Kiss and Tell (3 page)

“I have spoken my peace. Your choice is your own, my friend, but I would advise that you look
extremely
close at that choice.”

Pausing, Addison responded, “Are you going to tell me to beware of the Sith next?”

Carmen nodded. “Yup, right after I pop you on the mouth.”

“Works for me.”

Addison had no doubt her friend knew she was lying. Carmen
always
knew when she was lying; she'd been able to read her like a paperback from the first day they met in middle school. It was both a blessing and a curse in that aspect of their friendship. Apparently, Carmen had determined that Addison “needed” her from the first moment she spotted Addison awkwardly standing in the middle of the cafeteria, looking for somewhere to sit.

Carmen had weaved through multiple tables before coming to stand in front of her. Her words had been simple; “C’mon,
chica,
you’re with me.”

More than willing to stop looking like a deer caught in headlights in the midst of hundreds of others kids, Addison had followed without hesitation. From then on, they’d been inseparable. You didn’t find a friend like Carmen every day. Fiercely loyal, incredibly protective, and insanely loveable, Addison couldn’t have prayed for better.

Snorting, said best friend grabbed her hand and dragged her down the aisle of women’s dresses.  “C’mon, we’re gonna get you nice and half naked.”

Addison pulled up short. “Oh no, ma’am. Last time I heard those words, I was on restriction for a month.”

Carmen rolled her eyes. “You telling me it wasn’t worth it?”

“I’m
telling
you that your choices in fashion often times land me in predicaments that threaten national security and the lives of those I hold dear.”

“Mak got over it. Although...one does have to question why he was so upset in the first place.”

“One doesn’t have to question anything. Did he really get over it? Because it would appear differently to me, being that every Halloween he gives me an incredibly long shot of the side-eye combined with ‘Please don’t make me nuke the whole tri-state area.’”

Carmen tucked in her lips, then asked, “You
did
manage to get that last stick of dynamite from him, right?”

Blinking innocently, Addison said, “Uh...yes?”

“You answered my question with a question!”

“I know!”

“If Mak kills everyone within a hundred mile radius, I’m gonna be really pissed.”

“Well then you’ll be
Carmen el fantasma enojado.”

The other woman stared at her for a long moment. “Did you really just call me ‘Carmen the angry ghost’ as a byplay to Casper?”

Addison grinned. “Genius, wasn’t it?”

“No...actually, it made me consider smacking you with a palm full of baby powder because the pun was
just that bad.”

“No love...just none...” Addison murmured as she stomped the rest of the way down the aisle.

An hour later, the pair was placing their orders for gowns up at the counter. Being that the shop they went into was extremely high-end, they had to actually put their names on a list to make the reservation and tailored specifications for each gown.

Her friend finished up and smiled at her. “Looks like wheels for your plan of seduction have started spinning, my friend. Time to ride it out.”

Addison blinked at her. “I choose to believe you didn’t mean that as the suggestive sexual innuendo that it came out as.”

Carmen patted her on the back and nodded solemnly. “Whatever helps you sleep at night...whatever helps you sleep at night...”

“I want you to listen to me closely here, Mak. You’re going to have one opportunity and one
only.”

“Wait.” Maikao said interrupting Carmen’s tirade from the other end of the phone. “I think I’d have more than one opportunity unless you plan to have me assassinated for failing the first time.”

“I save assassination attempts for those who impose upon my rule of downtown.”

“Oh my God, you sounded
so
haughty when you were talking about the other restaurant owners on your block just then.”

There was an annoyed sigh. “Would you like to put your ADHD on hold for a few seconds while I give you your new plan?”

“I could...but the TV’s on and wow, the auditions of American Idol
can
get worse. Did you know they changed judges again? And who knew I’d miss seeing Simon and that infinitely deep part in the middle of his head?”

By this point, Carmen was laughing. “Were you dropped on your head as a child?”

“My parents swear I fell out of the crib. Personally I think they decided to have a Hunger Games battle between my cousin and me to see which was strong enough to survive an infantile pit fight.”

“Jesus, man.” Carmen chuckled. “Please stop talking and listen.”

Maikao turned the volume down on his TV. “All right, all right. I am all ears.”

“Okay, so come Saturday night, you’re going to want to step it up a notch with Addie...”

