Cabaret

Cabaret- Justin Timberlake ft. Drake

Ok...how many strikes before you're out?" I questioned.

"3!" EJ said, with no hesitation.

"That was easy... How many innings?" I asked EJ, tossing him a soft plush baseball from Rocky's couch.

He thought about it. "9" EJ answered correctly, catching the ball effortlessly, before tossing it back.

"Ok. What are you gonna make Jake buy you at the game?" I asked, tossing the ball up to myself.

"Peanuts and Cracker Jacks!!!" He said, jumping up, trying to intercept the ball from me.

I laughed, and let him catch the ball.

"I think you're ready for the baseball game." I told him. "Are you excited for Hurricane Harbor too?"

"Yeah. Its gonna be awesome. Jake said he'll take me down the big water slide! " EJ exclaimed.

"Do you like hanging out with Jake?" I asked EJ, curiously.

 I know, I was calling on a 7 year old to be a character witness. So sue me. Besides, kids were supposed to have an intuition. And since I was getting to know Jake all on my own, I figured I could use EJ's intuition to guide my opinion.

"Yeah. We always have fun. Brandon and Jake took me on a dirt bike before." EJ recalled.

See? Jake was fun. And we already determined what we were doing was more fun then riding a bike, so EJ's intuition was spot on. But, he didn't tell me anything I didn't know.

I smiled at EJ. "Well that's good. But do you remember how much fun you're allowed to have without me?"

EJ smirked. He looked just like Ethan when he did. It was freaking adorable.

 "This much!" He stretched out his arms out as wide as he could, so his hands are far apart. I shook my head.

"No! Absolutely not. You know it's this much!" I scolded him, mockingly. I held out my hands, a ruler length away from each other.

"I'm gonna have this much!" He grinned, spreading my hands out. I grabbed him and started tickling him. He burst out laughing.

"Ok. Ok...." EJ said, between laughs.

"Ok what?" I looked up to see Ethan walking into the living room. He was wearing charcoal slacks with a pale purple dress shirt. Obviously, he headed straight over to Rocky and Brandon's house after work. Even after a full day of work, he looked impeccable.

EJ looked at his dad. "Lily said I can only have a little fun with Jake this weekend at the game and Hurricane Harbor."

I smiled at Ethan as he came and joined us on the couch. "I think Lily is just jealous." He told EJ.

"That's right. I wanna have fun. It's not fair!" I pouted

"We can have fun too!" EJ rationalized.

"We can?" I asked.

EJ nodded. "Yes!"

"Ok. You can have as much fun as possible." I relented.

"EJ, go ahead and put the ball away so we can get ready to go." Ethan said to EJ.

EJ ran to put the ball away.

"Thanks for watching him when Brandon went to work." Ethan turned to me.

"You know it's not a problem. You know my schedule too. I can still watch him when you need me. I'll come over here if it makes you more comfortable." I offered.

"You don't have to do that. If I need you to babysit, your apartment is fine. I might need you these next few weeks." Ethan explained.

"Oh. Hectic at work?" I asked.

"Yes. Anthony, you met him, he is opening his own firm. Still in association of our firm, just smaller accounts only. It's the first time it's been done." Ethan explained.

"So is that a good or bad thing?"

"Neither. Just new. At least we don't have to worry about competition. We'll just kick back clients that are on a smaller scale to him. But we're still losing a partner. Anthony wanted me to go with him." Ethan said.

"And?"

He paused as he watched as EJ hopped back in the room. "Go ahead and put your shoes on."

He turned back to me."I thought about it. But I need the stability of where I'm at. Anthony can't offer me that. At least not right now."

I nodded, understandably.

"But what about Anthony's position?" I asked.

"That's what I'm doing this weekend. Having Anthony go over my portfolio. He's recommending me. As long as I help him get staffed." Ethan informed me.

I smiled. "You're up for partner? Ohmigosh, Ethan that's huge. Congratulations!"

"Yes and no. They may decide not to add another partner till they see how Anthony does."Ethan explained.

