You’re so right. This is good. Almost better than sex.”
“The key word is almost,” Terrance responded.
She saw him wink.
Mona squirmed in her seat. They continued to eat but neither said a word as they ate their food.
Terrance paid the bill and left Bessie a nice tip.
“I really hate for this night to end,” Terrance said, while they walked to his car.
“I’ve enjoyed hanging out with you, too.”
By now they were at Terrance’s car. He held the door open. “The night doesn’t have to end.”
Terrance leaned forward and before Mona could respond, he was kissing her. She didn’t pull away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She forgot all about Falcon being a no show. She also forgot about her original reservations of being with Terrance. She forgot about everything except the feel of his lips on hers.
She pulled back. She used her fingers to wipe the red lipstick from his mouth. “Why don’t you take me to get my car and then I’ll follow you back to your place?”
“Now that’s what I love to hear,” Terrance said.
Mona got in on the passenger side. Terrance drove her to her car. He waited for her to get securely inside. She pulled off first and he followed her down the highway.
The juicy burger satisfied her taste buds but only Terrence would be able to satisfy her sexual appetite. She kept trying to think of excuses of why she shouldn’t meet Terrance at his place but couldn’t come up with any so she didn’t detour.
Mona parked her car in Terrance’s circular driveway. He pulled in behind her. He held his hand out and they walked hand in hand up the walkway inside of his house.
Chapter Eighteen
They were barely inside of the house, when Terrance and Mona began kissing. With lips locked, they removed each other’s clothes.
Terrance had Mona pinned to the wall in the hallway. He cupped one of her breasts and flickered his tongue over the nipple. She leaned back on the wall and moaned. She wrapped her legs around Terrance’s waist and he held her buttocks with his hands. They kissed some more while he carried her in that position to one of the nearby guest bedrooms. He practically kicked the door in.
They fell on the bed. Terrance was on his back with Mona on top of him. Mona’s kisses trailed down Terrance’s neck to his chest. When she reached his boxers, she reached into the opening and pulled out his erect penis and licked the head of it catching Terrance off-guard.
She wrapped her mouth around it as Terrance moaned out in pleasure.
He placed his hand in her hair as she continued to pleasure him. She felt his penis enlarge in her mouth. She knew he was on the verge of exploding. She stopped and eased on top of him and replaced her mouth with the wetness in between her legs.
“Monaaa,” Terrance moaned over and over as she rode him like a stallion.
Terrance placed one of her nipples in his mouth, causing Mona to get wetter and wetter as she bounced on Terrance.
They held on to each other as Terrance erupted like a volcano inside of her.
Terrance fell back on the bed and she fell on his chest. Their heavy breathing subsided into an even keel as they caught their breaths.
Terrance couldn’t seem to get enough of Mona. They made love several times throughout the night. The sunlight peeking through the curtains the next morning woke him. He reached for Mona, but she wasn’t there. He noticed a note on the pillow next to him.
It read, Your breakfast is in the microwave. I also put on a hot pot of coffee.
Terrance hated that Mona left without waking him to say good-bye. After showering, he went downstairs. He picked up his discarded clothes that were now piled up outside of the guest bedroom. He removed his cell phone from one of the pockets. He’d received several calls; one being from his mom, who he would call later.
He dialed Mona’s number as he placed the clothes in a dirty hamper. He got her voicemail. “Mona, baby, call me.”
He disconnected the call. He wanted to hear her voice. Correction, he needed to hear her voice. He needed to know that everything was okay with her.
This was the second time they’d been intimate and this thing happening between them could no longer be avoided. He wasn’t sure about Mona, but he didn’t want to be with anyone else. Being with her was enough for him. She genuinely cared about people. It was an attribute that attracted him to her. He also liked the fact that whenever he needed her, she had his back. His life ran smoother with her being around. Her feisty attitude also kept him in check. He smiled as he thought of her because most women were too busy trying to kiss up to him than be honest with him. She never backed down from telling him exactly how she felt.
He warmed the omelet Mona made for him in the microwave. This time he was able to enjoy it. He later went to his home office and started going over the proposal. The meeting with the executive would be Monday and he needed to make sure he was prepared. He didn’t want to fumble during his pitch session.
Terranc
e threw his pen down on the desk. He looked at his phone. He didn’t have any missed calls. He dialed his cell number from the house phone. The cell phone rang confirming he didn’t have signal issues.
He dialed Mona’s number again. This time she answered.
“I was just about to call you,” she said from the other end of the phone.
“Thanks for the omelet but it would have been better if we could have eaten breakfast together,” Terrance said.
“I didn’t want to overstay my welcome. Besides, it’s Saturday and I needed to take care of some chores like wash clothes and things like that.”
“Will I see you later?”
“Do you have something going on that you need my help with?”
Terrance tapped the pen on the table. “I sure do. I need to go over the pitch with you.”
“Let me take care of my household chores and then I’ll be over. Let’s say around four or five?”
“That works for me. I’ll cook us something.”
“You, cook?” Mona laughed. “I’m definitely coming over. I’ve never known you to cook anything.”
“Just because you’ve never seen me cook doesn’t mean I can’t,” Terrance responded.
“I’ll be there with a hearty appetite, so make something good.”
Terrance wasn’t really a good cook but now he had no choice but to deliver on what he promised. He called his friend Chef Gavin. “Man, I need a huge favor. Can you come over and cook a meal for me? I need you to use my pots and pans so it’ll look like I cooked.”
“Oh, so which woman are you trying to impress? Is it the model Moet? Or is it the actress I saw in your last movie, Paulette?”
“Gavin, I think I’ve found the one. But I just have to convince her she’s the one.”
“Well, you don’t want to start off under false pretenses. Why don’t I come over? I’ll tell you what to do and if I see you need my help, I’ll step in.”
Gavin had a point. He was already being deceitful by not telling Mona he was Falcon. “Sounds good. Can you be over in about an hour?”
Secret Liaisons Page 6