The Angel of Black Friday

by Shawn Keys

Before they could launch into whatever else they had heard, Elenia jumped in, “Maybe I should go first. Not sure what you three are talking about, but I just found out something that is really important. You need to hear this.”

  Lia waved her on. “Might as well go first, Elenia. After you hear our news, we aren’t going to be talking about anything else.”

  Elenia gave her a ‘wanna bet?’ look. Then, after one more steadying breath, she confessed, “Remember my story about how I carried on with that guy in the car outside the store?”

  The other three women froze. If they hadn’t already been talking about their own coincidences, they never would have guessed. Now, they saw it coming like a freight train that none of them could believe was coming.

  Elenia confirmed their worst fears without even knowing she was doing it. “I’m sorry, Lia. But the guy you walked in with… his name is Rick, isn’t it? That’s him.”

  Sasha burst out laughing, grabbing a nearby blanket and pulling it over her head to contain herself.

  Yukiko actually slid off the front edge of the couch arm she was leaning against, sliding down onto her butt on the floor. “Mind. Blown.”

  Lia’s head dropped back onto the back of the couch she was huddled in. “Yup. There it is. That’s the missing piece that makes this all just… fucking… perfect.”

  The reactions weren’t what Elenia expected. “What’s going on?”

  Sasha started laughing even harder, tucking the blanket tighter to contain the sound.

  Lia didn’t have the heart. She just waved vaguely. “I’ve just learned that the universe never wants me to date again. It’s teaching me a lesson, and I am surrendering here and now.”

  Yukiko clawed herself from her own shock to explain.

  Elenia leaned heavily against the nearest side table. Then, she sank down onto it, deciding her knees really shouldn’t have the responsibility of helping her stand upright. “Oh, Lia. I’m…” She drifted off, not sure what to say.

  Lia’s head came back up, fixing firm eyes on her friend. “No apologies! None of us meant this to happen. I rushed into asking him here before I found out anything about him. If I had just been a normal person and asked to see him next Thursday, then none of this would have happened!”

  Yukiko sighed. “Which wouldn’t have changed anything. Maybe I would have talked to him Tuesday. Then it would have been me introducing him at our next party, and all of you losing your minds.”

  Flipping down the blanket, Sasha had fought away her laughter. She tried to work this out. “Could he have done this on purpose somehow?”

  Elenia shook his head. “No way. Not only is he super-sweet, but how could he know?”

  Yukiko, recently burned by a man, was a little more suspicious. “It’s far easier to think he just tumbled on us one after the other? And all of us found him too good to be true?”

  Lia looked sad. “I don’t want to believe that. Do any of you?”

  Elenia shook his head. “I’m the only one of us who wasn’t probably going to see him again. Not sure if that makes me the least or the most biased. But I say he doesn’t have it in him to be that much of a jerk. He didn’t know! He’s beating himself up about this too, I guarantee it.”

  The investigative reporter in Sasha was alive and well. “I want to think he’s a nice guy, but he bounced from one of us to the next all day. Maybe that’s his nature. We all met him while he was busy being the hero, but what happens when he has the chance to be the villain?”

  Lia looked sad. “I’m not sure I want to know.”

  Yukiko glanced at Elenia. “Why don’t you ease the rest of the guests toward the door.”

  Sasha nodded, “Then, I’m going to get to the bottom of this. Rick and I have barely exchanged a glance or two here at the party. He knows I’m here, but he doesn’t know what I’m going to do. Let me go see him. I’ll get us some answers.”

  Lia sighed. “And then what?”

  Elenia met her eyes with kindness. “I think… well, that’s going to be up to you. Once we peel back his layers, it’s probably fair that you get to decide what comes next.”

  Lia reached over and placed a soft hand on Yukiko’s shoulder. “I’m not sure that’s fair at all. You really liked him, ‘Kiko. That’s obvious. Just because you were normal and waited like a normal person before asking him out shouldn’t cut you out.”

  “Waited? I let him between my legs within five minutes of knowing him!” She hissed, fighting to keep her voice low enough so the last few guests couldn’t hear.

