Managed by Chance

by Amy DeMeritt

  “I didn’t realize you are exclusive. When did you discuss that?”

  “Uh, well, I guess we didn’t actually say those words exactly.” Suddenly feeling very anxious, Mel reached into her pocket looking for her cellphone, but it was in her gym bag. “I almost called her my girlfriend today, but I quickly corrected myself. She didn’t seem to notice or care either way. But I guess being exclusive and girlfriends isn’t always the same thing. How do you know for sure?”

  “Seriously, Mel? You discuss it. Have either of you talked about not dating other people?”

  “No.”

  “Well, you need to find out, as soon as possible. You need to know what her expectations are so you don’t get your heart broken.” Her nose scrunched, and she quietly added, “Or catch something because she’s sleeping around.”

  “I don’t think she’s doing that. She seems serious about wanting to be with me.”

  “You still need to talk about it. Lay it all out on the table. I had that conversation with Blake before I even brought her home. She knew from the start that I would only hook up with her if we dated for a little while to see if we like each other enough to be a couple. Neither of us are seeing anyone else.”

  “How did you know you could trust her?”

  Layla dug her cellphone out of her gym bag, and after typing and swiping for a few moments, she showed the screen to Mel. “She gave me a copy of her latest lab-work showing she is free of any STDs and STIs. It was a month prior to us meeting and she said she hadn’t been with anyone in between. She also went and got tested after we were together to double-down on it as a display of good-faith and to show she wanted to continue seeing me.”

  “Or she was making sure you didn’t give her something.”

  “Don’t be rude.” Layla put her phone back in her bag, and as she stood upright, she retorted, “Did you and Katie get tested for each other? No, you didn’t. But you should.”

  Mel exhaled hard and rubbed the back of her neck. The more they talked about this, the more anxious she became. Layla was right, of course. She needed to get tested and she needed to discuss being exclusive with Katie. She didn’t think Katie would take the risk to date her if she wasn’t exclusive, but it was probably best not to assume anything at all.

  By the time Elise called the class to attention and instructed them to put their wraps and gloves on, Mel was so confused and stressed out that she was actually grateful for the mental distraction. She didn’t want to go to the gym when Layla first mentioned it, but every instruction Elise was giving through a microphone attached to her ear was like an instruction to pummel her problems to a pulp. And even though Mel didn’t care for this type of exercise, she was really getting into it. She was dripping sweat from all of the typical places, and even a few places that felt rather uncomfortable. Her lungs were struggling to keep up with the rate of her racing heart. Her muscles were quickly becoming fatigued. But her fists were taking the real brunt of the abuse as Mel lambasted the punching bag with a ferocity incompatible to her typical demeanor.

  When the class ended, Mel practically crumbled into a heap on the floor against the mirror. She ripped her boxing gloves off and fished her water bottle out of her gym bag. While she was guzzling water, Layla sat down next to her to take her own gloves and wrist wraps off.

  “Feeling better?”

  Mel gasped for air as she stopped drinking and set her bottle down between her thighs so she could take her wraps off.

  “That was intense.”

  “No kidding.” Layla released a small laugh. “I thought you were going to break a bone or break that bag off of its chains.”

  “You were right. This was cathartic. I needed that. Oh, shit.” Mel carefully peeled the sweaty and bloody wrap off with her face pinched in preparation for the stinging pain that seared across her knuckles the instant the air hit the open wounds. “I skinned three of my knuckles. Gross.”

  “Looks painful.” Layla wiggled the fingers of her outstretched hand, mocking Mel with her completely fine, smooth skin. “Those better heal by next week. I want to come back again.”

  “Yeah, we can do that. But I’m not signing a yearlong contract. Nothing more than a month. You’re too flaky with your exercise programs for me to commit to longer than that.”

  “You know, you could always continue to come without me if I decide I need a change of pace.”

  Mel snorted. “Yeah, okay, sure. You know I only do this for you, right?” Mel held up her bloody knuckles. “I did this just for you.”

