“No, of course not, but I’m thinking they may have a problem with us, considering neither of us is. These types of events are set up so people can meet other people of the same religion. We don’t really qualify.”
“Mimi, men are men, regardless of race, color, or creed. We’re two hot young…ish…women. They’ll be interested in us.”
“I’m not so concerned about whether or not they’re interested in me, I’m worried about them being upset if they meet girls who don’t fit their criteria when they’ve gone out of their way to go to an event where said girls are particularly supposed to be!”
“Oh hush. Just tell them you’re converting then. That’s what I intend to do,” she said as she tugged me along into the main dance hall.
“For the love of Pete,” I muttered, tripping after her.
She dragged me straight to the bar. “I wonder what a Jewish girl would drink?” she wondered out loud.
“Shhhh, Grace. You sound like a bigot, and I swear to God if you order Maneschewitz, I will cunt-punt you into next week and leave. Just get what you normally drink, you idiot.”
“Fine, fine. I just don’t want to look out of place,” she replied as she leaned over the bar to get the bartender’s attention. She ordered a glass of chardonnay for herself and a Dirty Martini for me, which was good because I didn’t think I’d make it through the night without copious amounts of vodka.
Right away, a shorter, pudgy guy came sidling up next to Grace. “Hi there. I’m Isaac, but my friends call me Ike. What’s your name beautiful?”
She grinned down at him, as he was at least four inches shorter than her in her heels. “Hello there. Ike is a cool name,” she said as he beamed at the notion of being referred to as ‘cool’ in any way, I figured. This guy looked like a harried accountant. Not that there was anything wrong with that. I had to give him points for bravery for approaching Grace. She would eat this poor little guy alive. “I’m Grace,” she continued, holding out her hand. The guy grabbed it and pumped it up and down rapidly. He was quite the eager little beaver and no doubt eager for a little beaver, too.
“This is my friend, Mimi.” She motioned toward me. I gave him a little wave, but his face fell.
“You’re not Jewish,” he said flatly.
I looked at him mortified. I was going to get kicked out, I just knew it. Grace cleared her throat and clutched his forearm. “She’s half,” she said.
I looked at her with my eyes bulging. I didn’t know how I could possibly pull it off, but she was my girl and I wasn’t going to contradict her in front of this guy. “Yeah,” I said, an idea occurring to me. “My dad is Jewish, so I guess that actually means I’m not technically Jewish.”
“What’s your last name?” he fired off like he was an interrogator.
“Well, my current last name is Ashcroft, but I was married before,” I responded quickly.
“Then what’s your maiden name?”
“Sorry, I’m not willing to tell you that what with credit fraud being what it is these days,” I said trying to dodge his rapid questioning. “We’ve only just met, and I think you’re really interested in Grace here anyway.”
“That’s true. I don’t think you belong here, but who am I to police these things?”
“I belong here just as much as this one does,” I muttered as I brought my drink to my lips. Grace nudged me in the ribs with her elbow nearly causing me to spill my drink.
“Why don’t we go dance and get to know each other a little better, beautiful?” Ike said, grabbing hold of Grace’s free hand and starting to swing his hips back and forth. “I’m really feeling this music and the vibe you’ve got going on.”
“Oh, we just got here, and I’d like to finish my drink before I go out there. You go on ahead, and I’ll catch up with you as soon as I’m done,” Grace replied.
“You’d better, or I’m going to come looking for you and I won’t take no for an answer,” he warned her with a wink.
She winked back at him and ushered him off with a wave of her hand. “I’ll come find you, Ike. I promise.”
We watched him shimmy his way out onto the dancefloor and start busting a move by himself. He wasn’t exactly a bad dancer...oh who was I kidding? He was an accident waiting to happen. He was all elbows and knees and a wiggly butt.
“There’s your destiny waiting for you right there, Grace,” I said, sarcastically.
