Roxanne

      "Umm," I groaned pleasurably as I stretched my limbs, my fingers gripping the cotton sheets covering the comfortable California King. A frown marred my features as I realized there was nothing but empty space to the right of me. I opened my eyes and my adjusted vision confirmed that I was occupying an empty room. I pushed the white cotton of the bedding away from my body and climbed out of the bed, pausing my search to drape my lover's robe over my naked body and began to search his apartment. It didn't take me long to find him seeing as he hadn't gone that far.

      He'd taken refuge on his balcony. At two in the morning, the sky was a deep navy hue with sprinklings of grey and white, courtesy of the bright stars that were visible above Miami's skyline, and even in the darkness he was hard to miss. He was well sculpted, broad shouldered, and well over six feet. Add to that the slanted eyes common in those with Asian ancestry that were black as night and long ebony tresses I'd twisted into small silken braids. Darnell had swagger, was handsome, sexy, and every other adjective that would cause a good girl like myself to cheat on my boyfriend night after night with little to no remorse.

      A light breeze carrying just a hint of sea salt disturbed the sheer floor to ceiling curtains he'd used to cover the balcony's glass doors. The muscles in his back stiffened and I knew then that he was aware of my presence. How? I had no idea, but I knew he was. Just then I heard the snap of something closing and turned my attention to his hands just in time to see him release an object into the pockets of his black dress pants. He turned around, his painfully perfect abs on full display, and I momentarily lost my train of thought. His lips were moving-telling me something-and I hadn't a faintest clue as to what that was.

      "Roxi?" he called again.

      I shook my head and looked at him with a questioning expression. "Yes?"

      "Are you ready for me to take you home?" he asked.

      "What's the rush?" I asked by way of an answer. "You know that I don't have to be home this weekend."

      "Maybe so, but overnight stays aren't part of our arrangement are they?" he asked with an arched brow.

      "I guess not," I replied after a moment. Darnell was handsome, successful, and could be a sweetheart when he wanted to be. He was also great in bed, which is why we had this standing arrangement to begin with. To be honest, had things worked out the way I wanted them to, we could have been something great for one another. Unfortunately he didn't want more than we had and I wasn't about to end my relationship for anything less than an offered commitment. "Let me just take a shower."

Ayanna

      After five years away, for school and work, I was finally back home. Back to my life, family, and friends. The five years it'd taken for me to get my degree and make a name for myself had been hard and lonely, but well worth it. Now I'd have something to bring to the table other than my parentage.

      The taxi driver came to a slow stop inside of a quiet neighborhood in front of a white town house. I quickly took in the area as the driver opened the door for me and was glad to see that the reviews I'd read on line had been truthful. If the cookie cutter homes with their Mercedes and Audi SUVs were anything to go by, this was a typical upper middle class neighborhood where most of the occupants worked nine-to-fives and had 1.5 children. It was the sort of place you could raise kids in and expected to have neighborhood watches. Just the sort of place I was looking for.

      My father had gone legal when I was really young, well as legal as any businessman in America can claim to be, and while he and my mother were considered neuvo riche they were adamant about me making something of myself. Of course they'd have rather I'd have become something legal and boring; like a doctor or lawyer, but I was too much like them to consider that as a first option. There was a lot of money to be had in questionable dealings and I was determined to get my share. It was with that thought that I utilized my computer science degree from M.I.T and got into the lucrative business of hacking.

      "Mam?" the driver questioned as he placed the last of my luggage on the side of the front door.

      "Thank you," I replied with a nod and handed the older man a fifty dollar bill and watched him pull off before unlocking the door and walking inside.

      I'd purchased the house while I was overseas and had given my best friend Kimberly the responsibility of decorating it. We'd known each other since we were in diapers and if there was anyone I trusted with turning my barren house into a home, it was her. As I flipped the switch to turn on the light, I couldn't help but smile. She hadn't disappointed. She'd decorated the space with complete contemporary minimalism. There were sharp clean lines, art deco art pieces, and lots of glass and chrome. The colors were calming blues, but the majority of the design consisted of crisp white hues with some gray and a bit of black thrown in. If it wasn't so late I'd call her and thank her, but I suppose she'd have to settle for dinner on me later on in the evening. With that thought, I grabbed the keepall that held some of my sleep wear and ascended the winding staircase in search of the master bedroom.

Darnell

      I glanced over the paperwork that had been faxed to me by accounting and massaged my temples as an ache began throb at my temples. It was December and the year-end numbers had to be sent to our shareholders by the first of the year. Double checking hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of spending and trying to figure out where a penny went wasn't my idea of fun, but it was part of my job description. I was just about to call marketing and ask the manager to fax me the sign-off sheets for the Bartley project when my phone started ringing.

      "Darnell Frederic speaking."

      "Sir?" Evelyn's prim voice called from the other end. "I have a woman named Ayanna Grandberry here to see you sir."