  “I prefer flowers and mixed CDs. Save the bloody knuckles for Katie.”

  “Here,” Mel offered her cellphone to Layla, “take a picture of my hands. Probably best I show her now instead of waiting till work tomorrow.”

  After Layla took a couple of pictures of her hands, Mel picked the best one, or rather the one that looked the worst, and sent it to Katie with an explanation of how Layla dragged her to kickboxing tonight. While she waited for a response, they gathered their things and headed for the exit.

  Elise was in the middle of a conversation with a couple of other students, but when she saw Layla and Mel approaching, she called out, “Thanks for coming, ladies! Will we see you next week?”

  Layla waved, as she confirmed, “Yes, we’ll be back. Thanks!”

  When they got back to the car, Mel pulled her buzzing cellphone out of her shorts pocket.

  Katie: That looks like it hurts. Have you cleaned it yet?

  Mel: Not yet. I’ll take care of it when we get home. It burns, but it’s not too bad. I didn’t even realize I did that till I took the wraps off.

  Katie: I guess it’s better than a black eye. Did you kick ass tonight?

  Mel: I fought with a sixty-pound punching bag and I was the only one injured, so I think I got my ass kicked.

  Katie: I just laughed out loud. Did you at least have a good time?

  Mel: I hate to admit that I actually enjoyed exercise, but yeah, it wasn’t bad. It was good stress relief. I’m exhausted though. It was an intense class. Layla roped me into going again next week.

  Katie: I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Are the bloody knuckles going to become a regular thing?

  “I told Katie we’re going again next week and she asked me if the bloody knuckles are going to become a regular thing. What do you think she means by that? You think she’s considering dumping me again already just because my knuckles got busted up?”

  While looking over her shoulder to check for traffic so she could change lanes, Layla answered, “I doubt she’d dump you for that. But if you want to test her, tell her maybe and see what she says.”

  Mel responded as suggested by Layla and waited an entire minute with her heart beating hard and drumming her thumb against her knee. But when Katie’s response came in, she immediately relaxed.

  Katie: Sounds like you really enjoyed the class if you’re willing to put yourself through that. I’ve skinned my finger and toe knuckles on the bottom of swimming pools and that is not fun.

  Mel: Do you like to go swimming?

  Katie: I do.

  Mel: You want to go some time? We have a membership at Cypress Swim Club. It’s a nice, private club and the pools are always clean.

  Katie: Or we could just go in my backyard. I have an inground pool. And it’s clean and very private.

  Mel smiled really big and looked over at Layla, who was dancing in her seat to the radio while she drove them home.

  “Katie has a pool.”

  “Sweet. How many dates before you can invite me?”

  “I don’t know. She only sort of invited me, but we don’t have any set plans yet.”

  “You really need to work on your communication skills.”

  Mel stuck her tongue out at Layla and typed a response back to Katie telling her she’d love to go swimming at her place sometime.

  Katie: Can I book you for a second date on Friday night at my place?

  Mel: Friday night sounds great. Will I get
to meet Sprite?

  Katie: She meowed and rolled over for tummy rubs when I asked if she’d like to meet you. I think that’s a yes.

  Mel: Will I get some tummy rubs if I meow and roll over?

  Katie: I just laughed so hard she swatted me. Yes, I’ll give you some tummy rubs, but you don’t have to meow for them.

  Mel: Okay, I’ll resist the meowing, but I might not be able to hold in the purrs.

  Katie: I’ll be looking forward to those. Any other spontaneous plans for tonight?

  Mel: I think kickboxing was as spontaneous as we’re getting tonight. We’re officially back on a diet, so we’re having a boring salad for dinner.

  Katie: I know I already said this before, but I think it’s really sweet that you do all of that to support Layla’s whims and goals. I’ll make sure to take you somewhere tomorrow for dinner that would definitely not be diet-approved.

  Mel: My stomach literally just growled in hunger. I could really go for some real food and tummy rubs right about now. How’s your night going?

