Playing It Safe(31)

“What makes you think there’s something wrong with me?” I ask.

“I don’t know what gave it away first, the hair in a messy bun or the bags under your eyes. Something is definitely up with you.”

I put down my mug and lean back in my chair. Lisette doesn’t know it yet, but she’s going to help me with Alex, kind of. See, I don’t want to just call him up and say, “Hey, how about we finally have sex? Does today work for you? Great! Sounds like a plan!”

I concur, that would be a bit on the slutty side.

With him, I think I need to bide my time, not just jump into bed with him. Or at least that’s what I’ve convinced myself of, and it kept me from sleeping most of the night. Well that and having a battle with myself over grabbing my vibrator and finishing off what he started. For the record, I didn’t, and that’s probably why I’m even crankier. Oh, please! Have you ever been that close to coming and then not? It’s like being … you know what, it can’t be described. It sucks ass, plain and simple.

Anyway, I’m hoping that Lisette will help in being something of a buffer between us as far as helping plan this party for Josie. The way I see it, if she’s around us during meetings, phone calls, and so forth, then he won’t dare to make a move—or at least that’s what I hope will happen. And that will buy me the time that I need to get to know him better to see where, if anywhere, this can go with him.

“Ni?a, just spit it out already,” Lisette drawls out, seemingly bored at my holding up the conversation.

“Okay, what I’m about to tell you cannot leave this room,” I warn.

She nods, but that isn’t good enough. “I need you to swear on one of those saints you pray to or something like that.”

Lisette’s eyebrows shoot up so high that I’m afraid they may need to be surgically removed from her hairline. “Oh, this must be good. Fine, I swear on San Lazaro that this won’t leave this room.”

Still leaning back in my chair, I steeple my fingers together under my chin and let it all out. “I went to Alex’s house yesterday. At first it was to meet with his niece to plan a birthday party for her in a few weeks. But after she left, it turned into what I think can only be described as a date, sort of. He asked me to stay for dinner, so I did. Somehow we ended up making out in his bedroom, and then luckily the Chinese delivery guy got us to stop. Then during dinner I gave him all the reasons why we can’t be together, and the next thing I know I’m up against his wall about to have the best orgasm of my life with all of our clothes still on.”

Lisette’s movements are frozen, as is the shocked expression on her face.

“So I need your help and, as much as it kills me to say it, advice.”

She’s still speechless. I don’t blame her. Not only would the developments with Alex be a shocker to her, but me coming out and asking for advice too? Hell may have officially frozen over.

“Aren’t you going to say something?” I ask.

Her glazed-over look disappears, and she leans forward in her chair.

“Did you sleep with him?”

“No, I didn’t. I couldn’t,” I add as an afterthought under my breath.

“And why couldn’t you sleep with him?”

“I’d rather not say. We just stopped, and I left shortly after that.”

Lisette is cursing in Spanish while she pulls out her cell phone and starts pressing some buttons rather violently.

“What the hell was that about?” I ask.

“I just texted Sarah,” she answers in an annoyed voice when her phone dings in her hands. “She just said she’ll be here in five minutes and not to say another word until she gets here.”

“What the hell, Lisette?! Didn’t I just ask you to keep this shit between us? Didn’t you swear on Saint Larry that you wouldn’t breathe a word of it to anyone?”

She crosses herself before letting out a long sigh. “It was San Lazaro, and for the record, he would be fine with it. Plus, we need reinforcements.”

“You are unbelievable! I ask for your help and you text Sarah?”

“She works for the man. We—I mean you, need her help too,” she says. “So shush! Not another word from you until Sarah gets here.”

Unreal. And the best part is I’m stupid enough to sit here and do exactly what she says. I try to busy myself with checking my e-mails, but that’s not going to happen while I have Lisette staring at me like a hawk. I give up and turn my seat around to face her again. She’s got a funny look on her face as if she’s trying to hold in a fart and it’s killing her. Her movements are jerky and irritated, and more importantly playing on my last nerve.

“Fuck this noise,” I announce, and go to stand up. “I’m out of here. You two can figure this out on—”

“I’m here! I’m here!” Sarah yells, running into my office and slamming the door behind her. “Did I miss anything?”

“Bloody hell,” I say. “Did you run here?”

“Yup,” she proudly says.

“What did you say to Alex?” Lisette asks, and I instantly sit back down because I have to admit I’m dying to know what the answer is too.

“I told him I had to run to Navarro’s and buy some tampons,” she says. “I’ve got about a half hour before I have to be back at the gallery. So what’s up?”