by Tasha Jones
“Well that is when you can see me again. Night, Keith.”
It was hard for her to walk away, but she managed. She looked back once and his blue eyes were following her movement. The knowledge of him watching made her heat up around the face and she walked quickly to the back of the club property to her apartment. Chandra stopped on the stairs and took a minute to catch her breath. She didn’t want to be found out and her guilt made her paranoid. How could everyone not tell what she was feeling and what she had done as soon as they saw her? Chandra was sure that the moments she had shared with Keith would be written on her face.
Chapter 6
“So?”
“What?”
Chandra tried to act innocent, taking a sip of her wine. It was late and the kids were sleeping and the pair had taken to cards and wine. There was a lot less cards than wine though and gossip was the bulk of their activities. It was becoming a routine for the two mothers to stay up and talk about their day. The gossip centered on the guests and who was sleeping with whom in the staff.
“I'm not talking about it until you tell me why I heard that you and Brandon were hooking up?”
Kelly quickly tried to change the subject but Chandra was having nothing of it. Chandra was surprised to see her embarrassed, as she is usually not the embarrassed type. It made her think that there was something special about this Brandon guy. She had never seen her blush and although she had only known Kelly a week, they had become fast friends. The two friends had gotten drunk together several times and stayed up until almost dawn talking about everything, from men to dealing with being a single mom. Chandra had never seen her act that way before and it made her want to prod her even more.
“Ooohh, I guess it is serious.”
“How can it be serious? We just went out a couple of times.”
Chandra made a noise to let her know she did not believe her. “Well your face says it is serious. He must have one of those golden tongues or something.”
Kelly got more embarrassed and she took a quick drink out of her wine glass. Chandra poured them both some more and waited for more juicy details. While men may talk about women, women talked in a way about men that would leave most shocked. Kelly started to get into details about what part of Brandon was golden and Chandra was finding herself a little jealous. She also wondered when she would find someone to make her look that way again. She envied the feeling, no matter how fleeting it would be. She was in love with falling in love. Finding someone that could make her feel that way more than just the first couple of days was always at the back of her mind.
“Well I am happy for you, Kelly. What happens after the summer ends? Does he live around you?”
“No, but who’s worried about the end, right? I really like the beginning and the middle. I think he lives in Indiana or something. I mean, it’s not like we do a lot of talking anyways.”
Chandra sighed, “I remember those kinds of relationships. Trust me. Those are the best ones that I can remember.” Chandra was lost in her own thoughts for a moment and every single one of them made her want to get laid. Every flash of a sexual conquest in the past shot electricity to her nether regions that were starting to feel left out and Chandra felt her own temperature rising just to think about it.
“What about you. Someone told me that you were having a drink with Mel Gibson?”
“His name is Keith, you know that and yeah, we had a drink. Nice guy, and that British accent, totally turns me on.”
“So?”
“He was a complete gentleman until…”
“Until when? I swear you are full of drama.”
“Until he pushed me up against the bricks behind the bar and kissed me. I mean, like a real kiss that makes you want to jump a man.”
Kelly looked at her with round eyes. Like Chandra, she was reliving a time when a man wanted her so bad that he had done the same thing. Very few men had it in them, but a few men would come into a woman’s life and make her rethink everything that she thought she knew. Chandra didn’t know much about Keith, but she had felt more for him in that moment than most boyfriends she had had for years.
“So when are you going to see him again?”
“I don’t think I am. You know what happens if we get caught. I don’t even have a place to go home to, so I need this job. I told Keith that, but he doesn’t seem convinced. Asked where I was working tomorrow.”
“Did you tell him?”
Chandra looked away, trying to hide the smile on her face. “Well, yeah.”
Kelly roared in laughter and she shushed herself down to a giggle. Everything was going well for the friends and Chandra was feeling better about her job after the first week. It didn’t matter to her where she had to work, as long as she could get through the summer and take the end of summer bonus home to start anew.
***
Keith watched the woman from his seat in the dining hall. She was a waitress that day, serving drinks and smiling at everyone. He wanted all of her smiles and while he couldn’t talk to her, it was his last day at the club. His wife was finally ready to give him the divorce and she had agreed to pull the sham three days early. Keith found himself wanting to stay, but knew that he could not. If his wife got whiff of him liking someone, she would ruin it. She had always been vindictive, but the longer he knew her, the worse he realized she was. Keith didn’t want to put Chandra in her sights.
“Keith? Keith?”
Keith looked over at Mara. Her black, chin length haircut was almost as severe as her penciled-in eyebrows as she looked at him in displeasure. He had married a blonde cheerleader, who in ten years had changed into the critical woman he had before him. Her red lipstick stained the side of the glass in her hand and her crisp green eyes narrowed.
