Michael

"Michael, don't do anything stupid." Says Dante over the phone.

I gasp and place a hand over my heart. "How could you say something like that!"

I know he is rolling his eyes behind that phone. The man is so sassy.

"Because you're a fucking idiot. You know it. I know it. The whole world knows it."

I laugh as I turn down the road. I was about five minutes away from Audrey's job.

"An idiot that got laid last night."

I hear Seth shout something in the background and seconds later, he is telling Dante to hand him the phone.

"So you guys had sex, huh? Was it good?" He asks.

"Seth, you're a freak." Theo replies.

"Why do you want to know? Weirdo." Dante chimes in.

"Yeah, I'm not telling you."

"Well shit, if it was that bad, pass her onto me. I'll treat her wonderfully."

All playfulness leaves my body. Every ounce of it is replaced with annoyance instead.

"What the fuck did you just say?"

"Shut the hell up, Seth." Dante says, and I hear Theo laughing in the background.

"Fine, I'll leave Audrey alone. What about Lily instead?"

Theo's laughter stops immediately. This time, Dante and I are the ones to laugh.

"Get the fuck out of my house." He replies.

Seth gasps as I arrive at Audrey's job. "But—"

Before he has a chance to finish, I hear the front door shut. My laughter grows, as well as Dante's. Theo tells us to go fuck ourselves before hanging up.

I shake my head as I unbuckle my seatbelt. Glancing at the large building—that I've been to countless times — I notice it feels different. It doesn't feel like I am intruding anymore. Instead, I feel welcomed. I feel needed. Appreciated. And that's a damn good feeling.

As I step out of the car, a smirk starts to make its way to my face.

"This should be fun."

Audrey

I fidget with my fingers anxiously, waiting for Micheal to arrive. I hadn't expected him to be this late. But then again, this is Micheal we're talking about. The man that must always make an entrance.

Terry, a family friend, begins walking toward me as I stand by the back door. I wince at having to speak to anyone my father knows.

"Audrey! How's it going, dear?" He greets me. The gray hair on his head comes into my vision as he holds his arms out for a hug. I'd say he might be in his late fifties or early sixties.

I plaster a fake smile on my face and glance at the front door. "Wonderful!" I accept his hug and pat his shoulder before pulling away. "Glad you could make it, Terry."

Where are you, Michael?

The front door flies open as the thought leaves my mind. It's as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. My breath hitches. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.

Micheal strides in, his hands in his suit pants pockets and a wide grin on his face. He glances around the room for a moment before his eyes meet mine. Remembering Terry, I wave him over to introduce them.

When he reaches us, Micheal wraps one of his arms around my waist and presses a kiss to my cheek. "Sorry, I'm late. Had to take care of something." He whispers.

A shiver rolls down my spine.

"Take care of what?"

He squeezes one of my hip-dips before bringing his attention to Terry. "You'll see when you get home."

Despite the curiosity building up inside of me, I clear my throat and gesture between Micheal and Terry.

"Terry, this is my husband, Michael Collins. Micheal, this is a family friend, Terry Crocker."

Michael nods at him before shaking his head. Terry's eyes grow wide, causing him to frown.

"What? You don't like the fact that her husband is black? Are you fucking serious right now?"

Both of our mouths go agape. "Micheal—"

"What? No! Of course not—"

"You are seriously being racist at such a time like this? Do you think Martin Luther King worked that hard just for nothing to change?"

I hit his arm. "Stop—"

"No, no, absolutely not. I have—"

"Wow. Unbelievable. Can you believe this, Audrey?"

Terry holds his hands up. "Hey, I am not racist! I've got nothing against—"

Micheal begins laughing. "Bro I'm kidding! Calm your tits, dude."

Terry's face reddens, and he rolls his eyes. "That's not funny."

Micheal turns to me. "Did you see the look on his face? Fucking priceless." He says and walks away to the food table.

He fucking walks away.

As if he hasn't just scared the living shit out of one of my father's closest friends.

I pat Terry's shoulder and give the best sincere expression I can. "I am so sorry about him!" I yell, following behind Micheal hastily.

