In Sheep's Clothing

by Mary Monroe

  Even though the sexy foreigner had gotten all over me in record time with me loving every single minute of it, I was still concerned about Freddie enjoying herself as well. I didn’t have to worry about that for long. In less than a minute after my admirer excused himself to go return a page, another man, not as handsome as mine, popped around the corner. He must not have considered me a blessed creature like my other admirer, because he just glanced at me with indifference. Then he leaned toward Freddie and whispered in her ear. She snapped her head around so fast a hairpin flew out of her hair. She displayed a grin so wide it almost divided her face in two. “You talking to me?”

  “Would you care to dance?” he asked. This club obviously attracted a lot of foreigners. The man gazing at Freddie like she’d just dropped out of heaven had a British accent. The people in the booth next to ours were speaking what I assumed was Spanish.

  “Uh-huh!” Freddie said, already half out of her seat, the man holding her hand. “Order me another drink,” she yelled to me over her shoulder, as she strutted to the dance floor like she was on a catwalk.

  Walking back toward me clutching two fresh drinks, the tall mysterious man smiled at me in a way that was as close to foreplay as I could get and still have my clothes on. His name was Anoseki. I didn’t know if that was his first name or his last. When I’d asked him, all he did was laugh and tell me again, “Anoseki is my name.”

  Anoseki laughed a lot instead of answering questions. Even when I asked him why he’d picked me with so many better-looking, unescorted women in the club to choose from, he laughed about that, too.

  When an extremely beautiful woman waltzed by and grinned in Anoseki’s direction, he ignored her, too. I felt special, something that I rarely experienced.

  “You chose me over her?” I teased, my knee touching his. His arm went around my shoulder and gripped me so hard I could feel his heart thumping against my chest. I sat as stiff as a mannequin, trying to maintain my composure.

  Anoseki shared some intriguing biographical information with me. Somehow my weakened mind absorbed every word that came out of his juicy mouth. His full moist lips barely moved as he spoke. When he smiled, the shape of his eyes seemed to change, making them appear more slanted. His smile also made his high cheekbones appear even higher. I was glad that he was leaving for London in a few hours. If a man like this one stayed around me too long, I knew I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions. In the condition I was already in, I would have given up my citizenship if he asked me to.

  He was originally from Nigeria but had lived in London for several years. He’d moved to Jamaica six years ago, he said. He had stopped in San Jose to visit some relatives, on his way to London to visit some more relatives. His father was some kind of a diplomat. His mother was what he described as a honcho (“head nigger in charge” according to Freddie’s crude, tipsy opinion) at some university in London.

  He was obviously well educated and well heeled. The diamonds on his long, manicured fingers and his designer suit must have cost a fortune. He had no siblings or wife. And the closest he came to being a parent was to a fleet of luxury cars stored in a garage in Montego Bay, Jamaica, that he referred to as his “babies.” All I got from him was another smile when I asked his age. He looked to be about thirty-five.

  “What made you decide to come to my table?” I asked, hoping he would do more than laugh.

  “Because I only accept the best of everything. I would say that you are worth at least five of these other cheeky tarts combined and, as my father would say, a flock of sheep.”

  I was so overwhelmed and dazzled, my eyes burned. I blinked and sniffed before offering my best smile.

  CHAPTER 71

  Now I would like to say that I didn’t consider myself a gullible or foolish woman. But smarter women than me had been mesmerized by men who looked more like frogs. Anoseki—even his name made me shudder—put so much emphasis on his words and he sounded so sincere, I soaked up everything he said like I was a big sponge. He acted like he couldn’t take his eyes off my face. That made me even more receptive.

  Anoseki took me by surprise when he hauled off and kissed me. It was a quick peck on my cheek but I could tell that it was the kind of gesture that could lead to something bigger and better.

  I could not believe how well the night had turned out after all. It was like a fantasy come true. The kind that every woman deserved to experience at least once in her lifetime—especially a woman with a life as dull as the one I had to go back to. Since I believed that tonight would be my one and only chance to be so bold and loose with such a hunk of a man, I decided to leave no stone unturned. I knew I would never see or hear from him again. I decided to “play” my part in this unplanned drama and I intended to play it well.

