Strange surroundings awaited me when I woke the next day. I was laying alone in a huge king-sized bed with thin silky white sheets draped around the lower half of my body. For the first time in a long while I slept over at someone else's place and I wasn't drunk or stoned.
Now that was some serious improvement.
Before my eyes even fully adjust to the lighting in my surroundings I was already replaying last night's events in my head. And not just what happened at the fashion show but what happened after, when Natasha and I came back to her penthouse.
I found my boxers and my jeans on the room floor. Quickly I put them on scanning for any other piece of my clothing but came up empty-handed before I left the bed room. I found the godly sight of Natasha Valencia in the kitchen wearing nothing but my missing t-shirt. She was stretching up into the cupboard reaching for something. I leaned against the door frame tilting my head to get a better view of... but then a few moments later, decided to help out.
I walked up behind her intentionally pressing the front of my body against her from behind. She was startled at first but showed no sign of protest. I could feel every inch of her soft skin against my harder, toned body.
My hands rested on her waist then I trailed my right hand from her waist, up the side of her ribs then along the length of her right hand that had remained outstretched all this time trying to grab a box of cereal.
Slowly, I brought the box down, exaggerating every second and as I placed the box on the counter behind us I felt her body relaxing against mine. Neither of us made any attempt to move.
"Morning", she said tilting her head to the left to get a glance at my face.
I kissed her neck, "Morning sunshine".
She sucked in a deep breath. "Are you staying for breakfast?".
Once again I kissed her neck and shoulders. A strangled moan escaped her throat.
"I should probably go", I said.
"Probably", she replied, her voice sounding like she was almost out of breath.
"Yeah", I nodded continuing my assault on her neck, "but you're kinda wearing my shirt though".
Before I could process what was happening, she was out of my grip and she had taken off my shirt and discarded it somewhere. She stood before me completely naked then took a step towards me covering the distance between us. In mere seconds her skin was flush against mine and all thoughts I had about leaving had disappeared and been discarded just like my shirt.
"Still... probably?" she asked, peering up at me through long black lashes.
"I guess I could stay a little longer", I relented.
She smirked and I swear the temperature went up a few degrees in the room as she bit her bottom lip then said, "That's what I thought".
*******
When I got home it was a few minutes past midday, I had discarded my leather jacket in my car and tried my best to look a bit presentable for my parents (meaning I ran fingers through hair) but it was already a lost cause and I gave up while in the elevator.
With Natasha's distraction this morning I had completely forgotten about my parents. I stood in front of my door for what must've been a good five minutes trying to teleport my parents out of my dorm room with my mind. But judging from the loud telephone chatter and the smell of bacon coming from behind the door, I knew I had no such luck.
Taking a deep breath I opened the door with my keys and went inside. Just like I had guessed, everything was different, organized to perfection and... clean?
When did that woman even have time to do all this?
I groaned out loud and probably sensing my distress my mother walked into the room with a wide smile on her face until she took a good look at me then stopped in her track.
She sneered at me. "Who did you sleep with now?", It wasn't a question, more like a statement of fact.
"Mom!" I groaned. I don't know how but my mom has this uncanny ability to make me experience the most ultimate levels of uncomfortableness whenever we come face to face. And yes, facetime is included.
She shook her head in disappointment. "It's that Alana girl isn't it", once again she didn't phrase it as a question. Her expression became extremely serious, "Blake I told you to stay away from that girl, please tell me didn't sleep with her".
"Mom, what are you talking about?", I asked feigning ignorance as I walked away from her and into the kitchen, "Alana and I are just friends remember".
She sighed and I knew she believed me, "So you say, but you slept over at her place last night. When do I even get to meet this so-called friend of yours?" she asked cocking a brow at me as if she had just solved the secret to life.
And that's when I remembered the lie from last night.
"I did", I replied, making sure my back was turned to her. I sat beside my step-dad at the counter who only spared me a nod as greeting since he was talking on the phone.
"You did, sleep there? Or you did her?" She questioned, her serious expression returning.
"Mom", I groaned louder this time and dad shushed us both, "what are you even doing here? I thought we agreed that your spur of the moment visits were no longer necessary since I'm an adult now".
