Kisses and Lies

Tanika bounces to the middle of the table. All the men are sitting around it, most of them in vests with their logo on the back and a name on the front. The one Tanika slides in next to reads ‘Blaze,’ then under that is ‘President.’ I don’t bother sitting, as the music is turned up, while Tanika leans down whispering in his ear. Blaze’s eyes lock on mine, and Tanika kisses his neck before she bounces her way over to me.

“Blaze doesn’t really like strangers,” she says. Looking back over her shoulder at him, she offers him a wave, then pulls off her dress and nods to mine. “Come on, let’s go for a swim.”

Looking back, his eyes are on me as I pull my slip off and turn away from him and those assessing eyes to walk to the water. The water is not clear these days. It used to be when I was child, but then flooding happened and it made our river dark in color.

“Why are you hanging with them?” I ask. Glancing back over my shoulder, they can’t hear us now, but they’re all at that same table, which is covered in drinks and God only knows what else.

I sit in the water, which comes up to my belly button, as Tanika swims farther out and turns back to look at me. “I met them out one night. I like him. But don’t want anything more than what he can give me. He’s…” She looks over at the table where Blaze is sitting with his dark hair and a slight scar on his eyebrow. He’s attractive, in the very dangerous kind of way. “He doesn’t do relationships anyway. And well, me, I need to stop doing them. Live a little as they say. So, Blaze, he’s fun and he gets me.”

“Does he, though?”

“Do I what?” That voice makes me yelp. Blaze’s standing near me, his feet not quite in the water, but his eyes are now on Tanika as she floats with her tits out of the water, just barely covered by little triangular scraps of fabric.

“Rochelle is just worried for me,” Tanika says. There’s no shame in her voice at all, and she doesn’t stop floating or look our way.

“Is that right?” Blaze asks, not moving from where he stands.

I look up at him—the sun has fully set and the water’s warm—his dark and dangerous eyes are set on me.

Turning away from him, I look over at Tanika. “I need a drink, Tanika.” I stand.

“Blaze, are you coming in?” Tanika asks.

He watches me as I walk past him, and keep walking to where Tanika laid our bag down to search for my phone. Looking back, I watch as Blaze kicks his shoes off, followed by his vest—which he carefully places with great respect carefully on the sand. His back is covered in ink as he pushes into the water and goes straight to Tanika. I can hear her giggle from here.

“She talks non-stop about you. You must be all right, huh?” Snow stands next to me, his eyes dropping straight to my breasts. “I mean… you have a nice rack and all.” He winks.

I smile up at him. I like him. He’s easy to be around, not as tense as the rest. A little more playful in his mannerisms.

“I’m all right,” I say with a smile. He hands me a drink of beer and I take it with greedy hands.

“They…” I pause, thinking about what I want to ask and then nod out to Tanika. “How long has that been going on?” Snow looks down at me and smiles.

“Your girl not tell you everything?”

I look to the ground. “I’ve been, well… someone close to me died. I’ve not been with it lately.”

Snow’s face softens. “I’m sorry, girl.”

I shrug. Nothing can be done about it now. The pain is still there when I close my eyes, but it’s lessening, and I’m trying to work out how to live a life without them in it. Which is very unfair.

“They’ve been seeing each other for at least a month, but if you ask them, it’s just sex.” Snow chuckles. “Never seen prez so smitten before.”

I look out to the water and watch as his arms go around Tanika and he lifts her up from the water and throws her backward. She laughs as she rises and swims back toward him.

“So, what’s your story?”

“I’m more interested in yours,” I reply, drinking down the last of my beer.

Snow grips my waist and turns me around. “Come and drink with us, and I’ll tell you all about my wild ways.” He winks, walking over to the table where Blaze was previously sitting. Snow smacks one of the dudes over the head, which makes him move, making room for me to sit. A few guys stare at my breasts without one bit of shame.