  “I work for a fantastic travel agency,” I began, revealing the only part of my story that was true. I took a quick sip from my wineglass and reared back in my seat, all tuned up to spin a tale of mystery and excitement. Just like the real Ann Oliver used to. I wondered if Ann really was in Paris with her Frenchman. Despite everything she’d said and done to me, I still wished her the best.

  Ann Oliver was a prize-winning heifer. But knowing her had enriched my life in a way that I could not have accomplished on my own. Having so much confidence in myself now, even though it had been formed out of a mountain of fraud and deceit, made me realize how much more I wanted out of life. I decided that after all I’d been through, I deserved more than I had.

  Anoseki refused to take his eyes off my face, but that didn’t bother me. As a matter of fact, him being so attentive gave me even more confidence. “My job as a travel representative takes me all over the world.” I sniffed and pressed my lips together as hard as I could to keep myself from drooling.

  As far as I was concerned there was not a man in the club who could compete with Anoseki. There was no way I was going to bore a man like him with the truth. Even I didn’t want to hear myself talk about my daddy’s liquor store, the gritty neighborhood I lived in, my likes and dislikes, my dingbat friends. I didn’t even want to admit that I was just a secretary at Bon Voyage who delivered interoffice mail, added toner to the fax machine, and organized potlucks.

  “Then you must have visited my country, yes?” he asked with the wide-eyed eagerness of a child.

  “Nigeria? Uh, not yet. But I think that’s where I’ll be going in a few weeks. We have to go check out new hotels, new clubs, things like that.”

  Anoseki gave me a stern look and shook his head. “I didn’t mean Nigeria. I have not lived there for years.”

  “Oh, you mean Jamaica. Uh-huh. I’ve been there many times!”

  The look on his face changed dramatically. Instead of a cheeky smile, he now had a hard penetrating look in his eyes. “I see.” He swallowed hard, and kept his eyes glued to my face. “And where did you go in Jamaica ?” I was beginning to feel like I was being interviewed, but it didn’t matter. I’d been interviewed before.

  “Uh, Kingston, Negril. By the way, where in Jamaica do you live?”

  “I have a house in Montego Bay. You’ve been there, too?” There was a look of anticipation on his face.

  I nodded. “Some interesting people live in Montego Bay.” I cleared my throat and repeated a variation of a tale that Ann had shared during one of our insufferable staff meetings. “I had drinks with a toothless hooker and a ninety-year-old pimp tried to recruit me in Montego Bay.” I laughed and was surprised that Anoseki didn’t see the humor. His face now looked like it had turned to stone.

  “Where is your family?” he asked, looking and acting too serious now. I was afraid that he was losing interest in me already. I had not seen his smile in a while. There was now a noticeable grimace on his face, like he’d bitten into a lemon.

  “My parents are both retired lawyers. My younger sister died a few weeks ago. Leukemia,” I managed, blinking back a tear.

  “I am sorry to hear that.” He slid a finger across his lip and turned to look
across the room. “Will you excuse me for a moment, please?” Anoseki didn’t wait for me to respond. He eased up and strode across the floor and disappeared. Freddie stumbled back to the table about a minute later, fanning her face with a napkin.

  “I thought he’d never leave,” she said, groaning as she fell back onto her seat. “I’m ready to go when you are, Trudy.”

  “Don’t call me by that name!” I hissed. “Not tonight. Call me Ann,” I pleaded, squeezing Freddie’s hand.

  She gave me a guarded look. “Is that the name you gave to your third-world Romeo?”

  “Yes. That’s the only name I will answer to tonight. I don’t want a man like this one to find out what a . . . a . . .”

  “You don’t have to say it. I know what you are. What I don’t know is, why you care what this man thinks? After tonight you won’t ever see him again anyway.”

  “I know that,” I said with a wicked smile creeping up on my face. “But if he finds out I’m lying, he might lose interest before the night is over and move on to another woman,” I insisted.

