Just Friends

“So friends with possible benefits?”

“We can reassess at a later date.”

Rachel decided to test him before agreeing to anything. “What if I wanted to go on a date with someone else while we’re doing this casual benefits thing?”

He snorted. “Be my guest. We’re not serious. Play the field. But be smart about it.”

“Interesting.” Rachel folded her arms on top of her dictionary and rested her head between them. “I was expecting the first words out of your mouth to be about how it was fine if you got to do it too.”

“That’s implied.”

Is it? Rachel caught another look from Parvati.

“By the way.” Zack’s change in tone brought Rachel back to Earth – and away from his swimmingly blue eyes. “My dad wants to meet you.”

“What?”

“A casual lunch. Tomorrow, preferably. Now you see why I had to quickly come find you and make nice with your pretty face.”

Rachel was still gobsmacked. “Why does he want to meet me? What have you been telling him?”

“Nothing, honestly. But word is getting around that I’m hanging out with the same woman over and over. That’s kinda rare, I guess. There’s gossip mills churning. My dad has an excellent PR agency working for him, but he won’t know what to tell them unless he sees us together and how we act. Look, he knows you’re not my girlfriend, okay?” Zack pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and stood up. “Don’t worry about that. He’s pretty nice and understanding about these situations. So how about we meet him for lunch tomorrow? There’s a more casual place that he likes.”

“Uh, I guess…”

“I’m gonna get something to drink while you think it over. How’s the cold brew here?”

“No. I don’t drink cof…” Before Rachel could finish her thought, someone barged through the front door of Opal’s Café and came running straight for her.

Long, thick black hair. Brown skin. Monotone colors and smart, sensible fabrics. Since Parvati was already behind the counter, that could only mean it was…

“Rachel! Guess what!” Sita careened into the table the moment Zack approached the counter. Both he and Parvati sent her a look of bemusement. “My future in-laws are going to buy us a house by the beach!”

“What?” Rachel looked to Parvati, who shrugged and went back to filling Zack’s order. “That’s amazing!”

“You’re telling me! I wasn’t even sure that they liked me, honestly. They’re so hard to read. Even my parents questioned if it was a good idea to marry into their family, not because they thought my fiancé wasn’t good enough, but because they couldn’t read his parents either… and they’re from the same province!”

“Wow.”

“We found out about it yesterday! They told us to not post about it on social media, but I’ve been gabbing to everyone. When I saw you through the window, I couldn’t help myself! By the way, any news about who you’re bringing to my wedding?”

Zack walked over. “You’re the one we watched the movie with, right?”

Sita was rendered speechless in Zack’s presence. Great. She has a crush on him. Rachel supposed that crushes didn’t stop because one was engaged. “So, uh,” Rachel said, “how about I agree to meet your dad if you promise to go to an Indian wedding with me next month?”

Clasping her hands together, Sita jumped up and down with a giant smile. “She’s talking about my wedding!”

“Never been to an Indian wedding before. Sounds fun. Gotta be better than the snoozers I usually attend.” He turned up the charm now that Sita made it clear she really, really wanted him to come to her wedding. “What does a guy like me even wear to an Indian wedding?”

Sita’s eyes clouded over; Parvati groaned behind the counter. “I know the perfect kurta for you.”

“I don’t know what that is, but I’m sure I’ll rock it.”

Rachel laughed. “She also picked my saree for me. I’m beholden to going now.”

“If I’m going with you,” Zack said with a wink, “then I suggest we match.”

Sita made herself silly babbling about how she was going to dress these two guests coming to her wedding. By the time she left, Zack was officially Rachel’s +1.

And somehow, they had come to agree on a tenuously casual friends with benefits arrangements. But what Rachel didn’t tell her friend as he blew her a kiss on the way out the door, cold brew to-go in hand, was that she was already drawing up a new list of boundaries in her head.

Whatever they did, it was not going to include the kind of free-for-alls that could get a girl pregnant. She’d get around to telling him that later.

