Two days later Howard was at his desk with half of his thoughts buried in his work. The other half was engrossed on his secretary Becca. She had avoided his advances since he made his unusual request to her. Her greetings were more perfunctory than usual. He almost wished he could take back the moment he opened his mind to her. But the cat was long out of the bag regarding that.
He never thought he would become so ensnared in the clutches of his cuckold desires but that seemed to be the case with everything around him. His body gave no painful memory of the rectum-drilling he had undergone from Ms. Jenn two days ago. Nothing except the memory of that fateful night which was starting to seem more like an enjoyable dream each time he reflected on it. His eyes darted to his phone lying silent on his desk. He had expected Charmaine to call the following day but not a word from him yet. Howard cursed himself for not thinking of waiting to see Ms. Jenn before he and April left the apartment. He should have gotten her number then to see about getting in touch within the week. Except doing that would have aroused suspicion from April who was still clueless about his own adventure that night. So far she had not raised the subject of him mumbling in his sleep since and likewise he intended to keep mum as long as she never brought it up. It looks as if they both had their divergent true calling now—April had Olu Shango on her mind whereas his bore happy thoughts on Ms. Jenn.
Now if only Charmaine would call. . . or better, he would see about contacting him himself.
There was a knock on his door and then it opened to reveal Becca. She was all solemn as she approached his desk, no sultry smiles or swinging hips. Howard dropped his pen when she stopped at his desk. He inhaled her perfume and felt a sudden stirring in his veins to get up and take her.
"I've been thinking about what you said to me last time," her voice sounded cool, but Howard sensed some discomfort about her. She looked down at his desk while she spoke. "What I want to know is will this change anything between us whether I choose to do this or not?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean what we've got going between us here at work and outside. Will I still be working for you . . . and sleeping with each other?"
Howard reached for her hand and she allowed him.
"Nothing's going to change between you and me. That includes work."
"And you're not worried that this just might? Do you think you can handle it when it comes?"
"I'd like to think that I can."
"This thing you're asking of me, I've done something like this before. With a former lover of mine. It didn't end well for both of us."
"I know, you've told me about him already; unless this is someone else you haven't yet mentioned. Whatever happens, I won't get upset."
"Of course you can say that. You're married." She quickly apologised.
"It's okay, I get your point. And you are right, I am married. April and I, we're still learning more about ourselves we never knew was possible before."
"Like sharing your secretary, right?"
"Yes, like that,"
A hint of a smile lit her face. "I have a confession to make. I did enjoy the three of us in my bedroom. I especially enjoyed your wife."
"I know. April enjoyed you too."
"I haven't done anything like that since college."
"Why don't you call her up and see if both of you can enjoy some time with each other again."
"You won't mind?"
"No, I won't mind. If I'd known beforehand how that day was going to go for us, I'd have been smiling when you let us into your place."
His phone came alive on his desk. Howard brightened when he saw it was Charmaine.
"This is serious," he picked up his phone.
"Oh, yes, sure. I'll be off to lunch. See you later."
She came towards him and gave him a quick kiss before leaving his office. Howard turned away from his desk with his phone pressed to his ear.
"Charmaine. Where are you?"
* * *
April stood by the kerb, staring into the dark alley in front of her, contemplating whether or not to venture inside. The alley's darkness was impenetrable and bore an atrocious stench that reached out at her like a claw. She stood near the glare of a street light that afforded her the means of re-reading the short note Jenny had left at her door in the afternoon when April returned from having picked her son from his summer classes. Jenny had written the alley's address, saying she was going to be here attending to a client and if April would be so kind to follow the directions that would bring her to where she was. Whatever impulse that earlier compelled April to take up the challenge of searching for her friend to this very spot, she was not feeling it anymore.
April looked back to where she had parked her car at a Seven-Eleven across the street. She wanted to return to it but thought it would be a shame coming all this way for Jenny only to return home without her. Her phone was not answering the numerous times April tried calling.
April eventually decided what the hell and stepped into the darkness.
She switched on her phone's light as she ventured into the alley. Rodents scurried about; bugs darted before her face, all attracted to the iridescent light from her mobile. A dog barked in the distance. She heard police sirens and listened as it soon faded away.
April gasped involuntarily when something fluttered against her feet but saw nothing when she looked around with her phone's light. The alley's direction went right and so too did April, her nerves trepid with fear. She heard muttering voices at the end of the alley and with the light from her phone saw two men in suits. One of them shielded his face against her light.
