by Adela Knight
I stared at Jenny and then looked at myself in the mirrors. “I guess I’m not seeing what you’re seeing.”
“She’s right. It looks great on you,” another lady trying dresses on said when she walked by.
“It makes your hair look amazing and shows off your figure. No one will even know when the New Year hits. They’ll be watching you instead of the New Year’s Ball dropping.” Jenny grabbed the ticket and looked at it. “Oh, you bitch. It’s even on clearance!”
I laughed. “I guess it’s meant to be.”
Jenny grunted and tromped off to try on another dress. We were attending a formal New Year’s party with our friends Frank and Jeff. The problem? We were going as their dates. The bigger problem? Frank and Jeff were gay and deeply committed to each other. The biggest problem? They hadn’t come out at work yet and didn’t know if they were ready to share all their personal information with everyone they worked with. All their friends and family knew and Frank and Jeff were happy with that.
“After all, how many heterosexuals go around telling people they’re not gay? So why do we feel like we have to tell everyone we are,” Frank said the night they asked us to go with them to the party.
I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. I can’t imagine being ostracized for something as small as whom I loved.”
“But if we go with you as our dates, aren’t we hiding it? We don’t want to seem embarrassed by our lifestyle either.” Jeff rubbed his eyes with his palms.
“Well, look, you don’t have to make a decision this big tonight. You’ve already asked us to go. And if I know Jenny, she’s already cataloging her wardrobe for what to wear so you can’t get out of taking her. We’ll all just show up together. We won’t use words like dates or dating. We’ll just use names and hedge any other questions. Let people think what they want. They will anyway.”
Jeff hugged me. “See, you totally should’ve been a gay guy.”
I laughed. “Why? I can’t even get a straight guy. What makes you think I’d get a gay one?”
“Give it time, sweetie. Give it time.” Jeff patted my hand. “Now, Jenny, what dresses are we looking at?”
“We’ve lost them.” Frank shook his head and sighed.
“Okay.” I looked at the saleslady. “I’ll take this one, please. And can I look at some shoes that will coordinate?”
A knock sounded at my door and I opened it to find Frank and Jeff holding hands and looking adorable in their matching tuxedos. “Hey guys.”
“Are we ready to party?” Frank looked at me and blinked a few times. “Wow! If I wasn’t gay I’d totally be all over you like flies on crap.”
“You are such a romantic, Frank.” I rolled my eyes and smiled at Jeff. “Come in while I grab my purse and wrap. Jenny’s not here yet anyway.”
“You do look awesome. Jenny said you found a great dress, but she didn’t say how great. That emerald green is a great shade with your hair. And the delicate beadwork on the fabric,” Jeff looked closer at the pattern on the fabric, “yeah, that’s something. Very classy. Most women will be decked out in head-to-toe sequin, but no. Your gown. Your gown is gorgeous in its simplicity.”
“I like the whole one shoulder thing. It looks like a toga.”
I rolled my eyes and giggled.
“For God’s sake, Frank, can’t you say something appropriate?” Jeff shook his head.
“What? Togas are cool. I like them. It was a compliment!”
“Dammit, I hate you so much right now!” I jumped at Jenny’s voice. We hadn’t heard her walk through the front door.
“Who?” the three of us asked in unison.
“Julia.”
“What’d I do?”
“You don’t have a damn ounce of fat on your body and that dress makes sure everyone can tell it, too. And you say you’re not dating for a while, but you go around dressed like that. Sure. Okay. Whatever. You could at least be fat so the rest of us had a chance.”
“Um—” Jeff looked at me with wide eyes.
I shook my head at Jeff and Frank. “Don’t worry.” I put an arm around Jenny. “Hey, do you need some Midol?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Gotcha covered.”
“Thank you. And I didn’t really mean the fat comment. Well, not completely.” She smiled at me.
