Rayne snuck up behind me and put her arms around my waist. “You ready to take our seats?”
“Sure, baby.”
“Hello there,” Felix said loudly, being all too obvious by trying to get an eagle’s eye view of Rayne’s body; even though she was braced up behind me. “I’m Felix.”
“I’m Rayne.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Miss Rayne. You’ve got my boy’s nose wide open.” Felix licked his lips. “You must be something extra special to take Yardley off the market for good, and so swiftly at that.”
Rayne giggled. I sensed she could decipher his bullshit.
“Felix, don’t even think about it,” I told him.
He let go of both the chicks, like they were suddenly contagious. “Man, why do you have to go there tonight? I was only speaking to her. Don’t be so insecure.”
“Felix, first of all—” I started in.
“Yardley has no reason to feel insecure,” Rayne chimed in. “There’s not a man born who could distract me from him. He’s compassionate, thoughtful, and he knows how to crack my back.”
The two women giggled while Felix and Dwayne both stood there with their mouths hanging open.
Rayne let go of my waist and took my hand. “Come on, baby. Let’s go sit down before they stop letting people in.”
Curveballs was funny, heart-warming, and an instant hit. The cast got a standing ovation at the end and Mike was practically attacked out in the lobby when he and the other two main leads came out to sign programs and press photos. The women were all over his pretty ass.
There was a cast party later on that night at Foreplay, a trendy private club in Northwest; not too far from my office. Rayne and I decided to pop our heads in since Mike had insisted we come through. Rayne was complaining of a headache so she excused herself to the ladies room. When she hadn’t returned a few moments later, I went downstairs where the restrooms were located to check on her.
I was about to knock on the ladies room door when it swung open. Roxie came out. When she spotted me, she started grinning—more like smirking. I could see Rayne standing in front of the vanity and glaring at me in the mirror.
“Hello, baby,” she said. “Your slut and I were just getting a few things straightened out.”
“How dare you call her a slut?” I lashed out at her. “You fucked my best friend, on my damn balcony, and you’re calling someone else a slut.”
Roxie smacked her lips and pushed me out the way. “Whatever, Yardley. It’s only a matter of time before you come running back to me. Once you realize what you gave up, you’ll be kissing my ass to get me back.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “Are you stalking me, Roxie?”
“No, I’m not stalking you. I don’t have to since you’ll ultimately be stalking me. I’m an event planner, in case you’ve forgotten. I organized this party so I have every right to be here.”
She let the door close behind her. I could no longer see Rayne.
“You don’t have a right to go into the bathroom and talk shit to my woman. That’s for damn sure!”
Roxie pushed past me and headed for the stairs. “I have to get back to work. See you next month, next week, or maybe even tomorrow. I think Miss Thang got the message so I suspect the two of you are done. See you in my bedroom, Boo!”
“When they start manufacturing Pintos again, bitch!”
Before I could turn around, I heard the bathroom door reopen. “Yardley, can we please leave now?”
Rayne had obviously been crying. She’d attempted to cover the evidence by refreshing her makeup but her eyes were red.
“We’re definitely leaving now; right this second.”
I took her hand and led her upstairs and straight out the front door without saying our goodbyes to the fellas and their dates.
I decided to take Rayne to my office. We walked since it was merely a few blocks away. We needed to talk.
After I’d given her a brief tour of my suite—something she would’ve undoubtedly been more interested in under different circumstances—we settled in my private office.