FOREVER MINE(7)
“Why would you? From what you’ve just said, when you look at Mike you see a very handsome, well-built man who has caught your interest. Skin color shouldn’t matter, so why are you losing sleep over it?”
“I’m not.”
Carla exited off the interstate and came to a traffic light. She glanced over at Sonya. “Aren’t you?”
Sonya remembered how many restless nights she’d had lately. She also recalled the ache that constantly throbbed between her legs during those times. “Okay, I am losing sleep.”
“And what are you going to do about it?”
Sonya knew what she would like to do about it but she wasn’t sure what she had in mind was a smart move. “You assumed Mike and I were involved before,” she said to Carla.
“Yes, only because the two of you set out to fool me and Jesse. You wanted us to believe the two of you were an item while working behind the scenes to get us together.”
Sonya laughed. “It worked.”
“Yes, it worked and I’ll always be extremely grateful to you and Mike for your involvement. I’m extremely happy with Jesse. Now I want you to be happy. If not with Mike, then with someone. But I want you to be happy.”
Sonya didn’t say anything but at the moment she couldn’t imagine being happy with anyone, not even Mike. Especially not Mike. She didn’t want to think about the problems indulging in an affair with him could possibly cause. Jeeze. Why did life have to be so complicated?
* * *
Sonya had just slipped between the sheets when her phone rang. She leaned over in bed to pick it up. “Hello?”
“You left a message on my cell phone earlier for me to call you,” Mike said in a deep throaty voice.
Sonya’s body began stirring upon hearing it. Not only that, but it seemed the sound of his voice was actually heating up the sheets. “Yes, I just wanted to give you an update on how the plans are going,” she said.
“All right.”
“I hired the caterer today. The company comes highly recommended from Brandy. And I visited the shop where I’ll be getting the decorations.”
“Will you be the one doing the decorating?”
“Yes, I thought I would. I think it will be fun,” she said positioning her body in bed more comfortably. “And I’ve ordered the invitations. They will be ready in a week.”
“Umm, sounds like you have everything under control.”
“I do. We started early so hopefully things will run smoothly,” she said.
“I don’t see why they won’t.”
There was silence that lasted several long seconds before Mike picked back up the conversation to ask. “So, what did you do today?”
“I took a day of vacation off work and Carla and I went shopping this morning. And then later we met Amber and Brandy for lunch.”
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Yes.”
There was another pause, and then he said. “I understand you’ll have our godchildren this weekend.”
A smile touched the corners of her lips. “Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve had them over for the weekend. It should be fun.”
“I had planned to get them this weekend myself, but you beat me to the punch. How about if we plan a few activities for them?”
“We? You mean the two of us? Together?”
“Yes. I thought we could do Disney World. That’s where I took them the last time I had them. They always like going there. However, if you’ve made other plans with them, then that’s okay.”
“No, I hadn’t made any other plans. Disney World is fine. I’m getting them Friday night, so they will be here Saturday morning.”
“I’ll pick you guys up...let’s say around eleven.”
“That’s cool.”
There was another pause and then he asked. “So, what are you doing?”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.”
She shifted to lie on her back. “I’m in bed.”
“Oh.” His silence lasted a few seconds and then he asked. “What are you wearing?”
She didn’t answer immediately since she knew just where this conversation was headed and not sure she wanted to go there. Then she decided - what the hell. If they were off limits to do the dirty, then there couldn’t be anything wrong with talking dirty. They were adults, after all. “Are you sure that you want to know?”
She heard him laugh briefly before saying. “Yeah, Sonya, I really want to know.”
“All right.” She threw back the covers and glanced down at herself to make sure she got the description right. She liked sexy nightwear and this was one of her favorites. “I call it my hanky-panky outfit.”
“Why?”
“I just do, but not for the reason you think. I’m not one of those women who try to impress a man with lingerie.”
“You’re not?”
“No. I think nothing turns a man on quicker than seeing bare skin.”