"Don't be rude Blake", she warned "and if you must know, we have a business meeting here tomorrow night".
I scoffed. "I'm not trying to be rude mother, but that doesn't explain why you just had to show up at my dorm at nine o'clock in the night!?".
She ignored me, "Your stepfather and I have a meeting with the McGowan's you remember them don't you".
Oh no, I see what she was doing.
"Not really mom".
"Anyways I was thinking we could all have lunch tomorrow with them, they were asking about you, you know. This would be a good opportunity..."
"I don't think I can mother", I hoped I hid my irritation well enough, "I have a lot of course work and extra readings and I planned to go to the library tomorrow to catch up".
If she thought I was lying she didn't say anything else. My mom just huffed as she slid me a plate with breakfast or rather lunch from across the counter, and like I had predicted earlier there was bacon involved.
"Oh before I forget", mom added from where she was hand washing some dishes right next to the dishwasher, "some kid called here last night asking about a- what was it again... that's right, a strategical exit contingency plan", she said the words slowly obviously not noticing me nearly swallowing my fork whole as my eyes threatened to roll out of my head.
The last thing I wanted my mom to find out about now was 'The exit strategy' That would ruin everything.
That's not too bad... I mean she doesn't know anything. It can't get any worse.
But apparently, as always, I got my hopes up too soon.
"I figured it must've been one of your classmates", she explained, "so I told them to just stop by your apartment to do your little strategical project".
This time the fork dropped from my hands and made a loud clatter against the floor tiles. My father just got up and walked out of the room to continue his phone call elsewhere, leaving me alone with mom.
"Mother", I turned to her slowly, "please tell me you didn't give someone you didn't know my address?".
"Don't get so worked up", she waved a dishrag at me "she said that she knew you and that you were both old friends".
She?
That bit got me quite curious, "And did you get a name mother?".
She leaned over the counter drying her hand with the dish rag.
"Um", she seemed deep in thought as she considered my question, "it was something like... Selena", my heart actually skipped a beat at the mention of that name, "or was it Cara? No wait that's not it. Siara... that's her name. Siara Kingston".
"Siara", I uttered right before my spine went involuntarily rigid and my jaws unhinged on their own accord.
"Mom", I said slowly, "when did you tell her to come by?".
"About one o'clock or so", she replied nonchalantly as if she hadn't potentially just ruined my life.
To be fair though, she didn't know about my history with Siara. Only Alana knows.
Before I even had a good few minutes to panic and start planning my defection to Cuba for the rest of my life so as to completely avoid this encounter, a knock came at the door. Before I could move or register the shock in my brain of what I was about to experience, mother had already marched off to the front door and decided to let our visitor in before I could stop her.
I followed suit soon enough and peeping over my mother's shoulders my eyes met with long brown hair and a small backpack, the girl had blue eyes similar to mine and I whispered a short prayer to God that it was Alana and not Siara
"Alana", I called out from where I now stood in the doorway, "what are you doing here?".
Her eyes tore away from that of my mothers. She was standing rather stiffly no doubt as a result of my mom's intimidating aura.
However at my interruption, she gave me a blank stare because obviously she was here to share the fees from our job last night. She had the bag of cash.
We couldn't say that in front of my mother though.
Mom eyed her as if examining her to find some form of defect. There was an unfamiliar look on her face though as she regarded Alana, "So, this is the girlfriend?", she asked looking back at me.
I mentally face palmed. Did this woman always try to embarrass me on purpose?
"We're not dating mom", I replied rolling my eyes "we're just friends, alright?".
My mom's eyes narrowed at Alana quite suspiciously, "Young lady have we met before?".
Oh no! I could already tell that this wasn't going to end well. So I decided to interrupt before things could get any further.
"Alana this is my mother Heather Bennett Johnson and mom this is..." I paused my eyes widening a fraction, "Siara?".
"Hello Bennett", a nervous voice came from behind Alana in the hallway. Alana's head turned to face the unexpected guest then she looked back and forth between the two of us, before her eyes lightened in recognition.
She leaned closer to me and mothed the words, "Siara as in... THE Siara?".
"Yes" I nodded. That Siara.