"Don't act like this is not a big deal. This is amazing. You work so hard. You completely deserve it."

"Thanks Lily. Guess that 'all work no play' worked out." He smiled.

I laughed. "I guess so."

Rocky arrived home. Ethan and I greeted her as she headed to the kitchen.

"C'mere little man!" Rocky called to EJ. EJ finished tying his shoes and rushed over to her.

"So what are you up to this weekend?" Ethan asked me.

"I don't know. Rocky, did Amber decide what she wanted to do?" I asked.

Rocky rolled her eyes as she gave EJ a hug. "No. And she's driving me nuts. She keeps on shooting everything down. I said a lounge, I think Gigi said a movie night. Amber wants something like an adult slumber party. But it would have to be here and I just don't have the energy to try to pull that together this fast."

I nodded. "Yeah but she never gets a break between her, her husband, and the kid's schedules. I hate that it's last minute, but I don't think she had much of a choice." I said.

Rocky shrugged.

"Amber's the one with the 2 daughters and one son?" Ethan asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. They're gonna be with her husband's parents."

"How about Winstar?" Ethan suggested.

"The casino in Oklahoma? I went when I first moved out to Dallas. Wasn't impresses." Rocky made a face. I've never been.

"That's why they did renovations. In fact, I know someone who helped with the renovations and the second hotel. Let me make a call and I'll get back to you today." Ethan told Rocky.

After Ethan and EJ left, I rushed home. Sammy's new boss's event was tonight, and I had to go home and get ready.

"Where have you been?!?" Sammy greeted me at the door.

"Rocky's. EJ needed a babysitter." I said, heading up the stairs.

"I already picked you out an outfit. Hurry up. Lamar and Patrick should be here in 30 minutes."Sammy snapped.

"Alright! You look great!"

And she did. She was wearing a pretty orange mini dress, with a lace covering and a modest neckline. Then I saw the back. It was completely out. Her hair had already grown out past her shoulders. She had it curled and pushed over one shoulder. Her make-up was dark and dramatic. Sexy gold stilettos and gold jewelry finished her look.

I glanced briefly at the dress Sammy laid out for me. It was a floral mini dress that I brought from Macy's with a v-neck, pleated waist, and a keyhole back. Nowhere near as sexy as Sammy's, but that was a good thing. I planned to be the crazy conservative, protective, best friend to interrogate Mr. Ron. I needed to look that part.

I hopped in the shower, careful not to get my hair wet. I hopped out, dried off, threw on my dress and white wedge sandals. I put on white gold hoops, and do my go-to quick make-up: liner, gold shimmer, pink lips. I gave my hair a quick brush, and headed down the stairs.

Lamar and Patrick are already here. They both looked handsome and sexy. Lamar was wearing dark denim jeans, a pressed white dress shirt and a cool navy blazer. Patrick wore white denim, a fitted white tee, and black graphic vest.

Sammy gave me a once over. "It'll do. Lets go!"

I have to work in the morning, so I opted to be designated driver. Patrick and Lamar had to work too, but they didn't have a boss constantly on their asses. I explained the situation as we drove.

"Maybe he has a hard on for you?" Patrick asked.

"No way. Wouldn't he be nice to me?" I rejected, as I navigated to the Quixotic World Theater in Dallas.

"Not necessarily. He's your boss. He knows it's inappropriate. Maybe that's why he so hard on you." Patrick explained.

"Makes sense to me." Lamar added.

"You should seduce him!" Sammy blurted.

"No! You're  crazy!" I exclaimed as they laughed.

They playfully debate it until we arrived at the venue. I tried not to be impressed, but as soon as we walked in, I was. The space itself has a whimsical feeling. The walls are dark, but the decorations and furniture are vibrant and colorful. It's like cabaret meets gypsy circus. My eyes feasted on the decor and soaked in the ambiance. The event was for a new artist's album release. His music was like Miguel meets The Weeknd. Sultry, urban, and soulful. His music was playing in the background but the stage was set up for a performance. The large bar was being tended by 6 women. They were all wearing black tube top dresses with bold yellow stripes down the sides. Sammy led us to the bar.

