Knowing Is Not Enough (23 page)

“Who was it this time?” he asked, sipping his drink.

“Well, it depends on who you ask. Tobey at first then it switched to me, and stayed on me.”

He smiled. “What were they giving you a hard time about?”

“It wasn’t a hard time, really. More like me filling in the blanks,” I admitted. “Lot’s of blanks.”

“I’m sure you handled it,” he said, and put down his glass. “No flannel pajamas tonight?”

“No, not tonight,” I said. “You got here before I finished getting dressed.”

He narrowed his eyes. “So, what is it tonight?”

“Ah—no pajamas.”

His faced lit up. “Okay—”

Observing the excitement in his face I interjected, “Before you say anything, I have to tell you—I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“What? Make a booty call?”

“See—I knew you were going to say that. Technically this is not a booty call, and for the record, I
do not
like that term,” I laughed.

“But that’s what’s it’s called and this is what it is—don’t be ashamed now.” Easton laughed uncontrollably.

“You’re having way too much fun with this.”

“No, but seriously—I don’t think you would have made this move without a little liquid motivation.”

“You’re here now—does it matter?”

He gave me a blank stare. “Yeah, a little—I would like to think you would’ve called me eventually anyway.”

“I don’t know—the liquor helped me make the call, but my desire for you is how you got here to begin with.”

We stood up from our seats. Easton pulled my face
into his massaging my temples with his thumbs softly placing his upper lip between mine. Our first kiss. My heart raced as we continued caressing each other and intertwining our tongues. I wrapped my arms underneath his, massaging my fingertips up and down his spine to the lower part of his back in small rhythmic motions.

Easton slid his fingers inside my robe, pulling it down and revealing my nudity. He quickly disarmed himself of his clothes. The bedroom was too far. The kitchen table would have to do.

And it did.

Easton made love to me with the skill of a master chef. The genie was out of the bottle. I felt the thickness of his penis against my thigh. I lay my back on the cold kitchen table, robe open down to my forearms, and Easton’s naked body between my legs. I pulled my legs inward, knees at my shoulders, allowing his tongue to reach inside of me. My eyes closed slipping into a sexual abyss.

One hand on his penis, the other stroking my breast, he gradually pressed himself inside me. Each thrust accompanied by masterful tongue sucking each breast, never out of rhythm or off-beat, engaging all of me. My body responded to him with passion and purpose as his thrusts quickened. I held my excitement, but his moan was more than I could take, all space and time no longer existed. We were no longer two people, climaxing in perfect harmony, an erotic interaction fusing sound and silence. Exhausted, Easton laid his head on my stomach. I lowered my legs beside his wet body, coming to the one inevitable realization . . . Jake was right—
we should have
bought this table
.

I turned to Easton. Feeling the wine from last night, I said, “You hungry?” I put my finger on the tip of his nose. “I’m going to make you some fish and grits.”

“As tempted as I am to take you up on that you
do not
have time to make fish and grits. We both have to be at work in an hour,” he replied.

“Naw—naw—naw, fish and grits, that’s what you’re going to get.”

He laughed at me. “All right, I put it down—where’s my food at?”

I laughed. “Oh, babe, I was playing, I can’t make all that. But I can microwave you some waffles if you go to the store and get some.”

Easton cupped my face with his enormous hands. “I put it down last night. I want my fish and grits.”

“I was joking. Waffles are all I have time for and that’s if you go buy some.”

Fooling around with Easton, entertaining the idea of making—microwaving waffles, I hadn’t looked at the time. The clock was inconspicuously hidden behind a lamp.
We’d made it to the bed for our second round of lovemaking last night. Easton’s warm body embraced mine, only moving his arm just enough for me to reach over and twist the alarm clock into view for the morning alarm.

I gasped. “It’s eight o’clock!”

“That’s why I moved the clock. I wanted to pretend like we had all day.”

I pushed him away. “But we don’t have all day, goofball. Get up.”

Easton’s muscular arm felt like lead on my waist. His pulling me back each time I attempted to get up didn’t help. Resisting him wasn’t getting me anywhere. I turned to face him, morning breath and all. Kissing his cheeks I stared at his closed eyelids. He didn’t flinch. I kissed his cheek again, pulled back and continued my gaze. He didn’t peek. I removed my hand from underneath the cover and popped him on the forehead. That got me a smile, but nothing else.

I whined, “Easton, come on, get up.”

He replied, “Once is asking. Twice is begging.”

“Okay, so I’m begging. My first appointment is at ten.”

“Mine is at eleven, so what you going to give me if I move?”

I grinned. “Another kiss on the cheek?”

“Not with that hot breath,” he said laughing.

“Oh, no, you didn’t. You got jokes, okay—now you ain’t gettin’ nothing. Get up.”

He grabbed me tighter, hugging me close enough to know exactly what he wanted. “Got something on your mind?” I asked.

“Me? Nope.”

“You sure? I’m thinking other parts of your body would disagree with you.”

“Oh, that? That’s your present for having me over.”

“My present . . . seriously, Easton, get up.”

His voice was husky. “I can’t have you thinking I’m a bad guest, so I got you something.”

“A big something . . . ”

“Very big.” He laughed. “For you—I figured I’d go all-out.”

I put my cheek next to his and nibbled on his earlobe, whispering, “You’re a hot mess.” I felt his hand rubbing between my legs. There was no way I was getting out of this bed without opening my present. I only hoped Karen would move my appointment back—I going to be extremely late.