“Mimi! Let your hair down a little. We’re just here to have fun, maybe meet someone who’ll take us out for a few nice dinners and if we’re really lucky, give us an orgasm or twelve. Don’t be so judgmental,” she said, downing the last of her drink.
“I’m not judging, Grace. If you want to get your groove on with Ike out there, it’s no matter to me. My goyim ass and I will stay right here by the bar trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.”
“No, Mimi, try to look Jewish. You want to meet someone.”
“Am I supposed to bust out a copy of the Torah or something? Ask if anyone wants to play dreidel? How does one ‘look Jewish’ exactly?”
“You know what I mean,” she pouted.
“Just shut up and go dance. I’ll take care of myself.”
Grace gave me a warning glare, then turned and did her own little boogie-walk to the dance floor where Ike was making like he was reeling in a fish. I turned and perched on a barstool, thinking I’d just sip Dirty Martinis and try not to make eye contact with anyone until Grace was ready to leave. My plan worked for about an hour or so until a very handsome man with curly short black hair and big dark brown eyes pulled up the stool next to me.
He sighed rather loudly and then rested his elbow on the bar and looked at me just as I was taking a sip of my third drink. “You look like you hate these things about as much as I do,” he said.
I looked at him squarely and said, “I think I probably have you beat in that department tonight.”
He just chuckled and ordered a gin and tonic from the bartender.
“So what are you doing here?” he asked me once he received his drink.
“My friend dragged me out with her tonight. I had no idea we were coming here. What about you? If you hate these events, what are you doing here?”
“I’m doing what every good Jewish boy does. Making my mother happy. She is overly concerned that she is not going to have grandchildren before she dies so she insists that I come to these things to find a nice girl that she might approve of.”
“And yet here you sit with the gentile girl.” I giggled.
“I didn’t plan it that way. I just feel like I’m being sized up for a wedding tuxedo out there and came to the bar to escape for a while.”
“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m not in the market for a husband or a relationship so you can take your breather.”
“I had that suspicion when I noticed you were just sitting here being antisocial. I thought to myself, ‘David, that’s the girl you need to be talking to tonight. She doesn’t look like she has an agenda.’”
I lifted my drink to him in salute. “You got that one right. I’m just drinking until my friend is ready to leave.”
“That’s a relief. Don’t get me wrong, I have no issues about commitment, but I’m just not ready to start a serious relationship with anyone. I’m too involved with my work right now to give any serious effort to someone else.”
“You don’t need to explain to me. Like you said, no agenda. I am not here trolling for my Prince Charming either.”
He put his hand out to me. “David Greene,” he said.
I took his hand and shook it gently. “I’m Mimi Ashcroft.”
“I’m very happy to meet you, Mimi. Where is your friend?” he asked, looking around.
“Last I saw her she was out dancing with some man she met when we first got here. I’m sure she’s still dancing, but I expect she’ll be back for another drink soon.”
No sooner had I said the words than Grace appeared at my other side with a breathless
Ike in tow. He was staring at her star-struck as if he’d found his dream girl.
“Whew, this little guy can dance,” Grace said, as she tried to flag down the bartender.
“No, darling, let me do that for you.” Ike jumped in front of her at the bar. “What would you like to drink?”
“I’ll just have another chardonnay, you sweet thing,” she said, batting her eyelashes at Ike. As soon as he was engaged with the bartender, she turned to me. “He’s already asked me out for next weekend.”
“The whole weekend?” I asked, raising my brows.
She nodded. “Yes, he wants to take me up north to some romantic B&B.”
“Are you going to go?” I inquired, floored that she would be interested in more than dancing with this average guy. Grace was much more into the hunky, muscly guys.
“Maybe. He’s kind of cute in his own way.”
“If you say so, Grace.” Just then she noticed David sitting to my left who was listening in with an amused look on his face.
“Oh, hello there,” she purred, looking him over. Now David was the kind of guy I could see her with and from the brief conversation we’d had, much more like-minded with her.