Chapter 19

Zack was the one who suggested Rachel and Isaiah formally meet at Bell Jar’s. Not only could he and his girlfriend (since it was easiest to think of her that way) wear their casual Friday clothes and not get the dirty side-eyes, but he knew Rachel could get the plain kind of food she preferred and not have the kitchen chefs laugh her out of the building.

Plus, Isaiah liked it, and that was as important.

“Don’t be so nervous,” Zack said to Rachel on their way up in the elevator. She continued to brush the wrinkles out of her purple blouse and fix any stray hairs coming out of her ponytail. It wasn’t until then that Zack noticed she didn’t wear makeup even in these situations. Have I ever dated someone who never wears makeup? And how had he not noticed until now?

Because other people would notice once they entered his world. A world where even if a woman detested the very existence of makeup she would still become a master of the “natural” look to get away from potential ridicule. Rachel had naturally great skin, but compared to the other cosmetically-inclined women in Bell Jar’s, everyone would instantly see the dark rings around her eyes and the lines on her cheeks.

Not that Zack cared about those. Rachel was beautiful with or without makeup. In fact, her going naked like this only made him like her more. If we make out, I won’t have to taste her lipstick. It’s a win for me.

He knew what he would love to taste for the first time, though. An eye for an eye and a cock for a pussy. Yeah, he would keep that thought to himself.

“How can I not be nervous?” The elevator chimed, admitting them to the elegant reception area in Bell Jar’s. A flurry of conversations peppered the air around them while the delectable scent of paninis and other hot sandwiches enticed them to sit down and order. The gallery beyond the maître d’s podium was deceptively empty. This kind of place purposely seated only half the room and turned others away once the quota was filled (unless they were that notable, of course.) Their clientele may come for a more informal dining experience, but they still appreciated a half empty dining room to give them more privacy and elbow room. It was all about appearances with these people. “I’m meeting your dad, the president of one of the world’s biggest steel companies!”

Zack didn’t correct her on his father’s official position in the company. It changed as often as the Wikipedia editors could keep up, anyway. “I’m telling you, he’s a pretty down to Earth guy compared to the other dads I know.” They were in the building of Monroe Industries, home of one of the most psychotic patriarchs to ever live in the city. Hey, if Alice Monroe can survive an assassination attempt that her father-in-law commissioned… Rachel was fine.

“Our reservation is under Isaiah Feldman,” Zack told the host. “I have no idea if my father is here yet, though.”

“Oh, yes, yes, he is. Right this way, please.” The host tucked two single-page menus beneath his arm before gesturing for Zack and Rachel to follow him to one of the semi-private areas. He sprung for some extra privacy, huh? Zack resisted the urge to put a hand on Rachel’s shoulder as they moved through the gallery of nosy housewives and gossipy teenagers. Both age groups were notorious for their collective crushes on him, and were liable to shred Rachel until she was nothing more than garbage at the bottom of the recycle bin. Not that Zack would let her see that side of his society anytime soon.

He stopped halfway across the gallery. For the moment he saw his father’s silver head over the partition separating the corner from the rest of the dining room, he also saw a tightly coiled coif of black hair next to him.

As if she had bought her way into extra sensory perception, Eloise became the first to turn around in her seat and greet the new arrivals with a stern look of warning.

“Mother?” Zack looked to his father for an explanation. “How lovely for you to join us on short notice.” Rachel hid behind him. He didn’t blame her.

Eloise turned her full attention toward them. “Of course I came. Once your father fessed up who he was coming here to see, I insisted on tagging along.”

Isaiah sent him an apologetic look. “Please, have a seat and introduce us to your friend.”

Great. Zack wasn’t prepared to introduce Rachel to his mother. Not after the way she found out about the mere existence of Rachel Taylor. Namely, with her head in his lap. I hope she never finds out about that, Jesus. Let alone the comments on Twitter…