“No, I’m not coming to that damn ball.”

Maikao frowned at Eli. “Why the hell not?” After his phone conversation with Carmen the night before he’d come into his friend’s office first thing in the morning at work to ask him. Having known the man for fifteen years, he was sure of what his type was and Carmen was most certainly his type. He just needed Eli to fall into the trap of unintentionally getting flirty and pissing Addie off as a result. Underhanded? Of course it was; but damn it, he needed to do something here!

Sure, he could outright
tell
Addison how he felt about her but the same way Maikao knew every in and out of her, he knew she’d run and never speak to him again. He couldn’t take that risk.

Eli folded his arms across his chest. “Because
I
have plans to go to an Albuquerque comic-con as Mario that night.”

He blinked at his friend. “No, you, as a grown man who doesn’t live in his parents’ basement, did not just make that statement with a straight face.”

“I did.” Eli nodded.

“Eli, it’s important.”

“Is it life and death?”

“Well...no.”

“Then look,” Eli waved his hands through the air before completing cheerfully, “Look at all the fucks I give!”

“You’re such an asshole!”

“An asshole that’ll be going to the comic-con as the coolest motherfucking video game character
ever.”

“Add
insane
to the list of your ass-holish qualities.”

His friend simply stared at him while humming the Mario theme song. “Addie will be there!” Maikao blurted. He knew Eli was attracted to Addie on some level—which was why he had to put a monkey wrench in any plans being made.

Eli stopped, stared, and then asked, “Well, why didn’t you say that in the first place, dumbass?”

Yup, this shit was underhanded, but a man had to do what a man had to do.

“I do
not
remember my gown being this damn short before, even after the tailoring.”

Carmen slapped Addison’s steadily tugging hands away from the hem of her gown. A gown Addison was convinced had been altered. Her eyes narrowed on Carmen and the other woman blinked back innocently.

Catching on, Addison shoved one of her shoulders. “You didn’t…”

Carmen pushed back. “I did.”

“I look like I’m gonna be taking tips in my thong later!”

“That’s the point!”

Both women were well aware that they were standing just outside the Hotel St. Francis that housed the charity ball, screaming at one another like two unstable patients escaped from the psych ward as other attendees walked by. “I can’t believe you actually fucked with my dress. What are you, my pimp now?”

Raising one eyebrow, Carmen retorted, “I believe the correct term would be
madam.”

“Nuts...” Addison murmured, walking up ahead of her friend. “You’re fucking nuts.” The pair had met up after work and dressed at Addison’s place. She was almost late getting ready because of work.

“What I
am
is a friend who wants to see you get laid by the love of your life.
This
is a step in the right direction,” Carmen murmured as she followed behind. Maikao had let it slip that Eli would also be in attendance tonight and Addison saw this as the chance she needed.

“Carmen, I can feel the wind caressing my ass cheeks. I don’t know all of what
you
do on your spare time but Mother Nature and I don’t have that type of relationship.”

“Stop whining, you look amazing and if I had a dick, I’m sure I’d be tenting my pants right now.”

Addison stopped and slowly turned around to face the only woman she’d thought of as a sister before raising a brow. “I think we need to re-examine our relationship after that disturbing statement.”

“I’m simply saying that if I were a man, I’d probably try my hand at getting you to the nearest enclosed space tonight.”

“I’m sorry,” Addison said calmly. “Was
that
statement supposed to be
comforting?
Because at the moment, I don’t feel comforted. As a matter of fact, I feel like I need to start guarding my goodies.”

Rolling her eyes, Carmen grabbed her hand and dragged her as she walked through the lobby. “Shut up before I kiss you on the mouth.”

“Still not comforted!”

“Would you just focus, please? You have a mission tonight and—”

Just to be irritating Addison started humming the
Mission: Impossible
theme song.

“Addie!”

“What?”

“You’re gonna make me hurt you.”

“From our previous conversation, something tells me you’re into that.”

Carmen let out a frustrated little growl as they continued on. “Do you or do you not want tonight to be a success?”

Addison couldn’t answer that honestly so she went for obtuse. “I want tonight to go how it’s
meant
to go.”

The other woman’s eyes narrowed and she looked seconds away from replying to that ominous statement when they reached the DeVargas ballroom. Dozens of attendees milled about.