“Grace, this is David. We were just talking about this event, its merits, and drawbacks.”
“With men like him here, I can see no drawbacks,” she said with a grin.
I couldn’t help my eyes flashing to Ike and then back to her. She just shrugged. She leaned in and whispered “Dinner and orgasms, Mimi. Dinner and orgasms.” Grace had me shaking my head so much that evening, I thought I might end up with a stiff neck the next day.
David stuck out his hand to shake. Grace was all too eager to thrust her hand in front of my face and shake back. Just then, Ike turned back around with their drinks and frowned. He handed her the wine and scuttled closer to her wrapping his now free hand around her waist. David just grinned a dazzling smile at Ike’s possessive move. Grace leaned down and kissed the top of his head, then suggested, “Why don’t you take a trip to the men’s room or something, sweetheart? Mimi and I need to have a little girl talk right now. When you come back, we’ll dance some more.” Ike grinned and hurried off to the back of the club.
“I see you have him wrapped around your finger already,” I said as I rested an elbow on the bar.
She giggled. “I know, right? I think it’s adorable.” She turned her attention back to David. “So, how are you enjoying the evening?” I just snickered.
David cleared his throat. “Mimi and I were just discussing how arduous I find these mixers.”
“You’re not looking for a relationship?” she asked.
“Not especially. I come about once every other month as my duty to my mom.”
“You’re a momma’s boy?” she asked with a frown. I would have thought he’d be offended, but he just threw his head back and laughed.
“No, I wouldn’t say that. I just like to keep her off my back as much as possible.”
Grace looked at him with even more interest. “How would you feel about a dance
then?”
David looked to me as if asking for permission. I’m sure he didn’t want to be rude since we’d been chatting. Grace, on the other hand, had no such compunction. I waved my hand as I took another sip of my drink. “By all means. I’ll just keep warming this stool until it’s time to go.”
He stood and grabbed her hand leading her off to the dance floor. I turned and watched them for a few minutes. Grace was pulling out all her sexiest moves. David really was much more her type. After a brief time, Ike showed back up. I hadn’t thought this through. I was going to have to let him down easy on behalf of Grace.
“Hey, where is my princess?” he asked, looking around frantically.
“Don’t worry, Ike. She’ll be back in a little bit,” I responded, scrambling for some kind of excuse to give.
“I sure hope so. I’ve never felt a connection to someone so quickly before,” he declared as he grabbed a cocktail napkin and wiped his rather sweaty brow. “She’s a dream come true.”
“She’s definitely unreal,” I responded, tongue in cheek. “Did you make sure to get her number in case you don’t meet up again tonight?”
“I did get her number, but I’m going to park myself right here next to you until she gets back.”
Just what I needed--to have to entertain this guy while Grace was sinking her long red fingernails into someone else. Why did I agree to come out with her again? Oh yes, dinner and orgasms. Not that I was much interested in either, but it gave me an idea.
“I’d love to hang out with you Ike but considering you are interested in my friend, don’t you think you could give me an opportunity to meet other people? You don’t want to be a cock-block, do you?”
“Sister, no one is going to be interested in you when you are so obviously not Jewish. These men are looking for wives or serious girlfriends at the very least. Trust me, I know.”
I felt a little sorry for him just then as Grace was a candidate for neither, and of course, she was not Jewish either. This little guy was in for a big letdown. I wasn’t going to be the one to break it to him.
“Still, Ike. For the right guy, I could convert,” I said, not fully believing I was falling back on Grace’s advice for excuses. “Besides, there are tons of girls here. It might be a good idea to get to know others. You’re here to meet people after all. Don’t hang your hopes on just one girl. A guy like you has to be in high demand.”
“You know, I think I might just do that. Just don’t tell Grace. I wouldn’t want her to get jealous,” he said, frowning. “I don’t want to mess up my shot with her.”
“Don’t worry about that at all. Grace is very secure in herself and her appeal. She’s not afraid of competition.”
