by S. E. Law
And it’s not just because we’ve had sex twice.
“Oh, I’m so happy for you, baby. And I can’t wait to meet him tomorrow. You did say he was picking you up from here, right?”
“Mm-hmm,” I nod.
“You know, I’m just going to ask him a few questions. Nothing too serious – just like what are his intentions with you, how is he going to protect your honor, where does he see your relationship in five years. The easy stuff, kiddie stuff.”
“You would not,” I say, jokingly slapping her on the forearm.
“I don’t know,” Mamie shrugs. “I’m a little unpredictable. You never know what’s going to come out of my mouth.” Mamie gives me the wide eyes like she’s crazy.
“Mamie.”
“Fine,” she groans. “I will behave myself, I promise. Even if it is boring to do so.” I give Mamie a look because I don’t totally believe her. “I promise!” she reiterates.
“Okay, okay.” I know she won’t do anything to truly embarrass me, probably just poke a little fun. I’m sure Brick can handle it.
The two of us finally settle down onto the couch, watching whatever reality show Mamie is into now. I’m never able to keep up with her changing rotation of shows, but whenever I watch them with her, we have a good time.
I’m not sure how late into the night we end up watching people getting into petty squabbles for some cash, but eventually, I find myself drifting off. I try to keep my eyes open, but it’s actually rather late, and I need to get some shut eye.
I rest my head on Mamie’s body and fall into a deep sleep. I’m not sure how much longer she plans on staying up, but I’m sure she’ll wake me up when she’s ready to move to the bed.
So I fall into a deep sleep, dreaming about all of the possible dates Brick could have planned for us tomorrow. Brick has been the subject of all of my dreams lately, both day and night. His entire being has taken over my psyche, and I’m not sure what to do about it.
I’m not sure I want to do anything about it.
I’m not going to say I’m falling in love with this man. It’s much too early for those kinds of thoughts, but I really like him. I like him more than I’ve liked anyone ever.
The only problem is I don’t know if this is all just a bit of fun for him.
But thinking about that now will give me anxiety. It’s better to enjoy the short time we have together – if it is a short time – than it is to worry about every single move he makes and every single thought he has.
If anything, I’m going to have a good time with Brick Barrister while it lasts.
16
Tammy
I wake up the next morning, still on the couch with Mamie. She must have fallen asleep as well. My head is still resting on her shoulder, and she has her head resting on the arm of the chair. Oh! She probably didn’t move because I was fast asleep.
I sit up and rub my eyes. I feel bad for making her sleep on the couch all night. My rest was comfortable, but I’m not sure if Mamie will feel the same way.
I freshen up for the morning and decide to make the two of us breakfast to thank her for putting up with any inconvenience I may have caused her. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to use her groceries since I didn’t think ahead to bring any.
In the kitchen, I get out everything I need to make us a big and hearty breakfast. About halfway through cooking, I see stirring on the couch before Mamie awakens from her slumber. She doesn’t immediately come over to me, instead opting to go to the bathroom first. Probably running on autopilot because she’s just woken up. I have no idea how late she got to bed last night.
It’s not too much longer before she’s out in the kitchen with me, resting her hands on my shoulder and looking to see what I’m making.
“You really didn’t have to make anything. Little old me could have done with a bowl of cereal.”
“Oh, I just felt bad for falling asleep on you and making you sleep on the couch. I wanted to say thank you, and I felt like food might be the best way to convey my feelings.”
“You’re such a doll!”
I finish up, and the two of us sit back down on the couch, gabbing and catching up on each other’s lives. It’s the gal time I’ve been craving and needing without even realizing it. Mamie has this magnificent quality of being able to truly reset me.
Once Mamie has cleared off her plate, she leans back and pats her belly.
“Off, you really know how to treat a girl,” she smiles. I take our dishes to the sink before rejoining her on the couch to digest the meal. “I don’t know if there’s anything you really want to do, but I was thinking we’d just loaf around, doing essentially nothing, until it’s time for us to get ready for our dates.”
“You read my mind, girl! Let’s do exactly that.”
And we do. Mamie and I spend the next few hours watching TV, finishing the rest of the cookies, and eating whatever snacks she has in her house – just general laziness vibes. The day passes by a lot quicker than I expected, and it’s just about time for me to start getting ready.
“Oh my gosh, you have to let me do your makeup!” Mamie has been begging to do my face for so long now. I’ve never seen any reason to because she always asks when we’re just hanging out with nowhere to go. But tonight, things are a little different. And Mamie is actually pretty good with a beauty blender. I know whatever she does to my face will impress Brick.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll let you do my makeup.” Mamie’s eyes go wide like she can’t believe what I just said.
“Are you serious?” Her hands cover her mouth in surprise. She looks beyond excited, and I’m a little worried that I may have just opened a can of worms.
“Yeah, go ahead. Make me beautiful.”
“Oh, honey, you are already gorgeous, but that doesn’t mean I’m not about to have me some fun.”
She gets up and rushes to her room. Now I’m starting to wonder what in the world she has in store for my face.
“Just don’t do anything too crazy!” I call out from the living room.
