Free Fridays (15 page)

“So do we start Thursday at midnight, or Friday at midnight?”

“What do you think is best?” Riley responded.

Leela wanted to remind him that he had answered her question with a question, but she resisted.

“Hmm. I don't know. We both work during the day Friday, so I guess we should do something like Friday evening to Saturday evening; seems like that's what would make the most sense.”

Riley simply nodded.

“But then again, what if we wanted to go away for the weekend or something like that?” she asked.

Riley frowned. He put his fork down and looked up at his wife.

“So now we're expanding to an entire weekend and we haven't even tried one Friday first?”

There was something about his tone that gave Leela pause. It dawned on her that her barrage of questions could be taken the
wrong way. She didn't want her husband to think this was something she was eagerly awaiting.

“No, Riley. That's not what I meant at all. I was just trying to make sure we were both on the same page. You do realize I'm only doing this because you said it's what you wanted to do, right?”

Suddenly, it dawned on Leela that if this had been a test, she would've failed miserably. What if he never expected her to get on board with the idea? She found herself in an awkward position. Initially, she felt backed into a corner, like she didn't have a choice. But once she warmed up to the idea, and started to see the benefits, Riley was suddenly acting like she had done something wrong.

•  •  •

Sounds of the shower running pulled Leela from a restful sleep, even though she couldn't remember when she had finally dozed off to sleep. Moments after she pulled herself upright in bed, Riley rushed into the bedroom freshly groomed and dressed to the nines.

“Hey, Beautiful. I've got an early meeting, then hanging after work with Bill and some friends. Have a great day and I'll call you later,” he said. The haphazard kiss that was meant for her forehead landed somewhere between her left eye and the bridge of her nose.

He dashed out of the master suite like it was on fire, and only traces of his cologne lingered in the air.

“What just happened?” Leela said aloud. “What time is it?”

When her eyes focused in on the clock, and the digital numbers flashed 6:45, she was baffled. Riley had never left the house so early.

Leela's work day was easy and quick. She finished up some lingering files and answered various emails. She talked to Riley around lunchtime, then right before she got off. That last conversation
was the one that stuck with her. As she turned off her computer, she thought back to the call.

“Hey, Babe, are you ready?” he asked.

“Ready for what?”

“Free Fridays. Did you forget already?”

Leela didn't want to focus on the excitement in her husband's voice. Silently, she wondered whether he already had a date planned.

“I haven't forgotten. You be safe out there, okay?” Leela said.

“Damn, Babe. You act like I'm heading out to war or something. I'm about to meet with Bill and a few of the guys. What you doing? Chilling with Samantha?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Samantha's incoming call pulled Leela back to the present.

“Hello?”

“You ready or what?” Samantha's bubbly voice asked.

“Yeah. I'm just about to leave the office,” Leela said.

“Girl, bump that; we're right outside,” Samantha said.

Leela's heart began to race. What did she mean “we”?

“C'mon, we ain't got all day to be waiting on you,” she added.

•  •  •

Leela gathered her things, turned off the computer and turned off the light in her office.

“Samantha! What is wrong with you? This is my job!” Leela said through gritted teeth as she walked up on the unbelievable scene in the parking lot of her job.

Music blared, and Samantha and the man who seemed to show up wherever they were, danced as if they were in the middle of a bar room floor. Leela looked around nervously, unable to make sense of what was happening.

But suddenly, the twisted expression across Leela's face quickly
melted at the sight of the gorgeous chocolate god who pulled himself up through the convertible's top.

“Hey, Sweetness! I'll bet you don't even remember me, huh?” he asked.

Leela was so shocked that the man was talking to her, she forgot all about the scene Samantha and her dance partner had created. He was handsome and his face was very familiar.

“I'm sorry. Can you turn it down a bit?” Leela asked when she finally found her voice.

Once the music was lowered, Samantha and her dance partner stopped and turned to Leela.

“Oh, I didn't even see you walk up,” Samantha said. “So you ready?”

Leela's eyes bounced from Samantha to the two men with her. She knew she couldn't go off in front of them, or could she? What was Samantha thinking, bringing all of this to her job?

“Ready for what?” Leela asked.

“We're going to the Woodlands; gonna pick up some food and drinks and go relax in the room,” Samantha said.

With her eyes moving from Samantha to one of the guys, she struggled to remember the last time she had discussed the Woodlands or these two men with Samantha.

Samantha eased next to Leela and whispered, “Girl, Malone has been dying to see you again.”

Leela was so angry with Samantha, she didn't know whether to strangle her there or wait for the guys to leave first. “Who the hell is Malone?” Leela asked.

The DJ raised his hand without looking in their direction.

“Oh, Sweet Jesus! Girl, you must've really been fucked up that night. You don't remember when Malone had to drive your car home, and help me walk you to the door? Riley was pissed!”

Leela remembered the very first time they'd met Kent and Malone at the bar. The guys had sent a round of drinks before they came over to the table. But the second night they hung out was something else. Leela had a vague memory of that night, but she didn't remember just how gorgeous Malone was.

What she didn't forget was the Russian Morning she'd had the following day. After a night of drinking vodka, the hangover was something fierce.

Malone's skin was blue-black and seemed to glisten under the sun's rays. When he looked over at Leela and she caught a glimpse of his hazel-brown eyes, she was embarrassed.

“You look good,” Malone said. “The last time I saw you, I was worried.”

He was worried about her? Bits and pieces of the night flooded her mind. She vaguely remembered their time at Belvedere, the bottle service, the champagne, and too much fun. And that wasn't even the beginning of Free Fridays.

“So, okay, you guys remember each other. We need to get on the road, because I plan to be poolside in the next two hours,” Samantha said.

Leela looked in Samantha's direction.