  Freddie rolled her eyes.

  I gave her a surprised look. “I thought you were having a good time,” I said in a whiny voice, giving her a desperate look.

  “Yeah, but—”

  “Then why do you want to leave?” I wailed, looking at my watch. “It’s still early. I am just getting to know Anoseki.” Bobbing my head along to the latest from Toni Braxton, I was feeling better than I’d felt all night.

  Freddie gave me a look that was a combination of surprise and amusement. “Why, you skanky ho, you. I’m surprised you didn’t follow him to wherever he went. He is coming back, then?”

  “I hope so,” I purred. “Why?” Alarmed, I looked around the club. “Did you see him leave or something?”

  “No. But I passed him in the lobby on my way back from the ladies’ room, and he was on the telephone fussing and cussing at somebody.”

  “Oh. What . . . what was he saying? Did it sound like he was talking to a woman?”

  “All I heard was him using some cuss words and saying “I will take care of everything” to whoever he was talking to. Then he—why do you have that goofy look on your face all of a sudden?”

  “Are you going home tonight?” I asked, suddenly feeling flustered and horny in a way that I’d never felt before. Not even when I was with that sexy pilot in Mexico.

  “Of course I’m going home tonight. Where else would I go?”

  “What about that guy you’ve been dancing with? You two looked awful cozy out there on that dance floor,” I teased.

  “Now you know me better than that. I got my man at home waiting on me—and he’s the only man I want to share myself with.... I do not cheat on him, and he does not cheat on me . . . anymore. As a matter of fact, I know where he is at all times.”

  I sucked in my breath and bit my lip. “Freddie, the only women who know where their men are at all times are widows,” I scoffed.

  Freddie let out an exasperated sigh before she shot me a hot look. “Look, if you want to spend the night with Kunte Kinte, go on and do it. I can get home by myself,” she snarled.

  “He’s on his way to London,” I said with a heavy sigh.

  “So?”

  “Like you just said, I’ll probably never see him again after tonight.”

  Freddie shrugged and waved her hand. “Girl, you don’t have to explain a damn thing to me. What you do is your business. If you want to fuck that man, go spend the night with him and fuck his brains out so you can get it out of your system.”

  “He hasn’t asked me to spend the night with him yet. If he does, I’ll probably say yes. I just—hush! Change the subject. Here he comes!”

  As if on cue, another man invited Freddie to join him on the dance floor just as Anoseki made it back to the table. For a woman who claimed she was ready to go home, she sure leaped out of her seat fast enough.

  “Here we are again, my dear,” Anoseki said with an unnecessary wink. I was glad to see that he was smiling again. There was a mysterious look in his eyes as he whispered, “I missed you . . .”

  I told myself that if I did decide to go through with my plans to marry a dullard like James, a night of passion with Anoseki would be the best way to end my masquerade. All he had to do was ask.

  “Ann, as you know, I am on my way to London. I must leave tomorrow noon. My dear, will you bless me by sharing the rest of this special night with me?” Anoseki asked. His strong hand gripped, massaged, and parted my trembling knees.

  He didn’t even allow me to answer. The next thing I knew, he slid his hand up under my dress and tapped my crotch a few times before he nodded toward the exit.

  And I nodded back.

  CHAPTER 72

  “On his way to London, huh?” Freddie couldn’t even wait for us to make it to the ladies’ room after I beckoned her off the dance floor. She pulled me into a corner near the exit. “What does he do for a living?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. I’d asked but he just laughed and kissed me on the neck.

  One thing I never could figure out about the club scene was how some men, with women already on their arms, could still leer at other women. The same man who had been dancing up a storm with Freddie strolled past us, looking in our direction with a look on his face that you’d expect to see in a strip joint. The beauty queen that he was leading toward the exit made Freddie and me look like hound dogs. Freddie looked at me with a stunned look on her face. “I’m glad my man doesn’t go to clubs often.” She let out a sigh of defeat and shook her shoulders. “Anyway, you say your new friend is on his way to London?”

