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“I’m in the kitchen checking out the meatballs,” Parker responded.
“Oh, okay. Well yes, Derrick bought it; you knew he would. Anyway, I’ve got to run. I’ll see you in about an hour.” Looking at the clock on the dashboard, I knew I was pushing my luck to be on time.
“See you soon.”
Now that I had confirmed all was good with Parker, I ran into the house and jumped in the shower, which hadn’t had a second to warm up.Oh my God, I squealed as I shivered, and goosebumps rose on my skin.Shit, shit, shit.Turning the water to hot, I finally got warm and washed my hair. After what felt like the least relaxing shower I’d had in a minute, I wrapped my body in a towel and, like lightning, went to work on my hair and makeup. With a last-minute decision to save time, I tied my hair up in a perfect bun on top of my head, then modestly applied some eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick.
I wore my multicolored maxi dress with sparkling gemstone straps and strappy sandals.
Wow, I hear you grumbling in there; I’ll feed you.Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten all day. I went to the kitchen and grabbed an apple while I waited for Derrick to finish in the shower.
Startled, then smiling, I heard catcalls behind me as I chewed a bite of my apple. I turned slowly to face my husband, smiled, and walked into his arms. He held me while rubbing the small of my back.
“You look beautiful as always,” he whispered. The feel of his warm breath on my neck as I turned into him and looked up, kissing him sweetly on the lips, still turned me on after all these years.
“Thanks, hun. We should get going.”
“On it. Let me grab my jacket.” I watched as Derrick retraced his steps and gathered a jacket. I straightened his tie; I couldn’t help but feel blessed. Derrick was a true gentleman and easy on the eyes as well. I was lucky. His thick brown hair was clean-cut, and his five-o-clock shadow, which he’d perfected over the years, was perfect. He took care of his body and worked out a lot for a pencil pusher, refusing to get the dad bod, but I preferred to think he was keeping in shape for me. I still loved to rest my head on his firm chest every night as we watched TV and talked before bed.
Olivia
The first duty of love is to listen. Paul Tillich
“Hey, lovey, what’s up?” Elliot answered cheerfully. I smiled despite my current situation. I also wondered if he had started drinking without me. I could always tell by the tiny slur he got when he had a single cocktail.
“You start without me?”
“I hadone!How do you do that?”
I laughed at him, our friendship something easy. “You can’t hide from me. I know you like the back of my hand, handsome.”
“Are you on your way yet?”
“Well, not quite. There’s a bit of a hiccup.” I could hear him frantically rub his face as I finished. “But I’ll be leaving in ten! You know me, I can get ready in seconds! My career depends on it.” He laughed at that and wished me success as I ended the call.
I could kick myself in the ass if it were physically possible, to doze like I had all the time in the world. What the hell was wrong with me?Oh yeah, I just drove from a shoot. Smart ass.I had a terrible habit of talking to myself. Glancing out the slider, the signs of night settling in, I prepared the desserts in to-go tins to transport them to the club.
Throwing on my little black dress with rhinestone shoulder straps that barely covered my ass, I looked in the mirror. Happy with how I looked, I decided to let my hair flow in its natural form. I slid my feet into my stilettos, black as well, and added a silver chain that laid between my breasts and hung midway down my stomach. My makeup was perfect, for a change, and it didn’t cause me heartache trying to get it right. The stars must have been aligned with me; I laughed and thought it more likely they were aligned with Nikki.
Ha! I was done with a few minutes to spare. A few perks of the job came in handy, like the ability to transform within minutes.
Looking at my watch, I dialed Elliot’s number again. “Walking out the door now. See you in twenty.”
“Good, be safe.”
I hung up as I opened the car door and placed the desserts on the back seat. One glance towards the neighbor’s house told me he had gone out. The truck no longer occupied thedriveway. I thought,Oh well, it’s good he went out; there was no need to get mixed up with anyone right now.I had just gotten over Thomas, the dreadful jerk.
Twenty minutes later, as promised, I pulled into a parking spot at the club. Desserts in hand, the nice young man in front of me held the door open, allowing me access before himself. I thanked him, though he was looking at my ass as I walked through the door before him. He gave a nervous nod and walked in the other direction. I had to smile at how openly uncontrolled some men were.
After depositing the desserts on the buffet table, I turned towards the bar. Immediately spotting El, I walked towards him as eyes watched me glide across the floor. Kissing him on the cheek, I smiled at him warmly. “Hi, lovey.”
“Hi there. Don’t you catch all the looks, my love? How have you been? It’s been too long, you know,” El said, with hisyou know better look. I threw my head back and laughed, resting my eyes on him.
“Don’t stare me down with those sparkling green beauties! You know it’s been too long as well.”
“I know. I’ll have you over for dinner tomorrow night after the realtor leaves, and we’ll catch up with a bottle or two of wine,” I offered with pouty lips. He liked that idea and said so, then asked what I wanted from the bar. I decided on another glass of pinot; the bartender handed it to me and then went along to help others with their orders.
When it was time for the crowd to quiet down, the lights dimmed, and everyone turned and stood looking at the entranceway. As Nicole and Derrick walked into the room, thecrowd yelled in unison,Surprise!I could tell by the look on Derrick’s face he was surprised. It was several moments before he spoke as he looked over at his wife on his arm.