Samantha rushed to her side and whispered, “What better way to celebrate Free Fridays?” She giggled.

Leela eased into the car and once Samantha and her date climbed in, they took off toward I-45 North. She knew there was something so not right about Free Fridays. As they sat in traffic, she told herself there was no way she could carry on like that, even if it was only once a month.

She turned and saw the smile on Malone's handsome face. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

•  •  •

The hot sun seemed to focus its glare solely on Leela's back as she stopped at the front door. She stooped down and removed her stilettos, then eased the door open as quietly as possible. Everything about her first Free Friday had been sheer bliss, and she felt good. Samantha didn't want her to leave, but at 8:30 in the morning, Leela felt like she had overdone it and didn't want her husband to question whether she could handle Free Fridays.

As quietly as possible, she crept through the foyer and down the hall. With each step, she attempted to build the courage she knew she would need to face Riley. Once outside their master suite, Leela clutched the doorknob, took a deep breath and eased the door open.

She was stunned to realize the room was empty. Leela's feelings were crushed. Here she was nervous about the time she'd made it home and he wasn't even there. Maybe Riley was in the bathroom. Or perhaps he had fallen asleep inside his man-cave. The bathroom, closet, and every other inch of the room were empty.

Unable to control her emotions, Leela rushed to the cave in hopes of finding Riley passed out on one of the theater-style seats. He needed to be somewhere inside their house. If he'd spent the night with some woman on their very first Free Friday, Leela was ready to kill.

“So, he didn't even come home?” Leela said aloud after her eyes scanned the empty space. Her heart sank to her toes. She frowned as she dragged herself back to her empty bedroom.

As she showered, every little sound made her think her husband had finally made it home.

By the time she tied her hair up and lay down, it was close to 9:30. Nine-thirty in the damn morning after a night of guilt-free, no-questions-asked outing. Leela was beside herself. Determined not to call him, she pulled the sleep mask down and curled herself up into a fetal position on the massive bed. She couldn't remember a time when she'd felt so lonely.

T
hree days after the first Free Friday, Riley still walked around his house like the floors were made of delicate eggshells. He was cautious, but he was also livid. He thought Leela would've called several times throughout the day. It may have been their first Free Friday, but what or who, had kept her so busy and occupied?

Riley's mind was all over the place. One minute he was mad that she didn't resist after they agreed to give it a try. Then the fact that she'd obviously enjoyed herself was another point of contention for him.

Was that bacon he smelled? He flicked his wrist to glance down at his watch. The date was correct; it was Monday morning, as he suspected. While his wife was often up before him, the best he expected during the week was a hot cup of coffee and toast, if he was lucky.

He walked into the kitchen, saw a place setting at the table and frowned.

“Oh. Morning,” Leela sang, as she turned to glance at him quickly.

Wasn't she cheerful?

Leela hadn't offered up details about her experience, so he wasn't about to reveal anything about his own. The agreement was there were no questions and no strings. But, despite how hard Riley tried, he couldn't erase the questions he had for his wife from his mind.

They ate in complete silence. After a few moments, Leela bounced up from the table.

Riley's eyes followed her every move—closely. His mind raced with all sorts of thoughts about his wife's first Free Friday. And none of those thoughts were reassuring.

What had she done?

Was she with another man?

If she had been, was he bigger than him?

Was it Samantha's idea to hook up with another man?

Was it one of the dudes who drove them to the house?

Who was this dude and how did she know him?

How long had she been planning to get with him?

Had Bill been right all along?

“You want more eggs?”

Riley snapped out of a self-induced trance.

“Nah. No more eggs. I'm good,” he said dryly.

Leela gave a half-shrug and turned back to the stove. Riley watched the way she moved and wondered whether there was an extra bounce in her step.

Had she been smiling more lately? He assumed he'd have to handle her delicately because she might harbor some anger over what he might have done. But this behavior had taken him completely by surprise. He never expected this, so he couldn't figure out how to deal with it.

“Okay, I'm about to get out of here, Honey. Have a great day,” Leela said.

Riley's eyebrows rose.

He couldn't remember the last time she had fixed breakfast on a weekday morning. What was up with that? When Leela walked out of the front door, Riley released he'd been holding his breath.

“What the hell?” He smacked his forehead with his palm. He
should've said more. He should've made her tell him exactly what had gone down. Why had he become so damn emotional lately? He needed to man up!

Riley knew what he needed to do, but he had so much trouble doing it. He had warned Bill that this was not set up for Natasha to try and ease her way into Leela's place.

It seemed as if Bill just didn't want to accept that.

When his phone rang, he wanted to kick himself for thinking of his crazy friend.

“Hey, what's up?” Riley answered.

“Dude, this Friday I've got just the place for us to go!” Bill exclaimed.

“Sorry, Dawg, not gonna be able to make it,” Riley said firmly.

“What? What the hell, man?” Bill said. “Don't tell me Free Fridays is already over,” he asked. “Damn, we ain't even gotten the chance to get it in.”

“Nah. Nothing like that. But, Dawg, it's only once a month! It ain't every damn Friday,” Riley said. “And if it was, what makes you think I'd wanna spend my free time with your ass?” He blew out a frustrated breath, although Bill wasn't the true source of his frustration.

“Oh, snap! I totally forgot about that. So, what's that mean? You can't hang on Fridays anymore unless it's the last Friday of the month?”

“Nah. Nothing like that, but, Dawg, I was just away from my wife not even four days ago. I'm not gonna spend the very next weekend with your ass,” he said.

“Dawg!” Bill yelled into Riley's ear. “I'm telling you, Man, you don't wanna miss this. Mark my words. If you do, you'll regret it for a very long time,” Bill warned.

As he spoke, Riley's mind couldn't stop thinking he was already
living with regret and he had to admit, the feeling was nothing nice.