  “That’s right. He has to be on a plane tomorrow by noon. I’m sure I won’t hear from him again, even if he ever does come back this way.”

  “Well, like I said, what you do is your business. I just . . . I don’t feel right about this one.”

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  Freddie gave me a sorrowful look. “I didn’t say anything was wrong with him. Other than him being a stranger, he seems fine.” A dreamy look appeared on her face and she gave me a knowing smile. “And he looks good enough to eat . . . if you know what I mean.” She winked and licked her lips. “If I were you, I guess I would go for it, too. A one-night stand is a one-night stand.”

  “Then why did you act like I was about to run off with the big bad wolf at first? You are making me nervous.”

  Freddie made no attempt to hide her impatience. She snorted and stomped her foot. “Trudy, will you make up your mind and do what you have to do. Leave me out of this mess. It’s getting late and I want to get home to my family,” she whined, looking at her watch and then the exit

  “I’m Ann, girl,” I reminded her through clenched teeth. “Can’t you remember to call me that just for the rest of tonight?”

  Freddie threw up her hands and released a tired sigh. “Whatever. You go on and have a good time. Call me in the morning and tell me all about it, Miss Ann.” Freddie paused and a wicked smile slid across her face. “I hope that big bulge in his crotch is a balled-up sock that he stuffed down his pants. That’s how LoBo got my attention.”

  I pinched Freddie’s arm. “You go on home, you nasty heifer,” I scolded. It was almost two in the morning, and the club was about to close. I gave Freddie a dismissive hug. “You all right to drive? I can charge you a room somewhere until you sober up.”

  Freddie shook her head and gave me a hug, squeezing so hard she almost cut off my breath. She leaned back and looked at my face so long and hard it made me apprehensive.

  Somehow, I managed a smile anyway. “Calm down, girl. Don’t behave like I’m about to go to the moon. I’m just going off for a few hours with a gorgeous Nigerian.” I let out a hesitant chuckle. “He might be so bad—and quick—in the bedroom, I might make it home before you do.”

  “Let’s just hope that a bad lover is the worst thing he is,” Freddie said in a distant voice, making me feel eerie all over again. I
had almost forgotten about the fraud investigator who had called me up earlier.

  “Go on home, girl. Don’t say another word,” I ordered. “The more you say, the more nervous I get. If you don’t leave now, I’ll lose my nerve,” I muttered, hoping Freddie would take my advice.

  She gave me another hug, then she turned to leave, dragging her feet like she was disabled. Before she could reach the exit, an anxious man grabbed her by the arm. She shook her head vigorously and pulled away, waving to me as she trotted out the door.

  Before I could move from my spot and return to the table, Anoseki appeared, holding my shawl. “Shall we go now, m’lady?” he asked. The corners of his mouth curled up into a broad smile as he draped my shawl around my shoulders. The light in the lobby area was brighter. Anoseki was not as flawless as he’d appeared to be in the dim light inside the club. His skin was not as smooth as I thought it was. His eyes seemed unusually dark. Not just a normal shade of black like mine and a lot of other people of African decent, but a shade of black so deep that there was no sparkle. And, I noticed, he didn’t blink as often as most people. It was almost like he had the eyes of a dead man. If that didn’t concern me enough, some disturbing scars on his forehead did. I had read an article somewhere about how some males in Africa had to go through a scarification ritual after they reached a certain age. I decided it was a tribal procedure that had to do with some rite of passage ; therefore, it was nothing for me to worry about.

  I dismissed the thoughts going through my mind, focusing my attention on something more positive. Like that nice bulge in Anoseki’s pants. I didn’t like to lie to Freddie, but whether Anoseki was good in bed or not, I had already decided to tell her that he was the best. That was the only way I knew how to keep Freddie from riding my back with an “I told you so” comment.

  “What hotel are you staying in?” I asked, wrapping my arm around Anoseki’s narrow waist as we exited the club. He wasted no time showing me that he was the kind of man who liked to be in charge. He removed my arm from around him, then looped his around my shoulder and guided me, plowing his way through the crowd blocking the exit.