  Lia insisted, “That’s my point! Then there is Sasha. Come on, you asked him to give you a review of my play. You were angling to ask him out. And you can’t tell me you wouldn’t mind a second chance at him, Elenia. You were glowing the whole time you were telling us about him. We all like him! I can’t just… tell you all to back off while I keep him all to myself.”

  Sasha pushed up from the couch. “Enough for now, alright? No sense tying ourselves into knots over this before we even know who we’re dealing with. Let me go find out.” She smiled. “Then we’ll decide if one of us get to love him, or which one of us gets to kill him.”

  Chapter 8:

  Giving Thanks

  Rick finished rinsing the last plate he was going to load into the first dishwasher. He had to hand it to Elenia; she wasn’t kidding around. She was obsessed with cooking, not with cleaning. To avoid the latter, she had installed two extra-large-sized dishwashing machines that looked hardy enough to handle the worst, baked-on messes.

  He shuffled over to the second machine, spraying down a few pans and starting to stack and rack them into the other machine. The mundane, manual task helped keep his mind from dwelling on the insanity of this whole situation.

  He was doing well until a silky voice interrupted him. “Can’t believe you showed up here.” Sasha swayed into the pantry-space, then leaned against the counter-top across from him.

  Rick turned toward her, not about to ignore her. But he remained leaned against his own side of the space, keeping as much distance between him and her sexiness as he could. Unfortunately, her dress was no less appealing than the first time he had seen it on her. He could once again catch the blueberries and cream scent she was wearing that suited her so well.

  Despite his caution, Rick couldn’t help but smile to see Sasha again. They had shared a special afternoon together, filled with victory, flirtation and a little naughtiness as well. He had loved her impish sacrifice, turning from being the minor celebrity into a bag carrier just to keep him in the game and stick it to Miriam with her haughty attitude.

  The problem was he honestly liked Sasha. That was going to make keeping his distance extra hard. Her smile was as beautiful as ever, and not making things any easier.

  She added to her last comment, “I’m sorry for not coming over to talk to you sooner. I wanted to wait until I could get you alone and have you all to myself for a second.”

  Rick kept his smile friendly but careful. “That’s alight. I know this whole situation has to be awkward. There were a lot of nice people here tonight. You must have been helping your friends entertain.”

  Sasha ran a sensual tongue over her lips, her mouth crooking up into a knowing, sexy smile. “Oh, I’m not sure I’ve been the best company. My mind has been… occupied elsewhere.” She took a purposefully provocative step toward him, accentuating the roll of her hips and the stretch of her leg ending in her heeled shoes. “Can you guess what has me preoccupied?”

  Rick cleared his throat, attempting to work past the catch in it. Sasha was the sort of sexy worth dying to be this close to.

  Right that moment, she was using it like a weapon. She leaned in, putting both of her hands on his chest, peering up at him with a sinful smile. “We were going to chat later this week, but I don’t see any reason we can’t get a head-start on things, hmm? I loved having your hands on me, Rick. I want to feel that again.”

  A painfully strong wave of desire swept over Rick. Ra
w, animal instinct swelled him down below, and he hoped she couldn’t feel the pressure of him crying out for release through his pants.

  But as undeniable as his attraction was, it wasn’t the master of him. Rick fought back the animal, forcing himself to remember his promise. His own hands came up, covered hers where they lay on his chest… and with the hardest act he had ever done in his whole life, he eased her weight back off him to gain a little space. At least enough so he couldn’t feel the sweet pressure of her breasts up against his body. The regret in his voice was real. “I’m sorry, Sasha. You have no idea how much I enjoyed our time together yesterday. I haven’t forgotten how you saved my chances in that tournament. And I sure as hell haven’t forgotten the feel of you under my touch.”

  He squeezed her hands fondly, but stayed firm. “You’re beautiful in ways I can’t even comprehend. I don’t want to upset you. But I’m here with Lia. She’s one of your friends. I’m not sure I could do that to anyone, but I certainly can’t put either of you in that position.”