I stand on the side of him and punch his arm. "¿Qué demonios te pasa? ¡Michael, no puedes seguir haciendo esto!"

He glances at me as he swallows a piece of shrimp. When he is done, he smiles and pushes a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

"English, baby."

I exhale a deep breath. "What is wrong with you, Michael?"

He shrugs and his eyes run down my body before returning to his shrimp. "You look beautiful. I'm glad you invited me."

All anger goes to a halt. I feel a blush creep up my face. I smile. "Really?"

"Absolutely."

"Thank—" My smile drops at how random his compliment is. "Micheal, are you high?"

He places a cinnamon roll on his plate. "I am high ninety-eight percent of the time, Carina." He searches for something at the table. "Where's the cheese? I was promised cheese."

"Well, when are you not high?"

He shrugs once again. "When I want to remember something."

Flashbacks of last night fill my head at that. The way he touched me so gently, as if I would break within any moment. How well he knew my body. His words. The aftercare. The way he held me. It all felt unreal.

I hesitate for a moment before asking, "I don't even know why I'm asking this. It's not like it's going to happen again. But, were you high last night? When we were…. you know?"

"Hell no. I remember everything about last night." He immediately replies. Micheal faces me with a smile. "You look so pretty when you cum, baby."

Despite how long I have known Micheal, he still manages to shock me with the words that come out of his mouth.

My mouth goes agape. Heat builds up inside of my stomach and rises to my chest. I just know for sure my face is red.

"Fóllame." I mumble.

He leans closer with a wide grin. "Hmm?"

I lift my head and look around, acting as if someone has called my name. "Huh?" I spot Diana, Val and Lily step inside just in time. I point to them. "I think my friends are calling me. Looks like I have to go!"

I quickly run to them before he can fluster me even more. I hear him laughing behind me as I do so.

For the next hour or so, we talk and catch up a bit. Lily tells me she and Theo have a surprise they're going to share tomorrow when we all have dinner. Diana informs us about the promotion she might be getting and Val shares the latest party she went to and how her husband had to help her vomit afterwards.

I don't tell them about the arrangement between Micheal and I. I didn't plan on telling anyone for that matter and I trust Micheal will do the same. This is merely a business deal and since it will only last a few months, I figured it was pointless to involve any unnecessary drama from telling other people.

I also knew how angry they would get. Diana especially. I can't even count how many stories she has told me about Micheal and the one-night stands he has. She doesn't hate him. How could you possibly hate Micheal? I've tried several times, and it has gotten nowhere. She just doesn't trust him. She says he's not good enough for any of her friends.

After another fifteen minutes pass, I decide to give my speech. I manage to make it short and sweet, while still expressing how thankful I am. When I am done, my coworkers, work friends and employees all gather around at tables and begin eating.

Unfortunately, there are enough seats at the table we choose to sit at. This allows three of the nosiest women in the office to sit next to us.

"I'm so proud of you, honey!" Cece says and pinches my cheek.

Dante snickers as I hold back the massive eye roll I want to give her. I fake a smile. "Thank you."

Becky leans forward. "Where's your husband? I'm just dying to meet him!"

Diana, Val and Lily nearly choke on their drinks. Panic rises inside of me.

"Husband?" They all shout in sync.

I laugh nervously and avoid eye contact with them. I glance in the direction where I had told Micheal to hide for this very reason.

"Micheal." I say through a fake cough.

A few seconds later, Micheal comes out from behind a chocolate fountain. His hands are in his pants pockets as he walks towards the table. Once he takes a seat next to me, he nods at Diana, Lily and Val as a greeting. I clear my throat and pat the front of his hand.

"This is my husband… Michael Collins." I bring attention to Diana. "Surprise?"

She stares at Micheal with the largest glare of hate I have ever seen. Lily and Val's mouths still hang open.

Cece claps and moves closer. "So, how did you guys meet? Don't leave out any details."

Dante begins eating as Theo covers his mouth to stop his laughter.

I wave a dismissive hand. "You know, we'd rather not—"

Diana leans closer. "No, tell us." She glances at me for a beat before bringing all her attention to Michael. He gulps.

"How did you meet Micheal? I'm dying to know how you ended up with my lovely friend Audrey."