Unexpected: A Love Story

by J. Nichole

  She was in luck, ‘cause our next stop was Caesar’s Palace for dinner at Nobu with the guys. “Y’all ready?” I asked as the show came to an end. We all headed out but Jennifer walked slowly behind us. I turned to her and asked, “You alright?” She nodded her head and stole one last look at the sexy chocolate Australian posing for pictures.

  Nobu was packed, but we headed straight for our table where the guys were waiting. When we walked up they were sharing a laugh and had already started on drinks.

  As the girls paired up, I sat at the end of the table beside Jennifer. It wasn’t long before I was thinking about Nick and how he would have enjoyed time with the guys. After all, Aiden seemed to fit right in with Chris and Bryan.

  We ordered a round of tequila shots for the table, and when the waitress returned she had a bottle of wine with her. She placed a wine glass in front of me and said, “And this is for you.”

  I pointed to myself and said, “I didn’t order wine.” She poured the wine into my glass as if she hadn’t heard me. “Ugh.” I looked at her with a mean side-eye.

  “Someone asked to have it delivered to you.” Then I thought ‘bout the guy I met at the pool and I looked around the restaurant for him. It was too dark for me to find him. “Enjoy,” she said as she walked away.

  Bryan lifted his shot glass in the air. “To love and lifelong friendships.” We clanked and took the tequila to the head. My liver would certainly need flushing after the weekend, but I wasn’t letting that stop me. I held the glass of wine to my nose and sniffed. The citrus scent was familiar, and when I sipped I realized it was Violetta. I sat the glass down as I tried to figure out how the guy knew I liked that particular wine.

  “Who sent you a bottle of wine?” Jennifer asked.

  “I don’t know, but it’s the wine Nick introduced me to.” I looked at her as she flipped her hand at me.

  “That’s easy. Nick must have sent it,” she said with as much clarity as anyone could muster in a drunken state. He wasn’t on the plane, but he did have the schedule of events. Maybe he called in the order?

  I shrugged and browsed the menu as the guys filled us in on their first day in Vegas. The highlight of their first day was a burlesque show at The Flamingo, and if it was anything like Thunder Down Under, I can only imagine the sexy women who took the stage had the guys hot and ready. “I can do that,” Nicole said with a laugh as she stood from the table and put a hand on Bryan’s shoulder.

  He pushed his chair back and we watched as she dropped it low between his legs before he kissed her forehead and whispered something in her ear. She looked at all of us and said, “Today was an amazing start to this weekend, and we appreciate y’all celebrating with us.” She grabbed her clutch and continued, “We have some business to handle back in the room, so enjoy dinner on us tonight.” She handed Laila her card as the two of them left the table, Bryan’s arm around her waist.

  “In that case, somebody grab the server,” Jennifer said. “I want to try that yellowtail sashimi and a sake.” She wriggled her brows.

  I laughed and took another sip of my Violetta.

  Chapter 15

  On my last night in Vegas, I spent it just like the previous nights—in my bed with a hand between my legs and a nipple between two fingers. It was my hand, and my two fingers, but it got the job done. I knew just what I had to do to make my body quiver. I tugged on my nipple and rubbed my hand up and down my lips till they were fiercely wet. As soon as I thought of Nick and his lips, my body responded. My eyes closed tight and my head slipped to the side until my body gave in, and sleep took over.

  Bouchon for brunch was a perfect sendoff. We invited the guys who were adorned in sunglasses after partying harder than us on the last night. “Mimosas?” I asked the girls. They nodded with enthusiasm.

  “Water for me,” Chris said. “We have to transition back to parent mode in a few hours,” he said, reminding Laila of the little girl who’d be waiting for them as soon as they returned home.

  “This one mimosa will be long gone by the time our flight lands.” Laila waved her hand in the air. “Maybe I should have two.” She laughed.

  After our orders were in Laila pulled a notebook from her bag. Opening it midway she said, “Only one last event for Clark Wedding Deux.” I turned to watch Nicole as Laila gave us last minute notes for preparing for the Atlanta Extravaganza.

