“Well then you would’ve been disappointed because it was a dry resort.”
Dante’s voice dropped to a whisper. “So did you two …” He inserted two fingers into a hole in his other hand.
“What did Anika say?”
“That you two were on some voyeur shit. Running around naked on the beach.” So, Danessa had shared our exploits. I thought she would chicken out and just rave about the snapper and the views. “Just so you know, I’m all caught up. Anika told me about college, and Danessa stomping on your heart to go to law school in Chicago which she ended up dropping out of a few months later. I’m firmly on your team. Shit, so is Anika. You know women and that independent I don’t need a man bullshit they be spewing. Anika said she still loves you, so there’s that.”
“What?”
“Danessa she’s still fucking in love with you. And when you guys ended, she immediately regretted it or some shit. But she had to stand on business.”
“Anika said that?”
“Not word for fucking word but yeah.”
Anika was an unreliable narrator, you couldn’t believe most of the shit that came out of her mouth but if half of it was true, Danessa and I needed to stop being polite and have a real fucking conversation.
“Wow this is you?”I asked as I made my way through the entry hall which opened into Danessa’s living space. Her condo looked exactly like I’d pictured. Light colored furniture, art by Blackartist, zero clutter. I’d only been here for a minute, and the space already felt like a place I’d like to kick off my shoes and hang out in for a while.
“Yeah.”
“I see why you like it, views of the city at night, nice high rise building with what I can only imagine is all the amenities.”
“All the perks of homeownership with none of the responsibilities.”
I leaned in towering over her. “You trying to be neighbors?”
“No, I’m not suggesting you move here. But I wanted to give you a feel of the condo option since we haven’t explored that yet.”
I looked out the window at the area below. “Is that a lake?”
“Manmade, yes. There are running and bike paths and a picnic area. Sometimes they have concerts at the amphitheater.”
“I like the way you decorated the place.”
“Thanks, let me show you the rest.”
A few days ago, we were at a private resort enjoying drinks with umbrellas in them, and now back in Vegas we were pretending like shit hadn’t shifted between us. I’d seen Danessa naked for the first time in a long ass time, and it wasn’t something I could just push away into the murky recesses of my brain. In Mexico I was respectful, but all I could think about was her smile, tan lines, and naked ass. I wanted more. More access, more time.
Danessa led me to the second bedroom she was using as an office and then to the primary which was spacious with large floor to ceiling windows. On the way to the bathroom, I scanned the walk-in closet for size 14 shoes or a rack of men’s shirts.
“And this is my bathroom.” The word bathroom was an understatement. It was like a wellness getaway in here with candles, a soaker tub, and eucalyptus in the shower.
“The tub is huge.”
“I checked, it should be long enough for you to fit.” Was that an invitation? I absentmindedly opened up the medicine cabinet and was quickly chided. “Mind your business.”
“My bad. Can I open the linen closet?”
“Knock yourself out.” I scanned the neatly folded towels and labeled bins with toiletries and hand soap. We needed to talk about Mexico and my feelings. I couldn’t be a good friend to Danessa if I was constantly thinking about fucking her. She wanted to be friends, and I was willing to fall in line and be the best friend she’d ever had. But not before she knew I still had feelings for her. That for me this wasn’t over.
“How’d your event go yesterday?”
Closing the closet I rolled my eyes. “Colin tried to start some shit, but?—”
“You should just bop him one good time.”
That seemed to be the consensus. “Danessa, I thought you were all about protecting your energy.”
