For Beth or Worse

Chapter Four

It was Sunday, and I hadn't heard from Monique since she texted me at the club. I was wondering whether I should call her or not. She was quite rude and insensitive for leaving me at the club all by myself. She knows I haven't been out in years.

I had eggs and toast with a cup of coffee for breakfast as I scrolled on my laptop. I lazily opened Match.com to finish personalizing my profile.

1 message.

Hmmm... I have one message already. My heart was thumping. I wanted to open it but I was scared. Maybe he's just a troll, someone messing with me. I studied his profile picture. I have never dated a black guy before, but he did look hot in this photo.

What would my parents say if I turned up at the wedding with a chocolate-skinned guy? I know my mom would be proud. She had always said black guys were the hardest race to commit in relationships.

I held my breath as I opened the message.

Marcus: Hey. You must be a thief because you just stole my ❤️. Damn girl. You are beautiful.

A giggle slipped from my lips. I slapped my hand over my mouth in surprise. Did I just giggle? I think I did. I'm back in high school again. What should I do? How do I respond to this message?

Then I remembered I was Allegra, not Beth-Ann. I could have any personality I wanted. How would Allegra respond?

Me (well, Allegra): Thank you. You look sexy yourself.

I cringed as I hit send. Oh my gosh. He's going to know what a big nerd I was. What was I even thinking...

Marcus: How is your morning going so far shorty?

Allegra: You're assuming that I'm short, which means you're into short girls, right?

Marcus: Yes, I like short girls, and I can tell that you are short. I'm like a short girl magnet.

He sounded like a fun guy already, and I felt comfortable talking to him. Who would have thought I could score a black boyfriend? Just wait until I tell Monique. She's going to scream with envy.

Allegra: Hmmm...so that means your short girl body count is quite high then.

Marcus: I don't go around having sex with any girl, but I've had a few short girlfriends. All committed relationships.

A smile spread across my face. I scored a black guy who liked to be in committed relationships! I think I'm in love.

I started thinking about what our mixed babies would look like. They're going to be so adorable. What am I saying? I don't even know if he wants kids. I'm not even sure if I can have kids.

Allegra: Well, you're right. I am short.

Marcus: I knew it! You're just my type.

We continued talking, and I got very comfortable with Marcus. He seemed to understand me so much. He was just what I had been looking for.

A few hours later, my front door swung open. Monique walked in, holding two espressos. She was wearing a hoodie with shorts and a pair of sunglasses. Even dressed casually, she still looked hot. She wasn't even trying!

"Girl! Last night was epic." She handed me an espresso, and we walked over to the couch.

I smirked. "It was, huh?"

I'm sure she heard the sarcasm in my voice but she ignored it and continued telling me about her amazing night.

"Beth, this guy was huge. I mean extra extra large. He was amazing." She spread her arms, almost spilling her drink as she laid back on the couch.

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently.

She proceeded to give me every tiny detail. "So I went to the bar, right? This handsome guy came up to me and said my lips looked juicy, so I kissed him. That's when you came to the bar or whatever."

I nodded so she knew she could continue.

"He enjoyed the kiss so much that he suggested that we leave the club. And he was sexy so of course I left with him. We went to his hotel room."

"What if he had raped you?" I asked.

Monique gave me a cheeky smile. "No worries. I would just rape him back. Then we would be even. Anyway, we went to the room and he was a perfect gentleman. He offered me champagne and a massage. His hands knew exactly where to touch me. I was in heaven. Then he told me to lay on my back, he spread my legs and then his tongue did some things to me that I've never felt before."

I covered my ears. "Ah! You don't have to give me all the details."

"But I haven't gotten to the good part yet."

"I don't care. I don't want to hear about the guy you ditched me for...again." I instantly regretted saying those words.

Monique looked taken aback. She facepalmed. "Oh my gosh, Beth. I'm so sorry. It was your night to blow off steam. I was so insensitive."

"That's OK Mo. I survived."

"How? Did you hook up with a guy?" She squinted her eyes at me.

"No, but I did watch a movie in a rather comfortable room as I drank champagne."

"Huh?" Monique looked confused so I explained.

"I met this guy. He was the perfect gentleman. He saw that I was uncomfortable and he suggested that we find somewhere more comfortable. He led me to a comfortable room where we talked and watched a movie. Then he drove me home and kissed me goodnight."

Monique's mouth was agape. She scrunched up her forehead as if she was deep in thought. "You said this guy took you to a comfortable room?"

I nodded.

"Was his name...Jared?"

My heart skipped a beat. How did she know? Did she set it up? I should have known!

I rolled my eyes at her. "So you were the one who set this up? You are so sneaky!"

"No, I did not. But Jared is the owner of the club and he is engaged to a model."

"What?" I didn't see that coming. "He's engaged? So why did he kiss me?"

Monique shrugged. "Who can figure out why men do the things they do? Anyway....was kissing the only thing you guys did?"

She wanted a juicy story but I didn't have one to give. "Yep. That's all." I said point blank.

She hissed her teeth. "I don't believe that. Why did you go to the room in the first place?"

"Well, we were dancing. He had a hard on and I suggested we find somewhere to take care of it. When we got to the room I chickened out. It's been such a long time."

"I can't believe you had the Jared Langue all to yourself and you did nothing with that piece of meat."

I clicked the TV on. I didn't want to talk about this anymore and she got the hint. I decided now wasn't the time to tell her about Marcus either. I'll have to see how that will go first. I've never done online dating before. He may turn out to be a teenager or a senior citizen for all I know.

I sighed. I needed to call my sister and congratulate her. There's no need to put it off any longer. The damage was already done. Some days I wished we were closer. It was all our parents' fault though. She was their favorite and they made sure I knew it.

But I'm over that now. Things are about to turn around. I'm about to have my first black boyfriend and make all the females in my family jealous. I can't wait to see the look on their faces when I introduce Marcus.