“Don’t be ridiculous,” I scoff at her.
“I don’t know what happened between them, I left early. I can find out though. Do you want me to?”
“Yes.”
“Will do. I think you’re starting to care about him,” Clarissa points out.
“Maybe, but I don’t think the feeling is mutual. That’s why I want to know if he’s been hooking up with other girls. We’ve been hanging out together a lot lately. However, it’s a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship I have going with him. We have no strings, so he’s free to do as he pleases or should I say he’s free to do WHO he pleases,” I say with a half-hearted laugh.
“How do you do it Deena? I’m trying to end it with my secret lover and I’m having a hard time,” Clarissa admits.
“You need to learn how to NOT get emotionally attached,” I tell her, but I’m not sure if I’m a good person to ask when it comes to affairs of the heart.
“I’m going home this weekend, I need to get away from campus and clear my head,” Clarissa tells me.
“Are you trying to get away from a certain someone?” I ask.
“That certain someone is also going to be in Orange County this weekend and wants to get together.”
“I bet he does. Does he know you broke things off with your secret lover?”
“No, I haven’t told him in so many words.”
“Is Jason the reason you ended things?” I ask.
“Yes, he factored into the decision,” she admits.
“Finally, you came to your senses,” I tell Clarissa and I mean it, you just don’t turn down someone like Jason Bancroft for a number of reasons.
I hear my cell phone bing, someone’s texting me.
Ken: Come over tonight?
Deena: Sure, let’s get some dinner together.
Ken: Sounds like a plan, come over whenever.
“Speak of the devil, Ken just texted me. We’re hanging out tonight, I think I will ask him myself about the exchange last night and see what he tells me,” I tell Clarissa.
“Be careful, curiosity killed the cat. Maybe you don’t want to know,” she warns and she may be right.
*****
I knock and walk right into Ken’s apartment; they never lock their door. I think they’re crazy not to, especially in this neighborhood, but hey, I’m not their mother.
“Hi, anybody home?” I call out as I walk down the hall.
“Deena, I’m in here,” Ken calls out to me from his bedroom. No one else seems to be home. I waltz into his room and he’s crashed on his bed and listening to some tunes on his IPhone. He pulls out his ear buds.
“Hey sexy girl,” he says in greeting and I know what he’s in the mood for.
“Hi,” say, walking up to his bed and he pulls me down onto his bare chest that I never tire of looking at and touching.
“I’m happy to see you,” he says.
“I bet you are.” I smile down at him and greet him with a kiss that he deepens. His kisses turn me on instantly. He doesn’t have a shirt on adding to his incredible sex appeal. I run my hand across his chest and moan into our steamy kiss. He rolls me onto my back and his hands begin to explore my body, which has become so familiar to him now. He knows exactly which buttons to push to leave me screaming for more and scream I can because nobody’s home, I think wickedly. As his hand dips down into my panties, a thought cross my mind, was he with Nicole last night? I reach down and grab his arm by his wrist to stop him. I may regret asking this like Clarissa warned me, but I find myself blurting it out anyway as my jealous green-eyed monster rears its ugly head.
“Were you with Nicole last night?” I ask quietly. Ken nuzzles a kiss into my neck trying to ignore my question.
“Deena, what are we doing here?”
“I don’t know, you tell me?”
“Look, I know you hooked up with that USC calendar guy recently and I didn’t say anything, I was cool about it,” he retorts.
“I still want to know the answer to my question.” I try to say it and not sound bitchy.
“We fooled around at the house a little, but we didn’t sleep together,” Ken admits and I think I believe him.
“Oh that’s a surprise. Clarissa said Nicole was all over you.”
“She was, but I didn’t want Clarissa running back to you and telling you I had slept with Nicole, so I resisted.” I get quiet. I’m not sure what to make of it or how I feel about it.
“Deena, I have a great time with you, and it’s not just about the sex for me,” Ken admits tenderly.
“Oh, I wasn’t sure how you felt,” I say demurely while gazing into his beautiful eyes.
“You’re the one who seems to want to keep it no strings between us.”
“I’m not sure what I want,” I answer honestly.
“I know babe, I won’t pressure you for more than you want to give,” he says, kissing me while his hand trails down into my panties again and I relax and enjoy his touch which is setting me on fire as I part my legs for him.
NINE
CLARISSA