I grinned at her. “Yeah, well, you can’t bitch about the dress. If I remember correctly, it was you who demanded I buy it. No! Actually, you said it would be a crime if I didn’t wear it tonight so you were going to buy it for me. That reminds me. I’ll give you the receipt. You owe me some money.”
“Yeah, keep dreaming, Julia. I’ve got my period. Satan has a better chance of eating a Sno-Cone in Hell than you do of getting money out of me this week.”
“Ugh, with that thought, I’m going to flag down the taxi.” Frank made a quick exit. I grabbed my things and we all followed close behind him…after I made sure to stuff some Midol down Jenny.
The hotel’s ballroom where the event was held was beautiful. The ceiling was arched and had intricate scroll work covering it. Sheer, gauzy fabric was draped around the room with white twinkle lights behind them creating a soft glow.
The dinner was served to us by waiters—no standing in line fighting over the last of the potato salad like at my corporate party. No, we were served our choice of a seafood dinner or a steak—filet mignon, yum—dinner. It was an incredible party. And best of all, we didn’t have to sit and listen to someone yammer on about how great the company was and how much better it’d be in the coming year, which was usually the standard speech given at those things. No, we just partied.
After dinner, a DJ started playing and the dance floor was opened. All different genres of music were played. Frank and I danced to it all and considering I was wearing a floor length gown it made dancing to some of the faster songs interesting, but fun and I spent most of my time laughing rather than dancing—Frank wasn’t a good dancer no matter what he wore.
A slow song started to play and Frank shook his head. “I’m done. If I don’t sit down now I’m going to collapse right here in the middle of the dance floor and people will just pirouette around me.”
I laughed. “Weakling.”
He grinned and then gazed over my shoulder. “Ah, well, if you want to keep dancing I think you’re going to get your wish.”
“Why? Is Jeff coming?”
Frank’s gaze dropped to mine and he winked. “Have fun.”
A hand touched my arm, just the tips of his fingers. Goose bumps dotted my skin as his fingers trialed up my arm to my bare shoulder. And then he spoke.
And my heart stopped.
“Dance with me, Julia.” It wasn’t really a question, nor was it a demand.
I turned and looked up at him. It felt like everything in the room slowed. The sounds dulled and the sights blended together until they were just a kaleidoscope of colors gliding by.
“Rivers.”
His hand still rested on my shoulder. He looked the same—amazing, and my eyes drank him in. He wore a black tux. Combined with his black hair, it made his green eyes stand out. He’d untied his bow tie and left it hanging around his neck. The top button of his shirt was undone. It was sexy as hell.
“I’ve been watching you all evening, trying to get the nerve up to talk to you. I didn’t think it was appropriate considering you were here with someone.” He nodded at Frank who had already returned to our table.
“I’m not here with him. I mean, I am, but I’m not.”
I’m not making any sense. Dammit.
One side of Rivers’ mouth tipped up in a small grin. “That cleared it up.”
I shook my head slowly. “Frank and I are just friends.”
He nodded. “Then he won’t mind if you dance with me. Please.”
I followed him to the dance floor and he wrapped me in his arms. We moved together in time to the music, a slow love ballad. We were silent while we danced. The only sounds I heard were the musi
c and the blood rushing behind my ears.
The song ended and I tried to step out of Rivers’ embrace. “Just one more dance?” His gaze held mine. His eyes were so soft. He bit his full bottom lip with his teeth, and all I could think was that I wish those were my teeth on his lips, my mouth on him.
I nodded that I’d dance with him again and relaxed into him. I felt safe there. Like I was custom made to fit in his arms. I snuggled closer to him and he tightened his hold on me.
“I called.” I looked at him. He studied my face. “The next day. As soon as my meeting ended I called. I must have written the number down wrong. I know it probably sounds like a lame ass excuse for a brush off, but it’s the truth. It wasn’t a one night thing for me, Julia.”
My heart raced in my chest. I was sure he could feel it. “It doesn’t sound like an excuse. The number in that phone is wrong.”
He blew out a breath. “Damn.”
