Page 12 of Someone Like You

Giselle

TWO MONTHS LATER

P iling into my Infiniti, our laughter filled the air.

We enjoyed an afternoon of rock climbing and checking out the latest exhibit at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

We returned to my townhouse to shower and change before heading to dinner at Soldier’s.

Now that our bellies were full of African cuisine, we were ready to dance off the pounds we gained.

“That ass is gonna spread. You know that, right?” Raegan piped up from the back seat.

“Who, me?” I asked, pointing at myself as I looked into the rearview mirror, pulling out of the parking spot.

“Mm-hmm,” Raegan muttered.

“Why?”

“All that food you just wolfed down, and then you got a plate of Senegalese Chicken Yassa to go.”

“I can afford to eat like this because I hit the gym or jog, and I play tennis every week. See, unlike my friend Raegan, I’m not lazy and don’t mind working off what I gain because I know I love to eat,” I stated, smacking my lips and then twisting my neck.

I smirked at Raegan’s reflection in the rearview mirror.

“Okay, children. That’s enough,” Eriss chided from the passenger seat, where she had reclined her seat all the way back.

“I’m just saying. And look at you, Riss. You can barely stay up. All that food has made you tired. How much dancing do you really think you’re gonna do?” Raegan teased.

“Uh-uh, I know what this is,” I stated.

“What’re you talking about?” Raegan drawled in her Texas accent.

“Yeah, what are you talking about, Giselle?” Eriss joined in.

“Raegan’s trying to convince us not to go out dancing tonight. But she doesn’t want it to be her fault. Instead, she wants one of us to renege.”

“Okay, why don’t I want to go out dancing, Doctor Mind Reader?” Raegan asked in an aggravated tone.

“Because you want to go home and get some of that whip appeal put on you. You wanna be up under Gavin,” I teased in a singsong voice.

“Not really. Just a bit tired, is all,” Raegan returned in a deflated voice.

Eriss and I took turns teasing Raegan as we arrived at Club Amethyst. By the time we walked through the door, we had gotten Raegan back in her normal mood, ready to party.

She danced on the floor while we made our way to the bar.

We placed our drink orders and made small talk while we waited.

Once we got our drinks, Eriss headed straight for the dance floor.

I turned back to the bar and slowly sipped my drink.

I knew I needed to get off the stool, leave the bar, and hit the floor.

After all, I had been the main one to suggest coming to the bar to re-enter the dating world.

And now, I sat all alone at the bar, nursing my drink.

Finishing it off, I hopped off the stool and danced to the floor to find my girls.

Seeing that they were both occupied with some males when I arrived, I chose to dance alone.

I didn’t need a partner. Swaying my hips in the opposite direction of my arms, I angled my head down to the right, closed my eyes, and allowed the music to revive my spirit.

The soulful music came to an end as the DJ made an announcement.

“We’re going back. Taking you way back to another time and place. Ladies, we’re kicking that drama outta your lives!” he shouted into the microphone.

Women all over the club screamed and started working their bodies to the hype beat. I was already bouncing to Mary J Blige’s “Family Affair.”

I felt someone dancing behind me as I bounced my butt to the lyrics as Mary told us to get on the dance floor. I ignored the person because I loved the way I lost myself in music whenever I danced.

I rolled my hips around and dipped down before coming back up again. Whoever was behind me, I vibed with his energy and timed our movements. Large hands placed themselves on my hips hesitantly and then gripped tighter as I backed up into him.

I had worked up a sweat and felt my braids coming loose from my bun.

I didn’t care as I swung my head from side to side, matching the dual movement of my hips.

The lyrics made me feel free and uncaring.

I was just a woman out having a good time and dancing with some random guy who made it that much more interesting.

“My fellas out there tryna get close on a honey, we’re gonna switch it up just a bit. She says this one’s all for you, fellas.” The DJ’s voice boomed over the microphone as Janet’s “All For You” poured out through the club’s speakers.

I walked to the edge of the dance floor, never turning to see my mystery partner. Just as I reached the edge of the dance floor, someone grabbed my hand and pulled it back. I recognized the scent of the mystery man and turned back around to plead off dancing, but my breath hitched in my throat.