He immediately brightened. “Competition, yeah. She needs to know that I’m a catch. Thanks, Mimi. I’ll catch you later.” He started to walk away, but then turned back to me. “Don’t be too disappointed if no one talks to you. It’s not your fault.” Then he walked away.
I smiled at his back and turned to the bartender and ordered my fourth Dirty Martini. It was a good thing Grace had driven.
Nine
The following morning, I awoke to my cell phone alerting me to a new text message. I expected it to be from Grace with some kind of comment about the night before. She had kept me out until two a.m. while she danced with David for the rest of the evening. I had stopped drinking after my fifth martini and switched to soda water with lemon. As a result, I only felt a bit dehydrated and had a slight headache. Nothing some Tylenol and lots of water wouldn’t cure.
I picked up my phone to see what sort of comedic line she had for me only to find it was from James. I opened it up and all it said was ‘Hi’. I honestly hadn’t expected to hear from him again after the other evening. He seemed pretty adamant about his terms on getting to know me further. So what was this about? I texted back my own ‘Hi’ to him not knowing what else to say.
Right away another text message came in from him. It read:
‘Can we get together and talk tonight? I’d really like to see you.’
I was truly puzzled. He had left the ball squarely in my lap two nights ago, and now he wanted to see me again? I was pleased, of course, but also bemused. He hadn’t seemed like the kind of guy who said things he didn’t mean. I wrote back:
‘Isn’t it a little far for you to drive on a weeknight?’
‘Not for this. I want to talk to you,’ he replied.
‘So just call and save yourself the trip.’
‘No, it’s better that we talk in person,’ came his next message, followed immediately with ‘I’ll leave as soon as I get off work. That should put me at your place around eight.’
‘See you then,’ I responded.
I wondered what he could possibly have to say that was so important, but figured I’d find out that evening. With that, I went about my usual Monday morning cleaning routine.
J
ustin called later in the day just to check in and see how things were going. I gave him a rundown of the weekend and the highlights of the night before. “Do you think Grace will ever change?” he asked.
“I don’t know. She’s always been a little crazy, but she’s only gotten really wild recently. I don’t know what’s happened to make her this way, but I do think there’s a story there. She kind of hinted at something while we were in Lake Havasu and again at brunch yesterday morning, but I didn’t want to push. If she wants to tell me, she will.” I said as I lay on my bed, my thoughts of Grace troubled and concerned.
“Well, I just hope she doesn’t get herself into any trouble. She’s a great lady. If she’s been having a problem, I would hate to see it get worse because she’s being reckless.”
“I feel the same way,” I said. “Maybe I’ll try to spend some more time with her, if she’ll let me. That way she might open up some.”
“Good idea. Let me know if you learn anything and if there is anything I can do to help. Now, you have school tomorrow night, don’t you?”
“Yes, sir. I sure do. I’m going to spend some time here in a few studying to make sure I’m ready for class. I just know there’s going to be some kind of test or quiz,” I remarked.
“If there is, you’ll do great. How about we grab some breakfast in the morning? You don’t have plans, do you?” he inquired.
“No, no plans tomorrow, but I do have some tonight and I don’t know how late they’ll go so breakfast might not be the best idea. We could have lunch though. Or maybe you just want to wait for pizza and beer night on Wednesday.”
“I’d like to do both, honestly. I want to spend more time with you. You know that,” he said earnestly.
I mulled this over. Of course I enjoyed Justin’s company and until things had started to move into uncharted territory, I’d have jumped at any chance to hang out with him. Now I just didn’t know what the right thing to do was. I wasn’t ready for what he wanted from me, and I didn’t want to lead him on or get his hopes up. On the other hand, I wasn’t totally closed off to the idea of more. I decided I just didn’t want to ‘belong’ to anyone. Problem was, I didn’t know how to say no to Justin without hurting his feelings which was the last thing I wanted to do.
Fighting Perfection (The Perfection Series Book 2) Page 14