  “You know,” Nicole said once Laila was finished. “David is walking you down the aisle,” she said to me as if I had forgotten. “And last I checked, he isn’t bringing a date.” I knew where she was going with that statement, and I sighed because I failed to check off the one task Laila gave me months ago—have a date for the wedding.

  “And leave me and Aiden as the only non-Clark family members?” Jennifer blurted. “I think not.” Jennifer glared at me with tight lips and said, “You better have a date.” Then she turned to Aiden and winked before adding, “I know of an app you could use to find one.”

  Of course Jennifer would plug her boo’s app, and from what I heard DateNight was responsible for many successful relationships, but I said, “No offense Aiden, but I don’t think someone I meet on DateNight would be willing to fly across country with me for a wedding, after dating me for a few weeks.”

  Aiden smiled, and said, “You’re probably right.” Before I could give him props for being on my side he shrugged and said, “But it’s worth a try.”

  I sat in the airport setting up my profile and looking through potential men. I had to admit to myself, some of them were sexy as fuck. Unlike other dating apps though, I would have to go out to a DateNight event to meet them. With my rotations over, and a small break before graduation and my residency, I had time for it. What the hell. I selected a few of the guys who had interesting profiles to go with their sexy pictures.

  I scrolled through the upcoming events and found one for Friday. During the flight, instead of sleeping I took a mental inventory of my wardrobe to decide what I’d wear to the event and decided on a red, patterned jumpsuit.

  All the eating and drinking in Vegas had me bloated and the jumpsuit showed it. I threw it on my bed, along with other options for the night as I shuffled through my closet. I was tempted to skip the event ‘cause I had no time to make a mall run. Then I moved a few sweaters in my drawer and found a loose fitting maxi dress. With some earrings and wedges I could pull it off.

  My phone rang on the way to the restaurant, and it was Jennifer. “You game?” she asked when I answered.

  “I just wish,” I sighed. “Wish one of you were here to go with me. My nerves have been a wreck all day,” I admitted.

  “Just take a deep breath.” She breathed in and out with me. “It’ll be fine, it’s quick and painless. And if you don’t like any of the dudes, you aren’t obligated to see them ever again.” We breathed one more time before we hung up and my nerves were slightly less rattled.

  When I walked in Station 16 and saw the ladies standing in a group my nerves returned. It felt like the worst networking event, and I’d have to be vulnerable enough to meet strangers. I shook my head and walked towards the ladies. One lady, who had separated herself from the crowd, smiled at me when she saw me.

  “First time at one of these events?” I asked. She nodded her head and I reached my hand out to introduce myself, “I’m Monica.”

  “Taj.” Her name was as exotic as her style. She wore bohemian styled pants with a headwrap to match. “I hope this night ends well. The Sacramento dating scene could use a boost,” she said with a chuckle.

  Just then, we heard a woman speaking from the front of the crowd. “Ladies, we are ready for you to take your seats.” Taj and I found seats in nearby booths. The DateNight event was like speed-dating, where you’ve already matched with the people you’d meet at the event. I matched with three guys, and I was excited to put a conversation with their profile.

  The host of the night walked around placing a name card at the end of my table. She also handed me the names
of the three guys I would be meeting. I ordered a margarita while I waited for the guys to filter in.

  Jonathan was the first up, and he reached his hand out as he approached my table. His voice smooth as he said, “Hello,” made my eyebrows peak.

  “Hello, Jonathan,” I said as he sat across from me. We exchanged bullets about our backgrounds before I asked, “Have you been to one of these events before?”

  He shook his head and said, “Actually,” he paused and looked down to his palms. “I’m recently out of a relationship.”

  “Hmm,” I hummed. “Me too.”

  The music that was playing was lowered and we were told it was time to switch. I looked through the crowd of guys moving around and saw Nick. He was headed to his next date, and I watched. How did I not see his profile? Did he see mine?