"Ron." Sammy called to an older gentleman. He was tall and looked distinguished in a black suit.

"Samantha. So glad you could make it." He said, charmingly.

"Wouldn't have missed it for anything. Lily, Lamar, Patrick, this is Ron Jackson. Ron, these are my friends." Sammy introduced us.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Jackson." Lamar said, as he shook his hand.

"Please. Ron is fine." Ron said. I reached to shake his hand. He kissed the back of my hand instead.

"Pleasure to meet you Lily."

"Thanks for having us, Mr. Jackson." I said, pulling my hand away. He just turned to Sammy.

"Did you find this place ok?"He asked.

"No problem at all. This place is fabulous." Sammy gushed.

"Good. We book a lot of events here. Glad you like it." Ron smiled.

"So how do you book jobs anyway?" I asked.

"Word of mouth. My girls are amazing, so we're constantly getting referrals. So glad to have Sammy part of the team." Ron said, gesturing to the bar. "Please, don't let me bore you with business talk. Grab a drink."

"Don't have to ask me twice." Patrick joked. We all smiled and got settled. Sammy on one side of Ron. Me on the other. Once Lamar and Patrick got their drinks, they headed off to explore.

"Thanks Ron." Sammy smiled at him.

"Business talk doesn't bore me. I'm always curious to how successful entreprenuers conduct their business." I said, while Sammy ordered a drink.

"It's simple really. Have a great product, treat your employees and customers fairly." He answered.

"That's so true. It's sad most businesses don't provide that." Sammy nodded.

"Don't be modest. My dad owns a few businesses. I know it takes more than that." I replied.

 When it's my turn to order a drink, I quiz the bartender on types of wines and wells. She is knowledgeable and polite. After she passed my quiz, I just ordered a glass of wine.

"Sammy didn't tell me you're a bartender too." Ron commented.

"I'm not." I said, taking a sip of my wine.

"She used to be. That's where we met. At Dave and Buster's." Sammy supplied.

"Where are you working now? Any chance of stealing you over?" Ron smiled at me. It didn't quite reach his eyes.

"No. I don't bartend anymore. Just bartended to get through grad school. I'm hopping Sammy does the same." I said, matter of factly.

"I didn't know you were in school Samantha." Ron said.

"I'm not." Sammy said quickly, before I could say anything, another guy joined us.

"Ladies, please excuse me. Business calls. Or Sammy would you like to join me? It's your business now too." Ron offered.

Sammy joined him and I went off to explore. I eventually found Lamar and Patrick sitting on oversized couches, jamming to the music. I joined them. I pulled out my phone and recorded a pan around the room for a snapchat. At the end, I aimed the phone at me and asked "Cabaret wedding?" I then sent it to Forrest.

Sammy joined us and we took a stroll around the venue. We took pictures and selfies and even got to meet the new artist.

By the end of the night, I didn't know how I felt about Sammy's new job. But I knew Sammy was sold. She excitedly chatted about it all the way home while posting pictures on her instagram and Facebook. I just hoped she would keep her Dave and Buster's job too. Even if just part time.

After we dropped Lamar and Patrick off, we went home. I checked my beeping phone
.
It was a new text.

Jake: That dress you wore tonight looked so sexy. Bet it would look better on my floor.

I giggled. I know it's a line. An old one at that, but I loved the attention.

Me: You think so?

Jake: I would know so if you came over

Me: Well I can't pass up proving you wrong

I waited for Sammy to leave before heading to Jake's apartment. While I did, I noticed Forrest responded to my snapchat.

Forrest: Maybe for the bachelor party. Set it up

I laughed as I packed an overnight bag.

I know the commute is gonna suck in the morning, but I figured bringing my work clothes is better than making another trip home in the morning.

I knocked on the door to Jake's apartment. He answered quickly. He looked so sexy in basketball shorts and a shirt. The smile on his face widened when he saw my overnight bag.

"What's this?" He said, taking the bag from me.