He gave a soft chuckle. “You’re probably right. But I’m a man who likes sexy lingerie so let’s get back to your hanky-panky outfit. What color is it?”
“Black.”
“Describe it.”
“Umm, it’s just a black lace chemise that hits me at mid thigh.”
“And there are bottoms to match?”
“No, there aren’t any bottoms.”
He paused then said, “Oh, I see.” Then another soft chuckled followed by him saying. “No, I don’t see, but I would just love to.”
Sonya fluffed her pillow, deciding to ignore that part of his comment. “So Mike, are you in the bed?”
“Yes.”
“And what are you wearing?”
“Nothing. I sleep in the nude.”
A vivid image of that crossed Sonya’s mind. She had seen him down to his workout shorts, but imagining him totally naked was awesome, made her feel breathless. “What happens on cold nights?”
“I either add more blankets or turn up the heat.”
“Or you can solicit a warm female body. Men aren’t the only ones who make booty calls.”
He seemed to consider what she’d said for a moment and then. “Is that an offer?” he asked in an almost husky whisper.
She couldn’t help the warm smile that touched her lips. “No, merely an observation. I’m sure you have a lot of names somewhere of willing women.”
He gave another soft chuckle. “Are you trying to find out if I have my own little black book?”
“No, because I figure a man like you would.”
“Define a man like me.”
She immediately thought of the description she’d given Carla earlier that day. At the risk of making his head swell she said. “Umm handsome, with a well-built body.” She then tacked on. “And I have reason to believe that you’re a man with a strong healthy sexual appetite. But you’re also a man who prefers casual to serious affairs. You would cut the strings before things got too involved. You are a loner and don’t ever plan on getting married. How did I do?”
“Pretty good actually. So what about you?”
“Same thing applies to me actually…pretty much right across the board. I’m a woman with a strong healthy sexual appetite and I also prefer casual to serious affairs. Only difference is that I don’t have to cut the strings before things got too involved since I wouldn’t let them get that way in the first place. And I don’t consider myself a loner since I have family and friends I know I can count on. However, like you, I don’t ever plan on getting married.”
“Because of your parent’s marriage?”
His question surprised her. She had never mentioned her family and their problems to him. Carla wouldn’t have either, which meant he’d gotten the information from Jesse. She shrugged. That was fine. She didn’t have a problem with him knowing. Most of Orlando probably did anyway. Suzette made a habit of boasting about how she’d broken up her parents’ marriage. Her mother’s self-esteem and confidence had taken a tremendous beating, but after joining a support group that consisted of women whose husbands had dumped them for other women, Peggy Morrison had begun rebuilding her life. Sonya was truly proud of her mother.
“Not only theirs but my aunt and uncle’s marriage as well. My uncle Joe is probably worse than my dad. The men in my life haven’t exactly been good role models.”
He didn’t say anything for a while and then. “You know what I think about all of that?”
She was curious to get his opinion. “No, and just what do you think about all of that?”
“I think what your family does and how they act shouldn’t influence how you look at life.”
She frowned. What he’d said rubbed her the wrong way. “Excuse me, but look who is talking. Isn’t the reason you don’t get involved in serious relationships because of your upbringing? Because you’ve never had stability in your life?”
“Is that what you think?”
She hesitated no longer than it took to pull in another breath and said. “Yes, that’s what I think.”
“Then you’re wrong. The reason I prefer not to get involved in serious relationships is because the way I see it, serious involvements usually lead to marriage and marriage takes a lot of work. It also involves dealing with emotions I’d rather keep under wrap. And as far as the lack of stability in my life, I don’t see it as a minus but a plus. As foster kids, Jesse and I got to travel a lot, going from place to place. We got to drop in on all sorts of families, even if it were just for a little while. And the one thing we discovered was that the most dysfunctional ones were the families who actually thought they had their shit together. But because we were actually outsiders looking in, we saw things they didn’t. And what it did was make me and Jesse know what we wanted in our own family, if we ever got one. That’s one of the reasons Jesse is such a wonderful husband and father.”