“What's on your mind? I swear you haven’t heard a word I said.”
“Sorry, dear. I'm just ready to go. I don't know why you insisted on this last meal. I thought we had agreed that this was a waste and that we should just move on?”
Mara’s green eyes narrowed more and she laughed at the startled company around them. It was all a show for her and she did not like how it was turning out. She wanted everyone to think that she had dumped him and hopefully that he was miserable without her, but she was strong and would not go back. The way he had just talked, no one would believe that now. Mara tried not to pout, but also did not want anything else to spill forth into the life she was starting without him.
“I was just going to ask how you liked your week. Your answer was sufficient though, thanks.”
Her tone was as tight as her lips and she took another sip of her martini, more lipstick smearing on a new place on the glass. Keith looked away in something akin to tolerated disgust and tried to find Chandra in the crowd. She was not hard to spot, as tall as she was. There was also the way of finding her by looking where all the other men were looking. There was something about the woman that left all eyes on her and Keith had to tear his gaze away before Mara caught him. He could feel his excitement, while his teeth clenched together.
“So, Keith, what did you think of the club?”
“As always, top-notch. Everything here seems to be the best.” He saluted the drunken companions next to him. It was not even after noon yet and they were already three sheets to the wind. Mara had started with whiskey in her coffee and, of course, vodka for lunch.
Keith was exhausted by the time they finally got back to the room. They grabbed one bag a piece and headed to the airstrip to get on a private jet back home. Keith had work to do, clients to charge and, more importantly, he had a divorce to finish. Of all the things that he had to do, the one thing that he thought about most and couldn’t, was to say goodbye to Chandra. He told himself that he would take another week off when the divorce was final and see her again.
Chapter 7
“Girl, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry about what?”
“You didn’t hear?’
“Hear what, come on, Kelly. Spit
it out.” Chandra did not like the way she looked at her, with pity. Something bad had happened and the first thing she thought of was her job. “I'm not getting fired, am I?”
“What? No, why would you be getting fired?”
Chandra shrugged and waited for her to tell her the obviously bad news.
“I heard that Keith and his wife checked out this morning.”
“His wife?” Chandra was finding it hard to speak. Her mind whirled and her heart sank all at the same time. She was once again, not in love, but her heart strings had been pulled and then the feeling of ignorance set in. How had she not known that he was married she wondered.
“Yeah I’m sorry, I know you liked him, even if you did deny it well.”
“I mean, it’s not like we did much more than kiss that one time. I don’t know. It was like something to look forward to. Just as well I guess. You know how much I need this job and it would be my luck that I would get caught.”
“I feel bad now. Let me ask Brandon if he has any friends. Have you met Jeff that works in the mechanic’s, he’s pretty cute?”
Chandra did not want to think about someone else, when her heart and body still wanted the man that slammed her against the wall. She couldn’t tell Kelly that though. No sane person would understand and if she was honest with herself, she wasn’t very sure she did either.
Chandra watched the girls so Kelly could go out with her boyfriend Brandon. He was also an employee for the club and though fraternizing amongst themselves was against the rules, everyone did it. The employees couldn’t afford any of the expensive entertainment that the area offered, so everyone became like family. Kelly wanted her to go out and she had found someone else to watch the kids, but Chandra told her no. There would be a time soon, but she was not ready that night.
She couldn’t help but feel a small bit of betrayal. While she didn’t ask if he was married, she certainly wouldn’t have kissed him like that if she had known. Above all though, Chandra was just upset of the loss of what could have been. He had been so nice and easy to talk to; beyond looks, she had actually liked him. Her heart had failed her once again and she needed a night to mourn what could have been.
Her mourning didn’t last long though because Kelly was so worried about Chandra at the apartment, drinking wine alone, that she brought Brandon and one of his friends home to hang out. While Chandra in reality just wanted to be alone, she was moved by her friend’s way of trying to include her. It was a sweet gesture, so she smiled at the man that was introduced as Liam. Liam was handsome and rugged looking. His hair was the color of straw and his eyes were blue. Chandra caught herself comparing his eyes to Keith’s and had to stop herself; though Keith’s were far brighter and intoxicating, Liam could hold his own. When Liam spoke though, she was saddened to not hear the British accent either. Chandra was not going to find another Keith, so as the wine filled her blood, she started to look at Liam as a good enough choice for right then.
As the men were leaving for the night, Liam asked if he could see her again. His eyes held hers and she had to admit that her body cared naught who touched her next, as long as someone did soon.