  Mel continued talking to Katie the entire drive home, up the elevator, and even while Layla started working on dinner. Despite how stressed and confused she was, she couldn’t deny that she really enjoyed talking to Katie and getting to know her more. She loved how easily they could flirt and talk about real life things all in the same conversation.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Mel darted through the front door and ran down the hall to her bedroom, so Layla jumped up from the couch and followed her. When she stepped into her open doorway, Mel was frantically unbuttoning her shirt and kicking her shoes off.

  “What the hell is wrong with you? You get a spider or a scorpion on you or something?”

  “No. I’m running late. Stupid fender-bender had traffic backed up for miles.” She ripped her pants off, and wearing just her underwear and sports bra, she wiggled past Layla to get to the bathroom. “I have to get a shower and get ready. Katie should be here in less than an hour to pick me up for dinner.”

  “Okay. I’ll let her in if you’re not ready.”

  “Thanks.”

  Mel closed the bathroom door, and a second later, Layla heard the shower turn on. Instead of returning to the couch, she went into Mel’s bedroom to pick up her scattered clothes for her, knowing it would drive Mel crazy if she had to leave her bedroom like that all night. As she picked up her pants, she fished out her wallet and cellphone to set on her desk, then noticed her phone only had forty-percent left on the battery. That would have also stressed Mel out all night, so Layla set the phone on the charging pad for her.

  When she sat back down on the couch, she grabbed her own cellphone, but before she could unlock it, the intercom buzzed.

  “Oh, no, Mel’s going to go insane that Katie is here already.” She released a small laugh and hopped up to answer the call. She pressed the button, and inquired, “Hello?”

  “Hey, babe.”

  Layla squealed, “Blake? Oh, my god, what are you doing here? No, wait, just tell me up here.”

  Blake laughed through the intercom. “You’re so fucking adorable. See you in a few.”

  After hitting the button to let Blake into the building, she looked in the octagonal mirror hung by the door to check her hair, then looked down to fuss over her tee shirt and shorts.

  Blake knocked only a couple of minutes later, and as Layla opened the door, her face spread into a huge smile. She leapt through the door and wrapped her arms around the back of Blake’s neck and gave her a firm kiss on the lips. As their mouths parted, Blake bent down to scoop her up, so Layla hopped and wrapped her legs around Blake’s waist. Blake carefully walked inside, and after she closed the door behind them, Layla broke from the kiss to look into her deep, brown eyes.

  “What are you doing here? I thought you had to work all night?”

  “I do. I’m just on a dinner break.” She held up a bag that Layla hadn’t noticed before. “You said you were craving sushi.”

  “Oh, my god.” Layla grabbed her face and kissed her lips, cheeks, and forehead, making Blake grin ear to ear. “I can’t believe you brought me sushi.” She pulled Blake into a brief kiss, then asked, “How long do you have?”

  “Thirty minutes.”

  “Damn.” Layla stepped down off of her waist and pulled her over to the couch. “Are you still working till ten?”

  While she pulled the trays of sushi out of the bag for them, Blake answered, “Yeah, that’s the earliest I’ll get out. Depends on how late people come into the restaurant. When I work the evening shift, I usually don’t get out till closer to eleven and sometimes after midnight.”

  “I think it’s really inconsiderate to the staff to seat people at or right around closing. Why can’t they have an earlier cutoff time? Like, if the average customer sits in a restaurant for an hour, they should stop seating people at nine.”

  “For some places I’m sure that wouldn’t be a big deal. But Terracotta Cantina is a busy restaurant, especially the bar. We do a ton of business in the late evening hours. It would really cut into revenue and tips if they did that. I don’t mind most of the time. It’s when we get people who show up late just for one drink and sit and chat for hours that really irritates me.”

  Layla ran a hand over Blake’s head as she leaned in to give her a kiss, then while massaging the back of her neck, she said, “Thanks for spending your dinner break with me. I could have come to you so you didn’t have to spend half of your hour driving around.”

  “It’s okay, babe.” Blake gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “I wanted to surprise you since you had a shitty day yesterday and I couldn’t do anything about it. You can come have dinner with me at the restaurant another night.”