Confusion shot through me like the burn of a strong vodka, and I blinked before I narrowed my eyes. I’d had a couple of drinks, but I didn’t have that many. Surely, I wasn’t seeing things. When Casimir released that sexy chuckle, I shook my head. “What’re you doing here?” I asked.

“Having a celebratory night out at my favorite spot. Breaks the monotony,” he replied, pulling me to him.

“Umm, was that you?” I asked, pointing my thumb over my shoulder at the dance floor.

Casimir pulled his bottom lip into his mouth, and those onyx eyes flashed in the darkness of the club as he nodded. “I wanna share this dance too.”

“No,” I replied. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” I turned around and walked away from him. I had made it only a few steps before he caught up with me and tugged me back toward the dance floor.

“Why not?” he asked, dropping his hand from my wrist to my waist and swaying slightly with me. “We’ve already shared one.”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“You always dance with strangers like that?”

“No. I usually dance by myself, but you . . .”

“You didn’t turn around and look at me or stop me. So, what’s the problem now?”

“Do I really need to explain it?”

“Yeah, I think you do.”

“You’re my client, Casimir. You know that’s forbidden,” my mouth replied, but my body told a different story as my hips swayed from side to side, and my abundant breasts bounced to the beat.

My heart thundered inside my chest, and a warm, uncomfortable heat soared throughout my body. My eyes roamed over the black silk shirt that clung to his form, dropping down to the tailored tan slacks that hugged his thighs and outlined traces of his manhood.

“So’s the way you’re looking at me right now,” he challenged, a smirk tilting his lips slightly.

My eyes instantly flew back up to his face as I tried desperately to compose my features. I continued to dance with him, and no more words were spoken as we enjoyed the fun beat of the song.

When it was over, he escorted me to the bar, where he ordered us another drink and invited me to his table to share some “important news.”

Although I knew that I shouldn’t go, my curiosity got the best of me, and my feet followed where my mind knew they shouldn’t go.

“So, what did you want to share with me?” I asked when we had been seated.

“First, let me say that there’s nothing wrong with two consenting adults having a drink and a dance together. It’s all innocent and strictly casual.”

“You know that’s not true, Casimir.”

“It’s not innocent? What? Were you planning to take advantage of me in my weakened state?” he asked.

The smirk on his lips and the gleam evident in his eyes showed that he was clearly teasing me.

“What did you want to tell me?” I asked, redirecting the conversation before I continued down the path that would undoubtedly lead me into a train wreck.

Casimir lowered his gaze from mine and wiped water droplets from his glass.

“First, you’re no longer my therapist. You were fired, so there’s no concerns there.”

“I guess, but I’m not about to argue that with you, Casimir. Now, what did you want to tell me?” I repeated.

“I filed for divorce the day after we left your office.”

I blinked rapidly and stared at him in disbelief. My heart pounded loudly in my chest. So loud that it competed with the thump of the music.

It took several seconds before I could gather my thoughts, but when I did, I tamped down the excitement blossoming in my chest.

“Well, I don’t know if I would say that congratulations are in order. I don’t generally celebrate the ending of someone’s marriage, but if this makes you happy, then I guess I would say ‘best wishes.’”

He smiled and stared at me for several long seconds until I found myself squirming in my seat. His gaze was penetrating, and the heat that flared from his eyes burned me in parts that I didn’t want to think about.

“Thank you.”

“How did she take it?”

He sighed and then lowered his gaze.

“As you might expect that she would. She thought that I was joking at first, then she was disbelieving, and that morphed into outrage, and finally, she became the victim and had a complete meltdown. She blamed everyone in the world, from my parents to my best friend to me to the neighbor across the street.”

“I’m sure that I was thrown in there then.”

He laughed. “Yeah, you were definitely the source of a major portion of Beth’s rant.

She wanted to contest the divorce, but thankfully, her father talked some sense into her.

As much as he didn’t want us to divorce, he knew that contesting it would cause a bigger scandal.

He didn’t need that attention right now. ”

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t help you all.”

“Don’t be,” he stated before he reached across the table and grabbed my hands.

His fingers were warm and smooth but firm and rough at the same time. The comfort that I felt holding his hand and the warm energy flowing between us made me uncomfortable. I pulled my hand back.