      I froze in shock. Ayanna was here? It had been a while since I'd seen that woman. Two years, to be exact. She'd been the love of my life and while I understood that there were things she had to do to better herself, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pissed that she had to leave the country to do so.

      "Sir?" Evelyn called out, snapping me out of my train of thought.

      "Send her in," I ordered before straightening my desk and sitting back against the leather massage chair.

      Moments later my office door open and in walked Ayanna. She looked almost the same as the last time I'd seen her. Of course, a bit of the roundness her face had from youth had faded slightly giving her a more mature look. Her maturity was furthered by her choice of appearance. She'd pulled her black hair into a neat chignon and clothed herself in a pair of navy blue and white pin stripped pants, a crisp white halter designed button-up blouse, and a pair of white leather pumps.

      "I can't get a hello, Darnell?" she questioned as she arched a perfectly shaped brow.

      "You can get more than a hello," I informed her as I made my way towards her and enveloped her in my arms. "Damn, I missed you girl."

      "Did you?" she questioned as she looked up at me.

      "How can you even ask me that?" I asked her, my thumb caressing her bare back.

      She stared at me for a moment before laughing sarcastically and said, "Tell me about this vampire chick you've been seeing."

      "Vampire chick?" I asked confused.

      "You know who I'm talking about," she accused. "That chick you only see at night and make sure is home before it gets light out."

      "Ah, vampire chick," I repeated in amusement as I took in the full implication of her words. "She's nobody you need to worry about."

      "Well, that goes without saying," Ayanna spoke easily as she fixed the dimple in my tie. "So how about you take me to lunch?"

      "What are you in the mood for?" I asked her.

      "I have a taste for spider rolls."

      "Benihana it is," I answered. I took the time to lock my computer before leading Ayanna out of my office.

Roxanne

      "What have you been up to girl?" my best friend Camille asked after we'd ordered our lunch.

      "You don't want to know," I told her, but my grin told her that she did.

      My friends knew that I had been flirting with this guy, but they also knew that I loved my man Jason. Unfortunately Jason worked crazy hours and his job called for him to have to go out of town a lot. As a result I was home alone quite a bit and after a while, even the most dedicated woman gets lonely.

      "I think I do," Camille answered as our drinks were placed on the table.

      "Remember that guy we met at the club three weeks ago?" I asked her.

      She took a sip of her drink as she referenced the night I was talking about. Her eyes lit up with recognition after a moment of silence. "The tall Asian guy?"

      "He's not Asian-"

      "So he's mixed then," she waved me off.

      "He's actually Filipino, Native American, and Black. I asked," I corrected her.

      "Well Filipino's are a Hispanic/Asian mix," Camille had to add her two cents, "but that's not important. What's important is that you're bringing him up instead of Jason."

      I bit my bottom lip and contemplated over whether or not I wanted to admit to my infidelity. I've known Camille for years and trusted her to keep my secrets, but I didn't need her to get judgmental either. After a moment I decided to take the plunge. I would need someone to vent to if I was going to successfully keep everything from Jason.

      "I slept with him," I blurted and squeezed my eyes together waiting for her to blow up at me and tell me how stupid I was to jeopardize my relationship with Jason over a fling. I waited another ten seconds when she didn't immediately go into a diatribe against my cheating on Jason. After a long silent pause, I opened my eyes to see her watching me with an amused expression on her face. "Did you hear me? I've slept with Darnell, that's the guy's name."

      "I heard you," she answered as she leaned back against the hard back chair.

      "That's all you're going to say?" I asked her in disbelief.

      "What would you have me say?" she tossed back at me.

      "I don't know...something! I mean, I've been sleeping with this man for weeks-"

      "Hold up," she interrupted. "Weeks?"

      "I hadn't gotten to that part yet, huh?" I asked sheepishly.

      "No you didn't," she replied and gave me a look I couldn't readily recognize. "I guess I don't have to ask if he was any good." I gave her a slow smile. "So is this a permanent thing?"

      "I honestly don't have a clue. I mean, he's been up front about not looking for a serious relationship so I'm not going to fully invest myself in him, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in him," I divulged.

      "Do the two of you even talk to to each other or is his sex game so on point that you're willing to bypass all the important aspects of building a lasting relationship?" Camille questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

      "We talk..." I started and noticed her expression. "Okay, so maybe it has a little to do with the multiple orgasms."

      Camille fell out laughing. "You're grown so I can't tell you what to do, but I will tell you this. You said Darnell only wants you as his sex buddy. If you're going to continue on with him I suggest you not count your chickens before they hatch. It wouldn't make much sense to leave Jason for a man that has told you he doesn't want you for anything other than sex."

      "Wait a minute. He didn't exactly say that," I argued, not liking the picture she was painting.

      "Maybe in not so many words."