Finally out of the house, I called Tobey. She was home packing, which meant the move would taking place a little sooner than any of us realized. I don’t know why I thought it would be down the road some—made no sense based on the conversation last night.

Tobey answered. “Hello?”

“Hey,” I said.

“What’s up?”

“Guess what I did last night.”

She giggled. “Went home and went to bed.”

“Between you and Linda, I don’t know who has the worst jokes. No, I asked Easton to come over.”

“Uh-oh, Alex, look at you making a booty call!”

“That is not what it was. I just wanted to see him.”

“Oh yeah, you wanted to see him, all right.” I could tell she was still giggling about it. “So, Alex—did you see him?”

“He came over, of course I saw him.”

“Stop playing! You know what I’m talking about. Did you
see
him?”

“Yes, I
saw
him—multiple times.”

She gave a hoot. “Details, girl, details! How was it?”

“Girl, girl, girl, girl, girl it was an out-of-body experience—I felt like I could fly.”

“Oh-oh, Alex giving away the sweet tea on the regular now. Was he better than Sanford?”

That was easy. “Not better—different.”

“Like what? Different how?”

“Easton doesn’t love me. Sanford, that’s different, he’s physically capable of expressing how he feels about me. If Easton’s earth—Sanford is the universe and beyond.”

“And you gave that up?”

“Exactly.”

“So, okay. I hate to break up a moment you’re having here—afterglow and all, but how does his wife play into all of this? He is still married, right?”

“Ayah, he’s still married.”

“I’m all for getting your groove on, but—”

“I know what I need to do before this gets any more complicated than it already has. Can you give me a minute?”

“Take all the time you need, but keep your options open, Alex. I mean it. Don’t get so wrapped up into this guy that you’re hurt if he winds up going back to his wife.”

I said primly, “I don’t foresee that happening.”

“You don’t know what’s happening, which is part of
the problem. Even if you don’t want to know the answer, you need to know the questions. Isn’t this the same shit Jake did to you?”

“It’s not the same. I’m not going after this woman’s husband.”

Tobey paused. “Alex, is that the distinction you hanging your hat on?”

“Yes, it is. He’s not in the house with her, and I am not chasing this man.”

“Okay,” Tobey replied.

“What do you mean, okay?”

“I mean okay. Alex, what do you want me to say? You know that’s weak. It’s the same thing. I know you don’t want to hear this, honey, but now that you have slept with him, you are sleeping with someone else’s husband.”

“Look . . . I don’t want an ethics lesson from you Tobey.”

“If you don’t want an ethics lesson from the book of morality . . . let’s take a page from the book of
Bitch Damn
or
What the Fuck
. I’m not a perfect person, but I know a dead end when I see one,” she said.

“I don’t think I can do this right now,” I sighed. “I need to get off the phone.”

“Alex, don’t be upset. Same team—remember? I’m looking out for you even when you’re not.”

“Same team, Tobey. I remember, but I’m still getting off the phone.”

“Why?”

“Karen’s calling me, I got to get this.”

“Okay, call me back.”

Honestly, I had no intention of calling Tobey back.
I’m getting sensitive in my old age. She kind of hurt my feelings. Then Karen called, wondering where I was, and to tell me that Jake had stopped by questioning her as to my whereabouts. I’m always at work and on time.

Karen said she covered for me, but I don’t need covering. Jake and I are not married anymore. She also wanted to know how soon I was arriving because Jake was grabbing a cup of coffee and coming back. I needed to get into the office for his second visit.

I didn’t park in front this time. I pulled around back, grabbed my briefcase, paperwork, and headed inside. I hadn’t stopped off for coffee considering I was already running behind. I hoped Jake would slip into old habits and get me something to drink, too.

Coming in the back way has its advantages. One is sneaking past any waiting visitors in the lobby or anyone parked out front.

Jake returned with not one, but two cups of coffee from my happy place. He walked in my office straight from the pages of a Ralph Lauren catalog.
God he is gorgeous
.

“So to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” I asked as soon as I’d sipped my coffee.

“I wanted to give you an update on Mom.”

I took another sip. “How is she?”

“About the same,” he said. “There hasn’t been much change. We’re just trying to keep her healthy after a couple of close calls.”

“What close calls?”

“Oh, she caught a cold.”

Jake leaned back on the couch creating, just enough movement to fill my nose with his cologne. Too bad it couldn’t have worked out between Jake and me. What we
lacked in partnership, we made up for in physical perfection. We did look good together. Sadly, that was about it.

“How long has she been sick?” I asked.

“A couple of weeks since we saw you, nothing bacterial only viral—but even viral can be a problem for her if it develops into something.”

“Oh, Jake, you need to call me and let me know stuff like that. I want to be there as much as I can without—you know, getting in the way.”

“How could you be getting in the way?”

I sighed. “You know exactly what I’m talking about,” I said.

“Taylor is a part of my life, yeah, but so are you. You make Mom happy, and that predates Taylor, so we all have to play grown-up.”

“I choose who I play with, Jake. You don’t get to decide anymore. I didn’t want Taylor in my life then, and I don’t now. I—”

“Alex,” he interrupted. “I got to stop you. Taylor is not an issue for you. I know how you feel, but more importantly she knows how you feel. Taylor won’t be around when you’re around. She doesn’t live with me. There shouldn’t be an issue unless you make it one.”