"Mind bringing that down, honey," he said.
April apologised and approached them while slipping her phone into her pocket. She still had no idea where she was, or if it was too late to return the way she had come. The second man solved the problem for her.
"You're here for the party?" his voice was thick as was he.
"Yes, yes, I'm here for the party," April answered.
The man went and opened a door for her. Bright yellowish light and music poured out of the door. April thanked him as she then went inside. She jumped when the door slammed shut behind her.
A woman in a housemaid's corset, complete with stockings and high heels, was there to welcome her.
"Hi there," she said. "You made it just in time. Please leave your handbag behind then come with me; that include phones too."
They were in a coat room surrounded by walls of coat racks and cabinets housing various clothes, many of which were knee-length coats and men's jackets. April got out of her jacket and put her phone into her handbag before handing them over. The woman gave April a tag slip then went and stowed away her items. Finished, she led April out of the room.
They passed a curtained doorway and continued down a narrow corridor that took them one turn after another. They went up a flight of stairs and into another corridor. There was just the two of them. At one point April glanced back where they had come and tapped the woman's arm.
"Are we ever going to get there?"
The woman's smile brightened. "We're almost there."
They came to a brass door and the woman inserted a key card and gestured at April to enter, which she did.
It was a small room enclosed by a velvet curtain. A suited man wearing a face mask stood at the opposite end. April approached him and was attempting to say something but the man's hand gesture cut her off. He half turned and from a dark recess produced a similar face mask for her. April took it and without a word wore it over her face. Satisfied, the man pulled back the curtains behind him and ushered her inside. April was perplexed by the cloak-and-dagger secrecy she was undergoing. It only appeared to make sense to her when she entered the room and stopped to observe what was before her eyes.
It was a large ball room. The lights were subdued and kaleidoscopic. Chamber music played in the background while people sauntered about holding flute glasses, talking, laughing, and some were even dancing. The men wore suits or tuxedoes. The women wore outlandish outfits and some strutted in high heels naked; they all wore face masks.
"Champagne?" a man spoke courteously beside April, startling her.
The man held a tray laden with flute glasses. April accepted one and watched him wander away. She sipped her drink and smiled with approval at its exquisite taste. She sipped some more as she glanced about the room searching for Jenny. Numerous black men hovered about. They wore weird outfits consisting of leather belts and straps around their biceps and thighs with what appeared to be loin clothes hiding their crotch. April assumed this was some costume party the way they dressed like they just stepped out of a Roman Coliseum. The black men, she observed, were with the women, whereas the men—the women's husbands, no doubt—hobbled together in smaller groups in the background conversing while simultaneously perusing the crowd.
April drained her flute glass and coughed at the drink's intoxicating buzz and wandered around the room looking out for Jenny.
A black man came out of nowhere, startling her as he blocked her path. April ran her eyes over his muscular outlook. She could not seem to take her eyes off his chiselled abs.
"Hi there, Ms. You seem lost."
"Well . . . yeah, I'm sort of looking for a friend of mine. She told me she would be here."
"Really?" the man looked either direction. "You don't seem to be getting any luck with that yet. Or are you?"
"That was what I was doing before you stopped me. I don't understand this sort of party; this is my first time here."
The man took her hand. "Well then, how about I give you a guided tour of the place and tell you what it's about."
April allowed him to lead her across the ball room. His arm slid around her waist and remained there for a moment before sliding downward to cup her behind. April gasped. She looked at the man who returned her stare with an unflinching smile. She was amazed by his audacity; it stirred her horniness to a high temperature.
They approached the end of the room. April observed other couples there pulling aside the wall of curtain and slipping from view beyond it. They came to the curtains and April's stud did likewise. The couples they saw were disappearing behind the curtains left and right.
"This is a special type of party," said the black stud as he led her down the hallway of curtains. "A party of indulgence. Rich white folks bring their women here and hire men like myself to party with them. If your friend is here, then chances are she's not alone."
"I'm married but my husband isn't here with me,"
"But you're in no hurry to leave," the man added smoothly as if reading her mind. "Looks to me like you're tried something like this before."
"Well, yeah, I have. With my friend whom I'm here to find."
"Ah, even better," he said.
He pushed aside one of the curtains and gestured at April to step inside. Even before she stepped beyond the curtains into the dark room she caught the familiar sound of moans and gasps and the exquisite familiar smell of cum mixed with semen and sweat and knew definitely what she intended to see.