Malia wagged her tiny finger at Zach. “Daddy! You said a bad word! A dollar for the swear jar!”
Zach shook his head and placed a frustrated hand on his forehead. We were going to give the man a stroke.
Trying not to laugh, I yelled across the playground. “I’m sorry, Zach. Bella just doesn’t understand context clues.”
“I understand context clues just fine,” said Bella through tight veneers. “What I want to know is how you ended up in his bed in the first place?”
“My bed. We were in my bed. We had gone out to meet the clients of our project and $800 wine was flowing. We got a little handsy on the ride back to my place. One thing led to another. And when I woke up...”
“Wait...he spent the night? Because you never let dudes spend the night!”
Groaning, I shook my head. “I’m breaking all my cardinal rules, but yes, he spent the night. We were late for work the next day because we had to get one more round in. Make that two more rounds in. Again, it is just sex. Just us getting our frustrations out. You know we’ve been working nonstop on this soccer stadium design. It’s stressful as hell.”
Bella fanned herself. “Jesus. I can’t remember the last time I had twenty-four hours of sex without some little person interrupting us with ‘Mama, I need this!’ or ‘Daddy, I need that!’ or ‘Sasha hit me with a sippy cup!’”
I smiled and looked at the girls. “Yeah, but those two are too precious! It’s all worth it in the end, right?” I’d thought about having kids a time or two, and Bella’s relationship with the twins made it look so fun and easy. They were the sweetest and kindest kids. I wondered if Porter wanted kids. I swiftly popped that thought like a soap bubble.
“Yeah, they’re the best, but Mama needs to get some too!” complained Bella with an uneasy chuckle. “I can’t remember the last time Zach went down on me. I had to sneak and give him some head in the butler’s pantry while they napped. Two licks and it was over because I heard tapping at the door. I’m telling you, those two are some cock-blockers!”
I patted her knee. “Oh, girl. You will get you some real soon.”
“Hmpf. I don’t know when. Time isn’t on our side.”
“Plus, you’re getting the event planning business off the ground. Zach is in the middle of his plastic surgery residency. The girls are a lot, and you have tons of responsibilities. Trust me. Things will get better.”
Bella smiled and put her head on my shoulder. “You always know what to say, Ari. How’d I get so lucky to have a best friend like you?”
I laughed. “Because we were two lost and anxious freshmen at college and clung to each other like mold on cheese.”
“You say that like it was a bad thing!”
“It’s not. You don’t always find a best friend like that. Don’t tell Zach, but you’re my soul mate.”
I could feel Bella wiping away a tear. I rolled my eyes. She was always the emotional one. I patted her shoulder. “There, there. No crying, La Croix.”
Bella sat up. “You’re right. No crying. Especially when I’m still waiting on all the details from your night...excuse me...nights and mornings of sexing with Porter.”
“I’m not sure I have the words to describe it. Trust me, it’s amazing, Bella. When we’re together, I feel things I’ve never felt before. It’s as if he pays attention to every single inch of me. We just get lost in each other. It’s the same way at work. We get lost in talking about the project for hours sometimes. Often, we’re just talking about everything but the project. It’s different. I’m not comparing sex to work, but the man is very detail oriented.”
Bella’s neck craned in shock. “Well, well, Ari James. Sounds like you’ve met your match.”
I bit my lip and shook my head. “No way. It’s just hot, secretive sex with my coworker. I’ve been there before. Only this time, I don’t think he’ll screw me over...job wise, that is.”
Bella folded her arms, taking the last sip of her coffee. “Hmpf. Keep telling yourself that. And you’ll end up like me—married and pregnant.”
I laughed. “And what’s so bad about that?”
“Is that what you want?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what I want. Right now, I like the idea of a secret, brief affair with a sexy guy. You know? No strings attached. I’m not sure that guy should be Porter. But then again, maybe it should.”
Bella held my hand. “I want you to have fun, but I also don’t want you to get hurt, Ari. Okay? By all accounts, Porter seems like a good dude. He’s not a dick like Maurice.”
I squeezed her hand reassuringly. “I won’t. It’s just casual sex. Not a relationship, for real.” I wasn’t sure I believed what I was saying. Bella gave me a knowing look.
“Really? So, does he know the sex is a casual, no-strings-attached deal? If the sex is the way you say it is. That hot and that intense. I highly doubt the two of you can keep it casual for long. Sexual chemistry like that isn’t something you can control. It’s not a faucet you can turn off and on. Besides, sex that hot can’t stay cooped up in the friend zone. Your coochie is going to be mad with you. How dare you dust her off only to pack it up again? Traitorous!”
I tapped the fingertips of my free hand on my thigh. Bella looked at me with a wary expression. “Okay. What is it now, Ari?”
“Well... Is it casual if he asks me to come to Thanksgiving?”
“Seriously, Ari! Thanksgiving? Men don’t bring just any old woman to Thanksgiving.”
“Maybe he’s just inviting me as his coworker,” I retorted. “He knows I’m alone for the holiday. He knows how the holiday makes me feel about my dad. Porter assured me that it wasn’t a big deal.”
“Don’t be daft, Ari!”
“Bella, people invite coworkers to Thanksgiving all the time.”
“Is that right? Fine, let’s ask Zach!”
“Fine.” I shrugged. It was casual to me. That was what mattered most. I’d had my heart stomped on and I wasn’t about to have that happen again. I can separate my feelings from the sex. That was exactly what I was doing and needed to do. Besides, there wasn’t going to be any chance of it becoming more than sex. At least that was what I kept telling myself.
Just then, Zach and the girls approached the park bench. The twins, all bundled up in their hoodies, jumped into Bella’s lap. She somehow miraculously balanced them both like a circus artist.
“Zach, I have a question: do men casually invite friends to Thanksgiving?” asked Bella, still balancing the twins with all the dexterity of an Olympic weightlifter. “Lady friends, that is?”
Zach looked at Bella and then at me. “Not usually. Why?”