“Here. Get any of those niggas that I missed.” He handed me my phone back. For a second, neither one of us moved. Then he shifted backward, easing us apart. My thighs instantly missed him between them. My arms fell away from his waist, and my fingers dragged over his stomach on their way down like they didn’t want to let go either.
“You okay?” he asked as he helped me down from the table.Define okay.
“I’m . . . processing,” I said, which was the only thing I could confirm for sure. He huffed before reaching for his shorts. I steadied myself on the table, trying to remember how to stand like a normal human and not somebody whose soul had just gotten snatched from her body. My legs were jelly, but I pretended it was from standing too fast. There should’ve been a damn warning label on that oil and on this whole couples’ retreat really. Side effects? Losing your mind and letting your best friend rearrange your guts on a massage table.
I couldn’t look away as Hasheem bent to grab his shirt. That big, beautiful third leg was still swinging like it hadn’t just put in work. Even the muscles in his back were flexing like some kind of thirst trap. I had to pry my eyes away from him. I fumbled around for my cover up and bikini top, trying not to look as freshly fucked as I felt.
“We should probably put some clothes on,” I mumbled.
“Probably.”
We didn’t say anything else. We moved on autopilot gathering our clothes as reality set in. We were naked in a sponsored cabana covered in oil. I took a few steps around the room, gathering my swimsuit before putting it back on.
“Y’all okay in there?” A knock sounded on the cabana door, making me jump. “Time was up fifteen minutes ago,” the person announced.
“Yeah, we good,” Hasheem called back. “We done.”
The footsteps in the hallway faded, and Hasheem pulled on his shorts. He didn’t even bother with his shirt, just slung it over his shoulder.
“You straight?” he asked.
Absolutely not.
“Yeah,” I lied. “Let’s go before they kick the door in.”
He opened the door, grabbed my hand, and we stepped out of the cabana into what felt like the walk of shame. Our clothes were in place, but my curls were frizzy, my lip gloss was gone, and I was sure the look on both our faces said we’d had a good time in that cabana. We didn’t even take ten steps before one of the couples spotted us coming down the path.
“Mmm hmm,” she said under her breath, eyes cutting our way. “That oil lab got us too.” Her man chuckled next to her. “Ten outta ten, would recommend.”
Heat shot up my neck as I forced a smile and nod and kept walking. This was already too embarrassing for me to take. We must have been speed walking because we made it back into the main pavilion, where a few couples were still scattered, in a matter of seconds.
“There y’all go,” Tiana called from by the bar. She had a pink drink in one hand and Malik at her side grinning. Her gaze dragged over my face, my wild hair, my wobbly legs, and her eyes ballooned. “Look at you, edges sweated out. That’s how you do an oil lab.” She sipped her drink slowly with a knowing look.
“Yeah, the oil lab was fun.” I tried to laugh regularly, but it came out choked.
“Girl, relax.” Tiana smirked. “You not the only one to come out here with the ‘I just got folded’ walk. It’s okay. We’re all on baecation.”
Hasheem laughed under his breath, but I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole. My eyes darted around the pavilion looking for anywhere to escape to, but all they landed on was Simone making her way over to us with a salty bothered look on her face.
“There you two are,” she said. Her voice was mixed with sarcasm and professionalism. “I was just coming to check. Your slot was over about twenty minutes ago.”
“Oh. Sorry,” I started. “We?—”
“If there’s an overage, you can put it on our room,” Hasheem cut in calmly. “I got it.”
“Oh, I’m sure you do.” Her eyes bounced to him, her jaw tight. “Just try to be more considerate of everyone on the trip. Other couples want a nice experience too.”
“Noted,” he said, turning both of our backs to her and leaving her standing there looking stupid.
“Perfect,” Simone threw at our backs as she walked off, tapping on her tablet. Of course, she had to get the last word. It wouldn’t be Simone if she didn’t.
“Okay, couples!” one of the hosts said into the mic from the front. “Quick reminder. Our next event is sunset cocktails at eight.”
“We’ll be there!” I replied, smiling and waving. I just needed to say something normal, because it felt like everyone was staring at me while my insides were screamingI just fucked my best friend.
“I need a shower,” I blurted. “Right now.”
“Say less,” Hasheem said. “We’ll catch y’all later,” he told Tiana and Malik before pulling me away. “Come on.”