“We could maybe go see a movie tomorrow night if you want. I hear there are some good movies playing.”
“Definitely. May I kiss you?”
Chandra groaned inwardly that he would even ask and when she nodded her head, he came forward and pressed his lips against hers. They were soft and his technique was good, but it just wasn’t the same. His touch on her was soft and his hands did not move from the spot on her waist. Chandra walked away with less of an idea of what she wanted, but more of an idea of what she didn’t.
***
“So, what did you think of him?”
“Honestly? He is kind of, I don’t know. He asked me before he kissed me. I mean, who does that?”
“Girl, you are being picky as hell. Is it Mel? He got you down still?”
“His name was Keith and yeah I guess. Sorry, I don’t mean to be a bitch. The guy was nice and all, but I just didn’t really feel anything.”
“Are you going to see him again?”
“I will, but I don’t think much will come of it. I need to get laid. I have been here almost two weeks and that is a long time for me.”
“Girl, me too. Well we need to go get hot and get our freak on. I found a babysitter and we are going out together. What are you guys doing?”
“A movie.”
Kelly scrunched up her face, not too enthused with the plans. “I can work with that.”
Chapter 8
“Mr. Barns, do you have anything else to add?”
“No, your honor. I have agreed to all of her demands. I just want it to be over.”
The older woman on the stand sat behind a gold plaque with her name on it. Keith was only interested in leaving the court room as soon as he got there. Mara had taken advantage and surely taken more than half. She had never worked a day of the ten years they had been married, so in the end, marriage was very profitable for her. Keith had heard that she was already starting to date.
It had been two weeks since their last-ditch effort vacation and Keith had moved out when they got back. He had a condo that he kept in the city anyways, so it was not too far back to the club. His mind still thought of Chandra; through all of the meetings and court dates, Chandra was his consistency.
Keith had a friend that was spending the whole summer at the club and he had him doing some investigating for him. He wanted to know who she was and where she came from. He also had Mack give him updates. What he really wanted to know was if she was still unattached.
“Alright, sir. Everything looks to be in order.”
Keith left the courtroom a little lighter and when he looked back at Mara’s scowling face, he really hoped that it was the last time he would see her. He had a couple more days of work to take care of and then he was taking another week or two off. Keith was partner in his law firm and he would take off as long as he needed to convince Chandra that he was the one for her. While he worked hard, he really didn't need to as his family wealth far surpassed anything he could ever earn, and his fortune was in the billions.
Pulling out his phone, he called Mack and they talked for a little bit. He hated to hear that Chandra was dating one of the other employees there. He hated to think of her with anyone else, anyone else with their hands on her. Just the thought made him feel sick to his stomach.
“So what do you want me to do? I can probably get them fired or something.”
“No, she needs the job. What does he look like?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes.” It did matter to Keith for some reason. Maybe he wondered if she was with someone like him or not.
“I don’t know. Some blonde Nordic looking guy. I have to say, he is built like you are, big.”
For some reason that made him feel better. It made him feel like he had a chance with her. He could still feel her body pressed up against him and Keith felt like he was going to burst with anticipation.
“So what do you want me to do? I can give him a talking to.”
Keith smiled and he could see Mack’s face as he said it. “I don’t think that will be necessary, man, but thanks. I will be there soon enough to turn her back the right way.”
He hung up and though he still didn’t like the idea of someone else touching her, he knew that no one was going to do it like him and she would quickly forget about everyone else anyways. There were a few things that he was sure of in his life and the ability to love a woman fully was one of them. He just needed to get some work done and get back to the club.
***
Chandra was getting ready for her date with Liam. Kelly had insisted that she borrow one of her dresses and Chandra had to admit that it did fit her perfectly. While she pretty much stuck to blacks, whites and neutral colors, the dress was a vibrant red. It made her stand out and more importantly, made her feel better. She was in a slump over finding out that
Keith was married, but she was committed to not thinking about him anymore. She rationalized that it was pretty likely that she would never see him again anyways.
“He's not worried about you, Chandra.” She took one last look in the mirror and applied the red lipstick that matched the dress. It was not her usual style, but she looked hot. The dress molded to her curves and the heels made her legs look desperately long. Her almond-shaped eyes twinkled back at her in the reflection and she smiled until it reached her eyes. “This is going to be fun.”
Liam was on time like she knew he would be. He brought her a beautiful bouquet of flowers and she set them in a vase while he chatted with Kelly. Kelly was looking him up and down, enough so that Chandra couldn’t help but laugh. The woman was impossible, but you just had to love her for her craziness.