  My neck became warm and I grabbed my margarita, but instead of taking a sip I placed the cold glass on my chest. “You alright?” asked my next date. I looked up from my glass and watched as a crooked smile appeared on his face. “I’m Dylan,” he said as he slid into the booth across from me.

  “Yeah, just got a little warm.” I waited for his slick comeback, and when it didn’t come I was pleased.

  Instead of the formal route of sharing our backgrounds, he went the personality quiz route. He asked me, “Do you prefer to go out on a Friday night or stay in the house?” I responded quickly as I thought about how nice it would be if I was home then. “Me too. I did like to go out when I was in college, but now I like to chill.” We continued the quick fire questions till it was time to rotate again.

  I searched the room for Nick, but couldn’t find him in the crowd. My next date sat across from me without shaking my hand. “Hey, I’m Alonzo,” he said. “You like this event?”

  I shrugged and said, “Not bad so far.” We shared an awkward pause, before I asked, “What’s your favorite thing to do in Sacramento?”

  He thought about his response carefully, and I began to look around the room until he answered, “I like to dine near the river and watch the passing boats.” He smiled, revealing a single dimple in his cheek. One I remembered from his profile picture. “One day I’d like to own a boat.”

  “I’d ride in your boat,” I said causing a flush to come over his face. I didn’t mean to throw out a sexual innuendo, but watching him get flustered was well worth it. He started to speak again but his words fumbled. “You okay?” I asked, holding back my laugh. Lucky for him, it was time to rotate, or for me, mingle since all my dates were over. I looked behind me to Taj’s table where her next date sat across from her.

  I walked over to the bar and joined the crowd who were also finished with their dates. I needed to stick around till the end, so I ordered another margarita. The guy beside me, one I remember skipping because of the shit he had in his profile, asked, “How did we not match?”

  I thought about reminding him of the statement in his profile—looking for a woman who isn’t afraid to be in the kitchen—unless he was a chef and loved to cook, and wanted his woman nearby, what kind of shit was that? I turned my head towards him and asked, “Are you a chef?” His eyebrows scrunched together and he shook his head slowly. “Your profile,” I reminded him of his old timey view of women, and said, “I definitely wouldn’t be in the kitchen on the regular.”

  He shrugged and walked away, and I considered the dates I did have—Jonathan, Dylan, and Alonzo. All of them were as sexy, or more than their profile pictures, but none of them really piqued my interest. Dylan was the closest to being someone I’d like to get to know more, and by the end of the event I would have to choose him, and hope we had a final match.

  “I didn’t expect to see you here.” I closed my eyes and took a breath before I turned to look at Nick. “Didn’t think you would have time to use a dating app, let alone time for a date.” Damn, Nick was sweet and considerate when he wanted to be, but when he wasn’t he was a mean motherfucker.

  “I have a small break before my residency starts,” I said to him, and the warmth from earlier had returned. I wiped a hand across my neck and he watched closely. His proximity had his citrus scent all in my nose, and my body wanted to wrap around his, public restaurant be damned.

  “Instead of calling me, you thought it would be a good idea to find a new man. Start from scratch?” he asked, getting closer to my ear as the music became louder.

  “And you, you haven’t tried to call me either. Guess neither of us wanted to rock that boat again.” I was lying. I wanted to rock the fuck out of that boat. Guess I had more pride than I was willing to acknowledge.

  “Seemed like you needed time.” His hand brushed against my shoulder and I was finding it hard to restrain myself from touching him. “I told you I would never interfere with your career.” He licked his lips and his eyes bore holes into mine.

  “Alright, everyone is finished rotating. I hope everyone enjoyed the event.” The host was talking but Nick and I still maintained our laser focus, on each other. “Next, we ask you to pull out your phone and open your DateNight App, and make your final selection.” She continued explaining next steps but I had no intention of selecting Jonathan, Dylan, or Alonzo.

  “Think you need to make that final match?” Nick asked after he sipped from his glass of VSOP, his favorite brown liquor.

