Caramel Flava
So what do you think?” Irys asked as she drummed her fingers on the desk. “I mean, you’re moving back here anyway in a few months. You can make a special trip to celebrate my engagement, can’t you?”
“Irys, you know I’ll be there. It’s your time and I’m happy for you. But this other thing concerns me.” Ileana confessed.
“I know it sounds a little far-out, but it would ease my mind.”
“What I don’t understand is if you feel you have to resort to this shit, why are you even marrying him?”
Irys considered her friend’s question. Quentin claimed he was a reformed player and she believed him. At least she hadn’t ever caught him cheating on her and was reasonably sure he hadn’t. However, almost certain wasn’t good enough if she was going to marry the man. “Ileana, you know no man alive has been able to resist you. If you come on to him and he passes, then I know he is indeed the man for me. If he responds, then I know to send his ass packing.”
“You’re crazy, you know that, don’t you? I knew I shouldn’t have left you behind in New York City; you’re corrupted now.” Ileana laughed. “All right, I’ll put homeboy to the test for you. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I know exactly what I’m doing. Thanks, girl. So you’re sick of Sin City, huh?”
“Hey, Vegas is cool, but I’ve been offered a better position with the company if I move back to the Rotten Apple. Besides, a lot of the men out here have gambling problems.” Ileana laughed again.
Irys looked across her desk to the full-length mirror on the other side of her bed. She knew she was attractive in an unconventional sort of way. She’d turned plenty heads. Ileana on the other hand was the ninth wonder of the world. Her girl was Dominican with dark exotic features. She had a small waist with curves to die for, but Ileana’s ass made men do her bidding and wonder what happened later. Irys was not jealous of her girlfriend. They’d grown up in the same Washington Heights neighborhood and knew each other since elementary school. Even then, Ileana drew a lot of attention. She was a beautiful child and seemed to skip over that awkward stage most teens went through. Irys’ own father had made a pass for her after his divorce from her mother was final.
“How is your job going?” Ileana asked.
“I got a promotion myself last month. Work is where I met Quentin, as a matter of fact. He’s in a different department, but we’re still the talk of the office. There are quite a few women there who wish they had my man.”
“At least he has sense enough not to shit where he eats,” Ileana told her.
Irys took the phone from her ear so she could read the caller ID screen on
the hand set. “That’s him calling now. Hold on, Ileana.”
As she waited, Ileana still couldn’t help thinking that her friend was borrowing trouble. She wasn’t conceited about her looks at all, but Ileana knew that she had a strange effect on the opposite sex. Was it even fair to set this guy up? Then she thought that Irys was probably right. If he didn’t take the bait, then he had to be the real thing. Irys clicked back over to her. “Go and talk to your fiancé. I’ll go online and purchase a plane ticket. I’ll get back to you with my flight information.”
“Thank you, amiga. I can’t wait to see you.”
“I can’t wait to see you either. Behave yourself.”
Irys laughed herself then. “What kind of fun would that be?”
Quentin was waiting for Irys to come back on the line. He was thinking how fortunate he was to be marrying her. She was a great woman; all that he could ever want in a wife. She was pretty, intelligent and had a great sense of humor. He truly cared for her and felt ready to be married. He found being a player was getting tired. Quentin had sown more than his fair share of oats, wild and otherwise. It was just time to slow his roll.
“So is your friend going to make it to our party?”
“Yes, she’s going to get a ticket online right now. I can’t wait for you to meet her, Quent. She’s like a sister to me.”
“Then I can’t wait to meet her either. But right now I have more immediate needs,” he said to her, turning the charm way up.
“And what are these needs?” Irys purred.
“I think you know. If you’re going to be my wife you have to anticipate each and every need,” he joked with her.
“And what about my needs? Can you anticipate what I need right now?”
“Oh, most definitely. If you were here you’d see how ready I am to meet that need.”
“Well, bring it to me, then,” Irys teased.
“I’ll be right there.”
Irys said, “I love you,” but Quentin had already hung up.
The party was in full swing. Coworkers, friends and family from both sides were there to celebrate the engagement of Irys and Quentin. Irys’ younger brother had jumped at the chance to go and pick Ileana up from the airport while Irys attended to her other guests.