“Didn’t Jesse give you my number?”
His hands squeezed my hips. “Why would Jesse have your number?”
“When I got your note and realized you had the wrong number, I went to the restaurant and left my number with Jesse to pass on to you. But he said…” I turned my face away and looked at the other dancers.
Rivers put his finger under my chin and lifted my face to his. “But what? Finish what you were going to say. Please.”
I could feel my face begin to heat and knew it was turning red with a blush. A lump grew in my throat and caused my voice to come out thick and I fought to keep the tears pooling in my eyes from falling. “He said you brought a lot of girls through the restaurant. That it was your thing. I was just another in a long line of one nighters for you. That you didn’t do relationships—you did girls.”
Rivers’ jaw was clenching and a vein throbbed in the side of his neck. He squeezed my hip so hard it began to hurt. “Bastard,” he said under his breath. He cleared his throat. “Ah, no, he didn’t give me your number. He never told me you stopped by the restaurant. And, to be fair, yeah, I’ve had my share of women. I told you I’d given up on relationships. But I need you to hear this, Julia” He tipped my head farther back to make sure I was looking at him. “Fuck, don’t cry. Listen to me, okay?”
I nodded. “I’m listening.”
“I haven’t taken a woman there since you. I haven’t had a woman since you. I’ve been going crazy trying to find you. I couldn’t remember where your apartment was. I didn’t hear you give the address to the cab driver and it was dark when we got there. Shit.” He jammed his fingers through his hair and then cupped my face in his hand. “I rode that subway every day for three weeks hoping you would be there.”
I gave him a shaky smile. “I took a cab to work for a month because I couldn’t stand to get on the subway. It reminded me of you.”
Rivers ran his thumb over my bottom lip. “Christ, Julia, I don’t know what you did to me that night, but I can’t stop thinking about you. And it’s not just the sex. Although, that was mind blowing.” He grinned and I laughed. “It’s you. I know it was only one night and it sounds crazy, but I want you. All of you.”
I kissed his thumb and rose up on my tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. “I’ve missed you, too,” I murmured.
I felt him let out a breath, like he’d been holding it waiting for my reaction.
“Do you want to get out of here?” Rivers asked.
“Yes.”
“I promise. I’ll behave tonight. No sex. Just a normal night of getting to know each other. Maybe a kiss or twenty before I leave.”
I laughed. “A kiss or twenty?”
“Yeah, well, I can’t seem to stop at just one.”
“I’ve got news for you. There will be sex tonight. I haven’t had good sex since that night with you. And my vibrator just isn’t getting the job done anymore.”
Rivers stopped walking. I’d taken three steps before I realized he wasn’t beside me. I turned around and went back to where he stood. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why’d you stop?”
“A vibrator?”
“Yeah, so?”
“Kinky. I love that.” He gave me a big grin and winked.
I rolled my eyes. “I hardly think you can call a vibrator kinky.”
“No, but it’s a start. We can work up from there.”
“Huh. Yeah. That sounds fun.”
Rivers leaned close to my ear. “And the thought of you with a vibrator is sexy as hell.”
I laughed. “Okay, well, maybe I’ll let you watch.”
He groaned and cursed under his breath. “You’re a tease.” He kissed my temple. His lips were warm and his breath tickled my skin.
We passed our table and I made the introductions quickly. “This is Rivers. Rivers, that’s Jenny, Frank, and Jeff. We’re leaving now. You guys enjoy the rest of the party. Bye.”
I turned and started walking pulling Rivers behind me. I knew if we hung around Jenny would bombard us with a million questions I didn’t want to take the time answering.
Rivers hailed a cab while I claimed my wrap from the coat check. We were on our way to my place in less than five minutes. We talked during the cab ride, idle chatter to pass time, mostly about what we did for the holidays and how crazy our families were. It made the ride seem shorter than it should and when we pulled in front of my building butterflies started growing in my stomach.