  Confusion blossomed on Sasha’s face. “I didn’t think you two were that serious. Thought you just met. You’re not exclusive or anything, are you?”

  Rick admitted that with a nod. “We aren’t. But I’m here with her tonight. I don’t want to upset you, or drive any sort of wedge between you two. Can you be alright with that? Lia seems like a special woman, and I want to give that a chance. This is such a weird situation, but… I can’t do anything else.”

  Sasha held his eyes, as if giving him one more chance to crumble in front of her lovely face. When he didn’t lose his resolve, her smile changed. It went from a challenge into something far smoother, lighter, and ultimately far more attractive. “That was the right answer.”

  Rick was puzzled, and he showed it.

  Sasha held out her hand. “Will you come with me? I need to show you something.”

  His caution was still in place.

  Sasha’s smile was inviting without the least trace of guile. “Trust me, Rick. Please?”

  Sensing something was happening he wasn’t understanding, Rick followed her. It helped that she seemed to be heading back out into the living room where he had last seen Lia. If Sasha had headed for the bedroom, he liked to think he would have resisted.

  They emerged into the main room. Rick noticed that the last of the guests had left, leaving the apartment looking far emptier. Plates and glasses and food were scattered everywhere, the aftermath of a truly scrumptious Thanksgiving feast and an honest homage to Elenia’s excellent cooking.

  In the living room, the other three women were lounging together. A bottle of wine was on one of the side tables, mostly empty. Two glasses stood beside it, the red wine inside breathing in the open air to bring out its flavor.

  Sasha was swaying with a sort of deliberate delight. She glided past the table, retrieving one of the wineglasses that had been left for her. She slipped between the couches and joined the others.

  Lia smiled up at her from her seat. “Well?”

  The blonde reporter lived up to her job occupation, with perhaps a little more flair in the wording. “You don’t find this sort of Angel often, ladies.”

  Grins were passed around the room among a few soft laughs. A significant tension frittered away from each of them, though a little uncertainty remained.

  Rick stood just beyond the seats, his own uncertainty very much in place. He couldn’t meet any of their eyes without his smile growing warmer. Each of their encounters had been a breath of fresh air, a reason to remember the previous day fondly instead of as a day he had been fired and attacked by elitists and trampled by a mob while losing his favorite toy and then heading home for a night of boredom in his age-old rut. Instead, Black Friday had been the brightest day of his year.

  These women were the reason. Hurting any of them was the last thing he would want to do. But he saw that as inevitable. He took a long breath, enjoying the last few seconds of having all their favor before someone got disappointed… most likely him!

  Lia unfolded from the couch, those gorgeous legs of her uncrossing and drawing his eye once more. She retrieved the unclaimed wineglass, then walked with precise, careful steps over the carpet. She reached out to offer him the glass, but didn’t let it go when he took it. She stepped into his personal space and extended herself up to him.

  As naturally as breathing, he kissed her. At the theater, their first kiss had been sweet and tempting. Light but sensual. This time, it lingered in the best of ways. Rick’s eyes closed, though he could feel the eyes of the other women on him as he savored Lia’s taste. While one hand remained joined with hers around the wine glass, his other one curled around her side and rested warmly on the back of her scarlet dress. His tongue brushed daringly along her lower lip, and she sucked on it softly to signal her approval.

  They parted, though Lia didn’t go far. She smiled at him. “Try the wine?”

  Rick brought the glass to his lips. He tipped it back and allowed a small splash of the semi-sweet, red liquid play over his tongue which was already tingling from that kiss.

  Lia reached out to take it from him, setting it carefully back on the table. “Now we’ve all had some.” She flashed him a smile, as if that comment was meant to foreshadow something. Lia stood tall again, taking a calming breath. “You weren’t here, but the ladies agreed to let me choose what is going to come out of this.”

  Rick nodded. “I’d accept it, too, for what it’s worth. I know none of us meant to hurt anyone. Seeing you smile after all this… well, that shows how special you are, Lia. You have every right to be losing your mind right about now.”

  Lia smiled demurely, and asked, “Do you know why? I don’t think you could possibly guess how far back we go as friends.”