“I promise!” she yells from her bedroom. “I’m drawing my inspiration from…clowns. Circus clowns. Is that a good motif for you?” She’s clearly joking, which is why I don’t dignify what she’s saying with a response.
Not too much later, Mamie comes out of her room with a basket full of products. She hustles me over to a chair, making me plop down.
“I’m going to do an amazing job. This is going to be great, just you wait and see.” And with that, she starts working on my face. I don’t say much of anything, letting my friend do her thing.
Her hands work without any hesitation, blending and smoothing out all of the product she’s putting onto my face. It takes time but goes by a lot faster than I’d expected. Before I know it, Mamie is holding a small mirror in front of my face, showing me her handiwork.
“Holy crap, Mamie,” I exclaim while taking the mirror from her grasp. I turn my head to get a better look at the artwork she has put on my face. “You’ve made me look so good!”
“Well, when you have such a great base to work with…” Mamie says, letting the hanging silence finish the compliment. I give my friend the biggest hug, thrilled that she was able to make me look so good. We break apart, and she gives me a loving look. “Well, I’ve got to go and get myself ready, but you can have this entire room to yourself, and the bathroom out here. I’ll use the half-bath in my room.”
I thank Mamie, and she leaves me to it. I start with my hair. There are a few different styles I can do with it. It’s always been hard for me to decide on a hairstyle, especially if I’m trying to look nice. Most of the time, I just put it in a ponytail and go about my day, but that’s not going to fly tonight. I can’t disrespect Mamie’s amazing makeover with a simple pony.
“What to do, what to do?” My fingers tap against my cheek. There isn’t much time to fool around, so I have to land on something. Anything.
I hold my curls above my head, doing a kind of makeshift
look, so I can see what it might look like with an updo.
“That could work,” I mumble to myself. Using all kinds of pins and clips discreetly tucked into my hair, I manage to make a decent updo. It could be better, but this will get me through the night.
Next is my outfit. Brick did say to keep it comfy, but I also want to make it sexy. There’s sexy lingerie to go under my dress because my plans definitely include the two of getting undressed together, but there’s also an absolutely stunner of a dress hanging in my luggage as well.
I pull out my clothing for the evening. First, everything on my body comes off and is neatly put away in my overnight bag before I pull on my lingerie. I decide to go with red lace this time, hoping it might ignite even more passion, though who knows if that’s even possible. The couple of times we’ve gotten together have been electric enough.
Next, my dress for the evening gets pulled out. I grab it by the shoulders, letting gravity hold it down while I drink the whole picture in. Quite a lot of skin is going to be showing. There’s a back cutout, the sleeves are lace, a healthy amount of cleavage is showing, and it is quite short. I would say I am making a bit of a bold statement.
I put the dress on and go to inspect the whole look in the bathroom. The full-length mirror allows me to get the all-encompassing view that I need. I smooth out all of the wrinkles, doing a little back and forth to see what I’ve got going on.
This is actually a pretty well-put-together ensemble that is sure to knock Brick right off his feet.
When I walk back into the living room, I find Mamie about halfway through getting dressed. Her hair and makeup are done, but she’s still in her PJs.
“Oh my goodness gracious! Girl, you look so freaking good!”
“You think so?” I do a couple of poses, showing that I feel extremely confident in this getup. This whole back-and-forth is more of a song and dance for us. Mamie and I love to throw extravagant compliments at one another.
“Yes! You look flawless! You look amazing! You look like a million bucks! No, wait,” Mamie holds up her hands before bringing her palms together and holding them in front of her mouth. “You look like no amount of money known to man (i.e. priceless).”
I rush over and hug her, excitement coursing through my veins.
“Oh, I’m way too excited,” I say as we swing back and forth before breaking apart. “But I’m so nervous. I don’t know why. It’s not like this is our first date. And quite a few embarrassing things have already happened between us. You have no idea.”
“Are you going to give me an idea?” Mamie raises her eyebrow.
“Maybe later. I’m still processing a lot of it.”
“Okay, okay. Maybe you’re nervous because this is the first time you’ll be spending the night. I mean, he’ll be seeing you with your morning breath and bedhead and barefaced, with not a lick of concealer or foundation.”
“Oh shit.” I hadn’t really given that much thought before. Brick’s probably going to think I’m a gross, disgusting mess. He’ll probably end it all right then and there.
“But do not despair, Tammy. Why? Because this man will also be at his morning worst. And I’m sure he won’t even be worried about all of those things because there’s going to be a hot-as-fuck lady in his bed that I’m guessing he will have had sex with the night before. You’ll be fine. Everything will be fine.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Mamie’s words help to assuage my fears a little bit, but I can’t get rid of all of my nerves. I’m sure I’ll soldier through this, though. Just like everything else between the two of us.
I’m about to ask her a bunch more questions when my phone goes off. I check it and see that Brick is here.
“He’s here, Mamie. He’s here.” For some reason, I’m whispering. This foolish behavior needs to end before Brick sees me. Tonight is a night to impress.
“Oh, he’s here,” my friend sounds immediately intrigued. “Well, tell him to come up. If I don’t meet him soon, my curiosity is going to get the best of me.”