  “I already have a final match, don’t you think?” I asked, hoping he’d agree. He finished off his drink and sat his glass on the bar.

  “If she has time for me.” I wanted time to stop so it would no longer be a factor between Nick and I. “I don’t want to find out in a couple of weeks that this DateNight App was a hoax and I should have swiped left when I saw her profile.” I laughed at his analogy.

  “As long as my match read carefully through my profile, I set it up something like a Terms of Agreement. Dating me, you acknowledge that I may have to disappear at times and be buried in a book, maybe in a hospital all night.”

  He looked up and wagged his head. “I usually skip through the Terms of Agreement, but thanks for the summary.” I bit my lip as I waited for him to confirm we were good again. “Unless you want me to take you against this bar, don’t bite your lip like that,” he whispered into my ear. He backed away and said, “Let’s make our dates jealous.” He grabbed my hand and I followed him out of Station 16.

  “My car is that way.” I pointed to my car in the parking spot across the street. I stopped walking and said, “Wait, shouldn’t you be at work?”

  “We have some catching up to do. I’ll tell you all about it later.” He walked me to my car and backed me into the door. “Your place or mine?” I knew my place was closer and I smiled before his body moved closer to me and he planted his lips on mine. I moaned as soon as his tongue teased my lips open and his hand wrapped behind my head. He stopped and said, “Yours.”

  He opened my door and waited for me to sit behind the wheel then he walked off in the opposite direction. Before I pulled out of the lot, my phone was ringing. Jennifer would want the details of my date, I’m sure. I didn’t expect all three of them to be on the call. “So are we hooking you up with David or what?” Nicole asked before Jennifer could even speak.

  “Negative,” I said with confidence. Although I wasn’t sure if Nick would want to attend the wedding with me, if we were back together I wasn’t going to take someone else.

  Jennifer squealed and I could hear her talking to Aiden in the background. “So tell us all about the guys.” I held out on the tea, taking my time describing each of my three dates.

  “Alonzo was a bit dry, and he actually blushed when I accidentally told him I’d ride his boat.” The girls laughed.

  Impatiently, Jennifer asked, “Spill it, which one did you pick?”

  “None of them,” I said as I pulled into my apartment complex. They gasped, and I added, “But I’m about to go fuck the shit out of Nick right now, so I’ll give y’all more details later.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Nicole yelled before I hung
up the phone. I looked over my shoulder and watched as Nick climbed off his bike and jogged towards me. He wrapped his arms around my back and kissed my neck.

  “I’m glad Cheryl convinced me to try the app.” I turned around and looked at him waiting for him to explain. She obviously wasn’t a boo if she recommended the app to him, but who was Cheryl? “From the bar,” he clarified.

  “Right.” I knew I liked her. “Let’s get inside.”

  The door slammed behind me and with a click of the lock, our bags hit the floor. Nick showed me again how strong he was when he picked me up, wrapping my legs around his waist, and carried me to the kitchen counter. It was there where we reconnected. Kissing each other frantically, his hands clutched my ass and mine wrapped around his head.

  He scooted me to the edge of the counter and removed a condom from his pocket. He stopped kissing me long enough to rip the package open with his teeth. We didn’t need any foreplay, I had been dripping since we left Station 16, I was ready. He reached for the hem of my maxi dress, and I was thankful the jumpsuit hadn’t worked. If we had to fumble with that shit it would have ended up in shreds on the floor. But the maxi dress made for easy access. When the hem of my dress was gathered around my hips he hooked his fingers around my panties and pulled them off.

  My wedges were in the way, so I kicked those off and he cupped my legs behind my knees as he entered me. Quick. My mouth left his and my head hung back. He took to kissing my neck and licking my collar bone.

  My body couldn’t hold on much longer, and when my pussy started to pulse around his dick, he released too. He rested his head in the crook of my neck. When we both regained our composure he lifted me from the counter and we headed for the bathroom to cleanup.