“You, too,” she replied, then looked around the room cautiously. “Where’s Kathy?”
“Kelly,” Miguel corrected. “She’s talking to Charlie about some part in a movie.”
“Oh?” Ebony batted her lashes mischievously. “He’s associated with that porn outfit, isn’t he?”
“Bonni…” Alex warned.
Ebony smiled, then continued, “I sincerely hope she is very successful in her career endeavors.”
“I’ll certainly convey your sentiments.” Miguel smiled sarcastically. “Well, I better check on the other guests.”
Miguel left Ebony in Alex’s arms and made his way through the house, out onto the patio and to the pool, hugging and kissing the women, and shaking hands with the men. He downed three drinks in the first hour and danced several dances, but he couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering over to the table where Alex and Bonni were sitting with another couple. Ebony was snuggled close under Alex’s outstretched arm, laughing and talking with the other woman and her date. Alex sat quietly, leaning back with his eyes closed, intermittently stroking Ebony’s hair, taking sips from his margarita, then laughing as he kissed her lips, letting the sweet and salty alcoholic beverage run from his mouth into hers. Even from across the room, Miguel could see the drops of perspiration on Alex’s forearms as he shifted in his seat, then kissed Ebony’s face, surreptitiously brushing his fingertips against those round heaving breasts and whispering in her ear before moaning softly an
d again leaning back, closing his eyes.
Miguel was furious. He knew all too well this scenario. Hadn’t he been the man, sitting there with Ebony too many times before, feeling her hands stroking his inner thighs, then squeezing and teasing his cock through the weave of his pants, working him into a frenzy? It wouldn’t be long before she left the table, a signal for him to follow her to a bathroom or an empty bedroom where she would peel down his trousers and let her mouth finish the job her hands had started. His cock began to stiffen at the thought of her hands and tongue and lips on him.
“¡Putana!” He hissed through his teeth as he watched her slide out of her seat, straighten her dress, and head presumably for the bathroom.
Miguel made a beeline behind Ebony and entered the house just in time to see her quickly climbing the stairs. He slowly walked up after her and stood outside the bathroom door, trying to decide if he should confront her. After all, he was the one that had cheated on her. He remembered standing outside that very door, listening to Ebony sobbing and vomiting.
She could hardly speak. She just kept asking, “What did I do, Mickey? What did I do wrong?”
He couldn’t answer her. He didn’t know the answer, not until later when he guessed that it was just that she loved him too much. Or maybe he loved her too much. Either way, the relationship had suddenly seemed permanent and heavy. He was still young and it was all happening too fast. When he met Kelly and she began to flirt with him, it seemed like someone had opened a window and let cool fresh air into a stifling hot room, that someone had opened a route of escape.
He and Kelly had been seeing each other for nearly a month openly, daring Ebony to say something. Finally, when she did, he reminded Ebony that they weren’t married, that he felt affection for her but he hadn’t signed on for a lifetime commitment. He was sorry as soon as he said it and followed her when she grabbed her purse and hurried to the bathroom. After half an hour of tears, she emerged calm and resolute. She told him that she was moving to her sister’s house and that someone would pick up her things later. Then she walked downstairs and left the house without looking back. That was just over three months ago.
When he told his mother that he and Ebony had ended it, his mother cried for days. Despite her complaints, she knew that Ebony was one of the few people who even bothered to deal with her. Ebony came to see her every week, even in the face of her constant abuses. His mother even suggested couples counseling, anything to get them back together, but he assured her that it was over, for good.
As he stood outside the bathroom door, Miguel knew he had had a little too much to drink and was probably being irrational by watching Ebony so closely. He shook his head and sighed. He was about to leave when he saw Alex making his way up the stairs. He knew Alex was past the point of mere arousal and was looking to Ebony for release. He and Alex were friends but he knew how Alex was with women. He wined and dined them, used them up, threw them away, then moved on to the next. The thought that he was going to do that to Ebony pissed Miguel off. So, he gave up his position next to the bathroom door, descended the stairs, and cut Alex off at the landing.
“¿Qué pasa, Miguelito?” Alex smiled a little tipsily, with sweat still beading on his forehead. “Tengo que ir al baño.”
“Yeah, well this one is out of order—you’ll need to use the one downstairs,” Miguel said, maintaining his sentry.
“Oh,” Alex replied, not moving. “So is there another bathroom?”
“Sure, you know, the one downstairs by the coat closet.”
“Yeah, right.” Alex smiled, trying to keep the edge out of his voice as his eyes drifted up toward the room where Ebony had disappeared. He took a step forward, but again was cut off by Miguel taking a side step. Alex’s brow furrowed, but instead of arguing, he stepped back, throwing one last glance at the bathroom door, then turned and headed back downstairs. Miguel watched as he left, then exhaled deeply. He climbed the stairs toward the bathroom. Knowing the door would be open, he turned the knob and slipped inside.
Ebony was sitting on the closed toilet lid. The halter top of her red dress was bunched around her waist as she sat waiting for Alex. When Miguel stepped inside and closed the door, she tried to hide her large grapefruit-sized breasts, embarrassed.
“What the hell’s wrong with you, Bonni?” Miguel asked sharply, “Why are you doing this shit in my house? And on my birthday?!”
“I—I’m sorry, Mickey,” she stammered, gathering her purse while trying to hold the dress over her breasts. “I wasn’t thinking, okay? I’m sorry.”
“So you finally did it.” Miguel smirked, moving to block her path to the door.
“What?” she asked warily.
“You got your breasts done. Did Alex convince you to do it?”
Ebony looked even more uncomfortable. Her short bangs began to stick to her forehead, more from nervousness than from the heat.
“Alex has nothing to do with my breasts. It’s my body. I do what I like,” she jeered as she tried to push past him to the door.
“Why did you go so big?” he asked, already hard from the moment he saw her sitting there, breasts exposed, waiting for the attentions of her new lover.