I nod because part of the deal with me coming here was a promise to let her meet Brick. It would be crappy of me to back out now.
I text Brick, and minutes later, he’s knocking on Mamie’s door.
“Do I look intimidating?” she asks. Before I can answer, she has the door wide open, and Brick is standing there, all smiles.
“Hi!” His eyes dart to mine for a brief second before he offers his hand to Mamie. “You must be Mamie.”
“And you must be Brick,” she oozes. Mamie doesn’t shake his hand, instead stepping aside so that Brick can walk into the apartment. He takes a few tentative steps across the floor before Mamie abruptly closes the door.
Both Brick and I look at Mamie. She’s leaning against the door, putting on this whole routine. I mean, I can tell it’s a routine because this is just what she does, but I can’t tell if Brick knows as well.
“So,” Mamie spits out pointedly. “Tammy’s told me a few things about you, Mr. Barrister.”
“Oh, she has, has she?” he smiles, looking at me for a few seconds, and then his attention reverts back to my wacky best friend. “I hope it was all good.”
“I’m not at liberty to say. I do have a couple of questions, by the way.”
I give Mamie a look because there is no time for her to do this entire Spanish Inquisition routine. She sees me and makes a face, but looks ready to give in.
“Fine, a single question since we are running short on time. Do you think you’re a good person?”
Brick looks rather surprised by Mamie’s question but maintains his composure.
“That’s a pretty loaded question. Um, I’m not sure. I guess that’s more a question other people have to answer about me for there to be a fully formed answer, but I like to think I try my best to be good. Hopefully, I am succeeding.”
“Okay, okay,” Mamie rubs her chin as she contemplates Brick’s answer. She finally looks over at me and sighs. “Well, it’s been nice, but I’ve got my own date to get ready for, so it might be best if you guys hit the road.”
Mamie reopens the door and gives ample room for Brick and I to exit. I shake my head at her shenanigans before grabbing my overnight bag and then Brick’s arm. I motion for him to walk out the door with me. He exits the apartment a bit ahead of me. As I’m walking across the threshold, Mamie grabs my bicep, holding me back.
“He’s quite the catch,” she excitedly whispers in my ear before smiling and letting go of my arm. She waves goodbye to the two of us and closes her door, leaving Brick and I to go about our date.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she was looking through the peephole, though.
Brick and I go downstairs, headed to his car. On the way, he keeps stealing glances at me, which makes me feel all fidgety.
“What is it?” I ask. There shouldn’t be any lipstick on my teeth or weird stuff in my hair. I made sure to triple-check for that in the bathroom. I could have missed something, though.
“You’re just so pretty, is all.”
“You’re not too bad yourself.” We finally arrive at his car, and Brick holds open the door for me.
“Wait,” I remember. “I drove here. I’m parked not too far away.” I point to my car, which is just a couple parking spots away.
“Don’t worry about it. I can have someone pick your car up, and it’ll be at my place before you have to leave tomorrow morning.” I sometimes forget – and then am quickly reminded – that Brick has enough money to get whatever he wants.
“I don’t want to cause too much trouble.”
“Trust me, it’s really not a big deal.” Brick holds out his hand, and I drop my keys in his hand. His strong fingers close around them as he motions for me to take my seat. I do so, and less than a minute later, he’s sitting beside me.
“So we’re going to your place?” I knew that’s where we were ending up, but I didn’t know that’s where we were headed right away.
“Yeah. Is t
hat okay?”
“Mm-hmm,” I nod.
“Good.” Brick starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. The first few minutes of driving are silent until Brick clears his throat. “So, do you think I passed your friend’s test? Mamie, is it?”
“I think so,” I smile. I haven’t had a lot of romance in my life. Besides Brick, there was my last boyfriend of multiple years and a few sporadic dates. Mamie’s always been kind of lukewarm regarding those other guys. It’s not like she openly hated or disliked them, but she never showed the kind of enthusiasm she did tonight after meeting someone I was interested in. These all feel like really good signs.
“Not going to lie, I was worried she wasn’t going to like me. I mean, she’s your best friend. I think her approval is needed, right?”
“Yeah, it’s nice that she likes you.” Brick chuckles a little and keeps on driving. All this talk about getting ‘approval’ has me thinking about my parents. It’s kind of the elephant in the room. It’s still a little early to bring that subject up again, but if we continue seeing one another, we’ll have to address it some point.
For now, I’m happy to be in this little bubble we’re creating for ourselves.
The drive over to Brick’s isn’t a long one. We talk about nothing in particular. I try to get him to reveal what our date night is, but his lips are sealed. We’re about to have it, and he’s still being secretive.
We pull into a driveway that has a gate. After Brick punches in a few numbers, the gates open, allowing us in. Thankfully, we’ve stopped talking, so I’m allowed to be speechless in this moment. It’s one thing to know someone’s rich, but this may be the first time I’m seeing it this up close and personal.
And holy shit, it’s a lot.
He lives in a freaking mansion. A freaking McMansion! The only time I’ve seen houses this extravagant is on TV or in magazines. And it’s all just for him. That must be absolutely wild.
And I’m about to step into this behemoth of a house.
“So, we’re here,” Brick smiles.