  Rick was confused by that. “But Sasha came from New Zealand less than a year ago, didn’t she?”

  Lia nodded. She gestured over at Yukiko.

  The charming Asian woman said, “I immigrated from Japan about eight years ago.”

  Lia shifted over to Elenia.

  The caramel-skinned woman said, “I left Puerto Rico around five years back.”

  More and more puzzled, Rick returned to Lia for answers.

  Lia threw a tiny little curtsy, as if acknowledging a film credit. “I was born in New Orleans, though I lost my accent by moving all over the States. Even spent a year across the border in Vancouver so I could take advantage of Whistler right around the corner. You love golf. I love skiing. We do crazy things for the stuff we love, right?”

  Rick chuckled. “Unless someone buys your golf emulator before you can spend thousands of dollars on it, yes we do.”

  Lia smiled. “When we were younger, we all joined a service that matched elementary kids with pen pals. It was part of our school programs in the places we grew up. It was a circle of six kids, back then. We lost two along the way; nothing big, they must have just lost interest. I’ve always been curious why, but we have no way to really find out. But us four stuck with it.”

  She turned side to side, meeting the eyes of her friends. They shared a special smile back and forth. Lia said, “We’ve been spiraling closer to each other ever since.” She glanced back to Rick. Her smile didn’t go away, but she spoke with a firm certainty. “Nothing comes between us. If we like something, we share it. Like the wine. It’s our favorite, so we share a bottle almost every time we get together.”

  She drifted a little closer to Rick again. “I haven’t forgotten what you did for me. Yukiko and Elenia might have gotten their chance to thank you, but I didn’t. So now, they’re going to help.” Her teasing smile grew more playful. “Tonight, we’re all going to do anything you want.”

  Rick tried to catch her meaning. Watch a movie? Drink wine? Go dancing?

  Lia came closer, and placed both her hands on his chest. Her dark, smoldering eyes captured his again. “Anything.” Then, she slowly slid down onto her knees. Her hands trailed down with her, rubbing over his shirt until they
reached his belt.

  Then lower, until her fingers found the zipper on his trousers.

  Rick lost his ability to breathe. Oh. That’s what she means…

  But…

  But that can’t be what she means. Can it?

  He looked up, seeking the other women, hoping to figure out what Lia really meant.

  At first, the women looked a little surprised themselves. Taken aback by their friend’s forwardness, they were glancing at each other. Checking with each other to see if any of the others had any prior warning. Then… daring each other to do this. Goading each other on. They risked small glances back at Rick, seeing a man they had all found attractive. Seeing that access to him was now opened by their friend. Little by little, the lust on their faces rose into being, until they were all looking at him with the hungry expressions of she-wolves in heat.

  Oh crap, that’s exactly what she means!

  Even as the realization set in, he heard the zzziiiiippppp of his pants being undone. Rick gawked at the sight of the gorgeous, dark-skinned beauty gently prying open the flaps of his pants and fishing within to draw his hardness out into the open. Right here! In the middle of her friend’s apartment, with the others watching!

  As terrifying as that might be, it was equally erotic. The warmth of Lia’s hand swarmed around him, and Rick’s shaft hardened in her grasp. She eased him out through the parting of his trousers, allowing him to hang in front of her eyes. Or, less hang, and more protrude right out at her face with mouth-watering invitation.

  Lia’s smile turned syrupy sweet, then peered up at him from her knees with sugary anticipation. “For this bountiful feast, we need to give serious thanks.”

  Soft laughter echoed around the room as Rick flushed a deep red, struggling to take the not-so-subtle compliment. He couldn’t ignore the powerful impact of Lia salivating over his cock. His male ego soared, and his already thick shaft throbbed even larger.

  Moaning with need at the sight, Lia’s gentle hands curled around him and stroked him a few times. Her tongue bathed his glans with sensual licks, then she stretched her lips wide and enveloped his whole, plum-shaped tip. She sank a couple of his inches into her dripping, wet mouth and sucked with soft little whimpers of pleasure.