"Whips and handcuffs." I said, sarcastically, stepping into the apartment.

He set the bag down and unzipped it.

"Looks like work clothes."

"Oops, wrong bag."

"Poptarts? Really?" Jake smiled, holding up a package of poptarts.

"My breakfast." I answered.

He chuckled and walked over to me, looking me over slowly. "Yep. Sexy. Now let's see it on my floor."

"No. I haven't shown you how sexy I can be in it yet." I smiled, pushing him back to sit on his couch. I kneeled in front of him.

"Condom?" I asked, as I played with the waist band of his shorts.

"In my pocket."

I retrieved it from his pocket, before pulling his pants down. I grabbed him and moved my mouth to his penis. I kissed all over it before putting him in my mouth. He moaned when I swirled my tongue around the head. He grew larger and harder as I sucked him, deeper in my mouth. He stroked his hand on my face.

"Mirame Cariño." He said, roughly. I stopped, looking up at him, but keeping him in my mouth. "I wanna see you. Keep your eyes on me."

I moaned and complied, alternating between licking all over him, to sucking him down my throat, all while keeping eye contact. When I held him, stroking the base with my hand and sucking his head, he groaned. Hearing his sounds and the way he was looking at me were turning me on. I kept it up until he pulled my mouth away.

"Put the condom on me." Jake said, breathing heavily.

I ripped it open and slid it on him.

He pulled me up from my knees and laid me on the couch. He quickly positioned himself between my legs. Lifting my dress out the way, he pulled my panties aside, and rubbed on my clitoris.

"Jake!" I gasped.

"Wrap your legs around me." Jake muttered. I did, and he positioned himself to enter me. I cried out as he pushed inside me. At first, I tried to match his pace, grinding my pelvis into his. But soon, I couldn't keep up. He was going so fast and hard.  I just held on to him, enjoying him as he was thrusting wildly into me. After a few minutes, he was coming.

"That's it old man?" I grinned at him, when he caught his breath. He laughed, burying his head into my hair.

I squealed when he lifted me up.

"Nope. I still need to see that dress on my floor." He replied, carrying me to his room.



This morning, I woke up extra early. Jake kept me up late, proving to me how young and vital he still was. We teased each other a lot, but quite frankly, I think I handle him well. And the same is true vice versa. And not just in bed. We get along great.

I crept out of Jake's bed and made a quick breakfast for us. I tried to sneak in poptarts and was going to leave them as a joke. But Jake already saw them. I made bacon, eggs, and toast, As I cooked , I thought about Jake and I. We needed to have 'the talk'. But I didn't wanna make it weird or too much pressure. I just needed to know how he felt. I then decided to write Jake a note.

It read:

After research, I have concluded that the whole staying over/breakfast only applies if the persons actually care about each other. So, enjoy. But only if you care about me too. If not, throw it away. And help yourself to a poptart. 

I then went to Jake's room and got dressed. He was still sleeping when I was done

"Jake." I said softly, rubbing his thick hair. He groaned, but started to stir.

"Hey. I gotta go to work. Come lock up." I said.

He sat up and followed me out the room.

"You cooked?" He said, sleepily,  genuinely surprised.

"I did...but don't eat til you read this." I explained, handing him the note.

He looked confused. Then worried. "Lily, just talk to me. We can be honest with each other right? Just tell me."

I leaned in and kissed him on the mouth. "Just read it babe."

He relaxed. "That's the first nice thing you've ever called me."

I smiled too. "Remember that while you read the note."

I left and headed to work. I heard my phone beep, but I didn't answer it. I really wanted to, but texting and driving was dumb enough. In Dallas, texting during rush hour traffic was just suicidal. Yeah, I said it. Dallas drivers, you cannot drive!!!

When I got to work, I sat in my car and checked my phone. My heart thumped when I saw it was from Jake.

I opened the text. It was a picture of the empty plate of food I left for him. The Poptarts sat there unopened. The text read:

Jake: I ate and enjoyed every bite sweetheart. Next time, I'll cook for you.

I couldn't erase the grin off my face.