Surrendering Affair

Chapter 10

"Enriqué!" Ricky smiled as he shook hands with him. I still stood behind Enriqué in hiding, he was my body shield. My mind raced as I tried to figure out how to get out of that situation. First Enriqué's little squeeze was getting on my last nerve, now my own popped up.

"Ricky... you did great, man!" Enriqué shouted out. Somehow this didn't seem worth it to me. Having my latest fuck and my current date wasn't on my agenda for the day. I almost walked off, but Enriqué's arm wrapped behind him and pulled me to the side of him. Now I stood in plain view.

Ricky's face went pale at the sight of me. He still hadn't acknowledged Enriqué's compliment. "Are you alright?" Enriqué laughed "You're acting like you dropped acid or something..."

"No, no." Ricky laughed. "It's just that I thought I recognized... who is your friend?"

His blue eyes gave me the most desperate stare. As I looked into them, my mind recalled the night in my apartment. My legs quivered just being reminded of it. My body reacted to him in a way I didn't want to accept. I didn't dare give any man that power over me.

Enriqué squeezed my waist, bringing me out of my trance. "You're telling you've never met Nicole?"

There was a silence. Ricky's eyes never left mine. Would he stop looking at me like that? I tried to look up at the sky. Enriqué was oblivious to the tension between he and I.

"Nicole, Ricky. Ricky, meet Nicole." He pointed back and forth between he and I. "You two live in the same building."

Another pause fell over us.

"Oh yeah!" Ricky said in a high pitched voice. "I've seen you in passing. Never stopped to say hello, though."

Memories of having Ricky up against the wall in his apartment rushed throughout my body.

"Well if you do, don't get too friendly." Enriqué joked. Memories of having Ricky making a mess of himself on my couch came back to me. "Did you write that little number you performed?"

"Yeah, it was an original piece." Ricky told Enriqué with a forced grin. "A specific woman inspired me to write it."

"A good woman always makes for good inspiration." Enriqué laughed, his hand that rested on my torso rubbing my bra strap. Ricky's eyes stared at Enriqué's contact with me. He fought to hide his sadness.

"So what are you two doing here?" Ricky asked quietly, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his slacks.

"Oh, we're on a little date." Enriqué nodded. "I've been trying to take this girl out since I met her."

"Have you?" Ricky's eyebrows rose. His sad eyes looked to me. "Well I can see why you chased after her. Nicole... you live in my building, huh? What floor?"

I glared at him, wondering why he was furthering the conversation. "The third. How about you?"

"You know what? I think I may live above you!"  Ricky said after clearing his throat. "Yeah, I'm on the fourth in the master apartment."

"Do you, now?" I rose my eyebrows. "That must be why I constantly see you going upstairs."

"So you do see him?" Enriqué asked me. I didn't answer. This conversation was killing me.

"We should start going." I smiled. "See what else is around here."

Once Enriqué and I walked off, we didn't say much. Holding hands, we navigated the crowd together. Until finally he spoke, "I think he's attracted to you."

Fuck.

"Who?" I said in a high voice. "Oh— the white boy?"

"Look at you pretending." Enriqué stopped in his tracks. "You know, I see right through you."

I sighed, ready to let go of it all. "Enriqué, look. I'm a modern woman..."

"And yet you pretend like you can't see when men are attracted to you." Enriqué shook his head. "He'd jump at the chance to be one of the men in your bed."

After realizing Enriqué hadn't had a clue about the truth, I played along. Crossing my arms, I smiled at him. "And what if he achieved that?"

"I don't care if he does. As long as he doesn't get to your bed before me. I was first in line." Enriqué smirked as he pulled me closer by the hips. His hands moved to my backside. "Mamacita, when will I get a chance to be in that apartment in that Murphy bed of yours..."

"Not so fast." I placed a finger on his chest. "I'm taking things slow. I like you and I actually want to get to know you."

Usually I'd jump at the chance to be in bed with a guy like Enriqué. But something was holding me back.

"We can't get to know each other skin to skin?" He asked, lifting my wrist to his lips and leaving small kisses along the inside of it. The fact I was willing to put off sleeping with Enriqué was strange. I didn't even understand it. "Don't tell me you're becoming straight, Nicole. You were always a wild child."

"Come on, Enriqué." I wrapped my arms around his neck. "Don't you wanna get to know me before you fuck me?"

Enriqué's eyes closed as he left a kiss on my lips. His forehead went against mine. "Anything for you."

My eyes diverted from Enriqué over to Ricky, who stood in the distance watching. I wondered what went through his mind. He seemed as if it hurt him badly, but I couldn't understand why. He hadn't known me more than a few days.

With a frown, he walked off. I assume he left the park all together. Enriqué turned my face back toward him and kissed me once again. "Whatever you want to do, I'm there for you." His hand went up to my neck. "And when you want to fuck, I'll do that too."

That night Enriqué came home with me. We spent time together, had some wine. But nothing happened. He returned to his apartment in the early morning. I stood in the hall as I watched him exit, only in my robe. The chemistry between us was unexplainable.

But upstairs by the railing, there stood Ricky. Looking distraught and hurt. I turned around as if to go into my apartment, leaving him out there. But something made me turn around.