  After eating a salmon roll, Layla asked, “Do you have to work at the club Friday night?”

  Blake shook her head while she chewed, and after swallowing, she answered, “I have off all weekend. Would you like to do something?”

  “Mel is going over to Katie’s and staying the night. I was thinking we could make dinner here since we’ll have the place all to ourselves.”

  “Sounds great.” Blake smiled as she leaned in to give Layla a kiss on the lips. “Anything special you’re in the mood for?”

  “Hey, Layla…” Mel walked into the living room wearing a nice pair of slacks and only a sports bra on top. She had four hung shirts in her hands and was looking down at them as she stopped in front of the coffee table. “Which do you…?” She looked up, and seeing Blake made her cheeks blush, and she stuttered, “Oh, uh, hey, I didn’t know you were coming over.”

  “Hello, Melrose. I surprised Layla with dinner, but I have to get back to work soon. Need help picking a shirt?”

  “Uh, yeah.” Mel looked down between the shirts, then held them up for Layla to see. “I wore a green shirt on Monday and a blue shirt today at work, so I was thinking I probably shouldn’t wear either of those colors tonight. And should I go with a solid or a pattern?”

  Layla had food in her mouth, so Blake pointed and said, “Hold that gray and white paisley up against you.” Mel held the shirt up and Blake tilted her head as she looked her up and down. “Let me see the magenta.” Mel changed shirts, then Blake shook her head. “The gray and white paisley. It’s classier for a first official date.”

  Mel looked at Layla for her opinion, so she held her hand up in front of her mouth since she hadn’t fully swallowed her food yet, and said, “I agree.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  After Mel left the room to finish getting ready, Layla leaned over to give Blake a kiss. As Layla pulled back smiling to look in her eyes, she said, “I like you.”

  Blake smiled and brushed a couple of fingers through Layla’s silky dark brown hair. “I like you too.”

  Glowing with happiness, Layla closed the few inches between them so they were sitting hip to hip while they continued eating and talking.

  When they finished, Blake looked at her watch and sighed. “I have to leave
in five minutes.” She looked at Layla, and asked, “Did you enjoy the sushi?”

  “It was delicious.”

  Layla stood up and gently pushed Blake’s shoulders back, and as she straddled her lap, Blake ran her hands up her thick thighs and up under her shorts to cup her ass. As their mouths united, Layla leaned into her more, and Blake started massaging her ass, sparking wild desire in their cores. Layla inhaled deeply through her nose as she grinded her hips against Blake’s and palmed through her black hair, getting a firm grip on the short locks. As her clit spasmed, eliciting a sharp moan, Layla scooted back on Blake’s thighs and grabbed the waist of her black work pants. She quickly ripped the button apart and the zipper down, and as she slipped her hand under the waist of her underwear, Blake slipped her hand between Layla’s thighs, both of them gliding easily over each other’s slick folds.

  There wasn’t time for slow, tender romantic love making and they both knew it. But they didn’t want slow and tender. They wanted raw, in-the-moment heat and passion. Their kiss was wild and slightly sloppy, and their hips were just as wild in thrusting against each other’s hands till they orgasmed within moments of each other in just under four minutes.

  Still shuddering against Blake and panting for air, while laying on her shoulder, Layla cooed, “I really like you.”

  Blake ran her fingers through her hair as she kissed her temple and cheek. “Me too, babe. If I don’t get out too late tonight, can I call?”

  Layla lifted her head with a smile and kissed Blake’s lips and forehead. “Call me whenever you get out, even if it’s midnight.” She scooted off of Blake’s lap to stand up, and after pulling her up from the couch, she buttoned and zipped her pants for her. They walked to the front door, and while wrapping her arms around the back of Blake’s neck, Layla said, “Thanks again for dinner.”

  “I like feeding you.” Layla laughed with blushing cheeks, making Blake grin. She gave Layla a peck on the lips and a tender rub on her bottom. “I’ll call you later.”