“Do you want something to drink? I have the hard stuff you like.” I asked once inside my apartment.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
I grabbed us both Cokes and sat next to him on the couch. “So, how come you were at the party tonight?”
“Oh, um, I’m looking into acquiring the company.” He set his Coke on the coffee table.
“I remember. You work in finance, mostly acquisitions.”
He smiled. “Good memory.”
“So your company is looking into merging with that company?”
“Something like that, yes. And you? How did you end up there?”
“Just went with some friends.” I shrugged a shoulder.
He nodded. “You look really beautiful. Can I do something?”
Butterflies went crazy in my stomach and a shiver ran up my spine. I could almost feel the adrenaline pouring into my blood stream. “What?”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing weird or kinky.” He winked at me. “I just want to take your hair down. It’s beautiful up like that, but I love it down so I can run my hands through it.”
I nodded and scooted closer to him. My hair was in an intricate twist made of several sections of small braids. He gently removed each hair pin and the braids fell free. Then he ran his fingers through the braids until my hair hung loose and wavy down my back.
“So beautiful.” He cupped my face with both hands and touched his lips to mine. It was a chaste kiss. Over almost before it began, but it sent waves of desire through my body. The smell of him was intoxicating and made me slightly dizzy and his touch heightened my sensitivity.
“Rivers.”
“Yes?”
“Kiss me.”
That was the only invitation he needed. His mouth came down on mine and he kissed me like he was starving and I was the last morsel of food on earth. His tongue probed my lips and I parted them for him. It dipped into my mouth and I moaned. He tasted sweet and a little spicy. My body reacted to it immediately, like it remembered his taste. My nipples hardened and my breasts felt heavy. A tingling sensation began between my legs.
I slipped my tongue into his mouth and he groaned deep in his chest. He closed his lips around it and sucked on it. When he let go he nipped at my bottom lip before taking it in his mouth and sucking gently on it. I fisted my hands in his shirt front.
Rivers kissed along my jaw and down my neck. I ran a hand up his back to his hair. I threaded my fingers through the inky black strands, holding his head to me as he kissed his way down my neck and across my ba
re shoulder. A shiver ran through me and goose bumps coated my skin.
I took his hand in mine and threaded our fingers together. Standing, I led him to my bedroom. We didn’t speak. I unbuttoned his dress shirt while he ran his fingers through my hair. When his shirt was open, he undid the button of his pants and pulled his shirt free. He tossed it behind him on the floor.
I ran my hands up the muscular planes of his chest. I remember him being fit, muscular, but my memories didn’t do him justice. He was just plain sex on a stick.
“I can’t find how to get this dress off you. It’s beautiful, but I think it’ll look better on the floor,” Rivers whispered in my ear.
I gave a small laugh. “I’ll show you how in a minute. First take these off.” I tugged on his pants. “You still have more clothes on than me.”
Rivers arched an eyebrow at me. “Really?”
“Mm-hmm.” My Grecian style dress only had one shoulder, leaving the other side bare and the back very low. None of my bras would adjust to fit it…so the girls went naked.
He shucked his pants and socks off and stood in front of me in just his boxer briefs. My mouth went dry, but my panties got wet. He was gorgeous and very turned on. His erection was barely contained in his boxers.
“There. Now how do I unwrap you?”
I lifted the shoulder and showed him the clasps holding it together and then the hidden side zipper.
“Ah.” Slowly, his gaze locked on mine, he unzipped the zipper. He reached a hand inside and lightly skimmed it over my butt check. “You’re so soft.” He buried his head in the curve of my neck and kissed me, his hand still caressing my rear.
Pulling back enough he could see me, Rivers began undoing the clasps on the shoulder of the dress. One by one he opened them. When he got to the last one, he kissed me gently, deeply, and then lifted his head and locked his gaze with mine. The last clasp gave way and the dress pooled around my feet. I stood in front of him in just my white lace thong.
“Holy fuck.”
“Can we try not to rip this one?” I grinned at him and he laughed.
